What does dwell mean?

[Hushy]

English Language Tests, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #340 "English Slang Idioms (61)", question 6

"I know you didn't get the grades you wanted last semester. Just try harder this time and try not to ......... on the past," Christian told Pete.

(a) follow
(b) listen
(c) deem
(d) dwell

English Language Tests, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #340 "English Slang Idioms (61)", answer 6

"I know you didn't get the grades you wanted last semester. Just try harder this time and try not to dwell on the past," Christian told Pete.

Correct answer: (d) dwell
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what is the meaning of "dwell" please?

Hushy

[Alan]

Hi,

'Dwell' is a very old word and its meaning is 'live as a resident in a city/town'. It's not really used as that today but it survives in legal/formal English in a word like 'dwelling' indicating the place where you live and more informally in words like these: flat-dwellers (people who live in flats) country-dwellers (people who live in the country - not the town). In your sentence 'dwell on' suggests talk a lot about/write a lot about something, almost in the sense of being worried about something.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
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