ENGLISH
REFERENCE

focus on

phr. v..
B1 Intermediate Oxford General-service

phr. v.. to give all your attention to one particular person, thing, or activity.

phr. v.. to concentrate attention or effort on a specific subject, task, or stimulus; functions as a transitive phrasal verb requiring the preposition 'on'.


SIMPLE

I need to focus on my homework now.

CONTEXTUAL

The meeting will focus on the new budget for the upcoming year.

COMPLEX

While the initial report touched on several minor issues, the final analysis must focus on the structural integrity of the bridge.

Particles
on
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
focus + on + object
Usage

the object is usually the topic of thought, a specific task, or a visual target.

Teaching tip

students often use 'in' or 'at' due to first-language interference; emphasize that 'on' is the fixed partner for this verb.

Pitfall

We need to focus in the problem.We need to focus on the problem.the verb 'focus' always requires the preposition 'on' when followed by an object.

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