Master Plan in English Grammar: Comprehensive Usage Guide for Students

What is Plan in English?

Example

Part of speech

Meaning

Verb

(sometimes with on) to intend (to do something)

• She is planning to start her own business next year. 

• We are planning a surprise birthday party for our friends. 

to decide how something is to be done; to arrange (something)

• We need to plan for potential budget cuts in the coming year. 

• The company is planning a new marketing campaign for their latest product. 

to design (a building, town etc)

• The landscape architect planned the garden to include various plants and seating areas. 

• The urban planner is responsible for planning the city's transportation system. 

Noun

an idea of how to do something; a method of doing something

• The company presented a strategic plan for expanding into international markets. 

• We need to come up with a contingency plan in case the weather conditions worsen. 

an intention or arrangement

• Our plan is to save enough money to buy a new car by the end of the year.

• Do you have any plans for this holiday?

a drawing, diagram showing a building, town as if seen from above

• The architect showed us the plans for the renovation of the office building. 

• We reviewed the floor plans of the apartment before making a decision. 

Verb used with Plan in English

Example

have plans

• She has plans to travel to Europe next summer. 

change a plan

• We need to change our plan and reschedule the meeting for tomorrow. 

abandon/ give up/ scrap a plan

• After facing numerous challenges, they had to abandon their plan to start a new business. 

• He decided to give up his plan of pursuing a career in acting and focus on his studies. 

• The company had to scrap its plan for a new product due to budget constraints. 

cancel a plan

• The event organizers had to cancel the plan due to bad weather conditions. 

shelve a plan

• They decided to shelve their plan of buying a new house until they saved enough money. 

make a plan

• Let's sit down and make a plan for our upcoming project. 

come up with a plan

• The team brainstormed ideas to come up with a plan for improving customer satisfaction. 

devise/ formulate/ draw up a plan

• The project manager devised a plan to streamline the production process and reduce waste. 

• She formulated a detailed plan for launching her new business. 

• The committee drew up a plan to revitalize the neighborhood and attract more businesses. 

carry out a plan

• It's important to have a clear understanding of the steps needed to carry out the plan successfully.

keep to/ stick to a plan

• It's crucial to stick to the plan and not deviate from the agreed-upon strategy. 

• Despite the challenges, she managed to keep to her plan and achieve her goals. 

announce/ unveil a plan

• The government announced a plan to invest in renewable energy sources.

• The company unveiled a new marketing plan to boost sales.

approve a plan

• The board of directors approved the plan for the company's merger with another company. 

reject a plan

• The management team rejected the proposed marketing plan due to concerns about its considerations. 

outline a plan

• The team leader outlined a detailed plan for completing the project on time. 

implement a plan

• The company hired a project manager to implement the plan and oversee its execution. 

draw a plan

• The architect will draw a plan for the new building.

Noun used with Plan in English

Example

street plan

• Using the street plan, we were able to navigate through the city and reach our destination. 

city

plan

• I looked at the city plan to find the way to the tourist destination. 

floor plan

• When buying a house, it's important to review the floor plan to ensure it meets your needs. 

seating plan

• The theater displayed the seating plan at the entrance.

pension plan

• He contributes a portion of his salary towards his pension plan. 

retirement plan

• She consulted with a financial advisor to create a retirement plan.

savings plan

• A disciplined savings plan can help individuals achieve their financial goals. 

Adjectives used with Plan in English

Example

somebody’s immediate plans

• Sarah's immediate plans include finishing her work projects and then taking a short vacation. 

ambitious plan

• The company has an ambitious plan to expand its market share by entering new territories. 

alternative plan

• In case of bad weather, we have an alternative plan to have the event indoors. 

audacious plan

• The artist unveiled an audacious plan to create a massive art in the heart of the city. 

detailed plan

• The project manager presented a detailed plan. 

cunning/ clever/ ingenious plan

• The spy devised a cunning plan to infiltrate the enemy's headquarters undiscovered. 

• The entrepreneur came up with a clever plan to gain a competitive edge. 

• The inventor developed an ingenious plan to solve a complex problem using innovative technology. 

a five-year/ ten-year etc plan

• She created a ten-year plan to save for her children's education. 

grand plan

• The CEO unveiled a grand plan to transform the company into an industry leader. 

master plan

• The event coordinator had a master plan that details every aspect of the conference. 

business plan

• The business plan outlined the company's mission and target market. 

peace plan

• The diplomats worked tirelessly to negotiate a peace plan between the warring nations. 

rescue plan

• The emergency responders implemented a rescue plan to save the trapped hikers in the mountains. 

Prepositions used with Plan in English

Example

plan for

• They developed a financial plan for their retirement. 

plan on

• We were planning on traveling to Korea next summer. 

plan out

• She meticulously planned out the details of her wedding. 

Phrases used with Plan in English

Example

go according to plan

• The event went according to plan with all the scheduled activities. 

a plan of action

• The project team created a plan of action to address the identified issues. 

a plan of attack

• The military commanders devised a plan of attack to capture the enemy stronghold. 

a plan of campaign

• The marketing team developed a plan of campaign to launch a new product. 

(it) sounds like a plan (to me)

• A: How about we meet for lunch tomorrow at that new restaurant downtown? 

• B: Sounds like a plan to me! I've heard great things about that place. 

make a plan

• We need to improve our sales figures. Let's make a plan. 

Structure

Example

Subject + plan + to V

• She plans to start her own business next year. 

• He plans to learn a new language during his summer break. 

Subject + plan + Adverb/ preposition + V-ing/ something

• We plan on having a barbecue this weekend if the weather permits. 

• Before going on vacation, it's always a good idea to plan ahead and make hotel reservations in advance. 

Plan

Schedule

Similarity

Both convey the meaning of “to decide how something is to be done; to arrange (something).”

Difference

Plan is used to describe an action that has a specific goal and lists detailed tasks to achieve that goal in the future.

Schedule is used to describe planned actions in order to allocate resources (time, location, personnel) to make the goals and tasks outlined in the plan a reality.

Example

• Before starting a new business, John planned the marketing strategy and product development. 

• If you're planning a party, you'll need to make a plan for the decorations, food and guest list. 

• Jenny scheduled the different phases of the project.

• When organizing a conference, she creates a schedule that includes the agenda with specific time slots. 

Phrase

Meaning

1. go according to plan

a) create a strategy for action

2. make a plan

b) proceed as expected

3. stick to a plan

c) follow the original strategy

4. scrap a plan

d) abandon or cancel completely

5. devise a plan

e) develop or create carefully