Draw on means use your experience, knowledge or resources: the guide draws on years of fieldwork. Draw here is closer to draw water from a well than to drawing pictures. It sounds confident and a little formal, so it's great for essays and CVs: I drew on my teaching experience.
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draw on experience / knowledge / resources; drew on; drawn on
- The guide draws on years of fieldwork.
- She drew on her experience as a teacher when designing the workshop.
- We have drawn on several sources to reconstruct the route.
What changed
First versionThe team has drew on local knowledge.
RevisionThe team has drawn on local knowledge.
Draw, drew and drawn are easy to mix up, so has drew appears. After has you need the third form: has drawn on local knowledge. Drew is for the simple past: she drew on her experience.
Use is just use: use a map. Draw on means rely on something you've built up: experience, memories, research: the novel draws on her childhood. Draw a conclusion means reach one, and it needs no on.
Your turn
Choose the form after has: The author has ___ on family memories.
Show the answer
drawn — After has you need the third form drawn. Drew is the simple past and doesn't go with has.
Describe a task where your past experience helped you: at work, in your studies or while travelling.
I drew on my experience of organising school trips to plan the museum visit.
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