Early IntermediateEnglish Phrasal Verbs

Lesson #1By Jeremiah Bourque

http://learnoutlive.com/

Don’t Give Up Now

• To “give up” is to surrender; to stop trying; to no longer attempt to succeed at something.

• To urge someone to “not give up” is to urge that person to continue trying, even if that person faces adversity (difficulty).

She’s Looking After The Kids

• To “look after” someone is to take care of someone.

• Example: “Susan is looking after Donald and Megan.” (Present) Susan is taking care of the children named Donald and Megan.

I’m Going To Find Out What’s Going On

• To “find out” is to discover.

• To find out what’s going on is to discover what is happening (occurring now, in the present).

• Example: I’m going to find out where Donald went. (Future)

Let Me Call You Right Back

• To “call someone back” is to return a message, usually a telephone call.

• So to “call you right back,” a person is interrupting (halting) the current telephone conversation while making a promise to call the original caller in a short time.

• Example: Tom called Peter, but Peter was busy. Peter says, “I’ll call you right back, Tom.” Peter will call Tom soon.

She Just Blew Right Up

• To “blow up” has three meanings.

• #1: To explode, like a suicide bomber. • #2: To inflate. To “blow up” a tire can

mean to put air in the tire to inflate it… but it can be confused with meaning #1!

• #3: To become angry. Colloquially, to “blow up” in anger is to become angry enough to (figuratively) explode.

Just Fill The Car Right Up

• To “fill up” generally means to fill to the maximum (100% of capacity).

• To fill up a gas tank for a motor vehicle is to fill the tank to the maximum capacity.

• Something that is filled up (past) is full. • Colloquially, “Fill her right up” is used to re

quest enough gas to completely fill a gas tank at a drive-in gas station. (Her can sound more like “er” (written ‘er)).

Get Over It

• To “get over” something is to recover.

• One can get over a cold, get over rejection by a boyfriend, or get over a disappointment.

• Commonly misused as a substitute for “come over,” as in, “Get over here!” (Informal, rude.) To come over is to approach, to draw near, to move closer.

I’m Not Making This Up

• To “make something up” (as opposed to the noun, “make-up,” for beauty cosmetics) is to fabricate a story for the purpose of deception and fraud (lying).

• “I’m not making this up” (Present) is therefore claiming (through a double negative sentence) to be telling the truth.

• That is, to be honest.

Don’t Sell Me Out

• To “sell someone out” is to betray that person, whether for money (the “sell” part) or not.

• To “sell out your country” is to commit treason. Usually, “selling out” (present) is an informal, colloquial way to allude to (compare with) treason and betrayal.

• This can simply mean betraying a friendship.

Own Up To What You’ve Done

• To “own up” to something is to admit that you have done something wrong. To confess a crime you have committed is to own up to the crime.

• Of course, you can only properly own up to an act you have actually committed. Otherwise you are simply lying.

• To “own up” implies you regret (verb, present) what you have done.

Acting Up

• Where to act is to perform an action, to “act up” is to behave improperly, to give rise to improper behavior.

• “My car is acting up again.” (Present)

• “That child acted up in class.” (Past)

• “I’m worried Tom is going to act up again if we take him to the theatre.” (Future)

Backing Out

• To “back out” is to not keep a promise, engagement, deal, etc.

• “I thought we had a deal, but he backed out at the last second.” (Past)

• “He’s backing out on our arrangement.” (Present)

• “I’m worried the other side’s going to back out.” (Future)

Backing Up

• Meaning #1: To move backwards or in reverse. “I backed up my car.” (Past)

• Meaning #2: To provide support, as if pushing someone from the rear to help them along. “I’m backing up my friend.” (Present)

• “If you see a bear, slowly back up.” (#1)• “If someone’s struggling, back them up.”

(#2)

Blowing Over

• To “blow over” is to pass without causing great problems. Originally a reference to storms; applied broadly to other matters.

• “Don’t worry, they always argue like this. It’ll blow over.” (Future)

• “The controversy blew over in record time.” (Past)

• Best used in past or future tense; the present “blowing over” sounds awkward.

Calming Down

• To “calm down” is to relax oneself, or to make someone else relaxed, soothed, appeased, etc.

• “Calm down!” (Present, to someone else)• “I was angry, but I calmed down.” (Past)• “She’ll calm down in a while.” (Future)• Telling someone to calm down is urging them to

calm themselves. This does not guarantee the person will! Some people find being told to calm down annoying, and the request will backfire!

