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Meaning trap

put through

make someone experience something difficult

to make someone experience something unpleasant or challenging, often over a period of time.

phrasal verbB2common

Don't mix these meanings

Same phrase, different job.

make someone experience something difficult

to make someone experience something unpleasant or challenging, often over a period of time.

put through (connect by phone)

Another meaning of 'put through' is 'connect by phone'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.

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Hear it in context

Notice where the phrase sounds natural.

  • She really put her parents through a lot when she was a teenager.relationships
  • Many students feel that final exams put them through a great deal of stress.IELTS speaking

Fix the pattern

Pattern: put sb through sth

WrongSorry for putting you through of this.

RightSorry for putting you through this.

'Put someone through' + the hardship — no 'of'.

Patternput sb through sth

Use it right

Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.

Stiff I deeply regret subjecting you to such an ordeal.

Natural I'm sorry for putting you through all this.

'Put through' is the natural verb for making someone endure something hard; 'subject to an ordeal' is formal.

Build natural chunks

Words that usually travel with it.

  • put + someone + through
    you through hellus through thisthem through a lother through it

Don't confuse it

Not the same as 'go through' (to experience something yourself).

Try it in Daily Speak →