An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'come off' 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 phrasal verb 'come off'. Did you know that this surprising little phrasal verb can be used to talk about many different things in English, ranging from stages and medication to what someone thinks about you. In the post, I will explain all of its different meanings and give you plenty of example sentences of each one, so that you can use it confidently and naturally in your English conversations. Let's make a start and see what 'come off' is all about.... QUICK ANSWER: What does the phrasal verb 'come off' mean? The phrasal verb 'come off' has four main meanings in English: To no longer be on something To stop taking medication To succeed To give a certain impression of something Keep reading to learn how to use each of these meanings! TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one) Come Off - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'come' and 'off' Come Off - Meaning 1: To no longer be on something Come Off - Meaning 2: To stop taking medication Come Off - Meaning 3: To succeed Come Off - Meaning 4: To give a certain impression of something 🇺🇸 Come Off - Bonus: The expression 'come off it!' 🇬🇧 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 COME OFF: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 4 Past tense forms Came off / Come off Separable? No As a first step in understanding the meanings of the phrasal verb 'come off', we first need to consider what the individual words 'come' and 'off' mean on their own.... Come - The verb 'to come' is an extremely common and versatile verb in English whose main meaning is to move towards the place where the speaker is, was or will be. In addition to this, it can be used to mean to travel with the speaker to where they are going. In some contexts 'to come' can mean 'to arrive at a place'. Furthermore, 'to come' often indicates a movement and with certain prepositions it can be used to mean 'to leave' or 'to move away from somewhere'. Like most common verbs in English, 'to come' is irregular. Furthermore, it is usually an intransitive verb that does not take a direct object and so when it appears in phrasal verbs it is not usually separable. My parents are coming home from holiday today. Marie came to my house for a cup of tea. Are you going to come with us to watch the football match? I'd like to come to your wedding if the invitation is still open. Come away from the dog; it looks angry! Off - The particle 'off' is one that we frequently find in phrasal verb constructions. When applied literally, it can add an idea of movement away from a place (walk off). Moreover, 'off' can also add a range of different ideas to phrasal verbs that include separation (take off), completion (finish off), starting (kick off) and (confusingly) stopping (call off). So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'come off'.... MEANING 1: To no longer be on something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To fall off, to detach, to remove, to unseat Separable? No Our first application of the phrasal verb 'come off' is the one with the widest range of meanings and means 'to no longer be on something'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Stage Bicycle Horse Surface I have purposely kept the title for this first meaning of 'come off' quite general as there are many different ways that it can be applied due to the fact that it is possible to be 'on' a huge number of different things in English. Let's start by thinking about when a person is physically on something like a stage or a roof. In this most literal sense, we can use 'come off' here to describe when a person gets off or climbs off the surface, so that they are no longer on it. Note that this is typically used when the speaker is not on it and is talking about the person who is coming off. After the performance, the actors came off the stage to greet the audience. The speaker came off the platform and walked towards the exit. As soon as he came off the football pitch, he checked his phone. We came off the path and walked through the trees. Sometimes, when people 'come off' something that they are on, it is not always by choice and therefore we can use this application as a synonym of 'fall off' to refer to when a person is no longer able to stay on something and falls from it. Mike came off his bike on the wet road. Suzanne has come off her horse but luckily she is uninjured. The little boy nearly came off the swing. Kyle came off his skateboard while attempting a trick and broke his arm. In the situations presented in the example sentences above, people are not typically physically attached to the surface that they are on, but we can also use this application for objects and items when something is physically attached or forms a part of a larger object and then becomes detached from it. This can be anything from a button on your coat to a wheel on your car or even a door handle. Note that when it is used in this way, 'come off' implies that the object became detached by accident and not because someone intended to detach it.... One of the buttons came off my coat. The wheel came off the trolley while we were moving it. The door handle suddenly came off in my hand. Part of the roof came off during the storm. My shoe came off while I was running. The mirror came off the wall and smashed on the floor. The train came off the tracks after the accident. Lastly, we can also use this first application of 'come off' to talk about whether or not it is possible for something to be detached or removed from the thing that it is attached to. In addition to physical items, speakers often use this to talk about removing stains and marks from surfaces. The buttons come off quite easily. Be careful; the handle can come off if you pull it too hard. The cover comes off so you can clean it. The top part comes off for storage. I've scrubbed this wall but I can't get this mark to come off. MEANING 2: To stop taking medication Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To stop, to quit, to give up, to kick Separable? No The second meaning of the phrasal verb 'come off' that we will look at is another fairly common one that means 'to stop taking medication'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Medication Pills Drugs Alcohol In addition to the ideas expressed in the first application where someone is on a physical surface or attached to something, it is possible to use 'on' to talk about drugs or medication that a person regularly takes. For example, if someone takes Prozac for depression, we would say that they are "on Prozac". As you may already know, the linguistic opposite of the particle 'on' is 'off' and therefore when a person stops taking a medication that they have been using for a period of time, we say that they "come off it". We can use this application for both prescribed and recreational or illegal drugs that people take. When used for illegal drugs that people are addicted to, this application is often used to describe the difficult process of quitting the habit. Additionally, although we do not tend to say "on alcohol" or "on cigarettes", it is still used with both of these to refer to stopping long term alcohol or tobacco habits. A key point to note with this application is that it is used for drugs and things that people use over a long period of time or as a habit and would not be used after one night of smoking cannabis or getting drunk. Sarah’s trying to come off sleeping tablets. The doctor advised Tim to come off the medication gradually. It took Marlene several months to come off antidepressants. You shouldn’t come off these tablets suddenly. Brian recently came off painkillers after the operation. Adam’s been trying to come off cigarettes for years. Nicola finally managed to come off alcohol completely. MEANING 3: To succeed Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To succeed, to pull off Separable? No For the third meaning of the phrasal verb 'come off' we have a nice and positive one that means 'to succeed'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Plan Experiment Event Performance To clarify, we use this third application of 'come off' in situations where something that is planned and prepared in advance succeeds in the way that it was intended to. For example, if you are planning a surprise party for someone and it turns out to be a big success with everything going to plan, you can say that it "came off". Likewise, if a company spends a long time preparing for and negotiating a deal with another company, they could say that the "deal came off" when it was signed off as they had hoped and planned. The event came off exactly as we had hoped. I wasn’t sure the surprise party would come off, but it was a huge success. Despite all the technical problems, the show came off brilliantly. Their plan almost didn’t come off. The deal finally came off after weeks of negotiations. It was an ambitious project, and nobody knew whether or not it would come off. Against all expectations, the experiment came off successfully. The wedding came off without any major problems. There are also times when despite lots of planning and preparation, things are not successful and in these situations, it is possible to say that something "does not come off". Unfortunately, the event didn’t come off as planned because several speakers cancelled at the last minute. Sadly, the big surprise did not come off because Becky found out about it beforehand. TO COME OFF BEST / WORST When talking about competitions and conflicts between two people or groups, it is also common to use the idiomatic expressions 'to come off best' or 'to come off worst' to describe the end result and how the person or group did. For example, if a person won a fight, you could say that he or she "came off better" and that the loser of the fight "came off worst". It is also possible to use the alternatives 'come off well', 'come off badly' or to 'come off second best'. Of the two teams, we definitely came off worst after losing three key players to injury. England came off best in the second half and deserved the victory. In the negotiations, the workers came off better than many people had expected. MEANING 4: To give a certain impression of something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? American English Potential synonyms To come across, to come over Separable? No Let's head over to North America for our fourth and final meaning of 'come off' as this one is primarily used there and means 'to give an impression of something'. Adjectives commonly used with this application.... Rude Arrogant Confident Shy Nervous For this usage, we are concerned with the impression that we give other people when we do or say something, or in other words, how something that someone does appears to another person. Although this usage can be used on its own with an adjective like 'well' or 'badly', it is most commonly used with the word 'as' and then followed by an adjective. For instance, if a person comes off as rude, it seems to other people that he or she is rude or impolite. Likewise, if a person comes off as shy, they give others the impression that they are uncomfortable with speaking and in social situations. You should note that this does not mean that they are fundamentally shy or rude people, but just that they make people think that they are in the often limited interaction that they have with them. As I stated at the beginning, this application is primarily an American English usage and in British English, it would be more common to say 'come across as'. Ben came off as very confident during the interview. Elizabeth sometimes comes off as rude, even though she doesn’t mean to. The speech came off as sincere and heartfelt. The politician came off badly in the documentary. I hope I didn’t come off as arrogant. The teacher came off as friendly and approachable. Natalie came off really well in the meeting. Photo: Pexels BONUS: Come off it! Let's finish the post with a common little expression with this phrasal verb that is often heard in British English: 'come off it!". This short little expression is used by people when they think that what someone has said is not true, exaggerated or just plain wrong. Essentially, it is a way to show that you disagree with someone's statement or you do not believe it. P1: I could beat a professional tennis player - P2: Oh, come off it! P1: I’ve never made a mistake in my life! P2: Come off it; nobody's perfect! Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I hope that you have found it useful and that it has helped you to understand how to use the phrasal verb 'come off' more confidently and naturally. Please feel free to leave any comments, feedback or your own sentences using 'come off' in the section below. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. Want to understand native speakers more easily and use phrasal verbs more naturally? If yes, check out my downloadable phrasal verb workbooks, which include clear explanations, common learner mistakes, exercises, speaking practice and answer keys to help you master the phrasal verbs that native speakers use every day. Browse the workbooks here. Thanks so much for reading and see you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'put forth' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Wix Media 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 phrasal verb 'put forth'. This phrasal verb is a rarer one that can sometimes seem a little outdated, however it is still used by many native speakers and could be useful to know if you enjoy books and and movies set in the past. In this post, I will explain exactly how to use the four different applications of 'put forth' and provide you with lots of example sentences for each one, so that you can use them confidently and naturally in your English conversations. So, let's make a start and find out what 'put forth' is all about.... QUICK ANSWER: What does the phrasal verb 'put forth' mean? The phrasal verb 'put forth' has four main meanings in English: To propose something To make an effort To produce leaves or shoots To depart from a port or harbour Keep reading to learn how to use each of these different meanings.... TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one) Put Forth - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'put' and 'forth' Put Forth - Meaning 1: To propose something Put Forth - Meaning 2: To make an effort Put Forth - Meaning 3: To produce leaves or shoots Put Forth - Meaning 4: To depart from a port or harbour 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 FORTH: KEY INFORMATION Usage Medium Number of meanings 4 Past tense forms Put forth / Put forth Separable? Yes The phrasal verb 'put forth' is formed by combining the verb 'to put' with the prepositional particle 'forth'. Before we look at the different meanings that it has as a phrasal verb, let's first consider the individual words and learn what they bring to the phrasal verb table.... Put - The verb 'to put' is an extremely common and versatile irregular verb in English that has a large number of different meanings. The most common of the meanings of 'to put' is 'to place something in a specific place or position'. In addition to this, we can also use the verb 'to put' to mean 'to cause something to be in a state or condition' and 'to express something with words', among other meanings. As mentioned, the verb 'to put' is irregular and its past tense forms are (confusingly) 'put' and 'put'. Jenny put her keys on the table. The little girl put her fingers in her ears. John put his life at risk by trying to rescue his dog from the canal. This will put pressure on the government to act. She put the words so eloquently that everyone was impressed. Forth - This rare little prepositional particle is another one that we do not see so often in phrasal verbs. It is quite an old-fashioned word and is relatively uncommon in modern English but it does survive in a number of phrasal verbs and expressions, as well as in works of literature. As a word, it means 'forward' or 'away from a place' and we can often find these meanings transferred to phrasal verbs. Moreover, 'forth' can also add the ideas of producing something (bring forth), clear presentation (set forth) and to appear (come forth). So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'put forth'.... MEANING 1: To propose something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To put forward, to propose, to suggest, to float Separable? Yes We will start the meanings of the phrasal verb 'put forth' with the most common and practicable one in everyday life, which is 'to propose something'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Idea Proposal Suggestion Theory We use this first application of the phrasal verb 'put forth' to describe any situation where you have something in your head that you wish to communicate to people so that they may consider, discuss or make a decision about it. As I mentioned in the Basics section, the word 'forth' is a synonym of 'forward' and with this application it is like we are literally bringing the information forward out of our head and putting it in front of other people to think about. As you can see from the list above, this is used mainly for nouns to describe things that are intellectually generated and is one that is frequently heard in both business and academic English, as well as in politics. For those of you who love your grammar, this application of 'put forth is separable and is used both separably and inseparably by native speakers. The committee put forth several new proposals during the meeting. Claire put forth an interesting theory about language learning. The researchers have put forth a number of possible explanations. The finance director put forth a strong argument in favour of the changes. Eleanor put her ideas forth clearly and confidently. The history professor put his theory forth in a very persuasive way. The team put several suggestions forth at the conference. He put the proposal forth for further discussion. In addition to this, we can also use 'put forth' in this way to talk about making information public or circulating it among people, so that it is well known. Using it this way is somewhat rare these days and can sound a little old-fashioned. The organisation put forth a public statement after the incident. The renowned scientist first put his findings forth in the 1990s. The newspaper put forth several serious allegations against the company. The author put her views on education forth in a widely discussed article. MEANING 2: To make an effort Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To make an effort, to exert Separable? ?? For our second application of the phrasal verb 'put forth', we have a rarer meaning, which is 'to make an effort'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Energy Effort Strength Force As you can see from the list of commonly used nouns above, this application of 'put forth' is used specifically with nouns that involve physical activity, rather than intellectual things like in the previous application. Although it may not appear so at first, this application is in fact very similar to the first one as it refers to bringing something that is inside you out and putting it forward into the world. Instead of ideas or words though, it is physically doing something using effort or energy. For instance, when you put effort 'forth', it means that you make an effort to do something or when you put forth some energy, it means that you physically work hard on something. This application of 'put forth' is not so common in everyday English and instead you are far more likely to encounter alternatives like 'make an effort' and 'use energy' in conversations with native speakers. However, this application is certainly still used and it is possible that you will come across it in books and literature, academic writing and older English. Lastly, while this application is separable, we tend to use it far more in the inseparable form. The team put forth a tremendous effort during the final match. You need to put forth more energy if you want to improve. The company has put forth considerable resources to solve the problem. Louise always puts forth a lot of effort in her work. The army put forth all its strength to defend the city. Sam put a great deal of effort forth to complete the project. MEANING 3: To produce leaves or shoots Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To grow Separable? Yes The third meaning of the phrasal verb 'put forth' is my personal favourite as it is all about growth and new life and means 'to produce leaves or shoots'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Leaves Shoots Branches Buds Roots You have probably realised already but if not, let me start by saying that this application is all about plants and flowers and is not really used outside of this field (excuse the pun). When we talk about a plant that puts forth leaves, we simply mean that it grows new leaves. As such, this application is one that can be heard most often in the spring season when certain trees put forth new leaves each year after the winter. It's use is not limited to just leaves though and we can use this to talk about anything that grows out from a plant. The core idea here is that a plant causes something to grow outwards from it. You should note that this application of 'put forth' is used most commonly in the literary world and in writing about nature and gardening. Outside of these areas, its usage is quite rare. Again, this is a separable application, but we tend to use it more inseparably in modern English. The trees began to put forth new leaves in early spring. The plant has started to put forth shoots after the heavy rain last week. Roses usually put forth flowers in late May. The young vine quickly put forth new growth. After a few warm days, the bushes put forth some fresh buds. The tree put new leaves forth after the long dark winter. The plant put several shoots forth within a few days. The geranium flower put fresh buds forth. MEANING 4: To depart from a port or harbour Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To set forth, to set out, to depart, to leave Separable? No We have now come to our fourth and meaning of the phrasal verb 'put forth', which is used specifically for ships and boats and means 'to depart from a port or harbour'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Ship Boat Vessel Fleet Sailors In keeping with the other applications of 'put forth' that we have already looked at, this one is yet another that is quite old-fashioned. You are therefore most likely to come across it in old books and movies or ones that are set in the past or in the fantasy genre. Alternative phrasal verbs to this application of 'put forth' that are used by native speakers in modern everyday English would be 'set out', 'set off' and 'head out'. Unlike the previous applications, this one is inseparable as it does not take a direct object, i.e. a ship just 'puts forth' and you cannot 'put forth something else'. The ship put forth from the harbour just before sunrise. Several fishing boats put forth despite the bad weather. The fleet put forth at dawn and headed south. The explorers put forth from the coast in search of new land. The vessel finally put forth after weeks of delay. The sailors put forth into the open sea. At first light, the king’s ships put forth from the port. The small boat put forth quietly under the cover of darkness. Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I hope that you have found it useful and that it has helped you to understand how to use the phrasal verb 'put forth' more confidently and naturally. Please feel free to leave any comments, feedback or your own sentences using 'put forth' in the section below. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. Want to understand native speakers more easily and use phrasal verbs more naturally? If yes, check out my downloadable phrasal verb workbooks, which include clear explanations, common learner mistakes, exercises, speaking practice and answer keys to help you master the phrasal verbs that native speakers use every day. Browse the workbooks here. Thanks so much for reading and see you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'take over' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them. In this post we are looking at the phrasal verb 'to take over', which is commonly used in business English and in the workplace. There are several different meanings that we will look at in this post, however as you will see, the overall themes of this phrasal verb are replacement and control. So without further ado, let's get started.... QUICK ANSWER: What does the phrasal verb 'take over' mean? The phrasal verb 'take over' has three main meanings in English: Literal meaning To take control To become the most important or dominant thing TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one) Take Over: The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'take' and 'over' Take Over - Meaning 1: Literal meaning Take Over - Meaning 2: To take control Take Over - Meaning 3: To become the most important or most dominant Take Over - Bonus: The verb 'to overtake' I love writing this blog and helping learners but I get very little feedback so I don't always know if it is helpful for you. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like and share it or leave a comment at the end. I would be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS TAKE OVER: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 3 Past tense forms Took over / Taken over Separable? Yes Our nominated phrasal verb this week consists of the extremely common verb 'to take' followed by the particle 'over'. The verb 'to take' is a widely used English verb which has various meanings, but the meanings that are significant for the idiomatic meanings of the phrasal verb 'take over' are... To voluntarily get or acquire possession of something. To carry or transport something from one place to another. John took the flowers off the table. Can everyone please take a copy and pass them on. My Mum is taking me to the airport today. Please could you take this carton to the warehouse. Like 'take', the prepositional particle 'over' also has a few different meanings in English, including to move across or above a surface (preposition / adverb) and to be finished (adjective). Both of these are relevant to the meanings of the phrasal verb, which we will look at now. When used in phrasal verbs, the particle 'over' can convey different meanings, such as transfer (hand over), excess (boil over), overcoming (get over) and thoroughness (read over). So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'take over'.... MEANING 1: Literal Photo: Pexels ​CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To bring over, to take, to take across, to deliver, to transfer Separable? Yes The phrasal verb construction 'take over' is used regularly by English speakers in a literal sense to mean taking something or somebody from one place to another, which the speaker perceives as being across from where they are. The meaning of 'take' which applies here is the meaning 'to carry something or someone from one place to another' and the preposition 'over' then adds a directional element to mean across from where the speaker is. Typical examples of this literal usage could be.... To take a document across an office to another person. To give someone a lift in your car from one place to another. To take something and deliver it somewhere. The main idea here is that someone takes someone or something to another place, which is perceived by the speaker to be across or over from where they are. If the speaker perceives that the other place is below or above them (e.g. on a different floor in a building), it is more likely that they will use "take down" or "take up" instead. In some situations, the verbs 'to deliver' and 'to transfer' both serve as synonyms of this application. When used in this way, it is very common to use it separably with the direct object between 'take' and 'over'. Also, don't forget the preposition 'to' is required to state the end destination. John left his book here when he went back to Australia, so I said I would take it over with me the next time I go. Can you take this file over to the CEO's office and ask her to sign it for me. I am taking Lisa over to her mum's house today as her car isn't working. Sally asked me to take the books over to the library before it closed. I'll take the food over to Grandma's house this evening. They took the supplies over to the shelter after the storm. I've already taken the package over to the post office, so don't worry about it. MEANING 2: To take control Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To take charge of, to take control, to take on Separable? Sometimes The first of the idiomatic meanings of 'take over' in this post is certainly the most commonly used among native speakers and means to take or to assume control of something from another person or entity. In the business world the phrasal verb 'take over' is commonly used to talk about when one company purchases or acquires another company and therefore takes control of it. It is also very common to use the noun 'takeover' here instead of the verb. You may have heard the term 'acquisition' before, which is a