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An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'get 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. 'Get over' is a common phrasal verb in English with a variety of different meanings. In this post, I will explain the different meanings that it has and how they are used by native speakers, including getting over an illness, getting over a message, getting something over with and even not being able to get over something. So, without further ado, let's make a start.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Get Over - The Basics: Key information & the individual words 'get' and 'over' Get Over - Meaning 1: To cross something from one side to the other Get Over - Bonus: How is 'get over' different from 'go over'? Get Over - Meaning 2: To recover from something Get Over - Meaning 3: To overcome something Get Over - Meaning 4: To be very surprised Get Over - Meaning 5: To communicate a message successfully Get Over - Meaning 6: To do something unpleasant but necessary Get Over - Bonus: The expression 'get over yourself!' 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 GET OVER: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 6 Past tense forms Got over / Got over - Gotten over Separable? Sometimes The phrasal verb 'get over' is formed of the hugely common verb 'to get' and the prepositional particle 'over' and before we look at the different meanings of this phrasal verb, let's first look at these individual words. You do not need to have had much contact with the English language to know that the verb 'to get' is very common. Indeed, I know from my students that it is a very frustrating word for English learners as it has such a lot of different meanings and uses....I think even native speakers are confused by it sometimes! We don't have the time to cover all of the meanings of 'to get' here, however some of its relevant meanings for the purposes of this post are that 'to arrive' and 'to become'. The particle 'over' can be used as a preposition, adverb and adjective and is often used to describe moving across from one side of something to the other, often with the idea of moving above it. Moreover, as an adjective, it can be used to mean 'finished' or 'complete' and gives the idea that something is now in the past. So, now we have looked at the basics, let's move on to the meanings of the phrasal verb 'get over'... MEANING 1: To cross something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To cross, to go over, to come over, to surmount Separable? No Ok, let's begin with a nice and easy meaning of 'get over', which is 'to cross something from one side to the other'. This is normally by moving across its surface or in the air above it. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Bridge River Wall (Finish) Line Fence Hill / Mountain This movement could take the form of climbing, walking or even driving, the main idea is that you move from one side of it to the other. HOW IS 'GET OVER' DIFFERENT FROM 'GO OVER'? Whilst 'get over' is broadly similar in meaning to the phrasal verb 'go over' (link here ), it is used slightly differently. We use both of them to talk about moving from one side of something to the other, but with 'go over' the focus is on the movement from A to B, especially when the movement is easy or problem-free. However, with 'get over', the focus is more about the destination and tends to be used when there is a difficulty, problem or challenge to reach it. As such, 'get over' is commonly used with nouns such as wall, river, finishing line (of a race) and mountain; all of which could potentially be difficult or challenging to cross. Furthermore, It often appears in questions and negative statements.   We mostly use this application of 'get over' to talk about when when you or other people are crossing from one side of something to the other, so grammatically, this does not take a direct object and is therefore not used separably. However, if we are talking about a person carrying or taking something across, then we are able to use it separably as the thing being carried is a direct object. Again, we would only tend to use 'get over' when there is some sort of challenge or difficulty involved as 'take over' or 'carry over' would normally be used here. You may have also heard someone being told in English to 'get over here' or 'get over there' as these imperative forms of 'get over' are used quite often to tell someone to move to a different place. This can often be considered as quite rude or severe though, so hopefully it wasn't aimed at you! I'm not sure how my dog got over the garden fence. The explorers looked up at the mountain and tried to figure out a way to get over it. A car had broken down in the middle of the bridge and we weren't able to get over it, so we had to turn back and go a different way. The sprinter developed an injury during the race and sadly wasn't able to get over the finishing line on his own. Some of the other athletes picked the injured athlete up and got him over the line. The police were puzzled as to how the criminals had managed to get the drugs over the border. John, get over here and show me what I need to do. MEANING 2: To recover from something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To recover, to recuperate, to get better Separable? No For those of you who are regular visitors to this website, you may remember a post that I've recently written about the phrasal verb 'go through' (link here ). If you have read this, you will hopefully know that one of its meanings is to suffer a traumatic or negative experience. This second meaning of 'get over' is like a part two of that meaning as it means 'to recover from something traumatic'. As with 'go through', this application of 'get over' is used when we experience something traumatic that causes physical or mental suffering, typically with relationship break-ups, grief following the death of a loved one and physical injury or illness. 