Thursday, May 26, 2011

Pearson Brown English Lesson - Phrasal Verb "look"

Today we’re going to start looking at the verb ‘to look’ combined with particles. Here are some of the most common:

to look after’ means to take care of someone or something.

* When I have to travel on business, my parents usually look after my children.
* I look after the office when my colleagues are away on business.

to look ahead’ means to think about and plan the future.

* We have to look ahead and try to estimate our needs for the next few years.
* In this business, it’s very difficult to look ahead and predict what will happen.

to look at’ means to read something quickly and not very thoroughly.

* Could you look at my report and tell me if you think it’s OK?
* I looked at your figures and they seem fine to me.

to look at’ can also mean to investigate or think carefully about a problem or situation.

* Costs are getting out of control. We need to look at them closely.
* John looked at renting cars but it would be too expensive.

to look back’ means to think about something that happened in the past.

* I realise I was very naive when I look back.
* If we look back over the last three years, we can see many times when we were very successful.

to look down on’ means to think something or someone is inferior.

* The people who work in Headquarters always look down on the people in the branches.
* Don’t look down on him just because he left school at 16. He has been very successful.

to look for’ means to try to find something lost or that you need.

* My assistant is leaving at the end of the month. I’m looking for a new one.
* He has been looking for a job for ages now.

to look forward to’ means to feel excited and happy about something that is going to happen.

* I’m seeing him on Tuesday. I’m really looking forward to it.
* We’re looking forward to our holidays. It will be wonderful to get away.

to look in’ means to visit someone for a short time.

* I’ll look in on my way home and we can have a cup of tea.
* Look in on Jenny and check that she is still working.

to look into’ means to examine a problem or situation.

* My boss asked me to look into ways to do it more efficiently.
* We have set up a working group to look into the problem.

Exercises:

http://www.carolinebrownenglishlessons.com/lookphrasals1/exercise1.html
http://www.carolinebrownenglishlessons.com/lookphrasals1/exercise2.html
http://www.carolinebrownenglishlessons.com/lookphrasals1/exercise3.html

Pearson Brown English Lesson - Phrasal Verb "let"

This next lesson is about using the verb ‘to let’ combined with particles. Here are some more of the most common expressions:

to let down’ means to disappoint someone.

* I promised to do it, I can’t let her down.
* They let us down badly by not completing the work on time.

to let in’ means to allow someone to enter.

* I have a front door key. I can let myself in.
* They’re at the door. Can you let them in?

to let in’ can also mean to allow water, light or air into something which is normally sealed.

* I opened the curtains to let in the sunshine.
* I need some new boots for winter. These let water in.

to let in for’ means to be involved in something difficult or unpleasant.

* This job is very hard. I didn’t realise what I was letting myself in for.
* She didn’t realise how much work she was letting herself in for doing this course.

to let in on’ means to tell someone about something which is secret.

* I don’t know what they’re doing. They wouldn’t let me in on their plans.
* She let me in on her secret. She’s getting married!

to let off’ means to not punish someone when they have done something wrong.

* He was caught smoking in the office but they let him off because it was the first time.
* I’ll let you off this time but if you do it again, you’ll be severely punished.

to let off’ can also mean to allow someone to not do something they should do.

* I owed him some money but he let me off. I didn’t have to pay him back.
* I was supposed to work until 10 pm but my boss let me off at 9.

to let out’ means to allow someone to leave a place, usually by opening a door.

* He stopped at the traffic lights to let me out.
* Let me out at the end of the road. I can walk the rest of the way.

to let out’ means to make a particular sound.

* When she heard the news, she let out a huge sigh of relief.
* They all let out a groan when they heard the bad news.

to let up’ means to cease or to decrease in intensity.

* We’ll go out for a walk if the rain lets up.
* The pressure at work is non-stop. It never lets up.

Exercises:

http://www.carolinebrownenglishlessons.com/letphrasals/exercise1.html
http://www.carolinebrownenglishlessons.com/letphrasals/exercise2.html
http://www.carolinebrownenglishlessons.com/letphrasals/exercise3.html

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Pearson Brown English Lesson - Phrasal Verb "keep"

This lesson looks at the verb ‘to keep’ combined with particles:

to keep at’ something means to continue doing something even if it is hard or unpleasant.

* Learning phrasal verbs is hard so you have to keep at it every day.
* I had to finish so I kept at it for an hour before I took a break.

to keep back’ means to not use or give away all of something.

