Phrasal verb
bang on
Definition
phrasal verb. to talk about something for a long time in a way that is boring or annoying for others.
phrasal verb. to speak at length and repetitively about a particular topic, often to the point of exasperating the listener; frequently used with the preposition 'about'.
Examples
“He is always banging on about his new car.”
“I wish she would stop banging on about her vacation plans because we have work to finish.”
“The politician continued to bang on about fiscal responsibility despite the clear evidence that his own department had exceeded its annual budget.”
Examples
simple
“He is always banging on about his new car.”
contextual
“I wish she would stop banging on about her vacation plans because we have work to finish.”
complex
“The politician continued to bang on about fiscal responsibility despite the clear evidence that his own department had exceeded its annual budget.”
Usage
informal British English; usually followed by 'about' and a noun or gerund.
Teaching tip
this is a great example of how 'on' can indicate a continuous, repetitive, or annoying action in phrasal verbs, similar to 'go on' or 'keep on'.
Pitfall
He bangs on his problems.
He bangs on about his problems.
the preposition 'about' is necessary to connect the verb to the topic of conversation.
Phrasal verb
Particles
on
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
bang + on + about + object