“You need to come up with a concrete plan.”
Your son is unemployed. You've asked him what he's going to do. He says that he's going to get a new job, but he doesn't know what kind of job. You want him to think more seriously about it.
You need to come up with a concrete plan.
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You need to (do something)
"You need to ___" is a really strong and direct way of giving someone advice or orders. It's usually used by parents, teachers, and bosses. It's usually used when they're angry or annoyed:
You need to stop talking and pay attention.
You need to get the account manager on the phone and tell him you're sorry, but you made a mistake.
come up with (something)
To "come up with" an idea means to create it. You usually use "create" for physical things that you make, but you use "come up with ___" to describe creating an idea, a plan, a name, etc. Another example:
Where'd you come up with the idea to start a blog about English phrases?
a concrete plan
"Concrete" things are solid. A "concrete plan" is realistic and detailed. It includes specific ideas about:
- what to do
- how to do it
- what order to do each step in
Here are some examples of how to use the phrase "concrete plan":
We need to put together a concrete plan for how we're going to deal with this.
A: What are you doing for the holidays this year?
B: I don't have any concrete plans.
The opposite of a "concrete" plan is a "vague" plan.