ENGLISH
REFERENCE

drone on

phr. v..
C1 Advanced Oxford

phr. v.. to talk for a long time in a boring, flat voice that makes people lose interest.

phr. v.. to speak tediously in a monotonous tone for an extended period; often implies the speaker is oblivious to the audience's boredom.


SIMPLE

The teacher drones on about history for hours.

CONTEXTUAL

I tried to stay awake, but the manager continued to drone on about the new filing system during the entire meeting.

COMPLEX

While the professor droned on regarding the nuances of medieval tax law, most of the students found themselves staring blankly out of the window.

Particles
on
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
drone + on (+ about + object)
Usage

usually followed by 'about' plus the subject of the speech.

Teaching tip

the verb is onomatopoeic, mimicking the low, continuous hum of a bee or a machine; connecting it to the sound of a literal 'drone' aircraft can help students remember the 'boring hum' aspect.

Pitfall

He was droning on the project.He was droning on about the project.the preposition 'about' is required to connect the action to the topic being discussed.

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