Look – phrasal verb

Look after – take care of

She looked after her little brother when their mother was in hospital.

Look at – examine something carefully

I’m going to look at that problem as soon as possible.

Look back on – think about something in the past

I often look back on my last holiday at the seaside.

Look for – search for something

He’s looking for a new flat to move into at the moment.

Look forward to – to be exited about something

They’re looking forward to their holiday in Kenya.

Look in (on somebody) – a short visit to a person’s home

You have to go and look in on your grandmother tomorrow.

Look into – examine a problem

He’ll look into it when he gets back from the business trip.

Look on – watch something without becoming involved

The people looked on in shock as the car swerved and hit the lamppost.

Look out – try to avoid danger

Look out for the oncoming traffic when crossing the road.

Look over – examine something to see how good it is

We looked the car over thoroughly before we bought it.

Look through somebody – ignore a person by pretending not seeing him/her

She just looked through me as I was approaching her on the street.

Look up – raise your eyes when looking down

We all looked up from our textbooks when she entered the room.

Look up to somebody – admire/respect somebody

I have always looked up to my older brother.

Keep – phrasal verb

Keep back – stay at a distance from

The onlookers kept back from the fire.

Keep back – make somebody to stay at a distance

The barriers and riot police kept protesters back from the politician.

Keep back – restrain a feeling/emotion

She couldn’t keep back the tears when she set her eyes on the cadaver.

Keep down – oppress

The people of Eastern Europe were kept down by communists for years.

Keep down – make something stay at a low level

We always try to keep the noise down when coming home after midnight.

Keep off – prevent from coming near

Visitors should keep off the grass.

Keep off – avoid something

I’m keeping off fatty food to lower my cholesterol level.

Keep off – avoid mentioning a subject

It is advisable to keep off politics in the pub.

Keep on – continue

Keep on until you come to the traffic lights.

Keep somebody on – continue to employ

He was kept on despite his errors.

Keep on about something – talk at length about a particular subject

She always keeps on about her new boyfriend.

Keep out – prevent from entering

Our gate is always locked to keep unwelcome visitors out.

Keep out of – avoid something

Try to keep out of trouble for a day, please.

Keep up – make stay at a high level

Distributors always try to keep the petrol price up as long as possible.

Keep up – continue at the same level

Keep up the good work.

Keep up – maintain something in a good condition (house,garden)

It’s very time-consuming to keep the garden up.

Keep up with – make the same rate of progress

I couldn’t keep up with the rest of the pack and fell behind.

Keep up with – continue to be in touch with

He doesn’t keep up with many college friends.

It’s difficult to keep up with all the news from around the world.

Keep away from – avoid going near

Keep away from the edge of the cliff when walking on the coast. It can be very treacherous.

© www.swotting.eu

Check – phrasal verb

Check in – to tell the official that you’ve arrived (at hotel, airport and such)

The passengers must check in 2 hours before the scheduled departure of the flight.

Check out – pay the bill in the hotel and leave

The guests are required to check out by 10am.

Check out – to be found to be true after examination

The police found that her story didn’t check out.

Check over – to examine something carefully

Check over you essay for mistakes before you hand it in.

Check up on – to find out that something is true or correct

The police checked up on my version of events.

Check up on somebody – make sure that the person is doing what he/she should

He’s gone to check up on his subordinates.

Get – phrasal verb

Get across – to be understood

His ideas didn’t get across to the rest of his team.

Get along with – be friends with somebody

I don’t get along with that new guy in our office.

Get around – move from place to place, person to person

The bad news always get around very quickly.

Get at – learn or find out something

It can be difficult to get at information about public servants pay.

Get at – keep criticising somebody

My older sister is getting at me all the time. It’s really annoying.

Get away from – run away from

They managed to get away from the burning house just in time.

Get away with – steal and escape with

The robbers got away with £1.5 million in cash.

Get away with – receive a light punishment for a crime

She got away with just a rebuke for her truancy.

Get back – return home

What time did you get back from the pub last night?

Get by (on/in/with) – manage to live using what you’ve got

I’m earning just enough to get by.

I can get by in English. (= my English is good enough to speak and understand)

Get down – write down

Did you manage to get his phone number down?

Get down to – begin to do something

I haven’t got down to fixing my bicycle yet.

Get in/into – arrive at a place

What time did you get in last night?

We got into London just before midnight.

Get off – step from a bus/plane/train/ship

We got off at Paddington station.

Get on – ask how well you do at something

How is she getting on at her new school?

