ENGLISH
REFERENCE

decide on sth

phr. v..
B1 Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to choose one thing from a list of many possibilities after thinking about it carefully.

phr. v.. to select a specific option or course of action from a range of alternatives, typically following a period of deliberation.


SIMPLE

We finally decided on the blue car.

CONTEXTUAL

After looking at several different menus, they decided on the Italian restaurant for their anniversary dinner.

COMPLEX

The committee spent several hours debating the budget before they finally decided on a strategy that satisfied all stakeholders.

Particles
on
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
decide + on + object
Usage

the object is usually a noun or a gerund representing the final choice made.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'decide to' (followed by a verb) to show that 'decide on' focuses on the selection of a specific noun or option.

Pitfall

We decided on go to Spain.We decided on going to Spain.the preposition 'on' must be followed by a noun or a gerund (-ing form), not a base verb.

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