'Getting over' something is a process that happens over a period of time, from a few days to many years and, in some cases, it can never happen at all. You may also be familiar with the imperative expression "get over it!", which is used as a way of telling someone to accept a situation and stop worrying or being sad about it. Alternatively, "you'll get over it" is a frequently used and often sarcastic expression to say to someone who is overreacting about something that their problem is not very important. It took me a few months to get over my ex-girlfriend and move on. I've been sick with a really bad cold recently and I am still getting over it. John has never gotten over the death of his mother when he was a child. Get over it, Lisa! That was 2 years ago! It is time that you moved on with your life. MEANING 3: To overcome something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To overcome, to surmount, to master Separable? No For the next meaning of 'get over', we are going to keep to a similar sort of idea as the previous usage as this one is 'to overcome' something. More often than not, this meaning of 'get over' is used with fears and if we can 'get over' a fear of something, it means that we are no longer scared or afraid of it. For example, when I was younger I had a mild fear of spiders but then I lived with someone who was TERRIFIED of them and so every time a spider appeared in the house, I had to remove it. By doing this, I quickly got over my fear and now they do not bother me...that is a true story, by the way! In addition to fears, 'get over' is also used with finding solutions difficulties and problems., however less frequently so. This usage is also inseparable and we cannot add a direct object between the words 'get' and 'over' here. When I was a child I was petrified of the dark, but I got over my fear when I became a teenager. Getting over a phobia of something takes a lot of mental will power but it is possible! How are you going to get over this issue at work? MEANING 4: To be very surprised by something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To be amazed, to be shocked, to be surprised, to be flabbergasted Separable? No Ok, for this next usage we need to switch things up a little bit as this one only exists in a negative form with the modal verb 'can'. If you hear a native speaker say that they can't get over something, it is possible that they are talking about not being able to recover from something, but it is generally more likely that they are saying that they are very surprised by something. This is quite a strange and idiomatic usage (as is normal for English) and I think it was probably originally used in the sense that someone was shocked by something very bad and then found it difficult to recover (as per meaning 2). However, the usage has changed over time to now mean only shock or surprise at anything, whether it be good or bad, and that they find it hard to believe. I can't get over how much you look like your Dad! You've grown so much since I saw you last year, I can't get over it! Sarah couldn't get over how rude the waiter was to her in the restaurant. She was speechless! MEANING 5: To successfully communicate something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To communicate, to get across, to come over, to convey Separable? Yes Have you ever been in a situation in which you have needed to communicate a message to someone in a particular way? If you have, you were probably hoping to get the idea of the message over in the correct way. Or, in other words, you wanted the person to understand the message in the way that you intended. The reason for this is that the next meaning of 'get over' is to successfully communicate a message, an idea or some information to another person or group of people. Unlike the other applications of 'get over' that we have considered so far, this one can be used separably and does take a direct object, which is usually the idea, message or information that you want to convey. The company is desperate to get the idea over to its customers following their last desperate advertising campaign. Despite making a few mistakes, the politician managed to get his message over to the audience during his speech. Did I get my point over ok? Additionally, we can also use 'get over' to mean to send something to someone, such as an email, report or document. This is often used in a work or office environment. I will finish this report and get it over to you before lunchtime. When do you think you can get that email with the monthly figures over to me? MEANING 6: To do something unpleasant but necessary Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To finish, to end, to complete Separable? Yes For our final meaning, we require the additional preposition ' with ' as 'to get something over with ' means to finish doing something that is unpleasant, yet unavoidable. Whether it be work, a confrontation, something frightening or stressful or even a trip to the dentists, we can use 'get it over with ' to express that we must do something undesirable and so it is just best to do it immediately or as quickly as possible, so that it is done and we can forget about it. This usage combines the meaning of 'get', as in to arrive, with the meaning of 'over', as in to finish or complete something and so literally means 'to arrive at a point when something is finished', i.e. the unpleasant thing. This is a set expression and should always follow the same word order, with the horrible but necessary activity placed between 'get' and 'over'. A frequently used variation of this expression is 'to get something over and done with ', which means the same thing. Come on Doctor, I know that this will be painful, so can we please get it over with . I just want to get this week at work over with as quickly as possible as I am going on holiday next week. Let's get this over and done with so that I can go home and forget about it. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The expression 'get over yourself!' As is customary at the end of a post, I like to end things, where possible, with a useful idiom featuring the phrasal verb in question and this post is no different. If someone tells you 'to get over yourself', they are not asking you to somehow climb over yourself, but rather to stop being conceited, vain or pretentious. In other words, stop behaving like you are better or more important than other people. Hopefully nobody will ever say it to you, but I think we all know someone to whom this idiom could be applied! Oh stop acting like you're the King of England and get over yourself! Get over yourself, John and stop complaining! Photo: Pexels This brings us to the end of the post. So, to recap, we can use the phrasal verb 'get over' to express climbing or crossing something from one side to the other; we 'get over' something traumatic or an illness and if we are lucky we can 'get over' our fears and no longer be scared of something. If we can't get over something, then we find it very surprising or hard to believe and if we get something unpleasant over with , we do it quickly so that we can forget all about it. Lastly. I hope I have been able to get the meanings of this lovely phrasal verb over to you in a satisfactory way and that you have learnt something new today. Now it is YOUR turn. Leave a comment on the blog post with your own sentence using 'get over'....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