Get on – step on a bus/plane/train/ship

He got on a train at Reading.

Get on with – be friends

How do you get on with your colleagues?

Get out – become known

This information should never get out.

Get out – publish or produce

She would like to get her new book out for Christmas.

Get out of – leave a place

We got out of the plane at 5.20pm.

Get out of – avoid responsibility or duty

He is always trying to get out of his promises.

Get over – overcome something

It took me a while to get over the break-up with my girlfriend.

Get around something – deal with a problem successfully; to overcome

They’re going to get around the problem successfully, don’t you worry.

Get a/round to – find the time to do something

He hasn’t got round to cutting the grass yet.

Get through – use up a lot of resources/money/etc.

We and our friends got through all the red wine in the house last night.

Get together – meet socially or to discuss something

They are getting together on Friday evening for a quick drink after work.

Get up – stand up after sitting down/lying; to rise

What time did you get up this morning?

Get up to – reach a particular point

He got up to page 9 and got bored with the book.

Get up to – be busy with something (usually unpleasant or surprising)

I didn’t get up to much last weekend. I was just hanging about.

Fall – phrasal verb

Fall behind – fail to keep level with

After running 3 miles he started to fall behind the rest of the group.

Fall for – to be tricked into believing a lie

I can’t believe she has fallen for this blatant lie.

Fall in with – to agree to something

We all fell in with his proposals.

Fall out with somebody – have an argument and no longer be friends

I fell out with him over his opinions on politics.

Fall through – to fail to happen

Their holiday plans fell through because of money.

Fall back on – to go to someone for help, to have resources when in trouble

I have some money in the bank to fall back on when the times are tough.

Come – phrasal verb

Come across – to be understood

His message didn’t come across. (= We didn’t understand it)

Come across – make an impression

He comes across as a rude person.

Come across – meet or find by chance

I came across this old book in the loft the other day and I found it very interesting.

Come down – break and fall to the ground

The building came down with a loud bang.

Come down to – able to be explained by a single important point

As always, it all comes down to money, or rather the lack of it.

Come down with – get an illness

She came down with flu last week.

Come forward – offer help, service, etc.

Police have asked for witnesses to come forward with information.

Come off – able to be removed

The hood on this jumper can’t come off.

Come off – fall from a bike/horse

She came off a horse last weekend and was taken to hospital.

Come on – to start (about TV)

The show will come on at 8pm on BBC 1.

Come on – join a team during a game (football, rugby, cricket, etc.)

The fresh striker came on right after the break.

Come out – appear

The sun came out after two days of raining.

Come out – become known (about a piece of news/information)

The story of phone-hacking came out last week.

Come round – regain consciousness

When he faints, make him comfortable and wait for him to come round.

Come round – happen again (birthday, wedding anniversary, etc.)

Her birthday doesn’t come round till next week so I’ve got plenty of time to get her a present.

Come up – event happening very soon

The insurance is coming up next month for a renewal.

Come up – to happen

Something urgent has come up and I can’t go to the party tonight.

Come up against – to be faced with / opposed by

The plan came up against a lot of opposition from the residents.

Call – phrasal verb

Call for – to need something

They called for help.

Call for – publicly demand something

The media has called for the minister to resign.

Call in – telephone a place, esp. where you work

He’s called in sick today.

Call off – to cancel

The unions have called off the 24-hour strike.

Call on/upon somebody – ask/demand that someone does something

I call on you to sort out this mess.

Call somebody out – ask someone to come in an emergency

We called out a plumber on Saturday afternoon.

Break – phrasal verb

Break down – stop working because of a fault

Our car broke down on the way to the airport.

Break down – lose control of feelings and start crying

She broke down and cried after hearing the news.

Break in – enter a building by force (burglary)

Someone broke in while we were at work.

Break off – separate something using force

She broke off a piece of chocolate and gave it to me.

Break out – start suddenly (usually about something bad)

She had escaped just before the fighting broke out.

Break out of – escape from prison

Two men have broken out of local prison last night.

Break up – separate into smaller pieces

The cup broke up when hitting the floor.

Break up – split (relationship, marriage)

They broke up after 3 years of dating.

© www.swotting.eu

Question tags

Question tags – advanced use

The question tag for I am is ‚aren’t I‚

I am here, aren’t I?

After a negative word, a positive question tag follows

You never go to the gym, do you?

It’s no good asking him for favours, is it?

Nobody came to the exhibition, did they?

They’ll never find out, will they?

Requests (negative statements + qt) to ask for help or information

You couldn’t lend me £5, could you?

