Understanding the Phrasal Verb 'Bring Around': Meanings and Usage
Learning English phrasal verbs can significantly enhance your fluency, and today we're diving into the versatile phrasal verb bring around. Understanding how to use bring around correctly will add a new dimension to your English vocabulary. This versatile phrasal verb has several important meanings, from persuasion to revival. In this post, you'll discover the different meanings of bring around, explore its grammatical structures with clear examples, find useful synonyms, and test your knowledge with practice questions. Get ready to expand your command of English phrasal verbs!
Table of Contents
- What Does 'Bring Around' Mean?
- Structure with 'Bring Around'
- Related Phrases and Synonyms
- Practice Time!
- Conclusion
What Does 'Bring Around' Mean?
The phrasal verb bring around is a fascinating example of how a simple verb, "bring," combined with a preposition, "around," can create multiple distinct meanings. Primarily, bring around can refer to the act of persuading someone to agree with your viewpoint, especially if they were initially hesitant or opposed. It can also mean to help someone regain consciousness, for instance, after they have fainted. Furthermore, bring around can be used to describe skillfully guiding a conversation towards a particular topic you wish to discuss. Its precise meaning often depends heavily on the context in which it is used, making it a useful but sometimes tricky part of English vocabulary for learners.
More: Bring About: Meaning and Usage of this Phrasal Verb
Structure with 'Bring Around'
The phrasal verb bring around (often appearing as bring round in British English) is quite versatile. Like many English phrasal verbs, its structure can change slightly depending on the intended meaning, and it's often separable, meaning the object can come between "bring" and "around". Understanding these variations is key to using this phrasal verb correctly and effectively in your English communication. Let's explore the main structures and meanings of bring around in more detail.
Meaning 1: To Persuade or Convince Someone
When you bring someone around, you successfully persuade them to agree with your opinion, accept your proposal, or change their mind about something. This often implies that they were initially resistant, skeptical, or held a different viewpoint. The "around" suggests a movement from one position to another, metaphorically speaking. This is a key usage of bring around.
- Structure: Subject + bring + someone + around (to something / to doing something)
- This structure is separable, meaning the object 'someone' comes between 'bring' and 'around'.
- Example 1: She didn't want to go to the party at first, but I described the amazing band and managed to bring her around with promises of good music.
- Example 2: It took a long and patient discussion, but we finally brought him around to our way of thinking about the new marketing strategy. He eventually saw the benefits.
Meaning 2: To Help Someone Regain Consciousness
Another common and important meaning of bring around is to cause someone who is unconscious (due to fainting, a blow to the head, etc.) to wake up or become conscious again. This usage often appears in medical or emergency contexts, but can also be used in more general situations where someone needs to be revived.
- Structure: Subject + bring + someone + around
- This structure is also separable: 'bring [the patient] around'.
- Example 1: The doctor used smelling salts and a cool cloth on his forehead to bring the fainted patient around quickly.
- Example 2: After he hit his head during the game, it took a few anxious minutes for the coach to bring him around by gently shaking him and calling his name.
Meaning 3: To Steer or Guide a Conversation or Topic
You can also use bring around to describe the action of skillfully and often subtly guiding a conversation or discussion towards a specific subject or point that you want to address. This implies a deliberate effort to change the direction of the talk, perhaps because the current topic is irrelevant or you have something important to introduce. Learning to bring around a conversation is a useful social skill.
- Structure: Subject + bring + the conversation/discussion/topic + around + to something
- Here, the object is 'the conversation', 'the discussion', or 'the topic'.
- Example 1: He was very diplomatic and cleverly brought the conversation around to his recent achievements without sounding boastful.
- Example 2: I noticed we were drifting off-topic, so I tried to bring the discussion around to the main issue of budget allocation for the next quarter.
Meaning 4: To Deliver or Transport Something (More Common in British English)
In some contexts, particularly in British English, bring around can mean to deliver something to someone's home or another specified location. It implies personally transporting an item to a place. This usage is generally less frequent than the others, especially in American English, but it's good to be aware of it.
- Structure: Subject + bring + something + around (to a place/person)
- The object 'something' can come between 'bring' and 'around' or after 'around'.
- Example 1: "I've finished reading that book you lent me. Could you bring it around to my office later today when you come by?"
- Example 2: The friendly local grocer said he would bring the large order of vegetables around to our house tomorrow morning.
Understanding these different meanings and their corresponding grammatical structures will greatly help you to use and comprehend the phrasal verb bring around in various English contexts. Pay close attention to the object (whether it's a person or a thing) and any prepositions that follow (like "to") to accurately decipher the intended meaning. Learning these patterns is a core part of mastering English phrasal verbs.
