An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'make up' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context. Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them. This article is all about the phrasal verb 'make up', which is definitely one that you will have come across before as it is super common. It may be that you are already familiar with one or more of its different meanings, however in this post we will look at all of them, including inventing stories, making a decision and applying cosmetics. So, without further do, let's get started. TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to one) Make Up - The Basics: Key information and the words 'make' and 'up' Make Up - Meaning 1: To make peace after an argument Make Up - Meaning 2: To invent a story or information Make Up - Bonus: Some well known expressions featuring 'make up' Make Up - Meaning 3: To constitute a whole Make Up - Meaning 4: To compensate for something Make Up - Bonus: To make it up to someone Make Up - Meaning 5: To prepare something from ingredients or parts Make Up - Meaning 6: To apply cosmetics Make Up - Meaning 7: To decide Make Up - Bonus: I'm really made up for you I love writing this blog and helping learners but I get very little feedback as to how useful it is and if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I would be most grateful. Thank you! 😊 James Photo: Pexels THE BASICS MAKE UP: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 7 Past tense forms Made up / Made Up Separable? Sometimes The phrasal verb 'make up' is formed of the verb 'to make' and the prepositional particle 'up' and before we explore its different meanings, let's first take a look at these individual words to understand their meanings. The verb 'to make' is a very common verb and is often confused by English learners with the verb 'to do' as the two are quite similar and can often be translated into other languages as the same word. While both verbs have numerous applications in English, 'to make' primarily conveys the concept of creation and production, whereas 'to do' typically involves performing an action. This concept of 'to make' will be useful to keep in mind when we look at the different uses of 'make up' shortly. We are going to make a cake today. John made a lot of noise when he got home last night and woke his wife. Have the children made a mess in the living room? Next we have the prepositional particle 'up', which is typically used to denote a movement in the direction away from the ground or towards the sky ↑ or an increase of some sort. When used in phrasal verb constructions, 'up' can many different ideas or meanings, including completion, improvement, preparation and appearance among other things. When we combine these words, there is no literal meaning whatsoever, so let's now just move straight on to the different figurative meanings of 'make up'.... MEANING 1: To make peace after an argument Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To reconcile, to make peace, to patch things up Separable? No Let's start off the meanings of 'make up' with some positive vibes. For this first application, we are going to need the additional preposition 'with' and the reason for this is that the construction 'to make up with someone' means to reconcile or become friends with them again following an argument or disagreement. 'Make up' is not just limited to friendships though, and is equally used to talk about romantic couples who have disagreements and / or break up and then make peace again afterwards. You should note that the use of this meaning is, however, limited to personal relationships where people's emotions are at play and is not really used to describe business or professional relationships. All John and Helen seem to do is break up and then make up the next day. I wish you and your brother would make up! She's deeply offended and refuses to make up with me. One expression that we often use in a tongue-in-cheek* way to talk about when people reconcile following a dispute or argument is "to kiss and make up". This is used regardless of whether or not the people in question are friends or in a romantic relationship. Oh my goodness, would you two just kiss and make up and end this ridiculous argument! MEANING 2: To invent a story or information Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere ​Potential synonyms To create Separable? Yes For our second usage of 'make up', we are entering into the realm of fantasy and fairy tales as the meaning is 'to invent or create something that does not exist by using the powers of our imagination'. These imaginary creations can range from stories, characters and people to excuses, lies and false information. The key idea is that it is created in our imagination and is not real. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Story Excuse Character Information Unsurprisingly, this meaning is used very commonly with children who tend to enjoy making up stories, characters and scenarios as part of their play activities. However, as you will know, adults are also very good at creating fictional information, excuses and lies and this usage of 'make up' can therefore be used with both innocent and immoral intent. Aside from the verb form, the past particle 'made-up' is also frequently used as an adjective (note the hyphen) to describe something fictional that someone has invented and as such, you will often hear such terms as "made-up story" and "made-up word", among many others. When I was a child, I used to make up imaginary friends because I was lonely. I didn't go to the party - I was too tired so I made up an excuse and said thatI was ill. Although the novel features made-up characters, the story is based on real life events. Photo: Pexels BONUS: Some well known expressions featuring 'make up' There are a couple of well-known expressions of this usage of 'make up' that I really like and want to make you aware of... You couldn't make it up - We use this expression when talking about things that happen in reality that are so strange or bizarre that a person would not be able to create them using their imagination. To make it up as you go along - This second expression is used for situations in which we do not know what we are doing and we just do things by instinct, without preparation or planning. We decide how to do it in the present moment (and hope for the best). MEANING 3: To constitute a whole Photo: Pexels ​CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To constitute Separable? No For our third meaning of 'make up', we need to make a 180 degree turn away from the poetic world of fantasy to the much more prosaic and serious world of data, statistics and facts. This meaning of 'make up' is 'to form or to constitute a whole and is used to talk about the different elements or things which combine together to form something bigger or complete. This meaning of 'make up' is commonly used in statistical information, especially when talking about percentages and fractions. It is estimated that the 100 most common words in any language make up about 50% of the words regularly used in it. Greyscale colours currently make up three quarters of cars produced worldwide. Furthermore, 'make up' is also used when we have already given percentages or proportions and we want to talk about the part that completes the remainder of the group. We can use 'make up' here, often with the 'the rest' or 'the remaining X%'. The three of us have all paid a quarter of the bill each, so if you could also pay a quarter and make up the rest, it would be great. In the English exam the weighting of the speaking section is 40%, the listening section is 30% and the reading and writing sections together make up the remaining 30%. Lastly, it is very common to use the passive form 'made up' with the additional preposition 'of' to express the different things which something consists of. Air is made up of nitrogen, oxygen, argon and small amounts of many other gases. All matter is made up of very small particles known as atoms. MEANING 4: To compensate for something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To compensate Separable? No Our next usage of 'make up' is one that is very common in the workplace. If you work for a company in the anglophone world and you need to take some time off e.g. for a doctor's appointment, your boss may authorise the time off but might also say that you need to make the time up. The reason for this is because the next usage of 'make up' means to compensate for something that is lost, lacking or missing. The example above with working hours is a very commonly used one in the English speaking world. Another typical way that this usage of 'make up' can be heard in English is when we have a target or required amount of something e.g. money and we do not have enough of it to reach the target amount. We can use 'make up' here to talk about the amount that is required in order to reach our target amount, i.e. the difference between how much we have and how much we need to have. A common expression featuring this usage of 'make up' that you may hear is 'to make up for lost time', which we use to describe when we do something more quickly, intensely or regularly, in order to compensate for not having done it in the past. For obvious reasons this is often used by middle-aged and older people, perhaps during or after a midlife crisis! Yes, you can have the time off this week to go to the funeral but can you please make the time up next week. Now that my injury has healed I'm training more than ever as I'm making up for lost time! Photo: Pexels BONUS: To make it up to someone If you are ever in a situation where an English speaker disappoints you in some way, it is likely that they will say sorry (especially British people as we apologise for everything) and that they will make it up to you. In the case of disappointing someone, as mentioned above, the idea here links back to the first meaning of making peace following an argument, but the focus here is that we are saying we will do something to remove the negative feelings caused by the disappointment (essentially apologising), with the end objective being reconciliation and peace. Note that the extra particle 'to' is required here to designate the person who we have disappointed and want to make happy again. I'm so sorry that I forgot your birthday. Let me make it up to you by taking you out for a meal. I can't be there this weekend but I will make it up to you, I promise! MEANING 5: To prepare something from ingredients or parts Photo: Pexels ​CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To prepare Separable? Yes The fifth usage of 'make up' means to prepare, build or create something by combining different ingredients or parts. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Dish Meal Medication Bed As you can probably imagine from the word 'ingredients', food is frequently used with this meaning of 'make up' and it is very common to use this with any dish or item that can be made by mixing and combining different ingredients together. Another example of where this meaning of 'make up' is in common usage is with material and fabric where we create garments or curtains. Moreover, we can also say that we 'make up a bed for someone' when we create a new, often temporary, bed for them using blankets etc. This is different to making a bed, where we arrange the blanket and pillows on an existing bed. Let me give you some tips on how to make up an amazing and tasty casserole. You can sleep here tonight, I will make up a bed for you in the spare room. MEANING 6: To apply cosmetics Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To do up, to put on one's face, to do your makeup Separable? Yes For our sixth meaning of 'make up', we are diving into the world of cosmetics. I'm sure that most of you reading will be familiar with the noun makeup, meaning cosmetic products that are used to add colour to the face and change or improve one's appearance. It may therefore come as no surprise to you that the noun makeup is derived directly from our sixth phrasal verb meaning, which is to apply cosmetics to the face and body. For this usage, reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself etc.) are required when talking about a person who is applying their own makeup. This is of course not the case for people who get their makeup applied by somebody else e.g. actors and celebrities. Although this usage is still used in everyday English, I would say that the construction 'to do your makeup' is perhaps more common than this phrasal verb form, but it is good to be aware of it nevertheless. Lisa made herself up and put on her best evening gown. MEANING 7: To decide Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To decide, to make a decision, to choose Separable? Yes This final meaning of 'make up' that I want to bring to your attention means to make a decision and is used in the construction "to make up your mind". This is actually more of an idiomatic expression than an entirely different meaning, but it is so common that I wanted to include it as a separate meaning of its own. The structure of this expression is flexible and 'mind' can be placed both in the middle of and after the phrasal verb 'make up', without changing the meaning. John took ages to make up his mind about what food to order at the restaurant. I've made my mind up about where I want to go to university. Photo: Pexels BONIS: I'm really made up for you! One extra thing to make you aware of before the end of this post is the expression "to be made up about something". This is a common idiomatic expression in British English to mean to be delighted or extremely happy about something, normally good news. That's amazing news! I'm made up for you. Roger is made up about his new work contract! Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking and reading. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'make up'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'come over' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them. This week it is the turn of the phrasal verb 'come over', which is a fairly common phrasal verb that shares some of its meanings with the common phrasal verb 'come across' (link here ) . 'Come over' does also have some other meanings of its own that we will also cover in this post. and so, without further ado, let's take a look at them.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Come Over - The Basics: Key information & the individual words 'come' and 'over' Come Over - Meaning 1: Literal Come Over - Meaning 2: To visit someone's house Come Over - Bonus: Come on over Come Over - Meaning 3: To be perceived Come Over - Meaning 4: To suddenly feel different Come Over - Bonus: The expression 'I don't know what came over me' Come Over - Meaning 5: To change sides I love writing this blog and helping learners but I get very little feedback as to how useful it is and if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I would be most grateful. Thank you! 😊 James Photo: Pexels THE BASICS COME OVER: KEY INFORMATION ​Usage Common Number of meanings 5 Past tense forms Came over / Come over Separable? No Before we go any further, let's first consider the words which make up the phrasal verb 'come over'. This should hopefully give you some much needed logic to some of its idiomatic meanings that we will cover in the post. Our main verb is the extremely common verb 'to come', which is mainly used as a verb of movement to denote a movement towards the speaker or the place where the speaker is, was or will be. In this way, it functions as the opposite of the verb 'to go'. In addition to this, the verb 'to come' also has several other meanings, including to change into a different state and to happen. We then have the prepositional particle 'over', which has several different meanings, but the meaning that is relevant for this phrasal verb is to move across an area, normally from one side of it to the other. So now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of 'come over'.... MEANING 1: Literal Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Separable? No ​Potential synonyms To come across As per usual, let's start by looking at the literal meaning of our chosen phrasal verb. When used literally, 'come over' means to physically move across an area or space, towards where the speaker is, or depending on the context, where the listener is. