Phrasal verb 4

Question 1

inside out

Answer 1

with the inside facing the outside

bị ngược, bị lộn trái

ex: Some one should tell little Bobby that his shirt is inside out.
ex: The high winds ruined the umbrella by blowing it inside out.

Question 2

upside down

Answer 2

with the upper side turned toward the lower side

ngược đầu

ex: The accident caused one car to turn upside down, its wheels spinning in the air.
ex: One of the students was only pretending to read her textbook; the teacher could see that the book was

actually upside down.

Question 3

to fill in

Answer 3

to write answers in (S); to inform, to tell (S)

(For the second definition, the idiom can be followed by the preposition on and the information that someone it told.)

ex: You should be careful to fill in the blanks on the registration form correctly.
ex: Barry was absent from the meeting, so I’d better fill him in.
ex: Has anyone filled the boss in on the latest public relations disaster?

Question 4

to fill out

Answer 4

to complete a form (S)

(To fill in refers to completing various parts of a form, while to fill out refers to completing a form as one whole item.)

ex: Every prospective employee must fill out an application by giving name, address, previous jobs, etc.
ex: The teenager had some trouble filling the forms out by himself, so his mother helped him.

Question 5

to take advantage of

Answer 5

to use well, to profit from; to use another person’s weaknesses to gain what one wants

ex: I took advantage of my neighbor’s superior skill at tennis to improve my own ability at the game.

Question 6

no matter

Answer 6

regardless of

(This idiom is a shortened form of it doesn’t matter. It is followed by a question word such as how, where, when, who, etc.)

ex: No matter how much money he spends on his clothes, he never looks well dressed.
ex: No matter where that escaped prisoner tries to hide, the police will find him sooner or later.

Question 7

to take up

Answer 7

to begin to do or study, to undertake (S); to occupy space, time, or energy (S)

ex: After today’s exam, the class will be ready to take up the last chapter in the book.
ex: The piano takes up too much space in our living room. However, it would take too much time up to move it right now so we’d better wait until later.

Question 8

to take up with

Answer 8

to consult someone about an important matter (S)

(The important matter follows the verb take, while the person consulted follows with.)

ex: Can I take the problem up with you right now? It’s quite urgent.
ex: I can’t help you with this matter. You’ll have to take it up with the manager.

Question 9

to take after

Answer 9

to resemble a parent or close relative (for physical appearance only, also: to look like)

ex: Which of your parents do you take after the most?
ex: Sam looks like his father, but he takes after his mother in personality.

Question 10

in the long run

Answer 10

eventually, after a long period of time

(This idiom is similar in meaning to sooner or later. The difference is that in the long run refers to a more extended period of time.)

ex: In the long run, the synthetic weave in this carpet will wear better than the woolen one. You won’t have to replace it so soon.
ex: If you work hard at your marriage, you’ll find out that, in the long run, your spouse can be your best friend in life.

Question 11

be in touch (with)

Answer 11

having contact

ex: James will be in touch with us soon to relay the details of the plan.
ex: I certainly enjoyed seeing you again after all these years. Let’s be sure to keep in touch.

Question 12

out of touch with

Answer 12

not having contact; not having knowledge of

ex: Marge and I had been out of touch for years, but then suddenly she called me up the other day.
ex: Larry has been so busy that he seems out of touch with world events

Question 13

on one’s toes

Answer 13

alert, cautious

(This idiom is usually used with the verbs stay and keep.)

ex: It’s important for all the players on a soccer team to stay on their toes.
ex: We’d better keep on our toes while we’re walking along the dark portions of this street.

Question 14

to get along

Answer 14

to make progress; to manage to live in a certain state of health

ex: Juan is getting along very well in his English studies.
ex: How is Mr Richards getting along after his long illness?

Question 15

hard of hearing

Answer 15

partially deaf, not able to hear well

ex: You’ll have to speak a little louder. Mrs Evans is hard of hearing.
ex: Listening to loud music too much can make you hard of hearing.

Question 16

to see eye to eye; on something with somebody

Answer 16

to agree, to concur

ex: I’m glad that we see eye to eye on the matter of the conference location.
ex: A husband and wife don’t always see eye to eye with each other, but a good marriage can survive small disagreements.

Question 17

to have in mind

Answer 17

to be considering, to be thinking

ex: I don’t want to see a movie now. I have in mind going to the park.
ex: It’s up to you what we eat tonight. Do you have anything in mind?

Question 18

to keep in mind

Answer 18

to remember, not to forget (S) (also: to bear in mind)

ex: Please keep in mind that you promised to call Stan around noon
ex: I didn’t know that Paula doesn’t like vegetables. We should bear that in mind next time we invite her for dinner.

Question 19

this one time, for only one time

Answer 19

for once

ex: For once I was able to win a game of golf against Steve, who is a much better player than I am.

Question 20

to go off

Answer 20

• to explode, to sound as an alarm;
• to leave suddenly without explanation
  ex: The accident happened when a box of firecrackers went off accidentally.
  ex: For what time did you set the alarm clock to go off tomorrow morning?
  ex: Vince went off without saying good-bye to anybody, I hope he wasn’t angry.

Question 21

to grow out of

Answer 21

to outgrow, to become too old for, to be a result of

ex: He still bites his nails now and then, but soon he’ll grow out of the habit.
ex: The need for the salary committee grew out of worker dissatisfaction with the pay scale.

