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

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'grow 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 post is all about the well known phrasal verb 'to grow up', which many of you will be very familiar with, however are you familiar with the other less well known meanings? In this post, I will explain each of the different meanings for you and provide you with lots of example sentences to make it easier to learn them. So, without further ado, let's make a start.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Grow Up - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'grow' and 'up' Grow Up - Meaning 1: To grow in an upwards direction Grow Up - Meaning 2: To grow from a child to an adult Grow Up - Bonus: 'Grow up!' used as an imperative Grow Up - Bonus: 'To grow up into' Grow Up - Bonus: 'To grow up' + a gerund Grow Up - Bonus: The noun 'grown-up' Grow Up - Meaning 3: To start to develop Grow Up - Bonus: More example sentences with 'grow up' Grow Up - Bonus: Potential IELTS questions Grow Up - Bonus: Other open questions for further practice 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 GROW UP: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 3 Past tense forms Grew up / Grown Up Separable? No To begin with, let's look at the individual components of the phrasal verb 'to grow up', as this will help us to understand its rarer figurative meanings. Firstly, we have the base verb of our phrasal verb construction, 'to grow', whose principal meaning is to increase in size or height. 'To grow' is an irregular verb and is mainly used to talk about people, animals and living things, however it can be applied in more abstract contexts, like business, numbers, popularity and feelings. Our new baby is growing so fast. I keep watering my plants but they don't ever seem to grow. My follower count on social media has grown this year. Our business is expected to grow over the next 12 months. I have a growing feeling of unease in my stomach. Next, we have the prepositional particle 'up', meaning in the direction away from the ground or towards the sky ↑. 'Up' features extremely frequently in English phrasal verbs and in addition to conveying the idea of a movement in an upwards direction to the verb, it can also add ideas like increase (add up), improvement ( look up ), preparation ( set up ), ending ( break up ) and creation ( make up ), among others. Do you know which of these will apply for the meanings of 'grow up'? Read on to learn more.... MEANING 1: To grow in an upwards direction Photo: Pixels CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To grow, to shoot up Separable? No Let's start the meanings off with a nice and simple one as this first one is simply the literal combination of the two words, i.e. to grow in an upwards direction. This is in fact just a variation of the verb 'to grow' , with additional emphasis on the upwards direction. As the idea of 'up' is already implicit in the idea of the verb 'to grow', the use of 'grow up' to describe something growing in size is not normally necessary in English. As a result, this literal usage is very rare. If we do use it, it is mainly for describing the growth of plants, trees and flowers, to emphasise that they are growing in an up ↑ direction, rather than down ↓ or out ←→(across). We do not use 'grow up' to describe people getting taller. To do this we only use ' grow' . It is also possible to use the construction 'to grow up + noun' to talk about when a plant grows up against the surface of another object. Photo: Pexels Photo: Pixels Plants grow up and not down or out because they need sunlight. The ivy has been growing up the wall for many years. Another form that we can use and that you should be aware of is 'to grow upwards'. The prefix - wards in English is always used to identify a direction of movement, so 'to grow up wards' is a nice alternative way to say that something is growing in an up direction. This is also a very natural way of saying it. Furthermore, if growth is happening towards something e.g. the sky, we can use the construction 'to grow up towards + noun'.... The sunflower that we planted last year is growing up towards the roof of the house. Plants naturally grow upwards in search of sunlight. MEANING 2 - To grow from a child to an adult Photo: Pixels CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage ​Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To mature, to age Separable? No In English, this second usage of 'grow up' is by far the most common one in use and is therefore the one which you probably already know, which is 'to grow from a child to an adult'. This application is usually used to describe the PROCESS of growing from an adult to a child over time. This can be in a physical sense and also in a mental or spiritual sense. 'Grow up' is only used to describe people and is not generally used to talk about animals or businesses. In usage, it is often used by adults to refer to their past or the period of time when they were a child..... I grew up in Birmingham, close to a really big park, which we played in every summer. When I was growing up I hated school but now that I am an adult, I wish I could go back! He was born in Edinburgh but he grew up in Glasgow.                               I had blond hair when I was growing up.        Also, children often use it to talk about what job they want to do when they become an adult.... When I grow up I want to be a doctor and have an enormous house with a swimming pool. What does your daughter want to do when she grows up? My daughter wants to be a police officer when she grows up. WHAT IF WE WANT TO USE IT AS AN IMPERATIVE? 'Grow up' is often used by native speakers in the imperative form ("Grow up!") to show annoyance when someone is acting in a silly way or like a child. If you want to add some extra impact to this, you could insert 'the hell' or 'the f**k' between 'grow' and 'up' to show that you are very annoyed. Oh grow up, John! It's really not funny! Whoever is playing these jokes on me needs to grow up! It's not funny!     Seriously, Matt, it's about time that you grew the hell up and stopped acting like such a baby. Photo: Pixels BONUS #1: To grow up into If we want to talk about who or what a person will be at the end of the growing up process, it is necessary to add the extra preposition 'into'..... I see that you have grown up into a fine young man! There are many child actors who grow up into Hollywood film stars. BONUS #2 : To grow up + gerund One way to talk about something that we did often or regularly when we were children is to use the simple past form of the verb (grew up), followed by the verb or action in the continuous ('ing) form. This is often (but not always) with verbs related to the senses e.g. to watch, to listen to etc. I grew up listening to Michael Jackson and Madonna and so I still love their songs today. My mother is Polish, my father is German and I live in the USA, so I grew up speaking three languages. BONUS #3: 'Grown-up' as a noun Before we finish this section, I just want to make you aware of the existence of the noun 'grown-up', which is used commonly in everyday English when dealing with children. A 'grown-up' is simply just a synonym for the noun 'adult' and simply refers to someone who has finished the growing up process and is no longer a child. It tends to be used a lot when talking to children and is often what a child will say instead of 'adult'. Moreover, it can also be used as an adjective. Grown-ups always talk about boring things. I was allowed to sit at the big dinner table with the grown-ups today. That was a very grown-up thing to say! Mary has a grown-up daughter who lives in London. MEANING 3 - To start to develop Photo: Pixels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To develop, to spring up Separable? No Our third and final application of 'grow up' is a much rarer and more advanced idiomatic one, meaning 'to begin to exist'. This meaning is not used to talk about people, but rather things that are founded, created or developed by people and these things include businesses, towns and cities as well as abstract items such as theories and academic schools of thought. As it is used to talk about the origin of things, it is often found in historical contexts. The idea grew up in the 17th century during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The river made trading possible and as a result many towns grew up alongside it. A vibrant community grew up around the shared love of art and creativity. New businesses are starting to grow up in the formerly abandoned neighborhood. Photo: Pixels MORE EXAMPLE SENTENCES WITH 'GROW UP' If you can memorise some of the sentences 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. When I grow up I want to....... When I was growing up I...... He / she is growing up so fast! It's about time you grew up and got.... I want my children and grandchildren to grow up in a world where..... [Person] and I grew up together. [Gerund] is a natural part of growing up. It is very close to the city where I grew up. Photo: Pixels POTENTIAL IELTS QUESTIONS Should children grow up in the city or in the countryside? Where did you grow up? Describe it. Is it better to grow up with or without siblings? Photo: Pexels OTHER OPEN QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER PRACTICE What is your favourite memory of when you were growing up? Did you have a skill or talent when you were growing up that you no longer have? What was it? If you could have grown up in a different place, where would you have chosen to live? Has your taste in music changed since you were growing up? How has the village, town or city where you grew up changed since that time? Photo: Pixels 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 'grow 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 'keep on' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native. The phrasal verb 'keep on' is a great phrasal verb to know and use in order to make your English sound more native as it is used a lot in informal, spoken English. Unlike some other phrasal verbs, there is one general theme that runs through all of the meanings of 'keep on', which is the idea of continuation. We explore all of these meanings in this post, including uses that are particular to British English, as well as a number of different idioms that it features in. So, without further ado, let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Keep On - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'keep' and 'on' Keep On - Meaning 1: To continue to do something Keep On - Meaning 2: To talk about something persistently 🇬🇧 Keep On - Meaning 3: To continue to wear something Keep On - Bonus: The idiom 'keep your wig on' Keep On - Meaning 4: To continue to employ someone Keep On - Meaning 5: To nag someone 🇬🇧 Keep On - Bonus - Some more idioms featuring 'keep on' I love writing this blog & helping learners but I receive very little feedback as to how useful it is or if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I'd be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS KEEP ON: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 5 Past tense forms Kept on / Kept on Separable? Sometimes Before we look at the individual meanings of the phrasal verb 'keep on', let's take a minute to examine the meanings of the individual words 'keep' and 'on'. The main verb that we are interested in for this post is the verb 'to keep', which has two key meanings in English; the first is the idea of possession and the second is the idea of continuation. As previously mentioned, the idea of continuation is the theme behind all of the meanings of 'keep on' and this is that one that we will revisit again in this post. In addition to 'keep', we have the prepositional particle 'on', which has a huge number of applications in English, however the application that we are interested in for this post is when it is used an adverb to indicate the continuation of something. