someone on the phone

Meanings

1. 1phrase

   A person who is currently speaking on the telephone.

   Grammar: Used to describe someone's current activity; often follows 'be' or 'is'.

   Patterns

   • be on the phone
   • someone is on the phone
   • talk to someone on the phone

   She can't come to the door right now because she's on the phone.

   I was on the phone with my mother for an hour.

   The receptionist is on the phone; please wait a moment.

2. 2phrase

   A person who is talking to someone else by telephone, often used to indicate they are busy.

   Grammar: Often used in the pattern 'be on the phone to someone' in British English, or 'be on the phone with someone' in American English.

   Patterns

   • be on the phone to someone
   • be on the phone with someone
   • get someone on the phone

   He's on the phone to his lawyer at the moment.

   I need to get her on the phone to discuss the details.

   While he was on the phone with the bank, I made coffee.

Common combinations

be on the phone

She is on the phone with a client.

get someone on the phone

I finally got him on the phone after several tries.

talk to someone on the phone

I talked to my sister on the phone last night.

on the phone to someone

He was on the phone to his boss for half an hour.

Synonyms and how they differ

on a call

On a call is more formal and can refer to any type of call, not just telephone.

on the line

On the line is less common and often means someone is waiting on the telephone, especially in business contexts.

Commonly confused: someone on the phone or on the phone?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “someone on the phone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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