More: Understanding the Phrasal Verb: Breeze Through Your English Learning
Related Phrases and Synonyms
Expanding your vocabulary with synonyms for bring around can make your English sound more varied, precise, and sophisticated. When you learn phrasal verbs, understanding their synonyms helps to solidify their meaning and provides you with alternative ways to express the same idea. This is particularly useful in writing and formal speech. Depending on the specific meaning of bring around you intend, different synonyms will be appropriate. Here's a table of useful synonyms related to its main meanings:
| Synonym | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Persuade | To successfully cause someone to do or believe something through reasoning or argument, often overcoming initial reluctance. | After a long debate, I persuaded him to join the team. |
| Convince | To cause someone to believe firmly in the truth of something, often by providing evidence or strong arguments. | She presented compelling data and convinced me that I was wrong about the market trend. |
| Revive | To restore to life, consciousness, health, or vigor. This is a direct synonym for bringing someone back from fainting. | The paramedics worked quickly and managed to revive the drowning victim with CPR. |
| Resuscitate | To revive someone from unconsciousness or apparent death, often involving medical procedures. It's a more formal and clinical term than revive. | The medical team tried to resuscitate him for nearly an hour, but unfortunately, they were unsuccessful. |
| Steer | To guide the course of something, such as a vehicle, conversation, or policy, in a particular direction. | She skillfully steered the sensitive debate towards a productive and amicable resolution. |
| Influence | To have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself. This can be a synonym for the 'persuade' meaning of bring around. | His older brother tried to influence his career choice, but he had his own plans. |
Using these synonyms can help you avoid repetition and express nuances more effectively. For instance, while "persuade" is a good general synonym for bring around in the context of changing someone's mind, "convince" might be better if the focus is on making them believe something is true. Similarly, "revive" and "resuscitate" are strong alternatives when bring around refers to restoring consciousness, with "resuscitate" often implying more urgent medical intervention. "Steer" and "influence" offer different shades of meaning when it comes to guiding conversations or opinions.
More: Understanding 'Break Up': Meanings and Usage of the Phrasal Verb
Practice Time!
Alright, you've learned a lot about the phrasal verb bring around! Now it's time to put your knowledge to the test and check your understanding. This short quiz will help reinforce what you've learned about its different meanings and how to use it correctly in sentences. Choose the best option for each question.
Question 1: Which sentence correctly uses "bring around" to mean persuade? a) The smell of strong coffee helped to bring him around after he fainted in the heat.
b) He tried to bring around the topic of conversation to his new car whenever he could.
c) After a long and passionate discussion about its benefits, she finally managed to bring him around to her point of view on renewable energy.
d) Can you bring around the important documents to my house tomorrow morning?
Correct answer: c
Question 2: "The paramedics worked hard to _______ the unconscious cyclist _______ after the accident." Which words best complete the sentence in the context of regaining consciousness? a) bring / over
b) bring / around
c) take / around
d) make / around
Correct answer: b
Question 3: If you "bring a conversation around to a certain topic," you are: a) Ending the conversation abruptly because you dislike the topic.
b) Actively trying to avoid discussing that particular topic.
c) Successfully and often subtly guiding the flow of the conversation to that specific topic.
d) Making the conversation more confusing and difficult to follow for everyone involved.
Correct answer: c
Question 4: "Initially, my parents were completely against the idea of me taking a gap year, but I eventually _______ them _______ by showing them my detailed plans and budget." a) brought / on
b) brought / about
c) brought / up
d) brought / around
Correct answer: d
How did you do on the quiz? If you found any of these questions tricky, don't worry! Simply revisit the meanings and examples provided earlier in the article. Consistent practice and exposure are key to truly mastering English phrasal verbs like bring around.
Conclusion
Mastering versatile English phrasal verbs like bring around is a significant and rewarding step in enhancing your overall English proficiency and confidence. By thoroughly understanding its various meanings—whether it's about persuading someone to your viewpoint, helping restore consciousness, skillfully guiding a conversation, or even delivering an item—and by learning its typical grammatical structures, you can use bring around much more confidently and accurately in your daily communication.
Remember that context is absolutely crucial when dealing with phrasal verbs, as it often dictates the intended meaning. Keep practicing by noticing how bring around is used in books, movies, and conversations. Don't be afraid to incorporate it into your own speaking and writing. This active engagement will greatly improve your fluency, expand your vocabulary, and deepen your comprehension of everyday English. Keep up the great work!