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3. On indicates a surface location.                      

Pattern 1: on + the + noun
She rides her bicycle on the sidewalk.            

Typical nouns after on the:
boardwalk, court, (baseball) diamond, field, highway, path, rink, road, rocks, screen, sidewalk, street                       

Pattern 2: on + Æ noun
That is the only place on earth where she feels safe.               

Typical nouns after on:
earth, land, page one (or any other number), solid ground, water                    

4. On indicates certain inside surface locations.                

Pattern: on + the + noun
There is a fly on the ceiling.                

Typical nouns after on the:
ceiling, floor, stairs, steps, wall, window
first/second (or other number) floor                 

5. On indicates surface contact.                   

Pattern: verb + noun + on + noun
The child pasted the picture on the page.        

Typical verbs:
glue, hold, paste, stick            

6. On indicates location in a part of an area.             

Pattern: be + on + the + noun + of + noun
The porch is on the side of the house.                        

Typical nouns after on the:
border, bottom, edge, end, exterior, inside, interior, left, outside, outskirts, first/second (or other number) page, right, side, surface, top                                                                                                                    

7. On means facing.      

Pattern: be + on + noun
Their house is on the beach.
What street is your house on?             

Typical nouns:
beach, highway, river, road, street                   

8. On indicates movement to something; onto.                    

Pattern 1: verb + on + noun
It rained on your bicycle last night.
She jumped on the bed.                                  

Typical verbs before on:
bounce, climb, fall, get, hop, jump, knock, pounce, pound, rain, stamp, step, tread               

Pattern 2: verb + noun + on + noun
She poured water on the plant.
He sprinkled salt on the meat.                         

Typical verbs:
drip, drop, load, pour, put, shower, smear, spill, splash, spray, spread, sprinkle, squirt, throw                      

9. On indicates travel in vehicles in which one can walk.
She goes to work on the bus.
They went on the train to Philadelphia.                                   

Typical nouns:
airplane, bus, ship, train         

Typical verbs used before on:
get, go, ride, sit, travel                         

10. On indicates an individual method of travel.
He came over on his bike.
She was sore from riding on a horse.                         

Typical nouns:
all fours, bicycle, foot, one's hands and knees, motorcycle, roller blades, skateboard, skates, skis, scooter, sled, snowboard, surfboard, tiptoe, tricycle                                                                                     

11. On means wearing.                     

Pattern 1: verb + on + noun
The man has on a suit and tie.
The lady put on her new dress.            

Pattern 2: verb + noun + on + noun
She put the bracelet on her wrist.
He had a hat on his head.                                

Typical verbs:
get, have, keep, put, try, wear              

12. On indicates physical support.     

Pattern 1: verb + on + noun
The child leaned on his father.
The children sat on small chairs.        

Typical verbs used before on:
cling, hang, lean, lie, rest, sit, sleep, stand                 

Pattern 2: verb + noun + on + noun
She draped the cloth on the table.
He laid the sick child on the bed.                     

Typical verbs:
drape, hang, lay, place, put                 

Pattern 3: be + on + noun
The beads are on a string.
The popsicle is on a stick.       

Expression:
to be on one's side—to support in spirit
They are my friends; I'm sure they are on my side.                 

13. On can indicate trust in something or someone.              

Pattern 1: verb + on + noun
He relies on me to pay his rent.           

Typical verbs used before on:
bank, bet, count, depend, rely             

Pattern 2: be + adjective + on + noun
She is dependent on her husband.                  

Adjectives used before on:
based, dependent, predicated             

14. On can indicate frequency.                     

Pattern: on + ø noun
He visits twice a month on average.                

Nouns commonly used after on:
average, occasion, weekends, Saturdays (or other days)
nice (or other adjective) mornings, afternoons, evenings, nights                     

Expression:
on the whole—in its entirety
On the whole they enjoy their work.                

15. On can indicate a form of record.             

Pattern: on + ø noun
He wrote it on paper.
They recorded the song on tape.         

Typical nouns:
disk, cassette, compact disc, film, microfilm, paper, record, tape          

16. On means by means of.                   

Pattern 1: verb + on + noun
That car runs on diesel fuel.
They survive on very little food.          

Typical verbs used before on:
live, keep alive, gain/lose weight, make do, run, scrape by, survive, train, thrive             

Typical nouns used after on:
calories, electricity, food, fuel, gas, income, salary                 

Pattern 2: verb + noun + on + noun
I bought the furniture on credit.
He wrote his paper on the computer.               

17. On can mean using at the present time.                     

Pattern: be + on + the + noun
The manager can't help you now; she is on the telephone.                  

 Nouns commonly used with this pattern:

computer, Internet, machine, telephone          

Expression:
to log on—to connect to the Internet
Don't interrupt him now; he has just logged on.          

18. On can indicate the cause of a mishap.                    

Pattern 1: verb + noun + on + noun
I cut my finger on a piece of glass.
She hurt herself on the swing.                         

Pattern 2: verb + on + noun
He tripped on a fallen branch.             

Verbs commonly used before on:
choke, fall, stumble, trip                      

19. On can indicate a motive for action.                 

Pattern 1: verb + on + ø noun
They went to Houston on business.                 

Nouns used after on:
business, command, instinct, reconnaissance, request, sabbatical, spec, vacation                 

 Expressions:

on purpose—deliberately
She didn't want to see him; she stayed home on purpose.
on behalf of—in place of, for the sake of
I went to the meeting on behalf of my mother, who was out of town.               

The picnic was cancelled on account of the rain.      

Pattern 2: on + the + noun + of
They went overseas on the orders of the commander.
I bought the car on the recommendation of my son.               

Typical nouns:
advice, assumption, authority, calculations, charge, premise, recommendation, orders         

20. On can indicate a type of trip.            

Pattern: verb + on + noun
The class went on an excursion around the city.         

Nouns used after on:
cruise, excursion, field trip, flight, honeymoon, journey, mission, outing, safari, trip             

21. On can indicate a topic.                    

Pattern 1: noun + on + noun
We have a good book on gardening.
He wrote a long article on the economy.         

Typical nouns before on:
article, book, debate, discussion, paper, report, research, speech, thesis, thoughts                

Pattern 2: verb + on + noun
She spoke on the environment.
I wish he would expound on his ideas.           

Typical verbs before on:
expound, report, speak, write              

22. On can show an effect of something on something else.

Pattern: noun + on + noun
We got a good buy on our car.
There is a new tax on perfume.            

Typical nouns used before on:
ban, discount, embargo, encumbrance, evidence, good buy, restriction, sale, tax, war           

23. On can indicate possession at the time.                    

She had four dollars on her.               

He didn't have a gun on him.