Phrasal verb 2

Question 1

to be about to do something

Answer 1

to be at the moment of doing something, to be ready

ex: I was just about to leave when you telephoned.

Question 2

to turn around

Answer 2

to move or face in the opposite direction (S); to completely change the condition of (S)

ex: The man turned his car around and drove back the way he came
ex: The company has been very successful since the new business manager was able to turn it around.

Question 3

to take turns (doing something)

Answer 3

to alternate, to change people while doing something

ex: During the trip, Darlene and I took turns driving so that neither of us would tire out.

Question 4

to brush up on something

Answer 4

to review something in order to refresh one’s memory

ex: Before I traveled to Mexico, I brushed up on my Spanish; I haven’t practiced it since high school.

Question 5

over and over (again)

Answer 5

repeatedly (also: time after time, time and again )

ex: The actress studied her lines in the movie over and over until she knew them well.

Question 6

to wear out

Answer 6

to use something until it has no value or worth anymore, to make useless through wear (S)

ex: When I wear out these shoes, I’ll have to buy some that last longer.

Question 7

to go out

Answer 7

to stop functioning; to stop burning; to leave home or work

ex: The lights went out all over the city because of an electrical problem
ex: Gary isn’t here right now; he went out to the store for a moment.

Question 8

out of the question

Answer 8

impossible, not feasible

ex: Stephen told Deborah that it was out of the question for her to borrow his new car.
ex: Don’t expect me to do that again. It’s absolutely out of the question.

Question 9

to have to do with

Answer 9

to have some connection with or relationship to

liên quan đến

ex: Ralph insisted that he had nothing to do with breaking the window.
ex: What does your suggestion have to do with our problem?

Question 10

to get in touch with

Answer 10

to communicate with, to contact

ex: You can get in touch with him by calling the Burma Hotel

Question 11

to have a good t ime

Answer 11

to enjoy oneself

ex: We all had a good time at the class reunion last night.
ex: Did you have a good time at the park? I really enjoyed it

Question 12

in no time

Answer 12

very quickly, rapidly

(This idiom can be used with the idiom at all to add emphasis to the certainty of the statement.)

ex: Mac said that he’d be ready to leave in no time.
ex: We thought that the meeting would take two hours, but it was over in no time at all.

Question 13

to cut down on

Answer 13

to reduce, to lessen (also: to cut back on )

bớt …

ex: In order to lose weight, you have to cut down on your intake of sugar.
ex: The doctor told me to cut back on exercise until my back injury heals.

Question 14

quite a few

Answer 14

many

ex: Quite a few students were absent yesterday, in fact, more than half of them were not there.
ex: We did not expect many people to attend the affair, but quite a few of our friends actually came.

Question 15

to be used

Answer 15

to be accustomed to

ex: He is used to this climate now, so the changes in temperature do not affect him much.
ex: I am used to studying in the library, so it’s difficult for me to study at home now.

Question 16

to get used (to something)

Answer 16

to become used to, to become adjusted to

thích ứng với

ex: It took Yoshiko a long time to get used to the food that her American host family served her.
ex: Mark can’t seem to get used to wearing contact lenses, recently he’s been wearing his glasses a lot.

Question 17

back and forth

Answer 17

in a backward and forward motion

tới lui

ex: The restless lion kept pacing back and forth along the front of its cage.
ex: Grandmother finds it relaxing to sit in her rocking chair and move back and forth.

Question 18

now and then

Answer 18

occasionally, sometimes (also: now and again, at times, from time to time, off
and on, once in a while)

(Both now and then and once in a while can be preceded by the adjective every. Another idiom with the same

meaning and form is every so often.)

ex: I don’t see him very often, but (every) now and then we arrange to have lunch together.

Question 19

to get rid of

Answer 19

to eliminate, to remove; to discard, to throw away

ex: erry tried hard to get rid of the stain on his shirt, but he never succeeded.

Question 20

every other (one)

Answer 20

every second (one), alternate (ones)

ex: I play tennis with my father every other Saturday, so I usually play twice a month.
ex: There were twenty problems in the exercise, but the teacher told us only to do every other one. Actually, doing

ten problems was difficult enough.

