17JULY

Phrasal Verbs






















Put about, put around [Put something about, put something around].- (news, rumours, stories) When you put something about, you spread bad or false news.

* Rumours were put about that he had a drug problem.

Put across [Put something across].- (idea, message, views, concept, point, facts, things, oneself) When you put something across, you try to make people understand what you're trying to say.

* We were trying to put across the message that looking after your heart is important.

Put away [Put something away].- 1 When you put something away, you put it where it's usually kept.

* After they use something, it’s their responsibility to put it away.

2 When somebody is put away, they go to prison. Lock somebody up

* I hope he gets put away for life.
* Hansen was not jailed for a true crime, she was put away by vested interests who had influence and wanted her out of the way. But she was no criminal.

3 (food, beers) When you put something away, you eat or drink a lot of it.

* Mick Baker has put away thousands of pints in his 28-year mission to sample every beer in the British Isles.

4 (money, sum) When you put something away, you put it in the bank.Put by, lay aside

* He's put away a decent sum of money.
* When I started a Saturday job as a waitress I opened a savings account and started putting about £5 or £10 away each week.

Put behind [Put something behind].- Forget When you put something behind, you try to forget it.

* It's gonna be such a relief, finally putting all this behind me.

Put by [Put something by].- Save(money) When you put something by, you put it in the bank. Put away, lay aside

* Alice thought how she'd scrimped and saved over the years just to have a little money put by for when she retired.

Very common & useful phrasal verb Put down [Put something down].- When you put something down, you stop holding it.

* He finished the book and put it down on the table.

Put down to [Put something down to something].- (insep) (hard work) When you put something down to something else, you think that is the probable explanation for it.

* He puts his success down to hard work.

Put forward [Put something forward].- 1 (idea, plan, proposal, proposition, suggestion) When you put something forward, you offer it for consideration or discussion.

* A new set of proposals were put forward aimed at saving the peace process.
* He put his plan forward so the others could think about it.

2 (clock, watch) When you put something forward, you adjust the time. Put back

* In Britain the clocks are put forward at 2am on the last Sunday in March.

Put in [Put something in].- 1 (hard work, effort, hours, time) When you put something in, you work hard or spend time doing something.

* We still have to put in a lot more work on the project to make it look attractive and viable to the business people.

2 (central heating, lock, window) When you put something in, you install it.

* We had a whole new system put in because the old one was completely useless.

3 (application, bid, bill, claim, order, request, protest, tender) When you put something in, you request it formally.

* She immediately quit and put in a claim for worker's compensation.

Idiom > Put in an appearence: When you put in an appearence, you go somewhere to be seen for a short while, usually because you are expected to go.

Very common & useful phrasal verb Put off [Put somebody off].- When you put somebody off, you make them change their mind or stop being interested in something.

* I didn't want her to come to the concert so I put her off by saying she wouldn't enjoy it.

Very common & useful phrasal verb Put off [Put something off].- (meeting, visit, decision) When you put something on, you do it at a later date. Be off, call off

* The band had to put the tour off until May because the drummer broke his arm.

Very common & useful phrasal verb Put on [Put something on].- (clothes, weight) When you put something on, you dress yourself in it. Get on Take off

* Don't put that tie on. It's completely out of fashion.

Put out [Put something out].- 1 (fire, flames, cigarette, pipe, light, lamp, candle) When you put something out, you stop it burning.

* Please put out your cigarette. This is a no-smoking area.

2 (press release, story, message, statement, report, call, information, issue, description, warning, word) When you put something out, you make it public. Blow out

* They put the word out that they were looking for sponsors to help fund the project.

Put up [Put somebody up].- When you put somebody up, you give them a bed for the night.

* Don't stay in a hotel. We can put you up for a few days.

Put up [Put something up].- 1 (notice, sign, poster, decorations, plaque, ladder, tent, fence, building) When you put something up, you put it on a wall or post so that people can see it or use it. Stick up

* Do I need a permit to put up a fence?

2 (prices, rent, taxes) When you put something up, you increase it. Go up

* He said the government would stand by its pledge at the general election in June not to put up income tax or VAT.

