INDEX:
1. about a subject or person
2. to have something as the main subject
RELATED WORDS
talk about : ↑ DISCUSS
ask about : ↑ ASK
approximately a number or amount : ↑ ABOUT/APPROXIMATELY
around a place or thing : ↑ AROUND/ROUND
connected with something or someone : ↑ CONNECTED WITH/RELATED
◆◆◆
1. about a subject or person
▷ about /əˈbaʊt/ [preposition]
▪ Toby talks about you all the time.
▪ This leaflet should answer all the questions you have about switching to digital TV.
▪ I’m reading a really good book at the moment - it’s about the French Revolution.
▪ What’s all the fuss about?
about what/how/where etc
▪ I’ve been thinking about what you said, and I’ve decided that you’re right.
▷ on /ɒnǁɑːn, ɔːn/ [preposition]
about a particular subject :
▪ Lucia Piatti has written several books on the subject.
advice/opinions/ideas etc on
▪ If you want any advice on where to stay, Jan should be able to help you.
▪ His views on women are really old-fashioned.
on what/how/where etc
▪ Do you have any ideas on where to eat tonight?
book/programme/film etc on
▪ a book on 19th century English Literature
▪ a lecture on Native American customs and folklore
▪ Did you see that programme on South Africa last night?
▷ concerning/regarding /kənˈsɜːʳnɪŋ, rɪˈgɑːʳdɪŋ/ [preposition] formal
about something or someone - use this especially to talk about information, ideas, or questions :
▪ For any details concerning a particular country you should check with the embassy.
▪ Richard was called in by the police to answer questions concerning the disappearance of Thomas Ripley.
▪ If you have any questions regarding any of our services, please feel free to call me.
▪ Thank you for your letter regarding the annual subscription to our magazine.
▷ on the subject of /ɒn ðə ˈsʌbdʒɪkt ɒv/ [preposition]
if you talk or write on the subject of someone or something, you talk or write about them :
▪ Marie said nothing at all on the subject of Mr Bertram.
while we’re on the subject
used when you are talking about a subject and want to say more about it
▪ While we’re on the subject of money, do you have that $10 you owe me?
▷ re /riː/ [preposition]
used in short business letters, messages etc :
▪ Re planning meeting on Friday, please bring sales figures.
▪ To: John Deacon. From: Maria Soames. Re: computer system.
▷ with regard to /wɪð rɪˈgɑːʳd tuː/ [preposition] formal
used especially to introduce a subject that you want to talk about in a speech, formal report, meeting etc :
▪ With regard to the proposed new shopping mall, I would like to add a few remarks to those of the previous speaker.
▪ With regard to your letter concerning my January payment, this matter has now been settled.
▷ wrt
use this in e-mails to introduce the subject you want to talk about. Wrt is an abbreviation of ‘with regard to’ :
▪ Wrt your looking out for a new computer, I saw a good offer in the paper yesterday.
▪ I’ll be contacting Jean tomorrow wrt the Christmas party - is there anything you’d like me to suggest to her?
2. to have something as the main subject
▷ be about /biː əˈbaʊt/ [verb phrase]
▪ The play is about life in the Deep South in the 1930s.
▪ What’s tonight’s documentary about?
▪ Have you ever read ‘Hideous Kinky’? It’s about an English woman and her daughter travelling in Morocco.
▷ deal with/be concerned with /ˈdiːl wɪð , biː kənˈsɜːʳnd wɪð/ [transitive phrasal verb/verb phrase]
to be about a particular subject, especially a serious one, and examine it carefully and in detail. Deal with is much more common than be concerned with :
▪ The story deals with the psychological conflicts between mother and son.
▪ The earliest films made in India dealt with mythological subjects.
▪ Elton’s books are often concerned with environmental issues.
▷ concern /kənˈsɜːʳn/ [transitive verb]
if a story, report etc concerns someone or something, it is about them and especially about what happens to them :
▪ Much of the material in her early letters concerns events which happened some years before.
▷ focus on also centre on British /center on American /ˈfəʊkəs ɒn, ˈsentər ɒn/ [verb phrase]
if something such as a book, article, or discussion focuses on a subject or problem, it is mainly about it and examines it in detail :
▪ The next chapter will focus on this problem in greater detail.
▪ a weekly magazine mainly focusing on business-related issues
▪ The controversy centred on the question of illegal arms sales.