ABOUT = Movement in many directions (around without a fixed destination.) OR surrounding a topic/subject/idea. Imagine a bee flying around a flower. It moveshere, there, up, down — in no single direction, but always near the flower. That is the feeling of ABOUT.
| Pattern | Core Idea | Short Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1: Move Without Direction | Wander, travel randomly | “We wandered about.” |
| 2: Be Present / Exist | Location, idleness | “Don’t hang about.” |
| 3: Search / Explore | Look for, inquire | “I asked about you.” |
| 4: Change Position / Direction | Turn around suddenly | “He turned about.” |
| 5: Distribute / Spread | Scatter, share | “Pass about the food.” |
| 6: Other / Miscellaneous | Cause, happen, start | “How did this come about?” |
The 6 Patterns of “ABOUT” Phrasal Verbs
ABOUT / PATTERN 1: MOVE WITHOUT DIRECTION (Wander) | ABOUT / PATTERN 2: BE PRESENT / EXIST (Location) |
|---|---|
| move about: Move in different directions. “People were moving about in the crowd.” | be about: Be present or exist. “There’s a lot of flu about this winter.” |
| wander about: Walk without purpose. “We wandered about the old town.” | hang about: Stay in a place doing little. “Teenagers hang about the park.” |
| roam about: Move freely. “Animals roam about the forest.” | sit about: Sit doing nothing. “We just sat about all day.” |
| walk about: Walk in many directions. “Tourists walked about the city.” | lie about: Lie untidily; do nothing. “Clothes lay about the room.” |
| run about: Run in different directions. “Children ran about in the garden.” | stand about: Stand doing nothing. “Workers stood about chatting.” |
| rush about: Move hurriedly everywhere. “She rushed about preparing dinner.” | wait about: Wait idly. “Fans waited about for hours.” |
| get about: Move from place to place; travel. “She gets about by bus.” | leave about: Leave things untidily. “Don’t leave toys about.” |
| go about: Move from place to place. “He goes about on a bicycle.” | scatter about: Spread untidily. “Papers were scattered about.” |
| bring about: Cause to happen. “The storm brought about damage.” | throw about: Throw in all directions. “Don’t throw rubbish about!” |
| come about: Happen; occur. “How did this come about?” | put about: Spread (rumors); change direction (ship). “They put about false rumors.” |
| set about: Start doing something. “I set about cleaning the house.” | mess about: Behave stupidly; waste time. “Stop messing about!” |
| see about: Arrange; deal with. “I’ll see about tickets.” | fool about: Act silly; waste time. “They were fooling about in class.” |
| play about: Play in many places. “Kids played about the yard.” | |
| lark about: Play jokes; have fun. “Boys larked about in the street.” | |
| potter about: Do small tasks slowly. “He pottered about the garden.” | |
| boss about: Tell people what to do. “She bosses everyone about.” | |
| push about: Treat roughly; bully. “Stop pushing me about!” | |
| order about: Give orders rudely. “He orders his staff about.” |
ABOUT / PATTERN 3: SEARCH / EXPLORE (Look for) | ABOUT / PATTERN 4: CHANGE POSITION / DIRECTION (Turn) |
|---|---|
| ask about: Inquire concerning. “She asked about your health.” | turn about: Turn to face opposite way. “He turned about and left.” |
| look about: Search in many places. “I looked about for my keys.” | wheel about: Turn quickly. “She wheeled about in surprise.” |
| search about: Look everywhere. “He searched about for answers.” | swing about: Turn suddenly. “He swung about to face me.” |
| hunt about: Search thoroughly. “I hunted about for a better price.” | spin about: Turn around quickly. “She spun about when I called.” |
| inquire about: Ask for information. “He inquired about the job.” | whirl about: Turn around fast. “Leaves whirled about in the wind.” |
| enquire about: Ask concerning. “I enquired about train times.” | dance about: Move in circles. “They danced about the room.” |
| wonder about: Think curiously. “I wondered about his decision.” | |
| hear about: Learn news concerning. “I heard about the accident.” | |
| know about: Have information on. “Do you know about the meeting?” | |
| learn about: Gain knowledge of. “We learned about history.” | |
| read about: Read concerning. “I read about the event.” | |
| tell about: Give information concerning. “Tell me about your trip.” | |
| talk about: Discuss. “We talked about politics.” | |
| think about: Consider. “Think about my offer.” | |
| care about: Feel concern for. “I really care about you.” | |
| worry about: Feel anxious concerning. “Don’t worry about me.” | |
| forget about: Not remember. “I forgot about the appointment.” |
ABOUT / PATTERN 5: DISTRIBUTE / SPREAD (Scatter) | ABOUT / PATTERN 6: OTHER / MISCELLANEOUS (Unique) |
|---|---|
| hand about: Pass to many people. “They handed about the snacks.” | bring about: Cause to happen. “Technology brought about change.” |
| pass about: Distribute to everyone. “Pass about the photos.” | come about: Happen; occur. “How did this come about?” |
| send about: Distribute widely. “They sent about the notice.” | set about: Start doing something. “I set about cleaning the house.” |
| share about: Distribute to others. “Share about the food equally.” | see about: Arrange; deal with. “I’ll see about tickets.” |
| spread about: Scatter widely. “News spread about quickly.” | go about: Start working on; continue. “How do I go about fixing this?” |
| scatter about: Throw in all directions. “Scatter about the seeds.” | get about: Travel; become known. “News got about quickly.” |
| throw about: Throw carelessly. “Don’t throw about your money!” | put about: Spread rumors. “They put about lies.” |
| bandy about: Mention frequently. “They bandied about his name.” | bandy about: Discuss lightly. “Names were bandied about.” |
| kick about: Discuss casually; lie unused. “Let’s kick about some ideas.” | kick about: Discuss casually; lie unused. “The idea has been kicking about for years.” |
| knock about: Hit repeatedly; travel casually. “He knocked about Europe for a year.” | knock about: Travel without plan; treat roughly. “The old car has been knocked about.” |
| bat about: Discuss casually. “We batted about some ideas.” | bat about: Discuss casually. “We batted about some ideas.” |
| fling about: Throw carelessly. “She flung about her clothes.” | fling about: Throw carelessly; wave arms. “He flung about his arms wildly.” |
