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

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'get down' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website all about English phrasal verbs. Each week, I take a different phrasal verb and look at how it is used by native speakers, with a focus on the different meanings that it has and the expressions and idioms that it is used in. This post is all about the phrasal verb 'get down', which is great phrasal verb to have in your active vocabulary and has various different meanings that sometimes contradict one another, such as feeling depressed and dancing wildly and enjoying yourself. Read on to find out the different ways that the phrasal verb 'get down' is used in English.... QUICK ANSWER: What does the phrasal verb 'get down' mean? The phrasal verb 'get down' has 7 main meanings in English: To move from a high place to a lower place To lower oneself to the floor To depress someone To write something To swallow food, drink or medication To focus on something and start doing it To dance TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one) Get Down - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'get' and 'down' Get Down - Meaning 1: To move from a high place to a lower place Get Down - Meaning 2: To lower oneself to the floor Get Down - Meaning 3: To depress someone Get Down - Meaning 4: To write something Get Down - Meaning 5: To swallow food, drink or medication Get Down - Bonus: To get food or drink down yourself Get Down - Meaning 6: To focus on something and start doing it Get Down - Bonus: The idiom 'to get down to business' Get Down - Meaning 7: To dance 🇺🇸 Get Down - Bonus: The idiom 'to get down to brass tacks' Get Down - Bonus: To get something down I love writing this blog & helping learners but I receive very little feedback as to how useful it is or if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I'd be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS GET DOWN: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 8 Past tense forms Got down / Got down - Gotten down (US) Separable? Sometimes Let's start this post in the normal way and consider the constituent words 'get' and 'down', as this is a great way to gain some insight into some of the phrasal verb meanings that we will look at shortly. Firstly, we have the favourite verb of native English speakers, 'to get', which has an extensive number of meanings and applications in English. There is not enough time or space in this post to cover all of them, however the most relevant meanings for the phrasal verb 'get down' are the meanings 'to arrive at a place' and 'to become'. The prepositional particle 'down' is one used regularly in phrasal verb constructions and is used to denote a low or lower position, usually relative to the speaker, or movement towards a low position when used as an adverb. In addition to this meaning, 'down' can also be used in a plethora of different ways, such as to describe something negative like depression or sadness and something that is recorded in written form. Now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'get down'.... MEANING 1: To move from a high place to a lower place Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To get off, to dismount, to descend Separable? Yes The first meaning of the phrasal verb 'get down' that we will look at is one that I think is closest to a literal meaning and that is 'to move from a higher position to the floor or a lower position'. This meaning is all about movement from a high place to a lower place, with the focus being on 'arriving' in the lower position. This can be used with many different nouns and typically you would hear this with words like horse, mountain, tree and roof - in other words, anything that a person or thing can go up and sit or stand on. Sometimes we also add the additional adverb 'back' between 'get' and 'down' to emphasise that the descent to the ground is a return journey. Whilst we were climbing the mountain, it started to get very foggy and we were not sure how we were going to get down. Photo: Pexels When you get down to the ground floor, please can you ask the concierge to call me. My cat climbed the tree in my garden and was so scared by how high he was that he could not get back down again. So far with this meaning, we have talked about 'get down' to mean 'to move to a lower place' without a direct object (intransitively), however we can also use it with a direct object. This is for when we want to move something from a high place to a lower place, similar to the phrasal verb 'take down' that I have recently also written about. Often, we use 'get down' instead of 'take down' when there is a level of difficulty or challenge to the action of getting something down e.g. if something is stuck in a place. Typically, this transitive use of 'get (something) down' is for when we need to move something that is stored in a high place, such as a shelf or an attic down to ground level. Photo: Pexels In the end, we had to call the fire brigade to come and get the cat down from the tree. I'm just going to go into the attic to get my suitcase down. John's kite flew away and ended up stuck in a tree and he could not get it back down again. MEANING 2: To lower oneself to the floor Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To lower yourself, to duck Separable? No For the second meaning of 'get down', we are going to stay with the same idea of moving to a lower position from a high one, however this time we are talking about when you lower your body so that you are closer to the ground. This would typically be when you lower yourself from a standing position to be on your knees, to be on your hands and knees or to be in a lying down position. You may be familiar with the expression 'to get down on all fours', which means to lower your body onto your two hands and two knees. Moreover, 'get down!' can also be used in an imperative form. This could be when commanding someone to remove themselves from a high place (as per the previous section) or it can also mean to move your body closer to the floor, possibly to hide yourself or to avoid something dangerous. There was an emergency and everybody had to get down on the floor and lie flat. For this next yoga position, you will need to get down on your hands and knees. Get down! People will be able to see you if you are standing up and it will ruin the surprise! MEANING 3: To depress someone Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To get depressed Separable? Yes If you are familiar with the song Rainy Days & Mondays by The Carpenters, and the lyric "rainy days and Mondays always get me down", then you will already have a good idea of what this third application of 'get down' means. If not, then the meaning is to make someone feel sad, unhappy, depressed or demoralised. This usage is a direct combination of the meaning of the verb 'to get' as in 'to become' and the adjectival meaning of the word 'down' to mean 'sad'. It is mainly used by people to describe when they experience temporary periods in their life when they feel sad or low. Grammatically, we use 'get down' without a direct object when we feel sad or unhappy about something, without explicitly stating a cause. Furthermore, it is also possible for something to get you down, for example rainy days and Mondays, and in this case the sad or depressed person becomes the direct object of the sentence. I always get down in winter. I think it is something to do with the lack of sunlight. Like everyone, Helen gets down from time to time, but in general she is a happy person. If I spend too much time thinking about my relatives who have died, it gets me down. MEANING 4: To write something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To take down, to note down, to write down Separable? Yes The fourth meaning of 'get down' is to write something down, so that it is recorded and can be referred back to at a future time. This is, in fact, a synonym of the phrasal verb 'take down' that I have also recently written about (click here to read it). With 'get down' in this sense, the meaning of 'down' that is relevant is the meaning 'to record something in written form', with the verb 'to get' adding the idea of completing the action of transferring the information to a written record. Grammatically, this meaning of 'get down' takes a direct object and can therefore be separated without changing the meaning and we tend to use the separable version more. Moreover, this application of 'get down' is often followed by the words 'on paper'. Did you get all of the key information in the speech down? I managed to get the person's telephone number down before the line cut out. The author spent half an hour getting the details of her dream down on paper as she wanted to include them in her next book. MEANING 5: To swallow food, drink or medication Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To swallow, to gulp down Separable? Yes The fifth meaning of 'get down' is 'to swallow food, drink or medication, often when the swallowing action is performed with some difficulty. For this usage, the 'down' meaning is quite clear as it is the direction that something swallowed goes in and the function of 'to get' is to add the idea of completing the action, especially when there is some difficulty involved. This difficulty may come from the person swallowing who may have a sore throat or a medical issue, or it may come from the thing that the person is swallowing, i.e. something tough, chewy or bad tasting. An informal expression that people sometimes use, especially in British English, 'get it / this down your neck!', which is used as an encouragement or invitation to someone to eat or drink something, The tablets that I have to take are enormous and I have great difficulty getting them down. We quickly got our lunch down and then went back to work. You look really cold. Here, get this cup of tea down your neck. It will warm you up in no time. Photo: Pexels BONUS: To get food or drink down yourself Whilst we are on the subject of food and drink, you should also know that we use 'get down' to talk about when we spill food and drink on our clothes or our bodies when eating and drinking. If you get something down yourself, it means that you have dropped some food or drink on your clothes and it will probably leave a stain. You're such a messy eater! You've got half of your dinner down yourself. MEANING 6: To focus on something and start doing it Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To focus, to start Separable? No For this sixth