Checking In

• To “check in” is usually to enter a hotel or hospital. These establishments require registration at a front desk.

• “I checked into the hotel.” (Past)

• “I’ll check into the hotel after lunch.” (Future)

• “I’m checking in right now. I’ll call you back.” (Present)

Checking Out

• Normally, this means to leave a hospital, hotel or similar facility, where a person de-registers at the front desk.

• However, “checking out” is also an euphemism for departing from life itself, i.e. death! “He checked out.” (Past; he died.)

• Not to be confused with “checking (something) out,” which is to inspect something (to “check” the object itself). “I’m going to check out that new movie!” (Future)

Dropping In

• To “drop in” is to arrive suddenly as if appearing from the sky. (This term probably precedes actual parachuting!)

• “I dropped in on my uncle.” (Past)

• “I’m going to drop in on my Aunt Lisa.” (Future)

• “We’re dropping in on our friends in Los Angeles.” (Present)

Dropping Out

• However, “dropping out” means to quit an organization or organized activity, usually on bad terms!

• “He dropped out of school.” (Past)

• “I’m dropping out of hockey club. I just don’t like hockey anymore.” (Present)

• “I think she’s going to drop out of the chess club. Her heart isn’t in it.” (Future)

Eating Up

• To “eat up” is broadly identical to the verb “devour.”

• “He just ate up that chocolate.” (Past; he devoured the chocolate.”

• Also used as an euphemism for being naïve: “She just ate up that pick-up line.” (Past; she easily fell for a pick-up line (i.e. an invitation to a date).)

Falling Behind

• To “fall behind” is to lag; to be behind others; to become late.

• “He’s falling behind in his homework.” (Present; he is failing to do his homework on schedule.)

• “Microsoft will continue to fall behind in its market strategy.” (Future; Microsoft is expected to perform poorly compared to its corporate plan.)

Filling In

• To “fill in” has two meanings. Meaning #1: to provide information, such as to write information on a form.

• Meaning #2: To act as a substitute. • “Maggie filled in for Susan at the office.” (#2,

Past; Maggie worked in place of Susan. Perhaps Susan was ill?)

• “Fill me in.” (#1, present; “Provide me with information.” The context determines what information is being referred to.

Filling Out

• “Filling out” means to make more complete, or simply larger. A person can “fill in” or “fill out” a survey! But, to “fill out” implies doing more than the bare minimum.

• To “fill out” can also mean to stuff or pad. A woman who “fills out” an outfit may either be plump in figure, or has large breasts – it depends on the circumstance.

• A girl who is “filling out” (without other modification) is undergoing breast development.

Fixing Up

• To “fix up” is to repair or renovate.

• “He fixed up that old car of his.” (Past)

• “The neighbors are finally going to fix up that rickety fence.” (Future)

• “I’m fixing up my computer.” (Present)

• But!! A person who is “fixing up” a meal is cooking a meal. This is purely colloquial. “I’m fixing up a salad.” (Present)

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

• To “get along” is to have a good, friendly relationship with someone else.

• “Lisa and I are getting along.” (Present.)• “Bob and I got along nicely at the party last

week.” (Past)• “Can’t we all just get along” is a famous

quote by Rodney King. Many consider this quote highly ironic considering the source. (re Rodney King L.A. Riots)

Hearing From Someone

• To “hear from someone” is to receive a message from a person. (Older: To “receive news” from a person)

• “I heard from Michael via e-mail.” (Past)

• “I’m going to hear from Laura next week.” (Future)

• “I hear from Liz that Mary’s going out with Paul.” (Present)

Holding Up

• Two meanings. Meaning #1: To delay. “The parade held up traffic.” (Past) “Donna was held up at the party.” (Past)

• Meaning #2: A robbery! “The suspect held up the bank on 5th Street.” (Past)

• Note that for meaning #2, this verb is “to commit a holdup”. “A holdup” (noun) refers to making a victim hold up his/ her hands to demonstrate he/ she is unarmed.

• Example: “This is a holdup!” (This means the speaker is committing robbery and may be armed and dangerous!)

Ironing Out Your Problems

• To “iron out” means to “straighten out” or correct. “Ironing out” a problem (present) means to solve the problem and make a situation correct.

• “We’re going to iron out the bugs in this program.” (Future)

• Origin: Using a hot iron to “fix up” clothing by eliminating wrinkles. Elimination is the method, but “ironing” means correcting!

Joking Around

• To “joke around” is to act in a ridiculous way. This may be funny – or it may merely be stupid. It depends!

