Phrasal verb Flashcards
TURN OFF
- to lose interest
Have u ever been interested in learning Photoshop but are turned off by the steep price? - to cease paying attention to
The student turned off the boring lecture and daydreamed. - to affect with dislike, displeasure or revulsion
That song really turns me off.
RAT SOMEONE OUT
to inform an authority figure of one’s bad or illegal behaviour.
Eg: I cant believe you ratted me out like that to Mom and Dad- I m never telling you anything ever again !
gloss over something
to treat or describe something as if it were not important.
eg: when i told my mother about my night, i just glossed over the fact i had gotten a parking ticket.
5 alternatives to “scared”
1) freaked out
i freaked out when i heard our dog howling in the garden.
2) spooked
i was spooked by someone walking behind me on the way home last night
3) creeped out
i felt creeped out by being alone in the house whole night
4) petrified
my mum’s pretrified of spider
5) quaking in my boots
i was quaking in my boots as i stood waiting to ride the rollercoaster!
6) I was terrified when we saw the alien for the first time/ I m terrified of height.
7) He was scared stiff by the noise
8) I m scared to death of flying.
9) ghost stories scare me silly.
10) It makes my blood run cold.
pipe down
to become quiet and calm, to stop being loud or boisterous
eg: OK, class, pipe down! Let’s begin our class, shall we?
we piped down when we realise he was trying to tell us something important
BRUSH UP
improve one’s existing knowledge or skills in a particular area
eg: these private lessons will give them a chance to brush up on their technique
TAKE OFF
1) remove clothing
eg: It’s warm here. I m going to take my jumper off.
2) something become successful
eg: I never like his music, but it’s taken off quite recently. Everyone is listening to it.
3) Not go to work
eg: I m going to take a day off work tomorrow
FORK OVER
give someone money or pay, but we really dont want to
eg: I lost the bet and have to fork over rm50.
Come on, u owe me rm10, fork me over.
5 phrasal verbs useful for work:
1) fit in- feeling that u belong there or fee comfortable within the social group. Eg She was able to find a company where she fits in.
2) Get into- become interested in something. Eg My high-school teacher got me into (here it describes introduction to your profession) science, and that’s why I become chemist.
3) Reach out- He reached out to us after seeing our job annoucement.
4) Keep up with- stayed updated and informed about sth. Eg Her job consists of keeping up with trends.
5) Run into- In work, it means unexpected problem or difficulties appeared. Eg They ran into an issue so they are behind schedule.
Bottle something up
to not express your feelings
eg: she bottled her feelings up-it ended up making her feel unwell.
To take something out on someone
to make suffer one suffer, even when it’s not their fault.
eg: He was having a bad day and took his frustration out on me.
CHIP IN FOR STH
to contibute some amount of money to some group collection or fund
eg: How much am i supposed to chip in for our joint gift?
COME INTO STH (money, property, title)
If someone come into money/property/title, they rcv it as a result of the death of a relation
eg: She came into a bit of money when her grandfather died
tool around
wander around some places aimlessly or idly, doing nothing in particular
eg: we had a few hours to kill before we had to catch our train, so we just tool around downtown for a while.
2) to drive around in one’s car with no purpose, direction or end point in mind
eg: I remember spending hours when we were teenagers just tooling around in our parents’ cars or the crappy rust buckets our friends had saved up to buy.
wipe out
1) to exhaust or fatigue someone
All of that cleaning totally wiped me out- I need a nap
2) to fall or tumble off sth, often a skateboard, surfboard or bicycle
eg: I wiped out on my skateboard today and scraped my leg on the pavement
LAY OFF
discharge an employee (fire/sack)
eg: They have laid me off, so I dont have any money for christmas presents
another term: made redundant (having lost your job because your employer no longer needs you- chiefly British)
eg: Betty was made redundant last week and she has to tighten her belt.
WIND UP
to deliberately annoyed
eg: Stop winding me up! I know you are only pretending to have covid
WEAR OUT
be used until no longer in good condition or working order
eg: My shoes have worn out so my feet are getting wet
GET THROUGH
to be connected by phone
eg: I was on hold to the bank for 4 hours before I got through to someone who could help me!
ASK AFTER
to ask for information about someone
eg: I saw your ex boyfriend yesterday. He was asking after you, so I told him you’re still single!
PUT
Put off: Postpone, delay
Eg: My husband used to put off buying presents until Christmas Eve, but since meeting me he has realised that it’s better to be organised!