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

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

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

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

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

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

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'take 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. The English phrasal verb 'take up' is one that every English learner needs to have in their active vocabulary as it has a large number of different meanings and uses. In this post, I will teach you about 10 different ways that it is used in the English language by native speakers, with lots of examples and even an idiom included too. So, without further ado, let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Take Up - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'take' and 'up' Take Up - Meaning 1: Literal Take Up - Meaning 2: To start a hobby or regular activity Take Up - Meaning 3: To start a job Take Up - Meaning 4: To accept an offer or challenge Take Up - Meaning 5: To occupy space or time Take Up - Meaning 6: To discuss something with a manager or authority Take Up - Meaning 7: To continue after a pause Take Up - Bonus: The idiom 'to take up where you left off' Take Up - Meaning 8: To adopt a position Take Up - Meaning 9: To shorten a garment Take Up - Meaning 10: To remove a ground covering 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 TAKE UP: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 10 Past tense forms Took up / Taken up Separable? Sometimes Let's start by considering the meanings of the individual words 'take' and 'up', as this may give us some valuable insight into the meanings of the phrasal verb 'take up'. The verb 'to take' is one of the 10 most common verbs in the English language and so you should be very familiar with it already. One of the main meanings of the verb 'to take' is 'to move something from one place to another place and it should be noted here that the destination of the thing is usually a different location from where the speaker is at the time of speaking. In other words, we use 'take' for movement of something away from the speaker. This is often confused with the verb 'to bring' by English learners, which is where something is moved towards where the speaker is or will be. Additionally, some other key meanings of the verb 'to take' include 'to use your hands to remove something from a place', 'to accept something' and to talk about the time required in order to do something. The prepositional particle 'up' is a much used feature in phrasal verb constructions and can often give the idea of movement in an upwards direction or an increase of some sort. Aside from this, it can also add the ideas of improving something and making something ready. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's proceed with the meanings of the phrasal verb 'take up'.... MEANING 1: Literal Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level A1 - Beginner Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere. Potential synonyms To bring up Separable? Yes Before we look at the more figurative usages of the phrasal verb 'take up', I first want to talk about its literal meaning as it is used relatively often by native speakers and it is good to be aware of it. In its literal sense, 'take up' is applied to mean 'to move an object from one place to a higher place', such as from the ground floor to a higher floor in a building. Another example of this is with plants, which 'take up' water and nutrients from the ground as a means of food and sustenance. In addition to moving something in an upwards direction, we also commonly use it to mean 'to take something to a place in front of us or to a person directly'. Remember, with all of these uses, the movement is always away from where the speaker is. Your Dad is still in bed. Can you take him up this cup of coffee? I had to collect all of the finished exam papers and take them all up to the teacher. Plants take up all of their nutrients from the soil. MEANING 2: To start a hobby or regular activity Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To start, to begin Separable? Both So, now let's start with the reason that you are probably here, i.e. the idiomatic, non-sensical and confusing meanings of the phrasal verb 'take up'.... Nouns commonly used with this application.... Hobby Pursuit Activity Language The first one that we will look at is 'to start doing a regular activity, such as a hobby or pursuit'. This could be anything from learning a language, rock climbing and fishing to smoking cigarettes. Regardless of the type of activity, 'take up' can be used to signify the beginning of something repeated or consistent in a person's life, or even a habit. 'Take up' is not only used for completely new hobbies and activities in a person's life, as it can also be used when somebody starts doing something again, after previously stopping. For this, we just need the additional adverb ' again '. Aside from hobbies and activities, this usage of 'take up' can also be used to talk about embarking on a new career in a particular field or industry, often when it is a very different one to the one the person currently has. On a grammatical level, this usage of the phrasal verb 'take up' is separable, however it is heard more commonly in its inseparable form. When the activity that the person starts is stated as a verb, it should always be in the gerund ('ing / progressive) form. John has recently taken up cycling, so he hasn't been at home at weekends for the past few weeks as he's been going out on his bike. You need something to help reduce your stress. Why don't you take up a new hobby? Helen's New Year's resolution for this year is to take up outdoor swimming. I took up smoking when I was 15 years old and I gave up in my early twenties but I took it up again a few years later. How can I take