Pearson Brown English Lesson - Phrasal Verb "back"

These exercises are about using the verb ‘to back ‘ combined with particles:

‘to back away from’ something or someone means to retreat or move backwards from something, usually slowly, because you are frightened of them.

* When I saw the snake, I slowly backed away from it and called for help.
* He tried to back away from the man with the knife but was trapped.

‘to back away from’ an idea or suggestion means to disassociate yourself from it and not support it.

* He was going to say yes to the proposal but then backed away from it and didn’t.
* He backed away from plans for a vote of no confidence.

‘to back down’ means to admit that you were wrong or that you have been defeated.

* When he was confronted with the facts, he quickly backed down.
* He wouldn’t back down. He maintained his position in spite of all the evidence.

‘to back off’ means avoiding a difficult situation by not becoming involved in it.

* Let me deal with this. Just back off .
* At first she was very aggressive but then she backed off.

‘to back onto’ describes how the back of a house or building faces in a specific direction.

* The house backs onto the river. We have a lovely view.
* The building backs onto the car park in the city centre.

‘to back out’ means to withdraw from an agreement that has been made.

* He is no longer going to pay the amount we agreed. He has backed out of our agreement.
* We were going to go on holiday together but then he backed out at the last minute.

‘to back out’ your car means to reverse it from a place or position.

* I broke the mirror backing out of the parking lot.
* It is illegal to back out of your garden on to the road.

‘to back up’ means to give an idea support or to prove it.

* He had figures from some very reliable sources to back up his arguments.
* He didn’t have any receipts to back up his insurance claim after the burglary.

‘to back up’ also means to make a copy of something in case the original is damaged, especially on the computer.

* Before you start installing new software, back up your files.
* I have to back up my work regularly so that I don’t lose it if the computer goes down.

‘to back someone up’ means to support or to help them.

* That’s exactly what happened. The others will back me up.
* Nobody backed me up. I was left alone to defend myself against the criticism.

Exercises:

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

Pearson Brown English Lesson - Phrasal Verb "ask"

These exercises are about using the verb ‘to ask ‘ combined with particles:

‘to ask after’ someone means to ask for information about how they are and what they are doing.

* Sue was asking after you. I told her you were fine.
* He asked after my mother. He wanted to know how she was doing.

‘to ask around’ means to ask several people for help or information.

* I asked around to see if anyone knew someone who could rent me a room.
* When I needed to buy a new car, I asked around and someone offered me this one.

‘to ask for’ means to say that you want something.

* I asked for the chicken but you have brought me the beef.
* I must remember to ask for a receipt so that I can get reimbursed.

‘to ask for’ can also mean to do something which is likely to lead to trouble or problems.

* Walking around the streets alone at night was asking for trouble.
* If you go to that part of town, you’re asking for trouble. It’s very dangerous there.

‘to ask for someone’ means to ask to speak to them.

* He asked for Carol but there is no one working here called Carol.
* If you need anything, ask for Henry. He’ll be able to help you.

‘to ask someone in’ means to invite them into the room or your home.

* If someone comes to the door, don’t ask them in.
* Sometimes when I’m out in the garden, the neighbours ask me in for a drink.

‘to ask someone out’ means to invite them to go somewhere with you.

* He asked me out so I expected him to pay for dinner.
* We often invite our friends out for a drink in the pub.

‘to ask someone over’ means to invite them to come visit you in your home.

* I’ve asked Diane from across the road over for a cup of coffee later.
* He asked me over to see what they had done in the garden.

Exercises:

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

Pearson Brown English Lesson - Business English idioms – "heart"

Business English idioms – heart

Learn new expressions in English with these exercises:

If you get discouraged, you ‘lose heart’.

* When I saw how good the other contestants were I began to lose heart a bit.
* Don’t lose heart. We can still do well.

At the moment you feel disappointed or discouraged your ‘heart sinks’.

* My heart sank when I saw how much work was left to do.
* Her heart sank when she heard the bad news.

If you really really want to do or have something, you ‘set your heart on’ it.

* I’ve set my heart on getting a Ferrari before I am thirty.
* She set her heart on getting that job so she’s very disappointed.

If you find encouragement from something, you ‘take heart’.

* I took heart from your words of encouragement.
* We should take heart from our improved performance in Italy.

If you cannot refuse somebody something, even though you know it is not a good idea, you ‘didn’t have the heart to say no’.

* She really wanted to borrow it and I didn’t have the heart to say no.
* When he pleaded with me, I didn’t have the heart to say no.

