An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'put on', with examples and exercises.
Hello and welcome to my blog all about English phrasal verbs. Each week, I take a different phrasal verb and look at how it is used by native speakers, with a focus on the different meanings that it has and the expressions and idioms that it is used in.
The phrasal verb 'put on' is an extremely common and diversely used phrasal verb in the English language. In this post we will look at its diverse range of meanings and particular uses, including placing clothes on your body, gaining weight and acting in an insincere way. So, without further ado, let's make a start....
KEY INFORMATION
Usage | Common |
Number of meanings | 5 |
Separable? | Yes |
Past forms | Put on / put on |
British or American? | Both |
For more explanation of the terms in the table above, click here
THE BASICS
Our phrasal verb of choice this week is made up of the common and diverse verb 'to put', along with the prepositional particle 'up'.
The main meaning of the verb 'to put' is to place something in, or move something to, a particular place, and it is used frequently by English native speakers with a wide and varied selection of nouns, both physical and abstract. I think for this reason, there are also multiple meanings and uses of 'put on', which we will look at shortly.
The prepositional particle 'on' is one that you will all be familiar with already and means 'to be in contact with and (usually) above a surface', often with the surface supporting the object.
Ok, so now we have the basics covered, the first meaning should be a walk in the park....
MEANING 1: To place on a surface (literal)
CEFR Language Level | A1 - Beginner |
Usage | Common |
British or American? | Both |
Potential synonyms | To place, to set, to position |
With the individual meanings of the component words in mind, it should be no surprise to you that the first meaning of 'put on' is the literal meaning of the combination of the two words i.e. to physically place an object onto a surface. As such, this is very commonplace language in everyday life and you will certainly hear it sooner or later if you spend time in an English speaking environment.
As this one is a straightforward meaning, let's move on, but before we do, here are a handful of examples of typical usage....
Please can you pick up those books and put them on the bookshelf.
Have you seen my keys? I put them on the table when I got home but they aren't there anymore.
John put his coffee on his car roof and forgot all about it.
MEANING 2: To place something on your body
CEFR Language Level | A2 - Elementary |
Usage | Common |
British or American? | Both |
Potential synonyms | To get dressed, to try on |
The next meaning of 'put on' is a small departure from the literal meaning that we have just looked at but it is nonetheless a similar concept as it means, specifically, to place something on your body, rather than on a generic surface, like a table or a shelf.
The majority of the time, 'put on' is used in this sense when we want to wear something and therefore it is used with all types of clothes, including glasses, watches, jewellery and wigs. It is also used to talk about applying make-up to your face.
It should be noted that 'put on' is used specifically for the action of placing the item on your body and should not be confused with the verb 'to wear', which is used to describe the state of having an item on you body for a period of time.
Examples of usage....
Will you put on some decent clothes, we have got visitors!
Ok your eye test has finished, you can put your glasses back on again now.
I was about to put on my trainers and go running this morning when it started raining.
Helen put her best dress on and headed out to the office party.
MEANING 3: To make something operate
CEFR Language Level | A2 - Elementary |
Usage | Common |
British or American | Both |
Potential synonyms | Turn on, switch on |
The third meaning of 'put on' is to make something operate or function, normally by activating it with a button or switch.
This usage derives from the adverbial meaning of 'on', to describe an electrical device that is in operation e.g. the television is on, and so this meaning of 'put on' is used to describe the action of making the device function. This is very similar to the other phrasal verbs 'turn on' and 'switch on'. Interestingly though, whilst you can also turn off and switch off a device, you cannot 'put off' a device.....I'm not sure why, but it does not sound correct at all.
Sometimes we do not always refer to the physical device that we are 'putting on', but rather the end product. A prime example of this would be music, as it is normal to say that we 'put on music' rather than 'put on a CD player' (an outdated reference, I know). Another such example of this would be food and you can often hear native speakers talk about 'putting food on' to say they will start cooking it.
This meaning is separable and the direct object can either go in the middle of the phrasal verb construction or at the end, without altering the meaning.
Examples of usage....
It's so hot in here, can someone put the air conditioning on.
Quick, put the television on, you're on the news!
Sometimes I like to run a nice bath, put on some classical music and relax.
I've put some pasta on, so it should be ready in about 15 minutes.
What film shall I put on this evening?
MEANING 4: To organise an event or show
CEFR Language Level | B1 - Intermediate |
Usage | Common |
British or American | Both |
Potential synonyms | To organise, to stage |
This next meaning of 'put on' is to organise a public event, which people can attend and / or watch. This is used to talk about organising shows, plays, concerts, charity events, displays, exhibitions and festivals, as well any other events that I may have forgotten.
In this sense 'put on' can be used to describe the act of organising the event as well as to talk about the performer(s) and how well or badly they performed.
Examples of usage....
The local amateur dramatics society is putting on a charity play this week, shall we go?
The company is putting on an exhibition to mark their 100th anniversary.