up a career as a nurse? Roger has moved to America in order to take up a career in the tech industry. MEANING 3: To start a job Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To start, to begin Separable Yes In the last section, we talked about how 'take up' can be used to mean 'starting a career in a new industry or field', however you should know that it can also mean 'to start a job'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Job Role Position For this usage, it is not necessarily a job within a different sector or field, but rather just a new job that you start working at, so this could be delivering newspapers, working in a supermarket, starting a new teaching role or even a cabinet role in government...you get the idea I'm sure. This application is similar in meaning to the phrasal verb 'take on' (link here ) . You are likely to hear this usage of 'take up' with such nouns as 'job', 'role', 'position' and 'post'. I am very pleased to announce that Lisa has taken up the role of office supervisor, effective from today. Tim's personality changed as soon as he took up the Director's position in the company. After moving to the USA to work in the tech industry, Roger took up a job as an Analytics Manager in a big multinational firm. MEANING 4: To accept an offer or challenge Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common British or American? Both Potential synonyms To accept Separable? Sometimes I want to remain with the idea of a new job role for a little while longer as it is very much linked to this next application of 'take up'. When someone takes up a new position of employment, they must first be offered a job role and must then accept it, which is exactly what the fourth meaning of 'take up' is: 'to accept an offer or challenge'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Offer Challenge Invitation We can use 'take up' to mean 'to accept something that is offered to us. Whilst theoretically we could accept any offer that we receive with 'take up', it tends to be used more for offers of a substantial nature, which are usually offers of help or assistance with something. We don't tend to use it for small offers such as offering salt and pepper at dinner or an offer to make someone a drink as this might sound a bit unnatural and strange. Photo: Pexels For this application of the phrasal verb 'take up', we can say that we 'take up' an offer, however there is also a particular word order that you should be aware of when we want to include the offerer and this requires the additional preposition ' on '... 'To take someone up on an offer' If you take someone up on an offer, it is another way of saying that you accept his or her offer. This construction is very commonplace in everyday spoken English and if you can use it, it will give you lots of native speaker points 💯 Moreover, in addition to an offer or proposal, 'take up' is also commonly used when accepting a challenge from someone. John has taken up my offer to come and stay with me. He is coming here next month. Does that offer to help me paint my house still stand? I'd like to take you up on it if it does! I didn't expect her to take me up on my proposal but she has! After careful consideration, Diane decided to take Ross up on his challenge. MEANING 5: To occupy space or time Photo: Pexel CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To occupy Separable? Yes Let's now move away from from the idea of accepting jobs and offers and instead think more about time and space. This is not time and space in the Einstein and physics sense, but rather the hours and minutes of our daily lives and the physical space of the world in which we live. Now, where does the phrasal verb 'take up' fit with these concepts? Nouns commonly used with this application.... Space Time Room Firstly, let's consider 'space', or more specifically 'taking up space'. When something 'takes up space', it occupies or it fills a specific area. This is often used in a slightly negative way when something is very large and does not leave as much room as somebody wants, or alternatively doesn't leave enough room for much else. Secondly, let's consider 'taking up time'. When something takes up a person's time, it means that the person in question spends a lot of time doing one thing and therefore does not have much time for other things. It is also common to hear a native speaker say that something 'took up their day or morning etc., meaning that he or she spent the entire of the specified time period doing that one thing only. As with 'space', this can often be said with an aspect of negativity or irritation. Grammatically, this application of 'take up' is separable but the majority of the time we do not tend to use it in a separable way. I really want to sort out my attic. There are so many boxes up there just taking up space. I always have to ask my husband to move over in bed as he always takes up all the space and I find it difficult to sleep! There are a lot of unused programmes on Laura's computer's hard drive, which take up a lot of space. This job has taken up my entire morning! I thought it would only take an hour and I have still not finished. Working three jobs takes up a lot of my time, so I don't often get a chance to watch much TV. MEANING 6: To discuss something with a manager or authority Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To discuss further, to escalate Separable? Yes Have you ever been in a situation where you have received poor service in a restaurant and have asked to speak to the manager? If you have, then this next usage of 'take up' could have been very useful as it means exactly that. Well, not specifically speaking to a manager in a restaurant, but If you 'take something up with someone', it means that you discuss a subject or a matter that you are not happy about with any manager or authority figure, in order to resolve it. This is often after you have already spoken about it to at least one other person but you need to speak to a person higher up in the hierarchy in order to find a resolution. Aside from in restaurants, cafés and bars, this application of 'take up' is also used in settings as diverse as hotels, within businesses, and committees, officials and ombudsmen of industries and authorities within a country. The thing that they all have in common is that they all have the power to resolve an issue or problem. On a grammatical note, you may have noticed from the example given above that this application