Put up [Put up something].- (insep) (fight, struggle, resistance, case, opposition, objections) When you put up something, you show a lot of opposition to something.
The enemy is putting up stiff resistance.
GIVE
Give away [Give something away].- When you give something away, you give it to somebody for free.
He gave away all his money.
I had a lot of books I didn't want to keep so I gave them away to a friend.
Give in.- (insep) [+ to] When you give in, you admit that you are defeated or cannot do something; you yield.
He's very stubborn. He won't give in no matter how much you try to persuade him.
President Mobutu Sese Seko finally gave in to mounting pro-democracy pressure by announcing the end of the one party state in Zaire.
The government gave in to pressure from the industry.
Give out [Give something out].- (leaflet, food, money, information) When you give something out, you distribute it. Hand out
Give out the questionnaires and ask students to complete them.
If your staff spends valuable time giving out directions, business hours and other information, post that data on the web, and refer your customers to it.
Give up [Give something up].- (chocolate, fatty foods, smoking, hope, job) When you give something up, you stop doing or having it; you stop attempting to do it.
My doctor tried to persuade me to give smoking up.
He gave up his job three years ago and started traveling around the world.
If you want to lose weight you'll have to give up eating sweets.
GET
Get about, get around, get round.- 1 (insep) When you get round, you go to different places; you travel.
He gets around a lot.
She's getting old; she doesn't get around as much as she used to.
The Underground is the best way to get around in London.
2 (insep) (news, rumours, gossip, word) When something gets round, it becomes well known; it spreads.
The word got around that she was having an affair.
The rumour got around that he was a drug dealer.
Gossip soon gets around in a small neighbourhood.
3 (insep) (law, rule, problem) When you get around something, you avoid or escape the effects of something, such as a rule, without breaking it.
It's very difficult to get arond the the tax laws.
They managed to get around the problem in the end.
Get away.-(insep) When you get away, you leave or escape or have a holiday.
They got away in a stolen car.
It's nice to get away at Easter.
The boy tried to catch to the butterfly but it got away.
Get away with [Get away with something].- (insep) When you get away with something, you are not punished for something wrong you have done.
She won't get away with an offensive remark like that.
You won't get away with this.
How did you manage to get away with cheating on your wife?
She got away with a fine.
Get back.- (insep) When you get back, you return. Come back
They didn't get back home until 3 o'clock in the morning.
I'll tell her when she gets back.
Get back [Get something back].- When you get something back, you recover it. Take back
You shouldn't lend books; you never get them back.
He's started to exercise. He needs to get his strength back.
Get by.- 1 (insep) When you get by, you manage to do something.
When you're a student you have to learn to get by with very little money.
My English is just good enough to get by.
He doesn't do very well in his exams; he just gets by.
2 (insep) When you get by, you go past.
They moved aside to let the ambulance get by.
There were so many people that I couldn't get by.
Get in [Get in, get in something].- (insep) When you get in or get in a place, you go in there.
Get into the car. We're leaving.
It wasn't until I got into the shop that I realised I hadn't got enough money on me.
Get into [Get into something].- (insep) (mess, trouble, debt, muddle) When you get into something, you become involved in a difficult situation, often without intending to.
Don't use your credit card too much or you'll get into debt.
He got into trouble with the police because he forgot to pay for his shopping before he left the shop.
Get off [Get off something].- (insep) (bus, NOT car, train, plane, horse) When you get off a vehicle, you leave it. Jump off Get on
Just as we got off the bus, it started to rain.
Please do not get off the ride until it has come to a complete stop.
Get on.- (insep) When you get on or you are getting on, you are old.
I'm getting on a bit now, but I've still got all me faculties.
Get on, get on with [Get on, get on with something].- 1 (work) (insep) When you get on or get on with something, you make progress in it.
How are you getting on with your studies?
After a few problems at first, he's getting on well at his new school.
He wasn't an easy man to get on with.
2 When you get on with something, you continue doing it. Get along, go on
The best thing to do is get on with your job to the best of your ability, if you work hard and are efficient it gets noticed, often by the people who matter.