The rock band Queen always put on a good show.
EXTRA INFORMATION TO SOUND LIKE A NATIVE SPEAKER
In British English 'put on' can also be used to talk about public transport when additional train or bus services are made available to people due to exceptional circumstances. See the examples below....
Due to the ongoing train strikes, the local council is putting on additional bus services to help people get around the city.
The company put on extra trains before and after the football game to help disperse the crowds quickly.
MEANING 5: To be deceptive
CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Common |
British or American? | Both |
Potential synonyms | To deceive |
The fifth meaning of 'put on' means to deceive people and is used to describe act in a way that is contrary to reality, to try and fool others (or sometimes themselves).
This meaning of 'put on' is used when people change the way that they interact with, or appear, to others, such as purposely changing their accent to sound like they come from a different place (putting on an accent) or modifying their facial expressions to hide what they are really feeling. The expression 'to put on a front' can often be used here, specifically when someone appears positive or happy in a situation but in reality they are very sad, scared or nervous.
In addition to appearance, we can also use 'put on' to talk about when someone is lying about something and subsequently behaving in a way to support the lie. An example of this would be if someone pretends to be sick and then acts like they are sick by coughing etc. to support the pretence. If other people don't believe that the illness is genuine, they may say that the person is putting it on.
One other thing to note here is that we use the adjectival form 'put-on' to describe the fake or dishonest action.
Examples of usage....
He's so good at putting on an American accent. He even fools actual Americans!
I put on a brave face at work today but inside I felt like crying all day.
John phoned in sick to work earlier today, however his boss believes that he is putting it on so that he can go to his child's sports day at school.
Lisa does not come from Scotland, her Scottish accent is obviously put on.
IDIOM ALERT!
A nice idiom to make you aware of here is "to put on airs and graces", which means to behave in such a way as to impress people and make them think that you are more important or sophisticated than you really are. If you put on airs and graces, you generally want people to believe that you are from a higher social class and often come across as pretentious to other people.
MEANING 6: To trick someone
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
British or American | American |
Potential synonyms | To trick, to fool, to prank, to have someone on |
Our sixth and final meaning is 'to put someone on', which means to trick someone or play a joke on them, often by telling them something that is not true and making them believe it. This usage is primarily American and as such, is not something that I would normally use in my British English. Alternatively, in British English we would be likely to say 'to have someone on' to mean the same thing.
Incidentally, 'put someone on' does exist in British English, however the meaning is totally different and would normally be used in the context of telephone calls when we want to request to speak to another person, often in the room.
Example of usage....
This can't be genuine! Are you putting me on?
If you guys are trying to put me on, I think you should know that I can see through your tricks.
BONUS
Although we have now examined the different meanings of 'put on' in English, we are not done yet though as there are also a large number of expressions and specific situations in which 'put on' is used and here are some of the most commonly used ones....
To put money on something = To put money on something means to gamble or place a bet. For this, you can state the exact amount e.g. you could put $5 on a team to win a football game, or you can say that you would put money on something, if you are absolutely certain that something is true or will happen in the future.
To put on weight = This is another way of saying that you gain weight or become heavier and is primarily British in usage.
To be put on medication = If we are ever prescribed medication by a doctor or medical professional, we can say that we have been put on medication, in a passive sense. This applies for both humans and animals.
To put a spell on someone = This is one that you may have come across if you are into the fantasy genre as it means to use magic on someone.
To put on a (good) spread = If someone puts on a (good) spread, it means that they are hosting a dinner party or event and they provide a lot of food and drink. The word 'good' is an optional extra here but is often used by complimentary guests.
To put on charge = Our final usage in this section means to plug something in to recharge, such as a cellphone or a battery of some kind. As you can imagine, this has become a very well-used expression since the rise of the cellphone and I must say it at least once a day.
EXERCISE Re-write the following sentences using 'to put on'....
I can't find my keys, I am sure I placed them on the table when I came home.
Get dressed, we have visitors!
The first thing I do when I get home from work is switch on the television.
The local Women's Institute is organising a charity event next month.
He is faking that Scottish accent. He comes from London!
I have gained a lot of weight since I got married.
The answers will be available on next week's post.
EXERCISE ANSWERS FROM 'PLAY UP' (other variations may be possible)
The politician PLAYED UP his rival's past connections with a criminal gang.
The marketing department PLAYED UP the importance of the seminar.
John's car has been PLAYING UP for the last couple of weeks.
My cat Arthur PLAYED UP a lot yesterday.
Helen's back PLAYS her UP from time to time.
Look at the way that Lisa PLAYS UP to the boss - she is clearly desperate for a promotion!
That brings us to the end of the post. Thank you so much for taking the time to read it and I sincerely hope that it has helped you a little bit further on your English learning journey.
If you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media, so together we can help as many English learners as possible to understand and master these tricky phrasal verbs.
Also, please leave any comments, questions, suggestions or examples of 'put on' below. I really love reading them. See you next time! James