meaning of 'get down' we require the additional preposition 'to'. When you 'get down to something', it means that you start to focus on something and start doing it. This is normally used for activities which involve a lot of attention or concentration and so it is something that you will often tend to hear in the business world. Come on everyone, we've wasted enough time. Let's get down to work. We finally got down to talking about the recent problems that have affected our co-operation and we seem to have resolved them. Photo: Pexels IDIOM ALERT: TO GET DOWN TO BUSINESS Whilst we are on this meaning of 'get down', there is a very common expression that I want to make you aware that fits in nicely here.... Get down to business - I am sure many of you will already be familiar with this expression as it used a lot, both in business English and in general English.'To get down to business' means to stop making small talk and to start talking about the subject that needs to be discussed. As you can imagine, this is commonly used at the start of meetings and is regularly prefixed with the word 'let's'. Ok, now that everyone is here, let's get down to business! MEANING 7: To dance Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? American English Potential synonyms To dance, to party Separable? No Our seventh usage of 'get down' is an informal one to mean 'to dance', often in an energetic or uninhibited way'. It can also be used to mean to have fun, relax and enjoy yourself, however it is used far less in this way. This is primarily an American usage, however it is known and used in British English too, particularly since it has been featured in many pop and dance songs over the last forty years. The origins of this particular usage date back to the 1970s and is another example of a word that has entered the English language from African American slang. I saw you and your friends getting down on the dance floor last night. It looked like you were having a lot of fun. Come on everybody, let me see you all get down to this next song! Photo: Pexels IDIOM ALERT: To get down to brass tacks Photo: Pexels The idiom 'to get down to brass tacks' is an expression which means 'to start talking about the basic and most important facts about something', i.e. the things that people really want to discuss in a situation. This idiom first arose in American English in the late 1800s and has since spread across the Atlantic. Despite the strangeness of the idiom, nobody knows exactly what its origins are. The diplomats didn't spend long making small talk in the meeting and quickly got down to brass tacks. Photo: Pexels ONE FINAL MEANING: To get something down Ok, so before I finish this post, there is one more meaning of 'get down' that I want to tell you about..... To get something down' is an idiomatic expression that is becoming more and more common in modern English vernacular and means 'to master something and be able to do it very well or perfectly'. If you've got something down, it means that you are skilled at doing something. Hopefully after reading this and with a little bit of practice, you will get this phrasal verb down and will using it like a native speaker 😀 I was terrible at this computer game when I first started playing it but now I've got it down! Wow, you're amazing at that, you've got it down! Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I hope that you have found it useful and that it has helped you to understand how to use the phrasal verb 'get down' more confidently and naturally. Feel free to leave any comments, feedback or your own sentences using 'get down' in the section below. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. Do you want to improve your phrasal verb skills? Now that you have read the article, I hope you've learned something new. However, reading is only the first step to mastering phrasal verbs: the key is practice and repetition. That's why I've created a series of PDF workbooks with clear explanations, natural example sentences, exercises, speaking questions and answer keys. This will help you understand and remember common English phrasal verbs and use them confidently in real-life situations. Browse the workbooks here and start improving your phrasal verbs skills today.... Thanks so much for reading and see you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'run into' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native. This post is a written guide all about the English phrasal verb 'run into' and how to use it like a native speaker. In the post, I will explain four different ways that you can use it, which include to talk about meeting people by chance and things that cost a lot of money. In addition, I will give you lots of example sentences for each usage to help you learn how to use it naturally and confidently. So, let's make a start and see what the phrasal verb 'run into' is all about.... QUICK ANSWER: What does the phrasal verb 'run into' mean? The phrasal verb 'run into' has four main meanings in English. To meet someone by chance To experience an unexpected problem To hit something To amount to Keep reading to learn how to use each of these, with lots of example sentences.... TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one) Run Into - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'run' and 'into' Run Into - Meaning 1: To meet someone by chance Run Into - Meaning 2: To experience an unexpected problem Run Into - Meaning 3: To hit something with a vehicle Run Into - Meaning 4: To amount to Run Into - Bonus: The idiom 'to run something into the ground' 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 RUN INTO: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 4 Past tense forms Ran into / Run into Separable? No I know that you are here to learn more about the phrasal verb 'run into' but how well do you know its individual words 'run' and 'into'? Let's take a brief look at them now to begin.... Run - 'To run' is a common verb in English that can be used to talk about subjects such as movement and management. In it's purest sense, it means 'to move faster than walking with moments when neither foot is on the ground'. In addition, we can also use it to talk about liquids that flow e.g. rivers or tears as well as public transport like buses and trains. In the business world, 'to run' is used to talk about managing a company and making sure that it is successful. It is an ergative verb, which means that it can be used both transitively and intransitively. It is also irregular, with 'run' being both of its past tense forms. I run 5km at least twice a week. The cat ran after the mouse. The water was running along the side of the road. The hourly bus service runs from 8am to 6pm. Kathy runs three businesses and also teaches yoga in her spare time. Into - The prepositional particle 'into' is a combination of the particles 'in' and 'to' and is generally used to indicate a movement from the outside of something to the inside of it. This idea is often transferred to the phrasal verbs that it appears in (go into). In addition, it can also add the ideas of entering a new stage or condition (fall into), participation (get into), investigation (look into) and transformation (turn into). So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'run into'.... MEANING 1: Literal Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To dash into, to run inside Separable? No For the majority of this article, we will be looking at the figurative meanings of the phrasal verb 'run into', however it can also be used in a literal way so let's start by looking at this one in more detail.... Nouns commonly used with this application.... House / Apartment Building School River / Sea / Ocean Colour As you can probably guess, when we use 'run into' literally, we are simply just talking about entering an internal space by running (rather than walking). For example, excited children may run into their house when they get home from school (like in the picture above) or a firefighter may run into a burning building to rescue someone who is trapped inside it. Note that is does not always have to be an internal space as we can also use it for any nouns with which we can use 'in' that are not typically enclosed e.g. garden, sea. The children ran into the house as soon as it started to rain. Caroline ran into the shop to buy a bottle of water. My Dad ran into the office to answer the ringing phone. The cat ran into the garden and started chasing the birds. The firefighters ran into the burning building without hesitation. As I mentioned earlier, the verb 'to run' can also be used for liquids that flow and we can use this literal application of 'run into' to describe when rivers end by flowing into another river or body of water. Unsurprisingly, this usage is common in the field of geography. You should note that while we do use this, 'flow into' is actually used more commonly to describe it. The river runs into the sea just south of the town. Several small streams run into the lake from the surrounding hills. The Thames runs into the North Sea through the Thames Estuary. If any of you reading this enjoy art and painting, you should note that we can also use this literal sense of the phrasal verb 'run into' to describe when two or more paint or ink colours mix with each other unintentionally. As paint is liquid, it flows or runs into other colours on the canvas, often creating an unwanted and ugly mess. Be careful not to let the blue paint run into the white. The wet colours ran into each other and created a muddy green. The ink ran into the paper and blurred the writing. MEANING 2: To meet someone by chance Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To meet, to bump into Separable? No The second of the meanings of the phrasal verb 'run into' is a common one that many of you may have heard before and means 'to meet someone by chance'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Friend Colleague / Co-worker Boss Perhaps the first thing that I should explain is that we are not talking about meeting someone for the first time here, but rather meeting someone who you already know by accident or when did you not plan to. Imagine that you are shopping in a supermarket and when you turn into the frozen food aisle, you unexpectedly see a friend there doing their shopping too. In this situation, it would be common to say afterwards that you "ran into a friend in the supermarket". This usage is not just limited to supermarkets though and you can use it for any time that you unexpectedly encounter, a friend, colleague, relative or acquaintance. You should note that you would only use this if you actually stop and speak to the person; if you only saw the person or chose to avoid them, you would probably not use it. While this usage is common on both sides of the Atlantic, it is perhaps slightly more common in American English as in British English we also commonly use the phrasal verb 'bump into' to describe this type of encounter. I ran into an old friend while I was shopping yesterday. We ran into our neighbours on holiday in Spain. Tracey ran into her former teacher at the train station. You never know who you're going to run into in London. I ran into Sarah at the supermarket, and we ended up chatting for half an hour. Jeremy ran into his ex-girlfriend at a concert last weekend. We ran into each other completely by chance outside the cinema. Josephine ran into one of her university classmates after nearly twenty years. MEANING 3: To encounter an unexpected problem Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To encounter, to face Separable? No The next application of the phrasal verb 'run into' is very similar in nature to the previous one as it also carries the idea of chance encounters, but this time we are focussing on problems, rather than people. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Problem Issue Danger Trouble Difficulties Bad weather Has it ever happened to you that you have been planning and working on something for a long period of time and just before it is ready, a problem occurs that you were not expecting that delays your plans or causes you to change everything. If the answer is yes, then you could say in this instance that you "ran into a problem". We can use this application of 'run into' to describe any time that we begin to experience unexpected problems or difficulties with something that can disrupt or delay our plans. Moreover, its usage can also extend to situations involving unforeseen trouble or danger. We ran into a few problems during the project. The company has run into financial difficulties. I ran into some technical issues while installing the software. Emma ran into trouble when her passport expired. If you run into any problems, just let me know. They ran into delays because of the bad weather. The soldiers ran into enemy fire. The negotiations ran into difficulties almost immediately. The proposal ran into strong criticism. It is also possible to use this third application of 'run into' to describe moments when we experience unexpected bad weather, which causes problems or issues with when travelling or trying to do something. We ran into a heavy storm halfway across the Atlantic. The hikers ran into thick fog as they climbed higher. Our flight ran into severe turbulence caused by a thunderstorm. The cyclists ran into strong headwinds during the final stage of the race. We ran into heavy rain just after we left the campsite. MEANING 4: To hit something with a vehicle Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To crash into, to collide (with) Separable? Sometimes For our next application of the phrasal verb 'run into', we need to turn our attention towards the roads and driving as this one means 'to hit something with a vehicle'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Car Wall Tree Person I am a bad driver. Not a bad driver in the sense that I am careless and drive dangerously but in the sense that I just do not have a natural ability to drive a vehicle well like some people do. Despite this, I have never before run into anything in a car, or in other words, I have never caused a car that I am driving to collide with something else (although there have been some close moments!). To clarify, we use this application of the phrasal verb 'run into' to describe any moments or instances of when a person is driving a car (or other vehicle) and accidentally causes it crash into something else like a wall, a house or another car. You should note that this application is quite common but we use the phrasal verb 'crash into' a lot more to describe these unfortunate events. The car ran into a tree after skidding on the ice. A bus ran into a parked car at the traffic lights. The lorry has run into a bridge as it was too high to go under. My train ran into a fallen tree blocking the tracks. The boat ran into some rocks near the shore. The ship ran into an iceberg during the night. The plane nearly ran into another aircraft on the runway. In the example sentences above, we are focussed on the type of transport that is involved in the collision, but it is also possible with this application to specify the person driving who is responsible for it. When we do this, the phrasal verb becomes separable and the type of public transport goes between the verb 'run' and the particle 'into', as per the structure below: Person + run + possessive pronoun + vehicle + into + object Jenny accidentally ran her car into a lamppost. The driver ran his van into the back of a lorry. Andrew lost control and ran his car into a tree. I fell asleep when driving and almost ran my car into someone's house. MEANING 5: To amount to Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To amount to, to add up to Separable? No The final of the applications of the phrasal verb 'run into' is one that is used to describe numbers and figures and means 'to amount to'. Nouns commonly used with this applications.... Hundreds Thousands Millions Firstly, I should explain that although this application of 'run into' does mean 'to amount to', it is not used to give a specific or definite numerical figure. Instead, we use it to give an approximation (or non-definite) figure. This is typically when a number or figure, most commonly the cost of something, has been rising and passes a particular threshold such as a thousand or a million. Secondly, to express this we say that the threshold that has been exceeded in plural form, for example you could say that "the costs have run into the millions" or that "the number of casualties in the war have run into the thousands". In the first example above we are saying that the costs of something have exceeded one million pounds or dollars etc but we don't know exactly what the total will be in the end but we know that it will be over this amount. Likewise, for the second example the number of people injured or killed in the war has risen to over 1000 and now could be anywhere between 1,000 and 9,999 (above this we would say "tens of thousands"). As you can imagine, this application is particularly common in business, finance and formal English. Most commonly, we use it when the costs or numbers involved are very high and therefore it carries a nuance of surprise or shock. The costs of the repairs ran into thousands of pounds. The final bill ran into six figures. Legal costs can easily run into the millions. The project ran into millions of dollars before it was completed. His medical expenses ran into tens of thousands of pounds. The charity has raised donations that run into the hundreds of thousands. The delays meant that the total cost ran into £2 million. The queue ran into hundreds of people. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The idiom 'to run something into the ground' One other way that you may come across the phrasal verb 'run into' is in the common expression 'to run something into the ground'. We use this idiom to talk about businesses and companies when they are mismanaged so badly that they fail and go out out of business or are no longer successful. This may be on purpose or through bad management. The new owner ran the business into the ground within three years. Poor management ran the company into the ground. They inherited a successful restaurant but soon ran it into the ground. 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 'run into' more confidently and naturally. Feel free to leave any comments, feedback or your own sentences using 'run into' in the section below. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. Do you want to improve your phrasal verb skills ? 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 'own 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. Are you familiar with the English phrasal verb 'own up'? Is it perhaps one that you have people using before but are not sure how to use or is it one that is completely new to you? In this post I will explain to you what it means and how to use in a natural way, so that you can start using it confidently and naturally. As per usual, there are lots of example sentences in context to show you how native speakers typically use it. So, let's get started and find out what the phrasal verb 'own up' is all about.... QUICK ANSWER: What does the phrasal verb 'own up' mean? The phrasal verb 'own up' has one main meaning To admit doing something wrong 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 OWN UP: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 1 Past tense forms Owned up / Owned up Separable? No Before we look deeper into what the phrasal verb 'own up' means, let's first briefly consider the individual words 'own' and 'up' and what they mean on their own. Own - The verb 'to own' is one that many of you reading this will know already and in modern English primarily means 'to possess something'. In other words, you can use it to say that something belongs to you and is your property. You may also be familiar with the noun 'owner' for a person who owns something. Historically, 'to own' was also used in English to mean 'to confess' or 'to acknowledge that you did an action' and while this meaning is not common today, it can still be heard in some contexts, including in the phrasal verb 'own up' as you will see shortly. My brother is rich and owns four houses. Who owns the red car on the driveway? Sarah owned a horse when she was younger. Barnaby owns that he was wrong (old-fashioned). Up - The prepositional particle 'up' is one that we see appearing in phrasal verbs a lot, adding many different meanings depending on the context. In a literal sense, it can add the idea of an upward movement or an increase (go up), however you are more likely to come across it being used figuratively to add ideas like intensification (build up), improvement (pick up), preparation (set up) and making something visible or known (bring up). So, now that we have covered the basics, let's now move on to the meaning of the phrasal verb 'own up'.... MEANING 1: To admit doing something wrong Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where it is used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To confess, to fess up, to admit, to acknowledge, to come