requires the additional preposition ' with ' to specify the higher power with whom you need to speak. Additionally, this usage is separable and is generally always separated, normally with either the word 'it' or 'this' inserted between 'take' and 'up'. I'm sorry but I can't help you with this. You will need to take it up with the head of department who can assist you further. Luke is really annoyed with the situation and has vowed to take it up with the authorities. I'd like to take this up with the manager, please. MEANING 7: To continue after a pause Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To continue Separable? Yes This next usage of 'take up' is slightly rarer than the others so far in terms of usage, however it can still be heard in spoken English and means 'to continue something after a pause or an interruption'. Typically, this is used for conversations and stories when the person speaking has been interrupted and the speaker then must then 'take up', what they were saying and continue. This is especially true if a different person continues what was being said following the disruption. Along with spoken stories and conversations, it is also possible, but rarer, to use this application of 'take up' for jobs and tasks, especially if a different person continues the action. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The idiom 'to take up from where you left off' This usage of the phrasal verb 'take up' has given rise to the idiom "to take up (from) where you left off", which means to continue from the place or point that something was stopped. An alternative form "pick up where we left off" also exists and is perhaps more commonly used than the 'take up' version. Lisa went quiet and the story was taken up by Helen. John's manager no longer wanted to finish the project, so John decided to take up the task himself. Ok ,shall we just take up where we left off? MEANING 8: To adopt a position Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To assume, to get into position Separable? No Well done if you have managed to make it this far! We are nearly finished with the different usages of 'take up' and we only have a couple of shorter applications remaining 😀 The next meaning of 'take up' is 'get into a position' or 'to adopt a position'. Normally, this is a planned position or place that someone has been instructed to go to in order to be ready for something. Typically, you may come across this when talking about military personnel, sports players or actors on a stage, all of whom are given positions that they need to be in, or 'take up', ready to start their work. All of the actors took up position on the stage just before the curtain came down and the performance began. Two soldiers took up their posts outside of the parliament building and were poised for action. As the players were taking up their positions for the start of the game, a loud noise could be heard coming from outside the stadium. MEANING 9: To shorten a garment Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To shorten, to hem Separable? Yes If any of you have read my post about the phrasal verb 'let down' (link here ), you may well remember that one of its meanings is 'to make an item of clothing longer'. Well, this meaning of 'take up' is the exact opposite meaning to that and means 'to make an item of clothing shorter'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Trousers / pants Skirt Garment Jeans Typically, this is used for garments for the lower half of the body that can be too long, such as trousers (pants) or skirts, however it can also be used for curtains and other items consisting of large pieces of material. Taking up clothes is normally done by folding the bottom of the garment upwards and sewing it, thus making it permanently shorter. These trousers are too long, so my Grandmother is going to take them up for me. Taking up skirts is a very simple job for a seamstress to do. MEANING 10: To remove a ground covering Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To remove Separable? Yes This final meaning is one for anybody who is interested in DIY, construction or gardening as it can be used in any of these areas. It is a rarer meaning that you will only ever hear when these topics are being discussed and it means 'to remove a ground covering such as a floor, lawn or carpet'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Floor Lawn Pavement / sidewalk Carpet Slab Cover If you 'take up' a floor, you remove the top layer of it such as the tiles, the wooden planks or the concrete, exposing the ground beneath. Likewise, if you 'take up' a lawn, you remove the grassy surface in a garden and if you 'take up' a pavement (sidewalk in America), you remove the top layer that people normally walk on. 'Taking up' ground coverings is usually only ever done as part of larger work or in order to access the space beneath the covering such as pipes or cables and so this is quite a rare usage that you may never come across. In order to gain access to the blocked sewer pipe, we had to take up the kitchen floor as it was above the access point. We decided to take up the lawn in our garden and replace it with a patio. 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 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 'take 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 'fill in' 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. 'Fill in' is an English phrasal verb with a variety of meanings that all, in some way, mean to fill a kind of empty space, whether that be a physical hole or a gap in a person's knowledge of a situation. In this post, I will look at all of these meanings and how they are used in English by native speakers, with plenty of examples to aid your understanding. So, without further ado, let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Fill In - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'fill' and 'in' Fill In - Meaning 1: To complete a form 🇬🇧 Fill In - Bonus: Fill in or fill out? Fill In - Meaning 2: To fill a hole or gap Fill In - Meaning 3: To fill empty spaces with colour Fill In - Meaning 4: To give someone missing information Fill In - Meaning 5: To be a substitute for someone Fill In - Meaning 6: To occupy your spare time 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 FILL IN: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 6 Past tense forms Filled in / Filled in Separable? Yes In order to better understand the meanings of the phrasal verb 'fill in', let's first take a look at the meanings of the individual words 'fill' and 'in'. The verb 'to fill' is a fairly common verb in English, which carries a general meaning of causing something that is empty, or partially empty, to become full. In addition to this, the verb 'to fill' is used a lot in different phrasal verb constructions such as 'fill out', 'fill up' and 'fill in'. Unlike many other English verbs, 'to fill' does not have multiple, diverse meanings and most of the time the idea it conveys is 'to make something full', The prepositional particle 'in' is a common feature in phrasal verbs and has a general meaning of being in an internal space when used as a preposition and movement towards an internal space when used as an adverb. This adverbial usage of motion towards an internal space is often transferred into phrasal verb constructions and meanings. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's take a look at the meanings of 'fill in'... MEANING 1: To complete a form Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? British English Potential synonyms To fill out, to complete Separable? Yes If you have ever gone to an English speaking country for a period of time, it is likely that you will have completed a document or a form with your information. Furthermore, if you were coming to the UK, it is likely that you have may have been asked to 'fill in' this document. That is because 'to fill in' means to complete a form or document by giving the requested information in the necessary gaps. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Form Document Questionnaire Survey Section The idea of this first usage can be linked directly back to the meaning of 'to fill' as it literally means to make the gaps (or empty spaces) on the form or document full by writing 'in' the details. Fill in or fill out? Confusingly, in English the phrasal verb 'fill out' also means the exact same thing and is interchangeable with the phrasal verb 'fill in'. Whilst there is no real difference in the meanings between these two, you should know that 'fill out' is the version that is favoured in American English and 'fill in' is more of a British usage. With that being said however, 'fill out' sounds perfectly natural to my ears as a native speaker of British English and it is also used here all the time. As you can imagine, 'fill in' is commonly used with such nouns as 'form', 'document', 'application' and 'section', i.e. words for documents that require informational input. Grammatically, it is separable and the direct object (e.g. form or document) can happily go in the middle of the phrasal verb or after it with no discernible change of meaning. Before you reach British passport control in the airport, you need to fill this form in. If you haven't filled in the survey on our website yet, please go online before your next appointment and do so. John realised that he had filled in all of the wrong sections of his tax return form and had to start it again. Fill in this job application and send it to the company by Monday. MEANING 2: To fill a hole or gap Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To fill Separable? Yes In the last section, we looked at how 'fill in' is used to talk about completing the blank spaces on a form or document and for this second meaning we are keeping to the same idea, however this time we need to substitute the idea of blank spaces on paper with empty physical spaces such as holes, cracks and gaps. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Hole Gap Crack For this usage of the phrasal verb 'fill in', we are therefore talking about moving material into a physical space to make it full or complete, often with the objective of having a level surface at the end of it. Typical examples of this would be filling in a hole in the ground with soil to make it even and filling in cracks in a wall with plaster to make it smooth. As you can probably guess, this usage of 'fill in' is used a lot when talking about DIY, building and physical work. Like the previous usage, this meaning of 'fill in' is separable and the direct object (hole, gap etc.) can be placed between or after the phrasal verb. I would say however that native speakers naturally tend to place the object afterwards more often. We removed a pond from our garden and filled in the hole with soil and compost. After the earthquake there was a huge crack in my wall, which I have temporarily filled in with plaster whilst I decide what to do about it. What is the best way to fill in drill holes in sheet metal? MEANING 3: To fill empty spaces with colour Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To fill Separable? Yes This next usage of 'fill in' is definitely one that you may have come across if you are a painter or artist of some sort. Again, for this third usage of 'fill in' we are staying with the idea of filling an empty space and this time it is not with written words or physical material but with c o l o u r . With this meaning, if you have a drawing, painting or design and you fill an uncoloured part of it with colour, you 'fill it in', so that the part in question is no longer the same colour as the canvas or paper, but rather the colour that the artist has chosen as part of the artwork. Outside of the artistic world, this can also be used for home decorating or, in fact, for anything where you add a colour to hitherto blank space. Interestingly, this is also common for tattoos and make-up, especially with lipstick for lips when you add lip liner around the edge of the lips and then fill in the rest with lipstick...I'm no expert in putting on make-up but I believe that this is the procedure. Either way, 'fill in' is definitely used with lipstick! In order to draw the ladybird's wings, I drew black spots on them and filled the rest in with red. Helen applied the lip liner around the outside of lips and then filled them in with lipstick. For your tattoo, you will need to have two separate appointments with the tattoo artist; the first to draw the outline of the picture and the second to fill it in with colour. MEANING 4: To give someone missing information Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To inform Separable? Yes If you have ever been in a situation where you do not have all of the information about it, you will probably need someone to 'fill you in'. This means that they give you the information that you are missing, so that you are fully informed about the situation at hand. With this