Phrasal verb
live on sth
Definition
phrasal verb. to have only one type of food or a small amount of money to pay for everything you need.
phrasal verb. to subsist on a particular food source or a specific, often limited, amount of income; functions as an intransitive verb followed by a prepositional object.
Examples
“When I was a student, I lived on pasta and beans.”
“It is becoming increasingly difficult for retired people to live on the state pension alone as prices rise.”
“The indigenous tribes of the high plateau have lived on a diet of hardy grains and root vegetables for centuries despite the harsh climate.”
Examples
simple
“When I was a student, I lived on pasta and beans.”
contextual
“It is becoming increasingly difficult for retired people to live on the state pension alone as prices rise.”
complex
“The indigenous tribes of the high plateau have lived on a diet of hardy grains and root vegetables for centuries despite the harsh climate.”
Usage
usually followed by a specific food item or a source of income like a salary or pension.
Teaching tip
distinguish between the literal sense of survival and the figurative sense of being obsessed with something, such as 'living on adrenaline'.
Pitfall
They live on 500 dollars the month.
They live on 500 dollars a month.
the phrase requires the source of income to follow 'on' directly, often paired with a frequency expression.
Phrasal verb
Particles
on
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
live + on + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/live-on-sth