An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'look at' 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 focus of this post is the phrasal verb 'to look at', which is one that I find that I use a LOT on this blog and so I thought it would be a good idea to give it its own dedicated blog page. In this post we will explore the main meanings of 'look at' and also some typical situations in which it is used by native speakers with lots of example sentences showing how it is used. So without further ado, let's go..... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Look At - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'look' and 'at' Look At - Meaning 1: Literal Look At - Bonus: 'Look at' with adverbs Look At - Meaning 2: To examine something Look At - Bonus: To have a look at or take a look at something Look At - Meaning 3: To consider something Look At - Meaning 4: To view from a different perspective Look At - Bonus: Some additional uses of 'look at' 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 LOOK AT: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 4 Past tense forms Looked at / Looked at Separable? No As is customary on Phrasal Verbs Explained, let's start the post by considering the basics.... In this case, we have the main verb 'to look' followed by the prepositional particle 'at'. The verb 'to look' is a very common verb which can be used either to talk about viewing something with your eyes or to talk about how something is perceived when somebody views it. In the first case, the prepositional particle 'at' is required to specify the person or object that we are viewing. 'At' is a preposition with many uses in English, but the meaning that is relevant here is "towards or in the direction of something". See the below examples.... Photo: Pexels The lady looked at the apple. Photo: Pexels The apple looked very fresh. One thing I notice with students is that they often confuse the verb 'to look' with other verbs of vision, such as 'to see' and 'to watch'. If you find it difficult to distinguish between these different verbs, I have put together the table below, which will give you some basic information regarding the differences.... Verb Meaning Example To see ​To perceive or notice something with your eyes. The action is passive. ​I can see a spider on the wall. To look To move or direct your eyes in a direction in order to see something. The action is active. I looked at the spider on the wall. To watch To focus on something and follow it with your eyes for a period of time. This is normally something that moves or changes. The action is active. I watched the spider walking across the wall. Now that we have covered the basics, the first meaning that we will look at should be a piece of cake..... MEANING 1: Literal Photo: Pexels ​CEFR Language Level A1 - Beginner Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms ​To glance, to peek, to view, to gaze, to stare, to check out Separable? Only with certain adverbs As you may have seen in the examples in the green table in the last section, we use the preposition 'at' after look, to specify the thing that we focus on with our eyes. This can be used either for when we direct our eyes and attention from one thing to another or it can be used just to talk about focusing on something with our eyes. It is possible to use 'look at' for both short and long periods of time. For short periods of time, potential synonyms could be verbs such as 'to peek' or 'to glance' and for longer periods of time the verbs 'to gaze' or 'to stare' could possibly be used. Regardless of the duration, a key element of 'look at' is that the person or object that we are viewing does not move and we do not need to follow it with our eyes; in that case we would then use the verbs 'to watch' or 'to observe'. Therefore, we do not say " I looked at a movie " or " I looked at the TV ", but rather " I watched a movie " or " I watched TV ". Literally speaking, if you say " I looked at the TV ", it will probably be understood by a native speaker to mean that you are looking at the TV equipment and not watching the programme or movie. Look at these old school photographs! How young do we look?! Helen was looking at her phone and so did not see the hole in the road. What are you looking at? Photo: Pexels BONUS: 'Look at' with adverbs You may have seen in the tables above that 'look at' can sometimes be used separably. It should be noted that the object always follows 'at' and cannot be placed between the two words, however there are certain adverbs that we can insert between 'look' and 'at' to modify them. Some of the most common examples of these are: directly, closely & carefully. Alternatively, it is also possible to place these adverbs at the end of the sentence and sometimes before 'look at', but I personally think that inserting the adverb between them sounds better and would help to elevate your sentence. If you look directly at the sun, you will damage your eyesight. Look carefully at the picture and tell me what you can see. MEANING 2: To examine something Photo: Pexels ​CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere ​Potential synonyms To examine Separable? Only with certain adverbs Our next meaning of 'look at' is very much linked to the literal meaning that we have just considered and for all intents and purposes means the same thing. The only difference in this meaning is that we use 'look at' to describe when we carefully and methodically examine something. This is usually with the intention of determining the cause of a problem, finding out the nature of something (what it is) or checking something, such as a document, in order to make sure that it is all correct and in order. As you can imagine, we normally reserve this usage of 'look at' for experts or professionals within a particular field, such as doctors, lawyers or teachers. Your ankle looks really sore, you should get a doctor to look at it. There is something wrong with my car and I've taken it to the garage, so that a mechanic can look at it. I have asked my boss to look at the report I've written before I submit it to the shareholders. Photo: Pexels BONUS: To have a look or to take a look at something There are a couple of common variations of this usage of 'look at', which I want to make you aware of. In both cases 'look' is used as a noun and alternative verbs are used: To take a look at something To have a look at something Both of these variations mean the same thing and are also often used to mean 'to examine something' in the same way as described above. Leave this with me, I will take a look at it later today and give you my feedback. Would you mind having a look at my resume? I'm not sure if I have included everything I need. You should note that it is also possible to use these in the literal form, especially when asking someone to direct their attention to something. Come here and take a look at this!! You won't believe it! Have a look at this and tell me what you think! MEANING 3: To consider something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate ​Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To consider, to think about Separable? With certain adverbs The next meaning of 'look at' is to consider or think about something. This is a usage that I use a great deal on this blog, since the whole aim of the blog is to consider and explore phrasal verbs and their meanings and usage. Additionally, I think that it is a further progression of the two meanings that we have already covered in this post. When we use 'look at' in this way, we are talking about directing our thoughts or attention to a particular topic or issue, rather than our eyes. We often use it, like I do on this blog with different phrasal verb meanings, to take something in particular and think about it carefully in order to discuss or write about it. Alternatively, it can also be used to talk about when we consider specific problems or issues and how they can be resolved or when you have to make a decision and are considering different options. One particular way that 'look at' is used here is when we want to give an example in order to justify or support something that we are saying. We often give our initial opinion and follow this by saying " look at XYZ for example". In today's post, we are looking at 'to break down '... We are aware of the problem and we are looking at ways in which we can resolve it as quickly as possible. I looked at Cambridge University as an option for my degree but the entry requirements were too high. John should definitely be the person who gets the manager's job. Look at how good he is at interacting with the other members of the team, for example! MEANING 4: To view from a different perspective Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere ​Potential synonyms To view, to see Separable? No The last usage of 'look at' on this post is one that does not differ too much from its other usages and is used to talk about viewing something from a different perspective to our own, or from a particular viewpoint. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Perspective Point of view We often use this to "put ourselves in someone else's shoes", in other words, to see something from a different person's perspective in a given situation. Moreover, we can also use it to talk about our own perspective at a different time in our lives, in which case we would often use the 3rd conditional due to the hypothetical nature of the statement. Look at it from my perspective! If you looked at it from Helen's point of view, you might think differently! If I had known this when I was younger, I would have definitely looked at things differently! Photo: Pexels BONUS: Some additional meanings of 'look at' Before finishing this blog post, I want to make you aware of some additional uses of 'look at' that are commonly used by native speakers in everyday English. Not much to look at - If somebody uses the expression that someone or something is "not much to look at", they mean that the person or thing is boring, plain, ugly or lacking beauty. As you can imagine, this can be quite offensive, especially if used to talk about a person, however sometimes it is used to say that something is not aesthetically pleasing but has some other positive qualities. My house is not much to look at from the outside but the inside is breathtakingly beautiful! Look at you ! - This short expression is often used to convey surprise at how someone looks or is dressed, usually in a positive way. Wow, look at you Lisa, all dressed up like that. You look beautiful! Would you look at that! - This short expression, which is more common in American English, is used to convey surprise about something negative that has happened. Would you look at that! My car has two flat tyres, how has that happened? 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 'look at'. 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 'look at'. 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 'take 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. In this post we are looking at the phrasal verb 'to take over', which is commonly used in business English and in the workplace. There are several different meanings that we will look at in this post, however as you will see, the overall themes of this phrasal verb are replacement and control. So without further ado, let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Take Over: The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'take' and 'over' Take Over - Meaning 1: Literal meaning Take Over - Meaning 2: To take control Take Over - Meaning 3: To become the most important or most dominant Take Over - Bonus: The verb 'to overtake' 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 TAKE OVER: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 3 Past tense forms Took over / Taken over Separable? Yes Our nominated phrasal verb this week consists of the extremely common verb 'to take' followed by the particle 'over'. The verb 'to take' is a widely used English verb which has various meanings, but the meanings that are significant for the idiomatic meanings of the phrasal verb 'take over' are... To voluntarily get or acquire possession of something. To carry or transport something from one place to another. John took the flowers off the table. Can everyone please take a copy and pass them on. My Mum is taking me to the airport today. Please could you take this carton to the warehouse. Like 'take', the prepositional particle 'over' also has a few different meanings in English, including to move across or above a surface (preposition / adverb) and to be finished (adjective). Both of these are relevant to the meanings of the phrasal verb, which we will look at now. When used in phrasal verbs, the particle 'over' can convey different meanings, such as transfer (hand over), excess (boil over), overcoming ( get over ) and thoroughness (read over). So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'take over'.... MEANING 1: Literal Photo: Pexels ​CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To bring over, to take, to take across, to deliver, to transfer Separable? Yes The phrasal verb construction 'take over' is used regularly by English speakers in a literal sense to mean taking something or somebody from one place to another, which the speaker perceives as being across from where they are. The meaning of 'take' which applies here is the meaning 'to carry something or someone from one place to another' and the preposition 'over' then adds a directional element to mean across from where the speaker is. Typical examples of this literal usage could be.... To take a document across an office to another person. To give someone a lift in your car from one place to another. To take something and deliver it somewhere. The main idea here is that someone takes someone or something to another place, which is perceived by the speaker to be across or over from where they are. If the speaker perceives that the other place is below or above them (e.g. on a different floor in a building), it is more likely that they will use "take down" or "take up" instead. In some situations, the verbs 'to deliver' and 'to transfer' both serve as synonyms of this application. When used in this way, it is very common to use it separably with the direct object between 'take' and 'over'. Also, don't forget the preposition 'to' is required to state the end destination. John left his book here when he went back to Australia, so I said I would take it over with me the next time I go. Can you take this