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Phrasal Verbs - Ordered List by Verbs

Phrasal Verb act like (inseparable)

Meaning behave in a way that's like _____ Note: This phrasal verb is very informal.

Examples What's wrong with Bob? He's acting like an idiot.

act up (no object)

misbehave (for people); not The baby sitter had a difficult time. The work properly (for children acted up all evening. "I guess I'd machines) better take my car to the garage. It's been acting up lately." (make sense) logically fit together Note: This phrasal verb is often negative His evidence just doesn 't add up. His theory is hard to believe, but his research adds up. "His theory seems, at first, to be plausible, but the facts in his research don't add up." What's the total of those bills? Could you add them up and see? The bills add up to $734.96. That's more than I expected! Jim was asking after you. Nancy has a new boy friend. Joe asked her 1

Add up add up (1. no object)

add up (2. separable) add up to (inseparable) Ask after ask out

find the total.

to total.

(inquire about) ask for a date.

(separable)

out last night.

back down (no not follow a threat; yield In Tom was going to call the police when I object) an argument told him I'd wrecked his car, but he backed down when I said I'd pay for the damages. Shella was right, so Paul had to back down. back off (no object) not follow a threat Tom was ready to call the police when I told him I'd wrecked his car, but he backed off when I said I'd pay for the damages. You missed the lines in the parking space. You'll have to back up and try again. "The people waiting in line are too close to the door. We won't be able to open it unless they back up." You're too close! Back your car up so I can open the garage door. If you don't believe me, talk to Dave. He'll back me up.

back up (1. no move backward; move in object) reverse

back up (2. separable) back up (3. separable) back up (4. separable)

drive a vehicle backwards (in reverse) confirm a story, facts, or information

make a "protection" copy to When my computer crashed, I lost many of use if there are problems my files. It's a good thing I backed them with the original up. (take into acount) We hadn't bargained for there being so much traffic, and we missed the plane.

Bargain for

be off (1) to be cancelled usually used in the present tense (of an event / an arrangement etc.) be off (2) (of food) to have gone bad

The lead singer of 'The Rolling Beatles' pop group is ill, so tonight's concert is off. The concert is off.

Nick decided to have a fried egg for breakfast, but there was a terrible smell when he cracked the egg. 'This egg is off,' he thought. I can't eat it.' The egg is off. The storm is over; it has stopped raining and the sun is shining. The storm is over.

be over

to be finished

be taken aback to be surprised and confused Jeff was taken aback when he opened the used in the door and discovered an elephant. Jeff was passive taken aback by the discovery of an elephant. Jeff was taken aback. Bear out beat up (confirm the truth) to hurt someone badly by hitting and punching Helen's alibi was borne out by her sister. Two men beat Fred up and left him lying unconscious on the pavement. They beat up Fred. They beat Fred up. They beat him up.

beg off (no object)

decline an invitation; ask to At first Lily said she would be at the party. be excused from doing Later she begged off. something 3

blow up (1)

to destroy (something or someone) by explosion; to explode

Mr Trent hated his house, so he blew it up with dynamite and built a new one instead. Mr Trent blew up his house. Mr Trent blew his house up. Mr Trent blew it up. The house blew up. We needs lots of balloons for the party. Will you blow them up?

blow up (1. separable) blow up (2)

inflate

a balloon/a tyre /a football Uncle Joe blew up the balloons for the etc. to fill with air; to inflate Christmas party. Uncle Joe blew up the balloons. Uncle Joe blew the balloons up. Uncle Joe blew them up. explode; destroy by exploding A: "That old building really came down quickly!" B: "That's because the construction company used dynamite to blow it up."

blow up (2. separable)

blow up (3. no suddenly become very angry Whe I told Jerry that I'd had an accident object) with his car, he blew up. bone up on (inseparable) review / study thoroughly for a short time If you're going to travel to Peru, you'd better bone up on your Spanish. Tom's car broke down on the way to the airport, and he had to get a taxi. I His car broke down. We spent a lot of money at the supermarket. When we broke the total cost 4

break down (1) to stop working. (of machinery)

break down (1. separate something into separable) component parts

down, we spent more on cleaning supplies than food. break down (2) to lose control emotionally or mentally. Alec broke down and cried when his mother died. I Alec broke down. David broke down and wept when he heard the news. Sharon will be late for work today. Her car broke down on the freeway. Jane's apartment was burglarized last night. Someone broke in while Jane was at the movies. / "Somebody broke into Jane's apartment while she was at the movies.

break down (2. stop working / functioning no object) break in (1. enter by using force (and often no object; breaking a lock, window, with an object, etc.) break into-inseparable) break in (2. separable) wear something new until it's / they're comfortable

These are nice shoes, but they're too stiff. I hope it doesn't take too long to break them in. I hope I can learn my new job quickly. The manager hasn't scheduled much time for breaking me in. Last night a burglar broke into my house and stole my television set. A burglar broke into my house. A burglar broke into it.

break in (3. separable)

train; get someone / something accustomed to a new routine

break into a to enter somewhere (e.g. a building / a house) illegally, especially bank / a house by force. etc.

break off to end; to interrupt; to talks / discontinue, stop talking negotiations / an engagement / a relationship / an agreement etc. break out (of to start, usually suddenly unpleasant things e.g. wars, epidemics, fires, violence etc.) Break out in to become covered by spots / a rash / (something). a cold sweat ('to show signs of great fear)

Peace talks between the U.S.S.R. and the U.S.A. have broken off after three days of serious disagreement. Peace talks between the U.S.S.R. and the U.S.A. have broken off. The U.S.A. has broken off peace talks with the U.S.S.R. They have broken off peace t

The Second World War broke out on 3 September, 1939. In 1939 World War Two broke out. World War Two broke out in 1939. World War Two broke out on 3 September, 1939.

Cyril broke out in spots this morning. He broke out in spots. He broke out in them.

break up (1. no disperse; scatter; come to an What time did the party break up last object) end night? The party finally broke up at 3.00 am. Break up (2) to end; to separate. (of a marriage / a family / a relationship etc.) The Greens' marriage broke up in 1985 after only two years. Their marriage broke up. They broke up. Money trouble broke up their marriage. Money trouble broke it up. 6

Break up (2) an to stop. activity

The headmaster broke up the fight between Roger and Clive. The headmaster broke up the fight. The headmaster broke the fight up. The headmaster broke it up. The fight broke up. Tim and Julie aren't going steady any more. They got really angry with each other and broke up. "Have you heard the news? Julie broke up with Tim!" "I'm sorry to hear that their marriage broke up. I'm sure the divorce will be difficult for the children." Yes, you can borrow my pen, don't forget to bring it back to me when you're finished. "This book is due tomorrow. I guess I should take it back to the library." The crisis was brought about by Brenda 's resignation. The team tried few ears to win the competition and they finally brought it off. No one thought Chuck could get an A in that course, but he brought it off.

break up (2. end a personal relationship usually no object; with an object, break up with [inseparable)])

bring / take back (separable)

return something

Bring about

(cause to happen)

Bring off

(succeed in doing something) accomplish something difficult; accomplish something people had considered impossible or unlikely (cause the onset of an

bring off (separable)

Bring on (1)

Sitting in the damp brought on his 7

illness) Bring on (2)

rheumatism.

(cause trouble to happen to) You have brought this on/upon yourself. oneself (influence someone to your After much discussion, I brought the point of view) committee round to my point of view. mention (as a topic of discussion) We planned to discuss overtime pay in the meeting. Why didn't someone bring that topic up? I feel I ought to bring up another small matter. Lucy's parents died when she was a baby. Her grandparents brought her up. Joe's mother brought him up well. She loved him, cared for him and taught him how to behave himself. Now he is a polite young man and his mother is proud of him. She brought up Joe. Frank's visit to the international business conference in Paris was a disaster because his French was so bad. His boss said, 'When you get back to England you must brush up your French by enrolling in an evening class.' Frank must brush up his French. Fra If you're going to travel to Peru, you'd better brush up on your Spanish. 8

Bring round

bring up (1. separable)

bring up (2. separable)

raise; rear; to take care of a child until it is fully grown and able to care for itself; to train and prepare a child for adult life. Note: Children are educated at school.

brush up

to improve your knowledge, skill, or memory of (something you used to know, or do, but have now partly forgotten).

brush up on (inseparable)

review / study thoroughly for a short time

burn down (no become destroyed / Lightning struck Mr. Kennedy's barn last object) consumed by fire Note: For night. It burned down before the fire upright things--trees, fighters arrived. buildings, etc.only burn down (usually of buildings) to destroy by burning. My house burned down last night. In the morning it was just a pile of ashes. My house burned down. Someone burned down my house. Someone burned my house down. Someone burned It down.

burn up (1. no become destroyed / All of Mr. Kennedy's hay burned up when object) consumed by fire Note: For his barn burned down. people and non-upright things only burn up (2. separable) butt in (no object) butter up (separable) cause someone to become very angry impolitely interrupt (a conversation, an action) Did you hear how rudely Fred talked to me? That really burned me up! Hey, you! Don't butt in! Wait for your turn!

praise someone excessively I guess Martin really wants to be promoted. with the hope of getting He's been buttering his boss up all week. some benefit cancel something that has been scheduled; to abandon something that has already begun. The Football Association called off the match between England and Greece because of bad weather. The Football Association called off the match. The Football Association called the match off. The Football Association called it off. The 9

call off an event / an arrangement / an activity etc. often used in the passive

(separable)

match was called off

call on (inseparable) Call up

ask someone for an answer in class (mobilise for military service) become calm / less agitated or upset; help someone become calm / less agitated or upset

I don't know why the teacher never calls on you. You always know the answer. Mark was called up when the war broke out. Why are you so upset? Suzie didn't intend to spill orange juice on you. Calm down! "I know Ralph is upset, but can you calm him down? He's making so much noise that he's irritating everyone in the office." My father was very angry and it took him ten minu

calm down a person / a difficult situation etc. (with or without an object; with an object, separable) care for (1. inseparable) Note. used with (not) care for (2. inseparable)

like; want Note: This phrasal verb is usually negative, though it may be used affirmatively in questions

A: "Would you care for something to drink? We have coffee, tea, or orange juice." B: "Could I have water, please? I don't care for coffee, tea, or juice."

take care of; supply care to; Amy's father got out of the hospital last attend / watch. week. The family is caring for him at home. (complete successfully perhaps despite a problem) Jane had a difficult role to play, but she carried it off.

Carry off

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Carry out

(complete a plan)

The attack was successfully carried out. Sergeant Jones ordered Private Wilson to push the waggon across the field. The waggon was very heavy but Private Wilson carried out his orders without complaining. He carried out his orders. He carried his orders out. He carried them out.

carry out to fulfill or perform instructions / a (something). duty / an order / a threat / a test etc. Cash in catch on obtain cash for to become popular (colloquial)

David's strange new hair-style is really catching on; all the young boys in the neighbourhood are copying it. I David's new hai r-style is catching on. This new hair style is beginning to catch on. Bill had never used a computer until he took this class, but he caught on very quickly and is now one of the best students. Terry stopped to rest for a few minutes. He'll catch up / catch up with us later.

catch on (no object)

develop understanding or knowledge of something

catch up (with) stop being behind (often without an object; with an object, inseparable) check in(to) at a hotel, an airport etc. (inseparable)

to report one's arrival; Jack took a taxi to the hotel and checked register for / at a hotel, in. Jack checked in. Jack checked in at the conference, etc.; let someone hotel. Jack checked in to the hotel. Note: know officially that you When Jack left the hotel he checked out. have arrived My plane will arrive around 5:00 PM. I 11

should be able to check into the hotel by 6:00 check off (separable) make a mark to indicate that Here are the things you need to do. Please something on a list has been check each one off when you've finished it. completed follow procedures for I'm sorry, but you can't take that borrowing something encyclopedia home. The library won't (usually for a limited period allow you to check reference books out. of time) Don't forget to take your room key to the front desk when you check out (when you check out of the hotel).

check out (2. separable)

check out (of) follow procedures for (1. inseparable) leaving (a hotel, etc.)

cheer up (separable)

to become happier; help Jack was feeling unhappy, but he cheered someone feel less worried / up when he heard that he had passed his depressed / sad exam. Jack cheered up. The good news cheered Jack up. The good news cheered up Jack. The good news cheered him up. Suzie's brother was depressed about not getting a promotion scold someone severely; berate Tom's father was really angry when Tom didn't come home until 3:00 AM. He chewed Tom out and then said Tom had to stay at home for two weeks. Sam said he was going to ask Lulu for a date, but he chickened out. 12

chew out (separable)

chicken out (no lose the courage or object) confidence to do

something--often at the last minute chip in (inseparable) contribute / donate (often money) to something done by a group suddenly become quiet / refuse to talk about something (happen) We're going to buy a birthday cake for our boss and I'm collecting donations. Do you want to chip in? Lila wouldn't talk about the accident. When I asked her what happened, she clammed up. Let me explain how the situation came about. A lucky tramp came across a wallet full of money as he was walking down the street. He came across a wallet. He came across it. I've lost my extra car keys. If you come across them while your're cleaning the room, please put them in a safe place. It all comes down to whether you are prepared to accept less money. George won't be at the office today. He came down with the flu over the weekend.

clam up (inseparable)

Come about

come across something or someone (inseparable)

to find (unexpectedly) or meet by chance

Come down to (be in the end a matter of)

come down with _____ (inseparable) Come in for

become ill with _____

(receive - especially criticism, blame)

The government has come in for a lot of criticism over the decision.

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come into money / property / a fortune etc Come off

to receive something Peter came into a fortune when his father (usually money or property) died. Peter came into a fortune. Peter came after someone's death. into it.

(take place successfully)

I'm afraid that deal didn 't come off after all. All the flowers have come out. When the news came out, everyone was shocked. My photos didn't come out very well. James fainted when the air-conditioning stopped working. Two of his colleagues took care of him until he came round (came to). James came round. James came to. Your charges come to $124.38. Will you pay by check, in cash, or with a credit card? When I told Gina that she'd won a million dollars, she fainted. When she came to, I told her it was a joke and she almost hit me! Look, something has come up, and I can't meet you. We've come up against a bit of a problem. 14

Come out

(appear)

come round or to regain consciousness come to

come to (1. inseparable)

total

come to (2. no regain consciousness object)

Come up

(occur- usually a problem -colloquial) (meet a difficulty)

Come up

against Come up to (equal - especially expectations, standard) The play didn't come up to expectations.

come up with to think of; to produce; think Arnold and his girifriend were separated by an idea/a plan/a of-especially an answer, a a deep ravine. Eventually, Arnold came up suggestion etc. plan, a solution with the idea of cutting down a tree and using it as a bridge. He came up with the idea. He came up with it. We still haven't come up with a solution to the problem. count on (inseparable) depend on; rely on; trust that I'm counting on you to wake me up something will happen or tomorrow. I know I won't hear the alarm. that someone will do as Don't worry, you can count on me. expected (happen unexpectedly colloquial) I can't come to your party, something has cropped up.

Crop up

cross out (separable)

show that something written We can't afford to buy everything on your is wrong or unnecessary by shopping list, so I've crossed all the making an X across it unnecessary things out. You drink too much coffee. You should cut back. "You should cut back on the amount of coffee that you drink."

cut back (on) use less of something (often without an object; with an object, cut back on [inseparable])

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cut down on to reduce in size or amount. smoking / cigarettes / drinking / spending / production etc. cut off (often used in the passive) This verb can refer to either: a) the service or supply that is cut off e.g. water, electricity, etc. or b) the person who is cut off to disconnect, interrupt or discontinue something or someone. to disappear completely; to become extinct

Last year Peter was very ill and his doctor told him to cut down on the number of cigarettes he smoked. This year Peter smokes much less and feels a lot better. Peter cut down on cigarettes. Peter cut down on them. Peter cut down on smoking. Paul was talking to Anna on the telephone. Suddenly they couldn't hear each other. Paul phoned Anna again immediately. 'What happened?' Anna asked him. 'We were cut off,' replied Paul. The operator cut them off. The operator cut off their call. They were

die out

The great dinosaurs died out millions of years ago. The dinosaurs died out. Dog licences have been done away with.

Do away with (abolish-colloquial) (1) Do away with (murder - colloquial) (2) do in (1. separable) cause to become very tired

What if they do away with the old man ?

The Ajax and Tip-Top Banks have decided to merge. Their lawyers will draw all the official documents up sometime this month. The said that the murdered man was done in between 10 and 11 o'clock last night. 16

do in (2. separable)

to kill; to murder

do over (separable)

do something again

Oh, no! I forgot to save my report before I turned the computer off! Now I'll have to do it over! We are having our living room done up. When Bob and Sally bought their house it was in a bad state, so they spent six months doing it up. The house looked beautiful by the time they finished. They did the house up. They did up the house. They did it up.

do up (1) a house / a room /a flat/an old car etc.

to repair; to improve the condition and appearance of something; decorate (colloquial)

do up (2) a to fasten; to button; to zip; to It was a very cold day, so Brian did up all shoelace / a zip tie. the buttons on his overcoat. He did up the / a dress / a buttons. He did the buttons up. He did coat etc. them up. drag on (no object) draw out (separable) last much longer than expected or is necessary I thought the meeting would be a short one, but it dragged on for more than three hours.

prolong something (usually I thought that speech would never end. The far beyond the normal speaker could have said everything limits) important in about five minutes, but he drew the speech out for over an hour! (come to a stop) A white sports car drew up outside the door. The contract is being drawn up at the moment. The Ajax and Tip-Top Banks have decided to merge. Their lawyers will draw all the official documents up sometime this month. 17

Draw up (1)

draw up (2. separable)

organise especially a document; create a formal document

drop by (inseparable)

visit informally (and usually If you're in town next month, we'd love to without scheduling a see you. Please try to drop by the house. specific time) to pay a short visit, often without warning. Laura was shopping near her friend, Lynn, and decided to drop in and see her. Laura dropped in to see Lynn. Laura dropped in to see her. Laura dropped in on Lynn. Laura dropped in on her. Laura dropped in. If you're in town next month, we'd love to see you. Please try to drop in. (Please try to drop in on us. Drop in any time you 're passing. David drove his wife, Sue, into town and dropped her off in the cinema. David dropped oft his wife. David dropped his wife off. David dropped her off. The baby has just dropped off. John sat in his favourite armchair and dropped off. Five minutes later, his young son came into the room and woke him. He dropped off.

drop in

drop in (on) (inseparable)

visit informally (and usually usually without scheduling a specific time); pay a visit (colloquial) to stop a vehicle and let someone get out; to take something (or someone) to a place and leave it there. to fall asleep (often unintentionally).

drop off (1) something or someone

drop off (2)

drop off (separable)

deliver something; deliver Yes, I can take those letters to the post someone (by giving him/her office. I'll drop them off as I go home from a ride) work. "You don't have to take a taxi. You live fairly close to me, so I'll be happy to drop you off."