If something will make you very sad, it will ‘break your heart’.

* It breaks my heart to sell my car but it’s become too unreliable.
* It breaks my heart to leave here. I’ve really enjoyed it.

If you care a lot about something, it is ‘a subject close to your heart’.

* Fighting world hunger is a subject close to my heart.
* Punctuality is a subject close to my heart.

If somebody is very kind and generous to others, they have ‘a heart of gold’.

* He appears bad –tempered but he’s got a heart of gold.
* Under that gruff exterior lurks a heart of gold.

If you are no longer motivated to do something, your ‘heart is not in it’.

* I’m going to give up this job. My heart is not in it any more.
* She went through the motions but her heart just wasn’t in it.

Your truest inner feelings are your ‘heart of hearts’.

* In my heart of hearts, I never really wanted to leave here.
* I’m happy in my management job but in my heart of hearts I’d rather still be a researcher.

If you change your mind, you ‘have a change of heart’.

* We weren’t going to give him the promotion but then we had a change of heart.
* After a change of heart, she finally agreed to move to Berlin.

If you are well-intentioned, your ‘heart is in the right place’.

* He is a bit rude sometimes but his heart is in the right place.
* She makes a lot of mistakes but her heart is in the right place and she always does her best.

If you memorize something word by word you learn them ‘by heart’.

* I’ve decided to learn the English irregular verbs by heart.
* There is no need to tell me about it. I’ve read so much about it that I know all the details by heart.

If you have an intimate discussion about your true feelings, you have a ‘heart-to-heart’ talk.

* Something is bothering him. I’m going to have a heart-to-heart talk with him and find out what it is.
* We need to have a heart-to-heart discussion and clear the air between us.

‘At heart’ can mean fundamentally, in one’s deepest feelings.

* He is a good all-round manager but at heart he’s an engineer.
* I want you to know that we have your best interests at heart in sending you to Berlin for a year.

Exercise

http://www.business-english.com/heartidioms/exercise1.swf

http://www.business-english.com/heartidioms/exercise2.swf

http://www.business-english.com/heartidioms/exercise3.swf

http://www.business-english.com/heartidioms/exercise4.swf

http://www.business-english.com/heartidioms/exercise5.swf

Pearson Brown English Lesson - Phrasal Verb "write"

These exercises look at the verb ‘to write’ combined with particles. Here are some of the most common:

‘to write away for’ something means to send a letter or form asking for something.

* I want a free copy so I’ll write away for one.
* She has written away for a brochure with details of the course.

‘to write back’ means to reply.

* I sent him a letter but he didn’t write back.
* I wrote back saying that we would be happy to accept their invitation.

‘to write down’ means to record something on paper.

* So I don’t forget, can you write that down, please?
* I wrote down his phone number on a piece of paper but I can’t find it now.

‘to write in’ to an organisation means to send a letter to them.

* To give us your comments on today’s show, write in to the usual address.
* The first one hundred people who write in will receive a free copy.

‘to write off’ means that you decide someone or something is unimportant or not to be considered further.

* Children who are not academic are often written off by schools instead of being helped.
* Most companies write off any employee over fifty-five as they assume they are profitable.

‘to write off’ a car means to crash it so that it cannot be repaired.

* She has had only one accident but she did write the car off.
* There really isn’t much damage to the car. It won’t be written off by the insurance.

‘to write off’ a debt means to cancel it.

* The rich countries in the West should write off the debts of the Third World.
* We had to write off quite a lot of bad debts at the end of the year.

‘to write out’ means to note all the necessary information on a cheque or prescription.

* Can you write me out a receipt for my accounts, please?
* The doctor wrote out a prescription for the drugs and handed it to me.

‘to write up’ your notes means to record them on paper in a neat form.

* After every class, I always write up my notes straight away.
* She wrote up the minutes of the meeting and distributed them the next day.

‘to write up’ means to note something on a notice or board on a wall.

* The teacher wrote her name up on the board.
* If you want to join, just write your name up on the notice board.

Exercises:

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

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

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

Pearson Brown English Lesson - Phrasal Verb "work"

These exercises look at the verb ‘to work’ combined with particles. Here are some of the most common:

‘to work against’ means to cause problems for someone or something, make it harder to achieve.

* When you are applying for a job, age often works against you.
* Their image works against them. They need to change it if they are going to succeed.

‘to work away at ‘ means to continue working hard at something for a long time.

* When I got back to the office, he was still working away at his report.
* He’s been working away at it all afternoon but you can’t really see what he has achieved.