fourth meaning of 'fill in', we are still talking about making something full or complete but this time it is people, or more specifically, the gaps in people's knowledge about a specific matter. It is normally always used in dynamic situations where things change and develop, whether this be social or professional, and if a person is not present when these developments occur, they will not be aware of the latest information, for example when you go on holiday and take time off work. They will therefore have gaps in their knowledge and these will then need to be 'filled in'. The additional preposition ' on ' is often also required with this usage to specify the situation or circumstance in question (see the examples below). The preposition ' about ' can also be used instead of ' on ' but this is used slightly less. Grammatically, this usage is separable and this is how I believe it is used the majority of the time by native speakers. John has just filled me in on everything that has happened since I went away on holiday. I can't believe it! Has anyone told you the latest information or do you need me to fill you in? Let's go out for a coffee and I can fill you in on the latest developments with my family. Somebody needs to fill the manager in about what happened in the meeting yesterday when he was at the conference. MEANING 5: To be a substitute for someone Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To cover, to be a substitute for Separable? No I am sure that you can all remember back to your school days when your normal teacher was sick or was not able to work and another temporary teacher was appointed to teach your class instead. You can say that this temporary teacher was 'filling in' for your regular teacher whilst he or she was absent and this is exactly the meaning of this next usage of the phrasal verb 'fill in'. In a professional sense, if you 'fill in' for another person, it means that you do their job on a temporary basis as they are not able to do it for some reason. As with the example above, this is often used with substitute teachers but it can also be used for any type of job role where one person does another person's work for a short-term period. Here, we have the recurrent idea of filling a gap, which this time is a job role, albeit ad interim . Grammatically, this usage of 'fill in' requires the additional preposition ' for ' to specify the person or colleague who will temporarily be absent and replaced. Also, unlike the previous usages of 'fill in' that we have looked at, this one is not separable. Roger is going on vacation next week, so I have to fill in for him and teach his senior classes. Does anyone want to volunteer to fill in for Lisa whilst she is out of the office next week? Martin is unfortunately off sick today, however Laura is filling in for him, so please contact her and she will assist you in his absence. MEANING 6: To occupy your spare time Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To pass time Separable? No You may have realised by now that every single usage of 'fill in' that we have covered so far contains an idea of filling something that is empty.....and this final usage is no different! 😜 This last meaning of 'fill in' is 'to occupy your spare time by doing something unimportant or trivial'. Moreover, this is normally whilst you are waiting for something else to happen. For example, if you finish work at 5pm and have planned to meet a friend for a drink at 7pm, you will need to do something to occupy yourself for the two hours that you wait and we call this 'filling in' time. As you have probably guessed from the example, the empty thing that requires filling in with this usage is time. My train arrives at 3pm this afternoon and my connecting train doesn't leave until 6pm, so I'll need to find something to do to fill in the time whilst I am waiting. I had nothing to do until the evening, so I filled in the day playing computer games and drinking coffee. 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 'fill in'. 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 'fill in'. 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 'look into' 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. How well do you know the phrasal verb 'look into'? If this is a completely new one for you, then you are in luck as it is a nice and easy phrasal verb with only two meanings. In this post, I will explain both of these useful meanings for you and provide with lots of example sentences to show you how they are used by native speakers. So, without further ado let's get into it.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Look Into - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'look' and 'into' Look Into - Meaning 1: To look inside something (literal) Look Into - Bonus: What if we add an extra preposition? Look Into - Bonus: Don't confuse 'look into' with 'look in' Look Into - Meaning 2: To investigate Look Into - Bonus: Typical example sentences of 'look into' 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 & share it or leave a comment at the end. I would be most grateful. Thank you! 😊 James Photo: Pexels THE BASICS LOOK INTO: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 2 Past tense forms Looked into / Looked into Separable? No As a starting point for this post, let's take a look at the basics and consider the individual component words 'look' and 'into'. Firstly, we have the super common verb 'to look', which has a number of meanings in English, depending on which prepositional particle it is combined with. For this particular phrasal verb, we mean in the sense of directing our eyes in a direction in order to see something. Why are you looking at me like that? John looks around the room. Secondly, we have the prepositional particle 'into', which I know from my experience with English learners is not the easiest preposition to understand. All you need to remember with 'into' is that is describes a movement to an end point which is inside  something. This "movement and entry" meaning of 'into' is often also conveyed in the phrasal verbs that it features in (go into). Alternatively, it can also be used in phrasal verbs to give the ideas of a change of state (turn into) and collision (crash into), among others. Now that we have looked at the basics, let's take a look at the different meanings of our chosen phrasal verb 'look into'.... MEANING 1 : To look inside something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To look