synonym of the noun 'takeover'. Company X has recently taken over company Y and as a result the share price has gone through the roof. Company Z has recently been taken over and many of its employees have been made redundant. Despite the shareholder's attempts to stop it, the company takeover is still going ahead this month. We also use 'take over' to talk about when one employee in a business assumes another person of authority's job role, in other words they assume a role of responsibility or control from another person. A similar phrasal verb that can be used here is 'to take on', however 'take over' indicates that the person's new role is one of authority and control e.g. a manager or a director. Don't forget that the preposition 'as' is required here to say what the new role is. A third variation of how 'take over' can be used in the world of business is specifically to do with shift work. In businesses and organisations which operate around the clock (24/7) and in which employees do shift work, we can use 'take over' to talk about when one person's shift ends and another employee starts their shift and replaces them. For this usage, the preposition 'from' is required to talk about the person who you are replacing. Roger is leaving the company next month and so Helen is taking over his role as head of Finance. John starts his shift at 7pm, so he will be taking over from Tim who finishes then. Away from the business world, 'take over' is also used in other contexts and situations to mean to take control of something. Examples could include when one country invades another country and takes control of it or when a person's emotions become too intense and they can no longer control themselves from breaking down or crying. After the accident I was so scared but then my adrenaline took over and I did what I had to do to make sure that everyone was safe. In addition to the usage above, we can also use 'take over' to mean that something or someone becomes dominant in a situation. Good examples of this would be when someone dominates a conversation or when a bossy person starts to give out orders and take control in a situation. This gives us a nice segue into the third meaning, which is very similar. As soon as Helen joined the conversation, she completely took over and nobody else was able to say anything! Photo: Pexels THE NOUN TAKEOVER As is common with many phrasal verbs, there is also a noun that derives from the phrasal verb 'take over', which is (unsurprisingly) 'takeover'. We can use this noun to describe the action of taking power or control of something from someone else. This can be in a business sense when one business buys another, it can be used in politics when there is a change in power or it can even be used in a more informal way to describe when somewhere or something becomes dominated for a short period of time. Employees were worried that the takeover would lead to job losses. The rebel group's takeover of the capital ended the country's democratically elected government. Some critics complain about the takeover of television by reality shows, arguing that they leave less room for original dramas. MEANING 3: To become the most important or most dominant Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate ​Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To dominate, to become dominant Separable? No So, we have already considered how 'take over' is commonly used to mean 'to take control' and this second meaning is actually very similar to it. Here, 'take over' means to become the most important or dominant in a given category or group. This usage is often seen when talking about lists of the best, worst, biggest, smallest, richest etc and can therefore be seen across many different subject areas as diverse as sport, music and business. 'Take over' is used specifically to talk about when there is a change and someone or something new is in first position, effectively taking over first place in the list. Again, the prepositions 'as' and 'from' are required here in the same way as the first usage above. India will soon take over from Japan as the world's third largest economy. I remember when Manchester United took over as the top football team in the country. Melbourne has recently taken over Sydney as Australia's most populous city. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The verb 'to overtake' An alternative synonym to this second meaning of 'take over' is the verb 'to overtake'. One of the main uses of this verb is to talk about when something takes over something else to become the first in its category, as discussed above. Unlike 'take over' though, when we use 'overtake' we need to have a direct object to state who or what was previously in front and has now been overtaken. The preposition 'as' is still required here but 'from' is not required as we have a direct object. India will soon overtake Japan as the world's third largest economy. Melbourne has recently overtaken Sydney as Australia's most populous city. The second main use of 'overtake' is used when driving and means to move past a car that is in front of you by driving around it, normally because it is going too slowly. Again, this carries the same meaning as the third meaning of 'take over' i.e. to move past something and be in front of it. The car in front was driving very slowly, so I decided to overtake it. The rules of overtaking in Formula 1 racing are being reviewed. Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'take over'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'take over'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'hold 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 'hold on', which is one that is heard particularly a lot in spoken language. This versatile little phrasal verb is one that we can use to talk about waiting, keeping, and gripping things and can also be used to to express surprise or confusion. In this post, I will explain its different meanings for you and as per usual, I will give you lots of example sentences to help you to use it naturally and confidently. So, let's make a start and see what the phrasal verb 'hold on' is all about.... QUICK ANSWER: What does the phrasal verb 'hold on' mean? The phrasal verb 'hold on' has five main meanings in English: To maintain a grip of something To wait for a period of time To persist or survive To express surprise or confusion To keep something Keep reading to learn more about how to use each one. TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one) Hold On - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'hold' and 'on' Hold On - Meaning 1: To maintain a grip of something Hold On - Meaning 2: To wait for a short period of time Hold On - Meaning 3: To persist or survive Hold On - Meaning 4: To express surprise or confusion Hold On - Meaning 5: To keep something 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 HOLD ON: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 5 Past tense forms Held on / Held on Separable? No The phrasal verb 'hold on' is formed of the verb 'to hold' and the prepositional particle 'on' and to begin our exploration of it, let's first take a look at what these two individual words mean on their own.... Hold - I'm sure many of you will already be familiar with the verb 'to hold' as it is a fairly common one in English with several meanings. Probably the most common of these meanings is 'to keep something in your hands or arms for a period of time'. In addition, its meanings also include 'to contain', 'to support' and 'to wait'; all of which we will see again later in the post. 'To hold' is an irregular verb with 'held' being both of its past tense forms. Could you hold my coat for a second. I will hold your hand to cross the road. The bottle can hold one litre of water. Will this chair hold my weight? Hold all payments until the goods have been delivered. On - The prepositional particle 'on' appears frequently in phrasal verb constructions and can bring many different ideas to them. These include continuation (carry on, keep on), persistence (hang on), activation (turn on), attachment (put on) and transfer (pass on), among others. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's carry on to the main meanings of the phrasal verb 'hold on'.... MEANING 1: To maintain a grip of something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To hold, to hold tight, to grip Separable? No The first meaning of 'hold on' that we will look at is arguably the most common and means 'to maintain a grip of something'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Handle Rail Hand Bar Rope For this first application of the phrasal verb 'hold on', we are focussing on the idea of holding something with our hands and gripping it firmly. This is typically to keep yourself in the position that you are in or to stop yourself from falling. It is often used to ensure that someone remains safe and unhurt. Photo: Wix Media For example, if you go on a roller coaster or a fast ride at a theme park, you should absolutely hold on when it goes fast, or if you are climbing a mountain, there may be times when you need to hold on to the rock face to ensure that you do not fall. Note that we need the additional preposition 'to' here to specify the thing that someone holds for support or balance. Hold on to the handrail while you walk down the stairs. The little boy held on to his mother's hand as they crossed the busy road. Michelle held on to the branch to stop herself from falling into the river. The cyclist held on to the handlebars as he rode over the uneven ground. I nearly slipped on the ice, but I held on to the fence and managed to stay upright. As the bus pulled away, several passengers held on to the poles for support. The climber held on to the rock face despite the strong wind. This application of 'hold on' is commonly used in the imperative form to tell people to hold on to something for their own safety. When used this way, it is often followed by the words 'tight' or 'tightly'. Hold on tight! The ride goes very fast, so please hold on! Another way that we can use this application of the phrasal verb 'hold on' is not to hold something for our own safety, but rather to hold on to something so that it does not fall or that we do not lose it. We will revisit this idea in another application later in the post. Can you hold on to my bag while I go to the toilet. Hold on to your passport while you're travelling. Louise held on to her handbag tightly in the crowded station. Lastly, we can also use this meaning of 'hold up' to refer to keeping an object in a fixed position or attached to a surface so that it does not fall. This is typically with the structure XXXX holds XXXX on the wall. Alternatively, it can also be formed with the passive "something is held on by XXXX". The coloured letters are held on the fridge by magnets. Glue holds the poster on the wall. Tape holds the label on the box. The screws hold the handle on the door. MEANING 2: To wait for a short period of time Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To wait Separable? No Let's not waste any time in moving on to the second of the meanings of the phrasal verb 'hold on', which is 'to wait for a short period'. The first thing that I would say about this application is that it is also a very common one and is used particularly a lot in spoken English. If you ask someone to "hold on", you are simply asking them to stop and wait before doing or continuing to do something. Most of the time, this application is used when the wait is relatively short, e.g. several minutes or even seconds. For example, you may ask someone to 'hold on' before they leave somewhere, or you may want to pause a conversation for a minute because you need to do something urgently and so you advise the other person to 'hold on' while you do it. Hold on a minute, I'll be right back. Hold on, I need to find my glasses. Can you hold on for a second while I check? Hold on a moment; I've nearly finished, so I can come with you. Just hold on while I get a pen. Hold on, there's someone at the door. As with the previous application, this one is also often used in the imperative form when you want to tell someone to wait. Hold on! I'm not ready yet. Hold on a minute! I want to come too. Photo: Wix Media Lastly, this application is also used when making telephone calls, particularly to businesses and companies. If you call a company to speak to someone, especially a larger one, it is possible that the employee who answers the call will tell you to hold on while they transfer the call to the person you want to speak to or find out some information that you ask for. Please hold on while I transfer your call to the finance team. Would you mind holding on for a moment while I connect you. The receptionist asked me to hold on while she checked the appointment schedule. MEANING 3: To persist or survive Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To persist, to persevere, to survive Separable? No If you didn't like the picture above of the cockroach, then I apologise, however I chose it because it is the perfect creature to illustrate this next meaning of the phrasal verb 'hold on' as people say that cockroaches would be the only thing to survive a nuclear bomb and this next application means 'to persist or survive'. Specifically, we tend to use this application of 'hold on' to talk about dealing with difficult situations or enduring something tough before achieving success in the end. This application is used across multiple areas of life from personal goals and objectives to business and commerce. Despite the pain, Dean held on and finished the race. The climbers held on through the freezing temperatures and managed to reach the summit by midday. He wanted to quit several times, but he held on until the end of the course. Many small businesses struggled to hold on during the economic downturn. The company managed to hold on despite falling sales. Several local shops are trying to hold on in the face of competition from large online retailers. Probably the ultimate idea of holding on in this sense is surviving and we can use this application to talk about when people are extremely sick, injured or in a dangerous life-threatening situation and manage to pull through and not die. The doctors weren't sure if George would hold on through the night. Amelia was badly injured in the accident, but somehow she held on until help arrived. The patient held on long enough to see his family one last time. Despite losing a great deal of blood, Kevin held on until he reached the hospital. We were all hoping that my grandfather would hold on until his birthday. MEANING 4: To express surprise or confusion Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potetential