file over to the CEO's office and ask her to sign it for me. I am taking Lisa over to her mum's house today as her car isn't working. Sally asked me to take the books over to the library before it closed. I'll take the food over to Grandma's house this evening. They took the supplies over to the shelter after the storm. I've already taken the package over to the post office, so don't worry about it. MEANING 2: To take control Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To take charge of, to take control, to take on Separable? Sometimes The first of the idiomatic meanings of 'take over' in this post is certainly the most commonly used among native speakers and means to take or to assume control of something from another person or entity. In the business world the phrasal verb 'take over' is commonly used to talk about when one company purchases or acquires another company and therefore takes control of it. It is also very common to use the noun 'takeover' here instead of the verb. You may have heard the term 'acquisition' before, which is a synonym of the noun 'takeover'. Company X has recently taken over company Y and as a result the share price has gone through the roof. Company Z has recently been taken over and many of its employees have been made redundant. Despite the shareholder's attempts to stop it, the company takeover is still going ahead this month. We also use 'take over' to talk about when one employee in a business assumes another person of authority's job role, in other words they assume a role of responsibility or control from another person. A similar phrasal verb that can be used here is "to take on", however "take over" indicates that the person's new role is one of authority and control e.g. a manager or a director. Don't forget that the preposition 'as' is required here to say what the new role is. A third variation of how 'take over' can be used in the world of business is specifically to do with shift work. In businesses and organisations which operate around the clock (24/7) and in which employees do shift work, we can use 'take over' to talk about when one person's shift ends and another employee starts their shift and replaces them. For this usage, the preposition 'from' is required to talk about the person who you are replacing. Roger is leaving the company next month and so Helen is taking over his role as head of Finance. John starts his shift at 7pm, so he will be taking over from Tim who finishes then. Away from the business world, 'take over' is also used in other contexts and situations to mean to take control of something. Examples could include when one country invades another country and takes control of it or when a person's emotions become too intense and they can no longer control themselves from breaking down or crying. After the accident I was so scared but then my adrenaline took over and I did what I had to do to make sure that everyone was safe. In addition to the usage above, we can also use 'take over' to mean that something or someone becomes dominant in a situation. Good examples of this would be when someone dominates a conversation or when a bossy person starts to give out orders and take control in a situation. This gives us a nice segue into the third meaning, which is very similar. As soon as Helen joined the conversation, she completely took over and nobody else was able to say anything! MEANING 3: To become the most important or most dominant Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate ​Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To dominate, to become dominant Separable? No So, we have already considered how 'take over' is commonly used to mean 'to take control' and this second meaning is actually very similar to it. Here, 'take over' means to become the most important or dominant in a given category or group. This usage is often seen when talking about lists of the best, worst, biggest, smallest, richest etc and can therefore be seen across many different subject areas as diverse as sport, music and business. 'Take over' is used specifically to talk about when there is a change and someone or something new is in first position, effectively taking over first place in the list. Again, the prepositions 'as' and 'from' are required here in the same way as the first usage above. India will soon take over from Japan as the world's third largest economy. I remember when Manchester United took over as the top football team in the country. Melbourne has recently taken over Sydney as Australia's most populous city. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The verb 'to overtake' An alternative synonym to this second meaning of 'take over' is the verb 'to overtake'. One of the main uses of this verb is to talk about when something takes over something else to become the first in its category, as discussed above. Unlike 'take over' though, when we use 'overtake' we need to have a direct object to state who or what was previously in front and has now been overtaken. The preposition 'as' is still required here but 'from' is not required as we have a direct object. India will soon overtake Japan as the world's third largest economy. Melbourne has recently overtaken Sydney as Australia's most populous city. The second main use of 'overtake' is used when driving and means to move past a car that is in front of you by driving around it, normally because it is going too slowly. Again, this carries the same meaning as the third meaning of 'take over' i.e. to move past something and be in front of it. The car in front was driving very slowly, so I decided to overtake it. The rules of overtaking in Formula 1 racing are being reviewed. 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 'take 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 'take 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 'let 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. 'Let down' is a phrasal verb with several meanings that can be applied to very different areas of life. You may already be familiar with its most common meaning, 'to disappoint someone', which we will look at in detail in this post, as well as the other meanings of let down'. So, without further ado, let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Let Down - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'let' and 'down' Let Down - Meaning 1: To disappoint someone Let Down - Bonus: The noun 'letdown' Let Down - Meaning 2: To lower something Let Down - Bonus: The idiom 'to let your hair down' Let Down - Meaning 3: To be a reason that something fails Let Down - Meaning 4: To make an item of clothing shorter Let Down - Meaning 5: To deflate 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 DOWN: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 5 Past tense forms Let down / Let down Separable? Yes Before we look at 'let down's different meanings, let's first consider the meanings of the individual words 'let' and 'down'. 'To let' is an irregular English verb and primarily means 'to allow or permit something', or 'to not prevent something from happening'. It is used in a wide number of common expressions and therefore will be a verb that I'm sure many of you will be very familiar with. The prepositional particle 'down' is the natural opposite of the particle 'up' and is most frequently used to refer to something in a lower position relative to the speaker, or to describe movement towards this lower position. As such, in phrasal verb constructions 'down' can often add the ideas of moving downwards or decreasing. If you have read my post about the phrasal verb 'let up' (link here ), you may remember that it can be used literally to mean 'to allow someone to go up to a higher place'. We can also apply this same logic to 'let down' and it can mean 'to allow someone to go down from a high to a lower place', e.g. down some stairs or to a lower part of a building, however this usage is quite rare and so I only just wanted to briefly mention it here. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's look at the meanings of 'let down'.... MEANING 1: To disappoint someone Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To disappoint, to fail someone Separable? Yes The first meaning of 'let down' is to disappoint someone and is a common usage that you may hear in many popular songs and on popular TV shows. Although 'to let down' does mean 'to disappoint' and most of the time can be used interchangeably with it, there are some subtle differences in meaning and usage.... If you let someone down', you fail to do something that people expect you to do or hope that you do. This could be anything from just a small unfulfilled promise to not choosing the career that your parents hoped that you would. The verb 'to disappoint' could also be used in most of these cases, however 'to disappoint' refers more to a person's sad feeling when something doesn't go their way. So, in a nutshell 'let down' is more a failure to do something that was promised or expected and 'disappoint' is more to describe how you feel emotionally after someone lets you down. On a grammatical level, 'let down' is separable and can be used both ways, however it must always be used separably with indirect object pronouns (me, him, her, them etc.). Lastly, a common collocation that exists is 'to let someone down gently', which means to give a person bad news in a nice, gentle or kind way. Are you able to babysit my children tonight? My usual babysitter has let me down and I don't know who else to ask. I feel like I have let my parents down by not going to university. The company's supplier let us down at the last minute, so they had to try and find someone else who could supply the goods. We are not able to to go to John's party tonight. I know he really wants us to be there, so we will let him down gently. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The noun 'letdown' In addition to the phrasal verb 'let down', there is also the noun 'letdown', which is used to describe the action of letting someone down or disappointing them and is a synonym of the noun 'disappointment'. The noun is usually used to refer to a disappointing situation, but it can also be used to describe a person, although this can often be a little insulting. We tried out the new Italian restaurant in town last night but it was a letdown. We won't go back there again! Roger thinks that he is a letdown in his parents' eyes but it's not true; they are very proud of him. MEANING 2: To lower something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To lower Separable? Yes The next meaning of 'let down' is to lower something from a high position to low position or to the ground, usually in a slow and careful manner'. In other words, this is to move something towards the ground or in a downwards direction. Often, with this sense of 'let down', the subject is the person who is carrying out the action and the item being lowered or 'let down' is the object. As I wrote, this application of 'let down' is normally used to describe the act of slowly and carefully lowering something or someone and as such, it is often used in situations with ropes and some types of machinery. In addition to the this, 'let down' can also be used to talk about when something that is restricted, bound or tied in a high place is untied or released. Typical examples of this are 'letting sails on a boat down' and 'letting your hair down'. Again, this application of 'let down' is separable and is fine to use both separably and inseparably, however I think that we tend to use it more in an inseparable way. The firemen arrived and carefully let the cat down from the tree in a basket tied to a rope. The rock climber got stuck halfway up the mountain and asked the crew to let him down. As the wind was increasing, the sailors decided to let down the sails. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The idiom 'to let your hair down' One of the examples that I gave for this meaning of 'let down' was to untie your hair, so that it is free to hang down around your face. While this is used in everyday speech, 'to let your hair down' has also become a very popular idiom meaning 'to relax and have fun'. For this idiom, only the separable usage works. Lisa is determined to forget about work and let her hair down this weekend. You need to stop stressing and go out and let your hair down for a change. MEANING 3: To be a reason for something to fail Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To detract Separable? Yes The next meaning is a primarily British usage of 'let down' and is used to give a reason for why something fails or, less commonly, does not do as well as expected'. This is a similar kind of idea to the first meaning of disappointment that we looked at, however in this sense there is no element of disappointment, but rather the idea that one thing causes something to fail or not be as good or successful as it was expected to be. This can be used to describe anything for which there is an element of judgment or evaluation from other people, so therefore it could be as diverse as a painting, a candidate for a job, an outfit or the decor of a building. Often, we use this application of 'let down' separably, however sometimes we can use the unseparated construction "something is let down by something" - see below. He is a really good looking guy but unfortunately his personality lets him down. The house itself was perfect and the only thing that let it down and stopped us from buying it was that there was no garden. If there is one that thing that this car model is let down by, it is the high petrol consumption. MEANING 4: To make an item of clothing longer Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To lengthen Separable? Yes The fourth meaning of 'let down' is a useful one for anyone who enjoys sewing and needlework as it means 'to make a garment or item of clothing longer'. This is normally done by unfolding the excess material of a garment that is normally folded over at the bottom of it. It is often used with trousers and skirts that are not long enough. As with the other meanings of 'let down', this application can be used both separably and inseparably and with this one, I would say that both are equally as common as the other. I need to let these new trousers down as they are too short. That skirt is far too short, it needs letting down! MEANING 5: To deflate Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? British English Potential synonyms To deflate Separable? Yes This fifth and final usage is another primarily British usage of 'let down' and it means 'to deflate something'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Tyre (Tire) Balloon Ball Airbed The idea behind this meaning comes from another phrasal verb, namely 'to blow up' (check it out here ), one of the meanings of which is to 'inflate something'. The opposite of 'up' is of course 'down' and rather than 'blow down' (which doesn't exist), we use 'let down'. We can only use 'let down' for when something deflates with human intervention or action, rather than bursting and this is why the verb 'let' is used as this often implies an idea of intentionally allowing something to deflate and making it happen. Grammatically, this is no different to the other applications of 'let down' and can be used both in a separable and an inseparable way. Someone has let the tyres down on my bike! How am I going to get to work now?! We need to let down the airbed and put it away before the guests arrive. 