Harp On

Pronunciation: /hɑːrp ɒn/

Definitions of harp on

verb to persistently talk or complain about something

Example Sentences

A1 She always harps on about the importance of recycling.

A2 My mom tends to harp on my messy room every time she visits.

B1 The boss constantly harps on the need for better time management in the office.

B2 I wish my colleague would stop harping on about his new car.

C1 The politician harped on the same issue throughout the entire debate.

C2 The teacher harped on the importance of critical thinking skills in today's society.

preposition used to indicate the topic or subject of the persistent talk or complaint

Example Sentences

A1 I don't want to harp on about it, but please remember to turn off the lights when you leave.

A2 Let's not harp on the mistakes we made in the past, instead let's focus on improving for the future.

B1 The teacher tends to harp on the importance of proper grammar in writing assignments.

B2 I wish my boss wouldn't harp on the same issues during every team meeting.

C1 The politician continued to harp on the same talking points throughout the debate.

C2 Despite the negative feedback, the author refused to harp on the criticisms and instead focused on creating new work.

Examples of harp on in a Sentence

formal The speaker continued to harp on the importance of budgetary constraints in his presentation.

informal Why do you always harp on about cleaning your room?

slang Stop harping on me about going out tonight, I already said I can't.

figurative She couldn't help but harp on the mistake she made, replaying it in her mind over and over.

Grammatical Forms of harp on

• past tense: harped on
• plural: harp on
• comparative: more harp on
• superlative: most harp on
• present tense: harps on
• future tense: will harp on
• perfect tense: has harped on
• continuous tense: is harping on
• singular: harp on
• positive degree: harp on
• infinitive: to harp on
• gerund: harping on
• participle: harped on

Origin and Evolution of harp on

First Known Use: 1601 year

Language of Origin: English

Story behind the word: The phrase 'harp on' originated from the musical instrument, the harp, which has strings that are plucked repeatedly to produce sound. This action of repeatedly plucking the strings was likened to repeatedly bringing up or dwelling on a particular topic or issue.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the phrase 'harp on' has evolved to mean excessively focusing on or talking about a particular subject, often to the annoyance of others. It has become a common idiom in English language to describe someone who keeps bringing up the same topic repeatedly.