Grammar fix
hammer out
negotiate and reach an agreement after discussion
to reach an agreement or solution after a lot of discussion and effort, especially when people have different opinions or interests.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- After several hours of heated debate, the two sides finally hammered out a compromise.work
- In my opinion, international leaders need to hammer out clear agreements on climate change if we want to see real progress.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: hammer out something (with someone)
WrongThey hammered out on the details.
RightThey hammered out the details.
'Hammer out + thing' directly — no 'on'.
Patternhammer out something (with someone)
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Hammer out' conveys the hard, back-and-forth effort of reaching a deal. The formal version is flat.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
hammer out + agreementa dealthe detailsa compromisean agreement
Don't confuse it
Unlike the literal sense of 'hammer' (to hit something with a hammer), this sense is figurative and focuses on the process of negotiating and resolving differences. It is stronger and more specific than 'work out', which can refer to any solution, not necessarily after hard negotiation.