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 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 'let 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 'turn' 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 'turn down' is a commonly used phrasal verb that has several idiomatic meanings used in everyday English. In addition, there are also some specific situations in which we can use it. We will look at all of them in turn over the course of this post, so let's not put it off any longer and let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Turn Down - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'turn' and 'down' Turn Down - Meaning 1: To reduce the intensity of something Turn Down - Meaning 2: To refuse or reject Turn Down - Bonus: To get turned down Turn Down - Meaning 3: To decrease Turn Down - Bonus: The noun 'downturn' Turn Down - Meaning 4: To fold or face downward Turn Down - Bonus: To turn down a road Turn Down - Bonus: Have you every had turndown service in a hotel? 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 DOWN: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 5 Past tense forms Turned down / Turned down Separable? Yes Although I am sure that you are already familiar with the phrasal verb 'turn down', it is always a good idea to look at the individual words as a starting point, as these can often help us understand some of the idiomatic meanings of phrasal verbs. Firstly, we have the verb 'to turn'. This is a verb with a few different meanings, including to move in a circular path, to change direction or to change and become something else. I think that the overarching (main) idea of the verb 'to turn' though is a change of position or state. Secondly, we have the prepositional particle 'down', which can be used as an adverb and a preposition and broadly means be in, or to move towards, a lower position or place ⬇️ (from a higher one). So, now that we are familiar with the words, let's check out the different meanings that we have in English when we combine these two words to get the phrasal verb 'turn down'.... MEANING 1: To reduce the intensity of something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To reduce, to lower, to decrease Separable? Yes Our first meaning of the phrasal verb 'turn down' is to reduce the intensity of the output of an item of equipment, such as a television, a heating system or a radio. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Volume Heat Music Television Lights When we turn something down, we ultimately want the amount of energy produced by the equipment to be lower, for example because a television is too loud, an oven is too hot or a light is too bright. As you may have already worked out, this meaning of 'turn down' originated from the action of adjusting switches or controls by turning them from a higher setting or number to a lower one. 'Turn down' is a separable phrasal verb and is used very commonly in separable form by native speakers, often with the pronoun 'it' when we have already mentioned the equipment. Note that there is no change in meaning between the separable and inseparable form. Your music is so loud! Can you turn it down please? It was like a sauna in here earlier, so I turned the heating down. Bring the liquid to the boil, then slightly turn down the heat before adding the pasta. John turned down the brightness on his phone to save battery. MEANING 2: To refuse or reject something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms ​To refuse, to reject, to decline Separable? Yes Another extremely common meaning of 'turn down' is one that you are likely to come across in everyday English and means to refuse, reject or not accept something. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Invitation / Invite Application Offer Job Broadly speaking, there are two different ways in which 'turn down' can be used here. The first is when you actively decide to refuse something such as an invitation or an offer. An example of this could be that you are offered a job, however it is in another city and you are not prepared to move house, so you decide to not accept the job, or in other words, you turn it down. Other situations in which this meaning is commonly used would be when you do not accept an invitation to a party, social event or an offer of a place at a university. The second way that 'turn down' is frequently used in English as a way of rejecting something is in the passive sense, i.e. when you apply for something and your application is rejected or turned down. Using the example of a job application again, imagine that you apply for the job of your dreams, however you receive a response from the company advising you that your job application has not been successful. In other words, your application has been turned down. Hopefully you will never be in the above situation, but if you are, it is worth remembering that 'turn down' is quite informal and companies are more likely to say that your " application has not been successful " in their communication to you (as in the above example). Other synonyms that companies may use as an alternative to "turned down", could be "rejected" or "denied". We are more likely to use "turn down" when telling our friends and family about it in a more informal setting. Remember that in the passive form, it is not possible to use 'turned down' separably. Unfortunately I have to turn down the kind invitation to your wedding as I will be on vacation on that date. I turned down the offer of a job promotion as I didn't want the extra stress that it would bring. Our application to build an extension on our house has been turned down by the planning office. Eleanor turned down the job offer because the salary wasn’t high enough. Roger asked Lisa out on a date, but she turned him down. The company turned down our proposal for a business partnership. I regretfully had to turn down the invitation because I was too busy. The bank turned down Nigel's loan application due to bad credit. Photo: Pexels BONUS: To get turned down When using 'turn down' in the passive sense, as mentioned above, it is also very common to use the construction 'to get turned down' instead of the more standard 'to be turned down'. This is common usage among native speakers in spoken English, although I would say that this is perhaps even more informal than 'be turned down'. My army application got turned down because I am not fit enough! What will you do if the application gets turned down? MEANING 3: To decrease Photo: Freepik CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms ​to decline, to decrease Separable? No A much rarer meaning of 'turn down' is used specifically to mean a decline or a decrease in the rate of something. This is most frequently used to talk about the stock market, but can also be used to talk about birth and death rates, rates of diseases (e.g. Covid-19) or rates of unemployment. Generally speaking, it could be used with anything that can be plotted on a line graph (showing a decline). Please note that this usage of 'turn down' is not separable. Investors will lose money if the market turns down. The stock market turned down sharply in the wake of the disappointing earnings report. Shares of the company turned down following the news of regulatory issues. After several months of growth, the tech sector began to turn down due to economic uncertainty. Investors panicked as the index turned down amid rising inflation concerns. Photo: Pexels THE NOUN 'DOWNTURN' The reason that I wanted to include this rarer usage of 'turn down' on this post is because it also has a corresponding noun, 'downturn', which is used much more commonly in everyday English than its verb counterpart. Like the verb, 'downturn' is commonly used by native speakers to describe declines in activities and rates, especially across the business and economics world. In the year 2020 there was a sharp downturn in the world's major economies as the Covid pandemic struck. MEANING 4: To fold or face downward CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To fold, to fold over, to turn over, to face downward Separable? Yes This fourth usage of 'turn down' means to fold something, i.e. to bend something, such as paper or cloth, so that a part of it rests on top of the other. 'Turn down' can be used as a synonym of 'fold' specifically when we are folding the top part of piece of paper in a downward direction, so that it covers a part or all of the top surface. This could be done to hide what is on the paper or to act as a marker. A prime example of this is when people turn down the top corner of a page in a book that they are reading, so that they know which page they last read. This isn't such a common usage, but it is still worth being aware of it. Another way that 'turn down' is used is when you turn something over, such as a piece of paper or a playing card, so that the detail or the information on it is now facing downwards and is not visible to people. This is used a lot in card games. It is also common to use 'turned down' in an adjective form to describe cards that are facing downwards. I hate it when people turn down the page corners of their books! Why can't they use a bookmark?! All of the cards must be turned down at the start of the game. James turned down the pages of the book to mark his place. The waiter turned down the edges of the tablecloth to keep it neat. Photo: Pexels BONUS: To turn down a road An extra way that native speakers use the phrasal verb 'turn down' that you may hear in everyday conversation is when giving directions or talking about a journey. Often when referring to roads and streets, native speakers will use the prepositions 'up' and 'down' to talk about a movement along them (as far as I know, there is no difference between them, it is just something that we do 🤷‍♂️). When talking about turning from one road onto another and also sometimes then driving along it, it is very common to hear native speakers say things like " turn down that road " or " turn down the first road on the left for 100 metres ". Photo: Pexels BONUS: Have you ever had turndown service in a hotel? As a final point, I just want to make you aware of one last usage of 'turn down' that you may come across , especially when staying in hotels. Turndown service is where hotel staff enter a guest's room whilst they are out and prepare it for them by making the bed and sometimes even leaving a mint or small chocolate on the guest's pillow. The end result is that the bed is nice and fresh for the guest when they come to sleep in it that evening. 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 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 'turn 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 'hang 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. 'Hang up' is an English phrasal verb that you will probably have heard before if you have ever had a telephone conversation with an English speaker. In this post, we consider this telephonic usage of 'hang up' and how the meaning can change, depending on the construction. In addition to that, we will also look at its other meanings and how they are used in everyday English by native speakers. Read on to find out more.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Hang Up - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'hang' and 'up' Hang Up - Meaning 1: To hang something on a hook Hang Up - Meaning 2: To end a phone call Hang Up - Meaning 3: To stop doing an activity Hang Up - Meaning 4: To have emotional problems Hang Up - Bonus: To have a hang-up about something Hang Up - Bonus: A song to end the post 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 HANG UP: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 4 Past tense forms Hung up / Hung up Separable? Yes Before we get started with the meanings of the phrasal verb 'hang up', let's take a moment to consider the meanings of the individual words 'hang' and 'up'. Photo: Pexels 'To hang' is a reasonably common verb that means 'to be suspended from a high or elevated place, with the bottom part of the suspended thing being unsupported', much like the flowers in this image. Aside from this meaning, the verb 'to hang' can be found in different phrasal verb constructions and also has a second meaning involving a rather unpleasant way to die, which was often used as a punishment for crimes (thankfully) in the past. Interestingly, the verb 'to hang' has different past participles depending on which of these meanings you intend. The standard past participle that is necessary for this phrasal verb 'hang up' is 'hung', whereas for 'to hang' in the killing sense, the past participle is 'hanged'....this is something that even many native speakers do not get right. The prepositional particle 'up' is one of the most commonly used particles in phrasal verb constructions and can add different elements to the meaning, depending on the context. These can range from the idea of completion or readiness to the idea of being in an elevated position, which is certainly appropriate for this phrasal verb. So, now that we have considered the basics, let's look at the meanings of 'hang up'.... MEANING 1: To hang something from a hook Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To suspend, to hang Separable? Yes The first meaning of 'hang up' is 'to hang something on a hook' and is more or less a literal combination of the verb 'to hang', with the particle 'up' adding the idea of the item being suspended in an elevated place (as hooks tend to be). Nouns commonly used with this application.... Coat Jacket Clothes Picture As you would expect, this application of 'hang up' is used with nouns