Are there more expressions like "on the run" and "on the go"?

[angelsdevins]

There are many expressions in English that use the phrase "on the." This phrasing is often used to describe someone who is busy or in a hurry. For example, if you are "on the run," it means that you are moving quickly or trying to escape from something. If you are "on the go," it means that you are always busy and always on the move. There are many other expressions that use this phrasing, such as "on the lookout," "on the mend," and "on the verge." The list goes on and on. It seems like there is an endless supply of expressions that use this simple phrase. So, next time you're feeling busy or rushed, remember that you're not alone - millions of people around the world can relate to your situation.

 

[VOYAGER]

@angelsdevins, thanks for your explanatory reply but the problem for some non-native learners of English is related to the types of words following just after the base phrase "on the". When the word following this simple base phrase is a noun or an adjective, there is no problem in comprehension for these learners. But it seems that some words mostly known as verbs like "run, go, move, make, take etc." bring some kind of complication in comprehension when they follow the base phrase "on the". Because these learners primarily learn a rule stating that no verb can follow the definite article (the). Therefore the phrases "on the go/run/move etc" are interesting examples of this particular grammatical case/structure in English for non-native learners of your own mother tongue.

Please remember that each and every ordinary person on Earth can first think using his/her own mother tongue in his/her mind. Are you able to think using Spanish or French in your mind even if you know and can speak these languages? I don't think so, because it is obvious that you will naturally prefer thinking and then speaking in your mother tongue.
This simple reality explains why using English for non-native learners can never be in exactly the same way or manner that you naturally follow, doesn't it? This is why some non-native learners can wonder whether there are more the so-called unusual/strange expressions like the ones they face although these expressions are not so at all according to native learners/speakers of English like you. I hope it is clearer now. Yours truly.

 

[Tarheel]

The phrase "on the verge" is incomplete. It 's "He is on the verge of collapsing" or something like that. It's not a phrase like "on the mend' or "on the go" or "on the lam"..

 

[emsr2d2]

@VOYAGER - you still seem to be missing the point that all the verbs you listed (run, go, move, make, take) are all also nouns. When used in the phrases we're talking about, they're used as nouns. I don't mean that they're verbs being used as nouns. They actually are nouns.

 

[jutfrank]

@angelsdevins Because these learners primarily learn a rule stating that no verb can follow the definite article (the).

Right. So isn't that sufficient evidence to you that words following on the are not verbs but actually nouns?

As I suggested previously, an enormous number of words in English can be either verbs or nouns. One of the ways speakers make this clear is in the way the words are pronounced. With some words, the syllable that is stressed shows the word type. For example:

increase (v)
increase (n)

In the phrase, on the increase, the first syllable is stressed, showing clearly that it's a noun.

 

[flos]

In Britain,
"is on the run" means "is hiding from the police";
"on the go" refers to activities which may be performed while travelling, or to equipment which can be used while travelling; it can also mean "very active";
"on the move" means "while travelling";
"on the take" means "open to bribery";
"on the make" means "seeking to gain a (possibly unfair) advantage";
"on the nod" refers to items approved without serious examination;
"on the beat" can mean "synchronised with other musical instruments or voices"; or it may refer to a policeman on foot patrol.
Anyone taking part in an athletic running event can also be said to be "on the run", though I would avoid the phrase in this context.
Anyone descending a toboggan track or a ski piste may also be described as "on the run".
In the last two examples, "run" is used as a noun.

 

[flos]

Apologies. My last post was written "on the fly", meaning without forethought.
No doubt further examples will come to mind.
I hope this topic stays open for at least another few weeks.

 

[probus]

Hello @flos and wecome to the forum. In AmE "on the run" is usually an idiom for fleeing or hiding from the police.

 

[emsr2d2]

Apologies. My last post was written "on the fly", meaning without forethought.
No doubt further examples will come to mind.
I hope this topic stays open for at least another few weeks.

We don't randomly close threads. They tend to stay open unless a moderator has a good reason for closing them. I think they're automatically closed after a couple of years without a response.

 

[flos]

We don't randomly close threads. They tend to stay open unless a moderator has a good reason for closing them. I think they're automatically closed after a couple of years without a response.

Thank you for explaining. I just wanted to comment that "patience on a monument" was a phrase often used by P G Wodehouse.

 

[probus]

If Wodehouse used it he was quoting Shakespeare, who coined the phrase.

 

[flos]

Exactly. I was hoping to give an example of more recent usage.

 

[VOYAGER]

With some words, the syllable that is stressed shows the word type.

Thanks for your reply but I think that this rule is not valid for one syllable words like run and go. Therefore non-native speakers/learners of English may only learn the patterns given in the original title along some long durations of English use in their lives. This is why the subject title was needed to be written.