Question 21

to go with

Answer 21

to match, to compare well in color or design; to date, to accompany (also: to go out with )

(For the first definition, adverbs such as well and poorly are often used.)

ex: That striped shirt goes well with the gray pants, but the pants go poorly with those leather shoes.
ex: Eda went with Richard for about six months, but now she is going out with a new boyfriend.

Question 22

first -rate

Answer 22

excellent, superb

ex: The food served in that four-star restaurant is truly first-rate.
ex: The Beverly Hills Hotel provides first-rate service to its guests.

Question 23

to make good time

Answer 23

to travel a sufficient distance at a reasonable speed

(The adjective excellent can also be used)

ex: On our last trip, it rained the entire time, so we didn’t make good time.
ex: We made excellent time on our trip to Florida; it only took eighteen hours.

Question 24

to mix up

Answer 24

to stir or shake well (S); to confuse, to bewilder (S)

(For the second definition, the passive forms to be mixed up or to get mixed up are often used.)

ex: You should mix up the ingredients well before you put them in the pan.
ex: The teacher’s poor explanation really mixed the students up.

Question 25

to see about

Answer 25

to give attention or time to (also: to attend to, to see to )

ex: Who is going to see about getting us a larger room for the meeting?

Question 26

to make out

Answer 26

to do, to succeed, to progress

ex: Charlie didn’t make out very well on his final examinations. He may have to repeat one or more classes.

Question 27

by heart

Answer 27

by memorizing

ex: He knows many passages from Shakespeare by heart.

Question 28

to keep out

Answer 28

not to enter, not allow to enter

ex: There was a large sign outside the door that said, “Danger! Keep out!”
ex: I’ve told you to keep the dog out of the house.

Question 29

to keep away (from)

Answer 29

to stay at a distance (from) (S); to avoid use of

(also: stay away from )
ex: Please be sure to keep the children away from the street!
ex: The signs on the burned-out house said, “Keep Away! Danger Zone.”
ex: It’s important for your health to stay away from dangerous drugs.

Question 30

to find fault with

Answer 30

to criticize, to complain about something

ex: It is very easy to find fault with the work of others, but more difficult to accept criticism of one’s own work.
ex: Mrs. Johnson is always finding fault with her children, but they really try to please their mother.

Question 31

to be up to

Answer 31

to be responsible for deciding; to be doing as a regular activity

(The second definition is most often used in a question as a form of greeting.)

ex: I don’t care whether we go to the reception or not. It is up to you
ex: Hi, George. I haven’t seen you in a while. What have you been up to?

Question 32

ill at ease

Answer 32

uncomfortable or worried in a situation

(bồn chồn, lo lắng)

ex: Speaking in front of a large audience makes many people feel ill at ease.
ex: My wife and I were ill at ease because our daughter was late coming home from a date.

Question 33

to do over

Answer 33

to revise, to do again (S)

(A noun or pronoun must separate the two parts of this idiom.)

ex: You’d better do the letter over because it is written so poorly.
ex: Jose made so many mistakes in his homework that the teacher made him do it over.

Question 34

to look into

Answer 34

to investigate, to examine carefully (also: to check into )

ex: The police are looking into the matter of the stolen computers.
ex: The congressional committee will check into the financial dealings of the government contractor.

Question 35

to take hold of

Answer 35

to grasp, to grip with the hands

ex: You should take hold of the railing as you go down those steep stairs.
ex: The blind man took hold of my arm as I led him across the street

Question 36

to get through doing something, to get through with something

Answer 36

to finish, to complete

ex: I didn’t get through studying last night until almost eleven o’clock.
ex: At what time does your wife get through with work every day?

Question 37

from now on

Answer 37

from this time into the future

ex: I’m sorry that I dropped by at a bad time. From now on I’ll call you first.

Question 38

to keep track of

Answer 38

to keep or maintain a record of; to remember the location of

ex: Steve keeps track of all the long-distance telephone calls related to his business that he makes from his

house.

ex: With seven small children, how do the Wilsons keep track of all of them?

Question 39

to be carried away (by, with)

Answer 39

to be greatly affected by a strong feeling (S)

(This idiom can also be used with get instead of be.)

ex: Paula and Leanne were carried away by the sad movie that they saw together.
ex: James got carried away with anger when his roommate crashed his new car into a telephone pole.