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's take a look at the meanings of the phrasal verb 'keep on'.... MEANING 1: To continue to do something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To continue, to keep, to carry on, to persist Separable? No After reading the first part of this post, it should come as no surprise to you that the first meaning of 'keep on' is 'to continue to do something', or 'to repeatedly do something again and again'. For this usage, we are simply combining the 'continuation' meaning of the verb 'to keep' with the 'continuation' meaning of 'on', giving us a double continuation. This usage of 'keep on' can often therefore be used as a synonym for 'keep', however whilst 'keep' can be used to talk about a continuation or a repetition of both active and stative verbs*, 'keep on' tends to be used more for active verbs only e.g. eating, talking, asking etc. Normally, 'keep on' is used to by native speakers to talk about an action that they or someone else continues to do, without any positive or negative connotations. Sometimes though, it can be used to describe a repeated action that we find annoying or irritating. Alternatively, it can also be used to encourage people to continue what they are doing. Grammatically, 'keep on' is always followed by the 'ing / gerund form of another verb, unlike 'to continue' which can be followed by either an infinitive or a gerund. My business is doing really well, so I am just going to keep on running it in the same way for the moment. He keeps on asking me to go out on a date with him and he won't take 'no' for an answer. My neighbours keep on playing their music really loudly late at night and it keeps on waking me up! The bullies will keep on bullying you until you fight back. Don't give up, keep on working at it and success will be yours! *Stative verbs are verbs which state a condition or a state and not an activity. Typical examples would be to believe, to belong, to love etc. MEANING 2: To talk about something persistently Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate ​Usage Common Where is it used? British English Potential synonyms To go on, to harp on, to witter on, to bang on Separable? No For our second meaning of 'keep on', we are staying with the theme of 'continuation and repetition' as this meaning is 'to talk persistently or excessively about something'. This application of 'keep on' is, again, used to express annoyance, irritation or boredom about the way that somebody talks a lot, or persistently, about a particular subject. Normally, for this application we require the additional preposition ' about ' to specify the subject in question that the person always talks about. If you have read my post about the phrasal verb 'go on' (link here ), you may remember that one of its meanings was very similar to this and it can therefore often be used as a synonym of 'keep on'. The only difference is perhaps that we can use 'go on' for someone who talks a lot in general and also about a specific topic, whereas 'keep on' tends to only be used when there is a specific subject. If you really want to get native speaker points, you could also combine the two and say that 'someone keeps going on about...'. My parents went to see a show last week and now they constantly keep on about it, saying it was the best show that they have ever seen. The interviewer was trying to get the actor to talk about his new film but instead he just kept on about the latest political developments. In the run-up to the election, the winning party kept on about how it was going to make lots of changes to improve the economy but we have not seen any yet. MEANING 3: To continue to wear something Photo: Wix Media ​CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Average Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To continue to wear Separable? Yes Our third meaning of 'keep on' is 'to continue to wear something', such as clothes, a hat, glasses or even a wig (more to follow on this in the upcoming Bonus section). For this usage, we are taking the adverbial meaning of 'on' where it is used to mean 'to wear something' and combining with the continuation meaning of 'keep'. This particular application is used in situations where you have the choice to remove an item of clothing or something that you are wearing and you decide not to remove it. In other words, you 'keep it on'. This application of 'keep on' is separable and is normally used separably with the item of clothing going between 'keep' and 'on'. It was so cold in the house that I kept my coat and gloves on when I went inside. John kept his glasses on to go swimming and regretted it when they fell off and sank to the bottom of the pool. Are we allowed to keep our shoes on or do we need to take them off before we enter? Photo: Pexels IDIOM ALERT: Keep your wig on! This particular application of 'keep on' has given rise to a common idiom in English, which has several variations. 'Keep your wig on' and its alternative forms 'keep your hair on' and 'keep your shirt on' is an expression in English that is used to tell someone to calm down and not be so angry about something. I would certainly exercise caution when using this as if it used in the wrong situation, it could make the person even angrier and the situation even worse. Oh keep your wig on, Karen, it's really not that important! Will you please tell John to keep his shirt on and to stop overreacting! MEANING 4: To continue to employ someone Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To retain Separable? Yes The fourth meaning of 'keep on' is one that is used often in business English and that is 'to continue to employ someone'. This is normally heard when an employee reaches the end of a probationary or trial period after starting within a company and the company then makes a decision as to whether or not they wish to keep the employee on their books or not. Grammatically, this application of 'keep on' is separable and takes a direct object, with the employer being the subject and the employee being the direct object. It tends to be used much more in a separable way by native speakers, with the name of the person or the personal pronoun going between 'keep' and 'on'. Another way that this application of 'keep on' is used is with rental contracts and agreements for houses and apartments. Here, a person can choose to 'keep on' a contract and continue to rent the house or property in which they live. In contrast to the employee example, the person renting is usually the subject and the contract or house is the direct object. I thought that my company was going to dismiss me after my trial period had ended, but to my sheer amazement they kept me on! A management decision was taken yesterday that due to the increasing costs that the company is facing, we will not be keeping any of the new employees on when their temporary contracts expire. We have decided to keep the apartment on for another 3 months. MEANING 5: To nag someone Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synoynms To go on at, to nag, to pester Separable? No The fifth and final meaning of 'keep on' requires the additional preposition 'at' and means to nag or pester someone. In other words, to continuously and persistently moan at someone about something or ask them to do something that they do not want to do. Again, this is a synonym of the phrasal verb 'go on at '. This usage is primarily a British usage but would certainly be understood elsewhere. As mentioned above, the additional preposition ' at ' is required here for the person who is the victim of this negative activity. In addition, the extra prepositions ' about ' and ' to ' can be used here to specify the reason for the nagging or the nagger's desired result. My mother keeps going on at me about how untidy my room is but I don't think it is! Roger's wife is always going on at him to finish painting the bedroom. The teacher is always going on at her students about how they are dressed. Photo: Pexels IDIOM ALERT: Some more idioms featuring 'keep on' We have already looked at one common idiom featuring the phrasal verb 'keep on', however there are a few others that I want to tell you about before I finish this post. To keep on the straight and narrow = This idiomatic expression means to behave in an honest and lawful way, without getting into trouble. Some people stay on the straight and narrow their whole lives, however there are others who need to be kept on the straight and narrow and I am sure you all know at least one person like this. To keep on top of something = If you keep on top of something, you remain knowledgeable or in control of something. This particular idiom is often used in the workplace to talk about being on schedule with your workload and emails. To keep someone on their toes = This idiom is used to mean that something or someone always causes you to be alert and ready for action. This could be to talk about different things, from a strict manager in the workplace to a naughty dog who you constantly need to watch. To keep on track = This final expression means to remain on schedule with something that you are doing and is again something that you will often hear in the workplace in the English speaking world. 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 'keep on'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'keep 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 'go 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 like a native. 'Go over' is a common phrasal verb in the English language with a range of different meanings, including to cross something from one side to the other, to exceed a limit and to describe how something is perceived by an audience. Read on to find out all of its different meanings, as well some idiomatic expressions that it can be found in.