ENGLISH
REFERENCE

back and forth

idiom.
C1 Advanced Oxford

idiom. moving from one place to another and back again, or changing between two different ideas or choices.

idiom. an adverbial phrase describing repetitive movement between two points or alternating between two states, opinions, or parties in a discussion.


SIMPLE

The ball went back and forth over the net.

CONTEXTUAL

We spent the whole morning emailing back and forth to agree on a meeting time.

COMPLEX

The legal team spent months going back and forth on the specific wording of the contract before both parties finally signed.

Usage

often used with verbs of movement like 'go', 'walk', or 'swing', and verbs of communication like 'email' or 'argue'.

Teaching tip

this can be used as a noun phrase ('a lot of back and forth') to describe a long discussion or negotiation that lacks a quick resolution.

Pitfall

They went back and forward.They went back and forth.while 'forward' is a synonym for 'forth', the fixed idiom always uses 'forth'.

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