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Room / Office Road / Street Bridge Field In addition, it can also be used to say that someone is coming towards you, normally with the intention of speaking to you. This is very similar to the literal meaning of the phrasal verb ' come across ' but I would say that 'come over' is perhaps used more commonly by native speakers to express this particular meaning. A more advanced usage (C1) of this meaning of 'come over' is to travel over a long distance from one place to another, usually involving crossing a sea or an ocean. This is often used when talking about people visiting a far away country or emigrating from one country to another. Oh no! He's noticed that we're talking about him and he is coming over. Can you come over here for a second? I need your help. The teacher came over to our table to say hello. Paul saw me sitting alone and came over to talk to me. My parents came over to the UK in the 1960s and I was born here not long afterwards. When are you coming over to visit us in Australia? We miss you! MEANING 2: To visit someone's house Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Separable? No Potential synonyms ​To drop by, to visit The second meaning of 'come over' is not so different from the literal version that we have just considered, as it is an informal way to mean 'to visit somebody's house', with the idea that the visitor travels across an area to get to the speaker's (or possibly the listener's) home. This application is usually used when talking about somebody visiting you at your own home and is often expressed either as " come over to my house " or " come over to mine *". It is also absolutely fine to omit the 'to my house' or 'to mine' from the sentence as 'come over' on its own carries this implied meaning when used in the appropriate context. What are you doing later? Do you want to come over to watch a movie? I'll come over to yours next week and we can have catch-up! Do you want to come over for dinner tonight? Amanda usually comes over on Saturday nights to hang out. Thanks for coming over; it's been great catching up! I’m thinking of coming over later if that’s okay with you. * When talking about a person's house, it is normal for native speakers to use the possessive pronouns mine, his, hers, ours etc Photo: Pexels BONUS: Come on over Another variation of 'come over' that you may have heard before, especially in song lyrics, is 'come on over'. This is a common way of verbally inviting someone to join you where you are or to come to your house. Generally speaking, 'come on over' has the same meaning as 'come over', but we tend to use it when we are inviting someone to do something in the present, rather than at a point in the future. Moreover, I would say that it feels a little friendlier and softer than 'come over', which is also not hard or unfriendly. As such, 'come on over' is often used in an encouraging way, especially if the person being invited is reluctant to come for some reason. MEANING 3: To be perceived Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Separable? No Potential synonyms To come across, to seem, to be perceived Meaning number three of 'come over' means 'to be perceived' and again is very similar to the phrasal verb ' come across '. For this meaning, we are primarily concerned with how people, or the things that they say and do, are perceived or understood by others. It can be used to describe both how a person's behaviour and messages or information are interpreted and viewed by other people. When talking about how a person is perceived, we tend to use adjectives to describe a person's character or behaviour e.g. nervous, confident, shy and for this we require the extra word 'as'. Lisa came over as very self-assured in the interview but in reality she was very nervous. The politician comes over as weak and that is why people will not vote for him. She comes over a bit rude sometimes, but she's actually really kind. I don't want to come over as too eager, so I'll wait a bit before texting back. Conversely, when using 'come over' to describe how a message or information is perceived by people, we tend to use adverbs such as well, brilliantly and strongly. Did my speech come over well? Despite the social distancing during filming, the romantic scenes in the film came over brilliantly. The message didn’t come over clearly on the phone. As I mentioned, this application is a synonym of the phrasal 'come across' and whilst both of these are used fairly commonly in everyday English, I would say that 'come across' is used more frequently from my experience. MEANING 4: To suddenly feel different Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To suddenly feel, to be overcome with Separable? No The fourth meaning of 'come over' means to suddenly start to feel different to how you normally feel. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Feeling Chill Wave Sickness / Anger / Sadness / Happiness / Joy / Dizziness This can be in a physical way, for example when an English native speaker suddenly starts to feel sick, dizzy or faint, it is likely that they will use 'come over' to describe the sudden change. Furthermore, it can also be used for behavioural or emotional changes, for example when we begin to feel very angry or sad all of a sudden. Normally, with this application we talk about something that comes over us and therefore this is preceded by a noun. A strange feeling came over me as I walked into the old house. Suddenly, a wave of sadness came over her, and she started to cry. A chill came over Jerry when he heard the door creak open. Photo: Free Images As the singer stood on stage, a sense of calm came over him and his nervousness disappeared. An intense anger came over me when I saw what they had done. A feeling of guilt came over her when she saw the broken vase. A deep tiredness came over me after the long hike. A sense of joy came over the crowd as the band took the stage. BONUS: The expression 'I don't know what came over me' You may have heard a native speaker say "I don't know what came over me!", which is an expression that normally used in an apologetic way when we do not know why we started acting in a strange way. Alternatively, people often use "I don't know what came over him / her" to try and excuse the bad behaviour of another person and infer that they are not normally like that. I'm so sorry about my behaviour last night, I don't know what came over me! Jake was fine one minute and then suddenly he started shouting and screaming. I don't know what came over him! Alternatively, it is also possible for an adjective to follow 'come over'. When doing this, it is normal to include the word 'all' between the word 'over' and the adjective, perhaps to express that the feeling or emotion has taken over us entirely. I was fine one minute and then I came over all dizzy the next and had to sit down. She came over all sad in the middle of our conversation, so I hope I didn't upset her! Olive came over all faint when she saw the blood. I came over all emotional during the speech and had to stop myself from crying! Robert came over all shy when it was his turn to speak. I came over all nostalgic looking through those old photos. Katy came over all flustered when her crush complimented her. MEANING 5: To change sides Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To change sides Separable? No The fifth and final meaning of 'come over' is an uncommon one that means to change allegiance to change sides from one side to an opposing or rival one. Additionally, it is used when people change their views on a particular subject, often in quite a radical way. This is not such a commonly used form of 'come over' but nevertheless you may come across it in the realms of politics, sport (teams) and debates (ideologies and beliefs). This meaning is certainly the rarest out of the ones that we have looked at but I wanted to make you aware of it nonetheless. One expression that you may hear with this application is 'to come over to someone's way of thinking', which is used to describe when someone changes their opinion to agree with someone else's with whom they did not agree with previously. What has made you come over to our way of thinking? Several members of the opposition party came over to support the new bill. Alan used to play for our rivals, but he came over to our team last season. The general came over to our side after realising the truth about the regime. Some of the rebels eventually came over and joined the government forces. During the debate, a few audience members came over to our point of view. Padma finally came over to our way of thinking after hearing all the evidence. Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'come over'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'come over'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'go through' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native. 'Go through' is a common English phrasal verb with a lot of meanings that are in common usage in everyday speech. We can go through red lights, documents, traumatic events and competitions and sometimes we just don't go through with something. If all this sounds strange to you, read on and learn all the different ways that 'go through' is used in English! So, without further ado, let's get started....don't forget to leave a comment at the end! TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Go Through - The Basics: Key information & the individual words 'go' and 'through ' Go Through - Meaning 1: To physically move through something Go Through - Meaning 2: To suffer a negative experience Go Through - Meaning 3: To check something methodically Go Through - Meaning 4: To practise something Go Through - Meaning 5: To exhaust resources Go Through - Meaning 6: To be approved Go Through - Meaning 7: To proceed to the next stage of a competition Go Through - Meaning 8: To do something that you had threatened to do I love writing this blog & helping learners but I receive very little feedback as to how useful it is or if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I'd be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS GO THROUGH: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 8 Past tense forms Went through / Gone through Separable? No The phrasal verb 'go through' is made up of the verb 'to go' and the prepositional particle 'through', so before we look at the meanings of the phrasal verb itself, let's take a moment to familiarise ourselves with the individual words. 'To go' is one of the most common verbs in the English language and its main meaning is the idea of movement, either from one place to another or simply leaving a place and starting a journey. In addition to this, it has a wide variety of less common uses and meanings and is used to form the 'going to' future tense. The particle 'through' is used to express movement from one side of something to the other, especially if it is an internal space. Furthermore, 'through' is also used with time, specifically the passage of time, and it also functions as a synonym of 'by' and 'as a result of', among other things. You may also have seen the alternative 'thru' used in English, which is an informal variation of 'through' and is only really used for "drive-thru' restaurants and in non-formal written communication. Now that we have looked at the basics, let's take a look at the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'go through'.... MEANING 1: To physically move through something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Langage Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To pass through, to get through Separable? No Let's begin things nice and easily with the literal meaning of the combination of the words 'go' and 'through', i.e. to move from one side of something to the other. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Door Window Tunnel Wall Room Most commonly you will hear this usage with everyday nouns such as 'door', 'window' and 'tunnel', as people or things regularly pass from one side of these to the other. We also use this for rooms, especially when moving from one room to another room or to a different part of a building, such as from the dentist's waiting room to the dentist's office or from the public area of an airport to the departures area via customs. Photo: Pexels One last usage that you may come across here concerns driving a car, as when a red traffic light is showing and a car does not stop and continues driving, we say that it 'goes through a red light'. Go through the door on your left and then follow the corridor until the end. John threw the cricket ball in the wrong direction and it went through the kitchen window. The doctor is ready to see you now, Mr. Smith. Please go through. I am just going through customs at the airport, so I will give you a call once I am on the other side and in the departure lounge. Roger was late for a work meeting and went through several read lights to try and get there on time. MEANING 2: To suffer a negative experience Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To suffer, to endure Separable? No It is an inevitable fact of life that our existence is not always a happy one and from time to time we all have negative experiences and periods of suffering. When these unavoidable situations occur, we can say that we 'go through' them, as the next meaning of the phrasal verb 'go through' is 'to experience unpleasant and negative situations'. As you would imagine, this application of 'go through' is used when talking about such things as disease, depression, abuse, death, grief and poverty, among other things. Moreover, it is used by speakers to label any period of suffering, trauma or severe unhappiness. This usage of 'go through' is quite strong in nature, so if you say you have gone through something, you want people to know that you have really suffered. For example, you would not use it for something trivial like losing your car keys or having a headache. Grammatically, this application of 'go through' does take an object, but it is not separable. One thing to note with this usage is that although the past participle form is 'gone through', native speakers do also regularly use 'been through' as an alternative, without any discernible change in meaning. To note, the phrasal verb 'be through' does not otherwise exist in English. Helen went through a lot in her childhood. How dare you judge me! You have no idea what I have gone through in my life. I went through a bout of depression last year but I am feeling much better now. She has recently been through a nasty divorce from her husband. MEANING 3: To check something methodically Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To examine, to check Separable? No Let's move on from the previous depressing usage of 'go through' to the next meaning, which is 'to check something methodically'. For this usage, we are thinking mainly about the actions of searching and sorting. Firstly, we use 'go through' when we want to check documents in a methodical and effective way from beginning to end, either to look for something in the document or to check for errors. Secondly, we can also use it for spaces such as rooms, drawers, wardrobes when we are are searching for something and we want to make sure that we have covered every single space in our quest to find it. Lastly, it is also possible to use 'go through' to mean to methodically check a set of items such as records or clothes etc, in order to to sort them into different categories. For example, if you have too many old clothes in your wardrobe, you might go through them one by one to decide which items you want to keep and which you want to throw away. As with the previous meaning, the past participle 'been through' is often used here in perfect tenses. Would you mind going through this document and checking for any errors before i submit it? I've gone through my bedroom several times and I cannot find my phone charger anywhere! Sarah went through a pile of her old clothes to decide which ones she wanted to keep. My mum has been through my entire wedding guest list to decide if she is happy with all of the guests that I have invited! MEANING 4: To practise something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To practice, to go over Separable? No Do you enjoy giving presentations? Some people love them and some people are terrified of them. Regardless of how you feel about them, it is always a good idea to practice for them in order to give the best presentation that you can. This brings me to our