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Go Over - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'go' and 'over' Go Over - Meaning 1: To move across from one place to another Go Over - Meaning 2: To change allegiance Go Over - Meaning 3: To examine or check something carefully Go Over - Bonus: The idiom 'to go over something with a fine-tooth comb' Go Over - Meaning 4: To revise or rehearse something Go Over - Meaning 5: To be received or perceived by people Go Over - Meaning 6: To exceed a limit Go Over - Bonus: The idiom 'to go over someone someone's head' 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 OVER: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 6 Past tense forms Went Over / Gone Over Separable? No Before we start looking at the meanings of the phrasal verb 'go over', let's firstly have a look at the words 'go' and 'over' and their individual meanings. The verb 'to go' is one of the most common verbs in the English language and is all about movement, specifically from one place to another. In addition to this main meaning, it can also be used to mean 'to leave' and 'to become' and is commonly used to form the 'going to' future tense construction, e.g. " I am going to watch this movie tonight ". The prepositional particle 'over' is an interesting one as it has several distinct meanings, depending on what word class it is used as. As a preposition it tends to mean 'above' or 'in a higher position than', as an adverb it is first and foremost used to mean 'across' or 'movement across' and as an adjective it means 'finished' or 'ended'. Moreover, in American English 'over' can also be used as an adverb to mean 'repeatedly' or 'again'. So now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the various meanings of 'go over'.... MEANING 1: To move across from one place to another Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To come over, to go across, to head over, to pass over This first meaning of 'go over' is a literal meaning of the verb 'to go' and the adverb 'over' combined, meaning 'to move across from one place to another'. Broadly speaking, there are two main ways that this literal form of 'go over' is used.... The first is simply moving from a start point and across something to arrive at the desired end point. The list of things that could be crossed is extensive but typically includes roads, fields, bridges and rivers. We do also use 'go over' to talk about when we go to a different country, especially when a sea or an ocean lies between the countries and this is typical when talking about travel from the UK or Europe to the USA or vice versa. The second way that 'go over' can be used literally is with the idea of moving past something by going above it, thus incorporating the prepositional meaning of 'above' that 'over' possesses. For this second variation, typical examples could be when a person goes over a hill or when something moves through the air and it goes over something such as an airplane, a superhero or something that has been thrown. In order to go over the bridge by foot, you must pay a small fee of $2. John went over the field to get his horse from the other side. Steven has gone over to the USA to study at Yale for a year. I miss him terribly! We went over the English Channel when we were going to France on the airplane. Sarah is no longer allowed to play football with her brothers as every time she kicks the ball, it goes over the fence. MEANING 2: To change allegiance Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To come over, to switch For the second meaning of 'go over', we are going to continue with the theme of an across movement from a start point to an end point, however this time the movement is abstract rather than physical, as it means to change allegiances from one side to another. For those of you who are unsure of the word 'allegiance', it means 'loyalty or support given to a particular cause, person, group of people or belief' and this could be used with political parties, sides of an argument or debate or even a sports team. When a person decides, for whatever reason, to change side or allegiance, we can say that they 'go over' to the other side. This is a similar usage to the phrasal verb 'come over' (link here ), however with 'go over' the perspective is from the starting point where the person leaves and with 'come over' the perspective is from the end point. John left the Left Party a long time ago and went over to the Green Party, despite them being much less popular. Louise was offered a large amount of money to go over to their rival basketball team, however her allegiance to her home team was too strong and she turned it down . MEANING 3: To examine or check something carefully Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To examine, to check, to go through The next meaning of 'go over' is 'to examine or to check something carefully', normally a document, essay or some kind of written work. Typically, you would use 'go over' in this sense when you have created a document or completed a form and you want somebody else to check it for you, to ensure that there are no mistakes and that everything is correct and suitable. This usage of 'go over' comes from the idea of moving your eyes across a document from above and thus includes the idea of movement from 'to go' and 'across and above' from 'over'. I've finished the report and I've asked my boss to go over it before I submit it to the customer. I can't believe that I did not see that spelling mistake on the website. I went over it four or five times before I published it! IDIOM ALERT - To go over something with a fine-tooth climb Photo: Pexels This particular usage of 'go over' where we check a form of written work or document has given rise to a common idiom that is used in everyday English: 'to go over something with a fine-tooth comb'. This idiom is used to mean that you will search for something or examine something as thoroughly and carefully as possible. A variation of this idiom that may also hear is 'to go through something with a fine-tooth comb'. The board has been over the plans with a fine-tooth comb and has decided to give the project the green light. When I lost my gold bracelet, we went over the house with a fine-tooth comb but we weren't able to find it anywhere. It turned out that it was in the car! MEANING 4: To revise or rehearse something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate ​Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To revise, to repeat, to practise, to rehearse Our fourth meaning of 'go over' is primarily to do with the idea of repetition and is used to mean 'to revise' or to 'rehearse'. Once again, this application takes the idea of movement from 'go' and combines it with the idea of repetition from the adverbial usage of 'over'. This usage is actually quite similar to the one that we just looked at in the last section, as it also involves looking at something. This time, however, we are not looking at it to make sure that it is correct, but rather we are looking at it again, either to revise something and learn it, such as before an exam, or to practise or rehearse something, like when you are preparing for a performance or speech. This could also be used with the idea of discussing something for another or a second time, especially if the subject in question is one of disagreement or contention. Let's go over our lines one more time before the performance. I want to make sure that I know them perfectly! He's gone over the practice questions so many times, I don't think it will be possible for him to fail! Oh not this subject again! We've gone over this so many times and I do not want to discuss it anymore. MEANING 5: To be received or perceived by people Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To come across, to come over The fifth meaning of 'go over' mean 'to be received' or 'perceived' by an audience and is used specifically to talk about performances, demonstrations, speeches and multimedia - in other words for anything which has an audience. When we talk about how something 'goes over', we are specifically talking about how it is perceived by an audience and accordingly this will be followed with a adverb such as well or badly. If we want to specify the audience who are perceiving or receiving the performance, we need the additional preposition ' with '. This application is very similar in meaning and usage to the phrasal verbs 'come across' (link here ) and 'come over' (link here ). The singer's comeback performance went over really well with the audience and her singles and albums streams and downloads have increased dramatically as a consequence. The minister's speech last night did not go over well. MEANING 6: To exceed a limit Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To run over, to exceed Last but not least, we have our sixth and final meaning of 'go over', which is to exceed a set or expected limit. For this usage, we are again taking the idea of movement from the verb 'to go' and combining it with the prepositional meaning of 'over' to mean 'more than'. The idea here is that something moves past a limit or deadline and this can be applied to time and speed limits and also physical capacities. It is very common to use 'go over' in the business world to talk about meetings and engagements that continue on after the intended finishing time. Alternatively, if you go over the speed limit in your car, your speed exceeds the highest permissible speed on that particular road and if you spend more than the agreed amount on your credit card, you go over your limit. The meeting was scheduled to finish at 2pm, however it went over and it did not finish until nearly 4pm. Lisa lost her driving license last year as she went over the speed limit multiple times. Photo: Pexels BONUS: Idiom 'To go over someone's head' Before I finish this post, there are two more idioms with 'go over' that I want to tell you about and these are very interesting as they are actually the same idiom, just with two separate meanings. The idiomatic expression in question is 'to go over someone's head'. The first meaning of 'to go over someone's head' is frequently used in the business world and means 'to ask permission or to obtain authority from someone who is higher up in the organisational hierarchy than the person you would normally ask'. In other words, instead of asking for permission from your boss, you ask permission from your boss' boss. I needed emergency authorisation to take time off for a family emergency and I knew my boss wouldn't allow me to have the time off, so I went over her head and asked the MD instead. The second meaning of 'to go over someone's head' is used to describe when someone does not understand something because it is too complicated for them or they lack the requisite basic knowledge to comprehend it. Typical examples of when this can be used would be when someone tries to explain something technical to someone without any technical knowledge and when someone from another country does not know a cultural reference from the country that they are in and therefore does not grasp the intended meaning. I told John a joke about social media and he didn't laugh or find it funny. It went over his head because he doesn't use social media and didn't understand the reference. 