about

about
I
adj. (cannot stand alone)
ready

1) about to + inf. (the performance is about to begin)

willing
(colloq.) (AE)

2) not about to + inf. (we are not about to stop now; we are not about to be taken in by their campaign promises)

misc.

3) to set about doing smt.

II
prep.

1) be quick about it ('do it quickly')

2) how/what about us?

We say 'to be angry/annoyed/furious/excited/worried/upset/sorry about something':

- What are you so angry/annoyed about?

- Are you excited about going on holiday next week? - I'm sorry about the noise last night. We were having a party. (but: sorry for doing something)

We say 'to care about someone/something' (= think someone/something is important):

- He is very selfish. He doesn't care about other people.

We say 'to complain to someone about someone/something:

- We complained to the manager of the restaurant about the food.

We say 'to dream/hear about someone/something':

- I dreamt about you last night.

- Did you hear about the fight in the club on Saturday night?

We say 'to think about someone/something' (= consider, concentrate the mind on):

- You're quiet this morning. What are you thinking about?

The difference between 'think of ' and 'think about' is sometimes very small. Often you I can use 'of' or 'about':

- My sister is thinking of (or about) going to Canada.

We say 'to do something about something' (= do something to improve a bad situation):

- The economic situation is getting worse and worse. The government ought to do something about it.

We say 'to remind someone about something' (= tell someone not to forget):

- I'm glad you reminded me about the party. I had completely forgotten it.

We say 'to warn someone about someone/something (of is also possible sometimes):

- I knew she was a bit strange before I met her. Tom had warned me about her.

* * *
[ə'baʊt]
['misc. '] to set about doing smt.
how/what about us?
be quick about it ('do it quickly')
(cannot stand alone) ['ready'] about to + inf. (the performance is about to begin)
['willing'] (colloq.) (AE) not about to + inf. (we are not about to stop now; we are not about to be taken in by their campaign promises)

Combinatory dictionary. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую
Synonyms:
, , , , , , , / , , , , , , / , , , , , , , , , , , , , , / , , , , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • About: — About: About: (« à propos de » en anglais) est un préfixe utilisé dans une série de navigateurs pour accéder, via l interface même du navigateur (par la barre d adresses), à des pages très particulières. Les URIs saisies affichent donc… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • About: — about: Saltar a navegación, búsqueda about: es un esquema interno URI (también conocido como régimen URL o, erróneamente, protocolo ) en distintos navegadores web para mostrar ciertas funciones incorporadas. No es un sistema oficialmente… …   Wikipedia Español

  • about: — about: es un esquema interno URI (también conocido como régimen URL o, erróneamente, protocolo ) en distintos navegadores web para mostrar ciertas funciones incorporadas. No es un sistema oficialmente registrado, y no tiene la sintaxis estándar.… …   Wikipedia Español

  • about: — about: (« à propos de » en anglais) est un schéma d URI utilisé dans une série de navigateurs pour accéder, via l interface même du navigateur (par la barre d adresses), à des pages très particulières. Les URIs saisies affichent donc –… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • about — 1. as a preposition. In the meaning ‘roughly, approximately’ (eg. It took about ten minutes, about is the usual BrE word; around is also used, and is much more common in AmE. Round about is more informal, and is largely confined to BrE. 2.… …   Modern English usage

  • about — [ə bout′] adv. [ME aboute(n) < OE onbūtan, around < on, ON + be, BY + ūtan, outside < ūt, OUT: all senses develop from the sense of “around”] 1. on every side; all around [look about] 2. here and there; in all directions [travel abou …   English World dictionary

  • About — A*bout , adv. 1. On all sides; around. [1913 Webster] Tis time to look about. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. In circuit; circularly; by a circuitous way; around the outside; as, a mile about, and a third of a mile across. [1913 Webster] 3. Here and… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • about — [ abu ] n. m. • 1213; de abouter ♦ Techn. Extrémité d une pièce de bois, de métal, préparée pour se joindre à une autre. Pièce métallique que l on fixe à une seringue pour y adapter l aiguille. ⇒ embout. Extrémité (d un rail). ● about nom… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • About.me — About.me …   Википедия

  • About — A*bout , prep. [OE. aboute, abouten, abuten; AS. [=a]butan, onbutan; on + butan, which is from be by + utan outward, from ut out. See {But}, {Out}.] [1913 Webster] 1. Around; all round; on every side of. Look about you. Shak. Bind them about thy… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • About — can refer to:*About box, a dialog box displaying credits for a piece of computer software * About.com, a website offering consumer related advice * abOUT , an LGBT magazine * About (musical artist), a music project * , an internal URI scheme… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”