PHRASAL VERBS

(á la ETC International College)

Number the following meanings on the right according to which phrasal verbs and idioms they refer to.

Example :

1. turn down		when you compensate for something (often bad) that you did or something that you didn’t do
2. make up for sth.		reject (for example, reject a candidate after an interview for a job)

Activity 1

1. get away		enter a house/apartment, etc illegally (normally with force)
2. break in(to)		escape
3. put away		change channel on a television ( for example, from BBC1 to Channel 4)
4. see off		make a person happy who was feeling sad before
5. set off		remove money from an account
6. break down		put / deposit money in an account
7. put up		pay money back (from a loan, mortgage, etc.)
8. take off		disconnect something from electrical power (when you don't want to use it, and often by pressing a button)
9. head for		not make a profit or a loss (in business, etc.)
10. take out		when a doctor gives you a certificate saying that you can't work because you're ill
11. pay in(to)		recover from an illness / disease (feel better)
12. pay off		connect something to electrical power so that you can use it (often by pressing a button)
13. break even		put somebody in prison
14. go down with		go to a place (airport, the front door, etc.) to say goodbye to somebody
15. sign off		leave on a journey (for a holiday, to work, etc.)
16. get over		when an aeroplane leaves the ground
17. pass away		go in the direction of a place
18. turn on		finish eating
19. turn off		when a car (lorry, etc) stops and doesn't work because of a problem with the engine, etc
20. turn over		let somebody stay in your house and sleep (normally for free)
21. call out		catch / get an illness
22. get on (well with)		die (you use this when you want to be polite and not upset people)
23. fall out (with)		when something (sugar, money, petrol, etc.) finishes and you don't have anything left
24. break up (with)		when you carry on to the end of a difficult situation (often after you have nearly given up)
25. make up (with)		use something (coffee, sugar, paper, etc.) in little amounts because you want to make it last longer
26. get over		you say this when you offer to buy something for somebody (a glass of wine, a bar of chocolate, etc.)
27. win over		when you pay the bill at the end of your stay in a hotel
28. see eye to eye		make trousers smaller / tighter round the waist, by sewing, because they are too big for you
29. break down		unfairly get angry with somebody because you have already been angry about something else (which often has nothing to do with that person)
30. cheer up		remove clothes, accessories, make up, etc. from your body
31. (not/never) live down		ask a plumber/electrician/doctor/mechanic, etc. (normally by telephoning) to come and solve a problem for you
32. put on		when you have an argument with a relative/friend/colleague/ your husband/wife, etc. and after that, the relationship is bad
33. take off		when relatives/friends/colleagues/a girlfriend and boyfriend/ a husband and wife talk after an argument, fight, etc. and make the relationship better
34. take up		when somebody doesn't trust, agree with or have confidence in you but (by talking or with your actions, but not by force) you get their trust/confidence or get them to agree with you
35. take in		agree with or have a good relationship with somebody
36. try on		start crying (normally intensely, with many tears)
37. have your hands full		have a good relationship with somebody
38. get out of doing something		feel better after a break-up, divorce, etc.
39. sort out		when you end the relationship with your girlfriend/boyfriend/ wife or husband
40. take over		when something embarrassing happens to you and, after a (normally long) time, you still feel embarrassed and people still talk about it
41. go off		start wearing something (clothes, accessories, make-up, etc.)
42. eat up		make trouser legs shorter, by sewing, because they are too long
43. throw up		put clothes, accessories, etc on your body to see if you like them or to see if they fit, and therefore to see if you want to buy / wear them
44. under the weather		put something in the correct order / solve a problem
45. pick up		when you are very busy and you can't do anything else because of this
46. check out (of)		replace a person and do the job that they were doing
47. chat up		make somebody feel bad or sad (especially when they were feeling happy, proud, etc. before) by, for example, making a joke or criticising them
48. be/get held up		when you have said that you're going to do something (like buy a house, help somebody, play in a team, etc.) and then you say that you're not going to do it
49. blow your top		when you do or say something (normally deliberately) so that you don't have to do an action (like go to a meeting, write a report, etc.)
50. fall for		when food becomes bad (for example, when bread starts becoming green)
51. give sb. the go-ahead		when you vomit (because your stomach is bad) (informal)
52. in the red		when you are ill (but not seriously)
53. it?s on me		when somebody goes and collects you in a car, taxi, etc.
54. sponge off sb.		talk to somebody (who you've normally met for the first time), showing interest in them because you find them attractive
55. eke out		when you are late for something / get late to a place because of transport problems, because somebody talks to you, etc.
56. square up		when you get very, very angry
57. see through sb.		when somebody official (national/local government, your boss, etc.) gives a person permission to do something
58. run out (of)		when you start loving somebody because you feel very attracted to them
59. see sth. through		when you have a minus amount of money in the bank (for example, you have £100 in your account and you take out £200)
60. take it out on sb.		when you give somebody money and pay a bill: for example, a restaurant/hotel bill, school fees, etc. (informal)
61. pass out		when somebody pays things for you or gives you things and you deliberately do not give them anything or any money in return, and the other person is normally annoyed (this is normally a habit)
62. put down		notice/realise that somebody has deceived you (for example, has lied or cheated)
63. look up to		have a low opinion of somebody (for example, because of their job, the way they speak, the place they come from, their social class, etc.)
64. look down on		admire somebody (when you see somebody as a good example to you or you see them as a person who you can learn from)
65. back out		faint/lose consciousness

Activity 2 | Activity 3

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