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 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 'go 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 'run 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. This post is all about the phrasal verb 'run out'. In it, I will explain its different meanings for you, with lots of example sentences, so that you can impress your English-speaking friends and family with your excellent skills. So, without further ado, let's make a start.... TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one) Run Out - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'run' and 'out' Run Out - Meaning 1: Literal Run Out - Bonus: To run out to the shops Run Out - Meaning 2: To have no more left of something Run Out - Bonus: To be out of something Run Out - Meaning 3: To abandon someone Run Out - Bonus: The idiom 'to run out of steam' Run Out - Bonus: Further questions for writing and speaking practice 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 RUN OUT: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 3 Past tense forms Ran out / Run out Separable? Rarely To begin, let's first consider the meaning of the base verb 'to run' and the particle 'out' and what they mean on their own. Firstly, we have the irregular verb 'to run', meaning to moving on foot at a speed faster than walking, with moments when neither foot is on the ground. In addition to this meaning of, it can also be used to mean 'to manage' (in terms of business) and 'to flow' (in terms of water and liquid) and 'to function (in terms of machines), among other uses. I run 5km at least twice a week to stay fit and healthy. Sophie ran past my house this morning. John runs a very successful printing business. The river runs alongside the road. All of the computers in the office are running. Next, we have the prepositional particle 'out', which is an enormously common word in English, with many meanings and applications. It functions as the natural opposite of 'in' and is used for all things to do with movement away from the inside of something and towards the external part of it and this meaning is often conveyed when 'out' is used in phrasal verb constructions. In addition to this, 'out' can also add the ideas of exhaustion (as I will explain later), appearance ( come out ), separation ( sort out ) and exclusion (leave out). So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'run out'.... MEANING 1: Literal Photo: Pixels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To escape, to flee, to pop to, to nip to, to dash Separable? Sometimes For our first meaning of 'run out', we are going to keep things literal and just consider what we get when we combine the these two words together, which is 'to leave an interior space by running'. This could either be to enter into another interior space or to go to an exterior space. Whilst this application can be used to talk about leaving a room, a building or other internal space quickly (i.e. by running and not walking), it is more often than not used by native speakers when referring to a sudden, dramatic or exciting exit. This could include an escape from somewhere, leaving a room quickly to vomit or chasing someone. Every day when I get home from work, my dog runs out of the house to greet me. The schoolchildren ran out of the classroom as soon as the lesson finished. People started running out of the sea when someone shouted "Shark!". If you were paying attention to the table at the beginning of the section, you will have noticed that this application of 'run out' can sometimes be used separably. In order to do this, we require a direct object in the sentence (which we do not have in the sentences above). Let's consider the next expression where we have a direct object between run and out. What do you think the meaning of the sentence could be? John ran Roger out of the city. In American English (and less so in British English), if we run someone out of a town or city, it means that we chase or force a person to leave a place, normally by threatening them. Other synonyms of this could be 'to drive away', 'to drive out' and 'to force out'. I guess in the past it was normal for people to chase after someone in order to make them leave their town or city, but nowadays (thankfully) it is not so common and therefore the usage of this is also much rarer. You may still hear this in American television shows and movies however, so it is always useful to know. The angry villagers ran the tax collector out of the village. We ran him out of town last week and he has not dared to come back since. Photo: Pixels BONUS: To run out to the shops It is possible to use ' run out to somewhere ' to express when we need to go somewhere and back quickly. For example, imagine that you are preparing a dinner party for 5 guests and you realise that you have forgotten to buy dessert. You may then need to run out to the shop to buy a dessert. This does not mean that you are physically running to the shop, but rather that you are going there and back quickly (normally in a car). It is also common for people to drop the "out" so that they simply 'run to somewhere', however the meaning is the same with or without 'out'. This usage is perhaps more common in American English, with ' to pop to' or ' to nip to' being more common alternatives in British English. He has just run out to the post office to post a letter, he will be back shortly. I've forgotten to buy potatoes. I'm going to quickly run to the store to get some. MEANING 2: To have no more left of something Photo: Pixels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate ​Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To sell out, to exhaust, to use up, to expire, to have no more left Separable? No Our second meaning of 'run out' is the most commonly used and means 'to have no more left of something'. If you have heard 'to run out' in an English conversation, it is probable that you heard this idiomatic application. Nouns commonly used with this application: Money Energy Ideas Time Patience For this usage, we require the additional preposition 'of' to specify the thing that we do not have anymore, followed by a noun, giving us the construction to run out of something. We have run out of bread and milk. Many supermarkets ran out of toilet paper at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. My printer stopped working because it ran out of ink. Lucy wanted to bake cookies but realised she had run out of sugar. After hiking for hours, Sharon and Tracey ran out of water and had to turn back. The computer shop ran out of the new video game within an hour of opening. Since we use many different things in our lives, the list of possible nouns that can be used with this phrasal verb is very long, but common examples are money, food, energy, space, ideas, patience and options. Photo: Pixels Another very common noun that we use with this phrasal verb is ' time' , normally when we have a deadline or future point in time before which something must be completed. Based on this idea of time and deadlines, we can also use 'run out' as a synonym for the verb "to expire", i.e. to express when the validity of something ends. Typical situations for this would be with a passport or a drivers license, which expire or run out on set dates. This phrasal verb can certainly be used in formal situations, however in very formal situations a different verb such as 'to exhaust' is definitely more suitable. I need to find a petrol station before I run out of petrol*! There are only 5 minutes left in the match; the England football team is running out of time to score another goal and win. Roger is running out of money fast, so he needs to find a job quickly! I've booked a holiday to Spain in April and I've just realised that my passport runs out in March! I hope I can renew it in time. * Petrol in British English is Gas in American English Photo: Pixels BONUS: To be out of something In informal conversations, it is also extremely common to simply drop the word 'run' and use the informal construction 'to be out of something' as a synonym. We need to stop, we are out of time. I'm afraid we are out of bread, sir. The next delivery will be tomorrow. A variation of this informal usage is 'to be all out of something'. Again, this is something that should only be used in informal conversations and situations: Oh no, we are all out of coffee! I will run out to the shop to get some. MEANING 3: To abandon someone Photo: Pixels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To abandon, to quit, to leave Separable? No Our third and final meaning of 'run out' means 'to abandon' and is normally used when someone leaves very quickly, suddenly or unexpectedly. Nouns commonly used with this application: Family Children Partner Job For this application, we are replacing the extra preposition 'of' with 'on', giving us the construction 'to run out on someone / something'. I imagine that you can probably guess, but this usage is reserved for dramatic and often traumatic life events for people, so thankfully it is not one that you will probably need in tour day to day English. It is definitely more of an informal usage and I would say that it is mainly used to talk about when someone suddenly leaves a relationship or a family. My ex-husband ran out on me and our 6-month old baby. Helen was so stressed that she ran out on her job and never went back. Tony ran out on his wife and 5 children to start a new family with his lover. He ran out on me last year and now he is begging me to take him back. Photo: Pixels IDIOM ALERT: To run out of steam Before I finish the post, I want to make you aware of a very common expression featuring the phrasal verb 'run out': 'to run out of steam'. We use this nice little saying to express when the progress of something slows down or stops because we lose energy or interest in something. The Scotland football team played brilliantly in the first half of the game but they ran out of steam in the second half. I was doing really well with the pre-Christmas baking but I ran out of steam and ended up sitting down for a coffee. Photo: Pixels QUESTIONS FOR WRITING & SPEAKING PRACTICE Have you ever run out of things to say when answering a job interview question? Did you get the job? Would you rather run out of gas for your heating on a cold day or electricity for your air conditioning on a hot day? Why? When was the last time that you ran out of patience (became angry) with someone? What happened? Do you think that we are running out of time to save the planet from climate change? How can we change the situation? Photo: Pixels 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 'run 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 'knock 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. 'Knock out' is an English phrasal verb that you may recognise if you watch combat sports like boxing or MMA. Did you know however that there are at least 7 different ways to use it? In this post, I will explain all of these different meanings for you, as well as some additional uses that 'knock out' has. Additionally, I will provide you with lots of example sentences so that you understand the types of contexts and situations in which we use them. So, without further ado, let's make a start.