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drop out

to withdraw from, or stop Sam dropped out of the race because he taking part in (a competition, felt tired and ill. He dropped out of the a social group, a school, a race. He dropped out. university, a job etc.) stop attending / leave school No, Paul isn't at the university. He dropped or an organization out. / He dropped out of school. have a meal in a restaurant I'm too tired to cook tonight. Why don't we eat out?

drop out (of) (inseparable) eat out (no object) egg on (separable)

urge / encourage greatly At first Bob and Chuck were just having a toward doing something mild argument, but Bob's friends egged (usually something negative) them on until they started fighting. finish in a certain way, or place; finally arrive at; arrive at an unexpected place We got lost last night and ended up in the next town. We ended up staying there for lunch. The car ended up in a ditch.

end up (1. no object)

end up (2. no object) face up to (inseparable)

arrive somewhere as a result You're working too hard. If you don't take or consequence it easy, you'll end up in the hospital! have courage to deal with especially responsibilities; admit to; take responsibility for You have to face up to your responsibilities. You can't pretend that you're doing OK in this course, Joe. Sooner or later, you'll have to face up to the fact that you're failing it. Every one fell about when Jane told her joke. 19

Fall about

(show amusement especially laughing -

colloquial) Fall back on (use as a last resort) If the worst comes to the worst, we've got our savings to fall back on.

Fall for (1) Fall for (2)

(be deceived by - colloquial) It was an unlikely story but h e fell for it. (fall in love with colloquial) to quarrel I fell for you the moment I saw you.

fall out

George and Sam went out for dinner together. The evening ended badly because they fell out over who should pay the bill. George tell out with' Sam over' ' the bill. George and Sam fell out.. Note. "fall out with a person " fall out over something Peter has fallen out with his boss.

Fall out with Fall through

(quarrel with)

(fail to come to completion) The plan fell through at the last minute.

fall through (no not happen. (Note: describes We had originally intended to go to object) something that was planned Mexico for our vacation, but our trip fell but didn't happen.) through when I got sick. feel up to (inseparable) feel strong enough or comfortable enough to do something Old Mr Smith didn 'tfeel up to walking all that way. I know the accident was a terrible shock. Do you feel up to talking about it?

figure out (1.

logically find the answer to a For a long time I couldn't understand the 20

separable)

problem; solve a problem by last problem, but I finally figured it out. thinking about it carefully understand why someone I can't figure Margie out. Sometimes she's behaves the way she/he does very warm and friendly and sometimes she acts as if she doesn't know me. add information to a form; to The office needs to know your home complete (a form) address and phone number. Could you fill them in on this form? It took me an hour to fill in the application form. It took me an hour to fill in the form. It took me an hour to fill the form in, It took me an hour to fil supply information that someone doesn't know I wasn't able to attend the meeting yesterday, but I understand that it was important. Could you fill me in? / Could you fill me in on what was discussed?

figure out (2. separable)

fill in (1. separable) a form / a questionnaire etc.

fill in (on) (2. separable)

fill in for (inseparable)

temporarily do someone Professor Newton is in the hospital and else's work; temporarily won't be able to teach for the rest of the substitute for another person term. Do you know who's going to fill in for her? complete a form by adding required information Of course I completed my application! I filled it out and mailed it over three weeks ago! Jerry used to be really skinny, but in the last year he's begun to fill out.

fill out (1. separable)

fill out (2. no object)

become less thin; gain weight

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find out (about) learn / get information (inseparable) (about)

I'm sorry that you didn't know the meeting had been canceled. I didn't find out (find out about it) myself until just a few minutes ago. Mr Jones wanted to catch the train to London. He was late and he didn't know which platform the London train left from. He found out which platform by asking a ticket collector. He found out which platform the train left from. He didn't know which platfor Thanks for the information about that book. I'll follow it up. We'll follow up this lesson next week.

find out the to make an effort to discover truth / a secret / or get to know (something) an address / the time i when / what / why / where / who / which etc. Follow up (1) (act upon a suggestion)

Follow up (2) get across (separable)

(take more action)

make something understood; Alan is really intelligent but sometimes he communicate something has problems getting his ideas across. I had understandably; be the feeling I wasn 't getting across. understood - especially get an idea across have a friendly relationship Why can't you and your sister get along? (with); be friendly (toward) Everyone else gets along with her just fine!

get along (with) (inseparable)

get around (1. avoid having to do inseparable) something

Teresa got around the required math classes by doing well on a math proficiency test. 22

get around (2. move from place to place no object) get around to (inseparable) do something eventually

She doesn't have a car. She gets around by bicycle, bus, or taxi. I really should wash the dishes, but I don't feel like it. Maybe I'll get around to them tomorrow morning. What are you getting at exactly ?

Get at

(imply - about personal matters - colloquial) to escape

get away

The prisoner got away from his guards and ran into the forest. The prisoner got away from his guards. The prisoner got away from them. The prisoner got away. Last year Jack robbed a bank and got away with it; the police didn't even find his fingerprints. Nowadays Jack lives a life of luxury on a beautiful tropical island. Jack got away with the bank robbery. Jack got away with robbing the bank. Jack got away w It's going to be hard to pay the rent now that you've lost your job, but somehow we'll get by. This cold weather really gets me down.

get away with to do something wrong or illegal without being punished (usually without even being discovered or caught)

get by (no object)

survive, financially, in a difficult situation

Get down

(make to feel depressed colloquial) (begin to seriously deal

Get down to

It's time we got down to some real work. 23

with) get in (1. inseparable) get in (2. no object) get off (1. inseparable) enter a small, closed vehicle I don't know where Carole was going. She just got in her car and drove away. arrive Do you know what time Fred's plane gets in?

leave a large, closed vehicle When you get off the bus, cross the street, turn right on Oak Street, and keep going until you're at the corner of Oak and Lincoln Boulevard. be excused (for a period of time) from work, class, or other regularly scheduled activities make it possible for someone to avoid punishment (avoid punishment) Some schools got President's Day off but ours didn't. We had classes as usual.

get off (2. separable)

get off (3. separable)

Everyone knew he was guilty, but his lawyer was clever and got him off.

Get off with

They were lucky to get off with such light sentences.

Get on

(make progress - especially Sue is getting on very well in her new job. in life) enter a large, closed vehicle I'm sorry, but you're too late to say goodbye to Angela. She got on the plane about 20 minutes ago. 24

get on (inseparable)

Get on for

(approach a certain age/time/number)

He must begetting on for seventy.

get out of (1. inseparable)

leave a small, closed vehicle There's something wrong with the garage door opener. You'll have to get out of the car and open it by hand. escape having to do something (be surprised) Lisa said she had a terrible headache and got out of giving her speech today. I couldn 't get over how well she looked.

get out of (2. inseparable) Get over

get over (1. no finish. (Note: for individual What time do your classes get over? object) activities, not ones that happen again and again.) get over (2. recover from an illness or inseparable) an painful experience illness /a failure/a difficulty/a shock etc. Get over with (come to the end of something, usually unpleasant) dispose of; give away or throw away dismiss someone; fire Katy was really upset when she failed the test. She thought she would never get over feeling so stupid. Sam has got over his operation and expects to leave hospital tomorrow. He has got over his operation. He has got over it. I'll be glad to get this awful business over with.

get rid of (1. inseparable) get rid of (2.

That shirt is really ugly. Why don't you get rid of it? The treasurer of the XYZ company was 25

inseparable)

someone from a job; cause someone to leave

spending too much money so the company president got rid of him.

get round (1)

a problem / a difficulty etc. Brian and Dan couldn't move the wardrobe to solve or avoid a problem because it was too heavy. They got round the problem by putting the wardrobe on a trolley and pushing it. They got round the problem. They got round it. to persuade someone to do what you want; to persuade someone to let you do what you want Tim wanted some sweets, but his father told him they were bad for his teeth. After five minutes of persuasion, Tim managed to get round his father and they both went into the sweet shop. Tim got round his father. Tim got round him. Sorry, but I haven't got round to fixing the tap yet.

get round (2) someone

Get round to

(find time to do - also around)

get through (1) to contact someone (usually Jim (phoning his friend Roger): Hello, by telephone) Roger. I've been trying to get through to you for hours! Roger: Sorry, Jim. I had to make a lot of calls this morning. Jim tried to get through to Roger. Jim tried to get through to him. Jim tried to get through, get through (2) to finish; to complete some work / at ask / a book etc. Roger had a lot of work to do yesterday, but he got through it all by five o'clock. Roger got through his work. Roger got through it.

get up (usually leave bed after sleeping and You'll have to get up much earlier than 26

no object; with begin your daily activities an object, separable)

usual tomorrow. We have to leave by no later than 6:00 AM. "I know I won't hear the alarm tomorrow morning. Can you get me up at 6:00 AM?"

Get up to

(do something - usually bad The children are getting up to something in when about children the garden. What have you been getting up colloquial) to lately? (betray) to stop resisting; to surrender His false identity papers gave him away. The fight between Tom and Dick stopped when Tom hurt his hand and had to give in. Tom gave In.

Give away give in

Give off

(send off a smell - liquid or The cheese had begun to give off a strange gas) smell. (be exhausted) When our money gave out we had to borrow.

Give out

give out books / examination papers / pills etc Give over (1)

to give(some thing or things) The teacher gave out the books, so that the to each person in a group of pupils could read the story. The teacher people; to distribute gave out the books. The teacher gave the books out. The teacher gave them out.

(abandon, devote)

The rest of the time was given over to playing cards. Why don't you give over! You 're getting 27

Give over (2)

(stop - colloquial)

on my nerves! give up (1. separable) give up (1. separable) / give (oneself) up stop doing something (usually a habit) He knows smoking isn't good for his health, but he can't give it up.

to surrender oneself (usually The police surrounded the criminal's house to someone) and ordered him to give himself up. After a few minutes, he came out and they took him to the police station. The criminal gave himself up to the police. The criminal gave himself up. The escaped prisoner gave he to stop trying to do One day a hungry dog saw a bunch of juicy something (often because it grapes hanging from a vine. The dog tried is too difficult) very hard to get the grapes, but it couldn't jump high enough to reach them. After ten frustrating minutes, the dog gave up the attempt and walked home angrily. The dog ga After ten days the ship was given up for lost. A: "What's black and white and red all over?" B: "I give up. What?" A: "An embarrassed zebra!" Howard decided to give up cigarettes after seeing a poster on the dangers of smoking. Howard gave up cigarettes. Howard gave cigarettes up. Howard gave them up. Howard gave up smoking.

give up (2)

give up (2. no decide not to try object) (unsuccessfully) to solve a problem; believed to be dead or lost give up (3) (of to stop doing or having an habitual (something) activity, smoking / drinking / a job etc.)

28

Go back on

(break a promise)

The management has gone back on its promise. Phil's cheek became swollen because he had a bad tooth ache. The dentist treated his bad tooth and his swollen cheek soon went down. His swollen cheek went down.

go down

to become less swollen

go for

a person, an animal to attack The dog went for Joe and hurt his arm. The dog went for Joe. The dog went for him. Note: this verb is not used in the passive. (make a habit of) (enter a competition) (become bad - food) I don 't go in for that kind of thing. Are you thinking of going in for the race? This milk has gone off.

Go in for (1) Go in for (2) Go off go off (of explosive devices e.g. bombs, guns etc.) Go on go out with (inseparable) Go round

to explode or fire; (of alarms Many people were killed when the bomb or alarm clocks) to ring went off. The bomb went off. suddenly

(happen - usually negative) have a date with

Something funny is going on. You went out with Sharon last night, didn't you? There weren't enough life-jackets to go 29

(be enough)

round. go through to examine (something) When Ben entered this country, a custom's officer went through his suitcase. The officer took all of Ben's clothes out of his suitcase and looked at them very carefully. A custom's officer went through Ben's suitcase. A custom's officerwent through it.

Go through with

(complete a promise or plan When it came to actually stealing the - usually unwillingly) money, Nora couldn't go through with it. You should buy that shirt. It will go well with your dark brown suit. Tom wanted to see if checked trousers go with a striped jacket; he looked in a mirror and thought they looked horrible together. After trying a few other pairs of trousers he decided th Is Gina going with Jim? I see them together all the time. A: "Do you have any special plans for your vacation?" B: "No. I'm just going to stay home and goof off." This new record is growing on me.

go with (1. no to match or suit (something); object) look pleasing together. (Note: for clothes, furniture, etc.)

go with (2. no date regularly and steadily object) goof off (no object) be lazy; do nothing in particular

Grow on

(become more liked colloquial)

grow up (1. no to develop from a child into Joe has grown up into a fine young man. object) an adult; spend the years Joe has grown up. Did you know that 30

between being a child and being an adult

Frank grew up in Malaysia?

grow up (2. no behave responsibly; behave A: "Lee really irritates me sometimes. He's object) as an adult, not a child really silly and childish." B: "I agree. I wish he would grow up." hand in (separable) submit homework, an assignment, etc. You'd better get started on your report. You know that you have to hand it in at 8:30 tomorrow morning! Why don't you have a course description and list of assignments? The teacher handed them out on the first day of class.

hand out (separable)

distribute

hand over Hang onto (keep - colloquial) I think we should hang onto the car until next year.

hang up (no object) Have it in for

end a phone conversation by I'd like to talk longer, but I'd better hang replacing the receiver up. My sister needs to make a call. (be deliberately unkind to My teacher has (got) it in for me. someone - also as have got) (express feelings so as to settle a problem) I put up with the problem for a while but in the end I had it out with her. I don't believe you. You 're having me on. 31

Have it out with

Have someone (deceive - colloquial)

on have to do with be about (inseparable) Hit it off (get on well with colloquial) (discover by chance - often an idea) to wait (especially on the telephone) This class has to do with the behavior of people in groups. Mark and Sarah really hit it off at the party.

Hit upon/on

They hit upon the solution quite by chance.

hold on

George phoned his office because he wanted some information. 'Hold on a minute and I'll get it for you,' said his assistant. His assistant asked him to hold on. We don't hold out much hope that the price will fall. The winner of the race proudly held his trophy up for all to see. Jack was always held up as an example to me. Earlier today a masked robber with a gun held up the bank and escaped with a hundred thousand pounds. A robber held up the bank. A robber held the bank up. A robber held it up. 32

Hold out

(offer - especially with hope) raise; lift to a higher-thannormal position (use as an example - i.e. a model of good behaviour)

hold up (1. separable) Hold up (2)

hold up (2) a to rob, especially using a person / a bank weapon (e.g. a gun) / a vehicle etc.

hold up (2. to stop; to delay Separable, usually used in the passive)

I'm sorry I'm late. There was an accident on the freeway and traffic held me up. Sorry I'm late, I was held up in the traffic. The traffic was held up for a few hours because of an accident that blocked the road. The accident held up the traffic. The acci

hold up (3. separable)

rob; threaten someone with Sarah is very upset. When she was walking harm unless he/she gives home last night, two men held her up and her/his money or other took her purse and jewelry. valuable things (agree with - an idea) I don't hold with the idea of using force.

Hold with iron out (separable)

mutually reach an Yes, I know we disagree on lots of things, agreement; mutually resolve Susan, but we can iron them out. difficulties abandon raise / life by using a jack We'll have to jack the back of the car up before we can change the tire. The car dealer bought my old Ford for $750 and jacked the price up to $1,500 when they sold it. Arthur is really upset. His boss jumped all over him because he's been late for work three times this week. 33

jack in jack up (1. separable) jack up (2. separable)

raise (used for prices)

jump all over (inseparable)

severely scold someone; berate someone

keep on (1. continue inseparable-followed by an -ing verb)

I'm not ready to stop yet. I think I'll keep on working for a while.

keep on continue to remind someone Bill's very forgetful. You'll have to keep on (someone) (2. to do something until he/she him or he'll never do all the things you inseparable) does it (even if this irritates want him to do. her/him) Keep up kick out (separable) (continue) expel; force someone to leave because of his/her poor performance or unacceptable behavior Well done' Keep up the good work. Jim's club kicked him out because he didn't pay his dues or come to meetings.

knock oneself work much harder than out (separable) normal or than what is expected knock out (separable) make unconscious

We completed the project on time because of Chuck. He knocked himself out to be sure we didn't miss the deadline. The boxing match ended when one boxer knocked the other one out. "That medicine really knocked me out. I slept for 14 hours straight!" The company has laid down strict procedures for this kind of situation. Last year the manager of Bloggs Ltd laid off a hundred workers because business 34

Lay down

(state arule- especially lay down the law) to stop employing (a worker), often for a short

lay off (separable;

often passive) time because there is not was very bad. He laid off a hundred enough work (not because of workers. He laid a hundred workers off. He poor performance) laid them off. They were laid off. I feel really sorry Sally's family. Her father was laid off y leave out (separable) let down (separable) forget; omit Oh, no! When I made the list of those who attended the meeting, I left your name out!

to disappoint someone (often Sorry to let you down, but I can't give you by breaking a promise or an a lift today. Julia promised to meet Rick agreement) outside the cinema at eight o'clock, but she let him down. He waited for two hours and then he went home angrily. Julia let Rick down. Julia let him down. I know I let (allow to be part of a secret) We haven't let Tina in on the plans yet. to excuse (someone) from (a As Dave was young, the judge let him off punishment, a duty, or doing with a fine. Bill should have been sent to something) prison for six months, but the judge decided to let him off so that he could stay out of prison and take care of his family. The judge let Bill off going to prison. The ju (inform about a secret colloquial) We're planning a surprise for Helen, but don't let on.

Let in on let off

Let on

let out

to allow (a person or an They let Fred out of prison after five years. animal) to leave (a place); to They let Fred out of prison. They let Fred release out. They let him out. 35

let up (no object) Live down Note. used with (not) Live up to look after someone or something look back on (inseparable)

become less intense or slower (suffer a loss of reputation)

It's been raining hard for a long time. Will it ever let up? If City lose, they'll never live it down.

(reach an expected standard) The play quite lived up to my expectations. to take care of someone or something Looking after a baby is a full-time job. You have to bath it, dress it and feed it. She looks after the baby. She looks after It.

to remember and think about When they looked back on their many the past; reflect on / consider years together, they realized that their something in the past marriage had been a very happy one. The Blacks have been married for many years. They like talking about the past and looking back on old times. At the moment they are looking at hold in contempt; regard as It's not surprising that Fred has few friends. inferior He seems to look down on anyone who doesn't like the same things that he does. to think that someone (or something) is inferior, low or worthless; to disapprove of (someone or something) Sir Douglas is a very rich aristocrat. Fred is a very poor tramp. Sir Douglas thinks that he is a much better person than Fred-he looks down on Fred. Sir Douglas looks down on Fred. Sir Douglas looks down on him. 36

look down on (inseparable)

look down on someone or something

look for something or someone

to try to find (something or someone), often athing or person that is lost

Fred wanted to open his front door but he couldn't find his key. He looked for it everywhere. It's in one of my pockets,' he thought. He looked for his key. He looked for it. I'm really looking forward to vacation. I can't wait for it to begin! Bill Bloggs has been in prison for the last ten years. Next year he'll be released from prison and he'll be a free man. Bill is looking forward to next year. Bill is looking forward to My father just came home from the hospital. I plan to look in on him today after I finish work. The police have promised to look into the problem. Someone said there was a meeting at 9:30 but I haven't heard anything about it. Shall I look into it? The police are looking into the death of Mr James. They want to know how he was murdered. They are loo Does he look like his father or his mother?

look forward to anticipate pleasantly; to a future event think with pleasure about a (inseparable) future event that you expect to enjoy

look in on (inseparable)

visit in order to check something's / someone's condition investigate / get more details about something; to carefully examine a situation or event and try to discover the reasons for it

look into a situation / a crime / a problem /a complaint etc. (inseparable)

look like (inseparable) Look on

resemble (in appearance)

(consider)

We look on this town as our real home.

