ENGLISH
REFERENCE

depending on

prep. phr..
B1 Intermediate Oxford

prep. phr.. you use this to say that one thing changes or is decided by another thing.

prep. phr.. a complex preposition used to indicate that a situation or outcome is contingent upon a specific factor or variable.


SIMPLE

The price varies depending on the size.

CONTEXTUAL

We might go for a walk or stay inside, depending on the weather this afternoon.

COMPLEX

The success of the merger remains uncertain, depending on the final approval from the regulatory commission and the shareholders' vote.

Usage

usually placed at the beginning or middle of a sentence to show a condition.

Teaching tip

remind students that this phrase functions as a single unit; it is often followed by a noun phrase or a 'wh-' clause like 'depending on what happens'.

Pitfall

It depends of the weather.It depends on the weather.while 'depending on' is a phrase, the base verb 'depend' always takes the preposition 'on', never 'of'.

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