• “Carol jokes around at the office.” (Present; Carol makes many jokes at the office. We do not know if this is during work or during breaks from work.)

Keep Up With The Pace

• To “keep up” is to maintain a schedule. Unlike “falling behind,” to keep up is to, at minimum, perform at no less than expectations.

• “Keep up the good work!” (Present; continue your good work.)

• “You’ve kept up your end of the bargain.” (Past; you have honored your obligations.)

Keeping Out

• To “keep someone out” is to prevent that person from having access to a place.

• Only use this when referring to someone or something in the third person. Example: “Keep the dog out of the room.” Or: “Keep the children out of the kitchen while I’m cooking.”

• Also, to “keep out of trouble” is to avoid trouble, as if trouble was a physical place.

Leaving Out

• To “leave out” is to omit.

• “I left Brian out of the trip.” (Past. Brian was omitted from the trip, i.e. left behind.)

• “I’m leaving behind my car because Paul is driving.” (Present)

Mixing It Up

• To “mix up” is to blend together, either in a good or a bad way.

• To “mix up” a variety of nuts or vegetables is how to properly blend some dishes.

• To “mix up” something that is not supposed to be varied is to confuse something, to make it wrong somehow.

• Also, “a mix-up” is a set of mistakes and misunderstandings.

Nodding Off

• To “nod off” is to fall asleep, usually unintentionally.

• To nod off in class is a good way to annoy your teacher.

• To nod off at work is to fall asleep on the job, figuratively or literally.

• To nod off at the wheel is to fall asleep while driving a car. (Not a good thing!!)

Opening Up

• Normally, to “open up” has the same meaning as “to open” generally does.

• However, when speaking about emotional states, to “open up” is to become less defensive, warmer, friendlier, more relaxed, and so forth.

• Opening up is a necessary part of learning conversation in ESL. Relax, don’t be shy.

Don’t Pick On Me!

• To “pick on someone” is to tease or bully that person. More broadly, it is to single that person out for negative treatment.

• The expression implies someone stronger acting against someone weaker (bullying).

Quiet Down! (Well, don’t really.)

• “Quiet down” is a mix of “be quiet” and “settle down.” To be quiet is to be silent. To “settle down” is to begin acting calmly after a period of not acting calmly.

• A teacher might tell a class to “quiet down” when the students are speaking to each other in a disruptive way.

Running Out Of Luck

• To “run out” of something is to exhaust the supply of that thing.

• To run out of luck is to be out of good luck. A movie villain might gloat, “Your luck has run out!” to a hero in difficulty. (Past tense)

I’ve Been Set Up!

• To “set up” a person is to arrange something for that person. This usually has two distinct and separate meanings.

• 1) To pair two people together romantically.• 2) To frame a person for a criminal offense.• Though I would not call it proper English,

the noun “set-up” is an act of false incrimination, framing the victim for a crime of which he/ she is innocent.

Please Stand By

• To “stand by” is to wait.

• If someone asks you to stand by, that person is asking you to wait for the time being.

• “Please stand by for further instructions” means to wait for further instructions. It’s that simple.

Thinking Things Through

• To “think things through” is to consider whatever the “things” are with care and consideration.

• “You need to think this through” is urging the listener to think carefully about the results of his or her planned actions.

Using Up Your Nine Lives

• To “use up” is to exhaust a supply of something.

• In legend, “a cat has nine lives.” So to use up a person’s nine lives is to run out of luck, as covered earlier in the lesson.

Veering Off

• To “veer off” or “veer away” is to turn away from something, to stay away from something, or simply, to avoid something.

• “Veering off from danger” means turning away from danger. Simple.

Waiting Up

• To “wait up” originally meant to stay awake while waiting for someone or something.

• Modern usage has made “waiting up” virtually identical to the earlier “standing by.”

• Asking someone to “Wait up!” is calling upon the person to wait where they are and allow the speaker to catch up.

Yakking On And On

• To “yak” or to “yammer” is an extremely informal reference to talking, and more specifically, talking in a very informal way, that is, not using “good English.”

• To “yak on” or “yammer on” is to speak in such a manner in a continuous, annoying way, that is, to speak without pause and without any useful purpose.

Zoning Out

• To “zone out” is to lose focus. Conversely, to “zone in” is to focus on something, as if leaning closer to an object to take a closer look.

• Students are known to zone out at the end of a long class. Have you been zoning out, or did you manage to pay attention?

• To be “zoned out” is to be fatigued to the point of lost focus. So get some rest!