for items that can be hung on hooks and typically includes clothes, coats, umbrellas, pictures and hats. Aside from hooks, we also use 'hang up' for when we hang clothes on hangers or anywhere else where they can be hung in an elevated position. This application of 'hang up' is separable and therefore it is possible to say that you " hang your coat up " or " you hang up your coat ", without changing the meaning. Give me your jacket, I'll go and hang it up in the study. The first thing that John does when he gets home is hang his hat and coat up by the front door. We hung up the wet clothes on hangers in the spare room and left them to dry. Lisa decided to hang her favourite painting up on the wall by her bed. MEANING 2: To end a phone call Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere British or American? To terminate a call, to end a call, to put the phone down on someone Separable? Yes The second meaning of 'hang up' is perhaps the most commonly used of all its meanings and means 'to end a telephone call'. Photo: Pexels This usage may not seem obvious or logical at first, however it becomes clearer when you consider that this application has been in use since the time when telephones were first invented and people had to literally hang the phone's receiver* on the telephone in order to end a call. Despite the fact that our telephones have changed dramatically over time and we no longer have to physically hang up a receiver to finish a call, this application continues to be used extensively in modern English. * receiver = the part of the telephone that you speak into and sound comes out of. In addition to just ending a phone call, 'hang up' develops a more negative connotation when the additional preposition ' on ' is used with it. If you hang up on someone, it means that you end a call abruptly, usually without saying goodbye and without the other person expecting it. This is often done out of anger or frustration with the person to whom the speaker is talking and can also be considered rude or insulting by the person who has been hung up on . Grammatically speaking, it is possible to use this application of 'hang up' separably, however it is more common for native speakers to say " hang up the phone " than " hang the phone up ". This is even more the case with the additional 'hang up on variant'. This number is not recognised. Please hang up the phone and try again. I need to speak to you, please don't hang up! How rude! John has just hung up on me in the middle of our conversation. Sorry, I didn't mean to hang up on you. MEANING 3: To stop doing an activity Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potental synonyms To retire Separable? Yes The third meaning of 'hang up' is an informal one that means 'to retire from, or stop doing, an activity that you do regularly'. This usage is typical for talking about sports or physical activities that someone regularly does and for the meaning to be realised, the word for a garment or accessory that is associated with the sport or activity in question is required after 'hang up'. For example, if a football player goes into retirement, you can say that " he or she has hung up their football boots ". The same can be said for dancing shoes for ballerinas, boxing gloves for boxers and wetsuits for surfers. The idea here is that the person who is retiring hangs up the accessory for the last time (presumably on a hook) and will not use it again. After a successful career spanning more than 30 years, the jockey has decided to hang up his riding boots. The drummer hung up his drumsticks a few years ago as he wanted to concentrate on different things. I don't think Helen will ever hang up her nurses uniform. She just loves being a nurse too much. MEANING 4: To have emotional problems Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To be preooccupied with Separable? No The fourth and final meaning of 'hang up' means 'to have an emotional or psychological preoccupation with something'. For this usage, we need the passive construction 'to be hung up on something', with the additional preposition ' on '. If you are 'hung up on something', it means that you spend a lot of time worrying or thinking about a certain thing, usually in a negative way. It is also possible to be hung up on someone and this is normally always romantic or sexual in nature. An alternative to 'to be hung up on something' is 'to be hung up about something'. John is completely hung up on perfection and getting every detail correct. Don't get hung up on the future. Whatever happens will happen. I went out on a date with Helen last night, but it appears that she is still hung up on her ex. Photo: Pexels BONUS: To have a hang-up about something If you are hung up on or about a certain thing and have worries about it, it can also be said that you have a 'hang-up' about it. A hang-up is an informal noun to describe when you have a preoccupation or problem that makes you feel embarrassed, stressed or worried about a certain thing. It is also used in the plural form 'hang-ups' and this can either mean that the person has one recurring problem or several. Roger has a severe hang-up about his age. He's worried that he's getting too old to be a parent. Why do you have so many hang-ups about your body? You look really good! Photo: Pexels BONUS: A song to end the post Lastly, before I finish the post, here is a song that you may know by Madonna that features a couple of different ways to use 'hang up'....can you identify them? 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 'hang 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 'hang 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 'give 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 is a post about the super common phrasal verb 'give up'. I imagine that many of you will already be familiar with this phrasal verb from its links with stopping smoking etc, however there is a lot more to it than that. In this post, I will guide you through its different meanings and provide you with lots of different examples to aid your understanding and learning. So, without further ado, let's make a start. TABLE OF CONTENTS (click to jump to each one) Give Up - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'give' and 'up' Give Up - Meaning 1: To surrender something Give Up - Meaning 2: To stop doing something Give Up - Meaning 3: To stop trying to do something Give Up - Meaning 4: To abandon hope Give Up - Meaning 5: To surrender to the police Give Up - Bonus: To give it up for.... 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 GIVE UP: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 5 Separable? Yes Past tense forms Gave up / Given up As per usual in each post on Phrasal Verbs Explained, we'll start by looking at the individual words that make up the phrasal verb 'give up'. Firstly, we have the common verb 'to give', which means to freely or willingly offer or provide something to someone. Implicit in the meaning of the verb 'to give' is that the person who gives no longer has something or is without something once the action is complete. This is an idea that will recur in the idiomatic meanings that we will look at in this post, so it is worth remembering this. My fiancé gave me a diamond ring and asked me to marry him. No, I don't have your key. I gave it to you. Secondly, we have the prepositional particle 'up', which primarily means a movement in the direction away from the ground or towards a higher position. When used in phrasal verbs, 'up' can also carry abstract meanings such as completion, readiness and improvement, among other things. So, now that we have considered the word themselves, let's dive into the figurative meanings of the phrasal verb 'give up'... MEANING 1: To surrender something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere ​Potential synonyms To relinquish, to renounce, to cede, to hand over, to sign away, to part with Separable? Yes Normally on this blog, I like to start by considering the literal meaning of the combination of the two words (if one exists). As you can imagine though, the combination of the meanings of the words 'give' and 'up' does not really provide us with a very concrete meaning that is applicable to our daily lives in the modern world. However, if we take a look into the past, then the literal meaning of 'give up' becomes much clearer.... Let's go back in time to the Middle Ages and consider the life of a typical farmer in Northern Europe. At this time, a strict social hierarchy existed, with three social classes: the upper class or nobles at the top, the middle class with doctors and merchants etc in the middle and the lower class or peasants at the bottom. This latter class is the one in which a farmer would have fallen into. Work on the farms was very tough and farmers worked long hours all year to grow crops until harvest time, when they had to surrender a large proportion of their hard earned produce to the landowners. In other words, they had to GIVE the crops to the higher classes, which in the social hierarchy, is very much in the direction UP and this is potentially how the phrasal verb 'give up' came to mean 'to surrender something'. If we fast forward back to the present day, we no longer use 'give up' to talk about surrendering something to a higher power, but rather when we decide to surrender something in general. In other words, we decide that we do not want to (or cannot) own something anymore and therefore make it available for other people, regardless of their position in the social hierarchy. This meaning is often (but not always) used when we give something up against our will i.e. when we do not want to part with it but we must for some reason. Often, the nouns that we use with this application of 'give up' are for things that are very important to us, such as houses, jobs and even children. For this reason, it can often convey a negative and strong feeling. I had to give up my house when I lost my job as I could no longer afford the mortgage repayments. Janet was only 15 years old when she fell pregnant and had to give her baby up as she was not in a position to be able to care for it. When we moved into our new apartment there was a no pets police, so sadly we had to give our cats up. Helen gave up her job to look after her sick mother. It is worth remembering that the focus of this usage is not that we are giving something to another person (in the sense of the verb 'to give'), but rather the idea that we no longer have something because we surrendered it or let somebody else have it. Another noteworthy noun that is often used with this application of 'give up' is 'time'. People say that they give up their time when they agree to either spend it doing something for another person or doing something they do not want to do. I choose to give up my time at weekends to help out at my church. Sarah gave up her Saturday mornings to teach her friend's son French. On a grammatical note, it is very common for native speakers to use 'give up' separably in this context, however it should be noted that there is no change in meaning if used separably or inseparably; it is purely personal choice. Have you ever had to give up anything against your will? Tell me in the comments here . MEANING 2: To stop doing something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To quit, to stop, to eschew Separable? Yes In the previous section, I explained how 'give up' can mean 'to stop owning or having something' and for this second usage, we will continue with this theme of stopping. This next meaning of 'give up' is probably the most commonly used by native speakers and it is 'to stop doing something that you regularly do in your life i.e. a habit'. This is often a permanent stop, but can equally refer to a temporary pause of a habit for a limited period of time. Actions commonly used with this application.... Smoking Eating meat Drinking alcohol Gambling Photo: Pexels This application of 'give up' is perhaps most commonly used when someone stops smoking (they give up smoking), but you are also likely to hear it with regard to stopping other long-term habits, for example when a person becomes vegetarian (they give up eating meat) or decides to stop drinking alcohol (they give up drinking). I've been trying to give up smoking for 3 months but I've not succeeded yet. The doctor told me I need to give up drinking alcohol. John gave up eating bread and lost a lot of weight. You may have noticed in the examples above that this usage of 'give up' is followed by a gerund, so make sure you avoid using the infinitive 'to' here as this is incorrect. An alternative to the gerund is to use the noun of the action that you are 'giving up' e.g. "I am giving up meat" or "I am giving up cigarettes". I gave up meat and dairy products and became vegan a while back but I really miss cheese. My mum had to give up her job in order to care for my elderly grandparents. BONUS INFORMATION Staying on the subject of giving up  a job or a career, we use the expression " don't give up your day job " when we want to say to someone that they are not very good at something in a humorous way. This is normally used to criticise someone in a friendly, joking manner and not normally said to cause offence. Check out the video below to hear it in use! Have you given up anything recently? Let me know in the comments section here . MEANING 3: To stop trying to do something Photo: Pexels ​CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To stop trying, to lose heart, to call it a day Separable? No As you will all know, learning a language can be difficult and many people who start learning with the best of intentions decide to stop learning once they realise how hard it is, or in other words they give it up. That is because the third meaning of 'give up' that we will look at in this post is 'to stop trying to do something'....that's right, another meaning involving the idea of stopping something. To further illustrate this, here is another example for you: Imagine that your car breaks down and instead of calling a mechanic to repair it, you decide that you will repair it yourself. After looking at the engine for an hour to try and understand what the problem is, you decide that you cannot do it and call the mechanic. In other words, you gave up trying to fix the problem. The example above is typical of how this usage of 'give up' is used in everyday English, especially because we often use it when we give up trying to do something because we do not think that we can do it. This can often be when we are trying something