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Meaning trap

pull through

recover from a serious illness or difficult situation

to get better after being very sick or to succeed in a very hard situation

phrasal verbB2common

Don't mix these meanings

Same phrase, different job.

recover from a serious illness or difficult situation

to get better after being very sick or to succeed in a very hard situation

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Hear it in context

Notice where the phrase sounds natural.

  • After weeks in the hospital, she finally pulled through and went home.health
  • My friend was very sick last year, but with the support of his family, he managed to pull through.IELTS speaking

Fix the pattern

Pattern: pull through (something)

WrongHe pulled through from the surgery.

RightHe pulled through after the surgery. / He pulled through.

'Pull through' is usually used alone — not 'pull through from'.

Patternpull through (something)

Use it right

Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.

Stiff The physicians are optimistic that she will recover from her illness.

Natural The doctors think she'll pull through.

'Pull through' is the natural verb for recovering from serious illness; the formal version is clinical.

Build natural chunks

Words that usually travel with it.

  • pull through + recovery
    after surgerysomehowagainst the oddsin the end

Don't confuse it

Don't confuse with 'get over', which is often used for less serious problems.

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