Multi-word verbs first term test

U1 and U2

to go to the place that someone is leaving from in order to say goodbye to them

see off

to realize that someone is trying to deceive you to get an advantage, or that someone's behaviour is intended to deceive you, and to understand the truth about the situation.

see through sb/sth

EXAMPLE: She saw through his excuse at once.

to actively guide a vehicle in a different direction, or more commonly, to avoid a specific person, situation, or topic.

steer away from/into

EXAMPLE: I had to steer away from the car that suddenly braked.

I always try to steer away from gossip at the office. (Staying away from something potentially difficult, dangerous, or unpleasant).

She steered the meeting away from budget cuts and toward team building.(Gently directing a discussion toward a different topic).

to direct all attention towards, focus on a specific objective, goal, etc.

to hone towards

EXAMPLE: She honed her skills toward a career in design.

I should hone my talents toward account management.

(hone + sth.+ toward(s) + goal).

to continue doing a job or activity until it is finished, especially when it is difficult.

see sth through

EXAMPLE: The degree would take me three years to complete, but I was determined to see it through.

to deal with or take care of with something

see to

EXAMPLE: Will you see to the arrangements for the next meeting?

to prepare for or deal with an action or event, or to arrange for something to be done.

see about

EXAMPLE: It's getting late - I'd better see about lunch.

(+ing) You should see about getting your hair cut.

to go to the door of a building or room with someone who does not live or work there, when they are leaving.

see ab out

EXAMPLE: My secretary will see you out.

to examine the facts about a problem or situation/to investigate or research.

look into sth

EXAMPLE: We're looking into the possibility of merging the two departments.

to ignore somebody by pretending not to see them/to read something quickly.

look through sth/sb

EXAMPLE: I've looked through some catalogues.

She just looked straight through me.

to try to find a piece of information by looking in a book or on a computer.

look sth up

EXAMPLE: (look something up in something) If you don't know what the word means, look it up in a dictionary.

to admire or respect somebody

look up to

EXAMPLE: I really look up to my older sister because she works hard and helps everyone.

to think about something that happened in the past.

look back

EXAMPLE: (look back on) It wasn't such a bad experience when I look back on it.

When I look back I can see where we went wrong.

to think that you are better than someone.

look down on sb/sth

EXAMPLE: She looks down on people who haven't been to college.

to visit a place or building, walking around it to see what is there

look around

EXAMPLE: Let's look around the town this afternoon.

to depend on, expect help from, or seek guidance/support from someone or something.

look to sth/look to sb for sth

EXAMPLE: Many students look to their teachers for guidance.

The company is looking to investors for funding.

to quickly examine something.

look over

EXAMPLE: I had a few minutes before the meeting to look over what he'd written.

to leave quietly and secretly, usually without being noticed.

sneak away

EXAMPLE: The child sneaked away while the parents were talking.

to move toward a person or animal without being noticed, often to surprise them.

sneak up on

EXAMPLE: While I was reading, my little brother snuck up on me from behind and scared me.

to enter a place secretly, quietly, or without permission, usually trying not to be noticed.

sneak into

EXAMPLE: (+place/event/building) The teenagers snuck into the concert without buying tickets.

to like someone and be friendly to them.

get along/on with

to separate it from other things or people (so that they cannot go there).

to be closed off

EXAMPLE: The old guard of leaders are closed off behind walls built of yesterday's ideology.

to talk or complain about something many times

to keep talking about something in a boring or annoying way

harp on (about)/drop on

EXAMPLE: I know you want to go to Paris. Don't keep harping on (about it)!

Don’t keep harping on about my age!

to change gradually into another sort of person or thing.

morph into

EXAMPLE: When someone brings up politics at a party, a casual conversation can quickly morph into an ugly argument.

Even the most well-behaved kids can morph into monsters when they get overtired.

to become less common and finally stop existing.

to stop existing.

die out

EXAMPLE: Dinosaurs died out millions of years ago.

This species has nearly died out because its habitat is being destroyed.

if a group of plants, animals, or people dies off, all of that group dies over a period of time.

to die one after the other until there are none left.

die off

EXAMPLE: The veterans of World War II are now old and gradually dying off.

The reindeer herds are slowly dying off.

to stop something bad from happening, or to keep an unwanted situation or person away, usually temporarily.

to prevent something bad from affecting you for a period of time; to delay something.

stave (sh sb) off ←→

EXAMPLE: We were hoping to stave off these difficult decisions until September.

The company managed to stave off bankruptcy for another few months.

collocations: to stave off hunger

to write something on a piece of paper so that you do not forget it.

write down

EXAMPLE: Write down the address before you forget it.

to give or teach something to your children or people younger than you, who will then give or teach it to those who live after them, and so on.

to teach or give something to someone who will be alive after you have died.

pass sth down ←→

EXAMPLE: His is a family trade, passed down from generation to generation.

grammar: be passed down from something to something.

to fill an amount of space or time.

take up (space)

EXAMPLE: This desk takes up too much room.

grammar: be taken up with Too much of this report is taken up with out-of-date numbers.

to mention a subject or start to talk about it.

bring sth up ←→

EXAMPLE: Bring it up at the meeting.

to introduce something so that it can be seen or discussed.

bring forward sth ←→

EXAMPLE: The police brought forward some new evidence in the case.

to cause something to happen.

bring about sth ←—>

EXAMPLE: He brought about his company's collapse by his reckless spending.

to cause a quality to become noticeable

​to make something appear.

bring out sth ←—→

EXAMPLE: A crisis brings out the best in her

The great news is that the band, who had taken an 8-year hiatus, have announced that they will bring out a new album next July.

to become fashionable or popular.

catch on

EXAMPLE: I wonder if the game will ever catch on with young people?

to finally agree to something that someone wants after first refusing.

to accept that you have been defeated and stop arguing or fighting.

give in (to sth)

EXAMPLE: If you want them to give in you'll have to offer them more than that.

After months of resisting the takeover, the company was forced by its shareholders to give in.

to give something to each person in a group or place.

hand out sth ←—→

EXAMPLE: The teacher asked her to hand out the worksheets.

to make someone fully understand the importance or value of sth.

impress upon

EXAMPLE: Schools try to impress upon students the importance of learning.

grammar: impress upon someone the need/importance//impress upon sn that…

MWV vt

to be severly criticized for sth you have done.

come under fire

EXAMPLE: The government has come under fire for its decisions to close the local hospital.

grammar: often followed by FOR (doing) sth

collocations: come under heavy/intense fire.

to blame someone for sth, often unfairly or when the didn’t do it.

pin sth to/on sb

EXAMPLE: Mainstream media tends tovilify vocal fry, pinning it to young women.

to make somebody remember something or think about it again.

bring back

EXAMPLE: There are a lot of things that bring back memories of her father.

to succeed in doing something difficult.

bring off

EXAMPLE: It was an important event, and she's managed to bring it off wonderfully.

to persuade someone to have the same opinion as you have.

bring about

EXAMPLE: At first they refused but I managed to bring them around to my way of thinking.

to suddenly attack someone or something physically or criticize him, her, or it in an angry way.

lash out (at sth)

EXAMPLE: Why's Tina in such a bad mood? She really lashed out at me when I was late for work.

to act a part in a real situation.

act out

EXAMPLE: She acted out the role of the wronged lover.

to treat someone badly because you are upset or angry, even if they have done nothing wrong.

take sth out on someone

EXAMPLE: I know you've had a bad day, but you don't have to take it out on me!

to tell someone in authority that the person has done something bad or wrong.

to snitch on

EXAMPLE: She felt like a fifth-grader who had snitched on a classmate.