Follow I Extra Examples Somebody/Something Act House Walked

• follow me please.
• he followed her into the house.
• they were followed down the street by a bunch of photographers.
• wherever she led, they followed.

follow

Verb Forms

1. to come or go after or behind somebody/something
• Follow me please.
• He followed her into the house.
• They were followed down the street by a bunch of photographers.
• Wherever she led, they followed.
• Sam walked in, with the rest of the boys following closely behind.

Extra Examples

• The dog followed obediently at her heels.
• Follow me please. I'll show you the way.
• She followed blindly, stumbling over stones in her path.
• She beckoned him to follow her.
• Johnson finished first, closely followed by Stevens and Higgins.
• As Jackie walked up the aisle, her mother followed close behind.
2. to come or go after or behind somebody in order to watch where they go and what they do
• I think we're being followed.
• Police followed the car along Station Road where it mounted the kerb again.
• As she walked home, she had the feeling she was being followed.
3. to come after something/somebody else in time or order; to happen as a result of something else
• I remember little of the days that followed the accident.
• A period of unrest followed the president's resignation.
• The first two classes are followed by a break of ten minutes.
• The main course was followed by fresh fruit.
• I'll have soup and fish to follow.
• A detailed news report will follow shortly.
• There followed a short silence.
• The opening hours are as follows…
• A new proposal followed on from the discussions.
• the workers' revolts that followed in the wake of the student uprising

Extra Examples

• The first mailing was followed by a postcard reminder to all who received the survey.
• Periods of great creativity were followed by years in which he composed nothing.
• Edward was followed in 1553 by Elizabeth's Catholic half-sister Mary.
4. to do something after something else
• Give your contact details and follow this with a brief profile of yourself.
• They follow up their March show with four UK dates next month.

Extra Examples

• Follow your treatment with plenty of rest.
• He followed these novels with three volumes of autobiography.
5. to accept advice, instructions, etc. and do what you have been told or shown to do
• to follow rules/procedures/guidelines
• They said they were just following orders.
• He has trouble following simple instructions.
• Why didn't you follow my advice?
• Turn right and follow signs to Dundee.
• I never follow a recipe completely.
• He followed a strict diet.

Extra Examples

• Follow the instructions very carefully.
• I didn't really follow the recipe.
• Read the label and follow the directions for use.
• Leave the M4 at junction 11, then follow the signs.
• When we tried to follow a sign directing us right into Greater Bridgewater Street, we found the road was closed.
6. to accept somebody/something as a guide, a leader or an example; to copy somebody/something
• I encourage others to follow our example.
• The Senate is expected to follow the lead of the House.
• We believe it is in our best interests to follow the path of economic openness and growth.
• The movie follows the book faithfully.
• They followed the teachings of Buddha.
• He always followed the latest fashions (= dressed in fashionable clothes).
• Where one airline leads, others follow.
• Laura followed her mother into the medical profession (= became a doctor like her mother).

Extra Examples

• Banks are expected to follow the building societies in raising mortgage rates.
• It wasn't in his nature to follow blindly.
• How do your feel your writing follows in the tradition of the South?
• slavishly following the views of his teachers
• I don't want you to follow my example and rush into marriage.
• Following the example of Barcelona, greater emphasis is now given to public spaces.
• He ordered a glass of champagne, and we followed his lead.
• He leads by example and the others follow.
• Marc is following a path laid down by his father.
7. to click on a link in a website
• Follow the links to sign up for the webinar.
8. to go along a road, path, etc.
• Follow this road until you get to the school, then turn left.
9. to go in the same direction as something or parallel to something
• The lane follows the edge of a wood for about a mile.
10. to be the logical result of something
• I don't see how that follows from what you've just said.
• Several conclusions follow on from his statement.
• If a = b and b = c it follows that a = c.
• It does not necessarily follow that sleep loss would cause these symptoms.
11. to understand an explanation or the meaning of something
• Sorry, I don't follow.
• Do you follow me?
• I couldn't really follow his argument.
• The plot is almost impossible to follow.
• to be easy/difficult/hard to follow

Extra Examples

• Sorry, I don't follow you.
• His argument was difficult to follow.
12. to watch or listen to somebody/something very carefully
• The children were following every word of the story intently.
• Her eyes followed him everywhere (= she was looking at him all the time).
13. to take an active interest in something and be aware of what is happening; to support a sports team
• We've been following this story for months.
• Have you been following the basketball championships?
• Millions of people followed the trial on TV.
• In his leisure time he follows West Ham United.

Extra Examples

• They say it takes dedication to follow a football team week-in, week-out for eight months of the season.
• Will this be a big shock to people who follow events closely in Washington?
14. to choose to regularly receive messages from a person, company, etc. using a social media service
• I don’t follow many celebrities on Twitter any more.
15. to be about the life or development of somebody/something
• The novel follows the fortunes of a village community in Scotland.
16. to develop or happen in a particular way
• The day followed the usual pattern.
17. to do the same job, have the same style of life, etc. as somebody else, especially somebody in your family
• She works in television, following in her father's footsteps.
• He wanted to follow in his mother's footsteps and be a ballroom dancer.
18. to be guided by your sense of smell
19. to go straight forward
• The garage is a mile ahead up the hill—just follow your nose.
20. to act according to what seems right or reasonable, rather than following any particular rules
21. to play a card of the same suit that has just been played
22. to act or behave in the way that somebody else has just done
23. a person or event that is so good or successful at something that it will be difficult for anyone/anything else coming after them to be as good or successful
• She has been an excellent principal and will be a hard act to follow.
• Their contribution will prove a tough act to follow.

Word Origin

• Old English folgian, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch volgen and German folgen.