Put aside: to keep for later
Eg: I put aside a little bit of money each week so that I’m prepared for a rainy day.
put across: to communicate sth
eg: The political party is trying to put across its view in order to gain more votes.
put up with: to accept a difficult situation or behaviour.
eg: I feel sorry for Cathy. She has to put up with her noisy neighbours. They have a party 3 times a week.
PIG OUT
Eat an excessive amount
Eg: We always pig out before going out as my mother usually cooks ham with baked potatoes and red cabbage.
BLOW
1) Blow out
- use air to cause a fire or candle to go out
eg: Anna blew out all the candles on her birthday
2) blow away
- impress greatly
eg: Darius’s performance blew me away. He was fantastic
3) blow off
- fail to keep an appt
eg: we were supposed to meet at the cafe, but i blew her off and went shopping
4) blow through
- use all of sth
eg: Dana blew through all her money in 2 days! Nw she has nothing left!
5) blow up
- Dana blew up lots of balloon in preparation of Anna’s birthday party
- to suddenly become angry: my dad blew up (at me) when he saw the bill.
GET
1) get on top of
- deal with; take control of
eg: i really need to get on top of my finances. I cant afford to pay all these bills
2) get into
- start enjoying sth
eg: I get into baking during lockdown. I made cakes, biscuits, bread, and everything!
3) get shot of
- dispose of sth that is causing problems or is no longer useful
eg: u need to get shot of that car. Its dangerous to drive it and it’ll cost a fortune to repair
4) get move on
- hurry; do sth quickly
eg: get a move on! The restaurant closes in 10 minuts and havent even got ur coat on!
5) get wind of
- find out about sth that has been kept secret
eg: you broke a glass and hide the pieces? if mum gets wind of that, you’ll will be in so much trouble!
6) get a grip of
- regain ur self control
eg: Get a grip! a tiny little mouse cant hurt u! Now stop screaming and get down off that chair!
7) get over
- recover from
eg: I can’t get over my ex. I still love him.
8) get up to
- do
eg: What did you get up to this weekend?
9) get at
- mean, imply
eg: I don’t know what you’re getting at.
10) get down
- make you feel sad
eg: Dark winters get me down.
11) get in
- to arrive
eg: What time does your train get in? If you’d like, I can pick you up at the station.
SIT
1) Sit back
- make no (or limited) effort to do sth
eg: ben sat back while Jan made dinner
2) sit out
- not participate in an activity
eg: Irina had to sit the rest of the game out as she had injured her ankle
3) sit in on
- observe without participating
eg: the trainee teacher sat in on many lessons before she was ready to take her own class
4) sit through
- stay until the end of sth boring
eg: abel sat through all of the film, even though he didnt enjoy it very much
5) sit up
-suddenly pay attention
eg: Khaled sat up when he heard the teacher mention his name
RUN
1) Run through
- Quick rehersal
Eg: Let’s run through the songs once more before the show.
2) Run after
- To chase someone or something
Eg: Ciro was late for work, so he had to run after the bus.
3) Run down
- Lose power
Eg: My laptop is quite old, so the battery runs down quite quickly. I need to charge it frequently.
4) Run for
- Try to be elected; compete in an election
Eg: Ursula is running for mayor this year. If she wins, she will be in charge for the next 4 years.
5) Run into
- Meet someone by chance
Eg: Julio ran into Carla at the supermarket. They hadn’t seen each other for ages!
BREAK
1) Break up
- end of a relationship
Eg: Kai and Heleen broke up after 5 years together.
2) Break even
- Neither make nor lose money
Eg: The show made 1000 pund but the costs were also 1000 pound. We broker even.
3) Break down
- Suddenly stop working (usually a vehicle or machine)
Eg: Taki’s car broke down on the way to work yesterday, so he had to phone a mechanic.
4) Break into
- enter somewhere using force
Eg: The thieves smashed a window in order to break into the building.
5) Break out
- escape from somewhere
Eg: The prisoners broke out of jail by stealing the guard’s keys.
TELEPHONE
TELEPHONE
1) To call back
2) To call up
Eg: We can also say to ring up or to phone up.
3) To cut off
-to lose a telephone connection.
Eg: get cut off
4) To get back to someone
5) To get through
- to get a telephone connection with someone
6) to hang up
- end a telephone conversation (often abruptly)
7) to put someone through
- to connect someone on the phone
8) to pick up
- to answer a phone call
TURN
TURN
1) Turn in
- go to bed
Eg: I m really tired. I think I’ll turn in.