next meaning of 'go through', which is 'to practise something' and is normally used in preparation for a test, a presentation or a performance. The process of 'going through' something normally involves practising something from beginning to end, hence the idea of 'through'. As mentioned before, it can be used for presentations, speeches, exam revision, stories, excuses and anything else that may need a an element of practise before the real event. Another time that you may hear this is with actors who 'go through' their lines prior to a performance in order to practise and memorise them. Can we just go through the presentation one more time? I went through my wedding speech so many times the day before, so when I did it, it was perfect. Let's just go through our story one more time before we go to the police. It needs to be watertight! MEANING 5: To exhaust resources Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To use up, to get through Separable? No The next meaning of 'go through' that we will consider is one that we can all be guilty of occasionally and that is 'to use a lot of something'. Normally, this application of 'go through' is used for items that can be depleted or run out and typically includes food, resources and money. It can be applied both to a resource that we can use until it has all gone or to a resource that we use a lot of over a period of time, especially when this is not normal, in which case there can be a degree of surprise or moaning attached to it. My grandchildren have been staying with me this weekend and I have managed to go through 3 cartons of milk! It normally takes me a week for just one! I didn't realise London was so expensive. I went through all of my spending money in the first three days and I had to ask my parents to send me some more. You've gone through all of the bread, so if you want some, you will have to go and buy some more. MEANING 6: To be approved Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To be approved Separable? No If you have ever been lucky enough to buy your own property, you will more than likely have experienced a waiting period whilst the the legal process was being completed, at which time you can say that the house sale has 'gone through'. That is because another meaning of the phrasal verb 'go through' is 'to be officially approved'. For this usage of 'go through', it is mainly focussed on situations where there is a process over a period of time before something is officially accepted. Unsurprisingly, this can often be a legal process involving lawyers. Typically, these types of situations include property sales, laws, business deals or plans and divorces, all of which require an element of negotiation, paperwork and time before they are accepted or approved, or go through. The sale of the house went through last month, so we are finally able to move to our new home now. The proposed law was opposed and did not go through in the end. Our divorce is due to go through next month, so I will be able to get married again after that. MEANING 7: To progress to the next round of a competition Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To progress, to move through, to get through Separable? No For some reason whilst preparing for this blog post I was not able to find this next usage of 'go through' in a dictionary, however it is most certainly used on a fairly common basis by native English speakers and it is 'to progress to the next round in a competition'. This application of 'go through' is in regular use for any competitions where there are rounds, typically with quarter finals, semi finals and a final. Unsurprisingly, it is also in common use when referring to sport. Oftentimes, we will specify what the next round is with the additional preposition ' to ', however this is not always necessary and 'go through' on its own can be sufficient. The winner of today's game will go through to the next round of the competition. Only the first two athletes in this race will automatically go through. England have gone through to the final of the World Cup after beating Italy in a tense match. MEANING 8: To do something that you had threatened to Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To proceed Separable? No For our eighth and final usage of 'go through' we need the additional preposition ' with '. If someone 'goes through with something', it means that they talk about doing something and then actually do it. This is often when the action is unpleasant or difficult in some way. Often, you hear it after people make threats and then carry out the threatened action. To make this a little clearer for you, let's look at an example.... John told me that he was going to steal some food from a shop. I didn't believe him, so I was very shocked when he went through with it and stole the food. Here is another example.... Helen always talked about ending her marriage to Roger but I didn't believe her as I thought she was joking. She did go through with it in the end and now they are divorced! I can't believe you went through with it! I didn't think you would! That is just a threat to make you worried. There is no way that he would actually go through with it. Do you think John will go through with it and take me to court? Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'go through'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'go through'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'let off' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website all about English phrasal verbs! Read on to learn more about the phrasal verb 'let off'.... How well do you know the phrasal verb 'let off' and the different meanings that it has in the English language? Have you ever needed to be let off public transport or have you perhaps been let off from a fine or punishment in your life? Maybe you enjoy letting off steam in the gym or fireworks on New Year's Eve? If some of these sound a little strange to you, don't worry as in this post I outline the different meanings of 'let off' and how they are used in English, so without further ado, let's get started. Don't forget to leave a comment at the end! TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Let Off - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'let' and 'off' Let Off - Meaning 1: To allow to disembark Let Off - Meaning 2: To not give someone a punishment Let Off - Bonus: The idiom 'to let someone off the hook' Let Off - Meaning 3: To be allowed not to do something Let Off - Meaning 4: To make something explode Let Off - Meaning 5: To release liquid, air or chemicals Let Off - Bonus: The idiom 'to let off steam' I love writing this blog & helping learners but I receive very little feedback as to how useful it is or if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I'd be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS LET OFF: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 5 Past tense forms Let off / Let off Separable? Yes In order to understand the meanings of the phrasal verb 'let off' as well as possible, we'll start by considering the meanings of the individual words 'let' and 'off'. The verb 'to let' is a common irregular verb in the English language, whose main meaning is the idea of permitting or allowing something to happen. While it does have other less common meanings, such as 'to rent out property', its other main function as a verb is in the contraction let's (let us), which is used to introduce a suggestion to do something that involves you and the people you are addressing. 'To let' features in several different phrasal verb constructions, which are all useful ones to have in your active English vocabulary. The prepositional particle 'off' is the opposite of the particle 'on' and has multiple meaning and uses in English, notably 'to not be supported or attached to something' and to 'move away from something or somewhere'. It is a common inclusion in phrasal verbs and is often used to add ideas of departure, separation and completion, among others. Now that we have looked at the basics, let's take a look at the individual meanings of the phrasal verb 'let off'.... MEANING 1: To allow someone to disembark Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To allow off Separable? Yes To start, let's think again about the individual meanings of the words 'let' and 'off' and consider what the literal meaning of 'let off' would be, which is 'to allow someone to disembark or leave something that they are on'. In the gif above, you can see Marge Simpson frantically running around on an airplane shouting "let me off" as she is asking - or demanding - permission to be able to disembark, perhaps because she is scared or has decided that she does not want to leave...I haven't seen the episode, so maybe you can tell me in the comments.... Anyway, back to the phrasal verb explanation....so, essentially this usage is a pure combination of the meaning of 'let' as in 'to allow' with the meaning of 'off', as 'in no longer being on something'. In terms of usage, this meaning can potentially be used with any surfaces or things that you are physically 'on' and for which you need permission to be able to leave or disembark. In reality, this is mainly used with forms of mass transport such as trains, boats and airplanes. You may also hear it, less commonly, with fairground ride such as big wheels or roller coasters. This meaning is separable and takes a direct object, which is the person or thing disembarking or leaving. The direct object can either go between 'let' and 'off' or after it, however when using an indirect personal pronoun (him, her, them etc.), this must go in between the two. A passenger fell ill on the bus, so the driver stopped in order to let him off. The ferry docked in Cherbourg to let passenger and cars off, before continuing on to St Malo. Paralysed with fear, Katherine pleaded with the roller coaster operators to let her off before it started. MEANING 2: To not give someone a punishment Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To get off, to pardon, to be lenient, to get away with, to absolve, to exonerate Separable? Yes If any of you readers are criminals or have criminal tendencies (which I hope is not the case), then this next meaning of the phrasal verb 'let off' will be a very positive one for you as it means 'to not give someone a punishment'. The idea here is that when someone commits a criminal offence or does something wrong that normally requires a punishment, they do not receive one and there is no retribution for their wrongdoings. This is of course great news for offenders but often very frustrating for victims. However, what is perhaps equally annoying for victims is when a criminal is found guilty of a crime but receives a lighter punishment than they deserve. The phrasal verb 'let off' can also be used in these situations, however it should be noted that the additional preposition ' with ' is required here to specify the lighter punishment that the offender receives. So, to summarise, the second meaning of 'let off' is to not receive a punishment at all, or to receive less punishment than you deserve! A notorious thief was caught by the police but then let off after he promised to never steal anything again. There was uproar in the court this morning when the killer was let off with a short prison sentence. There were fears that she would be let off lightly, however the punishment was severe. The traffic warden let me off with a fine of £10 as it was an emergency. Photo: Wix Media BONUS: The idiom 'to let someone off the hook' Photo: Wix Media Before we move on to the next meaning, I have a nice idiom linked to this meaning to share with you: 'to let someone off the hook'. This is a common idiomatic expression in English to mean to remove the blame from someone if they have been accused of a crime. For example, if John accuses Roger of stealing his wallet and then afterwards John finds the wallet under his bed, Roger has been let off the hook as it was clear that it was lost and Roger did not steal it. In some instances, it can also be used when someone is found to be guilty of a crime but receives no punishment or retribution for it. Additionally, we can also use 'let someone off the hook' to describe when someone helps us or allows us to avoid a responsibility or something that we do not want to do. The politician was accused of speeding in her car but has been let off the hook as there is not enough evidence to support it. Lisa has made some horrible comments about Helen recently but Helen is prepared to let her off the hook as she doesn't want to lose their friendship. I was supposed to be working an extra shift today but luckily my work has let me off the hook and I can rest instead! MEANING 3: To be allowed to not to do something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? British English Potential synonyms To excuse from, to relieve from, to exempt from Separable? Yes We all have duties, responsibilities and tasks in life that we have to do but don't always want to do, so once in a while it is really nice when someone tells us that we do not have to do them....or, in other words, that we are 'let off' from doing them. To clarify, this next meaning of 'let off' is 'to be allowed not to do something'. This usage is primarily British and again takes the meaning of 'let' as in 'to allow' with 'off' adding the idea of not doing something. Typically, this application of 'let off' is used with tasks or responsibilities that an authority figure, parent or boss expects you to do and it is these authority figures who perform the action of 'letting someone off' from a task or job. Another common way that this is used is when your boss or company management permits you to finish work earlier than normal, in which case you would say that you have been "let off work early". I normally have to do the washing up after dinner but my parents have let me off from doing it today as I have injured my hand. Lisa's mother is in hospital and her work has kindly let her off a couple of shifts, so she can care for her. It is the Scotland football game tomorrow and work are letting us off an hour early to watch it. MEANING 4: To make something explode Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To set off, to detonate, to discharge, to fire Separable? Yes For our next meaning of the phrasal verb 'let off', we are thinking specifically about things that explode and go bang as this meaning is 'to make something explode'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Firework Gun Rocket Hand grenade Firecracker Bomb This application takes the idea from the verb 'to let' as in to 'allow something' and combines it with the idea of moving away, release or departure that we get from the particle 'off'. In other words, we are permitting something to be released, in this case explosive energy. Thankfully, there aren't many things in life that do explode and most of the time we experience them second-hand via movies and tv. One common item that can be let off by normal people like us is a firework and every year many people all around the world let them off during times of celebration. Aside from fireworks, other nouns commonly used with this application of 'let off' are bomb, firecracker and gun. I couldn't sleep last night as somebody was letting off fireworks until 1am! Luckily, the terrorists plan to let off a bomb at rush hour was foiled by the emergency services. I am not sure whether or not John let off the gun on purpose. MEANING 5: To release liquid, air or chemicals Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To release, to leak, to emit, to give off Separable? Yes The fifth and final meaning of the phrasal verb 'let off' is a slightly less frequently used one that means 'to release air, liquid or chemicals'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Steam Gas Water Oil Fart This is a usage that you may come across in a wide variety of areas of life as it is used to describe any escape or release of air, liquid or chemical from a container. This is regardless of whether it is intentional or unintentional e.g. a leak. I think that this is perhaps most commonly used with water as we use so much of it, however other common nouns that it is used with are steam, oil and air. 'Let off' can also be used to talk about flatulence, e.g. to let off gas or a fart. When ricotta cheese gets warm, it is normal for it to let off some water. The air pressure in my car tyres was too high, so I had to let off a bit of air from them. Plants often let off chemicals to attract bumble bees to them. Once the water is boiling, remove the lid to let some of the steam off. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The idiom 'to let off steam' Before I finish this post, I just want to make you aware of a super common idiom that exists with the phrasal verb 'let off'. 'To let off steam' means to get rid of negative energy or feelings by doing some physical activity or making a lot of noise. This ultimately comes from the idea of pressure building up inside you (like steam does in a sealed pan when boiled) and when you do something to relieve the pressure, you let off the 'imaginary' steam and you feel calm again. Q: Is John okay? A: He'll be fine, he was a bit angry, so he has gone for a run to let off steam. If you're feeling stressed, one of the best ways to let off some steam is to have a hard workout at the gym. Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'let off'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'let off'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'put down' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native. 'Put down' is a common phrasal verb in English with A LOT of different meanings. We can happily put down a baby but putting down an animal will make us very sad. Moreover, you can easily put down words, music or a telephone but sometimes putting down a book is difficult and if somebody puts you down, you may put it down to jealousy! If all of this seems strange to you, read the article and all of it will become clear! So, without further ado let's get started...don't forget to leave a comment at the end 😊 TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Put Down - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'put' and 'down' Put Down - Meaning 1: To stop holding or carrying something Put Down - Meaning 2: To record something in musical or written form Put Down - Meaning 3: To add something to a list Put Down - Meaning 4: To criticise someone Put Down - Meaning 5: To attribute something to something Put Down - Meaning 6: To kill an animal humanely Put Down - Meaning 7: To put a baby to bed Put Down - Meaning 8: To pay a deposit Put Down - Meaning 9: To reduce prices Put Down - Meaning 10: To repress a rebellion Put Down - Meaning 11: To land an airplane I love writing this blog & helping learners but I receive very little feedback as to how useful it is or if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I'd be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS PUT DOWN: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 11 Past tense forms Put down / Put down Separable? Yes To begin, let's consider the words 'put' and 'off' and what they mean on their own, as this can be very helpful to understand some of the phrasal verb meanings that we will look at in this post. As a learner of English, I am sure that you are very familiar with the verb 'to put' as it is one of the 30 most common verbs in the language and is used frequently by native speakers. The verb 'to put', like most common English verbs, has a wide variety of different meanings and uses, however perhaps the main meaning is 'to place or move something into a specified position'. Another meaning of 'to put' that is highly relevant for the phrasal verb 'put down' is 'to write something'....more on this to come later 😀 The prepositional particle 'down' is all about the idea of moving lower or being in a lower position ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ and it's inclusion in phrasal verb constructions often adds this idea to the verb. Moreover, 'down' can also add the ideas of reduction, defeat and failure to phrasal verbs. A meaning of 'down' as an adverb that is relevant for 'put down' is 'in writing' or 'on paper'. So, now that we have looked at these two innocent little words, let's take a look at all of the different meanings they create when we combine them together....there are a lot of them! MEANING 1: To stop holding or carrying something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To set down, to place, to put Separable? Yes Let's start things off with a nice easy meaning, which is 'to stop holding something in your hands or carrying something'. Most of the time, when we hold something in our hands and we stop holding it, we tend to place it either on a surface in a lower position or on the ground, so the direction of the 'putting' action is downwards and so 'put down' has developed to encompass this idea. We can use 'put down' to talk about any object that we physically stop holding or carrying, however one collocation that is particularly common is with the noun 'telephone'. 'To put the (tele)phone down' is a synonym of the phrasal verb 'hang up' (link here ) and actually just means to end a phone call. This meaning originally derived from the old style of landline phones with which people stopped holding the receiver and placed it down on the phone in order to end a phone call, however this usage has survived until today and is still heard today with smartphones. Another great usage to know with this meaning of 'put down' is with books. If someone is reading a book that they find highly enjoyable and don't want to stop reading, they may well say that they 'can't put it down'. Put down the gun, John. I've put my car keys down somewhere in the house and I can't find them anywhere! Helen put her handbag down on the counter and paid for her coffee. Roger said goodbye to Lisa and put the phone down. This book is so good, I've been reading it all morning and I just can't put it down . MEANING 2: To record something in written or musical form Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To write, to record, to get down Separable? Yes As I mentioned earlier, one of the main meanings of the verb 'to put' is 'to write something' and this is very relevant for this second meaning of 'put down' as this is 'to record something in writing'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Word Sentence Paragraph Vocals Song / Track 'Put down' can be used as a synonym of the verb 'to write' and a direct object such as 'words' or 'sentences' is always required as this usage is transitive. Aside from writing, this meaning also extends to music and if you 'put down' some music, it means that you record music, normally in a studio. It is possible to 'put down' an entire song or just an element of a song, such as the vocals or the drums. Lastly, you may have come across the expression 'to put down in words', which is a fairly common way to mean 'expressing your thoughts or feelings in written form'. I put down a few paragraphs this morning and now I don't know what to write. It's very difficult to put down in words everything that I am feeling at the moment. The singer went into the studio last week and put some vocals down on a new song that he is working on. We've put down a few tracks on the album but we are still writing the others. MEANING 3: To add something to a list Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To enter, to record, to add, to list Separable? Yes We have just talked about 'put down' meaning to record information in written form and this next meaning is an extension of that as it means 'to add something to a list'. In other words, if you 'put something down' on a list, you simply add it as an item. Of course, there are many types of lists that exist such as shopping lists, to to-do lists, lists of invitees to social events and waiting lists and 'put down' can be used for each and every one of these. It can be used in a slightly more idiomatic way too, as if you 'put your name down' on a list, it doesn't just mean that your name is included but can often also mean that you agree to take part in something or agree to do a particular job. I've made a list of what I want for Christmas and I've put down everything that I can think of. The doctor has put my name down on the waiting list for an operation, so hopefully it will happen soon. I hope you don't mind but I've put your name down as a reference for my next job. I've put my name down to do the raffle competition at this year's village fete. MEANING 4: To criticise someone Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To insult, to criticise, to denigrate, to disparage, to slight Separable? Yes When used in phrasal verb constructions, the particle 'down' can often have quite negative connotations and this next meaning is a clear example of that. The reason for this is that to 'put someone down' means 'to criticise' or 'to insult' someone, or in other words, to say something horrible about them. Grammatically, this usage of 'put down' is normally used separably, with the person who receives the insult or criticism going between the words 'put' and 'down', either their name or the direct object pronoun (me, him, her etc). You should also note that the noun 'put-down' also exists and this just means an insult or a criticism. My husband always puts me down in front of our friends. Tim tried to put Lucy down but she quickly shut him up. Lisa was sick and tired of constantly being put down by her manager, so she quit her job. John wasn't sure what he had done to deserve such a vicious put-down from Roger. MEANING 5: To attribute something to something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To attribute to, to ascribe, to blame on, to chalk up to Separable? Yes From now on, we will be looking at some more advanced usages of 'put down' and for this next meaning one', we require the additional preposition ' to '. Imagine that you have recently started having severe headaches and at about the same time, you also started to get very stressed in your job. As both things started happening at the same time, you would probably put the headaches down to the stress. In other words, you think that the headaches are caused by the stress, but of course you don't know this for sure. So, to confirm, this fifth meaning of 'put down' is 'to attribute something to a probable cause' and you should note that the construction of this is as follows: to put + result + down to + probable cause Most of the time, this application is used to talk about negative things and situations and what we think is the cause of them but of course this can be used for positive situations too, albeit less commonly. Notably, I often hear people using this in a past tense form to talk about when they believed one thing was the cause of a problem in the past but now they know what the real cause was and that their original assumption was wrong. My teenage son has been acting strangely recently and I just put it down to his hormones but I've since found out that he has been taking drugs. I put my constant tiredness down to being so busy all the time but it turns out that I had a vitamin deficiency. He's still making lots of mistakes in his job role but he is still quite new, so let's put it down to inexperience . MEANING 6: To kill an animal humanely Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To destroy, to put to sleep Separable? Yes As an animal lover with pets of my own, this meaning of 'put down' makes me sad as it means 'to kill an animal in a humane way'. Firstly, let's be clear that 'put down' does not mean to kill an animal in general, but rather to kill an animal that is old, very sick or dangerous. The act of 'putting down' is usually carried out by a vet or professional and is done humanely, i.e. in a way that causes the animal the least amount of suffering possible, thankfully. A more pleasant euphemistic synonym for this application of 'put down' is 'to put to sleep'. Grammatically, this application is often used in a passive way, usually in the causative form with 'have' or 'get'. Our dog was very sick, so we had to have her put down, so that she wouldn't suffer anymore. The governor ordered the vet to put the dangerous animal down, to ensure that it couldn't hurt anyone else again. We had to get our rabbit put down yesterday and I am devastated. MEANING 7: To put a baby to bed Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To put to bed, to lay down Separable? Yes As you will undoubtedly know, the meanings of individual English phrasal verbs can be extremely diverse and this is quite evident when considering this next meaning which is all about babies. The difference between putting down an animal and putting down a baby is enormous and you don't want to mix these up as 'to put down a baby' simply means 'to put a baby to bed'. Alternatively, this can also be used for any situation where you lay a baby down so that it goes to sleep. I think that this usage is quite self-explanatory as it often stopping holding the baby and placing it down on a bed or in a cot. On a grammatical note, this application is transitive and takes a direct object, which is always the baby. It is therefore also separable and usually a word such as 'baby' will go between 'put' and 'down' or alternatively the name of the child. Shhhh! Be quiet, I've just put the baby down. Most days, Lisa puts the baby down for a nap at about 2pm, at which time she does the housework. Putting a baby down for a sleep is not always easy when your house is as noisy as mine. MEANING 8: To pay a deposit Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To pay a deposit, to make a down payment Separable? Yes If you are ever in a situation where you want to buy something expensive like a house or a nice car, it is likely (unless you're very rich) that you will not have enough money to pay for it all and you may therefore need to make a deposit payment, with the intention of paying the rest of the money over a period of time in the future. This action of paying a deposit, or a down payment, to secure a sale is also known as 'putting down' a deposit. Nous commonly used with this application.... Money Deposit Funds Payment To clarify, this eighth meaning of 'put down' is to make a deposit payment. It is normally used with large purchases that people cannot afford to make at one time. Grammatically, this is separable, with the money or deposit being the direct object of the verb. The additional preposition ' on ' is often used to specify the item being purchased. John put a deposit down on his new house and took out a mortgage to pay for the rest of it. I've put down £500 on a new car and it is being delivered next week! If I put down some money as a deposit, my company will reimburse me. MEANING 9: To reduce prices Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To reduce, to slash, to lower, to knock down, to mark down, to cut Separable? Yes This ninth meaning is primarily British usage and means 'to reduce', specifically when talking about prices. When a business, company or shop puts down its prices, it lowers them, therefore making them more desirable to its customers. Sadly, this is not something that we are seeing much of at the moment as usually companies are forced to put their prices up instead. We have decided to put down our prices on some of our high end products. The government is forcing energy companies to put down their prices as many people are not able to afford them at present. I refuse to put my prices down any further! MEANING 10: To suppress a rebellion Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To suppress, to repress, to quash, to quell, to subdue, to stop Separable? Yes The penultimate meaning of 'put down' that we will consider is a rarer one that means 'to suppress a rebellion'. Despite being a more infrequent usage, this is still one that you may come across in English and it is therefore useful to know. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Rebellion Riot Coup To explain this application further, it is used whenever a group of people rebel against authority in some way and the rebellion is limited, suppressed or stopped. This can often be heard in conjunction with nouns such as riot and coup and it normally involves an element of force from the authorities, police or armed forces to make it stop. The riots were quickly put down by the well-trained army. Security forces put down the coup within hours. MEANING 11: To land an airplane Photo:Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To land, to touch down Separable? Yes Well done if you have made it this far! We are now onto our final meaning of the phrasal verb 'put down', which is 'to land an airplane'. On a grammatical note, this usage of 'put down' can be used both transitively and intransitively (with and without a direct object). Used intransitively, the airplane is the subject and 'put down' is used as a synonym of the more commonly used verb 'to land'. Often, here we use the additional preposition ' in ' to specify the name of the city or country where the plane 'puts down'. For transitive uses, the pilot is the subject and the plane then becomes the direct object of the verb. The plane put down in San Francisco twenty minutes earlier than scheduled. The pilot put the aircraft down on the wrong runway, nearly causing a serious accident. Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'put down'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'put down'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'call on' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native. This post is all about the English phrasal verb 'call on', however as I am feeling generous this week, I have also included the variant form 'call upon' for you, so you get two for the price of one! In this post, I will explain all of the different meanings of 'call on' and 'call upon' and how native English speakers use them in everyday language. In the post, I use 'call (up)on' to refer to both verbs as in most cases they mean the same thing. So, without further ado, let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Call On - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'call', 'on' & 'upon' Call On - Meaning 1: To formally ask someone to do something Call On - Meaning 2: To invite someone to speak Call On - Meaning 3: To make use of an ability you possess Call On - Meaning 4: To visit someone 🇬🇧 I love writing this blog & helping learners but I receive very little feedback as to how useful it is or if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I'd be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS CALL (UP)ON: KEY INFORMATION Usage Medium Number of meanings 4 Past tense forms Called (up)on / Called (up)on Separable? No Let's begin this post by considering the different meanings of the individual words 'call', 'up' and 'upon', which all make up our phrasal verb of choice. Firstly, we have 'to call', which is a frequently used verb in English, with several distinct but related usages, such as giving someone or something a name, telephoning someone or shouting loudly to get someone's attention. Another less common usage of 'to call', which is highly relevant for the phrasal verb 'call (up)on' is 'to make a request or a demand'. Secondly, we have the prepositional particle 'on', which you will certainly be very familiar with already. 'On' can be used in a huge variety of different ways in English and functions as an adverb, a preposition and even as an adjective. When used in phrasal verb constructions, 'on' can often add the ideas of progression and continuation. Last but not least, we have the prepositional particle 'upon'. This is formed by the combination of the particles 'up' and 'on' but actually serves as a more formal synonym for 'on'. 'Upon' is an older English term that is being gradually replaced by 'on', but can still be heard today, especially in formal language and also in place names in the UK, for example Shakespeare's birthplace is the town of Stratford-upon-Avon (Avon is the name of a river). So, now that we have covered the basics, let's take a look at the meanings of call (up)on.... MEANING 1: To formally ask someone to do something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To ask, to request, to demand Separable? No The first way that the phrasal verb 'call on' and its variant 'call upon' are used in English is 'to formally request someone to do something'. This is often when the request is made publicly, either physically in front of people or broadcasted via tv, radio or the internet. Have you ever been to a wedding in an English-speaking country? If not, I'm sure as an English learner you will have certainly seen weddings on English language TV or movies. If you have, you may have heard the bride or groom say the following words during the ceremony as part of their vows.... Photo: Pexels "I call upon these persons here present to witness...." Now, the wording above probably seems strange to you and that is because it is archaic, old-fashioned English that is no longer used anymore outside of formal situations and ceremonies. What the person is actually doing is just requesting that all of the guests witness the vows that he or she is making. As weddings are traditional ceremonies, much of the language used in them has been preserved from older English and so 'call upon' tends to be used here rather than 'call on', although 'call on' is being used more and more, especially in more modern ceremonies. In addition to weddings, 'call (up)on' is often used by people who have an audience or following to ask for some type of change from a government or an organisation. As the nature of these requests can often be urgent or desperate, it is common for them to become demands or orders, depending on the level of influence that the person has. In these situations, 'call on' is perhaps used more than the more formal 'call upon', although you can still hear both. I call upon all persons here present to witness that I, John Smith, take thee, Lisa Jones, to be my lawful wedded wife. The Head of the National Education Committee has called on the government to act urgently in order to resolve the matter. The councillors called on the city mayor to resign and step down, however he refused to do so. The government is calling on all doctors to reconsider their planned strike next week. MEANING 2: To invite someone to speak Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To ask, to invite Separable? No The next meaning of 'call (up)on' derives directly from the first usage that we have just looked at and this is 'to invite or to ask someone to speak'. This application of 'call (up)on' is again a formal usage that you tend to hear more in official and ceremonial environments, especially in a courtroom or at a ceremony, event or business meeting when someone is asked to make a speech. As this is a formal usage, you are far more likely to hear the traditional English variation 'call upon', although 'call on' is used more and more in modern English, which is a trend that I do not think will end anytime soon. For this particular usage, it is quite common for it to be used in the passive sense, i.e. to be called (up)on. I now call upon the CEO to address the board and outline the agenda for this AGM. I'd like to call upon the headteacher of the school to say a few words. The court now calls upon the witness, Mr. Steven White, to provide us with a detailed description of what he saw on the evening of the crime. During the inquest, the Prime Minister was called on to speak several times. MEANING 3: To make use of an ability that you possess Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To activate Separable? No Imagine that you have a superpower, such as flying or being invisible, but this superpower is not one that you use all the time, it is rather just used when you 'activate' it in times of need. To describe this activation of your superpower, you could say that you 'call (up)on it', which is kind of like saying that you request for it to work. Sadly, in reality nobody has such a superpower (that I know of), however we do all have individual talents and abilities that we can use from time to time and for this we would say that we 'call (up)on' them we need them, which is the third meaning of this phrasal verb. The talents and abilities that a person can call (up)on are generally something that a person is able to do but does not do often or has not done for a long time. As such, the range of these skills is almost limitless and can range from songwriting skills, to keeping calm in high pressure situations or speaking a foreign language. In addition to talents and abilities, 'call (up)on' can also be used in this way with strength and energy, especially in times of need. Whilst filming the movie, the actress called on her ability to improvise in the moment. Despite swearing to never do it again, the psychic decided to call on her ability to see into the future one more time. In order to pass this exam, I had to call on every last bit of my memory. Jane will need to call on every ounce of strength that she has to get through this next challenge. MEANING 4: To visit someone Photo: Pexel CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? British English Potential synonyms To visit, to pop in, to drop by, to call in Separable? No Our final usage of 'call (up)on' is a bit of a departure from the usages that we have considered so far as this one means 'to visit someone'. In general, this tends to be used when the visit is unplanned, short or both. This is a primarily British English usage that is commonly used in everyday spoken language and is more informal than the verb 'to visit'. Due to the 'visiting' aspect of this application, it is used most often to describe visiting someone at their home, however it can also be used for visits to see people in hospital or any other place where they are staying for a period of time. Due to the more informal nature of this meaning, 'call on' is almost always used here as 'call upon' in this situation would sound overly formal. It is also possible to use the variation 'to call in on someone' here (just to make it a bit more complicated), which means the same thing but can also imply that the visit was very short e.g. you go to someone's house to check that they are ok and leave after 5 or 10 minutes. One last thing to note here is that to 'call on' someone can often be used when talking about door to door salespeople, who visit potential customers at their houses in order to sell them something. In this sense, it is quite negative in nature. We called on my Dad on our way back from our holiday. John called on his best friend last night but nobody was at home. I am going to call in on Lisa in the hospital later to make sure that she is ok. Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'call on'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'call on'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'pull up' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native. In this article, we are looking at the phrasal verb 'pull up', which has a surprising number of uses and meanings in the English language. You may need to pull up if you are driving your car, doing some gardening, sitting down with a group of people or showing information on your computer screen. If you go to the gym, you may regularly do pull-ups or someone may even tell you to pull your socks up! If all of these seem strange to you, don't worry as in this post we will look at all of the different meanings of this tricky phrasal verb. So, without further ado, let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Pull Up - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'pull' and 'up' Pull Up - Meaning 1: Literal Pull Up - Meaning 2: To uproot 🇬🇧 Pull Up - Meaning 3: To slow down and stop Pull Up - Meaning 4: To move a chair closer Pull Up - Meaning 5: To reprimand someone Pull Up - Meaning 6: To suddenly stop what you are doing Pull Up - Meaning 7: To show information on a screen Pull Up - Meaning 8: To make an airplane move upwards Pull Up - Bonus: The idiom 'to pull your socks up' I love writing this blog & helping learners but I receive very little feedback as to how useful it is or if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I'd be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS PULL UP: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 8 Past tense forms Pulled up / Pulled up Separable? Yes The phrasal verb 'pull up' is comprised of the verb 'to pull' in combination with the prepositional particle 'up' and before we look at the different meanings of this phrasal verb, let's just take a quick look at the meanings of the two individual words. The verb 'to pull' is a widely used English verb, whose main meaning is to apply a force to something in order to bring it closer to you, most commonly with your hands or arms. Photo: Pexels Less commonly, it can also be used to mean 'to make something move with you or behind you', such as a horse pulling a cart. The idea of force or exertion is often an underlying theme with this verb. 'To pull' is a frequent base verb in phrasal verb constructions, normally in situations describing movement or stopping a movement. The prepositional particle 'up' is perhaps the most commonly used particle in phrasal verb constructions and can add many different elements of meaning, depending on the context, typically ranging from the ideas of movement in an upwards direction and increases to improvement and readiness. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's take a look at the meanings of 'pull up'.... MEANING 1: Literal Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To lift up, to raise up Separable? Yes Having just considered the words that make up the phrasal verb 'pull up', the literal meaning of these words should be very easy for you to work out , i.e. to pull something or someone in an upwards direction. This is quite similar to the verb 'to lift' or 'to lift up', however 'to pull up' is used more specifically when you are in a higher position than the thing that you want to lift and the lifting motion is towards you. The sailor decided it was time to leave, so he pulled up the boat's anchor. After the cow fell down the slope, the farmer had to pull it up the hill using a rope. What about pull-up as a noun? If you are someone who goes to the gym regularly or who enjoys working out, you may have heard the term 'pull-up' being used in reference to an exercise. Although we do not use the phrasal verb 'to pull up' so much in this context, it has produced the name of a type of exercise called a 'pull-up', which involves using your arms to lift yourself upwards, normally towards a metal bar (like in the gif above). How many pull-ups can you do in one go? I hate doing pull-ups because they hurt my shoulders so much! MEANING 2: To uproot Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? British English Potential synonyms To uproot, to weed Separable? Yes Before we start considering the more idiomatic meanings of the phrasal verb 'pull up', I want to consider this next application as it is very much linked to the literal meaning of 'pull up'. This usage is definitely one for the gardeners among you as it is 'to pull a plant and its roots up from the ground, so that no part of it remains in the earth'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Plant Flower Bush Shrub Weed Tree A common expression that you may hear for this action is 'to pull a plant up by the roots'. This is similar to the synonym verb 'to uproot', however 'uproot' is often used when animals and wind cause a plant to be removed from the ground and I think 'pull up' retains the exclusive sense of being pulled in an upwards direction out of the ground by a person's hands. We've pulled up all of the weeds in the garden and now it looks so much better! He pulled up the rose plant by the roots as he wanted to move it to a different part of his garden. MEANING 3: To slow down and stop Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To stop, to halt, to pull over, to bring to a stop Separable? Yes Now we have reached the part of the article where we can say goodbye to the literal and logical meanings of 'pull up', because from now on most of them are a bit more idiomatic. This includes our next meaning, which is 'to slow down and stop'. This meaning is perhaps the most commonly used and is the one that I, as a native speaker, think of first when I hear 'pull up'. With this application, we are talking solely about bringing a vehicle that is in motion to a stop, particularly with cars, buses, trains and airplanes. We do not use it to talk about people slowing down and stopping moving...however we do use it for humans in a slightly different sense, which we will look at later on in the article. Normally, this application of 'pull up' is followed by a preposition that denotes where the vehicle stops, such as on (the side of the road), at (the traffic lights), in front of, behind etc. However, sometimes you may also hear 'pull up to' something and this means to stop next to something or very close to it, as referenced in the song below.... On a grammatical note, in the table above, I have stated that this application of 'pull up' can be used separably, which is true, although I think that the majority of the time we tend to use it without a direct object (e.g. car, bus) as this is usually determined from the context. John pulled up on the side of the road when he noticed smoke coming from his car's engine. The police car pulled up to the group of teenagers. Helen arrived at the train station just as her train was pulling up. The fishermen pulled their boat up to a little island where they knew there would be a lot of fish in the water. MEANING 4: To move a chair closer Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To join Separable? Yes If you're ever in a situation in an English-speaking environment where you ask to join a group of people who are sitting down, they may respond to you by saying 'pull up a chair', which is essentially a way of saying 'yes' to your request. The reason for this is that another usage of 'pull up' is 'to bring something closer to you or to a specific place in order to sit down on it'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Chair Seat Pew Stool As you can imagine, this application of 'pull up' is principally used with nouns for items that you typically sit on, such as chairs, stools and seats but it could feasibly be used for any object that you can move and subsequently sit on. In many cases, it often serves as a figurative form of invitation to join someone or a group and participate in what they are doing. This could be anything from a business meeting to eating a meal or watching a movie with a group of people. Photo: Pexels Another common idiomatic expression in British English that you may come across is 'pull up a pew', which again means the same thing, i.e. 