Get on [Get on something].- (insep) (bus, train, plane, horse) When you get on a vehicle, you take a place in or on it. Get off
The bus was full. We couldn't get on.
As usual I got on the train and travelled all the way to Kings Cross.
Get on with [Get on with somebody].- (insep) (neighbours, relatives, friends) When two people get on or you get on with them, you have a friendly relationship with them. Get along Fall out
Do you get on with your neighbours?
How do you get on with your boss?
Get out.- 1 When you get out, you leave a place or go outside.
A security guard told him to get out.
We had to get out of there as quickly as we could.
2 When something gets out, it stops being a secret.
If word gets out, it could ruin her career.
When word got out that a huge diamond field had been found, speculation fever mounted.
Get through.- (insep) When you you get through or you get through to somebody, you manage to contact them. Be through, come through, put through
I couldn't get through to them on the phone. I spent over two hours trying so I emailed them the next day.
Get through [Get through, get through something].- (insep) (exam, test, finals) When you get through or get through something, such as a test, you manage to pass it. Scrape through, sail through
We're sure that you will get through your exam.
2.- (insep) (cigarettes, beer, money) When you get through something, you use it or spend it.
While we watched the match we got through two large bottles of coke, two hamburgers each and packet of crisps.
He gets through about thirty cigarettes a day.
The average Brit gets through three cups of tea each day, which is 40 per cent of everything he drinks.
Get through to [Get throgh to somebody].- (insep) When you get through to somebody, you manage to make them understand something.
I had never worked with this age group before and I didn't know how I would handle them or if I would be able to get through to them.
TAKE
Take after [Take after somebody].- When you take after somebody in your family, you are like them in appearance, behaviour or character.
She takes after her dad.
I take after my father but my brother is more like my mother.
Take back [Take something back].- 1 When you take something back, you return it somewhere or to its owner.
If you don't like it, I can always take it back to the shop.
I must take this book back to the library tomorrow.
2 When you take something back, you admit that something you said was wrong.
Too often we blurt out things that we wish we could take back.
Take off.- (insep) 1 When something takes off, it leaves the ground.
The plane took off at six o'clock.
The plane took off two hours late because of the fog.
2 When something takes off, it becomes successful.
Victoria's solo pop career failed to take off.
It might take an additional two years for the project to take off.
Take off [Take something off].- (coat, jacket, dress, shoes, lid, cover, ) When you take something off, you remove it.
Please take your jacket off if you find the place too warm.
Take off [Take somebody off].- When you take somebody off, you copy their way of talking or their behaviour in order to make people laugh.
He's quite good at taking off famous people.
Take on [Take somebody on].- (workers, staff) When you take somebody on, you employ them.
The company is doing so well that we'll have to take on more staff.
Take something on.- (responsibility, role, client, job, task, problem) When you take something on, you accept a responsibility or project.
She can't find a solicitor who is willing to take on her case.
Take to [Take to somebody].- (insep) When you take to somebody, you begin to like them. Go off somebody/something
She took to her new class mates immediately - they were all so friendly and helpful.
Talk into [Talk somebody into something].- When you talk somebody into something, you persuade somebody to do it.
I think I'm going to try to talk her into taking a day trip into Mexico.
Take out [Take something out].- (insurance, driving-licence, permit, loan, mortgage, policy, ad, patent, summons) When you take something out, you apply for and get something.
Australia is a little like the US in that many people take out private insurance which can be quite costly.
Take out [Take it out on somebody].- When you take it out on somebody, you are unpleasant to somebody because you're angry or upset for some reason, even though it's not their fault.
You don't have to take it out on me, do you?
I know you've had an exasperating day, but please don't take it out on me.
Take up [Take something up].- (offer, challenge, opportunity, invitation, suggestion; fishing, golf, job) When you take something up, you start doing an activity as a hobby, or accept a new job or offer.
The children have taken up tennis and they're really enjoying it.
I had a lot of time on my hands so I decided to take up fishing.
He took up a job as a research assistant at a non-profit institution in Cambridge.