37

look over some check; review; to examine work / a car / a (someone or something) house / a carefully and fully document / a suggestion / an applicant etc. (separable) look round a to visit and tour round a house / a shop / place. a town / a factory / an exhibition etc.

I think I may have some typos in this report. Could you look it over? Joe wanted to buy a second-hand car. 'That one looks good,' he said to the salesman. 'Give me some time to look it over. If it's in good condition, I'll buy it.' He looked the car over. Mr and Mrs Smith wanted to buy a house. The estate agent took them to see a house in the centre of town and said, 'Look round the house and see if it's what you want.' They looked round the house. They looked round it. They went into the house and looked "I'm sorry, but I don't know what that word means. I'll have to look it up." While Peter was reading he found a word that he didn't understand. 'This is a difficult word,' he thought. I'll look it up in the dictionary and see what it means. He looked up

look up (1. separable) a word / a telephone number / an address / a train time/a date etc. look up (2. separable)

to find (or try to find) something (e.g. a telephone number) in a book (e.g. a telephone directory)

visit when in the area; find where someone lives or works and visit him/her

If you're passing through Athens, look me up. Thanks for giving me your brother's address. When I'm in Chicago next month, I'll be sure to look him up. Everyone looks up to Joyce because she always makes time to help others. Young Jimmy's favourite footballer is Ted Ross of 38

look up to someone (inseparable)

to respect (someone); to admire (someone)

Arsenal. Jimmy looks up to Ted and he tries to be like him. Jimmy looks up to Ted Ross. Jimmy looks up to him. luck out (no object) be unexpectedly lucky Gloria was worried because she wasn't prepared to give a report at the meeting, but she lucked out because the meeting was postponed. Her teen-aged children are always hungry. As soon as they arrive home from school, they make for the refrigerator. Many hands make for light work. (If many people work together, there's less work for everyone.) The power steering makes for easier parking. I agree that Bob looks ridiculous since he shaved his head, but don't make fun of him. You'll hurt his feelings. The thief made off with a valuable necklace. Tim made out that he hadn 't seen the No Smoking sign. I couldn 't quite make out what the notice said. Bob saw something on the horizon as he was looking through his binoculars. At 39

make for (1. inseparable)

go to or toward

make for (2. inseparable)

result in; cause

make fun of (inseparable)

make jokes about (usually unkindly)

Make off with (run away with)

Make out (1)

(pretend)

make out (1) often used in the negative

manage to see or understand; to see, hear, or understand (something or

with can't and someone), often with couldn 't difficulty; see / hear something well enough to understand what it means. (Note: often negative.) make out (2) a to write (a cheque) cheque

first he couldn't make out what it was, but after a few minutes he could just make out the shape of a yacht. He couldn't make ou

I made out a cheque for ten pounds. I made out a cheque. I made a cheq ue out. I made it out. Janet is really odd. I can't make her out.

Make someone (understand someone's out behaviour) make up (1) to become friends again after a quarrel

Yesterday Joan and Jack had a big argument about politics. Earlier today they decided to forget their differences and make up. Joan and Jack made up. Joan and Jack made up their quarrel. Joan and Jack made it up. Jack made up with Joan. Jack made it up wi Judy's story is hard to believe. I'm sure she made it up. I think you made up the whole story. Colin overslept and was late for work. It was the third time he had overslept that month, so he decided to make up an excuse. He told his boss that the engine of his car had exploded. He made up an excuse. He made an excuse up. He made It up. 40

make up (1. separable)

invent / create (imaginary) information

make up (2) a to invent, sometimes with story / a poem / the purpose of deception an excuse / an explanation etc.

make up (2. separable)

compensate for something I'm sorry I missed the test. May I make it missed or not done by doing up? extra or equivalent work Jack and his girlfriend were very angry with each other, but last night they finally made up. "Jack and his girlfriend were very angry with each other, but last night they finally made up with each other." Our success makes up for all the hard times. June and Ron arranged to meet outside the cinema at 7.30 p.m. June was very upset when Ron arrived an hour late. Ron made up for being late by apologizing to June and giving her a big bunch of flowers. He made These shoes were really a bargain! The store marked them down by 40%! Mrs. White's import shop is profitable because she buys things inexpensively and then marks them up. You have missed out a word here. Five people got promoted, but I missed out again.

make up (with) re-establish a friendly (3. inseparable) relationship by admitting guilt

make up for a to compensate for mistake /doing or not doing something etc.

mark down (separable) mark up (separable)

reduce the price (as an incentive to buy) increase the price (for resale)

Miss out (1) Miss out (2)

(fail to include) (lose a chance - colloquial)

41

mistake for

to think wrongly that (one thing or person) is (another thing or person)

I frightened rpyself last night when I mistook a piece of old rope for a dangerous snake. I mistook a piece of old rope for a dangerous snake. I saw a piece of old rope and I mistook it for a dangerous snake. I didn't complete the assignment because I didn't know how. The directions mixed me up. The speech was so boring that several people in the audience nodded off before it was finished. James owned up to drawing a silly picture of his teacher on the board. None of the children would own up to breaking the window.

mix up (separable)

cause to become confused

nod off (no object)

fall sleep (usually unintentionally)

own up

confess - colloquial; to tell (someone) that you have done something wrong, or that you are at fault

Pack in pan out (no object)

(stop an activity - colloquial) John has packed in his job. succeed; happen as expected I'll be here next week after all. My trip to (for plans). (Note: almost Chicago didn't pan out. always negative when in statements.) Fred Bloggs passed away (passed on/passed over) in 1985afteralong illness. Fred passed away. Fred passed on. Fred passed over. I was very sorry to hear that your grandfather passed away. 42

pass away pass to die on pass over (usually of a person) (no object)

pass out (1. no faint; lose consciousness object)

When Ella heard that she'd won a million dollars, she was so shocked that she passed out. When the air-conditioning stopped working, James found it difficult to breathe and passed out. He passed out. Everyone in the room needs one of these information sheets. Who will help me pass them out? She paid him back for all his insults. You should be ashamed of teasing your little brother, Bob! Pick on someone your own size! Billy's grandmother especially liked her birthday card because Billy had picked it out himself. Those books don't belong on the floor. Will you help me pick them up? Of course we can go there together. What time should I pick you up? Jeff was driving home when he saw a hitchhiker. He stopped the car and picked the hitchhiker up. Jeff picked up the hitchhiker. Jeff picked the hitchhiker up. Jeff picked him up.

pass out (2. separable)

distribute

Pay back pick on (inseparable)

(take revenge - colloquial) bully; intentionally try to make someone upset

pick out (separable)

choose; select

pick up (1. separable) pick up (2. separable) something or someone

lift; take up

arrange to meet someone and give her/him a ride; to collect someone or something (sometimes in a vehicle)

43

pick up (3. separable)

get; buy

The children just drank the last of the milk. Could you pick some more up on your way home this evening? The weather seems to be picking up. He was feeling a little tired, so he drank a glass of orange juice. It picked him up enough to finish his work. I asked Jim to name a suitable day, but I couldn't pin him down. We'll be finished soon if everyone pitches in. The car is playing up again. It won't start. I pointed out that I would be on holiday anyway. My uncle showed me the building he used to work in and he pointed out his old office on the sixth floor. He pointed out his office. He pointed his office out. He pointed it out. It was a tricky plan, but we pulled it off.

pick up (4. separable)

refresh; revitalize; improve (colloquial)

Pin someone down pitch in (no object) Play up point out something or someone

(force to give a clear statement) help; join together to accomplish something (behave or work badly) to draw attention to something or someone

Pull off pull over (no object)

(manage to succeed)

drive a vehicle to the side of When the policeman indicated that I should the rode pull over, I knew he was going to give me a ticket. (continue with some effort - Let's push on and try to reach the coast by 44

Push on

colloquial) put (someone) inconvenience someone out (separable) Put across (communicate ideas)

tonight. I hate to put you out, but I need a ride to the train station and hope you can take me. Harry is clever but he can't put his ideas across. I just took these clothes out of the dryer. Will you help me put them away? I've finished with these books. Do you want me to put them back on the shelves? Diane's poor performance was put down to nerves. Mr Smith put forward the idea of introducing traffic lights at the crossroads as a way of preventing traffic jams. The planning committee thought his idea was very good. He put forward the idea. He put the idea forward. He put it forward. Sue has put in for a teaching job. Martin v/as very unhappy when he saw the huge pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen. He felt a little happier after deciding to put off the washing-up until the next day. Martin put off the washing-up until the next day. 45

put away (separable) put back (separable) Put down to

return something to the proper place return something to the proper place (explain the cause of)

put forward a to offer (a proposal / a plan proposal / a etc.) for consideration plan / a suggestion / an idea etc.

Put in for

(apply for a job)

Put off (1) an to delay doing something event / doing until a late date; to delay an something etc. event or arrangement until a later date

Martin put the washing-up off till t

put off (1. separable)

postpone; delay; avoid

I can't put this work off any longer. If I don't do it soon, it'll be impossible to finish it in time. "When will Mr. Smith agree to a meeting? I keep asking for an appointment, but he keeps putting me off." The crowd put the gymnast off, and be fell. Ron was trying to read, but the noise from the television put him off and he had to stop. The noise from the TV put Ron off his book. The noise from the TV put him off his bOOK. The noise from the TV put Ron oft

put off (2) / put to discourage, or distract, (someone) off (someone) from doing (2) doing, upset

put on (1. separable) clothes / glasses I a ring / a necklace etc. put on (2. separable)

begin to wear; don; to dress It's a little bit chilly outside. You'd better oneself put a sweater on. Perry put on his nevi' sweater because he wanted to wear it for work. Perry put on his sweater. Perry put his sweater on. Perry put it on.

try to make someone believe Don't believe a word of what Jim was something that is ridiculous saying. He was just putting us on. or untrue Please don't put yourself out making a meal. A sandwich will do.

Put oneself out (take trouble - to help someone)

46

put out a cigarette / a light / a fire etc. put through

to extinguish

Steve put out the light in the lounge before going upstairs to bed. Steve put out the light. Steve put the light out. Steve put it out.

to connect a telephone caller Mr Pratt phoned the offices of Gunn and to the number he or she Company. 'Who would you like to speak wants to?' asked the switchboard operator. 'Put me through to Mr Guhn please,' Mr Pratt replied. She put Mr Pratt through to Mr Gunn. She put him through to Mr Gunn. She put through M return something to the proper place offer accommodation; provide someone with a place to sleep Your toys are all over the floor, Timmy. Please put them up. There's no need for you to check into a hotel. I'll be happy to put you up. We can put you up for a few days.

put up (1. separable) put up (2. separable)

put up with

to suffer (a difficult situation When Uncle Mike comes to visit us, the or person) without children behave very badly. They hit him, complaining they play tricks on him and they make a lot of noise. Uncle Mike must love them very much because he puts up with everything they do, and he never gets annoyed with them. Unc tolerate; bear I can 't put up with all this noise! It's really important to come to work on time. The boss won't put up with tardiness.

put up with (inseparable)

47

rip off (separable)

cheat; take advantage of; Don't even think about buying a car there. charge too much; charge too They'll rip you off. You paid 50? They much (colloquial) really ripped you off! change from a fraction to the Round all prices off to the closest wholenearest whole number dollar amounts. For example, round $33.73 off to $34.00. She's always running down her husband. / think the batteries are running down.

round off (separable)

Run down (1) (criticise) Run down (2) (lose power, allow to decline) run in a motor cycle / a new car / a machine etc. to use a new (or reconditioned) engine carefully until it is ready for normal use

George is running in his new car. so he can't drive fast. George is running in his hew car. George is running it in. Running in, please pass. (a notice sometimes seen on new cars) Guess who I ran into at the supermarket! Yesterday at the supermarket, Jan ran into her former roommate. Before yesterday, they hadn't seen each other for nearly five years. I was on my way to work when I ran into Jeremy Thomas. It was a lovely surprise b On the way home from work, Art ran out of gas. Howard has run out. of bread, so he can't make himself a sandwich. If he wants a sandwich, he'll have to go to the baker's shop and buy some more bread. Howard 48

run into (inseparable) someone

meet by chance

run out of to use all of (something) and (inseparable) have no more left coffee / sugar / money /' patience / time

etc.

has run out of bread. Howard has run out of it. (check - also run through) (have enough money) Let's run over the plan once more. I don't think we can run to a holiday abroad this year. I ran up a huge telephone bill at the hotel.

Run over Run to

Run up

(a bill - let a bill get longer without paying)

Run up against (encounter - usually a problem) see someone off

We've run up against a slight problem.

to say goodbye to someone Bill arranged to go to Scotland to stay with who is going on a journey at his grandmother for a few days. His father, the place (e.g. airport, Frank, drove him to the railway station and station etc.) where the saw him off. Frank saw Bill off. Frank saw journey begins; go to station, him off. I went to the station to see them airport, etc to say goodbye off. to someone (realise the truth about) (make fun of by Imitating) I saw through his intentions at once. Jean is always sending up the French teacher. We must set about re-organising the office.

See through Send up

Set about set back (1.

(start working)

cause a delay in scheduling We've had some problems with the project 49

separable)

that have set us back at least two days . We'll give you a progress report tomorrow. cost I wonder how much Bill's new car set him back? / think this ram has set infer the day.

set back (2. separable) Set in

(establish itself-especially weather) to start a journey

set off

Barry set off on his camping holiday at six o'clock in the morning and reached the campsite, in France, at midday. Barry set off. Barry set off at six o'clock. Barry set off on a camping holiday. Barry set off for France. We were set upon by a gang of hooligans.

Set on / set (up) on Set out (1)

(attack)

(give in detail in writing)

This document sets out all the Union demands. I've set out the refreshments in the hall. Sue set out to write a biography hut it became a novel. An inquiry into the accident has been set up. You'll see Mr. Thomas tomorrow. I've set a meeting up for 9:30 AM. 50

Set out (2) Set out (3)

(arrange) (start an action)

set up (separable)

make arrangements for something; establish

show up (1. no arrive; appear object) show up (2. separable) do a noticeably better job (often unexpectedly) than someone else

The boss was very upset when you didn't show up for the meeting. What happened? Everyone thought Marsha would win, but Jean did. Actually, Jean really showed Marsha up.

Sink in

(realise slowly - colloquial, Slowly the realisation that I had won began Intransitive) to sink in. make a mistake (colloquial) Someone slipped up and my application was lost. You slipped up here. The amount should be $135.28, not $132.58. to absorb; to become filled with (something) The sponge soaked up the spilt milk. The sponge soaked up the milk. The sponge soaked the milk up. The sponge soaked it up.

slip up (no object)

soak up a liquid / information / knowledge / punishment etc. Sort out

(find a solution - colloquial) Don't worry, Mary will sort out your problem. Terry was talking to his grandfather. 'Speak up, Terry,' his grandfather said. I'm a bit deaf and I can't hear you.' Grandfather told Terry to speak up. Grandfather said, 'Speak up'. The company agreed to stand by its 51

speak up often to speak louder used in the imperative

Stand by

(keep to an agreement)

original commitment. stand for (1) to represent or mean; to be a The letters B.B.C. stand for the British sign or short form of Broadcasting Corporation. B.B.C. stands something else; initials for British Broadcasting Corporation. What do the letters B.B.C. stand tor? e.g. stands for exempli gratia, it's Latin. These letters seem to be an abbreviation. Do you know what they stand for? / will not stand for this kind of behaviour in my house! I'm not surprised that Mrs. Johnson rejected your report. She won't stand for shoddy work. Carol has kindly agreed to stand in for Graham at the monthly meeting. Good job, Ann! Your work really stands out!

stand for (1. no represent object) Stand for (2) (tolerate)

stand for (2. inseparable)

tolerate; permit (usually negative)

Stand in for

(take the place of)

stand out (no object)

be noticeably better than other similar people or things

stand up (1. no rise to a standing position object) stand up (2. separable) make a date but not keep it

When the Chairperson entered the room, everyone stood up. Angela was supposed to go to the dance with Fred, but she stood him up and went with Chuck instead. 52

Stand up to Step down

(resist, bear stress) (resign - colloquial)

The engine won 't stand up to the strain. The Chairman has stepped down after criticism from shareholders. Production at the Leeds plant has been stepped up.

Step up

(increase)

Stick up for

(defend- especially yourself, You must learn to stick up for yourself. your rights -colloquial) / know you are unhappy, but don't take it out on me!

Take (it) out on (make someone else suffer because of one's own sufferings) take / bring back (separable) return

This book is due tomorrow. I guess I should take it back to the library. "Yes, you can borrow my pen, but don't forget to bring it back to me when you're finished." Both my sister and I take after our father.

take after (inseparable)

resemble; favor (in appearance) Note: used for people to look or be like an older relative

take after someone

Little Christopher takes after his father. He has black hair, big feet and a bad temper just like his dad. Christopher takes alter his father. Christopher takes after him.

take care of (1. provide care for; watch one's Lois has been taking care of her father inseparable) health since he returned home from the hospital. 53

"You've been working too hard lately. You'd better take care of yourself!" take care of (2. make arrangements (for inseparable) something to happen); take responsibility for take down a to record in writing statement / a telephone number / some information etc. take in (often used in the passive) to deceive (someone); to cheat (someone) Will you take care of making reservations for our flight to Boston?

When the policeman arrived at the scene of the accident he took down the witness's statement. He took down the statement. He took the statement down. He took it down.

Don't be taken in by her apparent shyness. The hungry wolf had a problem: all the sheep in the neighbourhood knew him and ran away when they saw him. After some thought he decided to disguise himself as a sheep. The neighbourhood sheep were taken In by th At the beginning of a journey an aeroplane takes off. At the end of a journey an aeroplane lands. The aeroplane took off. Please take your hat off when you go inside a building.

take off (1) (of to rise from the ground an aeroplane)

take off (1. separable) take off (2)

remove (something you're wearing)

to remove anything that is Nick took off his jacket because he was worn on the body (especially feeling very hot. Nick took off his jacket. clothes) Nick took his jacket off. Nick took it off. 54

take off (2. no leave; depart (often suddenly Was something wrong with Jill? She took object) or quickly) off without saying goodbye. "When does your plane take off?" take off (3. separable) Take off (4) make arrangements to be absent from work (imitate - colloquial) Susan isn't here today. She's taking today and tomorrow off. Dave takes off the Prime Minister really well. My grandmother has taken on a new lease of life since her operation. She has taken on too much with a full-time job as well. Ann has taken out life insurance.