new or learning how to do something and we find it too difficult, so we give it up. Moreover, another time that this is used is when we are doing something and it becomes difficult due to unforeseen problems or issues. I started learning Turkish last month but I gave up when I realised how difficult it was! Despite encountering many problems, my Mum didn't give up trying to build her business and it is now doing really well. My cat is really disobedient. I tried to teach him to follow basic commands but he completely ignored me and in the end I gave up trying. Lucy started an IT course at her local college but she gave it up as she didn't have enough time to study for it. Come on, you can't give up now. You've done so well and you're nearly at the end of the course! BONUS INFORMATION If you are ever in a situation in an English conversation in which you need to guess the answer to something, the correct way to say that you do not know or that you do not have any more guesses is to say "I give up". This will then signify to the other person that you want to stop trying to guess and they will then (normally) tell you the answer. MEANING 4: To abandon hope Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms ​To despair, to admit defeat Separable? No As you will have noticed, there is a theme of 'stopping' running across the different meanings of 'give up' and this fourth meaning is no different to the others! In this case however, we are talking specifically about stopping or abandoning hope about something. The thing that distinguishes this from the previous three usages is that for this one we need the extra preposition 'on' in order to convey our message, giving us the construction 'to give up on something'. We use this particular construction when we stop hoping that a particular situation is going to change or improve. Consequently, this can mean that we also stop any efforts that we have been making to improve the situation and this can often be inferred in the meaning, (depending on the context). Typical situations in which native speakers use 'give up on' are romantic relationships that are not working, people that they are trying to help without success, plans that are not succeeding and ideas and plans for the future that they decide not to follow up. I had given up on the money that my friend owed me, so I was pleasantly surprised when he paid it to me. Roger fell into some bad ways as a teenager but his mother never gave up on him. I've given up on the idea of becoming a teacher as I don't think it is right career for me. IDIOM ALERT! Before we reach the end of this post, I want to make you aware of the English idiom 'to give up the ghost'. This is a fairly common expression in English which dates back hundreds of years and means to stop working or to die. It is normally used to talk about machines and equipment which stop functioning. If this is used for humans, it is usually used when you stop trying to do something because you realise that it will not be successful. My laptop has given up the ghost and I am need to go and buy a new one! I no longer had the desire or the money to continue my art project, so I simply gave up the ghost on it. One final thing to note here is that the expression "I give up" is often used by native speakers as a way of saying that we are frustrated with an unchanging situation or that we have lost hope about something (it could also be said when face palming or throwing your hands up in the air for added effect 😉). This can range from something that is mildly annoying to something very serious. MEANING 5: To surrender to the police Photo: Pexels ​CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To surrender, to hand oneself in, to give oneself in Separable? Yes - with a reflexive pronoun We have now arrived at our fifth and final usage of 'give up', which brings us full circle to the beginning again as it is 'to surrender yourself to the police or authorities for a crime that you have committed'. This application is used specifically for when a person willingly goes to the police station to say " it was me, I committed the crime " or it could alternatively be used when a person allows themselves to be arrested by the police. For this usage, the relevant reflexive pronoun (myself, himself etc.) needs to be used between 'give' and 'up' and the additional preposition 'to' is required before 'the police'. The bank robbers gave themselves up to the police after they realised that they could not evade capture for much longer. You need to go to the police and give yourself up! The hijacker refused to give himself up and remained in the building with the hostages for several days. Photo: Pexels BONUS: Please give it up for.... One extra usage of 'give up' that I want to make you aware of is "to give it up for someone", which is a spoken request to a group of people to show their appreciation for someone by clapping, cheering etc. Don't forget to use it with the word 'please' 😜. Would you please give it up for [insert singer or group name] Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on it and reading it. I hope that you found it useful 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 'give 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 with your English-learning friends. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'go on' from a native speaker, with lots of example sentences 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. 'Go on' is a really common phrasal verb in English. and we use it in a lot of different ways. During my research for the post I realised just how many uses that it has, so it is no surprise that it is one of the most common phrasal verbs in everyday use in the English language. This is a long post, so please stick with it and hopefully you will learn some new ways to use this versatile little construction. So, without further ado, let's make a start.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Go On - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'go' and 'on' Go On - Meaning 1: Literal Go On - Bonus: Going on stage or on a sports field Go On - Meaning 2: To continue Go On - Bonus: The imperative 'go on!' Go On - Meaning 3: To happen Go On - Meaning 4: To talk a lot Go On - Bonus: To go on at someone Go On - Meaning 5: To pass (time) Go On - Meaning 6: To start working Go On - Bonus: A couple of additional uses 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 GO ON: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 9 Past tense forms Went on / Gone on Separable? No To begin with, let's take a look at the words which make up the phrasal verb 'go on', as this can often provide valuable insight into the more abstract and figurative meanings of a phrasal verb. Firstly, we have the super common verb 'to go', meaning to travel or move to another place. In addition to it's main usage denoting movement, 'to go' can also be used to mean to leave, to change state and to suit something, among many others. In addition, we also use the verb 'to go' to form the 'going to' future tense. Besides its large number of meanings and functions in English, it is worth noting that 'to go' is one of the most irregular verbs in the English language. I am going to Spain tomorrow. Who is going to the party? This bus goes from Edinburgh to Glasgow. It's time for me to go home now. Sue went crazy when she saw the mess in her kitchen. That coat goes well with your shoes. Then, we have the preposition 'on', which, when used as an adverb and preposition, means to be physically in contact and supported by something. In phrasal verb constructions, 'on' can add various different meanings and nuances and these include continuation ( carry on ), progress (move on), motivation (cheer on) and connection (turn on). So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the real reason that you are here, which is the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'go on'.... MEANING 1: Literal Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms ​To get on, to travel on, to ride Separable? No For the first meaning of 'go on' in this post, we are focussing on the literal meaning that we get when we combine these two words, which is to travel to a place whilst being on something, e.g. a bus or train. Nous commonly used with application.... Bus / Train / Airplane Fairground ride / Roller coaster Diet Internet / Website / Radio / TV Journey / Trip Holiday / Vacation / Sabbatical This literal application of 'go on' is used specifically to talk about being 'on' something as it moves from one place to another. This may be a form of public transport like a bus or an air plane (not a car though as we travel in a car), or it can also be used for something that moves but does not travel to a different place such as a fairground ride or a roller coaster. The kids were excited to go on the boat trip. John isn't driving to work tomorrow; he is going on the train instead. We went on the roller coaster even though it looked scary. I don’t think I’ll go on the Ferris wheel—I’m afraid of heights. GO ON vs GET ON You should note that when talking about a physical movement to an end point or destination that is on something, we use 'get on' to describe this transitional action. Consider the examples below: My car has broken down , so I have to go on the bus to work tomorrow. I have broken my leg, so I found it very difficult to get on the bus. In the first example 'go on' is used as the person is talking about travelling on the bus for the entire journey from their home to their work. In the second option 'get on' is needed as the person is referring to the physical movement from the street onto the bus. We tend to use 'go on' to refer to the state of being on something, rather than the movement from the ground on to it. We can also use this literal application of 'go on' for nouns that do not move but for which we use 'on', such as the radio, television, the internet. The charity workers are going on local radio to promote their next event. I remember the first time I went on this website. Additionally, it should be noted that 'go on' is often also used to talk about a change of state or to start an activity e.g. 'to go on a diet' or 'to go on holiday'. That's it, I've put on too much weight, so I am going on a diet after Christmas. When do you go on holiday to Portugal? My grandparents go on a day trip to the south coast every year. We are going on a journey tomorrow. Photo: Pexels GOING ON STAGE OR ON A SPORTS FIELD There are a couple of specific situations in which 'go on' is used literally by native speakers and the meaning of this is often derived from the context. The first means to go on to a stage to begin a performance, so it is used to talk about actors, musicians, comedians or anyone giving a performance on a stage. This is used specifically for when someone's performance begins and not for when someone just walks onto a stage for non-performance purposes. Whilst you can use the full expression 'go on stage', when the context is known, it is possible to drop the word 'stage', leaving just 'go on. I go on in 5 minutes, so I don't have time to talk. What time do you go on this afternoon? The second situation is when a sports player goes on to a field in order to start playing a game. This is more common when they join after the game has started in order to replace another team member, as a substitute. This is commonly used with team games such as football, rugby and American football. The substitute striker went on in the 88th minute and scored the winning goal. MEANING 2: To continue Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To continue, to keep on, to keep going, to persist, to carry on Separable? No The first idiomatic usage of 'go on' in this post is one of the most common usages that we will look at and means 'to continue'. Sometimes, this can be to talk about a state or specific action which continues in the same way as before, without specifying what the state or action is. In these cases we often add the words 'in this way' or 'like this/that' after 'go on'. I haven't had a job for several months now. I can't go on like this for much longer! How much longer do you think we can go on in this way? The people are in a desperate situation and they cannot go on like that for much longer. After a short break, the meeting went on as planned. Alternatively, it is also very common to specify what the action is that will continue. This is often, but not always, after a temporary pause in the action. On a grammatical note, when stating the action that is continuing, you need to use the 'ing' progressive form when it is a verb. If the thing that is continuing is a noun, we need the additional preposition 'with'. I intend to go on learning Mandarin until I am completely fluent. Are you just going to go on working there for the rest of your life? I've injured my knee and I need to rest but I intend to go on running when it is better. Please go on with your story; I want to hear what happens next. He paused for a moment, then went on speaking. The teacher went on with her explanation, even though some students looked confused. Photo: Pexels THE IMPERATIVE 'GO ON!' 'Go on' is commonly used as an imperative to ask someone to continue what they are saying, especially if the person pauses what they are saying temporarily or if they are taking a long time to say it and the other person is impatient to hear the information. Moreover, 'go on!' is also used extremely commonly by native speakers as a way of encouraging someone to do something, particularly if the other person expresses doubts or is reluctant in some way. MEANING 3: To happen Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To happen, to take place Separable? No This next meaning of 'go on' means 'to happen' or 'to take place' and is really commonly used, so I am sure that you will have heard it many times in conversations. This usage of 'go on' is often used in the progressive or continuous form, however it is also possible to use it with simple and perfect aspect tenses. Moreover, I think that this version of 'go on' is used most commonly in question form. From my own personal perspective, I think we tend to use 'going on' a lot more when we are describing a present situation that is in progress, whereas we tend to use 'happen' more to talk about future plans or something that happened in the past. This isn't a set rule though and we frequently do use happen and 'go on' interchangeably in all of these situations. What's going on here? This place is a mess, what has been going on? I'm not sure what is going on outside but it doesn't sound good. A lot has gone on since you left. I have no idea what’s going on in that meeting. Strange things went on in that abandoned house. There’s always something exciting going on in the city. A huge argument went on between them last night. Nobody knew what was really going on behind the scenes. There’s a festival going on downtown this weekend. One last point to note here is that in informal American English, 'what's going on?' is often used as informal greeting, particularly among young people and means 'how are you?' or 'how are things?'