The rule, as people use it
"About" does three jobs in everyday speech, and you hear all three every day.
The first job is the topic. A book about cooking, a call about the rent, "What are you talking about?" Many verbs and adjectives pair with it this way: think about, worry about, talk about, excited about, sorry about.
The second job is a guess. Put "about" in front of a number or a time and it means roughly, not exact. About ten minutes. About two hundred dollars. People say it all the time because nobody wants to promise an exact number.
The third job is "about to", which means something will happen in the next moment. "I'm about to leave" says you have your coat on. It's closer than "going to".
Examples
Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.
Fill the gap
Type the missing words, then check. The full sentence plays when you get it.
- 1
Can we talk (the plan) later?
- 2
It costs (twenty dollars), more or less.
- 3
I'm (leave), so hurry.
- 4
He's worried (his exam).
- 5
We waited (an hour), maybe a bit more.
- 6
Grace was (call) you when you called her.
- 7
Sorry (the noise) last night.
- 8
This song is (a girl in Nairobi).
Practice · 3 min
Write one true sentence for each job of "about", then say them out loud.
- A topic: Last week I talked to someone about ___ .
- A feeling: Right now I'm worried about ___ .
- A guess: My home is about ___ from the nearest store.
- A guess: I sleep about ___ hours a night.
- About to: When I finish this lesson, I'm about to ___ .
Say it today
Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.