Take on (1)

(acquire a new characteristic) (do something extra)

Take on (2)

Take out

(insurance - sign an insurance agreement)

take over

gain control of; to assume The army tried to take over the country. responsibility for, or control Simon took over the manager's job from of, (something or a situation) Mr Jones when he retired. Simon took over from someone else the manager's job from Mr Jones. Simon took over the manager's job. Simon took the manager's job over. Simon took it over. Simon too (develop a liking for) You'll soon take to your new boss, I'm sure. The meeting took up a whole morning 55

Take to someone Take up

(time - occupy time)

take up (separable)

begin (a hobby or leisuretime activity)

A: "Do you like to ski?" B: "I've never been skiing, but I think I'd like to take it up." Tim wanted to take up painting, so he joined an evening class at the local College of Art. He took up painting. He took painting up. He took it up. He took up a new hobby. Paul talked me into going skiing, against my better judgement.

take up a to begin to Study, practice, hobby / a or do (something) sport / a job / a habit etc.

Talk out of or into tall through

(dissuade from, persuade into)

to fail to happen or be Eric's plan to go on a skiing holiday fell completed (of plans, through because he broke his leg. His plan arrangements, schemes etc.) fell through. Brian tore up the letter angrily.Brian tore up the letter. Brian tore the letter up. Brian tore it up.

tear up a piece to destroy completely by of paper / a tearing. letter / a newspaper etc. tell (someone) speak to someone bluntly off (separable) and negatively, saying exactly what she/he did wrong; to speak angrily to someone who has done something wrong; to find fault with someone think over a problem / a to consider (something) carefully

Our teacher told us off for being late. Julie was really angry at Bob; she told him off in front of all of us. Howard told his son oH for breaking a window with his football. Howard told oil his son. Howard told his son off. Howard told him off. Howard to

Owen is playing chess with a friend. At the moment he is thinking over his next move. 56

proposal / a situation etc.

He is thinking over his next move. He is thinking his next move over. He is thinking it over. discard; put in the garbage You shouldn't throw those newspapers away; they're recyclable. This food smells bad. You'd better throw it out. Those people are drunk and making everyone uncomfortable. The manager should throw them out. Paul was so nervous about his job interview that he threw up just before he left for it.

throw away (separable) throw out (1. separable) throw out (2. separable)

discard; put in the garbage

forcibly make someone leave (usually because of bad behavior)

throw up vomit (usually no object; with an object, separable) tick off (1. separable) tick off (2. separable) irritate someone; make someone upset or angry

It really ticks her off when someone is late for an appointment.

show that something has Here are the things you need to do. Tick been completed by putting a each one off when you finish it. tick (check) beside it be in agreement with I'm afraid your party doesn't quite tie in with aor arrangements. The police tracked down killer and arrested 57

Tie in with

Track down

trace the whereabouts of

him. try on (separable) wear something briefly to check its fit, how it looks, etc. I'm not sure that jacket is large enough. May I try it on?

try on a hat / a to put on an article of new pair of clothing to see if it fits and shoes / a dress how it looks etc.

Last week I went into a shop and tried on three hats. The first hat was too big; the second one was too small; but the third one fitted me perfectly and looked good, so I bought it. I tried on three hats. I tried three hats on. I tried them on.

try out (for) (inseparable)

try to win a place on a team I know you want to be on the football or other organization team. Are you going to try out? "If you like to sing, you should try out for the choir. test - a machine; use a I really like the way this car looks. May I machine briefly to determine try it out? Let's try out the new washing how well it works machine. to test something (or someone) by using it Angela saw an advertisement for a new soap powder called 'Zap'. She decided to try it out because she wanted to see if it was better than her usual soap powder. Angela tried out new 'Zap'. Angela tried new 'Zap' out. Angela tried it out.

try out (separable)

try out something or someone

turn around (1. move so that you are facing Everyone turned around and stared when I usually no the opposite direction entered the meeting late. object) 58

turn around (2. move so that someone / separable) something is facing the opposite direction turn around (3. make changes so that separable) something that was unprofitable is profitable

I don't want this chair facing the window. Will you help me turn it around?

The company was doing poorly until it hired a new president. He turned it around in about six months and now it's doing quite well. Your music is giving me a headache! Please turn it down or use your headphones! Another company offered me a job but I turned them down. I thought I could borrow some money from Joe, but when I asked, he turned me down. Jeff was interviewed for the job at Bloggs Ltd but they turned him down because he was too young. They turned down I've written my report, but I haven't turned it in. I'm pretty tired. I guess I'll turn in.

turn down (1. separable)

decrease the volume

turn down (2. to refuse or reject separable) a (something or someone) request / an offer / an applicant / an application etc.

turn in (1. separable) turn in (2. no object) turn in (3. separable) turn into

give / deliver / submit to someone go to bed

report or deliver wrongdoers Two days after the robbery, the thieves to the authorities turned themselves in. to change; to become The beautiful princess kissed the frog and 59

something or someone

it turned into a handsome prince. The frog turned into a prince. The kiss turned the frog into a prince, stop by turning a handle or switch bore; repel (very informal) I'm cold. Do you mind if I turn the air conditioner off? That music turns me off. Please play something else! It's cold in here. I'm going to turn the heater on What kind of music turns you on?

turn off (1. separable) turn off (2. separable) turn on (1. separable) turn on (2. separable) turn out

start by turning a handle or switch interest very much; excite (very informal) happen to be in the end

He turned out to be an old friend of Helen's. Thousands of fans turned out to welcome the team. I can barely hear the TV. Can you turn it up a little?

turn out

come to a meeting or to form a crowd increase the volume

turn up (1. separable) turn up (2. no object)

appear, arrive unexpectedly We were all surprised when Pam turned up at the party. We didn't even know she was in town. Not many people turned up for the lesson.

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turn up (3)

be discovered by chance

Don't worry about that missing book, it's bound to turn up sooner or later.

wait for (inseparable)

wait until someone / When will Kenny be finished with work? something arrives or is I've been waiting for him for almost an finished with something else hour! "I'm tired of waiting for the bus. I guess I'll take a taxi instead." serve (usually customers in a I want to make a complaint. The person restaurant, shop, etc.) who just waited on me was very impolite. I usually wake up around 5:00 AM each day. I have an important meeting tomorrow and I'm afraid I won't hear my alarm. Will you wake me up at 6:00 AM? There's a school at the end of this block. Watch out for children crossing the street. "If you take that road, watch out for ice during the winter." The pain in Jim's foot wore off after he took some painkiller. The pain wore off. These painkillers wear off after about two hours. Paul wore out his favourite jumper after wearing it every day for ten years. Paul 61

wait on (1. inseparable)

wake up (1. no stop sleeping object) wake up (2. separable) rouse someone; cause someone to stop sleeping

watch out for (inseparable)

be careful of; beware of

wear off (1)

to disappear gradually

wear off (2)

loose effect - especially a drug to use (something) until it becomes unfit for further

wear out (1)

use; to become unusable after excessive use wear out (1. separable) wear something / use something until it can no longer be worn / be used to tire greatly; to exhaust

wore out his jumper. Paul wore his jumper out. Paul wore it out. The jumper wore out. I need a new pencil sharpener. I wore this one out. "I suppose I should get some new shoes. I've almost worn this pair out." Carrying the heavy box across the street wore Fred out. When he got home he went straight to bed. Carrying the heavy box wore out Fred. Carrying the heavy box wore Fred out. Carrying the heavy box wore him out. Fred was worn out by carrying the heavy box.

wear out (2) often used in the passive

wear out (2. separable)

cause to become exhausted; I had four different meetings today. They cause to become very tired wore me out. "I suppose I should get some new shoes. I've almost worn this pair out."

work out (1. no exercise (usually in a gym, Instead of eating lunch on Monday, object) etc.) to build muscles, body Wednesday, and Friday, Sheila goes to the tone, etc recreation center to work out. work out (2. separable) a problem /a plan/a method etc. solve a problem / resolve a I know we disagree on many points, but I difficult situation (usually by believe we can work things out. Jimmy is working together); to busy doing his homework. At the moment produce a way of dealing he is working out the answer to a sum. He with a problem or situation is working out the answer. He is working by thinking the answer out. He is working it out.

work out (3) a calculate - also work out for The hotel bill worked out at over $500. sum a specific ammount; to solve 62

a problem by calculation or study wrap up (1. no wear enough clothes to keep It's really cold today. Be sure you wrap up object) warm when you leave the house. wrap up (2. separable) finish something; bring something to a conclusion We've been talking about the problem for nearly three hours. I hope we'll be able to wrap the discussion up soon.

write down (separable) write up (separable)

record something in writing Could you tell me your e-mail address again? I want to write it down. record; report in writing You'll need to make a report on your business meetings. Be sure you write them up as soon as possible after you return from your trip. I intended to go shopping after work, but I was so tired that I zonked out as soon as I got home.

zonk out (no object)

fall asleep quickly because of exhaustion

Phrasal Verb A abide by account for add up

Meaning respect or obey. (the law, a decision, a rule) explain, give a reason

Example If you want to stay at this school, you must abide by the rules. I hope you can account for the money you spent!

make sense, seem reasonable Her story just doesn't add up.

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agree with allow for answer back apply for avail (oneself) of

have the same opinion as somebody else. take into consideration, include in a calculation reply rudely make a formal request for something (job, permit, loan etc.) take advantage of something (an opportunity)

I agree with you. I think she deserves the award too. You'd better leave early to allow for traffic jams. Don't answer back your mother! He applied for the job he saw advertised in the newspaper. When the company is privatized, you should avail yourself of the opportunity and buy some shares.

B back away

move backwards, in fear or dislike

When he saw the dog, he backed away. Local authorities backed down on their plans to demolish the building.

back down withdraw, concede defeat

back up

1) give support or 1) If I tell the boss we've got too much work, will you encouragement back me up? 2) make a copy of (file, program, 2) It is recommended to back up all files in a secure etc.) location. base your hopes on someone/something improve, make more substantial faint, lose consciousness Separate using a barrier. Don't forget the date. I'm banking on your help. He beefed up his presentation with diagrams and statistics. When he fell off the horse he blacked out. The area was blocked off during the demonstration.

bank on beef up black out block off blow up

1) The terrorists said the bomb would blow up at 9 1) explode; o'clock. 2) be destroyed by an explosion 2) The car blew up but luckily there was nobody in it. The problem boils down to a lack of money.

boil down be summarized as to boot up

start a computer by loading an Just give my a few minutes to boot up the computer. operating system or program.

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break away break down

escape from captivity

A few horses broke away from the paddock.

1) go out of order, cease to 1) John's car broke down so he had to take the bus. function 2) The parents broke down when they heard the bad 2) lose control of one's emotions news. Burglars broke into the house around midnight. Rioting broke out as a result of the strike. Three prisoners broke out of jail. After her marriage broke up, Emma went to live in London. She stopped working in order to bring up her children. Mary had to brush up on her Spanish before going to South America. Pedro bumped into his English teacher at the supermarket. 1) The fuse has burnt out. 2) Tom will burn himself out if he doesn't slow down. It's rude to butt in on a conversation like that!

break into enter by force break out break out of break up bring up brush up on bump into burn out start suddenly escape from a place by force come to an end (marriage, relationship) raise (a child) improve, refresh one's knowledge of something meet by accident or unexpectedly 1) stop (something) working 2) become exhausted from over-working

butt in (on interrupt impolitely sthg)

C call back call off call on/upon sby calm down carry on

return a phone call cancel formally invite or request become more relaxed, less angry or upset continue

I'll call you back as soon as possible. The meeting was called off because of the strike. I now call upon the President to address the assembly. He was angry at first but he eventually calmed down. He carried on gardening in spite of the rain.

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carry out

1) do something as specified (a plan, an order, a threat) 2) perform or conduct (test, experiment)

1) The plan was carried out to perfection. 2) Tests are carried out to determine the efficiency of a new drug. As regards holidays, can you carry over any days from one year to the next? For security reasons you have to check in two hours before your flight. 1) Is Mr. Blair still at the hotel? No, he checked out this morning. 2) I don't know if the address is still valid. I'll check it out. When the teacher arrived she clammed up. The government has decided to clamp down on smoking in public places. When the factory closed down, the employees lost their jobs. 1) Julie came across some photographs of her grandparents in the attic. 2) The candidate came across as a dynamic person during the interview. The police have asked any witnesses to come forward. The project came up against a lot of criticism. 1) The car conked out on the motorway. 2) He was so exhausted, he conked out in front of the TV. I'm counting on the taxi driver to find the theatre. In some exercises, you are asked to cross out the incorrect word. The doctor told him to cut down on cigarettes. 1) She cut out a picture in a magazine. 2) I'm going to cut out eating between meals.

carry over postpone until later check in register at a hotel or airport

1) pay one's bill and leave (a check out hotel) 2) investigate clam up clamp down on close down come across come forward come up against conk out count on cross out cut down on cut out refuse to speak act strictly to prevent something stop operating (company, restaurant, cinema). 1) find by chance 2) appear, seem, make an impression present oneself be faced with or opposed by 1) stop working 2) stop or fall asleep (from exhaustion) rely or depend on (for help) remove by drawing a line through reduce in number or size 1) remove using scissors 2) stop doing something

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D deal with die down

handle, take care of (problem, The manager is good at dealing with difficult situation) customers. calm down, become less strong When the applause died down, she started to sing. The shops are closed so we'll have to do without sugar. We expected a short speech but it dragged on and on! An agreement was drawn up and signed by the two parties. 1) Do people dress up to go to the opera in your country? 2) Children love to dress up at Halloween. I sometimes drop in to see my grandparents on my way home from school. 1) I'll drop you off at the bus stop if you like. 2) Granddad often drops off in front of the TV. She decided to go to art school then dropped out after the first term.

do without manage without drag on draw up dress up drop in drop off drop out last longer than expected write (contract, agreement, document) 1) wear elegant clothes 2) disguise oneself visit, usually on the way somewhere 1) deliver someone or something 2) fall asleep leave school without finishing

E ease off end in end up even out

reduce, become less severe or slow down After Christmas the workload generally eases off. (pain, traffic, work) finish in a certain way; result in Their marriage ended in divorce. finally reach a state, place or action 1) eliminate differences of opinion. 2) become level or regular If he continues his misconduct he'll end up in prison. 1) After a long discussion they managed to even out their differences. 2) The road was evened out to make it safer.

fall through

fail; doesn't happen

Our planned boat trip fell through because of the storm.

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figure out fill out find out focus on figure out

understand, find the answer complete (a form/an application) discover or obtain information concentrate on something understand; find a solution

I'm trying to figure out how to assemble the bookshelves. Please fill out the enclosed form and return it as soon as possible. I'm going to call the cinema to find out what time the film starts. The advertising campaign will focus on the quality of the product. We'll have to figure out a way to deliver the goods faster.

get along be on good terms; work well (with) with get at get away get by get in get into (+noun) get off get on imply escape manage to cope or to survive enter enter 1) leave (bus, train, plane) 2) remove board (bus, train, plane)

I get along (well) with my mother-in-law. What exactly are you trying to get at? The robbers got away in a black car. It's difficult to get by on a low salary. How did the burglar get in? How did the burglar get into the house? 1) You should get off the bus at Trafalgar Square. 2) She can't get the stain off her sweater. You can pay when you get on the bus.

get on with continue to do; make progress Be quiet and get on with your homework. (something) get on (well) with have a good relationship with (somebody) get out get out of (+noun) leave leave I get on very well with my colleagues. How did he get out? How did he get out of the house?

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get out of get over get rid of get together get up give up

avoid doing something recover from (illness, disappointment) eliminate meet each other rise, leave bed stop doing something

Some husbands manage to get out of doing any housework. My grandmother had pneumonia but she got over it. It's difficult to get rid of old habits. Let's get together for lunch on day. I usually get up at 7 o'clock. Sarah gave up smoking 5 years ago. Pete went through a lot of pain after the accident. He grew up in a small village in the mountains.

go through experience grow up spend one's childhood; develop; become an adult

H hand in hand out hang out hang up hit at hit back hit on/upon hold on hurry up

submit (report, homework) distribute

All application forms must be handed in before the end of the month. Samples will be handed out at the end of the demonstration.

spend time in a particular place, Where does he hang out these days? or with a group of friends Who does he hang out with? end a phone conversation aim a blow at retaliate; reply to an attack find unexpectedly or by inspiration -wait -grip tightly be quick, act speedily "Don't hang up. I haven't finished yet." He hit at the wasp with the newspaper. When he was attacked by the others, the boy hit back. She hit upon an idea for her new collection. - 'Hold on please. I'll put you through to Mr. Brown." - She held on to the railing as she crossed the bridge. Hurry up! We'll miss the bus.

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I iron out

resolve by discussion, eliminate The meeting tomorrow will be an opportunity to iron differences out difficulties.

J join in join up jot down

participate

She was too shy to join in the game.

-engage in, become a member - John was in the Army and Tom joined up as soon of as he left school. - meet and unite with - The two groups of tourists joined up at the hotel. take quick notes I jotted down the address while watching the programme on TV.

K keep on keep up with kick off

continue doing something stay at the same level as someone or something begin, start

It told him to be quiet but he kept on making noise. Bill walks so fast it's difficult to keep up with him. The football match kicked off at 3 o'clock.

L leave out let down look after

omit, not mention disappoint take care of

The child's name was left out of the report. You promised to come to the party, so don't let me down! A babysitter looks after the children when they go out. It's time to forget the past and look ahead. He tends to look down on anyone who is not successful. Billy didn't take part in the fight. He just looked on.

look ahead think of the future look down consider as inferior on look on be a spectator at an event

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look for

try to find something

Jane went to the shops to look for a pair of shoes. I look forward to seeing you soon. He was a wonderful teacher and many students looked up to him.

look await or anticipate with forward to pleasure look up to admire

make fun of make up mix up move in move out

laugh at/ make jokes about invent (excuse, story)

The old lady dresses so strangely that the kids make fun of her. Some employees make up excuses when they arrive late for work.

mistake one thing or person for I don't know my neighbours' names yet. I keep another mixing them up. arrive in a new home or office leave your home/office for another one. You've bought a new house? When are you moving in?. My neighbour is leaving. He's moving out next Saturday.

nod off

fall asleep

My grandfather often nods off in front of the television. I'll call the station and note down the departure times.

note down write something

opt out own up

leave a system or decide not to I enjoy tennis but I'm so busy I had to opt out of the participate tournament. admit or confess something The boy owned up. He said he kicked the ball through the window.

pass away die pass out faint

The old lady passed away peacefully. She passed out when she heard the bad news.

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pay back put off put on put out put up pick up point out

reimburse postpone, arrange a later date turn on, switch on extinguish

I'll lend you 20 provided you pay me back before the end of the week. The meeting was put off because of the strike. Could you put on the light please? It took a long time to put out the fire.

accommodate, give somebody We can put you up if you'd like to come for a weeka bed end. collect somebody indicate/direct attention to something I'll pick you up at the station when you arrive. She pointed out the mistake.

rely on rule out run away run into

count on, depend on, trust eliminate escape from a place or suddenly leave meet by accident or unexpectedly (also: bump into)

Don't worry. You can rely on me. I can keep a secret. The police ruled out political motives. He ran away from home at the age of fourteen. Sophie ran into Maria at the shopping centre. What a nuisance! We've run out of coffee.

run out of have no more of something.

set off set up shop around show off

start a journey; start a business compare prices brag or want to be admired

Early Saturday morning we set off for the ski slopes . She set up her own company 10 years ago. It's always wise to shop around before buying anything. There's David showing off in his new sports car!

