Phrasal Verbs

Question 1

WISH (STH) AWAY

Answer 1

= To eliminate some problem by merely desiring or pretending that it did not exist

Ex.: Words won’t wish it away.

Ex.: You better make good on all the things you said you would deliver, or the client is not going to be happy.

Question 2

MAKE GOOD ON (STH)

Answer 2

= to fulfill an obligation, such as keeping a promise or paying a debt

Ex.: Every child in should have the right to quality education. Ninho support low-income families to make good on that promise.

Question 3

RALLY ROUND

Answer 3

= to come to the aid of (someone); offer moral or practical support

Donald Trump has benefited from a “rally round the flag effect” which, in a crisis, tends to give US presidents a boost, irrespective of performance.

When I’m ill, my friends always rally around.

Question 4

STEM FROM (sth)

Answer 4

= to come, result or develop from something else.

“My sadness stems from seeing avoidable deaths that we are not going to avoid”, says a doctor in Brazil.

Question 5

RAMP UP

Answer 5

= to increase the volume, amount, or rate of something.

Paula Reid, CBS reporter, to Trump:
“The argument is that you bought yourself some time. But what did you do with that time? You didn’t use it to prepare hospitals, you didn’t use it to ramp up testing. Right now, nearly 20 million are unemployed, tens of thousands of Americans are dead,” says Reid.

Question 6

PLAY DOWN

DOWNPLAY

Answer 6

= to minimize the significance of

Far-right president Bolsonaro has downplayed impact of coronavirus.

Bolsonaro’s downplaying of coronavirus – and his public call for Brazil to relax quarantine measures and get back to work – has appalled critics and many citizens, sparking nightly pot-banging protests in major cities.

Question 7

ROOT FOR

Answer 7

= to encourage, support, or cheer for someone or something; to wish the best for someone or something in an endeavour or activity.

The political commentator Leandro Colon said Mandetta’s sacking might be good news “for those rooting for Jair Bolsonaro’s quick downfall”. But Colon warned that Mandetta’s removal would also be bad news for the health of Brazil’s 209 million citizens.

Question 8

HUNKER DOWN

Answer 8

= to seek refuge in a particular place or area.

More than 1,500 miles away, Rio de Janeiro’s 6.7 million residents – 20% of whom live in redbrick favelas – also have instructions to hunker down.

Question 9

HOVER OVER (sb/sth)

Answer 9

= to float or be suspended over sb/sth

There are some family secrets that keep hovering over our heads despite our self-deception.

Question 10

WALL OFF

Answer 10

= to divide or separate something with or as if with a wall

The pandemic is testing Joe Biden’s patience and political imagination. Walled off from voters, Mr. Biden has developed a routine, of sorts — briefings over the phone, video chats with voters — as he attempts to win the presidency from his basement.

Question 11

MEDDLE WITH (sth/sb)

Answer 11

= to interfere or involve oneself with someone or something in an intrusive, unwelcome, or unsolicited manner.

Jair Bolsonaro faces inquiry into claims of meddling with police.

Question 12

TURN ON (sb)

Answer 12

= to suddenly attack, berate, or show hostility toward someone, especially after previously having been loyal or amiable; to attack or oppose someone or something, especially the person or group in charge.

Kim Kataguiri, a rightwing congressman who has been pushing for the release of Bolsonaro’s coronavirus test results, said the Brazilian people had a right to the truth. “This is a matter of public interest and must not be hidden … We need clarity,” said Kataguiri, who supported Bolsonaro before his 2018 election but has since turned on the president.

Question 13

MINGLE WITH

Answer 13

= to converse or chat with someone or a group of people in an easy, friendly manner; to mix or fit in well with someone or a group of people.

Bolsonaro, the Trump-admiring populist has also purposefully undermined social distancing guidelines, mingling with supporters and sacking his health minister on 16 April after he publicly challenged the president’s behaviour.

Question 14

LASH OUT

Answer 14

= to strike out in defence or attack—physically or verbally; to react with sudden, intense anger.

De Blasio Breaks Up Rabbi’s Funeral and Lashes Out Over Virus Distancing.

Question 15

SINGLE OUT

Answer 15

= to choose and focus on a single person or thing out of a group of others.

