Below you will find two examples and then the meaning of the phrasal verb 'dawn on' which you are likely to find used in the Cambridge Advanced exam.
In order to remember this use, make sure to make an example in your own words with the phrasal verb.
Examples
The experiment which we were doing kept failing each time we ran it and we had no idea why. Then whilst I was shopping in the supermarket it DAWNED ON that we hadn't taken account of the change in the level of oxygen. So the next time we ran the experiement, we did and it worked perfectly.
My friend always seemed to be negative about any boyfriend I had. Which really surprised me because he wasn't like that about other people. And then one day it DAWNED ON me why. He was in love with me.
Meaning
To finally (often suddenly and unexpectedly) realise something or understand something which hadn't made sense to you before.
Click here to watch a YouTube video on this meaning of the phrasal verb
Return to the list of 50 commonly phrasal verbs in the CAE exam.