Particle guide

Phrasal verbs with on

The particle on starts from one core idea — contact and continuation. Sink In groups its verbs by the recurring ways that idea plays out, so verbs that look unrelated line up into patterns.

108 phrasal verbs · 17 meaning groups

Take the on quiz

Surface

Something touches, grips, or sticks to a surface.

get ongive onhang onhold onlatch onput ontack ontag on

Usual verb + particle uses

The verb keeps its normal meaning. The particle adds its usual direction or relation.

glue on

Fix in place with glue

“She glued the gem on the box lid.”
She used glue to fix the gem in place on the box lid.
“Dad glued a new sole on my boot.”
Dad used glue to fix a new sole to my boot.

hop on

Climb onto a moving vehicle

“Hop on, there's a free seat at the back.”
Climb aboard quickly because there's a free seat at the back.
“The kids hopped on the tram at the market.”
The kids climbed aboard the tram at the market.

paste on

Stick down with paste

“He pasted the photo on the page.”
He used paste to fix the photo onto the page.
“The children pasted bright stars on their party hats.”
The children used paste to fix bright stars to their party hats.

rub on

Apply something to a surface by rubbing

“Rub the cream on gently.”
Spread the cream over the skin with gentle rubbing.
“She rubbed polish on her boots until they shone.”
She applied polish to her boots with a cloth.

step on

Place your foot on something

“Don't step on the flowers.”
Don't place your foot on the flowers.
“Leo stepped on the bathroom scale.”
Leo placed his foot on the bathroom scale.

stick on

Become attached by adhesive

“This label should stick on any clean surface.”
This label should attach to any clean surface.
“This tape will not stick on wet wood.”
This tape will not attach to wet wood.

Support

One thing supports another. A plan may need people, facts, money, or past success.

act onbase onbuild oncount ondepend ondraw ongo onrely onride onrun on

Attention

Eyes or thoughts reach one point and stay there.

bear oncheck onchew ondwell onfocus onlook onspy ontouch onwatch on

Decision

After considering the options, the mind makes one choice.

agree ondecide onpass onsettle onsleep on

Insisting

A person holds firmly to a demand, rule, or status and refuses to change.

insist onstand on

Target

An action is directed onto a person, thing or weakness as its target.

call oncheat oncome ondote onfall onfeast onfeed onfrown ongang up onhammer onlean onoperate onpick onplay on

Continuation

An action, event, state, or path continues or moves to a later point.

bring oncarry oncatch oncome oncrack ondrag ondrone onget ongo onhand onhang onharp onhead onhold on

Starting

A device starts working, a session or event begins, or a condition starts to develop.

bring onclick oncome onflip ongo onlog onput onsign onsnap onswitch onturn on

Realisation

An idea reaches the mind and becomes clear.

catch ondawn onhit on

Chance Discovery

A person finds someone or something by chance.

happen onstumble on

Opportunity

A chance is available. A person may use it quickly or fail to notice it.

seize onsleep on

Disclosure

Hidden information becomes known.

let on
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Sink In — iOS & Android

Practice the on patterns in Sink In

The app turns each meaning group into short review cards: recognition, particle cloze, meaning-to-particle recall, and schema matching.

  • Learn the pattern behind dozens of verbs at once — not one-off translations.
  • Spaced repetition (SM-2) brings each meaning back right before you forget.
  • Four practice modes train recall and discrimination, not just recognition.
1,300+ phrasal verbs26 particle patternsBuilt for B1–C2
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Sink In particle on shown through its meaning patterns