Think back means to remember, to go back in your mind to a particular moment or period in the past. After think back, use to and name what you're going back to: think back to your school years. It often starts a story or a question: Think back to your first job.
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think back to + time/event; think back to when + clause; think back on + experience
- When I think back to my first week at university, I can't believe how shy I was.
- Think back to the last time you felt really relaxed. Where were you?
What changed
First versionWhen I think back about my childhood, I mostly remember summers at my grandma's.
RevisionWhen I think back to my childhood, I mostly remember summers at my grandma's.
We think about things and talk about memories, so about seems natural. But think back shows the direction your memory travels in, and that direction takes to: think back to my childhood. About was replaced with to.
Look back on is also about the past, but it means judging a whole period: I look back on those years with a smile. Think back to is more often about the effort of recalling a specific moment and its details: Think back to that evening. Who else was there?
Your turn
Can you ___ to the moment you decided to become a doctor?
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think back — The person is asked to recall a moment from the past, and the gap is followed by to: think back to. Think over means to consider a decision you still have to make, and it isn't used with to.
Recall your first day at work or university. Write where it was and what feeling you remember.
When I think back to my first day at the bank in Samara, I remember feeling nervous and a little lost.
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