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show up

appear/arrive

We expected David to come but he didn't show up. Oh shut up, you idiot! Please come in and sit down. The pupils stood up when the headmaster arrived. It's important to stick up for one's principles.

shut up (impolite) be silent, stop talking sit down stand up stick up for take a seat rise from a sitting position defend

take after take care of take off take on take out tell off

resemble, in appearance or character look after leave the ground hire or engage staff remove; extract reprimand/criticize severely

Jamie really takes after his dad. I'll take care of your plants while you're away. The plane took off at 6 a.m. Business is good so the company is taking on extra staff. She took out a pen to note the address. The teacher told her off for not doing her homework. I'll have to think over the proposal before I decide.

think over consider try on

wear something to see if it suits I'm not sure about the size. Can I try it on? or fits I couldn't turn down an offer like that!

turn down refuse

use up

finish a product (so that there's The kids have used up all the toothpaste. none left)

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vouch for

express confidence in, or guarantee something

You can give the keys to Andy. I can vouch for him.

W watch out be careful wear out work out wipe off 1) become unusable 2) become very tired 1) do physical exercise 2) find a solution or calculate something clean (board, table).

Watch out! There's a car coming. 1) Julie wore out her shoes visiting the city. 2) At the end of the day Julie was worn out. 1) I work out twice a week at the gym club. 2) It's expensive but I haven't worked out the exact cost yet. The teacher asked Lee to wipe off the board.

PHRASAL VERBS

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TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO To TO TO

LOOK LOOK LOOK LOOK LOOK LOOK LOOK LOOK LOOK LOOK LOOK TAKE TAKE TAKE TAKE TAKE TAKE TAKE TAKE TAKE TAKE PUT PUT PUT PUT PUT PUT PUT PUT GIVE GIVE GIVE GIVE GIVE MAKE MAKE

after = a avea grija de cineva out = a (te) feri into = a examina up = a cauta pe cineva / a cauta in dictionar away = a intoarce privirea forward to = a astepta (!cere verb + ing) on to = a avea vedere spre (ex: mare) up to = a admira down on = a dispretui out of = a se uita pe geam over = a se uita superficial down = a scrie / a dobori to = a simpatiza / a se apuca de ceva up = a imbratisa o cariera in = a pacali pe cineva aback = a fi luat prin surprindere over = a prelua on = a ocupa un loc in spatiu off = a se dezbraca / a decola down on = a invinovati after = a semana (cu cineva) off = a amana down = a scrie / ainabusi o revolta away = a economisi bani up = a caza pe cineva up with = a suporta pe cineva under = a ascunde on = a se ingrasa / a se imbraca out = a stinge lumina / a stinge focul in = a ceda off = a emite un miros neplacut out = a fi epuizat (despre carti) away = a trada way = a ceda (despre lucruri/obiecte) for = a se indrepta spre ceva (un loc) out = a intelege, a discerne

TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO

RUN RUN RUN RUN

down = into = out of over =

a a = a

critica se intalni accidental a ramane fara calca cu masina

BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK

off = a se intrerupe brusc din discutie away with = a se dezobisnui up = a se desparti into = a intra prin efractie

COME across = a se intalni accidental COME out = a publica o carte STAND up with = a rezista, a suporta FALL out with = a anula CALL off = a anula CALL forth = a evoca

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TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO

BRING back = a evoca BRING about = a se intampla BRING up = a educa SEE (somebody) off= a conduce (pe cineva) SEE through = a examina, a analiza GET through = a face legatura telefonica GET down to = a se apuca DROP off = a atipi LET off = a ierta DO without = a se lipsi de ceva BE short of = a ramane fara BE ran down = a fi terminat GO off = a exploda SORT out = a rezolva REFRAIN from = a se abtine (de la ceva)

1. A phrasal verb is a verb plus a preposition or adverb which creates a meaning different from the original verb. Example: I ran into my teacher at the movies last night. RUN + INTO = MEET He ran away when he was 15. RUN + AWAY = LEAVE HOME 2. Some phrasal verbs are intransitive. An intransitive verb cannot be followed by an object. Example: He suddenly showed up. "SHOW UP" CANNOT TAKE AN OBJECT 3. Some phrasal verbs are transitive. A transitive verb can be followed by an object. Example: I made up the story. "STORY" IS THE OBJECT OF "MAKE UP" 4. Some transitive phrasal verbs are separable. The object is placed between the verb and the preposition. In this Phrasal Verb Dictionary, separable phrasal verbs are marked by placing a * between the verb and the preposition / adverb. Example: I talked my mother into letting me borrow the car. She looked the phone number up. 5. Some transitive phrasal verbs are inseparable. The object is placed after the preposition. In this Phrasal Verb Dictionary, inseparable phrasal verbs are marked by placing a + after the preposition / adverb.

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Example: I ran into an old friend yesterday. They are looking into the problem. 6. Some transitive phrasal verbs can take an object in both places. In this Phrasal Verb Dictionary, such phrasal verbs are marked with both * and + . Example: I looked the number up in the phone book. I looked up the number in the phone book. 7. WARNING! Although many phrasal verbs can take an object in both places, you must put the object between the verb and the preposition if the object is a pronoun. Example: I looked the number up in the phone book. I looked up the number in the phone book. I looked it up in the phone book. CORRECT I looked up it in the phone book. INCORRECT
3. Modality and modal verbs Syntactic properties of modal verbs Modals add to the lexical verb a special semantic component such as ability, obligation, permission, possibility. From a syntactic point of view, modal verbs have certain properties that make them similar to auxiliary verbs. These properties are known in the literature as NICE properties. NICE is an acronym (negation, interrogation, coordination, emphasis). 1. The negator NOT is attached to the modal verb to form a negative sentence. 2. Modal verbs are inverted with the subject in yes or no, wh-, and tag-questions just like auxiliary verbs. 3. The modal verb can be used in coordinate clauses beginning with AND SO followed by inversion to avoid repetition. 4. Modal verbs can be used for emphatic purposes in affirmative sentences. Both auxiliaries and modals appear in the same type of constructions and have the so called NICE properties. Modal verbs cannot appear in certain constructions. They are incompatible with nonfinite forms (present/past participle, infinitive). Modal verbs are incompatible with agreement; they are always followed by a short infinitive. They have no passive form and no imperative. Modal verbs cannot co-occur with the exception of certain dialects in southern USA, where two modals in the same sentence are acceptable. Some modals have two tense forms (present and past: can-could, may-might). Modal verbs are a distinct class of verbs that share syntactic properties with auxiliary verbs (NICE properties) and which have a certain semantic value like the lexical verbs. Semantic properties We distinguish 2 main kinds of meanings for modal auxiliaries: a. INTRINSIC: permission, obligation, volition

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b. EXTRINSIC: possibility, necessity, prediction CAN/COULD: possibility, ability, permission MAY/MIGHT: possibility, permission MUST: necessity, obligation NEED, HAVE TO: necessity, obligation OUGHT TO, SHOULD: tentative inference, obligation WILL/WOULD: prediction, volition SHALL: prediction, volition 4. Types of predication Copulative predication A copulative predicate consists of a linking verb and a predicative which may be adjectival or nominal. The adjectival predicative may be realized by an AP. The nominal predicative may be expressed by a NP, PP or a clause. The role of the link verb BE as part of the copulative predicate: a. it connects the subject NP to the NP/AP functioning as predicative b. it enters into a relationship of agreement in person and number with the subject of the sentence. c. it provides information concerning tense and aspect. There are 2 classes of link verbs: a. semantically empty link verbs: BE b. semantically poor verbs: BECOME, APPEAR, GROW, REMAIN, GO, STAND, FALL, FEEL, GET, RUN, SMELL, TASTE. Some of these semantically poor verbs can also be used as transitive or intransitive verbs. The predicative is referentially dependent on the subject of the sentence to which it gives an attribute or an identity. The main property of the identifying predicative is that it is reversible that is it can change positions with the subject. A. The adjectival predicative Adjectives that are used predicatively may be non-derived or derived. Some predicative adjectives are derived from transitive verbs by means of suffixation. The DO of the transitive verb becomes a PO in the copulative predication. There is a special group of predicative adjectives which indicate state/condition and which are prefixed by a-: alike, averse, afraid, akin. These predicative adjectives may take clausal complement. The classification of the predicative adjectives according to the type of subject they select Predicative adjectives may be classified according to the semantic features of the subject they select: a. predicative adjectives that select a [+animate] subject [+-human] include: hungry, attentive, eager, sleepy, tired, playful, alive, wicked b. predicative adjectives that only combine with a [+human] subject are: sorry, imaginative, ingenious, kindhearted, polite, sincere Antonymic pairs: clever/dull, careful/careless, sincere/hypocritical, silent/talkative c. predicative adjectives that take [+concrete] subject include adjectives denoting colour, shape, and antonymic pairs of adjectives such as: big/small, long/short, thick/thin, new/old. d. predicative adjectives that select a [+abstract] subject are: obvious,easy/hard/difficult, simple, advisable, necessary, natural, likely.

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B. The nominal predicative is expressed by a NP, PP or a clause. The nominal predicative expressed by a NP is always indefinite. The nominal predicative expressed by a PP may be preceded by the preposition OF or by other prepositions. All prepositions in the English language can be part of a nominal predicative. Intransitive predication Verbs with one argument have been traditionally known as intransitive verbs. Intransitive verbs obligatorily take a NP in subject position which receives the thematic role of Agent or Patient. Intransitive verbs are of 2 types: simple and complex. Semantically simple intransitive verbs express events of all types. From a syntactic point of view intransitive verbs may optionally take an adverbial modifier. Classes 1. Phrasal intransitive verbs (V+particle) are followed by particles with various meanings. Certain particles of phrasal verbs show direction (go up, fly past, fall down). Most of these verbs indicate motion. Certain particles refer to the temporal dimension of the event. They may suggest the beginning of the activity in which case the particles are called ingressive (out, about, off, in). ON and AWAY indicate the continuation of the activity. They convey a durative meaning. The particle ON may combine freely with any verb. In contrast the particle AWAY cannot be used with all verbs. The particles OUT, UP and AWAY express the end of the action (+off, through) that is why they are also called egressive particles. 2. Reflexive intransitive verbs always take a reflexive pronoun which is co-referential with the subject of the sentence. There is always a relationship of agreement in person and number between the subject of the sentence and the reflexive pronoun. Almost all reflexive verbs in English can be used as transitive or intransitive verbs (without the reflexive pronoun). Prepositional reflexive verbs: Acquaint oneself with smth; abandon oneself to smth; accustom oneself to smth, adapt onself to smth, congratulate onself on/upon smth; worry onself about/over smth; revenge onself on smb. Complex intransitive verbs are two-place predicates that is they obligatorily take a subject and a prepositional object or an adverbial modifer to form a correct sentence. Classes: 1. Prepositional intransitive verbs Intransitive verbs belonging to this group always take a prepositional object expressed by a prepositional phrase. By passivization the object of the preposition is moved in initial sentence position, while the preposition gets separated from its object and remains attached to the verb. When we want to emphasize the prepositional object we move it to pre-subject position. This rearrangement of the constituents of the sentence is called topicalization. 2. Prepositional phrasal verbs By passivization the object of the preposition becomes subject of the passive sentence while the particle and the preposition remain in situ. The prepositional object is emphasized by means of topicalization. The particle remains in situ. 3. Intransitives with IOs All these verbs take an IO marked by the preposition TO. From a semantic point of view these verbs are of several types: -eventive: happen -verbs of seeming: see, appear -verbs of mental processes: occur -verbs of perception: taste, sound -relational verbs showing possession: to belong and inferiority relations: surrender, submit 4. Intransitives with two PO

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A number of complex intransitive verbs may be followed by 2 PP. the 1 st PP may function as an IO or as PO with the semantic feature [+human]. The 2 nd PP functions as a PO and it indicates the topic of discussion. 5. Complex intransitives with adverbial modifiers: of place, manner; quantifiying adverbials of place, time, that indicate price. Transitive predication Most transitive verbs in English express human activities/events in which human play the Agent role. Transitive verbs typically take 2 arguments to form a correct sentence: one in subject position and the other one in object position. The subject NP can be Theme, Patient or Experiencer. Transitive verbs are of two types: simple and complex. Simple transitive verbs are of 2 types: two-place predicates or three-place predicates. Various classifications of simple transitive verbs 1. according to the meaning of the DO selected a. Certain simple transitive verbs indicate activities associated with affected object: decorate a house, break a window, brush a hat, burn paper, carry a box, drink milk. b. simple transitives with resultative objects include verbs that show that the NP functioning as DO is the result of the action: cook cakes, manufacture goods, produce, create a model, erect a monument, make a toy. Some transitive verbs with resultative objects may have a [+abstract]/[+concrete] DO. A special type of effected object is the so called cognate object which is actually a repetition of the verbal form: smile, drink, love. c. a small number of simple transitive verbs take a DO which denotes the instrument used to perform a certain activity: use force/terrorism/backmail; manipulate peole/power/event; play a record/tape. d. another group of simple transitive verbs take [-animate] DOs: approach a place/topic; claim a object/right, analyze a substance/idea, examine a paper/theory. 2. according to the verbal meaning From a semantic point of view simple transitive verbs may be grouped into three classes: a. psychological verbs express emotional states, they take an experiencer argument either in subject position (like, adore, admire, dislike, hate, despise, appreciate, respect) or in object position (amaze, astonish, surprise, upset, scare, embarrass, bore). Object experiencer verbs may take a subject which is [+human] or [+abstract]. b. relational verbs express symmetric or asymmetric relations between the subject and the object of the sentence. Symmetric relations are expressed by reciprocal verbs: resemble, meet. The asymmetric relations are those expressing inclusion, possession or acquisition. Inclusion relations are expressed by transitive verbs such as: contain, hold, comprise, include, cover. Verbs such as: have, own, possess indicate alienable or inalienable possession. With verbs of acquisition (get, acquire, receive, appropriate) the subject denotes the Beneficiary and the DO shows the Patient/Theme of the action. c. causative verbs are transitive verbs that express direct causation of an event or an event in which causation is implied. From a syntactic point of view causative constructions are all transitive owing to the fact that causation implies 2 participants: a causer and an affected/effected entity. They are of 3 types: 1. periphrastic verbs include: cause, determine, make, have, get which have a very general causative meaning. Semantically these verbs express the idea of causation quite neutrally. They are often associated with [+abstract] nouns. The verbs HAVE and GET additionally convey the idea of obligation/order.

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2. lexical verbs are transitive verbs which can be paraphrased by means of the verb TO CAUSE: to teach = to cause smb to learn, to convince= to cause smb to believe, to give= to cause smb to take smth 3. morphological verbs are derived either from adjectives or from nouns. Many causative transitives are converted from adjectives. The word formation processes are: A. conversion: AdjectivesCausative verb: bare, better, blind, clean, empty B. affixation produces causative verbs by attaching prefixes/suffixes or both of them to adjectives. Prefixation: dis+able/content/quiet; en+large/rich/tame Suffixation: happy/solid+ify; American/civil/functional/commercial/legal/popular+ize; broad/dark/short/white/hard+en Similar causative transitive verbs can be produced from nouns by means of the same word formation processes. A. conversion: nounverb: age, plant, decay, cream, ornament B. prefixation: de + colour/forest/form; dis + cart/cover/ credit/favour/ honour/illusion/ interest/order/place; en+cage/circle/code/slave/title Suffixation: person/beauty+ify; carbon/computer/robot/standard+ize. Sometimes both prefixation and suffixation are used to produce causative verbs: deactivate, decentralize, demobilize, demolize, enlighten, disorientated, invalidate. Auxiliary verbs Indicate aspect and voice. The auxiliary HAVE followed by the past participle of the lexical verb shoes perfect aspect. The auxiliary BE occurs with the present participle of the lexical verbs to mark the progressive aspect and with the past participle to show passive voice. The auxiliary DO is a verb which helps or supports certain syntactic processes of the lexical verb where there is no already available auxiliary (the the lexical verb is in the present or past simple). The auxiliary DO is required to form interrogative and negative sentences when the verb is in the present or past simple. Because inversion oo the lexical verb with the subject is not possible the auxiliary DO is inserted in the sentence to form yes or no, wh-, and tag-questions. Because the lexical verb cannot be followed by NOT we insert the auxiliary DO to form negative sentences. The auxiliary DO is used not only in interrogation and negation but also in ellipsis and emphasis. The auxiliary DO is used to avoid repetition in short answers to yes or no questions, in coordinate clauses affirmative or negative and in comparative clauses introduced by than. The auxiliary DO is used as a means of emphasizing in the following contexts: a. DO is inserted in a positive affirmative statement which appears in contrast with a negative statement. b. DO co-occurs with the negative adverb NEVER to indicate emphasis. c. DO appears in the main clause when this clause stands in contrast with a clause of concession. d. DO co-occurs with emphatic adverbs such as: certainly, definitely, positively e. DO is also used in emphatic imperatives especially in BrE. 5. Passivization. Existential constructions. Passivization

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The passive voice is a complex linguistic phenomenon that manifests itself at morphological, syntactic, and semantic level. At the morphological level the specialized passive voice markers are attached to the lexical verb. The auxiliary BE/GET and the affix EN for the main verb to indicate the past participle form. At the syntactic level the active subject and the object change their position and status. The active object is moved to sentence initial position where it becomes a passive subject while the active subject is converted into a PO that is placed after the verb. Under certain circumstances these POs may be deleted. At the semantic level there is a change in the relation between the two thematic roles. The AGENT is no longer the hero of the sentence. The PATIENT becomes the protagonist of the passive sentence. Classes of verbs that allow passivization All types of transitive verbs and a few intransitive verbs allow a passive version of their active voice sentences. 1. Passivizable transitive verbs Both simple and complex transitive verbs allow the active DO to be promoted to the passive subject position. They decorated the house. The house was decorated. (simple transitive verb) They accused him of cheating. He was accused of cheating. (complex transitive verb) They threw the papers into the basket. The papers were thrown into the basket. (complex) They shot him dead. He was shot dead. (complex transitive with predicative) Ditransitive verbs are also included in the group of complex transitives. Most ditransitives may appear in two alternative constructions. The double object construction allows a passive configuration with the former IO functioning as passive subject. The oblique object construction allows a passive configuration with the former DO in subject position. Only the objects that are adjacent to the verb can become subject in the passive voice. There are some idiomatic phrases, which also allow two passive voice versions. I have taken careful notice of your remarks. Careful notice has been taken of your remarks. Your remarks have been taken careful notice of. Similar idiomatic phrases are: to take advantage of something, to make an example of somebody, to make too much of something, to take strong exception to something. 2. Passivizable intransitive verbs Prepositional intransitive verbs allow the object of the preposition to become subject in the passive voice. The preposition remains after the verb in its initial position that is in situ. He ran through the main points briefly. (prepositional intransitive verb) The main points were briefly ran through. They put up with these interruption cheerfully. (prepositional phrasal verb) These interruptions were cheerfully put up with. Classes of verbs the resist passivization Most transitive verbs can be passivized. However there are a few transitive verbs that cannot be passivized because of their semantico-syntactic properties. 1. Reciprocal verbs like: to resemble, to marry, to divorce, and to meet express symmetric relations. They cannot be passivized but they allow their subject and DO to change position in the active voice. Jane resembles Helen. Helen resembles Jane. * Helen is resembled by Jane. 2. Relational verbs that express possession also resist passivization. Examples: to have, to possess, to own. Mary has a car. *A car is had by Mary.