'sit down and join us'. For those of you who do not know, a pew is a long seat, similar to a bench, that is specifically found in churches and places of worship. Due to their size, they are not so easy to move and are rarely found anywhere outside of a place of worship, hence the figurative sense! Hi Lisa, do you want to sit with us for lunch? Pull up a chair and join us! I want to show you something at my desk. Pull up a chair next to me and I can show it to you. Q: Is this seat free? A: Absolutely, pull up a pew! MEANING 5: To reprimand someone Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To reprimand, to rebuke, to castigate Separable? Yes When someone makes a mistake in their work or does something wrong, it is likely that they will be reprimanded for their mistake, or in other words, they will be 'pulled up on it'. The reason for this is that the next meaning of 'pull up' is 'to rebuke someone when they have made a mistake', or in other words to criticise or shout at them. This is not only limited to mistakes and can also be used for people's behaviour too, especially when they break rules. For this application of 'pull up', we require an additional preposition and for this you have the choice of THREE different words to choose from: on , about and over . Don't worry, whichever of these you choose will not affect the meaning. So, the structure of this particular usage of 'pull up' is.... To pull someone up on / about / over something Note also here that this is separable and the direct object (the person who has done something wrong) always goes between 'pull' and 'up'. This usage of 'pull up' is one that you commonly hear in the workplace, schools and in dealings with the police and other authority figures. Often, this is used for small errors and less significant mistakes that do not incur severe punishments and for which a verbal warning is sufficient. At other times, an experienced or naive person may be pulled up on something to ensure that they do not do it again. Lucy's teacher pulled her up about talking too much in class. I don't think John realises that what he is doing is not permitted. I will make sure that I pull him up on that, so that he is aware. The police stopped me in my car and pulled me up as my rear brake light was not working. Thankfully, I avoided a fine! Megan's parents have pulled her up on using swearwords so many times, but she doesn't seem to listen. MEANING 6: To suddenly stop what you are doing Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To stop, to interrupt Separable? Yes Earlier in the article, I explained how 'pull up' can be used to mean to bring a moving vehicle to a stop and that this usage could not be applied to humans but another usage could...well this is that usage! If a person pulls up, it does not mean that they stop moving, but rather that the action that they are performing, whatever that may be, is interrupted or stopped somehow. Like the first meaning that we looked it, there can an element of motion if the person is moving or walking but it can be for any action that is in progress at the time of the interruption. It's also very important to note that the interruption or disturbance to the action is almost always surprising or a shock, which is normally implied in this application of 'pull up'. There is also a fairly common expression that derives from this usage: 'to pull someone up short', which means 'to make someone stop what they are doing suddenly or abruptly'. For those of you who love grammar, it may interest you to know that this usage of 'pull up' is ergative. This means that it can be used both transitively and intransitively (with or without a direct object), with the subject of the intransitive verb becoming the direct object in an equivalent transitive sentence.... Transitive: The beautiful scenery pulled Linda up short. Intransitive: Linda pulled up short at the sight of the beautiful scenery. The sight of my mother standing at my front door pulled me up short. The runner suddenly pulled up and fell over onto the floor, screaming in pain. MEANING 7: To show information on a screen Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To open, to bring up Separable? Yes Well done if you have made it this far...we are nearly done I promise! For this next meaning of 'pull up', we are thinking about computers, smartphones and other devices with screens as this meaning is 'to make something appear on a screen'. If you pull something up on a screen, you open a file or programme in your computer so that it appears on the monitor. If you have read my article about the phrasal verb 'bring up' (link here ), this may sound familiar to you as this is actually a synonym of this particular application and both of these have exactly the same meaning. I would say however 'bring up' is perhaps more commonly used but it is nevertheless very useful to have this in your vocabulary too. Can you pull up the sales forecast spreadsheet for me so I can look at it quickly, please. I pulled up the results of the game on my screen. MEANING 8: To make an airplane move upwards Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To ascend, to climb Separable Yes The eighth and final meaning of 'pull up' that we will look at is quite a specialist niche usage for airplanes and means 'to make an airplane move in an upwards direction'. This usage is actually a shortened form of 'pulling up the nose' for when the pilot makes the nose of the plane point upwards. This is similar to the phrasal verb 'take off', but while 'take off' specifically describes when an airplane leaves the ground, 'pull up' is used to describe any time that the pilot makes the airplane go higher, whether that be during takeoff or in mid-flight. This is often used for when an airplane has to change its course or cannot land safely due to bad weather and the pilot must then pull up in order to circle around to try and land again. The was not able to land the aircraft due to the strong winds and so he pulled up in order to make a second attempt. BONUS: The idiom 'to pull your socks up' Before I finish this article, I want to make you aware of a nice idiom that exists featuring the phrasal verb 'pull up', which is 'to pull your socks up'. If someone tells you to pull your socks up, it means that you are not doing well at school or, sometimes, in a job and therefore you need to make more of an effort in order to get better grades or not lose your job! John doesn't work hard in class and next year he really needs to pull his socks up if he wants to pass all of his exams. Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'pull up'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'pull up'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'turn up' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo : Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them. The subject of this post is the phrasal verb 'turn up'. I have recently done a post about its phrasal verb opposite, ' turn down ', so if you can remember the different meanings of that, then you should find some of the meanings of 'turn up' nice and simple as they are just the reverse. You will note that I said 'some' of the meanings as there are others that are completely unrelated to ' turn down ' - that would be too easy! So without further ado, let's have a look at them.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Turn Up - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'turn' and 'up' Turn Up - Meaning 1: Literal Turn Up - Meaning 2: To increase the intensity of something Turn Up - Bonus: Turn it up! Turn Up - Meaning 3: To arrive unexpectedly Turn Up - Meaning 4: To be found Turn Up - Meaning 5: To become available unexpectedly Turn Up - Meaning 6: To fold or modify clothes Turn Up - Meaning 7: To turn onto a different road or path Turn Up - Bonus: Some common idioms featuring 'turn up' I love writing this blog and helping learners but I get very little feedback so I don't always know if it is helpful for you. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like and share it or leave a comment at the end. I would be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS TURN UP: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 7 Past tense forms Turned up / Turned up Separable? Sometimes The phrasal verb 'turn up' consists of the verb 'to turn' and the prepositional particle 'up' and so before we start exploring the meanings of the phrasal verb, let's first look consider each of these words on their own. The verb 'to turn' is a common verb with various meanings, including to change direction, to move in a circular path and to transform from one thing into another. It is a commonly used verb in English and you will find it regularly appearing in a lot of different phrasal verbs because we often require extra directional or spatial information to clarify the action of 'turning' e.g. 'turn around', 'turn over' or 'turn back'. John turned right and then left. The world won't stop turning if you take a day off work. Turn the key to unlock the door. The leaves on the trees turn red in autumn. In conjunction with 'turn', we have the prepositional particle 'up', meaning in the direction away from the ground or towards the sky ↑. 'Up' is frequently used in phrasal verb constructions and can add different ideas, such as to move in an upwards direction (climb up), increasing ( go up ), preparation (warm up) and sudden changes (wake up), among others. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the real reason that you are here, i.e. the different meanings of 'turn up' as a phrasal verb.... MEANING 1: Literal Photo : Pexels CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To turn, to face up Separable? Yes The first meaning of 'turn up' that I want to cover is the literal meaning, which you have probably guessed, is simply to turn or rotate something so that it is facing upwards. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Face Head Hood / Collar Card / Paper As this one is quite self-explanatory, I don't want to spend too much time on this, but I do want to give you some typical examples of usage, which are turning your head up, so that you are looking in the direction of the sky and turning playing cards up, so that the face of the card is visible. In both of these examples however, it should be noted that other synonyms are often used, such as 'look up' turning your head and 'turn over' for the cards. Lucy turned her face up to feel the warmth of the sun. Michael turned up his collar to protect himself from the cold wind. As the rain started falling, Natalie turned up her hood to stay dry. Adam turned up the brim of his hat to get a better view. The tarot reader asked me to turn up two of the cards that facing down on the table. MEANING 2: To increase the intensity of something Photo : Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To increase Separable? Yes This next meaning of 'turn up' is one of the most commonly used meanings of this phrasal verb and means to increase the intensity of something such as the volume, temperature or power of a device. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Volume Sound Heating / Temperature Television / Radio Music It may be quite obvious to you, but just in case it is not, this meaning is derived from when we turn a dial to a higher number on a device (up), thus increasing its level of output or energy. As you can imagine, it is often used to refer to household appliances and machines that have settings that can be made more or less intense (turned up or down). For this meaning, 'turn up' is used transitively, meaning that it requires a direct object, which is the noun or pronoun whose intensity we want to increase. The direct object noun can either be placed between 'turn' or 'up' or after them, without changing the meaning 😊 I was so cold in my house, so I turned up the central heating. Please can you turn the television up as I can barely hear it. Elizabeth turned up the heater because the room was too cold. Harry turned up the brightness on his phone so that he could see his screen better. BONUS: Turn it up! Although we can and do use 'turn up' to describe the action of increasing the intensity of many different nouns, the most common usage is probably with the noun 'volume'. For this reason, if you hear a native speaker say "turn it up", it is highly likely that what they actually mean is "turn the volume up" or "make it louder and this is usually when he or she likes a song that is being played! I love this song! Turn it up! Can you turn up the volume a bit. I can barely hear it! MEANING 3: To arrive unexpectedly Photo : Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage ​Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To show up, to arrive, to appear Separable? No So, now we are on to our first truly idiomatic meaning of 'turn up', which is to arrive or to appear somewhere, often (but not always) at an unexpected time or in an unexpected manner. In other words, we can use 'turn up' as a synonym for the verb 'to arrive', but we tend to use it more when there is something unplanned or surprising about the arrival. Examples of this unconventional arrival could be the following.... the person arrives unexpectedly, without forewarning or invitation the person arrives earlier or later than planned or requested there is something funny, surprising or unexpected about the person when they arrive Although I have specifically stated a person in the examples above, it is also absolutely fine to use this with objects when talking about deliveries etc. All of the guests turned up for the party, bar one. My parents turned up just as I was about to leave the house to go shopping. Lisa's car broke down on her way to work and she eventually turned up there at 11am. John mistakenly thought that the party was fancy dress, so he turned up wearing a Superman outfit, much to everyone's amusement. My neighbour turned up on my doorstep last night in floods of tears as her dog was missing. MEANING 4: To be found Photo : Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To be found, to show up Separable? No This third meaning of 'turn up' simply means to be found. This often refers to when we unexpectedly find something that was previously hidden or lost. When we use 'turn up' in this way, it is usually because we have given up on finding the lost item and don't think we will ever see it again. Of course, we can use the verb 'to find' as a synonym here, however 'turn up' adds an extra layer of nuance in the form of unexpectedness or surprise. Sometimes, it can also be used to convey a bit mystery to the reappearance of the lost item. Alternatively, if something is lost, but we are confident that we will find it again at some unknown point in the future, it is equally common to say that "it will turn up". By using 'turn up' rather than 'find', we are saying that we are perhaps not actively going to look for the missing item and it will magically appear in the future. We thought we had lost our cat Arthur when he disappeared. Thankfully he turned up at the house again a week later and we still have no idea where he had been. The stolen car turned up abandoned on a roadside 10km away from where it had been stolen. I've lost my favourite socks. They must be in the house somewhere but I'm not worried as they are bound to turn up. MEANING 5: To become available unexpectedly Photo : Pexels CEFR Language Level ​C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To become available Separable? No For this fourth meaning of 'turn up', we are staying with the familiar theme of something happening unexpectedly , however this time we are talking about unforeseen opportunities or situations that arise when you are looking for something. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Job Opportunity Romance Car Apartment / House As you can see from the list above, this application is used with nouns for things that we have to search for in our lives and are not always available when we want them. Regardless of what the noun itself is, the main point here is that when the opportunity of finding one arises, it is unexpected in some way. This is often as it is when we have started to lose hope of success and are thinking about giving up. Moreover, if we want to offer some encouragement to someone who is having difficulty finding a job for example, we can say that "something will turn up". Equally, when talking about a time in the past when a new unexpected opportunity arose, we can say that something "turned up". My son has been looking for a job since graduating from uni and he has had no luck so far, but I'm sure something will turn up soon. They say that the love of your life normally turns up when you least expect it. That book I’d been looking for finally turned up in a second-hand store. A great job opportunity turned up just when Patricia was about to give up searching. After weeks of searching, a rental apartment finally turned up in Louise's budget. Something interesting always turns up when you're not looking too hard. MEANING 6: To fold or modify clothes Photo : Pexels CEFR Language C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To fold up, to unfold Separable? Yes This next meaning of 'turn up' is specific to clothing and logically links back to the literal meaning of the phrasal verb that we looked at earlier in the post. This meaning specifically means to fold parts of clothes, normally the bottoms of trouser legs, upwards in order to make them shorter, so that they fit the owner better. The part of the garment is literally turned upwards. In everyday speech it is normal to use this in a passive sense and say that you are "getting something turned up" when the garment to be modified is with the tailors. In addition to this, if something is already folded downwards such as the corner of a piece of paper or a collar on a garment, we also say that we "turn it up" when we unfold it. I have sent my new suit to the tailors to get it turned up before the wedding next week. There was a chill in the air and so I turned up the collar on my winter coat. Before sewing, Sally pinned the skirt where she wanted to turn it up. My grandmother taught me how to turn up a pair of pants properly. She turned up the hem of her dress to make it more suitable for summer. He had to turn up his trousers because they were too long for him. MEANING 7: To turn onto a different road or path Photo : Pexel CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? British English Potential synonyms Turn on(to), turn down Separable? No The last meaning that I want to bring to your attention is one that I also looked at in my post about the phrasal verb 'turn down' (link here ) as it means the same thing, which is to turn from one road or path onto another and then continue straight along it (confusing, I know!). Native speakers, typically British ones, use both 'turn up' and 'turn down' here interchangeably and there is no discernible difference in meaning that I am aware of; it is just the speaker's choice. It can also be noted that it can be used both for travel by vehicle as well as on foot. By contrast, you are more likely to hear American native speakers and those from other English speaking nations using a synonym like 'turn on' or 'turn onto' here. We turned up the road towards the church and realised that it was the wrong road You need to turn up that narrow track after the second gate. He turned up the hill and disappeared into the fog. They turned up the side street to avoid the traffic on the main road. Just turn up the next road on your left; it's a shortcut to the beach. Beth turned up a quiet little alleyway she hadn’t noticed before. Turn up that gravel path and you’ll see the cabin at the top. After the petrol station, turn up the next street on your right. Photo : Pexels BONUS: Common idioms and expressions with 'turn up' It would be rude of me to finish this post without also giving you some common expressions in which the phrasal verb 'turn up' is used, so here are a few for you.... To turn your nose up at something = This idiom means to show disapproval of something or to refuse something in a judgemental way, often when the person believes that something is not good enough for them. It is often used in reference to snobby or arrogant people but can also be used for fussy cats like mine who occasionally turn their noses up at the food they are given to eat. My cat Henry will eat anything but my other cat Arthur only likes one type of cat food and turns his nose up at anything else. The snobby lady turned her nose up when she was offered the cheap wine. A turn up for the books! = This is an idiomatic expression in British English and is used to describe a very unexpected but pleasing surprise. The roots of this idiom can be traced back to betting on horses as the records of bets were kept by people called bookmakers (colloquially known as bookies) in 'books' and if something unexpected (that word again!) happened, then some lucky gamblers would be very happy! I can't believe I got the job out of 100 applicants; what a turn up for the books! To turn up out of the blue = This expression is very common when talking about someone or something which appears or arrives completely unexpectedly, almost as if they suddenly appear out of the blue sky or from the blue ocean. It is possible to use "out of the blue" on its own without 'turn up' and the meaning would be more or less the same. After signing up to a family tree website, a cousin who I had never heard of before suddenly turned up out of the blue. Photo : Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'turn up'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'turn up'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'clean up' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native. Cleaning up can be done at home, it can be done at work, it can be done in a city, you can clean up at an awards shows and even whole country or planet can be cleaned up, but it doesn't always mean the same thing. Depending on the context in which it is used, the phrasal verb 'clean up' can have a variety of different meanings and in this post we will look at all of these applications, with lots of examples to help your understanding. So, without further ado, let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Clean Up - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'clean' and 'up' Clean Up - Meaning 1: To make somewhere clean and tidy Clean Up - Bonus: The noun 'clean-up' Clean Up - Meaning 2: To make yourself clean 🇺🇸 Clean Up - Meaning 3: To restore order to a place Clean Up - Meaning 4: To make a big profit Clean Up - Meaning 5 - To win all of the prizes in a competition Clean Up - Bonus: The idiom 'to clean up your act' I love writing this blog & helping learners but I receive very little feedback as to how useful it is or if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I'd be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS CLEAN UP : KEY INFORMATION Usage Medium Number of meanings 5 Past tense forms Cleaned up / Cleaned up Separable? Yes Before we dive into the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'clean up', let's quickly consider the individual words 'clean' and 'up' and what they mean on their own. The verb 'to clean' is a fairly common verb in the English language that means 'to make something free from dirt' or 'to make something clean'. Unlike many more common verbs, it's meanings are rather more limited. Generally speaking, the verb 'to clean' is a very positive verb that is used to describe good things. The prepositional particle 'up' is an extremely common feature in phrasal verb constructions. It's central idea is movement away from the ground, to a higher position or an increase of some sort and these meanings can often be carried across into phrasal verbs. Aside from these, when used in phrasal verbs, the particle 'up' can add the ideas of completion, readiness or improvement. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's take a look at the meanings of 'clean up'.... MEANING 1: To make somewhere clean and tidy Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To tidy, to clean Separable? Yes Let's start things off with a nice easy meaning that should be quite evident now that we have considered the meanings of the individual words 'clean' and 'up': 'to make somewhere clean and tidy'. We tend to use this application of 'clean up' a lot when there has been some sort of event or action that results in a lot of dirt or mess. This could typically range from something small, such as someone spilling some food or drink onto the floor, to something large like the mess created following a wild party or social gathering. This usage takes the meaning of 'clean', as in 'to remove the dirt from something' and combines it with the idea of 'completion' that the particle 'up' often adds to phrasal verbs. Thus, it literally means here to clean somewhere until it is completely clean once more, so that it looks nice and presentable. In addition to the idea of removing dirt, this application of 'clean up' also includes the idea of tidying a space or a room and making it neat again. Invariably, when you clean somewhere up like a room, it will not look good if it is clean but still untidy and so this application of 'clean up' very much incorporates the ideas of tidiness and neatness too. Look at the mess in this room! I want this cleaned up now! We've tried our best to clean up the stains from the party last night but you can still see some of them. My dog has just vomited all over my new carpet! I need to clean it up straight away. Whilst I was cleaning up the garage, I came across these old photographs. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The noun 'clean-up' We can also use 'clean-up' as a noun to refer to the action of cleaning something up, normally following an event or incident. It also exists as an adjective, in which case it is often found in collocation with the noun 'efforts', specifically when talking about the attempts of people to clean a place or an area up following something destructive, like an accident or a natural disaster. As soon as the clean-up had begun, another storm blew in from the ocean, causing it to stop again. The clean-up efforts are well underway and we expect to have the area re-opened again by lunchtime tomorrow. MEANING 2: To make yourself clean Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? American English Potential synonyms To wash up, to get clean, to groom, to spruce up Separable? Only with a reflexive pronoun Of course, rooms and spaces are not the only things that get dirty or messy and subsequently require cleaning up and it may or may not surprise you to know that this phrasal verb can also be applied to people. Typically, this application of 'clean up' is heard when someone is dirty, sweaty or even a bit smelly, perhaps after doing some physical activity or after a hard day at work. The idea of 'clean up' here is that the person goes and washes and makes themselves look presentable (and probably also smell nice). Grammatically speaking, unlike the first meaning, we don't normally tend to separate this usage of 'clean up', except for when we add a reflexive (-self) pronoun. I would say that this usage of 'clean up' is heard more in American English, whilst in British English we tend to use the passive form 'to get cleaned up' a bit more. Moreover, it is also possible for one person to clean another person and "clean them up", in which case it is normally used separably, with the person being cleaned as the direct object of the phrasal verb. Please note that we would only use 'clean someone (else) up' when they are particularly dirty or bloody. I've just got home from the gym, so give me 10 minutes to go and clean up and I'll be ready. Look at the state of you! You are covered in mud! Go and clean yourself up before dinner. Helen's just gone to get cleaned up and she will be joining us as soon as she is ready. You've cut your leg and your bleeding. Come here and let me clean you up. Our dog had been playing in the mud, so we had to clean him up before we let him go back in the house. MEANING 3: To restore order to a place Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To restore, to purge Separable? Yes In addition to dirt, there are of course many other things that most (normal) people do not want to have in and around their living environments, such as crime and corruption. Additionally, the phrasal verb 'clean up' can also be used to describe the removal of these negative actions and behaviour from an organisation, city or even a country. In other words, this third meaning of 'clean up' is 'to restore law and order to somewhere, with the objective of making it a more pleasant place to be and to live'. The central idea here is that criminal and dishonest activities are viewed by many people similarly to dirt and therefore desire its removal from their environment. Aside from being used to describe the removal of illegal and corrupt behaviour, 'clean up' can also be used to talk about reducing and eradicating pollution, whether that be within a small geographical area or on a global scale. You are, in fact, just as likely to hear someone speaking about cleaning up a local forest as you are to hear prominent public figures talking about cleaning up the world's oceans. The police and local council have worked well together to clean up this town over the last twenty years. The pressure is growing on the government to take steps to clean up the corruption that permeates all areas of society. We have been cleaning up the world's oceans for the past 10 years but a lot work remains to be done. Here are some guidelines that we can all follow to help clean up our polluted environment. MEANING 4: To make a big profit Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To make a big profit Separable? No Now let's forget about the idea of cleaning for our meaning and think instead about money! In business, if someone is lucky enough to make a lot of money in a transaction or a lot of profit on some work that they have carried out, you could say that they have 'cleaned up'. The reason for this is that an informal usage of the phrasal verb 'clean up' is 'to make a big profit or, alternatively, to win a lot of money', for example in a competition or through gambling. This application of 'clean up' is not separable and tends to be followed either by the place where the money was won e.g. 'at the horse races', or how it was earned e.g. 'on this business deal'. John cleaned up at the bookmaker's today and he is taking everyone out to dinner. We cleaned up on this business transaction and our profits are very high. MEANING 5: To win all the prizes in a competition Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To win everything Separable No This fifth and final meaning of 'clean up' is very similar to the previous one as it continues the theme of winning. This usage, in particular, is used when someone wins all, or the majority, of the awards or prizes in a competition. Typically, you see this in award ceremonies for films or music, when one person, movie or song is very successful and wins a large number of the available awards. Furthermore, you may also hear about this with sports teams and sportspeople, or in fact anyone who could potentially win a large number of prizes at one time. In any of these cases, you could say that he or she 'cleaned up'. The movie Parasite cleaned up at the 2019 Oscar awards ceremony. This song is expected to clean up at this year's national music awards, having been nominated in 11 out of 12 categories. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The idiom 'to clean up your act' Before finishing this post, it would be neglectful of me to not let you know about a great idiom that exists with the phrasal verb 'clean up': 'to clean up your act'. This idiom means to start behaving in a better and more responsible way, often involving stopping drinking alcohol, taking drugs or committing crimes. It is separable and both 'clean your act up' and 'clean up your act' are completely fine to use. When my baby was born I decided that I had to clean my act up and start behaving more responsibly. Roger has cleaned his act up since leaving prison and he is now like a new man. Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'clean up'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'clean up'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'get on' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them. The phrasal verb 'get on' is one that you are sure to be familiar with, especially if you have ever used public transport in an English speaking country. In this article, I will explain six different ways that native speakers use it along with some of the most frequently used idioms that it features in. Furthermore, there are lots of example sentences in contextto show you the typical situations in which we used each application. So, without further ado, let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Get On - The Basics: Key information and the words 'get' and 'on' Get On - Meaning 1: To physically move on to something Get On - Bonus: Get on your knees! Get On - Meaning 2: To have a friendly relationship with someone 🇬🇧 Get On - Bonus: The idiom 'to get on like a house on fire' Get On - Meaning 3: To deal with a situation Get On - Meaning 4: To progress with something Get On - Meaning 5: To succeed in a career Get On - Meaning 6: To grow old Get On - Bonus: Some more idioms featuring 'get on' I love writing this blog & helping learners but I receive very little feedback as to how useful it is or if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I'd be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS GET ON: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 6 Past tense forms Got on / Got on or gotten on Separable? No As you will know, the meanings of phrasal verbs are very different from the meanings of the individual words that make them up, so before we take a look at the meanings of the phrasal verb 'get on', let's first consider the individual words 'get' and 'on'. The verb 'to get' is a great verb in English as it is extremely versatile and can be used many different ways with vastly different meanings. However, this makes it a nightmare for English learners. We won't go into detail about all of the different meanings of 'to get' in this article but I just want to highlight here the meanings that are relevant for the phrasal verb 'get on'. The first of these is 'to move to a particular place or into a specified position' and the other is 'to become', both of which are in frequent use in everyday English. Next, we have the prepositional particle 'on', which is a regular feature in phrasal verb constructions. As a preposition and adverb, its main meaning is 'to be in contact and supported by a surface', although it does have many other meanings and uses. In phrasal verb constructions, it often adds the ideas of continuation and progress. Now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the meanings of 'get on'.... MEANING 1: To physically move on to something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To mount, to board, to climb on Separable No Let's start the meanings of 'get on' with one that you are sure to have heard and used before: 'to physically move on to something'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Bus / Train / Bicycle / Boat Horse Floor Roof Bed Fairground ride This is the most literal of the meanings that we will consider in this article and takes the meaning of the verb 'to get' as in 'to move to a particular place' and combines it with the spatial element of being 'on' a specified surface. In other words, a movement on to something. We can use this application of 'get on' with any nouns that describe something that a person, animal or object can be 'on' and therefore there are many potential words that you may hear this being used with. Commonly, you will definitely hear this with forms of public transport, as well as bicycles and horses (not cars though as we travel 'in' them, weirdly). Other examples could be getting on a roof to replace some tiles or getting on a fairground ride like a big wheel or a roller coaster. An odd usage to note is the expression 'to get on the floor', which has two meanings and can either mean to lie down on the floor or to move to a dance floor at a party or in a nightclub in order to dance....English is strange sometimes! The exact opposite of this usage of 'get on' is 'get off' and you can find a link to my page all about that here . When I got on the bus this morning, the driver did not ask me to pay. John got on his bike and went to work. The painter had to get on the table so that he could reach the roof and paint it. Helen was getting on her horse when a big clap of thunder made it jump, causing her to fall off. In case of an earthquake, everybody should get on the floor in a safe place. Photo: Pexels BONUS: Get on your knees! While we are on this subject, I also wanted to make you aware of another slightly different usage of 'get on' that is relevant here. In English, it is quite common to use 'get on' whilst referring to a body part that supports your body weight, in particular when you change your position so that another part of your body supports you on the ground. Typically, if someone tells you to 'get on your feet', they want you to stand up, if you 'get on your back', it means that you lie down with your face looking upwards and if you 'get on your hands and knees', you adopt a crawling position. To start this this yoga class, I want you all to get on your stomachs with your arms stretched out to the sides. I got on my knees and prayed for it to all end peacefully. My dog always gets on his back when he wants his stomach to be rubbed. MEANING 2: To have a friendly relationship with someone Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? British English Potential synonyms To get along Separable? No The second meaning of the phrasal verb 'get on' is a predominantly British usage but is nonetheless used very frequently in everyday English in the UK and it means 'to have a friendly relationship with someone. Moreover, it is used to talk about any harmonious and good relationship between two or more people. For this usage, we need to enlist the additional preposition 'with'. If you 'get on with someone', it means that your relationship with them is good, there is friendly communication and there are no arguments or tension. For those of you interested in American English, the synonym phrasal verb 'get along' is used for this instead. I must say though that, apart from these two phrasal verbs, I cannot think of another synonym to express this concept in natural, everyday language, so if you don't use these already, I would strongly recommend doing so. On the flip side, when the relationship between two or more people is not good, we simply say that they 'do not get on (with each other)'. I get on with my husband's parents and I enjoy spending time with them. Roger gets on very well with all of his colleagues and he loves going to work every day to see them. I tend to get on with most people. I wasn't sure if Lucy and Laura would get on but they ended up getting on famously and now they're best friends. Whatever you do, don't sit Lisa and Helen next to each other at the wedding as they don't get on. IDIOM ALERT: 'To get on like a house on fire' In order to intensify this usage of 'get on', adverbs such as 'well' and 'brilliantly' are often used, as well as 'famously'. For two people who have a particularly good relationship with one another, you can use the idiom that they 'get on like a house on fire'. It was so lovely to meet your brother yesterday. We got on like a house on fire! MEANING 3: To deal with a situation Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To find, to do, to deal with, to handle Separable? No Imagine that you have recently moved to a new house and one of your friends telephones you to see if it went ok. If your friend is an English speaker, one of the questions that he or she will probably ask you is " how are you getting on in your new home? ". That is because our next meaning of 'get on' is 'to deal with or to handle a life situation'. Generally, we use this application of 'get on' when we are talking about new changes or new situations in a person's life that are either permanent or will last for a long period of time. For this reason, we tend to use this application with progressive ('ing) tenses. I would also say that this form of 'get on' is often expressed as a question to the person who is experiencing the new situation. It is also perhaps used more when there is an element of success. Another way that this usage of 'get on' is sometimes used is when you want to know how difficult someone is finding something. For example, if a student is reading a complicated scientific book, his or her teacher may ask them, 'how are you getting on with the book?'. How are you getting on in your new job? My son, Jake, is getting on really well at university and is having a great time. Now class, is everyone getting on ok with the preparation for their class presentations next week or do any of you need help? MEANING 4: To progress with something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To progress, to continue, to go on Separable? No This next meaning of the phrasal verb 'get on' is a logical continuation from the last one, which is perfect as this next meaning is 'to progress with something' or 'to continue doing something'. This is often used following a small break or pause. Although the general meaning of this usage is to continue or progress, it does differ slightly from these verbs as 'get on' implies an idea of urgency or determination. For example, if you say that you need "to get on with your work", it implies that you need to start focussing all of your attention on the work so that you can make progress with it and it feels like there is more of an urgency. Likewise, it is very common for teachers and authority figures to tell students or members of staff to 'get on with what they are doing', implying that they need to stop talking and start concentrating on their work. Indeed, this application of 'get on' is used frequently in the imperative form in English to make people work harder or faster. Aside from continuing with something, this usage of 'get on' is also frequently used to mean 'to start doing something', again often carrying the same idea of urgency or hurriedness. Can you two please stop talking and get on with what you are supposed to be doing. I don't mean to be rude but I really need to get on with this work or else I will not finish it in before the deadline. Get on with your work please. There will be plenty of time to talk afterwards! Look how dirty this kitchen is. We'd better get on with the cleaning if we want it to be ready for when Mum and Dad come home. MEANING 5: To succeed in a career Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To succeed, to excel Separable? No When people are ambitious, motivated and have a tendency to get on with their work and not be lazy, they are very likely to get on in their chosen career. The reason for that is because another meaning of 'get on' is 'to succeed' or 'to excel' when talking about a person's career or within a field of employment. This is a bit of a rarer usage, however it is nevertheless very good to know and be able to use. In addition to getting on in a career, you may also hear people say that they 'get on well in life', which is very much the same meaning but rather talks about being successful in life in general e.g. having a good job, a nice house etc...of course this is very generalised and not everybody's idea of success is the same. It is very difficult to get on in this industry if you do not know the right people. If you want to get on in your career, you should accept every opportunity that comes your way. Getting on in life is all about working hard, looking after your health and treating people with respect. MEANING 6: To grow old Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium British or American? Both Potential synonyms To age, to get older Separable? No For those of us who are lucky enough, a fact of life is that we will get old, our hair will go grey, our faces will develop wrinkles, and you know the rest! Now the final usage of the phrasal verb 'get on' in today's article is all about this aging process and means 'to be old' or 'to be getting old'. To clarify here, when I refer to 'old' I mean someone who is past retirement age and who is near the end of their life, with all of the associated characteristics. If you refer to someone as 'getting on', you are essentially saying that the person is old or is getting older and is therefore losing the characteristics and good health that we associate with younger people. Often, it is said in an almost euphemistic way to say that a person now needs more care and attention or will not be alive for much longer. This is a very informal and colloquial usage but one that I hear often enough to consider worthy of a place in this article. Often, the expression 'getting on a bit' is used here, with the addition of the words 'a bit' sometimes being applied to soften the idea and make it sound less harsh. On a grammatical note, this is another usage of 'get on' that is always used in the progressive ('ing) form. My Dad is getting on these days and he needs one of us to go to his house every day and make sure he is ok. Wow, how old is he now? He must be getting on a bit! John's Dad was getting on so they decided that he should go into an old person's home. Photo: Pexels BONUS: Some more idioms featuring 'get on' The phrasal verb 'get on' is found in a large number of different idiomatic expressions and so before I finish this post, I want to make you aware of some really common ones that you are likely to come across in English... It's getting on - This little four-word idiom is used to mean that it is getting late, normally with the idea that you will need to leave soon. It's getting on, we'd better leave now before it gets dark outside. To get on someone's nerves - This is a super common idiom that German speakers will certainly already be familiar with and it means to annoy or to irritate someone. This can either be a person or a thing and is usually caused by something that happens over a period of time or is repeated. An alternative to this is 'to get on someone's wick'. This song really gets on my nerves. Every radio station that I listen to plays it all the time. To get on your high horse - This idiom means to express an opinion about something in an arrogant way, with the idea that you know better than other people - you are definitely right and everybody else is wrong. It comes from medieval times when rich and powerful people rode on large horses to emphasise how much bigger and more important they were than the common, poorer people. The politician got on his high horse and made his opinion on the matter very clear. To get on your soapbox - This is a little similar to the previous 'high horse' idiom as if you get on your soapbox, you also express your opinion about a given subject. However when you get on your soapbox, you tend to give your opinion forcefully and often in great detail, i.e. you spend a long time expressing your opinion on a subject. Sorry to get on my soapbox but I feel very strongly about this. To get on top of someone - Lastly, if something gets on top of someone, it becomes too much for them to deal with. This is often used when talking about emotions, feelings and stress. It all just got on top of me at the funeral and I started crying uncontrollably. Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'get on'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'get on'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END