ENGLISH
REFERENCE

report on sth

phr. v..
A2 Elementary Oxford

phr. v.. to give people information about something you have studied or discovered.

phr. v.. to provide a formal or official account of a specific subject; often used in journalistic, academic, or professional contexts to indicate the scope of an investigation.


SIMPLE

The journalist will report on the election results tonight.

CONTEXTUAL

Our team needs to report on the progress of the new project during the meeting tomorrow.

COMPLEX

The committee was commissioned to report on the environmental impact of the proposed highway before any construction could begin.

Particles
on
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
report + on + object
Usage

the object is usually a topic, an event, or the results of a study.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'report sth' (which focuses on the content of the message) versus 'report on sth' (which focuses on the general topic or investigation).

Pitfall

He reported about the accident.He reported on the accident.while 'about' is sometimes heard, 'on' is the standard preposition for professional or formal accounts of a topic.

© 2026 English Reference