2) Turn away
- not allow someone to enter
Eg: Sal was turned away from the club as he is only 17.
3) Turn down
- adjust a control to lower the level of sth
Eg: Your music is too loud! I’m going to turn it down.
4) Turn into
- change or develop into sth new or different
Eg: Although the weather was lovely in the morning, it turned into a rainy day by the afternoon.
5) Turn out
- have an unexpected result
Eg: Gebre thought the exam would be difficult, but it turned out to be easy!
MAKE
5 phrasal verbs of make
1) Make of
- opinion about a person or thing
Eg: What do you make of the new guy at work?
2) Make up
- invent a story
Eg: Jan’s daughter has a great imagination. She can make up a story really quickly!
3) Make out
- just able to see or hear sth
Eg: Even though the music was very quiet, I could make out the words of the song.
4) Make off
- Leave in a hurry
Eg: The thieves made off in a hurry when they heard the police sirens.
5) Make off with
- steal
Eg: The thieves tried to make off with over 10,000 pound of jewellery.
WEAR
Wear
1) To wear away
- to disappear, to reduce gradually
Eg: a bit of grass was worn away because of spring football practice.
2) To wear down
- to reduce opposition gradually
Eg: The strategy was designed to wear down the enemy’s resistance.
3) To wear off
- to become less intense, to stop gradually
Eg: Your nervousness will wear off once the exams are over.
4) To wear out
- to make someone feel very tired, to exhaust
Eg: I’ve worked so hard today. I’m worn out.
5) To wear something down
- to use to a point where it starts to deteriorate
Eg: I bought this jacket a year ago, but I wear it every day so it is completely worn down.
hunker down
1) to sit down on your heels
eg- we hunkered down around the campfire, toasting marshmallows.
2) to make yourself comfortable in a place or situation, or to prepare to stay in a place or position for a long time, usually in order to achieve sth or for protection
eg: The press has hunkered down for the night outside the palace, waiting for news of the royal birth.
3) getting oneself into a safe position or place, often used when talking about weather and ensuring that you are safe indoors
eg:
A: I think we r going to drive up to my wife’s parents house, they are out of the hurricane zone.
B: I dont think we will be leaving, we will just hunker down and hope for the best.
Memory
1) flood back
- suddenly rmb experiences from the past
eg: Ah yes, the memories once flood back.
2) Stirs up
- makes one rmb event in the past
eg: the photographs stirred up some painful memories.
3) eat away at
- makes one upset when we think about bad experiences
eg: the rejections are eating away at my self confidence.
4) stick with
- always rmb event
eg: that embarrasing moment has stuck with me for 30 years
5) block out
- stop yourself thinking of sth
eg: he is trying to block out memories of the accident
6) flash back
- get a sudden memory of sth
eg: my mind flashes back to the first day of school
7) summons up
- makes you rmb sth
eg: visiting his old house summoned up memories of his childhood.
Look
1) look up to
- admire or respect
eg: Ciro really looks up to his mother. She’s taught him a lot.
2) look forward to
- be excited for a future event
eg: Carla is really looking forward to her summer holiday in Spain
3) look back
- think about the past
eg: Cassie looks back at her time as a DJ with a sense of pride
4) look out
- stay alert, be careful
eg: Mei told her children to look out for danger when visiting NY for the first time
5) look for
- search for sth
eg: Dana used an app to help her look for a nearby cafe
come
1) come across
- find sth (usually by accident)
eg: I came across some old letters while tidying my rooms
2) come back
- return
3) come around
- change your mind
eg: more and more people are coming around to the idea of doing their food shopping online.
4) come about
- happen; occur
eg: Carla’s acting career came about after she met an old friend who had become a film director.
5) come on
- appear on tv
eg: My favourite show comes on at 8 o’clock every day. It’s great.
eke out
to make the supply of sth last a bit longer, by using it carefully
eg:
Because of the storm, we had to eke out food supplies before we could get to the shops again.
Our crops have failed this year so we can hardly eke out a living.
I’ve lost my job, so I need to eke out what savings I have to survive.
break off
ended
eg: when did you break up?
oh, I broke off our engagement ages ago. He broke down when I told him.
Ask
1) ask after
- inquire about someone
eg: Paula asked after my brother. She was worried.