synonyms Hold up!, Wait! Separable? No The next application of the phrasal verb 'hold on' is a bit different to the previous ones that we have looked at in the post so far because it is simply used as a way of expressing surprise or confusion. To clarify, we use 'hold on' in this way when we hear, read or learn some new information that surprises or confuses us and we want to stop the conversation in order to try and understand it. Typically, in a conversation a speaker will say "hold on" and then repeat the puzzling information back to the other person in a questioning tone to ask them to give more information or explain further. This is commonly used in situations where a speaker contradicts themselves (says something that does not correspond to something that they previously said) or when some information seems to be incorrect or does not seem right. It can also be used when someone says something surprising and you want to make sure that you understood correctly. USAGE TIP If you really want to sound like a native speaker, you can also add 'a second' or 'a minute' after 'hold on' as we do this all the time! Hold on! You've won the lottery? Hold on a second, you're moving to Australia next week? Hold on, I'm confused. Didn't you say the meeting was cancelled? Hold on, I thought we were going by train. Hold on a minute; the figures don't match. Hold on, you've changed your story. MEANING 5: To keep something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To keep, to hang on Separable? No For our fifth and final application of the phrasal verb 'hold on', we are going full circle back to the first application again as this one means 'to keep something'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Book Photograph Job / Position Memory Belief If you ever borrow something from an English speaker, it is possible at the moment when you want to return the item to them that they tell you to "hold on to it". If they do do this, they simply mean that you keep it for a while longer or forever as they no longer want or need it. As such, we can use 'hold on' in this way as a synonym of the verb 'to keep' and this type of borrowing and returning situation is most likely when you will come across it. I've already read that novel. You can hold on to it if you'd like. Don't worry about returning the bowl; just hold on to it. I've got plenty of mugs, so hold on to that one. You can hold on to the jacket. It doesn't fit me anymore. I was going to throw the bike away, so you might as well hold on to it. Alternatively, it can also be used when you want to tell someone to keep something that they already own and not throw it away or get rid of it. Hold on to your ticket because you might need it later. Elaine held on to all of her childhood photographs. I think you should hold on to that old watch; it might be valuable one day. Simon held on to the letter for years after his girlfriend had written it. Another way that you may come across this final application of 'hold on' is in general society with reference to jobs, politics or power. We can use it here to talk about when someone is able to keep a job, a position or to continue to hold power in a country and not lose it. Furthermore, you can also use it with beliefs, memories and feelings when those that you have do not change over a period of time. The liberal party narrowly held on to power after the election. They are determined to hold on to their independence. Mark held on to the hope that he would see her again. The native people held on to their traditions despite many changes in society. Valerie worked hard to hold on to her job during the recession. The company is struggling to hold on to its best employees. The country fought to hold on to its territory. Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I hope that you have found it useful and that it has helped you to understand how to use the phrasal verb 'hold on' more confidently and naturally. Please feel free to leave any comments, feedback or your own sentences using 'hold on' in the section below. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. Want to understand native speakers more easily and use phrasal verbs more naturally? If yes, check out my downloadable phrasal verb workbooks, which include clear explanations, common learner mistakes, exercises, speaking practice and answer keys to help you master the phrasal verbs that native speakers use every day. Browse the workbooks here. Thanks so much for reading and see you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'grow up' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them. This post is all about the well known phrasal verb 'to grow up', which many of you will be very familiar with, however are you familiar with the other less well known meanings? In this post, I will explain each of the different meanings for you and provide you with lots of example sentences to make it easier to learn them. So, without further ado, let's make a start.... QUICK ANSWER: What does the phrasal verb 'grow up' mean? The phrasal verb 'grow up' has three main meanings in English: To grow in an upwards direction To grow from a child to an adult To start to develop TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one) Grow Up - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'grow' and 'up' Grow Up - Meaning 1: To grow in an upwards direction Grow Up - Meaning 2: To grow from a child to an adult Grow Up - Bonus: 'Grow up!' used as an imperative Grow Up - Bonus: 'To grow up into' Grow Up - Bonus: 'To grow up' + a gerund Grow Up - Bonus: The noun 'grown-up' Grow Up - Meaning 3: To start to develop Grow Up - Bonus: More example sentences with 'grow up' Grow Up - Bonus: Potential IELTS questions Grow Up - Bonus: Other open questions for further practice I love writing this blog and helping learners but I get very little feedback so I don't always know if it is helpful for you. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like and share it or leave a comment at the end. I would be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS GROW UP: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 3 Past tense forms Grew up / Grown Up Separable? No To begin with, let's look at the individual components of the phrasal verb 'to grow up', as this will help us to understand its rarer figurative meanings. Firstly, we have the base verb of our phrasal verb construction, 'to grow', whose principal meaning is to increase in size or height. 'To grow' is an irregular verb and is mainly used to talk about people, animals and living things, however it can be applied in more abstract contexts, like business, numbers, popularity and feelings. Our new baby is growing so fast. I keep watering my plants but they don't ever seem to grow. My follower count on social media has grown this year. Our business is expected to grow over the next 12 months. I have a growing feeling of unease in my stomach. Next, we have the prepositional particle 'up', meaning in the direction away from the ground or towards the sky ↑. 'Up' features extremely frequently in English phrasal verbs and in addition to conveying the idea of a movement in an upwards direction to the verb, it can also add ideas like increase (add up), improvement (look up), preparation (set up), ending (break up) and creation (make up), among others. Do you know which of these will apply for the meanings of 'grow up'? Read on to learn more.... MEANING 1: To grow in an upwards direction Photo: Pixels CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To grow, to shoot up Separable? No Let's start the meanings off with a nice and simple one as this first one is simply the literal combination of the two words, i.e. to grow in an upwards direction. This is in fact just a variation of the verb 'to grow', with additional emphasis on the upwards direction. As the idea of 'up' is already implicit in the idea of the verb 'to grow', the use of 'grow up' to describe something growing in size is not normally necessary in English. As a result, this literal usage is very rare. If we do use it, it is mainly for describing the growth of plants, trees and flowers, to emphasise that they are growing in an up ↑ direction, rather than down ↓ or out ←→(across). We do not use 'grow up' to describe people getting taller. To do this we only use 'grow'. It is also possible to use the construction 'to grow up + noun' to talk about when a plant grows up against the surface of another object. Photo: Pexels Photo: Pixels Plants grow up and not down or out because they need sunlight. The ivy has been growing up the wall for many years. Another form that we can use and that you should be aware of is 'to grow upwards'. The prefix -wards in English is always used to identify a direction of movement, so 'to grow upwards' is a nice alternative way to say that something is growing in an up direction. This is also a very natural way of saying it. Furthermore, if growth is happening towards something e.g. the sky, we can use the construction 'to grow up towards + noun'.... The sunflower that we planted last year is growing up towards the roof of the house. Plants naturally grow upwards in search of sunlight. MEANING 2 - To grow from a child to an adult Photo: Pixels CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage ​Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To mature, to age Separable? No In English, this second usage of 'grow up' is by far the most common one in use and is therefore the one which you probably already know, which is 'to grow from a child to an adult'. This application is usually used to describe the PROCESS of growing from an adult to a child over time. This can be in a physical sense and also in a mental or spiritual sense. 'Grow up' is only used to describe people and is not generally used to talk about animals or businesses. In usage, it is often used by adults to refer to their past or the period of time when they were a child..... I grew up in Birmingham, close to a really big park, which we played in every summer. When I was growing up I hated school but now that I am an adult, I wish I could go back! He was born in Edinburgh but he grew up in Glasgow. I had blond hair when I was growing up. Also, children often use it to talk about what job they want to do when they become an adult.... When I grow up I want to be a doctor and have an enormous house with a swimming pool. What does your daughter want to do when she grows up? My daughter wants to be a police officer when she grows up. WHAT IF WE WANT TO USE IT AS AN IMPERATIVE? 'Grow up' is often used by native speakers in the imperative form ("Grow up!") to show annoyance when someone is acting in a silly way or like a child. If you want to add some extra impact to this, you could insert 'the hell' or 'the f**k' between 'grow' and 'up' to show that you are very annoyed. Oh grow up, John! It's really not funny! Whoever is playing these jokes on me needs to grow up! It's not funny! Seriously, Matt, it's about time that you grew the hell up and stopped acting like such a baby. Photo: Pixels BONUS #1: To grow up into If we want to talk about who or what a person will be at the end of the growing up process, it is necessary to add the extra preposition 'into'..... I see that you have grown up into a fine young man! There are many child actors who grow up into Hollywood film stars. BONUS #2 : To grow up + gerund One way to talk about something that we did often or regularly when we were children is to use the simple past form of the verb (grew up), followed by the verb or action in the continuous ('ing) form. This is often (but not always) with verbs related to the senses e.g. to watch, to listen to etc. I grew up listening to Michael Jackson and Madonna and so I still love their songs today. My mother is Polish, my father is German and I live in the USA, so I grew up speaking three languages. BONUS #3: 'Grown-up' as a noun Before we finish this section, I just want to make you aware of the existence of the noun 'grown-up', which is used commonly in everyday English when dealing with children. A 'grown-up' is simply just a synonym for the noun 'adult' and simply refers to someone who has finished the growing up process and is no longer a child. It tends to be used a lot when talking to children and is often what a child will say instead of 'adult'. Moreover, it can also be used as an adjective. Grown-ups always talk about boring things. I was allowed to sit at the big dinner table with the grown-ups today. That was a very grown-up thing to say! Mary has a grown-up daughter who lives in London. MEANING 3 - To start to develop Photo: Pixels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To develop, to spring up Separable? No Our third and final application of 'grow up' is a much rarer and more advanced idiomatic one, meaning 'to begin to exist'. This meaning is not used to talk about people, but rather things that are founded, created or developed by people and these things include businesses, towns and cities as well as abstract items such as theories and academic schools of thought. As it is used to talk about the origin of things, it is often found in historical contexts. The idea grew up in the 17th century during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The river made trading possible and as a result many towns grew up alongside it. A vibrant community grew up around the shared love of art and creativity. New businesses are starting to grow up in the formerly abandoned neighborhood. Photo: Pixels MORE EXAMPLE SENTENCES WITH 'GROW UP' If you can memorise some of the sentences below and use them in a conversation, it will help your English to come across as more natural and like that of a native speaker. You'll need to use your imagination to complete some of them. When I grow up I want to....... When I was growing up I...... He / she is growing up so fast! It's about time you grew up and got.... I want my children and grandchildren to grow up in a world where..... [Person] and I grew up together. [Gerund] is a natural part of growing up. It is very close to the city where I grew up. Photo: Pixels POTENTIAL IELTS QUESTIONS Should children grow up in the city or in the countryside? Where did you grow up? Describe it. Is it better to grow up with or without siblings? Photo: Pexels OTHER OPEN QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER PRACTICE What is your favourite memory of when you were growing up? Did you have a skill or talent when you were growing up that you no longer have? What was it? If you could have grown up in a different place, where would you have chosen to live? Has your taste in music changed since you were growing up? How has the village, town or city where you grew up changed since that time? Photo: Pixels We have now reached the end of this post and I hope that you have found it useful and that it has helped you to understand how to use the phrasal verb 'grow up' more confidently and naturally. Please feel free to leave any comments, feedback or your own sentences using 'get across' in the section below. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. 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 by' 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. How well do you know the English phrasal verb 'go by'? Did you know that there are at least three different ways to use it in English and that it can be used to talk about subjects as diverse as time, rules and names. In this post, I will unpack all three of its meanings and explain all of them for you. In addition, I will give you lots of example sentences for each one to show you how it is used by native speakers. So, let's make a start and find out exactly what the phrasal verb 'go by' is all about.... TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one) Go By - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'go' and 'by' Go By - Meaning 1: To pass Go By - Meaning 2: To use as a rule or guideline Go By - Meaning 3: To be known as something 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 BY: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 3 Past tense forms Went by / Gone by Separable? No To begin our exploration of the phrasal verb 'go by', it is important to consider the two words 'go' and 'by' and what they mean on their own.... Go - The verb 'to go' is one of the most common verbs in the English language. Its main main meaning is to move from one place to another and besides this, it can be used to mean 'to become', 'to leave', 'to pass' and 'to lead to a place'. In addition, we use 'going to' to express futurity in English, particularly for things that are planned or expected to happen in the future. 'To go' is one of the most irregular verbs in English, with 'went' and 'gone' forming its past tenses. I am going to London later. We go on holiday to France every year. Kelly has gone to her brother's house. My dad went mad when he found out about the party. This year is going to be a great year for our country. By - This little prepositional particle can often be a source of confusion for English learners as it has several different meanings. It can be used to mean 'next to' or 'near' as well as 'at the latest' and can also be used to talk about how something is done. It is not a preposition that we commonly see in phrasal verbs but when it does appear in them, it can add the ideas of quick actions (drop by) and survival (get by), among others. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'go by'.... MEANING 1: To pass Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To pass, to pass by, to go past Separable? No Our first application of the phrasal verb 'go by' is one that can be used to talk about both time and physical objects and means 'to pass'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Time Hours Days Years Cars / Traffic People Runners Let's first consider this application from the perspective of time. When we talk about time going by, we are essentially talking about our perception of how time passes. In other words, we refer to how quickly or slowly we perceive time to be passing at a given point in time or how quickly git passes over a period. For example, when we are interested or engaged in something, time seems to go by quickly and the opposite of this is true when we find something dull or boring. The lesson always goes by fast when the students are engaged. The weekend went by so quickly. The holiday went by in a flash. The meeting was so long and boring and the time went by very slowly. The afternoon went by at a snail’s pace. In addition, 'go by' can also be used with nouns for time periods in the plural form (days, months, years etc) to refer to how something changes and develops during the period in question, which can range from very short term to extremely long term. When using it this way, the standard pattern is "as the [time period] goes / went by,....." As the days went by, Suzanna started to feel more confident. As the weeks go by, you’ll notice an improvement in your English. As the days went by, the weather gradually got better. As the weeks went by, the project became more and more complicated. As the years go by, you begin to appreciate the small things more. As the decades went by, the town changed beyond recognition. IN DAYS GONE BY One useful little expression that I want to make you aware of here is 'in days gone by', which is actually another way to say 'in the past'. People tend to use this expression when they are referring to things that used to happen or be a certain way in the past but is no longer the case, often with emotional or nostalgic undertones. Let's now turn our attention to using this application of 'go by' with physical objects and people rather than time. In this case, we are referring to when someone or something physically moves past us. This could be when you are walking along the side of a road and cars on the road go by you, it could be when you are watching a marathon race and the runners go by you as you stand and cheer or it could be when you are sitting outside a café and people go by on the pavement. One thing to note here is that we often use this when there is little or no interaction between the person or thing going by and the person speaking. The 'going by' action is simply something that we observe. Joseph didn’t even look at me when he went by. The pretty lady smiled as she went by. I tried to stop him, but he just went by without saying a word. Children were laughing as they went by. Cars were going by all night and I struggled to sleep. A bus went by just as I reached the bus stop. We saw a police car go by at high speed. Trucks kept going by on the main road. WATCHING THE WORLD GO BY One little expression that we have with this application that I love is 'to watch the world go by'. If you watch the world go by, you sit somewhere quietly and watch people as they go about their daily lives or just look at what is happening around you in the environment. One of my favourite things to do on my days off is to sit outside a café and watch the world go by. MEANING 2: To use as a rule or guideline Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To follow, to comply with, to observe Separable? No The second of our three applications of the phrasal verb 'go by' that we will consider is one to use in times when we need some guidance or advice on how to do something and means 'to use as a rule or guideline'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Rule Guideline Instructions This is a great application if, like me, you enjoy structure and following rules and doing things the way that they are supposed to be done. When doing something, if you go by the rules, it simply means that you follow all of the rules or guidelines that you have been given. This can also be used to talk about following instructions or advice that someone gives you. You have to go by the rules or it will go wrong. We always go by the instructions on the label and we have never had a problem. Just go by the guidelines and you’ll be fine. The football referee has to go by the rules, not personal opinions. In this company, we go by strict procedures and these must be adhered to. Furthermore, it is also possible to use 'go by' in this way for instances when we form an opinion, make a decision or take action on something based on the information that we have about it, which in many cases can be limited. We can only go by the data that we have. We made the decision going by the available evidence. Doctors usually go by the symptoms when making a diagnosis. We’re going by last year’s figures for now. It’s hard to decide when you only have a few facts to go by. This can also be for when people use their own opinions or judgement as the basis for making a decision or taking an action. I usually go by my instincts. My nan tends to go by first impressions. Martin went by what he thought was right. You shouldn’t always go by appearances. IDIOM: IF IT IS ANYTHING TO GO BY One common expression with this application that you may hear native speakers using is "if XXX is anything to go by". We use this when we are making a prediction about what we think will happen with something in the future and base this prediction on a past example or some current evidence (the XXX) that is available to us. If last year is anything to go by, this year's event will be very popular. If the early reviews are anything to go by, the film will be a success. MEANING 3: To be known as something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To use, to be known as Separable? No The third and final meaning of the phrasal verb 'go by' is a nice and simple one to end the post with and means 'to be known as something'. There are a lot of famous singers, authors and actors in the world who do not use the name that they were given by their parents, but rather a name that they have chosen themselves. When a person does this, we can say that they 'go by' this particular new name and therefore they will be known by the majority of the public by this. For example, Elton John has gone by this stage name for his entire career but his real name is in fact Reginald Dwight. Moreover, JK Rowling also goes by the pen name of Robert Gilbraith for some of her books. On a more normal day-to-day level, this application can also be used for when people prefer to be called a shortened variation of their name or their nickname, e.g. somebody with the name Michael may prefer to go by "Mike" or someone may prefer to go by a name that is completely different to their real name because that's what their friends call them. You can also use this to refer to the name that you are known as online. She was christened Elizabeth, but she goes by Liz. Online, Debbie goes by “StarGazer.” The surgeon goes by “Doc” at work. Smith prefers to go by her surname. He goes by his middle name. The author goes by a pen name. The company used to go by a different name. This area goes by several names depending on who you ask. 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 by'. 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 by'. 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 'carry off' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native. In this post, I will explain the phrasal verb 'carry off' for you. This is a relatively rarer phrasal verb that can be used to talk about a variety of different things including doing difficult things, winning awards and even dying! In the article, I will explain all of the different meaning of 'carry off' for you and will give you example sentences for each application to show you how and when native speakers use them. So, let's get started and find out what the phrasal verb 'carry off' is all about.... TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one) Carry Off - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'carry' and 'off' Carry Off - Meaning 1: To remove something and take it elsewhere Carry Off - Meaning 2: To successfully do something difficult Carry Off - Meaning 3: To win a prize Carry Off - Meaning 4: To cause someone to die 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 CARRY OFF: KEY INFORMATION Usage Medium Number of meanings 4 Past tense forms Carried off / Carried off Separable? Yes 'Carry off' is a phrasal verb that is formed from the verb 'to carry' and the prepositional particle 'off'. While I know that most of you will be familiar with these words already, let's quickly just take a quick look at them to remind ourselves what they mean.... Carry - 'To carry' is a semi-regular English verb whose main meaning is 'to transport something from one place to another, often using your arms and hands'. Less commonly, we can use it to talk about having an infectious disease that you can pass to other people and about something having consequences. You may have noted that I wrote that it is a semi-regular verb and the reason for this is that both past tense forms drops the 'y' at the end of 'carry' and add 'ied'. The groom carried his new bride into their new home. I can't carry more than three plates at one time. We all had to carry the coffin at the funeral. He has been carrying the virus for many years. A crime like this can carry a harsh punishment. Off - The prepositional particle 'off' is an extremely common word in English that can mean a lot of different things depending on the context that it is used in. Some of the many meanings that is has include 'not functioning', 'moving away from a place' and 'being separated from something'. When used in phrasal verbs, 'off' can add different ideas like separation (take off), deactivation (turn off), departure (run off) and reduction (wear off) among others. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the meanings of the phrasal verb 'carry off'.... MEANING 1: To remove something and take it elsewhere Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To take away, to carry away, to steal, to remove, to kidnap Separable? Yes Our first application of the phrasal verb 'carry off' refers to the general idea of 'removing something from a place' and can be used in a couple of different contexts, so let's take a look at them.... Nouns commonly used with this application.... Player Person Object / thing Firstly, I should point out that this usage is really the literal meaning of the combination of the two words 'carry' and 'off' when it is used in the sense of moving away. We therefore use it to describe when someone or something is literally carried or moved away from where the speaker is, or was, to another place. The soldiers carried off the injured man to safety. I wish that a knight in shining armour would carry me off into the sunset. You should note that we often use it to talk about when people or things are removed by some kind of force and taken or transported to a different place. Often, the source of this force is a naturally occurring phenomenon such as wind or water. The floodwaters carried off several cars. The wave carried off John's hat. The storm carried off parts of the fence. The current carried off the small boat. Strong winds carried off the roof of the shed. In contrast, when the action of 'carrying off' is done by people, it can be used have a negative meaning and can mean 'to steal' or 'to kidnap', depending on if an object or person is the object of the action. The thief carried off a painting from the gallery. Someone carried off my bag while I wasn’t looking. The dog carried the bone off into the garden. The kidnappers carried off the victim in a van. The eagle carried off a small animal. Lastly, this application can be used to refer to when a person is physically 'on' something and is removed from it and taken away. There are few real-life examples of when this last usage can be found but two to note are when people are on football pitches / sports grounds and stages. If a football player is injured during a match and can not walk, he or she will need to be carried off the pitch for medical treatment. Likewise, if an actor on a stage is picked up and carried to the backstage for any reason, we can say that they are carried off the stage. Remember also that 'off' functions as the natural opposite of 'on', so we could technically use this with any noun for which we use 'on' in the physical sense. Two men carried off the injured player on a stretcher. At the end of the performance, the dancers carry the singer off stage. On a grammatical note, although this usage is separable, it is normally used in an inseparable way and this sounds usually more natural to native speakers' ears. MEANING 2: To successfully do something difficult Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To pull off, to succeed Separable? Yes Let's now look at the second of the four meanings of the phrasal verb 'carry off', which is 'to successfully do something difficult'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Performance Role Task Plan Negotiation Outfit It is a well known concept that for people to grow and develop, they constantly need to push their boundaries and do difficult or challenging things that are outside of their comfort zone. Sometimes we succeed and sometimes we don't and in the times when we do succeed in doing something difficult, we can say that we "carried it off". We can use this application to talk about a time when a person successfully tries to do something that many people would consider to be too hard to do and which therefore has a high chance of failure. For example, tt might be successfully doing a performance of something that is known to be very difficult or it may be running a marathon in under four hours when you have never done one before. Regardless of what it is, the key idea for this application is that it is used when something that someone tries to do has a high chance of failure and many people (but not everyone) expect the person's efforts to fail. The actress carried off the role brilliantly, even though she was nervous. The critics said that I carried off the performance with confidence and charm. Despite the pressure, the young actor carried the scene off perfectly. The team carried off a very ambitious project in just three weeks. Against all expectations, Michelle carried off the plan successfully. Henry carried the negotiations off despite very tough conditions. Marlene carried off the presentation even though the technology failed. One more area that this application can be used in is in the area of fashion and style. If a person chooses to wear a bold outfit or item of clothing or have a haircut that is unusual and it suits them and makes them look good, we can again say that they "carried it off". This would often be used in situations when the outfit etc would not suit the majority of people but it does suit this one person in particular (that is sadly never me!). Not everyone can wear that colour, but Simone carries it off. Luke somehow carried off the unusual outfit. Lesley carried off the bold look with ease. That bright red dress is really ugly but Emma carried it off effortlessly. The prince is one of the few people who can carry off a hat like that. It’s a risky style, but Lucy managed to carry it off. MEANING 3: To win a prize Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To win, to clean up Separable? No The third application of the phrasal verb 'carry off' is a rarer one that means 'to win a prize'. Nouns commonly used with application.... Prize Trophy Award Medal Competition Win / Victory This one is quite a nice and simple meaning that is derived from the idea that when someone wins an award or trophy, they will usually take it home with them and away from the place where the ceremony took place, taking us back to the first application of removing something from a place. Furthermore, we can also use it to talk about when a player or team wins a match or competition, especially if they are not expected to win, also nicely linking back to the second application. My daughter carried off first prize in singing competition. Leonardo DiCaprio carried off the award for best actor. The team carried off the trophy after a tough final. We managed to carry off several prizes at the running festival. The film is expected to carry off three major awards at the ceremony. Miranda carried off the title of champion for the second year in a row. Our team carried off the win in the last few minutes of the match. They carried off a narrow victory after extra time. MEANING 4: To cause someone to die Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To kill Separable Yes We have now arrived at our fourth and final application of the phrasal verb 'carry off' and once again please accept my apologies as we are ending on a negative meaning, which is 'to cause someone to die'. To begin, let me clarify that for this application we are talking about natural causes of death like illnesses, diseases and old age and not other people or murderers. This application is quite rare and not one that I am overly familiar with myself in day to day spoken English, however it is one that you may come across in literature or in the news. On a grammatical level, we tend to use this application a lot in the passive voice to say that a person was carried off by an illness etc. George's grandfather was carried off by a sudden illness. The disease carried off thousands of people in the region during the post-war years. My mother was carried off after a long struggle with cancer. Many villagers were carried off by Covid-19 during the epidemic. At its peak, the plague carried off entire families. The harsh winter carried off many elderly people. The fever carried off several soldiers. 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 'carry 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 'carry 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 'wash 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. 'Wash up' is a common English phrasal verb that has different meanings depending on which side of the Atlantic Ocean you are. In this post, I will look at these two main meanings as well as another less common one that is used everywhere. As usual, for each application I will provide you with lots of example sentences to show you how and when to use each one, helping you to boost your English level and impress the people around you 😃 So, let's make a start and find out what 'wash up' is all about.... QUICK ANSWER: What does the phrasal verb 'wash up' mean? The phrasal verb 'wash up' has three main meanings in English: To wash the dishes To clean yourself To be carried to land by water Keep reading to learn more about how to use each one! TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one) Wash Up - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'wash' and 'up' Wash Up - Meaning 1: To wash the dishes Wash Up - Meaning 2: To clean yourself Wash Up - Meaning 3: To be carried to land by water Wash Up - Bonus: The adjective 'washed-up' I love writing this blog & helping learners but I receive very little feedback as to how useful it is or if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I'd be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS WASH UP: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 3 Past tense forms Washed up / Washed up Separable? Sometimes The phrasal verb 'wash up' has three distinct meanings that we will look at in this post, but what do it's individual words 'wash' and 'up' mean on their own? Let's briefly take a look at these and remind ourselves.... Wash - 'To wash' is a regular English verb whose main meaning is to make something clean by using water and soap. In addition to this, it also has a less common meaning that is 'to move something in a particular direction with water or the flow of water'. My car is so dirty; I need to wash it! I can't come to the party tonight as I am washing my hair. The water washed the litter along the street. Up - The prepositional particle 'up' is the most common little word that can be found in phrasal verb constructions and can add a variety of meanings and ideas to them. Of course, it can add the idea of an upwards movement or an increase (go up), however when it appears in a phrasal verb, it rarely means upwards. Moreover, it can add different ideas such as completion (eat up), positive change (cheer up), creation (set up) and intensification (heat up), among others. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'wash up'.... MEANING 1: To wash the dishes Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? British English Potential synonyms To do the dishes Separable? Yes For the first meaning of 'wash up', we are going to start on my side of the Atlantic Ocean and talk about a common British English application, which is 'to wash the dishes'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Plate Cutlery Dishes Glass Pan Pot When I was 15 years old (a long long time ago), I got my first ever job, which was working in the kitchen of a busy country pub and restaurant in a small English village near to where I lived. I had lots of small tasks in my role but the main one was washing all of the pots, pans, knives and utensils that the chefs used by hand, or in other words, washing up. Put quite simply, 'washing up' is just the action of hand washing all of the items used in cooking and eating a meal so that they are clean and can be used again once they are dry. If you are lucky, you may have a dishwasher, meaning that you do not normally have to wash up after a meal but some people like to do it (not me). As I mentioned, this is mainly a British English term but it is also used in Australian English and other parts of the anglophone world. In American English however the term 'do the dishes' is more common. We also do say that in the UK but it is not as common as 'wash up'. On a grammatical level, this usage of 'wash up' is separable and the dirty item to be washed can go between 'wash' and 'up' or after them. It is also common to refer to this task as 'washing up' and people will often talk about "doing the washing up". I’ll wash up after dinner if you cook. Robert always washes up straight after eating. We need to wash up these cups before the guests arrive. Beth washed up all the plates and glasses. I’ve already washed up, so the kitchen is clean now. It’s your turn to wash up tonight! I need to do the washing up, then we can watch the film. Let’s leave the washing up until tomorrow. MEANING 2: To clean yourself Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? American English Potential synonyms To wash, to freshen up Separable? No Let's jump on a transatlantic flight for our second meaning of 'wash up', which is one that is more common in American English and means 'to clean yourself'. For this usage, instead of focussing on an object that we want to make clean, we are focussing on ourselves and our bodies. We can use this application to talk about having a complete body wash, e.g. having a shower, but it is more common to use it to talk about washing either your face, your hands or both. When someone 'washes up', it is typically in preparation for something and the idea is that the person washes and gets clean before doing something. This is most frequently heard at mealtimes. For example, if someone comes home from work, they may go and wash up and change their clothes before sitting down for their evening meal with their family. As a British English speaker, I am familiar with this usage but it is not one that I would ever use in my daily life; in contrast, British speakers would use 'wash your hands / face' or 'freshen up' as alternatives here. Unlike the previous application, this one is not separable. I need to wash up before dinner. Go wash up; it’s time to eat! Sue went to the bathroom to wash up. Gary told the kids to wash up after playing outside. I’ve already washed up, so I’m ready to go. I just need a minute to wash up and change. Malcolm splashed some water on his face to wash up. Jenny went upstairs to wash up before going out. MEANING 3: To be carried to land by water Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms Separable? No We have now arrived at our third and final application of 'wash up', which is a slightly rarer one that is used universally and means 'to be carried to be land by water'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Body Bottle Litter Photo: Pexels Have you ever heard about the shipment of rubber ducks that was lost in 1992 when the container that they were inside fell off the ship and into the ocean? It is a true story and since then, thousands of rubber ducks have been appearing on beaches all over the world, in places from Japan to Scotland. In this instance we can say that the rubber ducks have been '"washing up" on beaches for over 30 years. To clarify, we can use this application to describe when something that is floating in water is transported by the movement of the water until it finally arrives on land (normally a beach or the shores of a river or lake) where the movement then stops. It can be used for anything from products to pieces of shipwrecked boats and even dead bodies! Grammatically speaking, we normally use this in the passive voice, e.g. something is or gets washed up as our focus is on the object (we know that the water is moving it). We often add the extra prepositional particle 'on' here to specify the place where the item was washed up. A dead fish was washed up on the beach after the storm. Pieces of driftwood were washed up along the coastline overnight. The tide washed up seaweed all over the sand. After the heavy rain, rubbish was washed up on the riverbank. A message in a bottle was washed up on a remote island. Several jellyfish were washed up by the strong currents. The storm washed up debris onto the shore, making it difficult to walk. Old fishing nets were washed up near the harbour. You can learn more about the rubber ducks and other interesting items that have been washed up on shores around the world on this link.... https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z3smkhv Photo: Pexels BONUS: The adjective 'washed-up' So now you know all about the phrasal verb 'wash up' and what it means but did you know that there is also a common adjective that is derived from it: 'washed-up'? While we can use this adjective to describe something that has been washed up on a beach (as in the third phrasal verb application), we more commonly use it to talk about a person who is no longer successful at what they do, perhaps because they are old or because the world has moved on. It is a fairly informal usage and can often be considered offensive, so definitely exercise caution if you do wish to use it. He used to be a famous actor, but now he’s just a washed-up Z-list celebrity. The media quickly labelled him a washed-up footballer after his injury. The actress refused to believe she was washed-up and kept auditioning for new roles. Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I hope that you have found it useful and that it has helped you to understand how to use the phrasal verb 'wash up' more confidently and naturally. Feel free to leave any comments, feedback or your own sentences using 'wash up' in the section below. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. Want to understand native speakers more easily and use phrasal verbs more naturally? If yes, check out my downloadable phrasal verb workbooks, which include clear explanations, common learner mistakes, exercises, speaking practice and answer keys to help you master the phrasal verbs that native speakers use every day. Browse the workbooks here. Thanks so much for reading and see you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'fall 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. This blog article is all about the phrasal verb 'fall in'. This useful little phrasal verb has at least 4 distinct uses in English and can be used to talk about different subjects like accidents, old buildings, military marches and new friends. In the article, I will explain all of these meanings for you and give you lots of example sentences for each so that you know when and how to use them. So, let's make a start and find out what 'fall in' is all about.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Fall In - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'fall' and 'in' Fall In - Meaning 1: Literal Fall In - Meaning 2: To collapse Fall In - Meaning 3: To form a line Fall In - Bonus: The idiom 'to fall in line' Fall In - Meaning 4: To become friendly with 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 FALL IN: KEY INFORMATION Usage Medium Number of meanings 4 Past tense forms Fell in / Fallen in Separable? No The phrasal verb 'fall in' is formed by combining the base verb 'to fall' with the prepositional particle 'in' and before we look at what this little combination of words means in English, let's first just consider the individual words 'fall' and 'in' on their own. Fall - 'To fall' is a common English verb whose main meaning is 'to move in a downwards direction, typically in a very quick and uncontrolled way'. When used this way it is often followed by prepositions like 'down', 'on' and 'in' which give extra meaning to the falling action. In addition to this main meaning, 'to fall' can also be used to mean 'to decrease', 'to be on a certain day' and 'to change state'. It is an irregular verb and when used in the past tense, it can often be confused by learners with another irregular verb 'to feel' (fell & fallen vs felt & felt). The pavement is very icy; be careful that you don't fall! Many buildings fell down during the earthquake. I fell over when I was out jogging yesterday. The number of website visitors fell by 10% last month. My birthday falls on a Saturday this year. Jane always falls asleep when watching television. In - If you are able to read and understand this blog article, then you will undoubtedly know the word 'in' and will therefore require little explanation from me about this. In short, the word 'in' is used to talk about being in or moving towards interior spaces and it functions as the opposite of the particle 'out'. When used in phrasal verbs, 'in' can often carry this idea of movement into or towards an inside space (move in) as well as ideas like joining an activity or situation (join in), arrival ( come in ) and beginning (set in). Now that we have covered the basics, let's now move on to the main event, i.e. the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'fall in'.... MEANING 1: Literal Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To tumble in, to drop in Separable? No The first of the meanings of the phrasal verb 'fall in' that we will look at is the easiest and most obvious of all its meanings as it is just the literal meanings of the two words combined, i.e. to fall and land in or inside something. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Water Ocean / Sea / River / Lake Swimming Pool Hole Crack Bath We use this literal application to describe any situations in which a person, animal or object drops from somewhere and ends up in an internal space or a completely new environment. I think most commonly this is used with nouns for bodies of water such as sea, ocean, lake and river to describe when a person accidentally accidentally falls and lands in one of these. Aside from this, we can use this application with nouns that describe spaces that are enclosed except for the top, which therefore allow people or things to fall inside. Be careful near the edge of the dock or you might fall in. Luke slipped on the wet stones next to the canal and fell in. One of the children leaned too far over the boat's edge and nearly fell in. Mary lost her balance while reaching with the fishing net and fell in. The dog ran too fast along the riverbank and fell in. WHAT ABOUT FALL INTO? As you can see from the examples above, we use 'fall in' when the water, hole or internal space is clear from the context. However, if you want to specify this information, we need the particle 'into' rather than 'in'.... The little boy leaned too far over the edge and fell into the pool. Pam lost her footing and fell into a deep hole in the ground. My dog chased the ball and accidentally fell into the lake. One of the hikers tripped on a rock and fell into a narrow crevice. Kevin's phone slipped from his hand and fell into the water. Another time that you may hear this literal usage being used in a slightly different sense is when someone is already in something and falls to the floor. For example, it is very common for people to fall in the shower, i.e. they are already in the shower cubicle when they fall. In this case we do not use 'fall into the shower' as there is no change from where the person fell to where they ended up e.g. they fell in the shower and landed in the shower. My mum fell in the bath and hit her head. Photo: Wix Media One last usage of this literal application is one that I am sure most of you know, whether you are romantic or not, and that is 'to fall in love', which if you weren't sure means 'to develop a deep romantic connection with someone, normally your partner or spouse'. This one is heard in so many pop music songs, it is very difficult to avoid it! I fell in love with you the moment that I saw you! We've fallen in love with each other and we are going to get married. MEANING 2: To collapse Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To collapse, to cave in, to subside Separable? No The second meaning of the phrasal verb 'fall in' that we will look at is all to do with buildings and means 'to collapse'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Floor Ceiling Roof Wall Specifically for this application, we are not usually talking about an entire building that collapses but rather parts of it, particularly those which are supported in the air like the roof. If these supported parts of a building collapse and fall towards the interior of the building, we say they "fall in". Note that we would not say this if the part of the building fell and landed outside of the building's walls. Of course, this normally does not happen in buildings that are occupied and well maintained but rather with derelict and unused buildings that have been empty for a long time. Moreover, you may hear this in cases where buildings are damaged by natural disasters or wars. In addition to buildings, you can also use this with other structures like bridges or mines, however it is less common to do this. Part of the old roof suddenly fell in during the storm. The ceiling of the house is likely to fall in now that the fire has weakened the beams. The ground fell in beneath Fred's feet when the old tunnel collapsed. The walls of the abandoned house slowly fell in over the years. The bridge began to shake and then part of it fell in. A section of the mine has fallen in, trapping several workers underground. The rotten wooden floor suddenly fell in under the weight of the furniture. When they removed the support beam, the whole structure began to fall in. MEANING 3: To form a line Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To get in line, to queue up, to line up Separable? No Unlike the previous two applications of the phrasal verb 'fall in', the third one has nothing to do with physical falling and more to do with the military and means 'to form a line'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Soldiers Troops Recruits Cadets What is the first thing that you think of when you read the word 'army'? Many of you might say fighting and weapons, especially with what is happening in the world right now, however I imagine that some of you will think of a military parade where hundreds or thousands of military personnel are walking or standing in perfect lines. When the soldiers take their place in the line and become a part of this large military formation, we can sat they 'fall in' (or that they 'fall in line' - more about this later). This may be a line in a marching parade or it may be a line on the military base where they are inspected e.g. first thing in the morning. The sergeant shouted for the soldiers to fall in immediately. The recruits quickly fell in outside the barracks. At six o’clock sharp, the platoon fell in for inspection. The officer ordered the troops to fall in on the parade ground. When the whistle blew, the cadets fell in in two neat rows. The commander told everyone to fall in and prepare to march The battalion fell in before the ceremony started. Additionally, it is also possible to hear the variations 'to fall in behind someone' and 'to fall in beside someone', meaning to walk behind and next to someone respectively. This is again something that you will hear in the military but it is also possible to hear these variations used for normal people when they are walking in a line or in groups, e.g. school children on a class trip or tourists on a tour. The late arrivals hurried to fall in behind the rest of the platoon. The children were told to fall in behind the teacher for the walk back to school. Two new recruits fell in beside the others in the second row. The officer ordered the latecomers to fall in beside their assigned partners. The scouts quickly fell in behind the group and the march continued. The walking tour guide asked the new people to fall in behind the others as they set off to their next destination. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The idiom 'to fall in line' Whilst we are still on the third application of 'fall in', I want to make you aware of a nice and useful little expression featuring it that you can use to elevate your English and impress your friends and colleagues: 'to fall in line'. We can use this expression to talk about both people and organisations when they begin to follow the rules that they are expected to follow and behave in the way that they should. It is typically used after a period of time when they have not followed the rules or have not done what an authority has asked them to do. The company warned that employees who refused to fall in line with the new rules could face disciplinary action. If the smaller countries refuse to fall in line, the agreement could collapse. Eventually, the younger players fell in line and followed the captain’s instructions. MEANING 4: To become friendly with someone Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? British English Potential synonyms To become friendly with, to befriend Separable? No Our fourth and final meaning of the phrasal verb 'fall in' is one that is more common in British English and means 'to become friendly with someone'. For this application, we also require the additional preposition 'with' to specify the people concerned. To give you more context for this one, this application tends to be used when someone makes friends or starts spending a lot of time with another person or group of people by chance or when you don't plan or expect to meet new people. It often implies that the person who has 'fallen in' with the others starts to join in with their activities or even starts to think and act like them. Examples of this range from positive ones, for example when someone is travelling alone and makes friends with other travellers who they they then travel with, to negative ones when someone starts to spend time with a bad crowd of people and he or she changes negatively as a consequence. While travelling in Spain, Pierre fell in with a group of backpackers. Linda fell in with some old friends at the conference. On the train, I fell in with a couple who were also visiting the city and we had dinner that evening. Johannes fell in with the wrong crowd when he moved to the city. During the festival, we fell in with a group of musicians and followed them around all evening. Leanne quickly fell in with the other students in her class. On the hike, we fell in with another group heading the same way. Ron worried that his son had fallen in with a bad crowd. 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 'fall 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 'fall 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 'bring 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. This post is all about the English phrasal verb 'bring down'. This nice little phrasal verb can be used to talk about a variety of different subjects including reductions, sadness, sport and airplanes. In this post, I will explain all 6 different ways to use it and give you lots of example sentences for each usage. In addition, I will give you a couple of idiomatic expressions with it that native speakers use all the time. So, let's get started and find out what 'bring down' is all about.