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Knock Out - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'knock' and 'out' Knock Out - Meaning 1: Literal Knock Out - Meaning 2: To make someone unconscious Knock Out - Bonus: To make someone fall asleep Knock Out - Meaning 3: To eliminate a competitor Knock Out - Meaning 4: To disable equipment Knock Out - Meaning 5: To astonish someone Knock Out - Meaning 6: To produce something quickly or effortlessly Knock Out - Meaning 7: To earn money 🇦🇺 Knock Out - Bonus: The noun 'knockout' Knock Out - Bonus: Knock yourself 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 KNOCK OUT: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 7 Past tense forms Knocked out / Knocked out Separable? Yes To begin, let's briefly look at the verb 'to knock' and the particle 'out' separately in order to gain some useful background information on our chosen phrasal verb. 'To knock' is a relatively common English verb, which I am sure that many of you will be familiar with already. We use it primarily to talk about hitting or striking something, often to make a noise or to make something move from the position that it is in. In some contexts, it can be used to mean 'to collide lightly with something', often when little or no damage is caused. I knocked your door but you didn't answer. Please knock before entering! The builder knocked the ornament with his ladder and it fell over. John knocked his head on the low ceiling. I accidentally knocked the fence post as I was reversing but I don't think any damage was done. 'Out' is a prepositional particle that is frequently found in phrasal verb constructions. As you probably know, it is primarily used to talk about being on or moving towards the external part of something and it's natural linguistic opposite is the word 'in'. This external idea of 'out' is one that can also be found in phrasal verbs ( go out , get out ), however there are many other functions that 'out' can bring to phrasal verbs and these include emergence ( come out ), removal ( take out ) and ending (die out). Moreover, sometimes 'out' can be used in phrasal verbs to signify a shift from active to inactive, as we will see shortly. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'knock out'.... MEANING 1: Literal Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To dislodge, to remove, to extract Separable? Yes Did you know that the phrasal verb 'knock out' is used in a literal sense by native speakers?This is typically to refer to when something is removed from somewhere by hitting, striking or bumping it. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Tooth / teeth Window Wall Brick Nail / screw For this application of 'knock out', you should know that we only use it to talk about objects that are physically embedded or fixed in a larger structure or object. Typical examples of this would be if someone hits you and knocks one of your teeth out (teeth are embedded in the mouth) or if a builder knocks a wall out in a house (a wall is an integral part of a house). This literal action of 'knocking out' can be done either intentionally or accidentally; the key idea is that something is dislodged or removed by force. The mechanic had to knock out the broken window pane before replacing it. When I fell over, I knocked a tooth out and now I have a gap in my smile. Peter knocked out the nails holding the old shelf in place and it fell to the floor. We decided to knock out the wall between the kitchen and living room to make the room bigger. Lou knocked out a brick in the wall to create a space for the wiring. MEANING 2: To make someone unconscious Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To make / render unconscious Separable? Yes If you are a fan of boxing or other combat sports, it is likely that you will already be familiar with our next application of 'knock out' as it means 'to make someone unconscious, normally by a strike to the head'. Of course, this usage is not only applicable in the world of sports and it can be used to describe any occasion on which you receive a blow to the head that makes you lose consciousness for a period of time. This may be from another person if they hit you or it may be from an inanimate object if that somehow makes contact with your head; in the second case it is possible to say that you "knock yourself out" if the head impact was a result of your own movement or actions e.g, you hit your head on a low ceiling. Sometimes, we add the additional word 'cold' after 'knocked out' to stress that a person was completely unconscious after being struck. The boxer knocked out his opponent in the third round. The fall was so bad it nearly knocked John out cold. Sally was knocked out during the accident and didn’t remember anything afterwards. Marcus hit his head on the beam and it knocked him out instantly. One punch from the fighter was enough to knock out the challenger. I should mention here that in boxing or other types of fighting sports, 'knock out' doesn't necessarily mean that the fighter is unconscious. It simply means that they are on the floor for a period of 10 seconds and can no longer participate in the fight...more about this later. Photo: Pexels TO MAKE UNCONSCIOUS OR TO MAKE SOMEONE FALL ASLEEP? Did you know that English speakers also use the word 'unconscious' in an informal way to mean deeply asleep (a bit like the cat above), even though we are not technically unconscious in the true sense of the word. As a result of this, the usage of 'knock out' has developed over time to also include when we take drugs or drink alcohol which cause us to fall deeply asleep. For example, you may be knocked out by drinking too much wine or if you are having trouble sleeping, you may take sleeping tablets to knock you out. Of course, this meaning is also applied to talk about when you are rendered truly unconscious by anaesthetic to undergo an operation in hospital. The anaesthetic will knock you out before the surgery starts. The gas leak could knock out anyone who breathes it in for too long. That sleeping pill really knocked me out; I was out cold for ten hours straight. Be careful with that cough syrup; it can knock you out if you take too much. The sedative was strong enough to knock out a horse. MEANING 3: To eliminate a competitor Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To eliminate, to defeat Separable? Yes Earlier on in the post, I explained how 'knock out' can be used to talk about combative sports like boxing when a fighter is hit and becomes unconscious. For this third application of 'knock out' we are again returning to the world of sport as this next meaning is 'to eliminate a competitor from a competition'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Player Competitor Team Side Firstly, it is important to note that we only use this application to talk about knockout competitions; i.e. the competitions where there are progressive rounds with semi-finals and a final at the end, like the football World Cup or Wimbledon. If a person or team is knocked out of one of these competitions, it means that they are defeated and therefore cannot progress to the next round and are therefore out of the competition. As I said, you will typically hear this being used to refer to sports tournaments but it is also widespread in all types of knockout competitions, especially those on the television. On a grammatical level, this application can be used both separably and inseparably. Furthermore, it is also possible to use it in both the active and passive voice using the passive variations 'be knocked out' and 'get knocked out'. The Spanish team was knocked out of the tournament in the quarter-finals. We were sadly knocked out in the first round after a tough match. The British tennis mixed double duo got knocked out by the defending champions. The chess player's loss in the semifinals knocked her out of the title race. The underdog team managed to knock out last year's winners in a surprise turn of events. MEANING 4: To disable equipment Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To disable, to destroy, to damage Separable? Yes Our fourth meaning of 'knock out' is one that is often heard in connection with warfare and destruction and means 'to disable equipment'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Electricity Power Internet Website System Machine To begin, let me clarify by saying that when I say 'to disable' it means 'to stop from functioning or being effective'. This is usually as the result of damage, which can be either physical with machines and equipment or non-physical such as IT infrastructures and websites. As I mentioned earlier, you will hear this commonly being applied in reference to war and hostile human interaction since it is possible for both physical equipment and systems like electricity or gas supply networks to be knocked out by aggressive military attacks. Moreover, it is also used when talking about damage that arises from natural causes, like lightning, fire and flooding, which all also have the ability to stop things from functioning. The lightning strike knocked out power in the radio tower. The bomb blast knocked out several surveillance cameras. Construction accidentally knocked out the water supply to the neighbourhood. A falling tree knocked out the telephone lines. The fire knocked out the building’s emergency lighting. The storm knocked out the electricity supply to thousands of homes. The explosion knocked out the communication system. The other area that we use this application of 'knock out' more and more in today's world is with reference to IT and computer systems. If anything happens to disable an IT system or stop a computer or network of computers from working, we can use 'knock out' to describe this. Likewise, it is also possible to use it for technical and electrical faults that prevent something from working correctly. A power surge knocked out all the computers in the office. The virus knocked out the hospital's internal network. The update bug knocked out users' access to the app. A malware attack has knocked our main server out and technicians are working on a solution. A technical fault knocked out the entire air conditioning system on the hottest day of the year. A group of hackers managed to knock out the company’s website for several hours yesterday. MEANING 5: To astonish someone Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To impress, to astonish, to overwhelm Separable? Yes Our fifth meaning of 'knock out' is not as common as some of the others that we have looked at so far and means 'to astonish someone'. Firstly, if you are not familiar with the verb 'to astonish', it means 'to greatly impress or to surprise someone'. If something knocks you out in this sense, it means that it shocks you, usually in a positive way. As you can imagine, we only tend to use this application of 'knock out' for those rare, exceptional moments in our lives when we feel extremely impressed, surprised or emotionally moved by something. This usage is quite an informal one and therefore is mostly used in casual conversations and song lyrics. The performance really knocked me out; it was incredibly beautiful. Your new song just knocked me out. I’ve had it on repeat all day. Emily walked into the room in her wedding dress and completely knocked everyone out. Sebastian's talent for painting absolutely knocked me out. The view from the mountaintop just knocked us out; we weren’t expecting it to be that breathtaking. The chef’s tasting menu knocked them out; every dish was a masterpiece. MEANING 6: To