2) ask out
- invite to go somewhere (esp for a date)
eg: After building up his courage, Miguel asked Helena out. She said yes.
3) ask around
Hanlu didnt know a good restaurant in his area, so he asked around.
4) ask back
- invite to return to a place
eg: I m so glad your sister came to visit. we should ask her back again soon
5) ask in
- invite into a building
eg: when Judy saw her neighbours passing by, she asked them in for a coffee.
pick up
understand
- learning a new language is hard to pick up, but keep at it.
catch on
understand
- Fred didnt catch on at first, but soon began to understand
grapple with
hard to deal with
eg: we’ve been grappling with a computer problem all day
piece together
put parts of story together
eg- we are trying to piece together the reason the child get lost
cotton on
begin to understand
eg: It took me a while, but now I’ve cottoned on to the fact that my boss doesnt like me
hit on (an idea)
have a good idea
eg: I have hit on a great idea to make money from old plastic bottles
reflect on
think hard about sth
eg- Go to your room, so you can have time to reflect on what you’ve done
bounce off
tell someone an idea to get feedback
eg: Lets have a meeting, so we can bounce off some ideas
talk through
discuss in order to understand
eg: after ben and sally talk through their problems, they felt better.
back
1) back up
- move backwards
eg: Seamus learnt how to back a car up in his driving lesson
2) back away
- retreat: move away (esp in fear)
eg: Sonja backed away from the large, barking dog
3) back onto
- located directly behind somewhere
eg: my house backs onto a park, so I can hear the birds singing in the morning
4) back down
- stops supporting a statement or opinion
eg: after checking the internet, I backed down from my original statement and apologised.
5) back out
- not do sth you agree to do
eg: after saying she’d join the football team, Leyla backed out at the last minute.
talk someone out of sth
to persuade someone to do sth
eg: Her parents tried to talk her out of getting engaged
fall through
to fail, miscarry
eg: Our plans fell through at the last minute
BRING
1) bring up
Eg: Ana brought up her first child by herself.
2) bring out
- Launch a new product or publication
eg: My favourite author is bringing out another book! I m so excited.
3) bring forward
- make an event happen earlier
eg: Ang’s boss is busy this afternoon, so she has brought forward the meeting to this morning.
4) bring along
- take a thing or person somewhere
eg: juan didnt know anyone at the party, so he asked if he can bring a friend along.
5) bring down
- cause somone’s mood to get worse
eg: The sudden downpour of rain really brought Sasha down.
Switch off
- To become unfocused, inattentive, or disengaged.
eg:
I could tell my students were starting to switch off during my class, so I brought out the projector and started using old cartoons to illustrate my points.
I like watching trashy TV shows as a way of switching off after a busy day of work.
- To share a role or task with someone, alternating when each person is responsible.
eg:
My wife and I switch off putting the kids to bed each night.
There are too many dishes for one person to clean all of them, so let’s just switch off halfway through.
Stand
1) stand by
- give support to
eg: Jon’s wife stood by him throughout the trial
2) stand around
-stay in a place doing nothing
eg: callum stood around listening to music as he waited for the bus.
3) stand back
- stay or move a short distance away from sth
eg: salma told the children to stand back as she lits the fireworks.
4) stand out
- be different from the crowd; easily noticeable
eg: Tama’s blue hair really makes her stand out.
5) stand up
- fail to meet for an appointment or date
eg:Frederico supposed to have a blind date last night, but she stood him up
get
1) get up to
-do
eg: what did you get up to yesterday?
2) get on/along with someone
- have a good relationship
eg: I get on with my brother really well
3) get over (sth/someone)
- recover from, stop thinking about
eg: I can’t get over their divorce!
4) get away with sth
- be successful in sth, to escape with sth
eg: the thief get away with millions of pound
5) get at someone
- criticise someone repeatedly
eg: stop getting at me! You have been criticising me all day!
check
1) check in
- Maria and Jose checked in to their hotel in the early morning.
2) check on
- monitor someone or sth to see if there are problems
eg: Dr Mary checked on her patients multiple times during the night.
3) check off
- to mark items off a list with a tick
eg: As Aisha put each item into her basket, she checked them off her shopping list.
4) check with
- confirm with someone
eg: I’d love to go to the party. I’ll check with my wife whether we are free that night.
5) check out
- try sth for the first time
eg: Dana heard that the new restaurant was great, so she decided to check it out.