clean Separable? No If the phrasal verb 'own up' is a new one for you, it will hopefully be a nice and easy one for you to learn as there is only one meaning and that is 'to admit doing something wrong'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Crime Wrongdoing Mistake / Error Lie Joke / Prank I have a very clear memory of being in a lesson at school many years ago when one of the naughty boys in my class (not me) threw a ball of paper at the teacher when she turned her back to write on the board. The teacher was understandably very angry and as the paper Photo: Pexels was thrown when her back was turned, she had no idea who the culprit was. At the end of the lesson, she stopped everyone from leaving and said that we could only leave once the person who threw the paper 'owned up'. After several minutes, we realised she was being serious and the boy who had thrown it nervously put his hand up and said "it was me"! In my example above, the boy who put his hand up and admitted throwing the paper 'owned up' because he admitted to the teacher that he had done something wrong. Generally speaking, we can use the phrasal verb 'own up' to describe any situation in which a person admits a wrongdoing, particularly after a period of avoiding it or hiding the truth beforehand. Consequently, this nice little phrasal verb is one that is super common in school and educational environments or generally when children are involved. It can also be heard in business English and in normal everyday adult life too but just not as much. In terms of tone, 'own up' is less formal than the verb 'to confess' and unlike 'to confess', it is only used to talk about doing something wrong and not about secret feelings or something embarrassing. No one in James's class was willing to own up. If you've done something wrong, you should own up. Sandra eventually owned up after hours of questioning. Come on, own up! We all know it was you. Neil refused to own up, even when the evidence was undeniable. I think it's time that I owned up; I forgot your birthday! On a grammatical note, 'own up' is an inseparable phrasal verb and it is often followed by the extra preposition 'to' to specify the wrongdoing that the person has done. You should note if you want to specify the forbidden deed as a verb, you need to use the gerund ('ing) form after 'to'. This pattern of 'own up + to + verb / gerund' is by far the most common way to use it in everyday English. Less commonly, 'own up' can be followed by a 'that' clause. Kate finally owned up to breaking the vase. Nobody would own up to making the mistake. Mike owned up to cheating in the exam. The teenager owned up to taking the money without permission. After several hours, the suspect owned up to the crime. They eventually owned up to lying about where they had been. The company owned up to its error and apologised to its customers. It's always better to own up to your mistakes than try to hide them. Elaine never owned up to what she had done. Nick finally owned up that he had forgotten to turn the oven off. 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 'own up' more confidently and naturally. Feel free to leave any comments, feedback or your own sentences using 'own up' in the section below. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. Do you want exercises to practice and consolidate your phrasal verb knowledge? 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 'hang out' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native. How well do you know the English phrasal verb 'hang out'? I am sure that many of you reading this will know at least one of its meanings. If you're not sure, don't worry as in this post I will explain all three of them and give you lots of example sentences for each one to show you how to use it in a natural way. In addition, I will also give you some bonus information so that you once you have finished reading the post, you will be an expert on this useful little phrasal verb. So, let's make a start and see what the phrasal verb 'hang out' is all about.... QUICK ANSWER: What does the phrasal verb 'hang out' mean? The phrasal verb 'hang out' has three main meanings in English: To protrude To spend time To dry clothes Keep reading to learn how to use each of these like a native speaker. TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one) Hang Out - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'hang' and 'out' Hang Out - Meaning 1: To protrude Hang Out - Meaning 2: To spend time Hang Out - Meaning 3: To dry clothes Hang Out - Bonus: The noun 'hangout' Hang Out - Bonus: The idiom 'let it all hang out' I love writing this blog & helping learners but I receive very little feedback as to how useful it is or if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I'd be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS HANG OUT: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 3 Past tense forms Hung out / Hung out Separable? Sometimes The phrasal verb 'hang out' is formed of the verb 'to hang' and the particle 'out' and so as the first step in our exploration of this phrasal verb, let's first briefly consider what these two individual words mean on their own.... Hang - The verb 'to hang' is a common irregular verb in English whose main meaning is 'to physically suspend something from above, so that the bottom part of it does not touch the ground'. It can be used with many different nouns such as pictures, decorations, lights and clothes. Moreover, it is a verb that features a lot in phrasal verb constructions. I am going to hang my clothes in the wardrobe. The children joyfully hung the decorations on the Christmas tree. Are we allowed to hang paintings on the wall? The butcher has hung the cuts of meat in the freezer. Out - The prepositional particle 'out' functions as the natural opposite of the particle 'in' and can be used in phrasal verbs to indicate a movement from the inside of something to the outside (go out, step out). When used in more figurative ways, 'out' can add various ideas to phrasal verbs including becoming visible (come out), completion (fill out), distribution (give out), removal (cut out) and exhaustion (run out), among others. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'hang out'.... MEANING 1: To protrude Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To protrude, to stick out Separable? No The first meaning of 'hang out' that we will look at in this post is one of its two literal uses and means 'to protrude'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Tongue Shirt Tie Wire / Cable Arm / Leg Firstly, you may be wondering what the verb 'to protrude' means. To confirm, 'to protrude' means to physically project or extend outward from a surface like a wall or the ground. For example, if there is a nail in a wall, we can say that "the nail protrudes from the wall" or if there is a rock in the middle of a river that is visible, we can say that "the rock protrudes from the surface of the river". While 'hang out' is a synonym of 'to protrude', you should note that it is not always interchangeable: We can use protrude for anything that extends out from the edge of a surface but we normally use 'hang out' when something protrudes from a surface and the end of it drops towards the ground, i.e. when there is gravity involved. Furthermore, it is used particularly often when something is supposed to be inside or underneath something else and a part of it comes out and is visible. Personally, when I think of this application, the first thing that comes to my mind is a tongue; if a person or an animal's tongue is hanging out, it means that it is protruding from their month and is dropping slightly downwards (a bit like the dog in the picture above). In addition to this, we often use 'hang out' with wires & cables, items of clothing like the bottom of someone's shirt or body parts like arms and legs. To sum up, we can use 'hang out' in this way to describe anything that extends from underneath or inside something else and hangs down. On a grammatical note, this usage is not typically separable as we do not normally intentionally cause something to hang out; it just happens through circumstance. Mark's shirt was hanging out of his trousers after he rushed out of the house. I tucked my shirt in because it was hanging out. Helena's tie was hanging out from under her jacket. A map was hanging out of his backpack. Emma's keys were hanging out of her pocket. A scarf was hanging out of the shopping bag. Several cables were hanging out of the back of the computer. A receipt was hanging out of his wallet. One other scenario in which 'hang out' can be used this way is when people physically hang objects so that they hang on the external edge of something so that they can be seen. This is most typically used when people hang things out of their windows like flags. When used like this, the usage becomes separable as there is now a direct object that is intentionally hung in this way. Robert hung his country's flag out of his window. Greta hung a sign out of the shop window advertising the sale. Let's hang a large banner out of the upstairs window to welcome the runners. MEANING 2: To spend time Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere but common in American English Potential synonyms To spend time Separable? No The next meaning of the phrasal verb 'hang out' is the one that I suspect many of you will be familiar with already, which is 'to spend time'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Friends House Pub / Bar Café Library This application of 'hang out' an informal one, which is very common in North American English but is now becoming more and more common in other English-speaking parts of the world, including the UK. When we use 'hang out' in this way, we are essentially describing spending a lot of time with people, or at a certain place. Generally, it is used when there is no specific reason for being with the person or at the place; it simply describes spending time in a relaxed and stress-free way. Due to the nature of 'hanging out', it is something that is used by, or to talk about, younger people. For example, personally I used to enjoy hanging out with my friends when I was younger but now we are all older and much busier and we don't have as much free time to be able to hang out with each other like we used to. On a grammatical note, we tend to use this application with the extra preposition 'with' to talk about people and prepositions of place (at, in) to talk about places. We like to hang out at the beach in the summer. They were hanging out in the café, drinking coffee and talking. He spends most weekends hanging out at his friend's house. They were hanging out, listening to music and playing video games. We hung out with some old friends at the pub. They hung out at my house after football practice. My sister and I hung out in town for a few hours. We hung out with our neighbours in the garden all evening. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The noun 'hangout' If you were already familiar with the previous application of 'hang out' before reading this post, then you will almost certainly also be familiar with the noun 'hangout' that is derived directly from it. The noun 'hangout' is mainly used to refer to a place where people gather together to socialise, relax and 'hang out'. Less commonly, it can also refer to a digital space online where people go to socialise. The new café has quickly become a popular hangout for university students. The park is our favourite hangout during the summer. That little coffee shop is a great hangout if you want to relax after work. MEANING 3: To dry clothes Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To dry Separable? Yes The third and final of the applications of 'hang out' that we will look at in this post is the other application that could be considered a literal usage and means 'to dry clothes'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Clothes Washing Laundry Let me first clarify what I mean by "drying clothes" here as this application does not apply to all instances of drying clothes but specifically when you hang wet clothes on a thin wire or cord (often called a washing line or clothesline) outside to dry in the sunshine For example, after washing their clothes, many people hang them out on the washing line in their back garden for a few hours or all day until they are dry (provided that it hasn't rained of course 😉). You should note that although this usage is used and understood everywhere, there are some slight differences in usage between British and North American English. In British English, people just typically say that they "hang the washing out" and the meaning is understood, whereas in North American English, it is much more common to say the longer form of "to hang the washing out to dry". I hung the washing out before I went to work. It's a lovely day, so let's hang the clothes out to dry. Sue always hangs the towels out to dry when the weather is warm. We hung the bed sheets out on the washing line this morning. Don't hang the washing out; it's about to rain. Charles forgot to hang the laundry out to dry, so it's still sitting in the washing machine. As soon as the rain stopped, I hung out the washing. My grandmother never used a tumble dryer; she always hung the washing out to dry in the garden. Photo: Pexels BONUS: Let it all hang out Before we finish the post, there is a little expression featuring 'hang out' to make you aware of: 'let it all hang out'. We use this expression to describe when you can relax and be yourself completely and you do not worry about what other people think of you. To be honest, I think we should all just let it all hang out when we can...it's great for our mental well being and happiness 😀 Once the music started, everyone let it all hang out and danced without worrying about looking silly. Stop trying to impress everyone and just let it all hang out; they will like you for who you are. 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 'hang out' more confidently and naturally. Feel free to leave any comments, feedback or your own sentences using 'hang out' in the section below. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. Do you want to improve your phrasal verb skills ? 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 'cover 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. This is a post dedicated to the explanation of 'cover up', which is a nice little phrasal verb that has the idea of hiding or concealment at it's core. In this post, I will explain three different ways that you can use 'cover up' and how you can use it to talk about subjects ranging from wearing clothes to government scandals. For each application, I will give you lots of example sentences to ensure that at the end of the post you can use this phrasal verb in a confident and natural way. So. let's make a start and see what 'cover up' is all about.... QUICK ANSWER: What does the phrasal verb 'cover up' mean? The phrasal verb 'cover up' has three main meanings in English: To completely cover something To wear more clothes To hide the truth Keep reading to learn how to use each of these naturally in English. TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one) Cover Up - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'cover' and 'up' Cover Up - Meaning 1: To completely cover something Cover Up - Meaning 2: To wear more clothes Cover Up - Meaning 3: To hide the truth Cover Up - Bonus: The noun 'cover-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 COVER UP: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 3 Past tense forms Covered up / Covered up Separable? Yes I am sure that you are all very familiar with the words 'cover' and 'up' already but let's first of all just remind ourselves what they mean and what these meanings can bring to the phrasal verb 'cover up'.... Cover - The verb 'to cover' is a fairly common regular verb in English whose main meaning is to physically put something over the top of something else in order to hide or protect it. Additionally, it can also be used in business English to mean 'to pay for, 'to insure' and 'to work for a colleague when they are not there'. Additionally, it can be used in the world of journalism to mean 'to report on a story'. One other very relevant meaning that it has when it is combined with the preposition 'for' is 'to lie for someone to prevent them from getting into trouble'. The snow fell overnight and covered the ground. We covered the ugly table with a colourful tablecloth. When I go away for business, the company covers the cost of the flights and accommodation. The insurance covers you for damage and theft. The journalist was injured whilst covering a story about the war. Molly covered up for Kate when she took a day off school. Up - The prepositional particle 'up' is the most commonly found particle in phrasal verb constructions and can add a variety of different meanings to them. When applied literally it can add the idea of an upwards movement or increase (go up). It is more frequently used in phrasal verbs in a figurative sense though and here it can add the ideas of completion or totality (eat up), creation (set up), collection (gather up) and improvement (cheer up) among others. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'cover up'.... MEANING 1: To completely cover something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To cover, to cover over Separable? Yes The first of the meanings of the phrasal verb 'cover up' that we will look at in this post is very similar in meaning to the base verb 'to cover' and means 'to completely cover something'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Eyes Face Stain Mess Tattoo Like with the verb 'to cover', we can use this first application of 'cover up' to mean 'to place one thing over another so that it is hidden or protected' and there are many instances in which these two variations are interchangeable. However, there is a subtle difference between 'cover' and 'cover up' that you should know. We use the verb 'to cover' primarily to say that something is placed over the top of something else so that it is partly or fully covered. In contrast, when we want to stress that the covered item is completely covered and no longer visible, we use 'cover up'. For example, if you put some plastic wrap over a bowl of food to keep it fresh, you would say that you "covered it" and in most cases a native speaker would assume that the item was completely covered. If, for some reason, you wanted to hide the bowl of food so that people could not see it, we would use 'cover up' instead as it carries that extra idea of complete cover. You will note in the example sentences below that this application often follows the structure cover up + something + with or cover something up + with as it is separable.... The children covered up the sandcastle with wet seaweed to protect it from the wind. Overnight, fresh snow covered up the entire garden. Poppy covered the furniture up with dust sheets before the decorators arrived. Thick fog covered up the mountains, making them impossible to see. The workers covered up the freshly planted seeds with soil. Lionel covered the red wine stain on the carpet up with a rug. Paul covered up the cage with a blanket to keep the bird calm. Dark clouds gradually covered up the moon. They covered up the old sign with a large advertising banner. The rescue team covered up the damaged roof with a waterproof tarpaulin. As I mentioned before, this application of 'cover up' is used particularly when we want to stop something being visible and therefore it also works for marks and patterns on surfaces like graffiti, tattoos and bruises. The council covered up the graffiti with a fresh coat of paint the day after it appeared. Peter wore a long-sleeved shirt to cover up the bruises on his arms. Cassandra used make-up to cover up her tattoo before the job interview. COVERING UP IN BOXING If you enjoy the sport boxing, then it is possible that you have heard the term 'covering up' to refer to a boxer's defensive technique in a match. If a boxer covers up, he or she protects their face by covering it with their gloves boxing gloves with their forearms over their chest. MEANING 2: To wear more clothes Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To dress Separable? Yes The second meaning of the phrasal verb 'cover up' is a logical continuation of the first one and means 'to wear more clothes'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Legs Shoulders Arms Body Private parts For this second application of the phrasal verb 'cover up', the focus is on covering a person's body by putting on clothes. This may be in situations in which a person is completely naked, partially naked (in their underwear) or when a person is wearing clothes already but needs to cover the remaining areas of their body. Typical reasons why a person would need to 'cover up' are for religious or modesty purposes and to protect themselves from something that could be harmful to them, sunshine or other forms of weather. On a grammatical note, when we use it in this way to talk about covering up your