You wouldn’t know the time, would you?

She couldn’t come home later, could she?

You haven’t seen my coat, have you?

After ‚Let’s‘ we use ‚shall we‘

Let’s go to the cinema tonight, shall we?

Let’s have a party, shall we?

Imperatives

Using ‚won’t you‘ is a polite way to ask others to do things (esp. in British English)

Close the door, won’t you?

Pass me a teapot, won’t you?

Using ‚will you‘, ‚can you‘, ‚would you‘ is to tell or ask people to do things

Shut up, will you?

Pass me a glass, can you?

Call me soon, would you?

Using ‚can’t‘ show impatience

Stop droning on about it, can’t you?

Get on with your jobs, can’t you?

Do what you’re told, can’t you?

After a negative imperative, we use ‚will you‘

Don’t call me before 10am, will you?

Never mention my ex-wife again, will you?

Don’t throw your clothes on the floor, will you?

There can be a subject in question tags

There were many people in the shops on Saturday, weren’t there?

There isn’t a problem with your annual leave, is there?

There are a few barbers in the city centre, aren’t there?

There was a glitch in the software, wasn’t there?

Using ‚it‘ after nothing and everything

Nothing seems to be going right today, does it?

Everything is in perfect order, isn’t it?

Using ‚they‘ after nobody, somebody and everybody

Nobody was interested in his pompous speech, were they?

Somebody asked him to shut up, didn’t they?

Everybody was relieved when he left the stage, weren’t they?

Same-way question tags

We use these with positive statements to show our interest, surprise, concern etc.

We also use these to confirm that our information is correct.

She thinks it’s OK not to respect her teachers, is she? ( a matter for concern)

He thinks he’s a very funny guy, is he? (but he is not)

You’re getting married next month, are you? (showing surprise after hearing the news)

He bought a new car last week, did he? (I think he did)

You are going to Prague for a long weekend, are you? (because I heard you talking about booking a ticket soon)

Structure ‚I’ll….., shall I?‘ is used to make offers

I’ll call you tomorrow, shall I?

I’ll get you your drink, shall I?

Do/Make test

Do and Make test

Complete the sentences with ‚Do‘ and ‚Make‘ in the correct tense.

1) Can you go and ……….. some tea, please?

2) How did she ………… in the Maths exam?

3) She didn’t …………. very well, unfortunately.

4) She ……….. some silly mistakes.

5) Go and …………. your homework now, please.

6) He …………….a small fortune on the stock exchange.

7) We need to go and ……………….. some shopping for the weekend.

8) Did they ……………….a profit or loss last year?

9) Who ……………. your hair? It looks great!

10) What subjects would you like to …………………. at university?

11) Have you ……………. an appointment to the dentist yet?

12) No, I haven’t. I couldn’t ………… a phone call all day.

13) He forgot to ………… the bed this morning.

14) After the dinner, I’ll go and ……….. the dishes.

15) What do they ..……. for a living?

16) Do you ………. any sports?

17) Can you stop ……… such a noise, please?

18) We’re trying to ………. some work here.

19) Their kids have ……… a lot of mess in the bathroom.

20) Sit down, open your notebooks and start ………. notes.

21) I didn’t need to buy it but they ……….. me an offer I couldn’t resist.

22) Smoking ……… harm to your health.

23) Stop ……. excuses and tell me the truth.

24) She should ……….. her job with more diligence.

25) What do you ……….. of it? (Can you understand it?)

Results:

1) Can you go and make some tea, please?

2) How did she do in the Maths exam?

3) She didn’t do very well, unfortunately.

4) She made some silly mistakes.

5) Go and do your homework now, please.

6) He made a small fortune on the stock exchange.

7) We need to go and do some shopping for the weekend.

8) Did they make a profit or loss last year?

9) Who did your hair? It looks great!

10) What subjects would you like to do at university?

11) Have you made an appointment to the dentist yet?

12) No, I haven’t. I couldn’t make a phone call all day.

13) He forgot to make the bed this morning.

14) After the dinner, I’ll go and do the dishes.

15) What do they do for a living?

16) Do you do any sports?

17) Can you stop making such a noise, please?

18) We’re trying to do some work here.

19) Their kids have made a lot of mess in the bathroom.

20) Sit down, open your notebooks and start making notes.

21) I didn’t need to buy it but they made me an offer I couldn’t resist.

22) Smoking does harm to your health.

23) Stop making excuses and tell me the truth.

24) She should do her job with more diligence.

25) What do you make of it? (Can you understand it?)