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With these verbs the subject always has the thematic role of BENEFICIARY. In a relationship of possession the human participant is more important that is why it must always appear in subject position. As a result these verbs can only be used in active voice. 3. Verbs, which denote a mental process or perception, may undergo passivization when the DO is a whole clause. She knew the poem. * The poem was known by/to her. Everyone knew that Bill was clever. That Bill was clever was known by everybody. The AGENT by-phrase Can be omitted in the following circumstances: John was killed in war. (the identity of the agent is unknown to the speaker) Dogs are sometimes ill treated. (the agent is indefinite) Has the doctor been sent for? (not relevant to the topic) Eventually the thieves were caught and severely punished (the agent is well known) A confidential plan has been recently entrusted to me. (the speaker does not wish to name the agent) Agentless passives are also frequently used in scientific texts and in fictional ones for rhetorical and stylistical purposes. The effect obtained by using an agentless passive is that of an objective detached point of view. Existential constructions Sentences containing the expletive pronoun THERE as anticipatory subject are known as existential constructions. Such constructions are produced by moving the logical subject after the verb TO BE and by inserting in initial position the expletive pronoun THERE. The resulting construction contains two subjects: a grammatical one and a real/logical one. The main characteristic of the logical subject in existential constructions is that it should be indefinite (preceded by indefinite determiners). The most frequently used verb in existential constructions is the verb TO BE. Additionally a number of intransitive verbs can also appear in such configurations. Intransitive verbs used in existential constructions are of several types: a. existential verbs: to be, to happen, to occur, to exist, and to live b. aspectual verbs: to seem and to appear c. ingressive verbs (the beginning of an action): to emerge, to burst and to arise d. motion verbs: to come, to arrive and to run e. positional verbs: to stand, to lie and to hang. There are two types of constructions that cannot be turned into existential constructions: the copulative predication and the transitive predication. The properties of the real subject in existential constructions The logical subject must be indefinite. Indefiniteness is indicated by the presence of indefinite determiners (a, an, some, any) or the zero article. The subject is considered indefinite when the determiner incorporates negation, numerically specified, or it is an indefinite quantifier (much, many, few, all), and finally when the subject is expressed by an indefinite pronoun (something, everything, nothing, anything) followed by an adjectival phrase. However there are certain circumstances when the logical subject is definite (that is when the logical subject is preceded by the definite determiner THE): a. when it is modified by the words SAME and OTHER

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b. when it is expressed by a complex NP containing besides the head a TCC or a gerundial clause. c. The logical subject is modified by an adjectival phrase in the superlative degree. d. NPs in coordination are also definite when they appear in an answer to an existential question. The properties of the grammatical subject THERE Although the expletive pronoun THERE functioning as a grammatical subject has no meaning, it behaves like an ordinary meaningful subject. Just like ordinary subjects, THERE undergoes inversion with the verb in all types of questions. Just like ordinary subjects THERE occurs in relative clauses and non-finite clauses of two types: infinitival and participial. The pronoun THERE can be moved from the TCC into the subject position in the main clause when the main clause contains the verb SEEM. Just like ordinary subjects THERE appears in coordinate clauses introduced by AND SO. THERE just like ordinary subjects is inverted with the auxiliary in negative emphatic sentences. The pronoun THERE has most of the properties of ordinary subjects except one. There is no agreement relationship between the grammatical subject THERE and the verb. Agreement in number exists only between the verb and the logical subject. 6. Interrogative sentences The classification of questions is based on the type of answer which is expected. The yes or no questions are derived from simple declarative sentences by moving the inflection into the head position of the complementizer phrase. To derive a wh-question we replace the question constituent with a suitable word which is then moved into the specifier position of the complementizer phrase. A negative yes or no question has in initial position the auxiliary and the negator in a contracted form. In very formal BrE some speakers allow the uncontracted form to appear in such questions: Has not the prime minister attended the press conference? Such a question is more likely to be rhetorical rather than information seeking. *Has J not attended the course? If the auxiliary and the negator do not appear in a contracted form, then the auxiliary moves to the initial position in the question without the negator and the result is an ungrammatical question. Tag-questions consist of a declarative clause followed by a tagged-on yes or no question. The tag contains a repetition of the auxiliary verb from the declarative clause and a pronoun referring to the subject of the declarative. If the declarative clause has no auxiliary then the emergency operator DO is inserted in the tag. If the declarative clause is affirmative then the tag is normally negative and the other way round. Following the analogy of positive and negative poles in electricity the clauses and their tags are sometimes said to have affirmative/negative polarity. If the declarative clause has negative polarity then the tag must have affirmative polarity and vice versa. If this restriction is not observed the sentence is likely to be interpreted not as a question but as a reflective statement to oneself or perhaps a sarcastic/threatening remark.

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However, native speakers often use tags with a simpler structure: She left yesterday, right? An echo-question is used as a reaction to a declarative sentence by a speaker who wishes the interlocutor to repeat part of the declarative sentence. Echo questions are formed by simply substituting a wh-word for a constituent. The speaker may question a part of the sentence, a verb or even a whole sentence. Wh-questions are also called constituent questions because the wh-element questions one constituent which can be an argument (subject or objects of any kind) or an adjunct (adverbial modifiers of any kind). Wh-words belong to several categories: A interrogative pronouns: what, which, who B interrogative adverbs: when, where, why, how C quantifier/quantifying phrases: how much/many 1. Questioning the subject In a question addressed to the subject there is no movement of the auxiliary or of the wh-word. The subject is simply replaced by a wh-word which remains in situ. 2. Questioning the DO The DO may be questioned in sentences containing simple/complex transitive verbs. 3. Questioning the PO The PO is questioned in sentences that contain the following types of predicates. A. prepositional transitive verbs: to accuse smb of smth, to blame smb of smth B. prepositional intransitives: to apply for, to insist on, to rely on C. prepositional adjectives: afraid of, ashamed of, interested in D. idiomatic constructions: to take advantage of smth, to get to the bottom of smth When the PO is questioned English provides a choice between two constructions. In more formal style the preposition moves with the wh-word to the beginning of the question in the so called pied-piping construction. In informal English only the wh-word moves, leaving the preposition behind, stranded in the so called preposition stranding construction. The label pied piping was inspired by a medieval legend. The general idea behind this metaphor is that prepositions cant follow wh-words to the front of the question in much the same way that rats followed Pied Piper out of Hamlin. These two types of questions are possible when the preposition is part of a PO. If the preposition is part of an adverbial modifier then we cannot derive these two types of questions. If a sentence contains an idiomatic construction with an obligatory preposition then we can question only the object and the result is a preposition stranding construction. Pied-piping is not acceptable with idioms. 4. Questioning the IO When a sentence contains a ditransitive verb the IO can be questioned only in OOC (because it has a preposition) and in this case two questions are possible. There are certain ditransitive verbs which cannot be used in both these constructions. Verbs like donate can only be used in the OOC in which we can ask questions to the IO. Ditransitive verbs like spare can only be used in the DOC in which the IO cannot be questioned. Multiple wh-questions contain more than one questioned constituent. When a sentence contains several wh-words these remain in situ. In subordinate clauses with 2/3 wh-words only one of them can move to the beginning of the subordinate clause.

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Indirect questions are questions embedded in the structure of another clause. The main difference in structure between direct and indirect questions is that in indirect questions there is no inversion between the auxiliary or the modal and the subject of the sentence. However speakers of certain American dialects allow inversion in indirect questions. Yes or no indirect questions are introduced by the conjunctions whether/if. However the use of IF is more restrictive than the use of whether. When the indirect question functions as the subject for the main clause IF cannot replace WHETHER. Only WHETHER can introduce NF indirect questions. The common characteristics of yes or no questions and wh-questions are: 1. the rules of the SQT must be obeyed just like in all other reported speech contexts. 2. there is a change in pronouns from the 1st/2nd person to the 3rd, and there is also a change in the adverbs of time. Alternative yes or no questions IF can replace WHETHER in indirect alternative questions, the result being less formal. Sometimes alternative questions may contain a repetition of the first alternative in the negative. The reduced negative alternative OR NOT can appear either at the end of the sentence or at the beginning of the indirect question between the conjunction whether and the first alternative. The reduced negative alternative OR NOT is only allowed in final position when the indirect question is introduced by the conjunction IF. Long wh-movement Complex sentences with multiple subordination can be turned into wh-questions, cleft constructions or relative clauses by using long wh-movement. The distinction between short wh-movement and long wh-movement is that whmovement is short when the wh-word remains inside the boundaries of the same clause. When the wh-word crosses several clause boundaries to get to initial position in the main clause then we speak about long wh-movement. The moved wh-word leaves behind a co-indexed trace which indicates the basic position of the displaced constituent (wh-word). Cleft sentence structures are used to focus attention on certain constituents. If we want to emphasize a constituent we place it after the copulative verb BE while the rest of the basic sentence is attached as a RC to the emphasized constituent. The relative pronoun WHO moves to the front position of the RC crossing several clause boundaries. When the RC is successively subordinated to other TCCs, the relative pronoun WHO moves from its basic position to the front position in the RC again by means of long whmovement.(leaves a co-indexed trace) 7. Complementation That complement clauses are introduced by the complementizer THAT. TCCs have a number of syntactic properties that indicate that these clauses are similar to NPs: 1. just like NPs, TCCs may have the syntactic functions of subject, DO, PO, predicative or attribute. 2. TCCs pronominalize like NPs that is just like NPs, TCCs can be replaced by the pronoun IT or by the demonstrative THAT. 3. sentences with the structure: Grammatical subject + BE +emphasized constituent + RC (cleft sentences) are often used for the purpose of emphasizing a constituent. The NP can be emphasized in a pseudo-cleft sentence (RC + BE + emphasized constituent). TCCs may appear after the copulative BE in pseudo-cleft constructions just like NPs.

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4. TCCs may appear in constructions with the word THAN which is typically flanked by constituents of the same type. 5. Extraposition is a syntactic process by means of which a TCC is moved to the end of the sentence leaving an empty position which is occupied by the expletive pronoun IT. Extraposition is of 3 types depending on the position from where the TCC is moved: from subject position, from DO position, from PO position. As a result of this movement of the TCC the sentence has 2 subjects/DOs/POs one of them formal (IT) and the other one logical. Heavy NP shift involves movement of a very heavy(long) or complex NP to the end of the sentence (without inserting the pronoun IT). The TCC can be moved over an adverbial phrase or over a PP (this PP can be either IO or PO). Syntactic functions of TCCs 1. TCC=DO for simple transitive verbs in the main clause. E.g.: assume, believe, consider, know, realize, understand. (These verbs actually allow the deletion of THAT) TCC functioning as DO can take part in passivization and can be extraposed. TCC can function as DO for ditransitive verbs(explain, confess, declare, describe) TCC ca function as DO with prepositional intransitive verbs: blame smth on smb. 2. TCC= Subject with several types of predicates a) intransitive verbs: seem, appear, happen. These verbs obligatorily extrapose the TCC from Subject position b) a number of adjectives which function as predicatives in the main clause also take sentential subject. All these adjectives express the speakers comment or point of view concerning some activity expressed by the TCC. They are also called evaluative adjectives: odd, fortunate, essential, good, bad, important, incredible. c) certain adjectives always take sentential subjects: un/likely, un/certain, im/possible. d) A TCC may function as Subject for nominal predicatives in the main clause expressed by [+abstract] nouns.(wonder, problem, thing, fact, idea, surprise, miracle, mystery) e) TCCs also occur with bisentential verbs: prove, show, imply 3. TCC=predicative when the main clause contains a [+abstract] subject followed by the copulative verb BE 4. TCC=attribute for [+abstract] nouns in the main clause. The attributive TCCs may be separated from the abstract noun in highly emphatic statements. These are rare constructions. As a result of the separation the abstract noun moves to the beginning being interpreted as an emphasized constituent and the lexical verb is inverted with the subject. 5. TCC = PO with several types of predicates: a) prepositional intransitive verbs such as: ask for, admit of, testify to, worry about, vote for, answer for. The preposition must be omitted; it can only be preserved in extraposition and in cleft sentences. b) prepositional transitive verbs: accuse of, inform of, convince of. c) intransitives with 2 POs: agree with smb about smth, argue with smb about smth, pray smb for smth. The preposition reapers in extraposition and pseudo-cleft constructions. d) prepositional adjectives: afraid of, ashamed of, annoyed at, angry about, confident in. The complementizer THAT THAT is a purely syntactic word showing embedding. It has virtually no meaning, being occasionally deleted. Omission of THAT is typical of informal speech. Deletion is more

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acceptable when the main clause contains a verb, an adjective or a noun frequently used in daily conversation (know). Deletion of THAT does not occur when the TCC is separated from the main clause by some intervening material. The complementizer cannot be omitted when the TCC is a non-extraposed subject. Topicalization = syntactic process by means of which a constituent is moved to initial position for the sake of emphasis. Deletion of THAT is blocked when the TCC is a topicalized object. The sequence of tenses The use of tenses in complement clauses is normally explained in terms of the rules of SQT. The SQT is considered to be a set of formal rules which automatically backshifts tenses after a past introductory verb. The TCC represents its situation as temporally related to the situation of its matrix and therefore uses a relative clause. The choice of the tense in the TCC: past, perfect or future-in-the-past suggests an action which is simultaneous, anterior or posterior respectively in relation to that expressed by the verb in the main clause. When the introductory verb is a present tense, a different array of tenses are used to express the same temporal relationships (past or present perfect for an anterior action, present for a simultaneous action and future for a posterior one). However the SQT cannot account for the grammaticality of the following sentences in which the complement clause does not use the expected tense. B said that J will arrive tomorrow. He has always admitted that he had made a mistake. Such exceptions to the traditional SQT rules are accounted for in terms of switching from one time-sphere to the other. Consider the following example containing a subordinate clause of cause: I am sad because my dog died. The matrix clause refers to the present time-sphere and the subordinate to a past domain. The same can be argued for TCCs: B said that J will arrive tomorrow. Sometimes the reason why the speaker does not incorporate the TCC into the current past domain is that he wants to represent the situation as somehow still relevant at the time of utterance. In order to do so he relates the situation directly to the times of utterance, he locates it in the present time-sphere rather than in the past one. B told me yesterday that he has a house in NY. Reported Speech is characterized by a series of formal features which distinguish it from direct speech. They have the effect of shifting all deictic elements away from direct reference to speech situation. The shifts involved are as follows: 1. the reporter is generally someone other than the original speaker. The receiver of the report is likely to be different from the person who received the original message. 2. reports are often given in a different place from where the original words were spoken, and at a later time. It is therefore necessary to change adverbs of time and place, so that words like today, tomorrow, here, mean the same at the time and place of the report as in the original utterance. 3. reported statements are introduced by a reporting verb. The most frequently used reporting verb, say, is immediately followed by a TCC, although that is frequently omitted. The verb tell must be followed by a NP denoting the person spoken to. Some verbs used in indirect speech cannot be used in reported speech, and have to be expressed with say and an appropriate adverb of manner indicating the way in which something was said: brutally, callously, patiently, fiercely.

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4. depending on whether the reporting verb in the matrix is in the present or in the past, then the sequencing of actions or situations has to be done by means of appropriate tense forms in the complement clause. 8. NF clauses. RC. Infinitive Complement Clauses ICCs represent a complex type of non finite clauses. The characteristic marker of the ICC is the particle TO which converts a finite clause into a non finite one. ICCs have both verbal and nominal properties. Verbal properties: the infinitive has aspect distinctions; the infinitive is also marked for voice. The position of adverbs in ICCs. Depending on the position of the adverb, the infinitive is of 2 types: split or non-split. In the non-split infinitive the adverb is at the end of the construction while in the split infinitive the adverb is inserted between the auxiliary and the lexical verb or the particle and the verb when there is no auxiliary. The following adverbs are allowed to split an infinitive: ever, always, just, utterly, slowly, clearly. The subject of the ICC can be preserved or deleted. The subject of the TCC can be preserved in the ICC with a change in case. The subject is no longer in the nominative, it is in the accusative case and it is preceded by the preposition FOR. Such infinitive constructions with a preserved subject are called FOR TO infinitives. The subject of the ICC can be omitted when it is identical with a constituent of the main clause or when it is co-referential with a NP from the main clause. This invisible /absent subject of the infinitive is conventionally represented in syntax by PRO. Contexts in which the deletion of the subject of the ICC is possible 1. when it is co-referential with the S of the main clause. 2. when it is identical with the DO in the main clause. 3. when it is co-referent with the IO in the main clause. 4. when it refers to the same person as the possessive attribute of the subject in the main clause. The NP from the main clause which is identical in meaning with the subject of the infinitive is called controller. The controller may have different syntactic functions in the main clause (S, DO, IO, Attribute). The syntactic functions of the ICC (nominal character) 1. ICC=subject for the copulative predication in the main clause. In the copulative predication the predicative can be an adjective (possible, likely, necessary, right, wrong, safe) or a noun (custom, advantage, pleasure). Sometimes the copulative predication in the main clause may include an indirect object preceded by the preposition FOR, TO, OF. Sentences with extraposed ICC functioning as logical subject serve as bases for the exclamative sentences. TOUGH movement When the ICC functions as subject for the copulative predication in the main clause, then the constituents of the sentence can be rearranged. The objects (DO, IO, PO) from the ICC can be moved to subject position in the main clause (BE must agree in number with the new subject). This type of syntactic process is called TOUGH movement. The name of the movement comes from the first example analyzed by linguists. The first example contained the adjective tough. When the subject of the infinitive is present then TOUGH movement cannot be used. Adjectives that allow TOUGH movement: tough, easy, difficult, impossible, simple, dangerous, interesting. The ICC functions as a subject with bisentential verbs like: prove, show, imply.

