ENGLISH
REFERENCE

decide upon

phr. v..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to choose something after thinking about it carefully for a while.

phr. v.. to select or settle on a particular option from a range of possibilities; often implies a period of deliberation or a formal conclusion.


SIMPLE

We finally decided upon a date for the wedding.

CONTEXTUAL

After reviewing all the applications, the committee decided upon the most experienced candidate for the role.

COMPLEX

The council has yet to decide upon a strategy that balances economic growth with environmental preservation.

Particles
upon
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
decide + upon + object
Usage

more formal than 'decide on' and much more formal than just 'choose'.

Teaching tip

point out that 'upon' is a formal variant of 'on'; in most spoken contexts, students should use 'decide on' to avoid sounding overly stiff.

Pitfall

They decided upon to go to Italy.They decided to go to Italy.do not use 'upon' before an infinitive verb; it must be followed by a noun or a gerund.

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