ENGLISH
REFERENCE

hinge on

phr. v..
C1 Advanced Oxford General-service

phr. v.. to depend completely on something in order to be successful or to happen.

phr. v.. to depend entirely on a specific factor or event; used to indicate that one outcome is contingent upon another.


SIMPLE

The success of the party hinges on the weather.

CONTEXTUAL

The entire legal case hinges on whether the witness is telling the truth.

COMPLEX

The future of the peace treaty hinges on the willingness of both parties to compromise on territorial boundaries.

Particles
on
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
hinge + on + object
Usage

usually followed by a noun or a noun phrase representing the critical factor.

Teaching tip

anchor this to the physical 'hinge' of a door; just as a door cannot swing without its hinge, the situation cannot move forward without the key factor.

Pitfall

The plan hinges of his decision.The plan hinges on his decision.the verb 'hinge' must be followed by the preposition 'on' or 'upon', never 'of'.

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