phrasal verb · neutral
keep at
UK/kiːp æt/US/kip æt/KEEP·at
speakingtask2
to continue working on something or trying to do something; to persist
Examples
“If you keep at your revision you'll see improvement.”
“She kept at the problem until she solved it.”
“His teacher encouraged him to keep at it.”
Band 8 sentence
“If you want to improve your writing, keep at it consistently rather than cramming before exams.”
Collocations
- keep at something
- keep at it
Word family
keep at phrasal verb (base)keeps at verb (3rd sg)keeping at gerund/present participlekept at past / past participle
Common mistakes
Keep in the task until it is finished.→Keep at the task until it is finished.
She kept on at the problem.→She kept at the problem.
Say it for a higher band
5try→6persist→7+keep at
Synonyms
persist
persevere
Easily confused
keep on
“He kept on working despite feeling tired.”
Related words
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