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Bring Down - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'bring' & 'down' Bring Down - Meaning 1: Literal Bring Down - Meaning 2: To reduce something Bring Down - Meaning 3: To depress someone Bring Down - Meaning 4: To make something fall to the ground Bring Down - Meaning 5: To land Bring Down - Meaning 6: To make someone lose power Bring Down - Bonus: Common idioms featuring the phrasal verb 'bring down' I love writing this blog & helping learners but I receive very little feedback as to how useful it is or if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I'd be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS BRING DOWN: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 6 Past tense forms Brought down / Brought down Separable? Yes The words 'bring' and 'down' are both very common words in English but what do they mean on their own? Let's quickly take a look at these before we continue on to the meanings that we get when we combine them.... Bring - We use the verb 'to bring' in a number of different ways in English, with perhaps the main common meaning being to transport something with you one from one place to another, towards where the speaker is, was or will be. Another very common meaning of the verb 'to bring' (and one that is essential for this phrasal verb) is 'to cause someone or something to be in a specific situation'. 'To bring' is an irregular verb, with 'brought' as both its past tense forms. Bring me a glass of water! My friend is bringing his new girlfriend to the party later. Are you bringing a guest to the wedding next week? I forgot to bring my laptop home with me. The movie brought me to tears. Down - The prepositional particle 'down' is one that features in many phrasal verbs and can add various different ideas to them, depending on the context. Perhaps most obviously when 'down' appears in a phrasal verb it can add the idea of a downward movement or an decrease ( go down ). In addition to this, it can also add ideas like suppression (calm down), writing (note down), failure ( break down ) and finality (shut down) among others. So, now that we have looked the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'bring down'.... MEANING 1: Literal Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level A1 - Beginner Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To take down Separable? Yes We will start our exploration of the phrasal verb 'bring down' by looking at the literal meaning of the combination of these two words. When used in the literal sense, 'bring down' simply means to transport something with you from a high or elevated place to a lower one. This may be something like bringing an object from an upper floor of a building to a lower one, or bringing an injured skier from the top of a mountain to the valley floor to get treatment. On a grammatical note, this literal usage is separable and the object can go between 'bring' and 'down' or after them with no change in meaning. Nigel carefully brought down the boxes from the top shelf. Thelma brought a suitcase down from the attic. Can you bring that ladder down for me? They brought the old furniture down from upstairs. I’ll bring down your coat when I come downstairs. Steven brought down the books from his bedroom. Marian went upstairs and brought a blanket down for the guests. TO BRING VS TO TAKE Many English learners often confuse the verb 'to bring' with the verb 'to take' and while they essentially mean the same thing, there is a difference in their usage. We use 'to bring' to talk about a movement towards where the speaker is or where the speaker was or will be. In contrast, 'to take' is used more to refer to transporting an object away from where the speaker is or to a place where the speaker was not or will not be. MEANING 2: To reduce something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To reduce, to decrease, to lower, Separable? Yes As I mentioned earlier in the post, the particle 'down' is often used to refer to decreases and reductions and this second application of 'bring down' is a good example of that because it means 'to reduce something'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Prices Costs Taxes Level Rate Blood pressure Heart rate For this usage, we are concerned with situations in which we do something in order to reduce the level or rate of something. In other words, we want the number of something to be lower than it is and therefore we do something in order to make this happen. Classic examples of this application can be found in the world of business and commerce when talking about prices and taxes, which people can decide to reduce or bring down for various reasons. Another environment in which you may hear this application is in the medical world as 'bring down' can often be used to describe when medical professionals intervene in a patient's care in order to bring down their high blood pressure, heart rate or temperature. The new management managed to bring down the cost of production. The company brought its prices down during the sale. We need to bring down our monthly expenses. The government is working hard to bring down inflation. New measures helped to bring unemployment rates down. This medication can bring down your blood pressure. They are trying to bring down the number of accidents on this road. The company is aiming to bring its carbon emissions down. Note that we do not normally use 'bring down' to talk about when the rate or level or something decreases on its own without intervention. To do this, the phrasal verb 'come down' (link here ) would be used. MEANING 3: To depress someone Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To depress, to sadden Separable? Yes Our third application of 'bring down' is the negative one (there is always one) and means 'to depress someone' or 'to lower someone's mood'. If you think about your mood, rather than being a binary choice between good and bad, it is more on a scale that constantly moves between the two. When we are happy and content (as I hope all of you reading this are), we can say that we are in a good mood, however for most of us it can only take something small to change our mood and push it towards the bad end of the spectrum. When this happens, we can say that something 'brings us down'. The idea here is that when we are in a good mood, we associate it with a feeling of being high and when we are in a bad mood, we talk about being down. You should note here that this usage tends to be used more for when something makes you feel sad, depressed or less positive rather than anger or irritation. Moreover, in addition to one person's mood, it is also possible to use this to talk about when something brings down the collective mood or atmosphere in a social situation where lots of people are present. It could even be used to talk about the national mood or feeling in a country. Grammatically, this is a separable usage and is used often with pronouns (me, him, her etc), which must go between 'bring' and 'down'. All this negative news is really bringing me down. Don’t let one bad comment bring you down! The gloomy weather is starting to bring everyone down. Thinking about the past sometimes brings him down. He always talks about problems; it really brings down the mood at parties. The constant criticism is starting to bring her down emotionally. Financial worries have really brought us down lately. He didn’t mean to bring things down, but the topic was quite heavy. MEANING 4: To make something fall to the ground Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To take down, to knock over, to knock down Separable? Yes The next application of the phrasal verb 'bring down' that we will cover is one that has the potential to be a little violent and means 'to make something fall to the ground'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Person Player Airplane Bird Animal Building In certain contexts in English, the word 'down' can be used as an adjective to describe something that is has fallen and has landed on the ground. For example, if a tree falls in very strong wind, we can say that a tree is 'down'. This usage is very important for this application as it simply means to cause something to fall to the ground. There are several different areas in which we use this, so let's take them one by one.... In contact sports such as football, rugby or boxing this usage is very common to describe when one player tackles, pushes or hits another player and makes them fall on the ground. In this sense, it is very common to use it in the passive sense, with the focus on the player who is on the ground. The defender brought him down just outside the penalty area. Kelly was brought down by a late tackle, preventing her from scoring the goal. The boxer was brought down by a single punch. We can also use 'bring down' in this sense to talk about things that can be knocked over or can collapse and fall to the ground as a result of a force, including nouns like buildings, trees and fences. This is often used to talk about the consequences of strong and powerful forces like bad weather, explosions or war. The storm brought down several large trees overnight. The earthquake brought down dozens of houses. The fire weakened the structure and brought it down. Workers are planning to bring down the wall tomorrow. The final area that in which you may hear this application being used is in reference to things that fly, both living and non-living. Typically, if someone shoots and kills or injures a bird or animal, we can say that they brought it down. Note that we can also use this for non-flying animals. Likewise, if an airplane crashes, it is possible to say that it was brought down by whatever caused the crash. More information on airplanes to come shortly! The hunter brought down a duck with a single shot. He managed to bring down a deer after a long chase. The missile brought down the enemy plane. Bad weather nearly brought the helicopter down. MEANING 5: To land Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To land Separable? Yes For the next application, we are going to stay with the theme of airplanes but this time in a more cheerful sense as it simply means 'to land' or in other words 'to cause an airplane to descend through the sky until it is safely on the ground'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Airplane / Aeroplane / Plane Aircraft Helicopter Space shuttle In this sense, 'bring down' means the same as the verb 'to land', however we do not tend to use it in the same situations. While we tend to use the verb 'to land' to talk about standard landings at airports etc, 'bring down' is used to describe situations in which an airplane comes safely down to the ground but with a sense of difficulty or emergency or when something is unexpected or not normal. The focus here is more on the hard work and skill of the pilot who successfully lands the airplane in the non-standard circumstances and not the landing itself. The pilot skilfully brought the plane down on a short runway. She managed to bring the aircraft down safely despite poor visibility. Joe calmly brought the plane down after a warning light came on. Sebastian brought the helicopter down in thick fog. Despite the icy runway, Melissa brought the plane down without any issues. The crew brought the aircraft down safely after a bird strike. Edward brought the plane down using only manual controls. MEANING 6: To cause someone to lose power Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To oust, to topple, to overthrow, to depose Separable? Yes We have now arrived at our sixth and final meaning of the phrasal verb 'bring down' and this one is a good one for all of your revolutionaries out there as it means 'to cause someone to lose power'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Ruler / Leader Regime Government Empire Opponent Rival When we talk about someone or something being brought down in this final sense, we are focusing on things like governments and regimes that hold power over people and control what they do. If someone or something brings them down, it makes them lose their power, much like in a revolution or putsch. It doesn't just cover regimes and administrations however as it can also be used for individual people who are in positions of power. While this is also a separable usage, I would say that we tend to use this application in an inseparable way more. The scandal eventually brought down the government. The opposition is trying to bring down the prime minister. Public protests helped bring down the regime. The vote of no confidence brought down the administration. The investigation could bring down several high-profile figures. One mistake was enough to bring the entire company down. This lawsuit might bring down the corporation. One other way that you may come across this application is in reference to competitions and sport as it can also mean 'to defeat'. This is normally used with the leaders or current champions of a sport or a team / player viewed as being superior. It will take a strong performance to bring down the current champion. No team has managed to bring them down this season yet. Alfie is determined to bring down his biggest rival. The underdog team finally brought down the league leaders. Photo: Pexels BONUS: Common idioms featuring the phrasal verb 'bring down' So now after reading all of the different meanings that 'bring down' has, you will have a pretty good idea of how and when to use it and to finish the post, I want to give you a couple of expressions featuring it to really maximise your expertise.... To bring the house down - Although this expression looks like it means something negative and destructive, it actually is a very positive one and means 'to cause an audience to clap and cheer very loudly to show their appreciation for a performance'. In other words, if a performance is so good that all of the people watching it react in a loud and positive way, you can say that the performance " brought the house down ". This expression originated from the idea that if the reaction of the crowd to a performance was very loud or thunderous, it could make the building fall down. The comedian absolutely brought the house down with his final joke. Her performance was incredible; she brought the house down and got a standing ovation. To bring someone down a peg or two - The second of our two idioms featuring 'bring down' means to make someone realise that they are not as good or talented as they think they are. This one is typically used when someone is acting in an arrogant or self-important way and if you can bring them down a peg or two, it is quite a satisfying feeling 😊 Emily was always boasting about her success, but that mistake really brought her down a peg or two. Lucas was getting a bit too confident, so the coach’s criticism really brought him down a peg or two. 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 'bring 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 'bring 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