PDL — Phrasal verbs n°1 — L1 S1

be on/off

1. taking place or not: The deal is on/off.

2. operating or not (electrical): The TV is on/off.

be over

finished: The concert has been over for an hour but my ears still hurt.

blow sg up

make sg explode: The hijackers threatened to blow the plane up.

bring sg forward

change to an earlier date: Could we bring the meeting forward to Tuesday?

break down

1. stop working: My car’s broken down.

2. lose emotional control: He broke down and cried.

calm down

stop being angry/emotional: Calm down! I said I was sorry, didn’t I?

calm down

stop being angry/emotional: Calm down! I said I was sorry, didn’t I?

call sg off

cancel: No one could come on Tuesday so they have called the meeting off.

calm down

stop being angry/emotional: Calm down! I said I was sorry, didn’t I?

catch up

get to the same level as others: I know I’ve missed some classes, but I’ll soon catch up.

check in

register (hotel, airport): Once you’ve checked in you may proceed to the departure lounge.

cheer up

become happier: Don’t be sad! Cheer up! This is meant to be a party!

clear sg up

make sg tidy again: Having a party is a lot of fun… but not clearing things up afterwards.

come up with sg

have an idea: Ted’s still poor despite coming up with numerous “get-rich-quick” schemes.

cut down

reduce something negative: That’s your third cigarette! You should try cutting down.

cut so off

disconnect a phone call: Hello…? Yes, I was speaking a minute ago but I got cut off.

end up/doing sg

eventually do or be: I wanted to work abroad but I ended up here./ended up staying here.

fall out/with so

no longer be friends: We fell out./I fell out with her when she stole my boyfriend.

fill sg in

complete (a form): Here’s the application form - please use a black pen to fill it in.

find out/sg out

discover (information): Who’s the killer? You’ll find out later on./find out who it is later on.

get on/with

1. be friends: Sue and I get on./I get on with Sue.

2. progress: How are you getting on?/with it ?

get through

contact by phone (difficulty): I’ve been trying to call for ages but I can’t get through.

give in

end hard mental, physical effort: OK I give in. If I can’t guess you’ll have to tell me.

give up/up+ing

abandon, stop an activity: Try! Don’t give up!/You’d feel better if you gave up smoking.

go ahead

proceed: -Have you got a pen to write this down ? -Yes. Go ahead.

go down/up

increase/decrease: Our sales have gone up/down drastically since we changed the packaging.

go off

explode, cause a sudden noise: A bomb has gone off in the centre of Baghdad.

grow up

become adult: Children grow up so fast these days.

hang around

stay in one place without activity: I don’t like those punks hanging around outside my shop.

hang up

end a phone call: Listen, I’d better hang up. The taxi’s just arrived and I’ve got to go.

hold on = hang on

wait a moment: Hold on! Not so fast!

hold sg up

delay: The traffic was held up for ages because of the accident.

lay so off

make so unemployed: The firm has laid off three hundred workers in order to cut costs.

look sg up

find information in a book: If there are any new words, look them up in a dictionary.

make sg out

see or hear (difficulty): The words were typed so small that I couldn’t make them out.

make sg up

invent (story, lie): He said he was captured by space aliens, but I think he’s making it up.

pick so up / drop so off

collect/deposit by car: Could you pick me up in town and then drop me off later on ?

plug sg in

connect to the electricity supply: When I plugged it in nothing happened. It must be broken.

put sg away

put an object in its proper place: This room’s a mess! The kids never put their toys away.

put sg forward

make a proposal: The consultants put forward some new ideas for the business.

put sg off

change to a later date: No one is ready, so we’re putting the presentation off until next week.

put sg on/take sg off

apply/remove make-up, clothes: Take your jeans off and put something smarter on.

put so through

connect (telephone switchboard): Hello, could you put me through to the sales?

put up with sg

tolerate: He’s so annoying. How do you put up with his childish behaviour?

run out/of sg

no longer have a supply of sg: Why’s the car stopped? Oh no! We’ve run out of petrol!

set sg up

organise or establish (equipment, project): We’re setting up a new call centre in Bombay.

speak up

speak louder: Could you speak up? I can’t hear you very well.

split up

no longer be romantically linked: According to Voice, Isabelle and Jean-Michel have split up!

stand for

represent (initial letters, acronym): WTO stands for the World Trade Organisation.

switch sg on/off

start/stop electrical equipment: You can use the remote control to switch it on or off.

take so on

recruit: Ski resorts often take on extra staff for the busy winter season.

take off

1. leave (plane): It crashed just after taking off.

2. improve greatly: Sales have really taken off.

take sg over

gain control over (company): The firm was taken over by a group of Japanese investors.

throw sg out

get rid of sg: His flat was much tidier once we’d thrown all the rubbish out.

try sg on

put on clothes to check style, size: I’ve tried four different dresses on but I still can’t choose.

turn sg down

reject: The boss turned down his request to work part-time.

turn into sg

transform: He’s very timid but after a few drinks he turns into a real party animal.

turn sg out

manufacture: Their new factory can turn out four hundred bicycles a day.

turn sg up/down

increase/decrease volume: Turn that bloody music down! It’s two in the morning!

work sg out

solve a problem: This puzzle is easy to work out if you are good at maths.