Work on
2 meanings · select one to explore
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Meaning 1 of 3
Definition
To try to improve or develop something
Example sentence
He's been working on his Spanish for the past year.
Real video usage
Three clips showing this meaning in natural speech.
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Common collocations
Natural word pairings to memorize.
Common pattern: work on + skill/project (noun)
work on your Spanish
work on a project
work on yourself
work on the presentation
work on our relationship
Separable usage
Can the object split the verb? Compare correct vs incorrect.
She worked on the presentation late into the night. ✅ (Correct)
She worked the presentation late into the night on. ❌ (Incorrect — inseparable, always stays together)