Pearson Brown English Lesson - Phrasal Verb "stand" part 1

Now let’s look at the verb ‘to stand’. Here are some common expressions using this verb combined with particles:

‘to stand around’ mean to stand in a place doing very little or waiting for something.

* We just stood around for half an hour waiting for the concert to begin.
* Lots of teenagers just stand around on street corners because they have nothing to do.

‘to stand aside’ means to move to a position where you do not block others.

* I told everyone to stand aside to let them pass.
* Everyone stood aside to let the rescue workers pass.

‘to stand back’ means to move a short distance away from something.

* Please stand back from the objects. You must not touch them.
* You can see the paintings better if you stand back a little.

‘to stand back’ also means to take a bit of distance from a problem in order to understand it

* It‘s difficult to stand back and be objective when you are talking about your children.
* We need to stand back and think about this.

‘to stand by’ means to be waiting and ready for something.

* Riot Police were standing by in case the demonstration got out of hand.
* Ambulance teams were standing by in case any of the participants got into difficulties.

‘to stand by’ also means to continue to support someone or something.

* We stand by our decision in spite of the opposition to it.
* His wife stood by him through the scandal.

‘to stand down’ mean to leave or resign from an important position.

* The Prime Minister stood down after the defeat in the elections.
* Even though he still had the support of the shareholders, he decided to stand down.

‘to stand for’ means is an abbreviation for.

* BBC stands for British Broadcasting Corporation.
* What does PGCE stand for?

‘to stand for’ can mean to support or represent an idea or attitude.

* I agree with everything that Greenpeace stand for.
* The Conservative Party stands for family values.

‘to stand for’ also means to accept someone’s behavior without complaining.

* I don’t see why I should stand for his bad behaviour.
* I don’t know how she stands for it. He’s impossible to live with.

Exercise:

http://www.carolinebrownenglishlessons.com/standphrasals/exercise1.html

http://www.carolinebrownenglishlessons.com/standphrasals/exercise2.html

http://www.carolinebrownenglishlessons.com/standphrasals/exercise3.html