Question 22

to make the best of

Answer 22

to do the best that one can in a poor situation

ex: If we can’t find a larger apartment soon, we’ll just have to make the best of it right here.
ex: Even though the Martinez family is having financial problems, they make the best of everything by enjoying

the simple pleasures of life.

Question 23

to cut off

Answer 23

1. to shorten by cutting the ends ;
2. to disconnect or stop suddenly

ex: The rope was two feet longer than we needed, so we cut off the extra length.
ex: The operator cut our long-distance phone conversation off after two minutes.

Question 24

to cut out

Answer 24

1. to remove by cutting
2. to stop doing something

ex: The child likes to cut out pictures from the newspaper and to paste them in a notebook.
ex: He kept bothering her, so finally she told him to cut it out. However, he wouldn’t knock it off until her larger brother appeared

Question 25

to blow out

Answer 25

1. to explode, to go flat (for tires)
2. to extinguish by blowing

ex: On our trip to Colorado, one of the car tires blew out when it hit a large hole in the road.
ex: Little Joey wasn’t able to blow all the candles out, so his big sister helped him.

Question 26

to become of

Answer 26

to happen to (a missing object or person)

(This idiom is always used in a clause beginning with what)

ex: What has become of my pencil? I had it ten minutes ago, but now I can’t find it.
ex: I wondered what became of you. I looked around the shopping center for two hours, but I couldn’t find you at all.

Question 27

to shut up

Answer 27

1. to close for a period of time
2. to be quiet, to stop talking

ex: During the hurricane, all the store owners shut their shops up.
ex: Bob’s sister told him to shut up and not say anything more about it.

Question 28

have got to

Answer 28

must (also: have to)

ex: She has got to go to Chicago today to sign the contract papers.
ex: I have to be back home by two o’clock or my wife will feel ill at ease.

Question 29

to keep up with

Answer 29

to maintain the same speed or rate as

ex: Frieda works so fast that no one in the office can keep up with her.
ex: You’ll have to walk more slowly. I can’t keep up with you.

Question 30

to turn down

Answer 30

1. to reduce in brightness or volume
2. to reject, to refuse

ex: Please turn down the radio for me. It’s too loud while I’m studying
ex: Laverne wanted to join the military but the recruiting officer turned her application down because Laverne is hard of hearing in one ear.

Question 31

fifty-fifty

Answer 31

divided into two equal parts

ex: Let’s go fifty-fifty on the cost of a new rug for our apartment.
ex: The political candidate has a fifty-fifty chance of winning the election

Question 32

to break in

Answer 32

1. gradually to prepare something for use that is new and stiff
2. to interrupt (for the second
   definition, also: to cut in) (cắt ngang, chen ngang)

ex: It is best to break a new car in by driving it slowly for the first few hundred miles.
ex: Peter, it’s very impolite to cut in like that while others are speaking.

Question 33

a lost cause

Answer 33

a hopeless case, a person or situation having no hope of positive change

ex: It seems that Charles will never listen to our advice. I suppose it’s a lost cause.
ex: The police searched for the missing girl for two weeks, but finally gave it up as a lost cause.

Question 34

above all

Answer 34

mainly, especially

ex: Above all, don’t mention the matter to Gerard; he’s the last person we should tell.
ex: Sheila does well in all her school subjects, but above all in mathematics. Her math scores are always over 95 percent.

Question 35

to do without

Answer 35

survive or exist without something (also: to go without)

ex: With prices so high now, I’ll have to do without a new suit this year.
ex: As a traveling salesperson, Monica can’t do without a car.

Question 36

according to

Answer 36

in the order of; on the authority of

ex: The students on the football team were ranked according to height, from shortest to tallest.
ex: According to my dictionary, you are using that word in your essay incorrectly.

Question 37

to be bound to do something

Answer 37

to be certain to do something, to be sure to do something

ex: We are bound to be late if you don’t hurry up.
ex: With the economy improving now, their business is bound to make more money this year.

Question 38

for sure

Answer 38

without doubt (also: for certain)

ex: In the dark, I couldn’t tell for sure whether it was Polly or Sarah who drove by
ex: I know for certain that Gene will move back to Washington next month.

Question 39

to take for

Answer 39

to perceive or understand as

ex: Because of his strong, muscular body, I took him for a professional athlete. As it turns out, he doesn’t play any professional sports
ex: What do you take me for – a fool? I don’t believe what you’re saying at all

Question 40

to try out

Answer 40

to test, to use during a trial period

ex: You can try out the new car before you decide to buy it.

Question 41

to tear down

Answer 41

to destroy by making flat, to demolish

ex: The construction company had to tear down the old hotel in order to build a new office building.

Question 42

to tear up

Answer 42

to rip into small pieces

ex: Deidre tore up the letter angrily and threw all the pieces into the trash can.

Question 43

go over

Answer 43

to be appreciated or accepted

(This idiom is usually followed by the adverb well.)

ex: The teacher’s organized lessons always go over well with her students.

Question 44

to run out of

Answer 44

to exhaust the supply of, not to have more of

ex: We ran out of gas right in the middle of the main street in town.
ex: It’s dangerous to run out of water if you are in an isolated area.

Question 45

at heart

Answer 45

basically, fundamentally

(This idiom is used to describe the true character of a person)

ex: James sometimes seems quite unfriendly but at heart he’s a good person.
ex: The Fares often don’t see eye to eye, but at heart they both love each other very much.