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2. ICC=DO with transitive verbs. Simple transitive verbs with an ICC functioning as DO can be classified from a semantic point of view into the following groups: a) aspectual verbs: being, start, continue, stop, cease b) verbs that express responsibility/control/success of an action: attend, seek, manage, arrange, refuse c) verbs of dis/liking, intention: desire, expect, like, intend, plan, want, wish, propose d) verbs that express a mental state (remember, forget, regret) and verbs of linguistic communication (suggest, claim, ask, conclude) 3. ICC=PO when the main clause contains a verb/adjective with obligatory preposition. Verbs: apply for, consent to, insist on, bother about, long for, care for, fail in When the ICC=PO then the preposition must be deleted. Adjectives: sorry for, careful about, afraid of, anxious about, angry at. 4. ICC=predicative for the copulative verb in the main clause. 5. ICC=attribute for the [+abstract] nouns in the main clause: ability, capacity, wish, idea, power, right, instinct. 6. ICC=adverbial modifiers Gerundial clauses Traditional grammars acknowledge the existence of at least two homonymous ING forms: the gerund and the present participle. Present participles have verbal and adjectival features while gerunds have verbal and nominal features. Gerunds are further subdivided into: verbal gerunds (gerunds proper) and nominal gerunds (verbal noun). The syntactic analysis of verbal gerunds identifies 3 gerundial constructions: an older one whose subject is in the genitive case called possessive-ing (full gerund); a construction which appeared later in the history of English language whose subject is in the accusative case which is called Accusative-ing (half gerund); the subjectless gerund whose PRO subject is interpreted as arbitrary called PRO-ing complement. Nominal gerund The Ingof is actually a noun derived from a verb by means of the nominalizing suffix ING. INg turns a verb into a noun just like all the other nominalizing suffixes in English (tion, -ment,-ance). The Ingof has all the characteristics of nouns. The structure of the nominal gerund resembles the structure of nominalizations. The verbal noun is preceded by a determiner, adjective just like ordinary nouns and it takes the object in a phrase introduced by the preposition of (of-phrase). Semantically the verbal noun denotes an action/activity that is why it is also called action nominalization. Verbal gerund Verbal gerunds have the structure of clauses (S+V+DO). Gerunds have aspect which is a typical verbal property. In contrast nominal gerunds do not have aspect. The subject of the ING complement The subject of the verbal gerund may be: -preserved from the TCC when it is not identical with the subject of the main clause. -deleted when it is co-referential with the subject of the main clause. -absent when its reference is interpreted as arbitrary.

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Subjectless gerunds and subjectless infinitives have a similar behaviour. Both the subjectless gerund and the subjectless infinitive can have the syntactic functions of DO, S and Adverbial modifier of purpose. In all these cases the absent subject of the infinitive or the gerund is controlled by some constituent in the main clause or it is arbitrary. The arbitrary subject is not controlled by any constituent in the main clause that is why it is considered to be free. There are instances when the infinitive and the gerundial complement clause can be interpreted differently. The subject of the infinitive is controlled while the subject of the gerund is either controlled or free. Syntactic functions of the gerundial complement clause 1 ING compl = DO All 3 types of verbal gerunds function as Dos for transitive verbs in the main clause. 2. ING compl = subject when the main clause contains copulative predication 3. ING compl = object of the preposition when the main clause contains an adjective/verb with obligatory preposition. 4. ING compl = attribute for [+abstract] nouns with obligatory preposition in the main clause (condition of, reason for, opportunity of, pleasure of, belief in, idea of). 5. ING compl = predicative for copulative verbs 6. ING compl = adverbial modifiers of manner, time, cause The participle The participle has verbal and adjectival properties. The syntactic functions of the participle 1. predicative 2. attribute coming from a reduced RC are allowed to appear either in pronominal or postnominal position. 3. the present/past participle can be part of the complex object construction (traditionally known as the Acc+Present/past pasticiple)[this is the result of SOR]. 4. adverbial modifiers of 3 types coming from the reduction of adverbial clauses of time, cause or manner. 5. participles can be used in parenthetical phrases which express the speakers point of view/opinion. The distinction between participles and gerunds Participles may be easily distinguished from gerunds if the following facts are taken into account: 1. When the participial clause has a subject it is in the nominative case in contrast the subject of the gerundial clause can only appear in the genitive/accusative case. 2. Participial clauses are precede by conjunctions and gerundial clauses by prepositions. 3. Only the participle can be part of the complex construction based on raising (Acc/No+present/past participle). In contrast gerunds can never be used in raising constructions. 4. Participles occur as modifiers of nouns or verbs (nominal/verbal modifier)in contrast gerunds cannot be used as modifiers. Relative clauses RC also called adjective clauses are embedded clauses linked to a noun from the main clause frequently by means of a relative pronoun. The noun described by the RC is analyzed as an antecedent of the relative pronoun. The relative pronoun and the antecedent have the

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same referent. That is they are co-referential and this is indicated by the common index attached to them. The antecedent and the RC form a complex NP in which the RC functions as adjunct (optional constituent). Types of RCs RC can be classified on semantic and syntactic criteria. Semantically RCs are of 2 types: a) RRCs also known as defining RCs are clauses which delimit or identify the antecedent. Reference is made only to the things described in the RC. b) NRRCs also known as appositive RCs add suplimentary information about an already identified antecedent. The identity of the person is given, the RC only gives additional information about him. Syntactically RCs are of 2 types: a) with an expressed antecedent (dependent RCs). Both RRCs and NRRCs have expressed antecedents in the main clause. b) without an expressed antecedent (independent RCs). They are understood as describing an antecedent expressed by an indefinite pronoun. Because this indefinite pronoun is vague it is omitted an that is why this RCs have an omitted antecedent. The syntactic process of relativization Two short sentences that contain a common noun can be combined to form a complex sentence with a RC by means of the syntactic process of relativization. Steps to be followed: 1. replace the 2nd identical NP by a suitable relative pronoun. 2. we subordinate the 2nd clause into the structure of the first by means of the complementizer that 3. we move the relative pronoun to the front position of the RC 4. we delete either the complementizer that or the relative pronoun or both of them and we obtain 3 grammatical version of the same RC. The wh-phrase used in the RC has the same syntactic functions as the NP which was replaced by it. RCs can be introduced by: a. relative pronouns (who, what, which) b. possessive determiner whose used before nouns c. the complementizer that d. adverbs: when, where, why When the RC contain a prepositional verb then there are 2 versions of the same RC: one in which the preposition accompanied the relative pronoun to the front position in the RC(pied-piping) and the other one in which the preposition remain in situ only the relative pronouns moves to the beginning of the RC (preposition stranding). Depending on the verbal form RCs are finite and non-finite. NFRCs 1. Infinitival RCs are obtained by deleting/omitting the relative pronoun and the auxiliary from a full finite RC. 2. Participial RCs are derived by omitting the relative pronoun and the verb BE as an auxiliary from a finite RC with the verb in the progressive aspect. Participial RCs may also correspond to verbs in the present/past simple from the FRC. Participial RCs may also correspond to verbs in the passive voice from a full FRC. NFRCs containing a past participle are reductions of FRCs with the verb in the passive voice.

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The distinction between RCs and complement clause 1. TCCs depend on an [+abstract] noun in the main clause while RCs depend on a [+concrete] noun. 2. The complementizer THAT can be replaced by the relative pronoun WHICH only in the RC. 3. A RC functions as an adjunct in the structure of the complex NP while TCCs function as complements inside the complex NP. The result is that RC are optional constituents while TCCs re obligatory. A second consequence is that the complement clause is closer to the head than the RC which is further away in the structure of the NP. When a complement clause and a RC co-occur, the complement clause is place near the noun while the RC comes further away. The distinction between RRCs and NRRCs These 2 types of RCs may have the same structure but they can be distinguished according to the following 7 criteria. 1. First there is a difference in function between RRCs and NRRCs. While the major function of RRC is to identify the referents, NRRCs simply add suplimentary information about a reference whose identity is known. 2. At the phonological level RRCs are linked to their antecedent by unity od intonation and by continuity of the degree of loudness. In contrast NRRCs are characterized by a diminution of the degree of loudness and interruption. NRRCs are usually separated from their antecedents by commas in writing. 3. The 3rd distinction concerns the information structure. If we think about constructions as information units then a noun + RRC form a single information unit while a noun followed by a NRRC form 2 distinct information units. Sometimes the additional information unit provided by the NRRC is added to continua a narrative line. The relative pronoun who could just as well be replaced by the coordinating conjunction and. This continuative usage of NRRCs occurs more often in literary works and less often in formal spoken narrative. 4. Only NRRCs can depend on or modify proper names. 5. Only RRCs can be extraposed. 6. RRCs can be introduced either by a relative pronoun or by the complementizer that while NRRCs can only begin with the relative pronoun. 7. RRCs allow the deletion of the relative pronoun or of the complementizer THAT. RRCs can appear in a complex sentence without a connecting element that is why they are also called unconnected RC or contact RC. The relative pronoun cannot be ommited from RRCs when it has the syntactic function of subject in the RC. Sometimes the NRRC may take the whole preceding clause as its antecedent. The main clause becomes the antecedent for the relative pronoun. Free RCs do not have an expressed antecedent in the main clause. They perform all the syntactic functions of the NPs (S, DO, IO, PO, predicative, attribute). Free RCs are introduced by simple pronouns/adverbs or by compounds with EVER: indefinite relative pronouns (whichever, whoever,whatever) and indefinite adverbs (whenever, wherever, however). RCs are also used in cleft and pseudo-cleft constructions. Cleft constructions rearrange the constituents of a simple declarative sentence for the purpose of emphasizing one of the constituents and drawing attention. 9. Speech Act Theory How to do things with words, Austin 1955. Austin argued that some ordinary declarative sentences, contrary to logical positivist assumptions, are not used with any

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intention of making true or false statements. These sentences are used to do things. Austin refers to them and the utterances realized by than as perfomatives. Performatives, unlike constatatives which can be assessed in terms of truth and falsity, cannot be true or false. They can be unhappy or infelicitous. The felicity conditions are: A. (i) There must be a conventional procedure having a conventional effect. (ii) The circumstances and persons must be appropriate, as specified in the procedure. B. The procedure must be executed (i) correctly and (ii) completely. C. the person must have the requisite thoughts, feelings and intentions as specified in the procedure, and if consequent conduct is specified then the relevant parties must do so. Performatives are first person indicative active sentences in the simple present tense. In terms of structure, Austin isolates three basic senses in which in saying something one is doing something, and hence three kinds of acts that are simultaneously performed: (i) the locutionary act, having a locutionary meaning, ca be defined as the utterance of a sentence with a specific sense and reference. (ii) the illocutionary, having an illocutionary force is the making of a statement, offer, promise in uttering a sentence by virtue of the conventional force associated with it, or with its explicit performative phrase. (iii) the perlocutionary act, having a perlocutionary effect, is the bringing about of effects on the audience by means of uttering the sentence. Searles taxonomy 5 types of illocutionary acts: Representatives/assertives represent a state of affairs Directives direct the addressee towards doing something Commisives speakers commit themselves to some future action Expressives state what the speaker feels Declarations change the world via their utterance Indirect speech acts 10. Presupposition Constancy under negation: In order to identify the presupposition, we simply take a sentence, negate it and see what inferences survive, what inferences are shared by both the positive and the negative sentence. 1 John managed to stop in time. 2 John stopped in time. Entailment for 1 3 John tried to stop in time. Presupposition for 1 and 2 4 John didnt manage to stop in time. Types of semantic presuppositions 1. The existential presupposition is assumed to be present in possessive constructions and more generally in any definite NP. By using any of the following expressions the S is assumed to be committed to the existence of the entities named: the cat >> there is a cat 2. The presupposed information following a verb like know can be treated as a fact and is referred to as factive presupposition. A number of other verbs such as realize, regret as well as phrases involving be and aware, odd, and glad have factive presuppositions: she realized he was ill>> he was ill. 3. In lexical presuppositions, the use of one form with asserting meaning is conventionally interpreted with the presupposition that another non-asserted meaning is understood. Lexical items that trigger lexical presuppositions: manage, stop, start, again.

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4. In structural presuppositions certain sentence structures have been analyzed as conventionally and regularly presupposing that part of the structure that is already assumed to be true. When did he leave? >> He left. Is there a boy in the garden? >>Either there is a boy in the garden or there isnt. Non-factive presuppositions are associated with verbs like dream, imagine, pretend. This verbs are used with the presupposition that what follows is not true. I dreamt that I was rich. >> I was not rich. Second type if-clauses are associated with counter-factual presuppositions, meaning that what is presupposed is not only true, but it is the opposite of what is true. If you were my friend, you would have helped. >> You are not my friend. Presupposition triggers a. definite descriptions: john saw the man with two heads. >> There exists a man with two heads. b. factive verbs: Martha regrets going to johns party. >> Martha went to johns party. c. implicative verbs: john managed to open the door. >> John tried to open the door. d. change of state verbs: john stopped beating his children. >> John had been beating his children. e. iteratives: Clinton returned to power. >> Clinton held power before. f. temporal clauses: Since C. died weve lacked a leader. >> C. died. g. NRRC: H., who climbed the everest in 1953, was the greatest explorer of our day. >> H. climbed everest in 1953. Pragmatic presupposition Pragmatic presuppositions are related to the context of utterance. Pragmatic presuppositions are determined by a combination of linguistic item and what we know about the world. Tell Madonna Im at lunch. >> Madonna is likely to appear soon. H knows who she is. H will pass the message on.
The behaviour of intransitive phrasal verbs Because they do not have objects, the behaviour of intransitive phrasal verbs is straightforward. The verb and particle always stay together: We've recorded a new album, and it's coming out in the spring. I had the chance to change jobs, but I let it slip by.
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The behaviour of transitive phrasal verbs Transitive phrasal verbs can be divided into four groups according to where the object goes in relation to the particle: 1 With most transitive phrasal verbs, the object can go either between the verb and the particle, or after the particle. These verbs are known as separable phrasal verbs: Just pack your bags and load up the car. I'll load the car up while you lock the door.

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Trim and cut up all the vegetables into fine slices. She cut the cake up into twelve pieces. However, if the object is a pronoun (= a word such as me, it, this, or them), it must go between the verb and the particle, and it cannot go after the particle: You bring the car round and I'll load it up. You bring the car round and I'll load up it. Let's cut it up into twelve pieces. Let's cut up it into twelve pieces. 2 With a few transitive phrasal verbs, the object must go between the verb and the particle, whether it is a noun, a noun phrase, or a pronoun: The two women are so similar that only their husbands can tell them apart. I could hardly tell the two women apart. I could hardly tell apart the two women. 3 With some transitive phrasal verbs, the object must go after the particle or particles, whether it is a noun, a noun phrase, or a pronoun. This group includes all prepositional and phrasal-prepositional verbs: I bumped into your mother at the supermarket. I bumped into her in the city centre. He shouldn't be allowed to get away with such appalling behaviour. They have repeatedly broken the law and got away with it. This group also includes a small number of phrasal verbs where the particle is an adverb, but verbs of this type cannot have a pronoun as an object: The victim wasn't able to put up much resistance. The victim wasn't able to put up it. 4 A small group of three-word phrasal verbs has two objects, one of which goes after the verb, the other after the particle or particles: She played one boy off against another. That guy at the garage did me out of 50. I've decided to take you up on that job offer.
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Phrasal verbs that are both transitive and intransitive As with other verbs, some phrasal verbs can be both transitive and intransitive. When these verbs are intransitive, they behave like all other intransitive phrasal verbs: I'm not very good at adding up in my head. I don't like children who answer back. His hat blew away on the roller coaster. When they are transitive, they behave in one of the ways described above: Now add up the number of calories you have eaten. If you add all that up, it comes to about three million. We didn't dare answer the teacher back. She switched on the fan to blow away the smoke.
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What decides the position of the object in separable phrasal verbs?

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As we saw above, the objects of most transitive phrasal verbs can go either between the verb and the particle, or after the particle, with no difference in meaning or emphasis: He picked the phone up and dialled. You can pick up the phone and give me a call. Will you turn the television off, please? It is now safe to turn off your computer. Celia's immediate reaction was to turn down the offer. Was it possible that he had actually wanted her to turn his offer down? However, the choice of whether to put the object before or after the particle is not always a completely free one. If the object contains information that the reader or listener already knows, it is more likely to come between the verb and the particle. But if the object presents new information, it is more likely to come after the particle. This is because we normally give more emphasis to new information than to information that is already known, and putting the object after the particle gives it a little more emphasis. For example, consider these two sentences: Ann slipped the jacket on to see what it looked like. She slipped on some flat sandals and made her way downstairs. In the first example, the jacket has been previously mentioned, so the object comes between the verb and the particle. In the second example, the object refers to something that has not been mentioned before (some flat sandals), so it comes after the particle. If the object consists of more than three or four words, it usually goes after the particle, rather than between the verb and the particle: Officials are trying to pin down the cause of widespread power cuts in the western states. Officials are trying to pin the cause of widespread power cuts in the western states down. The doctors could knock out all of the pain that he's experiencing pretty easily. The doctors could knock all of the pain that he's experiencing out pretty easily. This happens even when the object has already been referred to, as in the following example: If smog is hurting everybody everywhere, why not just clean up these smog-emitting power plants?
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Phrasal verbs in the passive Most transitive phrasal verbs can be used in the passive, while a few are always or almost always used in the passive: Personal phone calls are frowned on at work. First you will be kitted out with a safety helmet. The brochure is beautifully laid out and illustrated. Even if the verb is normally 'separable', when it is in the passive the verb and the particle always stay together: I've cleaned the place up a bit. The place had been cleaned up. Will you turn the television off, please? The television had been turned off.
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Multi-word verbs
There are very many multi-word verbs (sometimes called phrasal verbs) in English and its very difficult to learn them all. It can sometimes be quite easy to guess the meaning (He picked up the pencil) but other multi-word verbs are less easy to guess (I picked up Italian quite easily when I lived there) and you should look them up in a good dictionary. When you record new multi-word verbs in your notebook it can be helpful to record what type they are. Multi-word verbs are made up of a verb and a particle or, sometimes, two particles. Separable

He cut the tree down. He cut down the tree.

With separable verbs the verb and particle can be apart or together the meaning doesnt change. Look at another example:

Can you turn the radio down please? Can you turn down the radio please?

However, when we use a pronoun usually it in place of the subject it must come between the verb and the particle in separable multi-word verbs.

Can you turn it down please? Can you turn down it please? is NOT possible.

Non-separable

Who looks after the baby when youre at work?

In non-separable verbs the verb and particle cannot be separated.

Who looks the baby after is NOT possible.

When there is a pronoun the verb and particle remain together.

Who looks after her when youre at work?

With two particles


Who came up with that idea? I dont know how you put up with it.

There are a few verbs with two particles and they act like inseparable multi-word verbs. Intransitive

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What time do you get up? The plane took off and rose into the sky.

Intransitive verbs do not have an object. Multi-word verbs can also be intransitive.