entire body this usage does not take a direct object and is not separable. We can use it also to describe covering a specific body part e.g. shoulders or legs and when used this way, it is separable and the covered up body part can go between 'cover' and 'up' or after them. As with the previous application, we use 'cover up' when we want to emphasise that the specific body part is no longer visible. The tourist covered up her shoulders before entering the church. You should cover up your legs if you're walking through long grass. Mike covered up his arms to avoid getting sunburnt. The model was asked to cover up her chest for the advertisement. Lynsey wore a shawl to cover up her shoulders. Patricia covered up her shoulders with a cardigan. Alex covered up his legs with a blanket. Jemma covered up her arms with a long-sleeved top. MEANING 3: To hide the truth Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To hide, to conceal Separable? Yes For our third and final usage of the phrasal verb 'cover up', we are again ending on a negative meaning (I have a habit of doing this) as this one means 'to hide the truth'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Truth Evidence Mistake / Error Crime To give you more context on this application, we use it when we want to hide information or details about something that could get us into trouble, cause us problems or have a negative effect on our life or career. This is the reason why I stated that it is negative as we don't really use it for anything positive. We often use it this way in reference to politics, business and organisations who want to maintain a good reputation with the public and therefore choose to hide or cover up any negative press or bad news about them that could jeopardise this. It can equally be used in more personal situations, for example if someone tells a lie to cover up something bad that they have done. The general idea of this links back to the other two applications of 'cover up' as at its core is the idea of wanting something to be hidden so that others do not see it or know about it. The company tried to cover up the accident instead of reporting it. You can't cover the truth up forever; people will find out one day! Margaret admitted her mistake rather than trying to cover it up. The scandal became even worse when people realised that officials had tried to cover it up. The government minister was accused of covering up evidence that could have damaged the government's reputation. Journalists claimed that several senior politicians had worked together to cover up the affair. The inquiry found no evidence of an attempt to cover up the corruption. Ben lied to cover up the fact that he had forgotten his sister's birthday. You should also be aware of a common extension of this phrasal verb 'application', which is 'to cover up for someone'. If you cover up for someone, you tell a lie or do something to hide something wrong that another person has done as you want to protect them. Karina lied to cover up for her friend after the accident. The manager was accused of covering up for an employee who had broken the rules. Jackie refused to cover up for her colleague's mistakes. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The noun 'cover-up' Let's finish the post by looking at a common noun that we get from this third and final phrasal verb usage: 'cover-up'. A 'cover-up' is a word that we can use to describe when someone hides or conceals the truth about something in order to avoid being in trouble or negative press. It tends to be used more to talk about politics, big businesses and famous organisations. Journalists uncovered a cover-up involving public funds. Opposition parties accused the minister of being involved in a cover-up. The executives of the business were charged for their role in the cover-up. 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 'cover up' more confidently and naturally. Feel free to leave any comments, feedback or your own sentences using 'cover 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 'break 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 article is all about the English phrasal verb 'break in'. We can use 'break in' in a number of different ways in English and these include to talk about things like crime, interruption, training and shoes. In this post, I will explain all four of its different meanings in clear and understandable English for you and will provide you with lots of example sentences in context for each meaning to help you use it more naturally and confidently. So, let's make a start and find out exactly what the phrasal verb 'break in' means.... QUICK ANSWER: What does the phrasal verb 'break in' mean? The phrasal verb 'break in' has four main meanings.... To enter somewhere by force To train someone for something To prepare something for use To interrupt TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one) Break In - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'break' and 'in' Break In - Meaning 1: To enter somewhere by force Break In - Meaning 2: To train someone for something Break In - Meaning 3: To prepare something for us Break In - Meaning 4: To interrupt Break In - Bonus: The noun 'break-in' 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 BREAK IN: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 4 Past tense forms Broke in / Broken in Separable? Sometimes In order to fully understand the phrasal verb 'break in', we should first of all consider its individual component words 'break' and 'in' and what they mean on their own. Break - 'To break' is a common irregular verb in English. It is often used in negative and problematic situations as its main meanings are 'to stop functioning properly', 'to damage or destroy' or a combination of both of these. In addition to this, we can also use the verb 'to break' to mean 'to end' and 'to interrupt' among other meanings. John broke his arm when he fell from a tree. The printer is broken. Jessica broke it when she spilled coffee on it. Be careful with this ornament as it is fragile and could break easily. Alex broke the silence in the room when he laughed. Let's break now and resume the lesson later. In - The prepositional particle 'in' is one that you will know very well already. We can use it in phrasal verb constructions to add the idea of a movement from the outside of something to the inside (go in, get in). Moreover, it can also add the ideas of arrival (come in), participation (join in), submission (hand in) and confinement (lock in), among others. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'break in'.... MEANING 1: To enter somewhere by force Photo: Stockvault CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To breach, to intrude, to trespass, to burglarise, to raid Separable? No We are going to start the meanings of the phrasal verb 'break in' with the most negative of its four meanings, which is 'to enter somewhere by force'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... House / Flat Building Shop / Store Car System Thief / Robber / Burglar This first application of 'break in' is probably the most commonly used one and is primarily used to talk about criminal activity when a person enters a building using force; either to steal what is inside it or to look for something (as commonly seen in movies and on TV). When we use 'break in' it doesn't always mean that force was involved, but rather that the person entered illegally or when they were not supposed to. Someone broke in during the night and stole several laptops. The burglars broke in through a ground-floor window. We were on holiday when thieves broke in and ransacked our house. A masked man tried to break in but he couldn't get past the security door. The police arrived just as the intruders were breaking in. BREAK IN OR BREAK INTO? You may have noticed in the example sentences above that none of them explicitly state the building or place where the unwanted visitors entered. If you want to do this, you simply need to change the particle from 'in' to 'into'..... Someone broke into our house while we were away on holiday. The burglars broke into the shop through a side window. Thieves broke into the animal enclosure overnight to try and steal them. A masked man attempted to break into the bank but was caught by security guards. The police were called after someone broke into a local business. I have only mentioned so far that we use 'break into' with buildings and while we most commonly use this application for them, we can also use it for other things like cars and vehicles as well as non-physical things like computer systems that have an element of security to stop anybody accessing what it inside. Someone broke into my car and stole my satnav. Thieves broke into several vans parked outside the hotel. Hackers broke into the company's computer system and stole customer data. Someone broke into my locker at the gym and stole my wallet. The ex-employee broke into the electricity control box and tampered with the wiring. On a grammatical level, we cannot separate this application of 'break in'. Often, native speakers will use it in the passive voice with the verb 'to get' (get / be broken into), particularly because often victims of this type of crime do not usually know who committed it. Some shops get broken into during the holiday season every year. Our house has been broken into twice this year. My car was broken into last night. The museum was broken into during the weekend. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The noun 'break-in' As is common with many phrasal verbs, there are often nouns that are derived from them to define the particular action that the phrasal verb describes and 'break in' is no different in this respect. The noun 'break-in' is used as a name for the specific type of crime when a criminal enters somewhere by force. There was a break-in at the local jewellery shop last night. The police are investigating a break-in at a nearby office building. After the break-in, the family decided to install a security system. MEANING 2: To train someone for something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To train, to prepare, to get someone used to, to condition, to acclimatise Separable? Yes The second of the applications of the phrasal verb 'break in' is a much more pleasant one that means 'to prepare someone for something' and is one that is heard particularly often in workplaces. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Employee Trainee Player Worker Starting a new job can be a difficult experience; there are new colleagues to meet, new systems to use, lots of new information to learn and new activities to carry out. As such, it can often take new employees several months to be able to do a job competently and without help from colleagues. We can often use the phrasal verb 'break someone in' these situations to describe when existing employees train or teach new employees and show them how to do a new job or role. To put this another way, 'to break someone in' means to prepare and train someone for a new job or activity that they will have to do. As I mentioned before, this is mainly in the workplace but it could potentially be used for any activity where someone is given help to adjust to a new environment or to get used to doing something difficult or demanding. As you may have already guessed, this application of 'break in' is separable and the name of the person undergoing the training or preparation can either go between 'break' and 'in' or after them. It took a few weeks to break the new employee in. Sarah is breaking in her replacement before she leaves the company. The senior nurse spent several days breaking the new staff members in. The coach used easier training sessions to break the younger players in. Life in the army quickly broke Jim in. The internship helped break students in before they started full-time work. By the end of the month, Sandra had been fully broken in and was working independently. Young players are often broken in slowly to help them adjust to professional football. MEANING 3: To prepare something for use Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To train, to prepare Separable? Yes The next application of the phrasal verb 'break in' that we will look at is one is similar to the previous one but it involves objects (and horses) rather than people and means 'to prepare something for use'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Shoes Equipment Car Engine Horse Like most people, I enjoy the feeling of having new shoes to wear but one thing that I do not like about this is how painful they can be when I first start wearing them. It normally takes several attempts at wearing them for increasingly longer periods of time before they no longer hurt to walk in. To describe this period of adjustment and preparation for use, we can use this third application of 'break in'. Just as we were looking at preparing people or employees to do a job in the previous application, in this one we are instead preparing things to be used for a specific purpose. Perhaps the most common noun that we use this with across the English speaking world is 'shoes' but it can also be used with any equipment or items that need a period of preparation or use in order to become fully functional. I need to break in these new shoes before the wedding. Kathy spent a week breaking in her hiking boots before the trek. The goalkeeper is still breaking in his new gloves. The saddle needs to be broken in before it becomes comfortable. This sofa will become more comfortable once it's been broken in. One surprising inclusion on the list of nouns that are commonly used with this application is 'horses'. Obviously, horses do not really count as equipment, however they have been used to carry out work for people for an estimated 5000 years and of course they will all need a certain amount of training and work before they can be used for riding or pulling vehicles etc. It takes patience and skill to break in a young horse. The trainer spent several months breaking the horse in. Kate is currently breaking in two horses for competition. Young horses are usually broken in gradually. The trainer is taking things slowly to avoid frightening the horse while breaking it in. There are also some other nouns that are used with this meaning of 'break in' in specific English speaking countries, rather than across the English-speaking world: 🇺🇸 In American English, it is common to talk about breaking a new car or vehicle in, meaning to use it slowly and carefully at first to avoid damaging the engine. Be careful not to confuse this meaning with 'to break into a car' from the first application. 🇦🇺 🇳🇿 In Australian and New Zealand English 'break in' is used to talk about preparing previously uncultivated ground in order to grow crops on it. MEANING 4: To interrupt something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To interrupt Separable? No The fourth and final of our applications of the phrasal verb 'break in' means 'to interrupt something' and can be used to talk about both conversations and activities. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Conversation Meeting Discussion We use this application most frequently when talking about conversations. To clarify, if someone stops a conversation that is already in progress in order to join it, we can say that they "broke in". Moreover, we can also use this for anything that can be interrupted by a person speaking or another sound, such as a breaking news bulletin interrupting a TV programme or radio show. Before I could finish my explanation, Tom broke in with a question. Lesley broke in to correct a mistake. Whenever someone tells a story, Shane always breaks in. The teacher broke in before the argument became too heated. The music was suddenly interrupted as a news bulletin broke in. For this meaning, we require the additional preposition 'on' to specify what was interrupted.... I'm sorry to break in on your conversation, but I need to ask a question. Marie broke in on the meeting with an urgent announcement. I hate to break in on your speech, but there's a phone call for you. The emergency alarm broke in on the ceremony. The announcer broke in on the concert to make a safety announcement. 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 'break in' more confidently and naturally. Feel free to leave any comments, feedback or your own sentences using 'break in' 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 'run out' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them. This post is all about the phrasal verb 'run out'. In it, I will explain its different meanings for you, with lots of example sentences, so that you can impress your English-speaking friends and family with your excellent skills. So, without further ado, let's make a start.... QUICK ANSWER: What does the phrasal verb 'run out' mean? The phrasal verb 'run out' has three main meanings: Literal meaning To have no more left of something To abandon someone Keep reading to learn the different ways to use them naturally! TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one) Run Out - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'run' and 'out' Run Out - Meaning 1: Literal Run Out - Bonus: To run out to the shops Run Out - Meaning 2: To have no more left of something Run Out - Bonus: To be out of something Run Out - Meaning 3: To abandon someone Run Out - Bonus: The idiom 'to run out of steam' Run Out - Bonus: Further questions for writing and speaking practice I love writing this blog and helping learners but I get very little feedback so I don't always know if it is helpful for you. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like and share it or leave a comment at the end. I would be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS RUN OUT: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 3 Past tense forms Ran out / Run out Separable? Rarely To begin, let's first consider the meaning of the base verb 'to run' and the particle 'out' and what they mean on their own. Firstly, we have the irregular verb 'to run', meaning to moving on foot at a speed faster than walking, with moments when neither foot is on the ground. In addition to this meaning of, it can also be used to mean 'to manage' (in terms of business) and 'to flow' (in terms of water and liquid) and 'to function (in terms of machines), among other uses. I run 5km at least twice a week to stay fit and healthy. Sophie ran past my house this morning. John runs a very successful printing business. The river runs alongside the road. All of the computers in the office are running. Next, we have the prepositional particle 'out', which is an enormously common word in English, with many meanings and applications. It functions as the natural opposite of 'in' and is used for all things to do with movement away from the inside of something and towards the external part of it and this meaning is often conveyed when 'out' is used in phrasal verb constructions. In addition to this, 'out' can also add the ideas of exhaustion (as I will explain later), appearance (come out), separation (sort out) and exclusion (leave out). So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'run out'.... MEANING 1: Literal Photo: Pixels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To escape, to flee, to pop to, to nip to, to dash Separable? Sometimes For our first meaning of 'run out', we are going to keep things literal and just consider what we get when we combine the these two words together, which is 'to leave an interior space by running'. This could either be to enter into another interior space or to go to an exterior space. Whilst this application can be used to talk about leaving a room, a building or other internal space quickly (i.e. by running and not walking), it is more often than not used by native speakers when referring to a sudden, dramatic or exciting exit. This could include an escape from somewhere, leaving a room quickly to vomit or chasing someone. Every day when I get home from work, my dog runs out of the house to greet me. The schoolchildren ran out of the classroom as soon as the lesson finished. People started running out of the sea when someone shouted "Shark!". If you were paying attention to the table at the beginning of the section, you will have noticed that this application of 'run out' can sometimes be used separably. In order to do this, we require a direct object in the sentence (which we do not have in the sentences above). Let's consider the next expression where we have a direct object between run and out. What do you think the meaning of the sentence could be? John ran Roger out of the city. In American English (and less so in British English), if we run someone out of a town or city, it means that we chase or force a person to leave a place, normally by threatening them. Other synonyms of this could be 'to drive away', 'to drive out' and 'to force out'. I guess in the past it was normal for people to chase after someone in order to make them leave their town or city, but nowadays (thankfully) it is not so common and therefore the usage of this is also much rarer. You may