at, to look, to peer into, to stare into Separable? No The first of the two meanings of 'look into' is the literal meaning of the combination of the two words, which is simply 'to look inside something'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... House Room Window Eyes Hole To clarify, when we use 'look into' literally, it means to look with our eyes towards the interior or inside of something. The speaker is normally (but not always) on the outside or exterior. As such, it is possible to use it with all nouns for things that have a physical inside space, like a house, a hole or a box. Interestingly, we often use it with the noun 'window' despite the fact that a window is just glass and does not have an interior space. What we in fact mean when we say this is that we are looking into the building or room behind the glass. A robin was sitting on a tree and looking into my house. The curious cat looked into the box as he knew a mouse was hiding inside it. Ashley looked into the cave but couldn’t see anything in the darkness. The child looked into the aquarium and watched the fish swimming around. I looked into the room and saw that nobody was there. The police looked into the bag and found it was empty. There are also certain nouns in English with which we often use the particle 'in' but which do not have a physical interior space such as light, darkness and future. You should know that we commonly also use this literal application of 'look into' to refer to these nouns too. When I looked into her eyes, I knew she was telling the truth. Looking into the future, the outlook for treatment of the disease is very good. As I looked into the darkness, I thought I could see a pair of eyes looking at me. WHAT ABOUT IF WE ADD AN EXTRA PREPOSITION? It is common to combine 'to look into' with an additional preposition such as down, up or back, in order to add extra spatial information to what you are saying. The additional particle needs to go between look and into, e.g. 'to look up into' or 'to look down into'. Photo: Pexels Photo: Pexels The cat is looking down into the drain. She looked up into the night sky and was amazed by the amount of stars that she could see. The scientist was looking down into the volcano. I stood on my doorstep and looked back into my house one more time. DON'T CONFUSE 'LOOK INTO' WITH 'LOOK IN' Due to their similarity and closeness in meaning it can be very easy to confuse these two phrasal verbs. In some situations this is not a problem because ' look in' can mean the same as 'look into' but ' look in' is used more commonly by native speakers to say that they are searching for something in a place or inside an interior space e.g. in a bag or a in a room. LOOK IN: I can't find my keys! I've looked in my bag and in my room and they are definitely not there! In the above example, it would be incorrect to say "I've looked into my bag and my room " because this would only mean that you looked with your eyes and but did not search inside the room for the keys. In short, 'look into' is for looking with your eyes, whilst 'look in' is often used for searching. MEANING 2: To investigate Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level ​B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potentia, synonyms To investigate, to scrutinise, to explore Separable? No So now we come to the second and most common meaning of 'to look into ' , which means 'to investigate or to examine information about a particular situation or problem in order to establish what caused it or what needs to be done to resolve it'. Nouns commonly used with this application: Matter Issue Claim Complaint Possibility Situation This application is very used all the time in business English when a problem has occurred and the employees in the company want to understand what happened and why. Furthermore, it is also something that you may hear the police or other authority figures say when investigating an alleged crime and they want to learn as much information as possible as they can about it. We promised the unhappy customer that we would look into the issue that they raised. The school is looking into reports of bullying. The team of top scientists has been looking into the effects of climate change on biodiversity in the region and will publish their findings next week. The IT team looked into the system crash to find out what caused it. Victoria promised to look into the matter and take appropriate action. The police are looking into the robbery that happened at the palace last night. Additionally, this application of 'look into' can simply just be used to talk about researching options for things or learning about a subject before making a decision. For example, if you want to go on holiday to Australia, you may look into different types of accommodation and flights. Alternatively, if a business wants to replace part of their IT infrastructure, they will probably look into different options before making a decision on the most suitable one. They're looking into new ways to reduce energy consumption. We need to look into our options before making a final decision. In terms of formality, I would say that 'look into' is less formal than ' investigate' , however 'look into' is frequently used in business English for things such as establishing what has caused a particular issue to arise. ' Investigate' tends to be used by the police when or in large scale formal investigations, however it is normally possibly to use these words interchangeably without causing any problems. Photo: Pexels BONUS: More example sentences of 'look into' 'LOOK INTO' FOR BUSINESS USE: I don't have an answer right now. Can I look into it and come back to you? The [noun] is being looked into. The company is looking into the possibility of [verb + ing]....... I need you to urgently look into the matter and give me your feedback. 'LOOK INTO' FOR PERSONAL USE: When I looked into his eyes, I knew he...... When I looked into the mirror*, I..... As his mother looked into the room, she..... The police are looking into the matter. After looking into it, we decided..... *With a mirror, it is also possible and common to say "look in a mirror". Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on it and reading it. I hope that you found it useful and have been able to learn something new. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'look into'. 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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