“This has to be a joke. Did the Mayor of NYC really just single out one specific ethnic community (a community that has been the target of increasing hate crimes in HIS city) as being noncompliant??” Mr. Deutsch wrote. “Has he been to a park lately? (What am I saying - of course he has!)” “But singling out one community is ridiculous,” he added in another post. “Every neighborhood has people who are being non-compliant. To speak to an entire ethnic group as though we are all flagrantly violating precautions is offensive, it’s stereotyping, and it’s inviting antisemitism. I’m truly stunned.”

Question 16

TEAR THROUGH (sth)

Answer 16

= to rip or lacerate something; to move through something with heedless speed and destructive force.

Emergency measures pile pain on to mourning families as coronavirus tears through the ill-prepared jungle-flanked city.

Question 17

(number)-PLUS

Answer 17

Informal: increased to a further degree or number.

Of the 5,000-plus Covid deaths officially confirmed in Brazil only 274 have been recorded in Manaus.

Question 18

FILL UP WITH sth

Answer 18

= to put as much as possible into someone or something; to become full.

Ex.: Social media is already filling up with misinformation about a Covid-19 vaccine, months or years before one even exists.

Question 19

SORT (sth) OUT

Answer 19

= 1. to separate and arrange something according to certain properties: class, kind, size, weight, etc.
= 2. to study a problem and figure it out.

Ex.: Sorry about my camera, it was very strange. I’ll have that sorted out, I promise. (Beatriz)

Question 20

SORT (sb) OUT

Answer 20

= to pull oneself together; to figure out what to do about one’s problems.

Ex.:
I need a few days to sort myself out.
I need some time to sort myself out.

Question 21

TURN OFF

Answer 21

= 1. to disable, disconnect, or stop the function of something;
= 2. to cause someone to dislike, become averse to, or lose interest in something.

Ex.: I thought the subject would be interesting, but the professor’s boring lectures really turned me off.

Question 22

SET (sth/sb) AGAINST (sth/sb)

Answer 22

= to create a background or context for something;

Ex.: The author set the story of the two brothers against the trauma of the First World War.

Question 23

BOARD UP

Answer 23

= to cover parts of a building (often the windows) with wooden planks.

Ex.: The statue of Winston Churchill, who is a national hero, had to be boarded up so protesters wouldn’t destroy it.

Question 24

SEE (sth/sb) THROUGH

Answer 24

SEE STH THROUGH
= to continue working on or engaging in something until it is completed or concluded.
Even though I'm failing, I'm determined to see the class through to the end.

SEE SB THROUGH
= understand the true character or nature of someone or something
We saw through his superficial charm: he was obviously a liar.

Question 25

GROPE (around/about) FOR sth

Answer 25

1. Literally, to attempt to feel or locate something using only one’s hands, as in the dark or when one is blind.
   In the game, one person is blindfolded and they have to grope (around) for someone to tag.
   I groped (about) for a light switch in the pitch-black room.
2. To seek something in a blind, aimless, or uncertain manner, especially to find a solution, meaning, or sense of purpose.
   We’ve been groping for a way to pay our mortgage, but I just don’t see how we’ll be able to afford it.
   Pretty much everyone gropes for answers at some point or another in life.

Question 26

TAKE AFTER sb

Answer 26

1. To resemble someone, especially a relative in appearance, temperament, or character.
   She takes after her grandfather in her talent for design. You take after your mother—you have her nose and eyes.
2. To follow someone or something as an example.
   Don’t take after your older brother—he’s a bad influence.

Question 27

NAME (sth/sb) AFTER sb/sth

Answer 27

To give sb/sth the same name as sb/sth else.

Exs.:
It’s a bit unusual, but they named their daughter after a river in Tahiti.
They named their line of electric cars after a famous 19th-century inventor.
I named my son after his grandfather on his mother’s side (now they are namesakes = homônimos)

Question 28

SHARE IN sth

Answer 28

To take part in sth alongside one or more other people.

If everyone shares in the work, we’ll be finished cleaning the house in an hour or two.
We all help pay for the lottery tickets, so we all get to share in the winnings equally.

Question 29

SEND one PACKING

Answer 29

send (one) packing

= To dismiss or send one away rudely or abruptly.

I was only five minutes late, but the boss sent me packing nonetheless.

Question 30

TAKE sb UP ON sb’s offer

Answer 30

TAKE sb UP ON sb’s offer

Ex.: He decided to take her up on her offer.