Phrasal Verbs: The Elephant Is a Whole, Not Its Parts


Although grammatical relationships among forms of lexemes are expressed through either inflection or periphrasis, English is a highly periphrastic language. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (2008), periphrasis is defined as "a phrase of two or more words used to express a grammatical relationship which would otherwise be expressed by the inflection of a single word." Examples of periphrasis include the verbal aspects progressivity as in is sleeping, perfectivity as in has eaten, and perfect-progressivity as in had been biting as well as the comparative adjective as in more cunning and superlative adjective as in most adorable. Phrasal verbs such as fall through and squirrel away are also forms of periphrasis in the English language (Courtney 1983: 178, 602). Formed by a verb phrase followed by a marooned preposition, the phrasal verb forms a semantic constituent whose meaning is not determined by the verb phrase or preposition as individual parts but rather by the whole phrasal verb as a single lexical item (Hopper 1999: 122; Tyler and Evans 2003: 62; DeCarrico 2000: 132-133; Williams 1970: 287). More simply, phrasal verbs are periphrastic because two or more words create a single grammatical category. Akin to Modern German and Dutch, many verbs in Old English consisted of verbs with separable preposition prefixes (Fischer et al. 2000: 182; Williams 1970: 286; Strang 1974: 275). For example, the Modern German aufwachen meaning "to wake up" and the Modern Dutch uitlachen meaning "to laugh at" both consist of the separable preposition prefixes auf and uit and the verbs wachen and lachen (Fischer et al 2000: 182). When verbs with separable preposition prefixes are conjugated, however, the preposition prefix "separates" from the beginning of the verb to the end of the predicate phrase as in ich wache morgens auf meaning "I wake up in the morning." Phrasal verbs, single semantic units formed by a verb phrase followed by a marooned preposition such as wake up, only developed in the English language during the Middle English Period (Smith 2005: 104). According to Barbara M. H. Strang in A History of English (1974: 275), the separable nature of certain intransitive verbs with preposition prefixes produced many patterns in which the separated preposition prefix immediately followed the verb as in the Modern German du kommst auf meaning "you arise" or "you get up" and wir kommen an meaning "we arrive." Such syntax in which the preposition followed instead of preceded the verb became the preferred word order in English, which consequently developed into the modern phrasal verb (Strang 1974: 275). The English phrasal verb is therefore a rather Germanic verb construction. Similar to nonperiphrastic verbs such as cough in The baby coughed and sneeze in My puppy sneezed on my hand, phrasal verbs may be intransitive. Intransitive verbs including intransitive phrasal verbs differ from transitive verbs in that intransitive verbs cannot or do not take objects (Jacobs 1995: 248). For example, the verb cough is always intransitive as in The baby coughed or The baby coughed during the night because cough cannot take an object as in *The baby coughed mucus or *The baby coughed the formula. Many phrasal verbs are also intransitive (Jacobs 1995: 248). In the sentences He finally showed up by the end of the party and My puppy woke up early, the phrasal verbs show up meaning "to arrive" and wake 99

up meaning "to awake" are both intransitive because neither take objects in the example sentences. Other intransitive phrasal verbs include get up as in She got up from bed, break down as in The car broke down on the highway, die down as in The commotion finally died down, and run away as in The delinquent ran away from home (Courtney 1983: 47, 132, 231, 521). The preposition functioning as a particle almost always directly follows the verb in intransitive phrasal verb constructions as in She threw up on the floor but not *She threw on the floor up. Phrasal verbs, like other nonperiphrastic verbs such as eat as in The cat eats her pt and nibble as in The puppy nibbled the leaf, may also be transitive. Unlike intransitive verbs that cannot or do not have objects, transitive verbs require direct objects and may also take indirect objects (O'Dwyer 2000: 60). Most phrasal verbs, however, only take direct objects. For example, the verbs deck out and soak up as in We decked out the house for the holidays and He soaked up the information both have direct objects in the form of the noun phrases the house and the information making both phrasal verbs transitive (Courtney 1983: 125, 590). Within the transitive category, phrasal verbs may be either nonseparable or separable. Phrasal verbs in which the preposition functioning as a particle cannot move or be separated from the position directly following the verb are nonseparable (Jacobs 1993: 249). Nonseparable phrasal verbs include run into as in She ran into an old friend, stand by as in He will always stand by his wife, go for as in The cat went for the rabbit in the garden, and come across as in Lyndsey came across a rare book in the stacks (Jacobs 1993: 249). The prepositions in all the examples of the nonseparable phrasal verbs can only appear immediately after the verb. Therefore, the syntax of the phrasal verb ran into in the sentence She ran into an old friend is grammatically possible in English but *She ran an old friend into is not. The phrasal verbs look up and chew out differ from nonseparable phrasal verbs in that the preposition functioning as a particle may appear directly after the verb or immediately following the direct object without changing the function of the preposition (Jacobs 1993: 248; Justice and Ezell 2002: 147). For example, both My mom chewed out my baby brother for being late and My mom chewed my baby brother out for being late are grammatically possible in English. According to Joseph M. Williams in Origins of the English Language: A Social and Linguistic History (1975), the separable phrasal verb construction developed as a result of the relative flexibility in the syntax of prepositions to direct objects (286-287). As abovementioned, many verbs in Old English consisted of verbs preceded by separable preposition prefixes, which moved to the end of the predicate phrase during conjugation (Williams 1970: 286). Up until the fourteenth century during the evolution of such verbs into modern phrasal verbs, the preposition in the new verb form consisting of a verb directly followed by a preposition could appear either before or after the direct object in the form of a noun phrase (Williams 1970: 286). As such prepositions stopped functioning as heads of prepositional phrases and began functioning as particles in phrasal verb constructions, the position of the preposition remained flexible (Williams 1970: 286). Therefore, while the Old English syntax of the phrasal verb look up would more closely resemble the Modern English He looked the word up and the Modern English construction should only be He looked up the word, both syntaxes remained grammatically possible for separable phrasal verbs in Modern English (Williams 1970: 287). That certain transitive phrasal verbs are separable further supports the idea that the English phrasal verb is highly Germanic in form. Many separable phrasal verbs, however, are only optionally separable when the direct object is a noun phrase in any form other than a pronoun. Two word orders, verb-preposition-noun phrase and verb-noun phrase-preposition, are possible when the direct object is a prototypical

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noun phrase consisting of a noun and any number of modifiers (Fischer et al. 2000: 180). However, when the direct object is in the form of a pronoun, the preposition functioning as a particle must be separated from the verb (Jacobs 1995: 249). For example, the phrasal verb check out is optionally separable as in Many patrons check out this book and Many patrons check this book out because the direct object of the verb phrase is the noun phrase this book consisting of the determinative this and the noun book without any pronouns. If, conversely, the direct object this book is replaced by the pronoun it, then the phrasal verb check out is obligatorily separable. Therefore, the construction Many patrons check it out is grammatically possible in English but *Many patrons check out it is not because phrasal verbs with pronoun direct objects must be separable. Many prescriptive grammarians argue against the placement of the preposition after the noun phrase, stating that ending sentences with prepositions is ungrammatical according to proscriptive grammar rules. Prescriptive grammarians also claim that phrasal verbs are colloquial in register and should be avoided in formal writing because more formal nonperiphrastic synonyms also exist i.e. get up ~ arise, wake up ~ awake, look up ~ consult (Smith 2005: 104). But, the obligatorily separable construction of phrasal verbs with pronouns functioning as direct objects only strengthens the Germanic nature and therefore legitimateness of phrasal verbs in the English language. Within the four different types intransitive, nonseparable transitive, optionally separable transitive, and obligatorily separable transitive phrasal verbs remain periphrastic forms whose meaning is derivable only from the combination of the verb and preposition as a single semantic unit (DeCarrico 2000: 132-133; Tyler and Evans 2003: 62). In the example He looks up the word, the meaning of the phrasal verb look up cannot be determined by the meanings of the individual verb look meaning "to visually turn attention to" and the individual preposition up meaning "at a higher point" (Fischer et al. 2000: 180). When he looks up the word, he is not visually turning his attention to a word at some higher point; he is instead searching for or consulting the word probably in a dictionary or some other reference material. That the meaning of phrasal verbs cannot be inferred by simply combining the meanings of the verb and preposition further indicates that phrasal verbs are single semantic units (Fischer et al. 2000: 180). The preposition, which in addition to the verb comprises the phrasal verb, no longer functions like a prototypical preposition but rather functions as a particle, which is part of the verb (Justice and Ezell 2002: 146). The preposition functioning as a particle in the phrasal verb look up in the example He looks up the word is therefore more grammaticized than the preposition functioning as a complement in the prepositional verbs look at or look out in the examples He looks at the sky and He looks out the window (Tyler and Evans 2003: 62). Thus, phrasal verbs are periphrastic verb constructions because the grammatical relationship is expressed not through inflection but through two or more words. Phrasal verbs are formed by a verb followed by one or more prepositions. The preposition in a phrasal verb functions as a particle. Phrasal verbs are examples of periphrasis because the meaning of the phrasal verb can only be determined by the verb and preposition as a unit, not by combining the meanings of the verb and the preposition alone. For example, the meaning of the phrasal verb wake up "awake" cannot be determined by combining the meaning of the verb wake "rise from sleep" and the meaning of the preposition up "at a higher point." Phrasal verbs often have single-word synonyms as in wake up and awake.

Origin
Phrasal verbs in Modern English developed from verbs with separable preposition prefixes in Old English. Verbs with separable preposition prefixes still exist in Modern German and 101

Modern Dutch. For example, the Modern German verb aufwachen "to wake up" consists of the verb wachen and the preposition prefix auf. When the verb is conjugated, the preposition prefix moves to the end of the predicate phrase as in ich wache auf "I wake up." Old English verbs with separable preposition prefixes evolved into phrasal verbs in which the preposition follows the verb in Middle English.

Intransitive
Some phrasal verbs are intransitive. Intransitive verbs are verbs that cannot or do not take objects. Examples of intransitive phrasal verbs include:

break down (malfunction) die down (subside) get up (arise) run away (escape) show up (arrive) throw up (vomit) wake up (awake)

The preposition functioning as a particle must directly follow the main verb of an intransitive phrasal verb. For example:

Read on

Prepositional Verbs and Verb Phrase Complements Six Other Functions of Prepositional Phrases The Grammatical Indirect Object in English My car broke down on the side of the road. (correct) *My car broke on the side of the road down. (incorrect) The baby threw up on his bib. (correct) *The baby threw on his bib up. (incorrect)

Transitive
Other phrasal verbs are transitive. Transitive verbs are verbs that require direct objects and may also take indirect objects. Most transitive phrasal verbs, however, only take direct objects. Examples of transitive phrasal verbs include:

call for (require) fix up (repair) hold back (restrain) let down (disappoint) pay off (bribe) take off (remove) use up (finish)

All transitive phrasal verbs take direct objects. For example:

The recipe calls for cinnamon. 102

The man held back his angry wife. The criminal paid off the crooked cop. The cat took off her collar.

Conclusion
English phrasal verbs are a common verb form that both native English-speaking and ESL students must learn to fully and completely use both spoken and written English. Phrasal verbs are formed by a verb followed by one or more prepositions that function as the particle. Phrasal verbs may be intransitive or transitive.

See Also
For more information on the three types of phrasal verbs in the English language, please see Transitive Phrasal Verbs in English: Nonseparable, Optionally Separable, and Obligatorily Separable. Sources DeCarrico, Jeanette S. 2000. The Structure of English: Studies in form and function for language teaching. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Jacobs, Roderick A. 1995. English syntax: A grammar for English language professionals. New York: Oxford University Press. Kosur, Heather Marie. 2008. With or without a complement: The form and function of prepositions, (1 Mar. 2009.)

Read more at Suite101: English Phrasal Verbs: The Form, Origin, and Types of Verb-Particle Combinations in English http://www.suite101.com/content/english-phrasal-verbs-for-eslstudents-a99662#ixzz15MyftjMr TO COME ABOUT:to happen, tu occur ,to be caused. TO DIE DOWN: to become more quiet, to diminish,to subside TO STAND OUT:to be noticeable, to be prominent, to be clearly seen TO BREAK DOWN: to fail to function, to stop working properly TO FALL THROUGH: to fail to occur, not to happen TO GET AHEAD: to make progress, to succeed TO GET AROUND: to travel, to move about TO HOLD ON: to wait, to pause

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TO OPEN UP:to talk honestly and freely, to reveal a secret TO COME UP: to arise TO BREAK IN: to interrupt( someone who's already speaking) TO CATCH ON: to finally understand TO LOOK ON: to watch, to observe, to be a spectator TO SETTLE DOWN: to become calm, quiet or peaceful , to begin a normal ,stable life TO SHOW UP: to arrive , to appear
Many verbs in English are followed by an adverb or a preposition (also called a particle), and these two-part verbs, also called phrasal verbs, are different from verbs with helpers. The particle that follows the verb changes the meaning of the phrasal verb in idiomatic ways:

drop off - decline gradually The hill dropped off near the river

drop off(2) - fall asleep While doing his homework, he dropped off.

drop off(3) - stop and give something to someone Would you drop this off at the post office?

drop out - cease to participate After two laps, the runner dropped out.

Some particles can be separated from the verb so that a noun or pronoun can be inserted, and some particles can't be separated from the verb. In addition, some phrases are intransitive, meaning they cannot take a direct object.

Separable add up (meaning: to add) Correct: She added up the total on her calculator. Correct: She added it up on her calculator.

Inseparable get around (meaning: to evade) Correct: She always gets around the rules. Incorrect: She always gets the rules around (This construction makes no sense in English.)

Intransitive catch on (meaning: to understand)

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Correct: After I explained the math problem, she began to catch on. Incorrect: She began to catch on the math problem. (catch on cannot take a direct object in this meaning.) Correct: She began to catch on to the math problem. (the word to makes the math problem an indirect object, which is acceptable in this meaning.) Unfortunately, there is usually no indicator whether an idiomatic phrase is separable, inseparable, or intransitive. In most cases the phrases must simply be memorized. Below is a partial list of each kind of phrase.

Compare the following pairs:


With nouns as objects The car ran over the dogs The children ran over the bridge He turned off the television We turned off the main road into a car park. I got off all the old paint. I got off the train at York. With pronoun objects The car ran them over (Passive ) They were run over by the car

The children ran over it. Improbable. He turned it off The television was turned off (by him).

We turned off (it) into a Impossible car park. I got it all off I got off it at York All the old paint was got off by me. (Improbable, but possible) Impossible

In the examples on the pink lines, the preposition is an integral part of the verb, defining its meaning: these verbs are called phrasal verbs. They are in effect two-word verbs. In the examples on the blue lines, the preposition affects the meaning of the verb, but is not part of the verb; it belongs to the adverb phrase following the verb; verbs that are used in this way are called prepositional verbs. These differences are by no means always easy to understand, particularly in the examples above which show that some verbs can even be either phrasal or prepositional, depending on the circumstances! However, with the vast majority of verbs, there is no choice. The verb is either a phrasal verb or a prepositional verb. Here are some guidelines to help you understand the differences between the two groups, and their usage..

Phrasal

verbs

or

Particle

verbs

Phrasal verbs can be either transitive or intransitive. Phrasal verbs" or "particle verbs" are composed of a verb + a particle (preposition or adverb). Sometimes, there may be two particles. These elements together have a single meaning, and frequently are synonymous with a single word verb, as in the table below. They are usually formed using a transitive* root verb + a particle. This is the most common type of phrasal verb or particle verb. Examples: break up / shut out / put off / fill up / give up / set up / etc. Others are formed from an intransitive root verb + a particle: Examples: go out / come across / sleep off / lie down / stand out etc. Many English root verbs can combine with particles to create an idiomatic phrasal verb: but the most common ones are: break, make, take, set, put, get. Transitive phrasal verbs are usually separable, meaning that the direct object can - or with

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pronouns, must come between the verb and the particle. However adverbs do not usually come between the verb and the particle - though there are exceptions. Transitive phrasal verbs: examples Using nouns The referee broke up (=stopped) the fight immediately. or: The referee broke the fight up immediately. The old lady made out (=wrote) the cheque very slowly. or: The old lady made the cheque out very slowly. He took up (=started) golf when he retired. or: He took golf up when he retired. Using pronoun objects (Passive ) He broke it up immediately. The fight was immediately broken up by the referee.

She made it out very slowly

The cheque was made out by the old lady very slowly.

He took it up when he retired

improbable

The robbers set off (=started) the alarm as they entered the bank. They set it off as they or: The robbers set the alarm off as entered the bank they entered the bank. The men managed to put out (=extinguish) the fire by themselves. or: The men managed to put the fire out by themselves The soldiers got up (=erected) their tents in two minutes. or: The soldiers got their tents up in two minutes. I put down your success to hard work or: I put your success down to hard work.

The alarm was set off as the robbers entered the bank.

They managed to put it The fire was put out by the men, by out by themselves. themselves.

They got them up in two The tents were got up in two minutes. minutes.

I put it down to hard work.

His success was put down to hard work.

Intransitive phrasal verbs: Since intransitive verbs have no direct object, and cannot be put into the passive, their usage is simple: they are by definition inseparable. However adverbs can occasionally come between the verb and the particle if the adverb serves to describe the action. In intransitive phrasal verbs, the particle is either narrows the sense of the verb (as in sit down), or else creates an idiomatic meaning which is different from that of the root verb (as in shut up). Here are a few examples of intransitive phrasal verbs: Flight 201 to New York will take off at 12.33. A lot of the guests showed up late Bird flu first broke out in China in 1996 Tomorrow morning, we all have to get up at 5.30. Once the President had taken his place, the guests all sat quietly down. The bomb went off just as the bus was passing.

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Prepositional verbs
Prepositional verbs are transitive: they require an object. This object is generally stated, but sometimes just implied or inferred. Most prepositional verbs consist or an intransitive root verb + a particle. Some prepositional verbs are formed using a transitive verb and a particle. Often, the particle transforms an intransitive verb into a transitive verb: Examples : look / look at / look for - wait / wait for - come / come through. The particle is not really part of the verb, but an essential link between the verb and its stated or implied object. These verbs are usually inseparable, meaning that the verb and particle generally stand together. However short adverbs or adverb phrases can come between the verb and the particle in transitive statements, particularly when the object is a noun. If in doubt, do not place the adverb between the verb and the particle. Using nouns The climbers went up (=ascended) the mountain very slowly. or The climbers went very slowly up (=ascended) the mountain. They came through (=passed) their exam very well. We're depending on your support, totally. The students were looking intently at (= studying) the notice board. or The students were looking at the notice board intently. Using pronoun objects They went up it very slowly Passive

Improbable

They came through it Improbable very well We're depending on You're being depended on. you totally. They were looking intently at it , or They were looking at it intently.

Phrasal-prepositional verbs.
English has a good number of verbs that appear to be formed on the structure verb+particle+particle. In most cases, these are prepositional verbs in which the root verb is actually a phrasal verb. Like simple prepositional verbs, phrasal prepositional verbs are transitive. So in reality, the structure of these verbs is actually phrasal-verb + particle. Once this is understood, usage should not be hard to follow. They behave in the same way as ordinary prepositional verbs. Using nouns Everyone looked forward to the concert. The prisoners broke out of their cells. The airline did away with tickets The builders got on with the job Using pronoun objects Everyone looked forward to it. They broke out of them. The airline did away with them They got on with it. (Passive ) It was looked forward to by everyone. The cells were broken out of. Tickets were done away with. The job was got on with by the builders.

for something, you explain or give a reason for it.

How will you account for the money you spent?

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She couldn't account for her absence from work. How will you account for such a big difference?

Act out [Act something out].- 1 perform (script, story) When you act something out, you perform it or make it into a play.

The script itself is well written and well acted out by the cast. The new middle class liked to see its own dilemmas acted out on stage. When you read a story or a poem to your child, act it out with him or her.

2 express (fantasy, frustration, instincts) Express your feelings or ideas:

He has become desperate and is acting out his frustration. Children like to act out their fantasies.

Act up.- (child, car, computer, injury, arm, leg, wound) When somebody or something acts up, they behave badly, hurt or don't work properly. Play up

This computer's acting up again. The children were acting up because their mother wasn't there.

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