. MEANING 4: To talk a lot Photo: Pexel ​CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To ramble, to prattle, to babble, to harp on, to bang on Separable? No For this fourth usage of 'go on', we are looking specifically at a usage which is very common in British English and means to to talk a lot, especially if the person is talking about one particular subject which happens to be quite boring. If we want to say that the person talks a lot in a dull or boring way in general as part of their character, we can just say that the person 'goes on', which expresses this feeling very neatly. If the person talks about a particular subject that is boring, then we need the additional preposition 'about + the subject'. If you want to add extra emphasis to how boring the person is, we can repeat the word 'on' ad infinitum , however an extra one or two times is normal. I, personally, tend to use this verb to describe a conversation where the person talks so much that it is not enjoyable and all you want is for it to stop. Gosh! Professor Smith goes on in his lectures, doesn't he! My Dad was going on about politics again last night. Helen was going on and on and on about her new boyfriend and i couldn't get a word in edgeways.* Trevor just goes on and on about his new car; I’m so tired of hearing about it! Sally went on for hours about her vacation in Mexico. I wish Dan wouldn’t go on so much. My parents went on about politics until everyone else in the family was bored. My sister constantly goes on about her problems but never listens to mine. Pete went on at length about his childhood memories. My boss goes on forever in meetings, making them so long. * To not be able to get a word in edgeways is an idiom to mean that you cannot say anything during a conversation as the other person is talking too much. Photo: Pexels BONUS: To go on at someone 'To go on at someone' is a variation of this usage and is an informal way to mean to repeatedly criticise someone or to complain to someone many times about the way that they behave (in an effort to change their behaviour). It is also possible to repeat the word 'on' here for added emphasis. Again, this usage is mainly British. Lisa's keeps going on at her children to tidy up the house but she doesn't ever tidy it up herself. Our parents have been going on and on and on at us for months about when we are going to get married. MEANING 5: To pass (time) Photo: Pexels ​CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere ​Potential synonyms To pass, to go by, to wear on Separable? No Our fifth meaning of 'go on' is perhaps a variation of the second meaning that we looked at, i.e. to continue, however in this particular usage, we are concerned primarily with time , or more specifically, the passing of time. This form is often preceded in sentences with the word 'as' + the time reference. As the morning went on, the rain started letting up . The night went on, and the party got even livelier. There is no reason why the TV show continues to do so well as the years go on. As the years went on, they became close friends. As time goes on, you’ll start to feel better. The weeks went on, but we still hadn’t heard any news. Apart from time, we are also able to use this form of 'go on' with other nouns that describe something that happens over a period of time. This is often used when something lasts for a long period of time or for longer than it was expected to and can often be negative in nature, often inferring that the person was bored or wanted it to finish sooner. As the meeting went on, I became more and more tired. Quite a lot of people left the conference as it went on. The movie went on for nearly three hours! The meeting went on for much longer than expected. The father of the bride's speech went on and on and I think most people had lost interest in it by the time he had finished. MEANING 6: To start working Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To come on, to turn on Separable? No So, moving on to our sixth meaning now....well done if you have made it this far! This next meaning of 'go on' is used particularly with electrical appliances and devices and simply means that they turn on, start working or become operational. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Light Heating Air conditioning Washing machine Appliance / Machine This is often (but not always) when they start working without human intervention e.g. automatically or from a timer. If we want to say that a person caused the device to start working, we tend to use 'turn on' more. In winter, the lights go on at 5pm every evening. The washing machine goes on every night as it is cheaper than during the daytime. The streetlights go on automatically at dusk. The heater went on as soon as the temperature dropped. As soon as I flipped the switch, the lights went on. The air conditioning goes on every morning at 9 AM. When the power came back, all the appliances went on at once. BONUS: A couple of extra specific uses of 'go on' Do you think you have room in your brain for a few more uses of 'go on'? There are some other usages of 'go on' that I want to make you aware of. These are quite limited in their scope and so I don't think they need entire sections to themselves but definitely ones that you may come across in your interactions with English speakers. The first meaning is to do with information and if you have enough of it to be able to make a decision or take action about something. If we have a lot of information in order to make a decision we would say " we have a lot to go on " and if we do not have much information, we might say " we don't have much to go on ". Alternatively, we can use this when we are trying to work something out based on evidence or available information. The police didn't have much to go on but they arrested the suspected murderer nevertheless. Is that all of the information that we have to go on? There's a lot to go on here, so we should be able to come up with an answer once we have considered it all. The next meaning involves adding the extra preposition 'to', to give 'to go on to', which is used to talk about something that a person did after doing something else. This is often used to talk about people's careers or different achievements and accomplishments in their lives. It can also be used to talk about when people go to a second destination after they have been somewhere else first. After finishing his Masters degree in English, John went on to teach at his local university. We are going to Greece for a week and then going on to Italy for an extra few days to see friends The third and final additional meaning (and final meaning in this post) is used to talk about people's ages, especially when they act a lot older than they are in reality. For example, if someone talks about how old their child is, they might say " she's 10, going on 20 ", to mean that she acts a lot more like an adult than a normal 10-year old. This usage is always used in the 'ing' progressive form. My son is three years old going on thirty. 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. 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 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 'break down' from a native speaker, with lots of example sentences Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to this instalment of Phrasal Verbs Explained; a blog which aims to help you understand English phrasal verbs in a clear and coherent way, so that you can use them to improve your language level and sound more like a native speaker. In this post, we are looking at the phrasal verb 'break down', which is very common as both a phrasal verb and a noun. We will take a look at both of these in this post and for each of the different meanings that it has, I will give you lots of example sentences in context to help you understand, learn and use them. So, without further ado, let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Break Down - The Basics: Key information and the words 'break' and 'down' Break Down - Meaning 1: To stop working Break Down - Meaning 2: To make into smaller parts Break Down - Meaning 3: To disintegrate to nothing Break Down - Meaning 4: To fail Break Down - Meaning 5: To remove an obstruction with force Break Down - Meaning 6: To start crying Break Down - Bonus: The noun 'breakdown' Break Down - Bonus: More example sentences with 'break down' 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 BREAK DOWN: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 6 Past tense forms Broke down / Broken down Separable? Yes Before we dive into the different idiomatic meanings of 'break down', it is a good idea to look at the individual words 'break' and 'down' on their own. Firstly, we have the verb "to break", which is a common verb that has a few different meanings, however the main idea of the verb 'to break' means to stop something working, functioning or existing as it did before. This can be something physical such as a cell phone or a leg, or it can be something abstract such as a promise or an agreement. We then have the prepositional particle 'down', which as an adverb means to be in a lower position or place ⬇️ and as a preposition means to move from a higher place to a lower place. So, now we have that part out of the way, let's look at the different idiomatic meanings that we have when we combine these words to form our phrasal verb 'break down'. MEANING 1: To stop working Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate ​Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Separable? No Potential synonyms To break The first meaning of 'break down' that we will look at in this post is that which means to stop working or functioning. This is used specifically for machinery, equipment and vehicles. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Car Train / Bus / Airplane Machine Elevator / Lift Vehicle In my native speaker brain, this is the first meaning that I think of when I think about the phrasal verb 'break down'. This is probably because it is the most commonly used of all the meanings that we will look at in the post. To be even more specific, you will hear people using this application most commonly in reference to cars that have developed a fault and stopped working. This is normally in the middle of a journey a long way from the person's home and so there is often an element of drama or at least a good story to be told. I was once riding a quad bike that broke down in the middle of the countryside on a Greek island and instead of spending the day relaxing on the beach as I had planned, I spent it trying to get the problem resolved and get back to the hotel 🤦🏻‍♂️....have you ever had any funny experiences breaking down somewhere? Let me know in the comments! Of course, it is not just cars that break down and this usage can also be applied to any vehicles with an engine. Moreover, we use 'break down' to talk about machines that stop functioning too Help! My car has broken down on the side of the freeway! The President's airplane broke down and had to be repaired, so was two hours later departing. The elevator has broken down again; we'll have to take the stairs. We were stranded in the middle of nowhere when the bus suddenly broke down. Our washing machine has broken down and now we have to do our laundry by hand. Kevin's laptop broke down right before the big presentation, so he had to borrow someone else's. If the air conditioning breaks down during summer, it gets unbearable in this heat. One more thing to note here is that the past particle form 'broken-down' is regularly used by native speakers as an adjective to describe a vehicle that is out of order. There is a broken-down vehicle on the side of the road next to the bridge. Engineers were called out to repair the broken-down train. MEANING 2: To make into smaller parts Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage ​Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To divide, to split, to break up Separable? Yes For this second meaning, imagine that you have a really big project that you are working on, which will involve a lot of time and effort. In order to work on this project in an efficient way, it is often a good strategy to separate it into smaller tasks, which you can then work on methodically, in order to complete the main project. Another way of describing this action is to break it down into smaller tasks and that is precisely what the second meaning of 'break down' is. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Steps Tasks Segments Parts Chunks If we put it another way, this application of 'break down' means to take something large or complex and make (or break) it into smaller parts, so that it can be dealt with or managed more easily and efficiently. Typical usage of this second meaning of 'break down' is with complex questions, big projects and procedures, in other words things that contain many different parts and sections. In addition, it is also possible to physically break something down into smaller pieces, e.g a cardboard box or some flatpack furniture. Note that when using this meaning we require the additional preposition 'into' followed by the noun to describe the smaller parts that are the end result of the 'breaking down' process. In order to effectively answer this complex question, we need to break it down into smaller subsections. The process will be a lot smoother if you can break it down into small and manageable steps. I had to break the large box down into smaller pieces, so that it would fit inside bin. The teacher broke down the complex topic into smaller sections, so the students could understand it better. Can you break down this report into bullet points for easier reading? Let’s break down the project into manageable tasks to make it less overwhelming. The data was too complicated, so Linda broke it down into simple graphs and charts. Emma broke the recipe down into step-by-step instructions for beginners. MEANING 3: To disintegrate to nothing Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To disintegrate, to rot, to decompose Separable? Yes Our third meaning of 'break down' is very similar to the second meaning that we have just looked at and also means that something gets smaller. The difference here however is that in this meaning the pieces continue to get smaller and smaller until they disappear or stop existing. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Chemical Protein Plastic This meaning is normally one that you will hear in scientific language as it is used for things like chemicals, proteins and elements. Another key difference between this third meaning and the second meaning is that there is no direct object here as nobody is making or causing the thing to break down - it happens naturally or at least without human intervention. We can also use this to describe the sometimes unpleasant but totally natural process of decomposition or rotting that happens to all living things after they die. Proteins breaks down into glucose in the body. Plastic breaks down in the oceans, however it is an extremely long process. The dead leaves will eventually break down and enrich the soil with nutrients. Scientists are studying new ways to help biodegradable materials break down faster. Over time, the old wooden fence began to break down due to constant exposure to rain and sunlight. MEANING 4: To fail Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To collapse, fail Separable? No For meaning number four of the phrasal verb 'break down', we are returning again to the core meaning of the verb 'to break', as well as the first meaning that we looked at. Like both of these, this fourth usage also means to stop functioning, but the difference here is that we are not talking about physical objects, but rather abstract ideas and concepts. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Relationship / Marriage Negotiations Discussions / Talks It is extremely common to use 'break down' in this way with abstract nouns such as relationships, discussions, and negotiations when they fail, are not successful or do not work out as originally planned. Discussions between the two political parties broke down on the second day and abruptly ended. Helen and John's marriage broke down when he found out that she had been carrying on with Lisa. The peace talks broke down when neither side was willing to compromise. Our business negotiations broke down due to disagreements over pricing. The discussion broke down after tempers flared and both parties started arguing. The communication broke down between Andy and Simon, and eventually, their friendship faded away. MEANING 5: To remove an obstruction with force Photo: Pexels ​CEFR Language Level ​B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms ​To knock down, to remove, to demolish Separable? Yes The next meaning that we are going to look at of the phrasal verb 'break down' is reserved especially for obstacles and barriers. If we have something that stands in our way and which we cannot get past, it is possible to use 'break down', to mean to demolish or reduce the barrier by using force, in order to remove it, thus clearing the way for us to continue. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Door Wall Barricade / Barrier Defenses This is often used with physical nouns such as walls, barriers and doors, however it can also be used with abstract barriers such as barriers in society for people who are repressed in some way. The police broke down the door to Roger's apartment. The firefighters had to break down the door to rescue the trapped residents. The soldiers broke down the enemy’s defenses with heavy artillery. She is a trailblazer who has broken down many barriers for women in her industry over the last 40 years. MEANING 6: To start crying Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level ​B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To cry Separable? No Our sixth and final meaning of 'break down' means to start crying or to become emotional. This is something that we tend to use more for adults, rather than children, as I think it is used more to describe when a person loses control of their emotions due to a stressful or unpleasant experience in their life and it conveys a level of seriousness that we don't always associate with children crying. We do not always use it for sad crying, however it can also equally be used for when we start crying because we are overcome with happy emotions. This form of 'break down' is intransitive and does not have a direct object, so if you hear in a conversation that a person has broken down with no immediate object afterwards, you can be certain that the person is crying or emotional. It is also common to hear the expression 'to break down in tears', however 'break down' on its own is fine to use. Is Steve ok? He just broke down in the middle of the office! John broke down in tears of joy when his son was born. The emotional speech made Janet break down in front of the audience. Luke tried to stay strong, but eventually, he broke down when he realised what had happened. Barbara broke down after hearing the heart-wrenching details of the tragedy. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The noun 'breakdown' You may remember that at the start of the post I mentioned that 'breakdown' is also commonly used as a noun in English. When using it as a noun, we treat it as one word and the pronunciation is slightly different to when we use it in its phrasal verb form. When used as a noun, native speakers put slightly more stress on 'break' and less on 'down' than they do for the phrasal verb form, in which both parts have a similar level of word stress. See the video below to hear the pronunciation: Used as a noun, breakdown is commonly used to talk about cars which have broken down, relationships or negotiations which have failed and you may also have heard of nervous breakdowns, which refer to when people become overwhelmed by stress in their lives. It should be noted that a nervous breakdown is not classed as an official medical term in English and may be referred to by health officials as a 'mental health crisis' instead. Do you have adequate breakdown insurance cover for your car? A breakdown in negotiations occurred as neither side was willing to change their mind and reach a compromise. John is sending me a breakdown of all of the supplier costs from the last month. BONUS: More example sentences with 'break down' If you can memorise some of the below and use them in a conversation, it will help your English to come across as more natural and like that of a native speaker. You'll need to use your imagination to complete some of them. My car has broken down ! Let me break it down for you. We need to break the [noun] down into manageable steps. The police broke down the doors. [Person] has broken down many barriers in society. [Person] broke down in tears when.... [Person] broke down in tears in front of.... 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. 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 'break 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 'go out' 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. The phrasal verb 'go out' is a commonly used phrasal verb with a varied range of meanings, some of which you are more likely to hear at this time of year. In this post, we will look at seven different meanings that it has in English, as well as some common idioms that it features in. So, without further ado, let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Go Out - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'go' and 'out' Go Out - Meaning 1: To leave your house Go Out - Bonus: To go out out Go Out - Meaning 2: To be extinguished Go Out - Meaning 3: To leave a competition Go Out - Meaning 4: To have a romantic relationship with someone Go Out - Meaning 5: To stop being popular or fashionable Go Out - Meaning 6: To recede (tide) Go Out - Meaning 7: To be announced or published Go Out - Bonus: Some common idioms featuring 'go out' 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 OUT: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 7 Past tense forms Went out / Gone out Separable? No Before we look at the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'go out', let's first examine the meanings of the constituent words 'go' and 'out'. The verb 'to go' is one of the most common English verbs and is primarily used to talk about movement or travel from one place to another, but it also has a number of different meanings, including 'to become' and 'to function'.'Going to' is also used a way of expressing the future tense in English. The prepositional particle 'out', like most prepositions in English, has a multitude of different meanings and uses and can function as a number of different classes of word (adverb, adjective etc.). First and foremost, it is used as the opposite of 'in' and refers to movement towards the exterior of something or being situated on the outside of something. As an adjective, it can be used to mean 'not at home', 'no longer in a competition or group' or 'extinguished (of a power source)' among many other things. Now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of 'go out'.... MEANING 1: To leave your house Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level A1 - Beginner Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To leave, to exit, to head out The first meaning of 'go out' is to leave your house or place where you live, or less commonly a workplace or place where you habitually spend a lot of time. This meaning of 'go out' comes from the use of 'out' as an adverb to mean 'not at home'.... I am going to be out all day tomorrow, so can you please arrange for the delivery to arrive the following day. I called in at your house but you were out. In addition to this, the verb 'to go' then adds the element of leaving the house or movement away from it. I am going out in 5 minutes, so I don't have time to chat now. After John had an argument with Lisa, he went out for a bit to give them both a chance to calm down. Helen's not here at the moment, I'm afraid. She's gone out for the day and I'm not sure what time she will be back. We use 'go out' to refer to any time that we leave our house or place of residence, however it is often used specifically by native speakers to mean 'to leave your house to go somewhere to socialise', such as a bar, restaurant or party. The additional preposition ' for ' can also be used here to specify what you are doing. We are going out tonight with some friends who we have not seen for a long time. Roger and Sophie went out for a meal last night at the new restaurant in town. Are you free later? Shall we go out for a drink? Photo: Pexels BONUS: 'To go out out' In recent years in British English the informal expression 'to go out out', with the double repetition of the particle 'out', has started to be used to talk about when people go out to socialise. However, 'going out out' is normally reserved for when people have a big, extravagant night out and spend a lot of money, wear their best clothes and often finish the evening drunk. Are you going out tonight or are you going out out? I can't remember the last time that my wife and I went out out. It's not so easy to do when you have children. MEANING 2: To be extinguished Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To be extinguished, to turn off The second meaning of 'go out' is 'to be extinguished', or in other words, to no longer be burning or emitting energy in heat or light form. This form of 'go out' is commonly used with the nouns 'fire' and 'light', but can also be used with other nouns for sources of energy. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Light Fire Flame Candle Power Electricity You may remember from earlier in the post that another meaning of 'out', when used as an adverb, is to describe when sources of energy are extinguished....so if a candle is out, it's no longer burning and if a light is out, it's no longer shining (in the same way as when it's 'off'). When we combine this meaning of 'out' with the verb 'to go', we get the specific meaning of a power source stopping emitting light or heat. Note that we normally only use this application when the power source is extinguished without human intervention. Other nouns that this application of 'go out' is used with, especially in American English, are 'power' and 'electricity', to describe when there is a blackout or a power cut. The fire went out whilst John and Lisa were sleeping. When the children were telling each other ghost stories, the lights in the room suddenly went out and everyone started screaming. The power has gone out all over the city due to the storm. MEANING 3: To leave a competition Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common British or American? Both Potential synonyms To be eliminated, to leave, to be knocked out The next meaning of 'go out' is 'to leave a competition', or in other words, 'to be eliminated from a competition, so that you can no longer compete in it and win it'. Similarly to the previous two meanings of 'go out' that we have looked at, this one is also derived from an adverbial usage of the word 'out'. In addition to meaning 'not at home' and 'extinguished', 'out' can be used as an adverb to mean 'no longer active in a competition or activity' and combining this meaning with the verb 'to go', it gives us the idea of being eliminated from a competition and leaving it. As you will undoubtedly have guessed, this application of 'go out' is used primarily with sports and games to describe when a player or competitor is eliminated from competing and can no longer play or win. One notable exception to this is with card games as when a person 'goes out' in cards, it often means that they have got rid of all of their cards and, by doing so, have won the game. Aston Villa went out in the third round of the Championship cup after losing to local rivals Birmingham City. If one of the players catches the ball after you hit it, you automatically go out of the competition. The objective of the game is to go out and win the competition by being the first player to place all of your cards on the table. MEANING 4: To have a romantic relationship with someone Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To date The fourth meaning of 'go out' is an informal application and means 'to have a romantic relationship with someone'. This meaning of 'go out' is a synonym of the verb 'to date' and more than likely derives from the idea of people going out on dates when they are in the early stages of a relationship. Although 'to go out' and 'to date' can often be used interchangeably, I would say that the meaning of 'go out' has evolved slightly and is often used to describe something more long-term than 'to date', often even to describe a relationship until a couple gets married. 