* Keep back some of the cream to put on top of the dessert.
* We kept back some of the money for emergencies.

to keep down’ means to stop the number or level of something from rising.

* If we want to make a profit this year, we have to keep costs down as much as possible.
* I try to eat well and exercise regularly to keep my weight down.

to keep off’ = means to not go onto an area.

* Please keep off the grass.
* Keep off the motorway in the morning, there are always traffic jams at that time.

to keep off’ can also mean to not talk about a particular subject.

* He started talking about it. I tried to keep off the subject.
* He can’t keep off the question of climate change, he never stops talking about.

to keep on’ means to continue with something.

* All night long he kept on asking me questions about it.
* I asked him to stop but he just kept on.

to keep out of’ means to not get involved in something.

* It’s not my business. I keep out of their arguments.
* It’s got nothing to do with me. I’m keeping out of it.

to keep to’ means stay on a subject when talking.

* We don’t have much time so can we keep to the agenda, please?
* Can you keep to the point, please?

to keep up’ means to go at the same speed as someone or something.

* She was walking so fast that I couldn’t keep up with her.
* I’ve got too much to do at the moment. I can’t keep up with my work.

Exercises:

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

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

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

Pearson Brown English Lesson - Phrasal Verb "hold"

In today’s lesson we are going to look at using the verb ‘to hold’ combined with particles. Here are some more of the most common expressions:

to hold back’ means to restrain or stop something working.

* High rates of tax are holding back economic growth.
* He could easily get promotion if he were more a team player. His attitude is holding him back.

to hold back’ can also mean to not say or do something.

* I wanted to tell him but something held me back.
* Although she didn’t agree, she held back and didn’t say anything.

to hold down’ means to stop something increasing.

* Government is trying to hold down public spending.
* We have to hold down costs if we want to increase our margins.

to hold down’ also means to keep a job even if it is difficult.

* There are lots of women who hold down high powered jobs and have children.
* She was holding down a very responsible position when she was only twenty-three.

to hold off’ means to delay doing something or delay making a decision about it.

* That house won’t be on the market very long. Don’t hold off making an offer.
* You can’t hold off much longer, you have to give him an answer.

to hold on’ means to wait for a short time.

* Let’s see if he arrives. We can hold on a couple of minutes.
* We can’t hold on much longer, we’re going to miss the train. We’ll have to go without him.

to hold on’ is used frequently on the phone to ask people to wait a few moments.

* I’ll just check that for you if you’d like to hold on.
* Could you hold on please while I see if he’s available?

to hold out’ means to put something in front of you.

* He was very formal. He held out his hand for me to shake it.
* She held out her glass so that I could refill it.

to hold out for’ means to wait for what you want and not accept less.

* They were on strike for a long time. Holding out for a 10% increase in salary.
* I think we should hold out for a better price. House prices are beginning to rise again.

to hold up’ means to delay something.

* The construction was held up by bad weather.
* Jim was late again. He got held up in heavy traffic on the motorway.

Exercises:

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

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

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

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Pearson Brown English Lesson - Phrasal Verb "go part 3"

Let’s continue looking at the verb ‘to go’ combined with particles. Here are some more common ones:

‘to go on doing something’ means to continue doing something.

* He didn’t even look at me. He just went on working.
* I can’t go on working so hard. I’m going to make myself ill.

‘to go on to do something’ means to move on to something after you have finished.

* First he told us about the present situation, then he went on to tell us about the future.
* If you have no further questions, I’d like to go on to the next part of my talk.

‘to go on’ means to happen.

* What’s going on outside? There’s a lot of noise.
* There’s not much going on this afternoon. It’s very quiet.

‘to go out’ means to leave home to go to the cinema or the pub for example.

* I won’t be home tonight. I’m going out with Kelly.
* We’re going out for a beer tonight. Would you like to come?

‘to go over’ means to review something to check it.

* I’m not sure my figures are accurate. Can we go over them again?
* He went over the main points again to be sure we had understood.

‘to go through’ means to experience an unpleasant or difficult time.

* It was terrible. I don’t want to go through that again.
* He’s going through a very difficult time what with his divorce etc.

‘to go through’ also means to examine something carefully.

* The customs officer went through their bags looking for drugs.
* I’ve been through his papers but I can’t find the one I’m looking for.

‘to go under’ means to fail or go bankrupt.

* Three thousand companies have gone under so far this year.
* Cash flow is the reason that most companies go under.