produce something quickly or effortlessly Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To produce, to manufacture, to turn out, to knock up Separable? Yes Our sixth application of 'knock out' is one that can be used informally to talk about businesses and services and means 'to produce something quickly or effortlessly'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Order Report Presentation Draft Drawing When working in the same job or doing the same thing for work for a long time, most people reach a stage where they can do many aspects of their job role quickly, often without concentrating very hard on it. In instances such as these it is possible to use this application of 'knock out'. To explain further, this application of 'knock out' is commonly used when we easily or uickly generate or produce something through effort. This could be a report, a presentation, or a manufactured item - it doesn't matter what; the key point is that something was created in the process. Moreover, with this application there is usually a remarkable aspect to the work, like producing a large quantity of products or something that takes a lot of skill and expertise in a short period of time. As such, we often state the time period in which the product or service was 'knocked out' in the sentence. Laura knocked out a ten-page report in just a few hours. Tony can knock out a song in one afternoon when he's inspired. The team hastily knocked out the presentation the night before the meeting. I’ll try to knock out a rough draft before lunch and send it to you. The artist knocked out three sketches during the afternoon break. We knocked out the design mockups over the weekend. Paul’s so efficient, he can knock out emails while on a call. MEANING 7: To earn money Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Australian English Potential synonyms To earn, to obtain Separable? Yes The last of the meanings of the phrasal verb 'knock out' that we will cover in this post is an Australian usage which means 'to earn money'. This application is typically used to talk about when someone makes money in a casual or unexpected way and is very informal in nature. More rarely, it can also be used to talk about obtaining food from somewhere. From a British English speaker's perspective (mine), this one is quite unknown and although I would be able to understand what it meant from the context most of the time, it might not always be clear, so be careful if using this one with any speakers of English that are not Australasian. Steve knocked out a few hundred bucks doing weekend shifts at the pub. Delilah’s been knocking out decent money with her freelance gigs. You can knock out good cash during harvest season if you’re willing to work hard. Martine and Frankie knocked out a bit of extra income selling stuff online. Photo: Pexels THE NOUN 'KNOCKOUT' In addition to the phrasal verb, we also have the noun 'knockout' in English which has a couple of meanings; both of which are to do with sport and are derived from the meanings of the phrasal verbs that we covered earlier in the post. The first one links back to the second meaning that we covered where people are made unconscious in a fight. A 'knockout' is the noun for this action and is often shortened to the common abbreviation 'KO'. This applies to both when someone is really knocked unconscious and when they remain conscious but are unable to get up off the floor for a count of 10. The boxer won by a knockout in the second round. It was a clean knockout, Joe hit the mat and didn’t get back up. The referee decided to stop the fight after the brutal knockout. Lastly, if you think back to the third application meaning 'to eliminate a competitor', you may have noticed that I talked about "a knockout competition". A knockout can be used in this sense as a noun to name this type of competition in which competitors are eliminated in rounds all the way to the final at the end. In some cases, such as the football World Cup, there is a knockout stage for the final 16 teams following the initial group stage. In a knockout competition, there is absolutely no room for error. The Welsh team made it to the knockout stage after finishing second in their group. This year’s cup is a straight knockout; there are no second chances. Photo: Pexels KNOCK YOURSELF OUT! Last but not least, if an English speaker ever tells you to "knock yourself out", please do not be offended or worried. They are not telling you to physically harm yourself (as in application 2). Surprisingly, what they are in fact telling you is to 'go ahead do what you want'. This is usually said after someone asks for permission to do something and instead of saying "yes", you can say "knock yourself out", which is a bit stronger and encouraging than a simple "yes". Occasionally, "knock yourself out" can carry slightly sarcastic tones but you can normally pick up on that from the way that the person says it. If you want to reorganise the garage on your day off, knock yourself out. Want to try all five flavours of the whisky? Knock yourself out! You think you can fix the car without reading the manual? Knock yourself out! 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 'knock 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 'knock 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 'get down' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website all about English phrasal verbs. Each week, I take a different phrasal verb and look at how it is used by native speakers, with a focus on the different meanings that it has and the expressions and idioms that it is used in. This post is all about the phrasal verb 'get down', which is great phrasal verb to have in your active vocabulary and has various different meanings that sometimes contradict one another, such as feeling depressed and dancing wildly and enjoying yourself. Read on to find out the different ways that the phrasal verb 'get down' is used in English.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Get Down - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'get' and 'down' Get Down - Meaning 1: To move from a high place to a lower place Get Down - Meaning 2: To lower oneself to the floor Get Down - Meaning 3: To depress someone Get Down - Meaning 4: To write something Get Down - Meaning 5: To swallow food, drink or medication Get Down - Bonus: To get food or drink down yourself Get Down - Meaning 6: To focus on something and start doing it Get Down - Bonus: The idiom 'to get down to business' Get Down - Meaning 7: To dance 🇺🇸 Get Down - Bonus: The idiom 'to get down to brass tacks' Get Down - Bonus: To get something down I love writing this blog & helping learners but I receive very little feedback as to how useful it is or if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I'd be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS GET DOWN: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 8 Past tense forms Got down / Got down - Gotten down (US) Separable? Sometimes Let's start this post in the normal way and consider the constituent words 'get' and 'down', as this is a great way to gain some insight into some of the phrasal verb meanings that we will look at shortly. Firstly, we have the favourite verb of native English speakers, 'to get', which has an extensive number of meanings and applications in English. There is not enough time or space in this post to cover all of them, however the most relevant meanings for the phrasal verb 'get down' are the meanings 'to arrive at a place' and 'to become'. The prepositional particle 'down' is one used regularly in phrasal verb constructions and is used to denote a low or lower position, usually relative to the speaker, or movement towards a low position when used as an adverb. In addition to this meaning, 'down' can also be used in a plethora of different ways, such as to describe something negative like depression or sadness and something that is recorded in written form. Now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'get down'.... MEANING 1: To move from a high place to a lower place Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To get off, to dismount, to descend Separable? Yes The first meaning of the phrasal verb 'get down' that we will look at is one that I think is closest to a literal meaning and that is 'to move from a higher position to the floor or a lower position'. This meaning is all about movement from a high place to a lower place, with the focus being on 'arriving' in the lower position. This can be used with many different nouns and typically you would hear this with words like horse, mountain, tree and roof - in other words, anything that a person or thing can go up and sit or stand on. Sometimes we also add the additional adverb ' back ' between 'get' and 'down' to emphasise that the descent to the ground is a return journey. Whilst we were climbing the mountain, it started to get very foggy and we were not sure how we were going to get down. Photo: Pexels When you get down to the ground floor, please can you ask the concierge to call me. My cat climbed the tree in my garden and was so scared by how high he was that he could not get back down again. So far with this meaning, we have talked about 'get down' to mean 'to move to a lower place' without a direct object (intransitively), however we can also use it with a direct object. This is for when we want to move something from a high place to a lower place, similar to the phrasal verb ' take down ' that I have recently also written about. Often, we use 'get down' instead of 'take down' when there is a level of difficulty or challenge to the action of getting something down e.g. if something is stuck in a place. Typically, this transitive use of 'get (something) down' is for when we need to move something that is stored in a high place, such as a shelf or an attic down to ground level. Photo: Pexels In the end, we had to call the fire brigade to come and get the cat down from the tree. I'm just going to go into the attic to get my suitcase down. John's kite flew away and ended up stuck in a tree and he could not get it back down again. MEANING 2: To lower oneself to the floor Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To lower yourself, to duck Separable? No For the second meaning of 'get down', we are going to stay with the same idea of moving to a lower position from a high one, however this time we are talking about when you lower your body so that you are closer to the ground. This would typically be when you lower yourself from a standing position to be on your knees, to be on your hands and knees or to be in a lying down position. You may be familiar with the expression 'to get down on all fours', which means to lower your body onto your two hands and two knees. Moreover, 'get down!' can also be used in an imperative form. This could be when commanding someone to remove themselves from a high place (as per the previous section) or it can also mean to move your body closer to the floor, possibly to hide yourself or to avoid something dangerous. There was an emergency and everybody had to get down on the floor and lie flat. For this next yoga position, you will need to get down on your hands