'To date', on the other hand, tends to be used more for a short-term or casual relationship. On a grammatical note, this usage of 'go out' is often used with continuous tenses, especially when the relationship in question is ongoing. Moreover, the additional preposition ' with ' is required here when specifying who a person is in a relationship with. John and Lisa have been going out for over three years but have no plans to get married. He's very attractive. Is he going out with anyone at the moment? Since when has Roger been single? I thought he was going out with Ashley. Debbie and Mel went out with each other for a while but decided to remain friends. MEANING 5: To stop being popular or fashionable Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium British or American? Both Potential synonyms To become outdated The next meaning of 'go out' is 'to stop being popular, fashionable or trendy. For this meaning, we need to firstly consider that one of the meanings of the particle 'in' as an adjective is 'trendy', 'fashionable' or 'popular'. As I stated at the beginning of the post in the Basics section, 'out' usually functions as the opposite of 'in' and consequently, if we describe something as 'out', it means that it is no longer popular or in fashion. Furthermore, when we say that something 'goes out', we are talking about the time when it becomes unfashionable or no longer popular. This is normally used for nouns to describe music, clothes, fashion, societal trends and even words and vocabulary. Sometimes, we also use the expression 'to go out of fashion' as an alternative way to express this. Grammatically, this application of 'go out' tends to be used with past tenses as we are not always aware when something is becoming unpopular in the present moment. To describe the opposite of this when things become popular or fashionable, we can use the phrasal verb 'come in' (link here ). Flared trousers and platform shoes went out in the 1970s. Swing music went out years ago but there are still some people who enjoy listening to it. Here is a list of some social etiquette rules that have gone out of fashion but should be brought back. MEANING 6: To recede (tide) Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To recede, to ebb The sixth meaning of 'go out' is a much more limited application than the others that we have looked at so far and means 'to recede'. This is a very specific usage as it is used specifically to refer to the tide (the twice daily movement of the oceans caused by the moon). When referring to the tides, we say that the tide is 'in' when the sea is close to the land and that it is 'out' when it is far from the land. Furthermore, to describe the movement of the oceans and tides, we state that they 'come in' when the sea water moves towards the beach and that they 'go out' when it moves away from the shore. Note that we do not use this to talk about individual waves but rather for the general tidal movement towards and away from the land that occurs over a period of hours. The tide is in at the moment but when it goes out again i will reveal the rocks on the beach. We had a nice walk along the beach as the tide was going out. MEANING 7: To be announced or published Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere, more in British English Potential synonyms To be broadcast The seventh and final meaning of 'go out' is 'to be announced or broadcast' and is used to talk about when information and programmes are transmitted to the general public. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Programme Show Podcast Message Information Announcement Here, we use 'go out' to talk about the time or the moment when the information or the programme is released and made public. Whilst 'go out' is used universally in English for the transmission of information and messages, it is worth noting that 'go out' to describe the transmission and broadcasting of TV programmes, radio programmes and podcasts is more of a British English usage. New episodes of the podcast go out at 7pm every Sunday evening. The information went out to all news agencies. Photo: Pexels BONUS: Some common idioms featuring 'go out' Before I end this post, I want to make you aware of some common idiomatic phrases and expressions that exist featuring the phrasal verb 'go out'... My heart goes out to .... - This is an expression that is used when you want to express sympathy for someone who is experiencing problems or troubles in their life. I've heard your bad news and my heart goes out to you! If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know. To go out of your way to do something - If you go out of your way to do something, it means that you make a big effort to do something that you perhaps would not normally do. John has gone out of his way to make your visit pleasant and all you have done is complain! To go out on a limb - If you go out on a limb, it means that you express an opinion that is different to that of other people and you are perhaps the only person in the group who expresses it. I am going out on a limb here but I didn't enjoy the film at all. I know you all loved it, but I thought it was terrible. To go out with a bang - Lastly, if you go out with a bang, it means that you finish doing something in an exciting or dramatic way. It is our final day at university tomorrow and we are intending to go out with a bang by playing some tricks on the lecturer. 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 out'. 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 out'. 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 'wrap 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. 'Wrap up' is a phrasal verb that you will often hear a lot around Christmastime in English speaking countries, especially in the US and the UK where it tends to be very cold at that time of year. Aside from it's more "wintry" meanings, 'wrap up' does also have several other meanings that can be heard all year round and in this post we will look at all of these different meanings, both wintry and non-wintry. So, without further ado, let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Wrap Up - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'keep' and 'up' Wrap Up - Meaning 1: To cover something in paper or material Wrap Up - Meaning 2: To put on warm clothes Wrap Up - Meaning 3: To complete or conclude something Wrap Up - Bonus: The expression 'it's a wrap' Wrap Up - Meaning 4: To provide a summary of the main points Wrap Up - Meaning 5: To be absorbed in something Wrap Up - Bonus: The idiom 'to wrap someone up in cotton wool' 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 WRAP UP: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 5 Past tense forms Wrapped up / Wrapped up Separable? Yes Before we look at the meanings of 'wrap up', let's just take a minute to examine the constituent words 'wrap' and 'up', as this can often help us to understand some of the more idiomatic meanings of a phrasal verb. The verb 'to wrap' is a semi-common verb in the English language, which means to cover something with paper or some other kind of soft material, such as cloth. More often than not, the action of 'wrapping' is done by a folding or winding action. Make sure that you do not confuse it with the similar sounding verb 'to rap', which has very different meaning. Aside from its literal meaning of 'towards the sky' ⬆️ ⬆️ ⬆️, the prepositional particle 'up' is commonly found in phrasal verb constructions and can often be used to add an idea of completion or readiness, among many other things. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different phrasal verb meanings of 'wrap up'.... MEANING 1: To cover something in paper or material Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To wrap, to enclose, to envelop Separable? Yes The first meaning of 'wrap up' is to cover or to enclose something in soft material, typically paper or cloth, much like the meaning of the verb 'to wrap'. This application of 'wrap up' is most commonly used for presents and gifts, which is why you are likely to hear this more at Christmastime when it is customary in many anglophone countries for people to exchange gifts. We can use the verb 'to wrap' as a synonym here, but often the phrasal verb 'wrap up' conveys the idea of completion or readiness, i.e. when a gift has been wrapped up, it is ready to be presented to the lucky recipient. Grammatically, this application of 'wrap up' is separable and the direct object can go either between 'wrap' and 'up' or after them, without changing the meaning. I have bought my husband's Christmas present but I haven't wrapped it up yet. Helen spent all evening wrapping up birthday presents for her son. You have wrapped this up so nicely, I don't want to unwrap it and undo all of your hard work! MEANING 2: To put on warm clothes Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To put on warm clothes Separable? Not normally The second usage of 'wrap up' is another one that you are likely to hear during the wintertime in many English-speaking countries as it means 'to put on warm clothes'. I guess this is similar to the previous meaning that we have just looked at, however this time the thing that we are covering with material is ourselves, rather than a present. Often, this application of 'wrap up' is used as an imperative or when someone gives a warning that the weather is cold and therefore they should be put on thick, warm clothes in preparation for it. As you can imagine, this is often something said by attentive mothers and grandmothers! You may often hear this this used with the additional adjective ' warm ' as this is a common collocation for this application of 'wrap up'. It's freezing cold out there. Make sure you wrap up warm if you are going to go out! Lisa had seen that it was snowing outside, so she wrapped up in thick wooly clothes before going out to the shop. MEANING 3: To complete or conclude something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To finish, to conclude, to end Separable? Yes The third meaning of 'wrap up' is slightly informal and means 'to complete, conclude or finish something, normally in a way that is considered satisfactory'. We tend to use 'wrap up' in this way when we are talking about processes or tasks that tend to revolve more around speaking than physical action. Two of the most common places in which you would hear this application of 'wrap up' are in business meetings and negotiations and also on film and TV sets. When used in business meetings or negotiations, 'wrap up' is used to talk about bringing the things to an end but still ensuring that all of the topics are covered and discussed. On TV and movie sets, 'wrap up' is used to talk about finishing the filming process of a particular scene or of the entire production in general. Ok, we have 30 minutes left of our allotted meeting time, so let's try and wrap things up now. Can we wrap it up now please. This has been going on for far too long. Production of the movie wrapped up in August this year and it is expected to be ready for audiences by Christmas. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The expression 'It's a wrap' As I have just mentioned, 'wrap up' is commonly used in film and movie production to talk about when the filming of a scene or an entire production is concluded. As a result of this, the expression "it's a wrap" has come to be used in this industry when a scene or an entire movie or show is finished. It is normally said as a way for the director to let all of the crew members and actors know that the filming of that particular scene etc. has finished. MEANING 4: To provide a summary of the main points Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere but mainly US English Potential synonyms To summarise, to recapitulate Separable? Yes The next meaning of 'wrap up' is 'to summarise* or to recapitulate something', or in other words to give the main points or details about a given subject. As a British English speaker, this usage seems more American to me, however I would certainly understand the meaning if I heard it in a conversation. To wrap things up, I would say that the main points to note from today's meeting are.... Thanks very much, John, for wrapping that up so well. *Summarise is spelt summarize in US American English MEANING 5: To be absorbed in something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To be absorbed in something Separable? No For our fifth and final meaning of 'wrap up', we are looking at the way that the past tense form 'wrapped up' can be used as an adjective to mean when a person is absorbed in something. If someone is 'wrapped up' in something, then they are absorbed or captivated by it and their attention is focussed solely on that one thing, so that they do not notice other things that are happening around them. This could be used for when someone's attention is captivated in the short term by some form of entertainment, or it could be used to talk about something more long term, for example when someone is so focussed on the things happening in their own life that they do not notice someone else's problems etc. Jim was so wrapped up in what was happening outside on the street that he failed to notice that all of his colleagues had left the office. I'm so sorry, Julie. I've been so wrapped up in my own problems over the last few weeks that I haven't even asked you how you have been doing! Photo: Pexels BONUS: The idiom 'to wrap someone up in cotton wool' Before I finish this post, I want to make you aware of the idiom "to wrap someone up in cotton wool". This idiom means to protect someone from the dangers and difficulties in life and normally refers to parents in relation to their children. Furthermore, you can also say that a person has been "wrapped up in cotton wool", when referring to a child who has been overprotected and sheltered for their whole lives. John and Helen are such overprotective parents, they've wrapped their daughter Alice up in cotton wool her whole life. She will have a shock when she goes to university! 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 'wrap 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 'wrap 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