catch up on — do something you missed earlier
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
to do work, tasks, or activities that you could not do before because you were busy or away.
Say it like a native
Textbook I must attend to the accumulated correspondence I previously failed to address.
Native I need to catch up on my emails.
'Attend to accumulated correspondence' is bureaucratic; 'catch up on' is natural.
Pattern: catch up on + noun/gerund
In use
- After my holiday, I had to catch up on all my emails at work.daily life
- If I miss a few classes, I usually spend extra time at home to catch up on my studies.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ I need to catch up my sleep.
✓ I need to catch up on my sleep.
'Catch up ON something'.
Common collocations
catch up on— on, sleep, work, the news
Don't confuse it
'Catch up with' is used for meeting or talking with people, while 'catch up on' is for tasks or things you need to do.