and knees. Get down! People will be able to see you if you are standing up and it will ruin the surprise! MEANING 3: To depress someone Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To get depressed Separable? Yes If you are familiar with the song Rainy Days & Mondays by The Carpenters, and the lyric " rainy days and Mondays always get me down ", then you will already have a good idea of what this third application of 'get down' means. If not, then the meaning is to make someone feel sad, unhappy, depressed or demoralised. This usage is a direct combination of the meaning of the verb 'to get' as in 'to become' and the adjectival meaning of the word 'down' to mean 'sad'. It is mainly used by people to describe when they experience temporary periods in their life when they feel sad or low. Grammatically, we use 'get down' without a direct object when we feel sad or unhappy about something, without explicitly stating a cause. Furthermore, it is also possible for something to get you down, for example rainy days and Mondays, and in this case the sad or depressed person becomes the direct object of the sentence. I always get down in winter. I think it is something to do with the lack of sunlight. Like everyone, Helen gets down from time to time, but in general she is a happy person. If I spend too much time thinking about my relatives who have died, it gets me down. MEANING 4: To write something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To take down, to note down, to write down Separable? Yes The fourth meaning of 'get down' is to write something down, so that it is recorded and can be referred back to at a future time. This is, in fact, a synonym of the phrasal verb 'take down' that I have also recently written about (click here to read it). With 'get down' in this sense, the meaning of 'down' that is relevant is the meaning 'to record something in written form', with the verb 'to get' adding the idea of completing the action of transferring the information to a written record. Grammatically, this meaning of 'get down' takes a direct object and can therefore be separated without changing the meaning and we tend to use the separable version more. Moreover, this application of 'get down' is often followed by the words 'on paper'. Did you get all of the key information in the speech down? I managed to get the person's telephone number down before the line cut out. The author spent half an hour getting the details of her dream down on paper as she wanted to include them in her next book. MEANING 5: To swallow food, drink or medication Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To swallow, to gulp down Separable? Yes The fifth meaning of 'get down' is 'to swallow food, drink or medication, often when the swallowing action is performed with some difficulty. For this usage, the 'down' meaning is quite clear as it is the direction that something swallowed goes in and the function of 'to get' is to add the idea of completing the action, especially when there is some difficulty involved. This difficulty may come from the person swallowing who may have a sore throat or a medical issue, or it may come from the thing that the person is swallowing, i.e. something tough, chewy or bad tasting. An informal expression that people sometimes use, especially in British English, 'get it / this down your neck!', which is used as an encouragement or invitation to someone to eat or drink something, The tablets that I have to take are enormous and I have great difficulty getting them down. We quickly got our lunch down and then went back to work. You look really cold. Here, get this cup of tea down your neck. It will warm you up in no time. Photo: Pexels BONUS: To get food or drink down yourself Whilst we are on the subject of food and drink, you should also know that we use 'get down' to talk about when we spill food and drink on our clothes or our bodies when eating and drinking. If you get something down yourself, it means that you have dropped some food or drink on your clothes and it will probably leave a stain. You're such a messy eater! You've got half of your dinner down yourself. MEANING 6: To focus on something and start doing it Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To focus, to start Separable? No For this sixth meaning of 'get down' we require the additional preposition ' to '. When you 'get down to something', it means that you start to focus on something and start doing it. This is normally used for activities which involve a lot of attention or concentration and so it is something that you will often tend to hear in the business world. Come on everyone, we've wasted enough time. Let's get down to work. We finally got down to talking about the recent problems that have affected our co-operation and we seem to have resolved them. Photo: Pexels IDIOM ALERT: TO GET DOWN TO BUSINESS Whilst we are on this meaning of 'get down', there is a very common expression that I want to make you aware that fits in nicely here.... Get down to business - I am sure many of you will already be familiar with this expression as it used a lot, both in business English and in general English.'To get down to business' means to stop making small talk and to start talking about the subject that needs to be discussed. As you can imagine, this is commonly used at the start of meetings and is regularly prefixed with the word 'let's'. Ok, now that everyone is here, let's get down to business! MEANING 7: To dance Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? American English Potential synonyms To dance, to party Separable? No Our seventh usage of 'get down' is an informal one to mean 'to dance', often in an energetic or uninhibited way'. It can also be used to mean to have fun, relax and enjoy yourself, however it is used far less in this way. This is primarily an American usage, however it is known and used in British English too, particularly since it has been featured in many pop and dance songs over the last forty years. The origins of this particular usage date back to the 1970s and is another example of a word that has entered the English language from African American slang. I saw you and your friends getting down on the dance floor last night. It looked like you were having a lot of fun. Come on everybody, let me see you all get down to this next song! Photo: Pexels IDIOM ALERT: To get down to brass tacks Photo: Pexels The idiom 'to get down to brass tacks' is an expression which means 'to start talking about the basic and most important facts about something', i.e. the things that people really want to discuss in a situation. This idiom first arose in American English in the late 1800s and has since spread across the Atlantic. Despite the strangeness of the idiom, nobody knows exactly what its origins are. The diplomats didn't spend long making small talk in the meeting and quickly got down to brass tacks. Photo: Pexels ONE FINAL MEANING: To get something down Ok, so before I finish this post, there is one more meaning of 'get down' that I want to tell you about..... To get something down' is an idiomatic expression that is becoming more and more common in modern English vernacular and means 'to master something and be able to do it very well or perfectly'. If you've got something down, it means that you are skilled at doing something. Hopefully after reading this and with a little bit of practice, you will get this phrasal verb down and will using it like a native speaker 😀 I was terrible at this computer game when I first started playing it but now I've got it down! Wow, you're amazing at that, you've got it down! Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'get 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 'get 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 'take back' 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, I explain the phrasal verb 'take back' and all of the different ways that you can use it in English. For each one, I provide you with lots of example sentences to give you an idea of how it is used and in which contexts, helping you to impress all of your friends and colleagues with your impressive phrasal verb skills! So, without further ado, let's make a start... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Take Back - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'take' and 'back' Take Back - Meaning 1: To return something Take Back - Meaning 2: To allow someone to return Take Back - Meaning 3: To reclaim possession of something Take Back - Meaning 4: To retract something Take Back - Meaning 5: To be reminded of a past time I love writing this blog and helping learners but I get very little feedback as to how useful it is and if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I would be most grateful. Thank you! 😊 James Photo: Pexels THE BASICS TAKE BACK: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 5 Past tense forms Took back / Taken back Separable? Yes To begin our exploration of the phrasal verb 'take back', let's first consider the different meanings of the words that it consists of: 'take' and 'back'. The verb 'to take' is one of the most common and useful verbs in English and has a number of different meanings. These include removing something from a place with your hands, physically capturing something, transporting something to a different place and travelling on public transport. Like most of the most common verbs in English, 'to take' is an irregular verb....sorry! Please take a pen from the box. Someone has taken my coat from the cloakroom! The army is trying to take the city. The prisoner will be taken from the court to the prison tomorrow. Can you take me to school in the morning, Dad? I don't want to take the bus. The prepositional particle 'back' is one that is used in phrasal verb constructions typically to convey the ideas of returning (come back), reversing an action (pull back), and responding (call back). As we go through the different meanings of 'take back', we will see many of these themes arising. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's consider the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'take back'. MEANING 1: To return something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Lower intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To return, to give back, to exchange Separable? Yes If we take the literal meaning of the words 'take' and 'back' and combine them, we arrive at the first meaning of our phrasal verb 'take back', which is transporting or returning something to a place where it previously was. This usage is separable and it is possible to place nouns and pronouns between 'take' and 'back' or after them without changing the meaning. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Item Product Person Clothing items: shirt, shoes, pants, skirt, coat etc My cat, Arthur In a general sense, this application can be used to describe any time we physically transport a person or thing back to a place that it came from or was at an earlier point in time. For example, my cat, Arthur (pictured), has an ongoing health problem that means that he needs to visit the vets from time to time. If he goes to the vets and then has to go back again some time later for a check-up, we take him back there as he can't get there by himself (and he hates it, so he wouldn't go!). Another example would be if a friend or relative comes to stay with you. If you drive them home in your car, you can say that you take them back. I'm only here for the weekend, my brother is taking me back to Scotland on Monday. Where did you find that? Take it back to where you found it! Tamsin left her purse in the cinema, so her husband had to take her back there to see if she could find it again. We can also use this first application in a more specific way and this may prove to be very useful for any of you who enjoy shopping as it is to return goods or products to a shop (store). This is either to obtain a refund or to request an exchange for something else, maybe because the product is damaged, it does not fit well or is unsatisfactory in some way. I need to take this shirt back; it doesn’t fit me. Sue took back the blender because it stopped working after one use. If you’re not happy with the purchase, you can take it back within 30 days. They wouldn’t let me take the item back without a receipt. After realising the product was damaged, Sam decided to take it back the next day. Lesley decided to take the gift back after realising he already had one. This does not just apply to shops and can be used to refer to returning borrowed books to a library or rental cars to a rental company. He took back the book he borrowed from the library. When we took the car back to the depot, nobody was there and so we had to wait an hour for someone to show up. MEANING 2: To allow someone to return Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To have back, to allow to return Separable? Yes Let's move on to our second application of 'take back' now, which is concerned with romance and matters of the heart and means to allow someone to return.... Nouns commonly used with this application.... Husband Wife Partner Boyfriend / Girlfriend Student Employee Most commonly, we use 'take back' in this way when talking about a romantic relationship in which the couple have temporarily separated or broken up. This separation usually happens because one partner has done something wrong, like having a relationship with someone else or lying about something serious. If the "good' partner (who didn't do anything wrong) decides to resume their relationship with the "bad" partner and lets him or her return to their life, we would say that they take them back. Even after Roger cheated, Lisa considered taking him back. I don’t know if I could ever take someone back who hurt me like that. Andrew kept calling and texting, begging his ex-partner to take him back. Lucy's friends warned her not to take him back, but she followed her heart. After a long conversation, they agreed to give it another try and she took him back. Paul realised how much he missed John and asked if he would take him back. Lorraine said she would only take Alan back if he proved he had changed. Steve broke Nicola's trust and she’s not sure she can ever take him back again. Moreover, this application of 'take back' can also be used to talk about workplaces and educational institutions when employees or students are permitted to return to work or study following a period of suspension or after being fired. Like with the romantic usage of this application, we only use this when the company, school or university decides to let the person come back. The company finally decided to take the former Finance Manager back after she apologised for her mistake. The school agreed to take back the student after a formal hearing. They took him back into the team after realising they needed his skills. The coach said he wouldn’t take back any player who broke team rules. The university took the student back after a year-long suspension. MEANING 3: To reclaim possession of something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To reclaim, to retake, to recapture, to retrieve, to recover Separable? Yes Another meaning of the phrasal verb 'take back' is to reclaim possession of something and for this application, I am taking you back to the shops.... Nouns commonly used with this application.... Land City Things House / Apartment Control To begin, let's return to the idea of a person taking something back to a shop but now flip it and consider it from the perspective of the shop. If the shop assistant agrees for the customer to return an item, then we can say that the shop is taking the item back as they will become the owners of it again. This idea of owning or controlling something or having it in your possession again after a period of time without it is the key idea in this application. Essentially, the object in question belongs to someone and so they want it back. Often, this can simply be a nice and peaceful exchange, for example if someone borrows something from you and gives it you back when they have finished with it. However, perhaps more commonly, there is often an element of force or unpleasantness involved with the action of taking something back. Examples of this might be when a company takes back something that you have been renting as you miss your payments or when a national army fights to regain possession of a city or land that was once a part of their country. The landlord took back the apartment after the tenant broke the lease. Penelope took her necklace back after lending it to her friend for the party. The company took the equipment back once the contract ended. He took back his offer when he realised the deal wasn’t fair. They took back control of the land after years of dispute. The bank took back the car because Mark stopped making payments. The army took back the city after a fierce battle. Claire tried to take back her phone from her younger brother. Winston demanded to take back the painting he had loaned to the gallery. MEANING 4: To retract something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To retract, to rescind, to withdraw Separable? Yes Have you ever said something in the past that you have regretted and wished you had never said? I have done this so many times and the reason that I am telling you this is because this next application of 'take back' means to retract something that you have said or thought. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Words Statement Everything For this application of 'take back', I am dividing it into different categories, which we will call informal and formal. Let's first consider when we use 'take back' informally, which is when we say things in our everyday lives to our friends and family in an informal or casual setting and then later regret saying them. This may be because we said something insulting when we were angry and upset and didn't really mean it or because our opinions on a subject have changed and we now do not agree with our previous statements. I didn’t mean what I said; I'm sorry and I take it back. John called his sister a liar but quickly tried to take back his words. Miriam regretted the insult and wished she could take it back. You can’t just say hurtful things and then take them back like nothing happened. Simon laughed at the joke, then realised it had offended a few of the people around him but it was too late to took it back. I said something stupid and I totally take it back. It is also possible to use this application when someone says something offensive to you and you want them to apologise or even change what they said. In such cases, we might say in a shocked or angry tone " take that back! ". If we are feeling particularly hurt, we may even add the words "this instant" or "at once" to make it stronger. Take that back at once and don't ever speak to your mother like that again! Take that back! You don't mean it! One other expression that we use with this application when we completely change our mind about something and now do not agree with what we said in the past is " I take it all back ". I take it all back now that I've read the artist's autobiography; I was completely wrong about her! Let's now think about the formal usage of 'take back', which is specifically used in reference to people who speak publicly or who publish content for mass audiences to watch or read. If they change their mind about a subject that they have previously spoken or written about or if they are proven to be wrong about a statement that they have made, they may take back what they said. As these words are usually for the public, a formal taking back of a statement is often required. You should note here though that 'take back' is less commonly used in formal situations as other synonym verbs like retract, rescind and withdraw would be more likely used here to keep to a higher register. Nonetheless, it is something that you may still hear in this context, so it is worth being aware of it. The spokesperson later took back her remarks during a press conference. The newspaper editor formally took his accusations back in a written apology. The company issued a statement to take back the claims made in the advertisement. I would like to take back my previous comment, as it was made without full information. The professor was asked to take back his statement due to its offensive nature. After reviewing the facts, the witness decided to take part of his testimony back. The protester respectfully took back her earlier criticism upon hearing the full explanation. The organisation was compelled to take back its initial stance following public concern. MEANING 5: To be reminded of a past time Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To remind, to transport, to evoke Separable? Always Did you know that out of all the five senses that we humans possess, smell is the one that is thought to be the most closely linked to our memories? That is actually not a surprise for me as I often find that certain smells remind me of my younger days and childhood. What I could also say here is that they take me back to those days as our fifth and final meaning of 'take back' is to be reminded of a past time. For this usage, we are working with the idea that when we see, hear, smell or taste (and less so feel) something that reminds us of a something in our past, it causes us to think about it again, which is often (but not always) a lovely thing to do. It is literally when we are mentally or emotionally transported to an earlier time in our lives. As you can probably imagine, the usage of this particular application of 'take back' increases with age and you find that old people use this one all the time and young people less so. This song really takes me back to my high school days. Walking through the neighbourhood where he grew up took him back to his childhood. This photo takes me back to the summer we spent in Italy. Her perfume instantly took me back to when we first met. Watching that movie again took me back to my teenage years. The smell of fresh bread takes me back to my grandmother’s kitchen. Ah this takes me back! Such good memories! 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 back'. 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 back'. 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!!! 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