“He's going to hang back for a few weeks to tie up a few loose ends.”

English Lesson: He's going to hang back for a few weeks to tie up a few loose ends.

You and your husband are moving across the country. You're going to move first, and your husband is going to come a few weeks later. You're explaining your plan to a friend on the phone and you explain this.

He's going to hang back for a few weeks to tie up a few loose ends.

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(someone) is going to (do something)

You use "going to ___" to talk about what will happen in the future. "Going to ___" is more natural than "will" for most situations where you're expressing someone's plans to do something:

They're going to meet us at the airport.

I'm just going to stay home and relax this weekend.

English learners often over-use "will" when "going to" would be more appropriate. In general, when you want to talk about something that you've already decided to do, use "going to":

Next up is Steve. He's going to walk us through the new home page redesign.

Starbucks announced that they're going to offer free Internet access at all their locations.

We're going to keep it to just close friends and family.

If you've just decided something and want to announce your decision, use "will":

Fine! I'll take it back! 

I guess I'll thaw this out.

hang back

To "hang back" means to not go somewhere or not participate. For example:

A: We're going out tonight. Do you want to come?

B: No, I'm not feeling well. I think I'll hang back this time.

"Hang back" is a casual expression. It's not really slang, but it's not extremely common either.

a few (of something)

"A few" is a number that's not specific, but it usually means somewhere between 3-10. It's a little less formal than "several" and also sounds like a slightly lower number. Here are some examples:

You may want to consider hiring a personal trainer for a few sessions.

That's a very generous offer. Um, let me think it over for a few days and get back to you.

tie up (some / a few) loose ends

"Loose ends" are things that haven't been finished or taken care of yet. For example, when you're moving, some loose ends might include:

selling your car

cancelling your bills

cleaning out your old house

returning things that you borrowed from your friends and neighbors

To "tie up" loose ends means to finish or take care of them.

It might help to imagine each responsibility as a string that's hanging loose. When you finish a responsibility, it's like tying up the string.