Meaning trap
work on
to try to influence or persuade someone gradually
to attempt to change someone's opinion, attitude, or behaviour over time, often through subtle or persistent effort.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
to attempt to change someone's opinion, attitude, or behaviour over time, often through subtle or persistent effort.
'work on' also has the more basic meaning 'to spend time improving or trying to achieve something'; this is the advanced sense.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- She’s been working on her boss for weeks to get approval for the new project.persuasion
- Some students argue that teachers should work on parents as well as pupils to create a more supportive learning environment.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: work on + person
WrongI'm still working my dad to let me go.
RightI'm still working on my dad to let me go.
'Work ON' a person (persuade) — don't drop 'on'.
Patternwork on + person
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Work on someone' is the idiomatic way to say you're slowly bringing them round; the formal version is wordy.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
work on + personon my dadon heron the bossstill
Don't confuse it
Unlike the B1 sense, which is about improving something (e.g. 'work on my English'), this sense is about influencing a person over time (e.g. 'work on my parents').
Related
- work on (to spend time improving or trying to achieve something) — 'work on' also has the more basic meaning 'to spend time improving or trying to achieve something'; this is the advanced sense.