‘to go up’ means to increase or rise.

* The number of jobless went up 0.5 percent last month.
* It’s very expensive now. The price has gone up by ten percent since January.

‘to go with’ means to support an idea or the people proposing a plan.

* I think Jack’s right. I have to go with him.
* We should go with Sue’s idea. It’s the best idea yet.

Exercises:


http://www.carolinebrownenglishlessons.com/gophrasals3/exercise1.html

http://www.carolinebrownenglishlessons.com/gophrasals3/exercise2.html

http://www.carolinebrownenglishlessons.com/gophrasals3/exercise3.html

Pearson Brown English Lesson - Phrasal Verb "go part 2"

Here is the next lesson about using the verb ‘to go’ combined with particles. Here are some more of the most common expressions:

to go down’ means to get smaller or decrease.

* They are much cheaper than before. The price has gone down by at least ten percent.
* The price of laptop computers has gone down considerably over the last five years.

‘to go down’ can also mean be received or be reacted to.

* Everybody laughed. I think my speech went down well.
* The news didn’t go down well. Everyone is now worried about their jobs.

to go for’ means to choose.

* He doesn’t like spending money so he went for the cheapest option.
* We have decided to go for the house in Dunbar Street. It’s lovely.

to go in’ means to enter.

* He went in his office and closed the door.
* She didn’t knock on the door, she just went in.

to go in’ can also mean to fit in something.

* I’ve got too many clothes. They won’t go in my suitcase.
* The sofa is too big. It won’t go in the sitting room.

to go into’ means to describe something in detail.

* We can talk about the problem later. I don’t want to go into it now.
* We don’t have time to go into all the details.

to go into’ can also mean to enter a place.

* She often goes into that shop and tries on lots of clothes but never buys anything.
* We’ll go into the sitting room. We’ll be more comfortable there.

to go off’ means to stop functioning (of a light, electricity or heating).

* I was only half way up the stairs when the light went off.
* The heating goes off at midnight and comes back on before we get up.

to go off’ can also mean to stop liking someone or something.

* I used to love this café but I’ve gone off it since the waiter changed.
* I don’t want to do it now. I’ve gone off the idea.

to go off’ can also mean to decay or go bad.

* I think the milk has gone off. It smells.
* Don’t eat it, it has gone off.

Exercises:

http://www.carolinebrownenglishlessons.com/gophrasals2/exercise1.html

http://www.carolinebrownenglishlessons.com/gophrasals2/exercise2.html

http://www.carolinebrownenglishlessons.com/gophrasals2/exercise3.html

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Pearson Brown English Lesson - Phrasal Verb "go"

This lesson is the first lesson about using the verb ‘to go’ combined with particles. Here are some of the most common:

to go about’ means to deal with or tackle a task or job.

* Do you know how to enrol on the course? I don’t know how to go about it.
* How can I go about getting a copy of my birth certificate?

to go after’ means to try to get.

* I sent in my application today. I’m going after that job.
* He went after a very well paid job but didn’t get it.

to go after’ can also mean to follow or chase.

* Michelle left suddenly then Pierre went after her.
* I didn’t go after her when she left. I think she needed to be on her own.

to go ahead’ means to begin or proceed with something.

* Even though the risks were high, we decided to go ahead with the project.
* It went ahead without any problems. We’re very happy.

to go along with’ means to agree with a person or idea.

* I said it wouldn’t work. I didn’t go along with it from the beginning.
* In the end, he went along with Jack even though he had said he agreed with me.

to go away’ means to leave a place or a person’s company.

* Did you stay at home or did you go away over the holidays?
* Please go away. I’d like to be alone for a while.

to go back’ means to return to a place.

* We had a great holiday in Spain last year. We are going back this year.
* I had forgotten my passport and had to go back to get it.

to go back on’ means to change your position on a promise or agreement.

* I said I would do it. I can’t go back on it now.
* He went back on his promise and didn’t help me out.

to go by’ for time means to pass

* A couple of hours went by before he phoned me back.
* Twenty years went by before I saw him again.

to go by’ can also mean to go past or pass

* I love sitting at a street café watching the world go by.
* He didn’t see me. He just went by without saying a word.

Exercises:

http://www.carolinebrownenglishlessons.com/gophrasals1/exercise1.html
http://www.carolinebrownenglishlessons.com/gophrasals1/exercise2.html
http://www.carolinebrownenglishlessons.com/gophrasals1/exercise3.html