‘to work around’ something means that you find a way of organizing an activity avoiding any problems.

* We can’t change it. We’ll just have to work around it.
* The deadlines are very short but I’m sure you can find a way to work around them.

‘to work off’ means to overcome the effects of something by doing something energetic or different.

* I feel totally stressed. I’m going to go work it off at the gym.
* We ate too much at lunch so we went out into the garden to work it off.

‘to work on’ something means you spend time and effort trying to perfect it.

* In training, he’s been working on improving the weak parts of his game.
* I’ve been working on my level of fitness before I go on this walking holiday.

‘to work out’ means to calculate the solution to a mathematical problem.

* I’ve never been very good at maths. I couldn’t work out the rate per week.
* The bill is $98, so who can work out how much each of us must pay?

‘to work out’ also means to think carefully to find a solution to a problem.

* We don’t want a strike. I hope that someone can work out a way to avoid it.
* Nobody has worked out a solution to this problem. We are still spending too much.

‘to work out’ also means to do physical exercise to improve your fitness.

* He runs at the weekend and works out twice a week in the gym.
* I worked out a lot when I was younger but now I prefer easier exercise like walking!

‘to work yourself up’ means to make yourself angry or anxious about something.

* It’s not very important. Don’t get so worked up about it!
* He got very worked up about the interview. He really wanted the job and got very stressed about it.

‘to work up to’ something means to gradually do more of something until you reach a certain level.

* He started training with small weights and worked up to 100 kilos.
* You should start by doing a few minutes exercise and work up to half an hour a day.

Exercises:

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

Pearson Brown English Lesson - Phrasal Verb "walk"

These exercises look at the verb ‘to walk’ combined with particles. Here are some of the most common:

‘to walk away’ means to leave an unpleasant situation that is difficult to deal with.

* You are responsible for this. You can’t just walk away.
* Don’t get involved in an argument. Just walk away.

‘to walk in on’ means to enter a room when someone is doing something private or personal.

* They were whispering. I think I walked in on a private conversation.
* He walked in on me when I was getting changed in my office.

‘to walk into’ means to unexpectedly get involved in something, usually unpleasant.

* I really didn’t see this coming. I just walked straight into it.
* I didn’t realise I was just walking into a trap. He planned it beautifully.

‘to walk into’ can also mean to get a job very easily.

* After university, he just walked into a very good job in the bank.
* Thanks to her father and his connections, she walked into a very well paid job.

‘to walk something off’ means to go for a walk to stop having unpleasant or angry feelings.

* The best thing to do was to go out and walk off my bad mood.
* I had a terrible headache but managed to walk it off.

‘to walk off with’ means to take something without permission or without paying for it.

* When they evacuated the shop, customers walked off with lots of things.
* Kate has just walked off with my sweater and new boots. She’s always doing that.

‘to walk out’ means to leave a meeting or performance before the end to show displeasure.

* He just walked out half way through and left us sitting there.
* Some of the audience walked out during the play, they weren’t enjoying it at all.

‘to walk out’ can also mean workers suddenly go on strike.

* All the technicians in production walked out in support of their pay claim.
* The drivers walked out when they heard that one of them had been sacked.

‘to walk out on’ means to leave someone you have a close relationship with.

* His girlfriend walked out on him after a big argument about money.
* My father walked out on us when I was very young.

‘to walk over’ means to treat someone very badly, especially by telling you what to do all the time.

* He just walks all over her. He does just as he pleases.
* He lets her walk all over him. He never says no to her.

Exercises:

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

Chinese New Year 2011

The night before CNY, as my family members were sitting around the table having great time over the reunion dinner; I sat demurely in my office,patiently waiting for the next student to ring on my door bell.

For some instance, I do regret for not being able to join them.
(Na, the older you are, the more you are burdened with those so-called "responsibilities"!)
However, the presents and messages that I recieved from my family and friends have consoled me and warmed my heart.
Even though I am physically and geographically apart from them, but they never ever forget my existaece.
It is a mercy to be remembered and to be blessed with all of the good words which sent from the bottom of their hearts.

If I am allowed to make a wish during this special occasion, I sincerely wish all of my family members and friends stay healthy and be positive.
Without health, we are just like birds without wings, no matter how beautiful and amazing the world and the preople are, we wouldn't happen to experience them, to learn them, to know them.

My (chinese)new year resolution, hehe:
~ live a happy and healthy life;
~ work hard (and earn more money of course);
~ to be more optimistic and take problems easily;
~ improve and brush up my german and english!