THINK
Think ahead --
Think over [Think something over].- When you think something over, you think about it or discuss it very carefully. Chew over, mull over
If the offer is made by letter, you have time to think it over more carefully and less emotionally than you would if you received it by telephone or in person.
Think through [Think something through].- (situation, project, business, idea, matter) When you think something through, you consider all the different aspects. Sleep on
Has anybody thought through the consequences of war in terms of human suffering?
GO
Go about [Go about something].- (insep) (daily routine, business, work) When you go about something, you do it in the usual way or you start doing it.
How did you go about getting this book published?
Go off.- 1 (insep) (alarm, bomb, device, gun) When something goes off, it explodes or is activated.
The powerful device went off just metres from the market entrance.
Why did the alarm go off like that?
2 When something goes off, it's not good anymore.
Put the milk in the fridge or it will go off.
This meat smells absolutely revolting. It must have gone off.
Go off [Go off somebody, go off something].- (insep) When you go off somebody or something, you stop liking them. Take to
After that traumatic episode we kept a close watch on Belle but noticed that she had started to go off her food.
I liked him at the start, but then went off him rapidly.
Go on.- 1 (insep) When you go on doing something, you continue doing doing it. Carry on
He went on speaking for two hours.
The ovation went on for two minutes.
2 (insep) When something goes on, it takes places.
You should have let me know what was going on.
They had the feeling that there was something fishy going on.
Go on about [Go on about something].- When you go on about something, you talk continuously about it in a boring and annoying way.
I'm sorry. You must be bored senseless hearing me going on about it.
Do you have to keep going on about it?
Goof off.- (insep, AmE) When you goof off, you spend time doing nothing, esp. avoiding work. Skive off
A new way to goof off at work: when the boss isn't looking, employees flock to Internet game sites.
If employees are badly managed or badly motivated, they'll goof off.
HANG
Hang about/around.- The same as hang around.
There was a group of young people hanging around on the corner of the street.
You should allow your son to hang around in the street after dark.
Hang on.- (insep) When you hang on, you wait. Hold on
Hang on a minute; I need to talk to you.
( on the phone ) I'm afraid he's busy at the moment; would you like to hang on?
I can't hang on any longer; I'm in a hurry.
Hang up.- (phone) When you hang up, you finish a phone conversation.
She hung up on me.
Don't hang up; I need to speak to your sister.
Hang up [Hang something up].- (picture, coat) When you hang something up, you put it on a wall or hook.
Hang up your coat and come and join us.
COME
Come across [Come across somebody].- (insep) When you come across somebody, you meet them by chance. Bump into , run into, stumble across
Not long ago, I came across an old friend from the gang. I won't say his name for privacy reasons.
Come across [Come across something].- (insep) (photo) When you come across something, you find it by chance.
This stretch of coastline is famous for the fossils that you just come across lying on the beach.
Come round, come around .- 1 (insep) When you come round, you recover consciousness. Come to, pass out, black out
I had no idea what had happened to me when I came round.
2 (insep) When you come round, you pay somebody a visit. Drop by
Bill and Ben are coming round tonight. We're going to watch a video.
Look, I'll come round to yours later, yeah?
Come on.- 1 (insep) When something comes on, it starts.
We had a good chat before the film came on.
2 (insep) When someting comes on, it makes progress. Get on
How's dinner coming on? I'm starving.
Come to.- (insep) When you come to, you recover consciousness. Come (a)round, pass out, black out
When Rose came to in the lifeboat, she could not remember what had happened.
When he came to, he was being loaded into an ambulance.
Come through.- (insep) (call, message, document, authorization, divorce, money, results, news) When something comes through, you recieve it.
As the final results came through, it couldn't have been any worse.
Come through [Come through something].- (insep) Survive (car crash, accident, operation, illness, war, ordeal, crisis) When you come through something, you survive or recover.
My cousin was in a serious car accident last week. Fortunately, he came through it with only minor injuries.
Come up.- 1 (insep) (issue, point, matter, question, subject) When something comes up, it's mentioned. Bring up
You'd better make sure you know these verbs because they always come up in the exam.
2 (insep) (job, vacancy) When something comes up, it appears.
As new jobs come up, we will contact students who have signed with the Odd Jobs database.
Come up with [Come up with something].- (insep) (plan, proposal, idea, theory, scheme, solution, suggestion, compromise, money, funding) When you come up with something, it occurs to you or you manage to find it: .
DREAM
UP
ON