work on — to try to influence or persuade someone gradually
phrasal verbC1IELTS 7+neutraloccasional
to attempt to change someone's opinion, attitude, or behaviour over time, often through subtle or persistent effort.
Say it like a native
Textbook I am gradually attempting to persuade my parents to agree.
Native I'm working on my parents.
'Work on someone' is the idiomatic way to say you're slowly bringing them round; the formal version is wordy.
Pattern: work on + person
In use
- 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
Common mistake
✗ I'm still working my dad to let me go.
✓ I'm still working on my dad to let me go.
'Work ON' a person (persuade) — don't drop 'on'.
Common collocations
work on + person— on my dad, on her, on the boss, still
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.