still hear this in American television shows and movies however, so it is always useful to know. The angry villagers ran the tax collector out of the village. We ran him out of town last week and he has not dared to come back since. Photo: Pixels BONUS: To run out to the shops It is possible to use 'run out to somewhere' to express when we need to go somewhere and back quickly. For example, imagine that you are preparing a dinner party for 5 guests and you realise that you have forgotten to buy dessert. You may then need to run out to the shop to buy a dessert. This does not mean that you are physically running to the shop, but rather that you are going there and back quickly (normally in a car). It is also common for people to drop the "out" so that they simply 'run to somewhere', however the meaning is the same with or without 'out'. This usage is perhaps more common in American English, with 'to pop to' or 'to nip to' being more common alternatives in British English. He has just run out to the post office to post a letter, he will be back shortly. I've forgotten to buy potatoes. I'm going to quickly run to the store to get some. MEANING 2: To have no more left of something Photo: Pixels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate ​Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To sell out, to exhaust, to use up, to expire, to have no more left Separable? No Our second meaning of 'run out' is the most commonly used and means 'to have no more left of something'. If you have heard 'to run out' in an English conversation, it is probable that you heard this idiomatic application. Nouns commonly used with this application: Money Energy Ideas Time Patience For this usage, we require the additional preposition 'of' to specify the thing that we do not have anymore, followed by a noun, giving us the construction to run out of something. We have run out of bread and milk. Many supermarkets ran out of toilet paper at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. My printer stopped working because it ran out of ink. Lucy wanted to bake cookies but realised she had run out of sugar. After hiking for hours, Sharon and Tracey ran out of water and had to turn back. The computer shop ran out of the new video game within an hour of opening. Since we use many different things in our lives, the list of possible nouns that can be used with this phrasal verb is very long, but common examples are money, food, energy, space, ideas, patience and options. Photo: Pixels Another very common noun that we use with this phrasal verb is 'time', normally when we have a deadline or future point in time before which something must be completed. Based on this idea of time and deadlines, we can also use 'run out' as a synonym for the verb "to expire", i.e. to express when the validity of something ends. Typical situations for this would be with a passport or a drivers license, which expire or run out on set dates. This phrasal verb can certainly be used in formal situations, however in very formal situations a different verb such as 'to exhaust' is definitely more suitable. I need to find a petrol station before I run out of petrol*! There are only 5 minutes left in the match; the England football team is running out of time to score another goal and win. Roger is running out of money fast, so he needs to find a job quickly! I've booked a holiday to Spain in April and I've just realised that my passport runs out in March! I hope I can renew it in time. * Petrol in British English is Gas in American English Photo: Pixels BONUS: To be out of something In informal conversations, it is also extremely common to simply drop the word 'run' and use the informal construction 'to be out of something' as a synonym. We need to stop, we are out of time. I'm afraid we are out of bread, sir. The next delivery will be tomorrow. A variation of this informal usage is 'to be all out of something'. Again, this is something that should only be used in informal conversations and situations: Oh no, we are all out of coffee! I will run out to the shop to get some. MEANING 3: To abandon someone Photo: Pixels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To abandon, to quit, to leave Separable? No Our third and final meaning of 'run out' means 'to abandon' and is normally used when someone leaves very quickly, suddenly or unexpectedly. Nouns commonly used with this application: Family Children Partner Job For this application, we are replacing the extra preposition 'of' with 'on', giving us the construction 'to run out on someone / something'. I imagine that you can probably guess, but this usage is reserved for dramatic and often traumatic life events for people, so thankfully it is not one that you will probably need in tour day to day English. It is definitely more of an informal usage and I would say that it is mainly used to talk about when someone suddenly leaves a relationship or a family. My ex-husband ran out on me and our 6-month old baby. Helen was so stressed that she ran out on her job and never went back. Tony ran out on his wife and 5 children to start a new family with his lover. He ran out on me last year and now he is begging me to take him back. Photo: Pixels IDIOM ALERT: To run out of steam Before I finish the post, I want to make you aware of a very common expression featuring the phrasal verb 'run out': 'to run out of steam'. We use this nice little saying to express when the progress of something slows down or stops because we lose energy or interest in something. The Scotland football team played brilliantly in the first half of the game but they ran out of steam in the second half. I was doing really well with the pre-Christmas baking but I ran out of steam and ended up sitting down for a coffee. Photo: Pixels QUESTIONS FOR WRITING & SPEAKING PRACTICE Have you ever run out of things to say when answering a job interview question? Did you get the job? Would you rather run out of gas for your heating on a cold day or electricity for your air conditioning on a hot day? Why? When was the last time that you ran out of patience (became angry) with someone? What happened? Do you think that we are running out of time to save the planet from climate change? How can we change the situation? Photo: Pixels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'run out'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'come about' 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 article is all about the English phrasal verb 'come about'. Have you ever heard of this one before? It is likely that you may not have done as this one is a rarer phrasal verb and it only has two main meanings. In this post, I will explain how you can use it to talk about different things including events, accidents and boats and how it can elevate your English and separate you from other English learners. As per usual, I will give you lots of example sentences to show you how to use each application. So, let's make a start and learn what 'come about' means.... QUICK ANSWER: What does the phrasal verb 'come about' mean? The phrasal verb 'come about' has two main meanings: To happen To change direction (boats) Keep reading to learn more about how to use each one! TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one) Come About - The Basics: Key information and the words 'come' & 'about' Come About - Meaning 1: To happen Come About - Meaning 2: To change direction (boats) 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 ABOUT: KEY INFORMATION Usage Medium Number of meanings 2 Past tense forms Came about / Come about Separable? No The phrasal verb 'come about' is made up of two really common words in English: the verb 'to come' and the particle 'about'. What exactly do these two words mean on their own and what do they add to the phrasal verbs that they form? Come - The verb 'to come' is an extremely common verb of movement in English that functions as the natural opposite of the verb 'to go'. We usually use the verb 'to come' to talk about a movement towards where the speaker is, was or will be. In addition to this, we can also use the verb 'to come' to mean 'to arrive' or 'to reach', 'to originate' and 'to happen' and all of these will feature to some degree in the meanings of the phrasal verb 'come about' that we will look at shortly. Don't forget that 'to come' is irregular and when it is found in phrasal verbs they are typically not separable. My parents are coming to my house later. When you come, can you bring me some milk. What time did you come to the party? My wife comes from Scotland. Monday comes before Tuesday. The news came as a shock. About - The prepositional particle 'about' is one that is found more rarely in phrasal verbs than some other particles. When it is used in phrasal verbs, it can add different ideas including wasting time (mess about), physical rotation (turn about), exploration (look about) and causing something to happen (bring about), among other meanings. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's take a look at the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'come about'.... MEANING 1: To happen Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To happen, to occur Separable? No The first of the two meanings of the phrasal verb 'come about' is by far the most common and means 'to happen' or 'to occur'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Incident Situation Accident Event I think that most of you would agree that life is rarely boring and there are things that are constantly happening, both good and bad, that keep things interesting. Consequently, the verbs 'to happen' and 'to occur' are probably words in your active vocabulary that you use all the time, however did you know that you can also use the phrasal verb 'come about' to mean the same thing?! If not, then I can confirm that you absolutely can use it to talk about things that happen or occur in life. Usually, we use this application of 'come about' to discuss or enquire what caused a situation to happen. Moreover, we can also use it to ask how or when something occurred or developed. For example, if you take a look at the picture above with the tree that has fallen on the car, it is possible that a native speaker would ask "how did this situation come about?" or in other words what caused the tree to end up on top of the car. You should know that speakers typically form this application in the following ways..... How did ________ come about? _______ came about because of / due to / when Come about + adverb See the examples of these below.... How did this mistake come about? How on Earth did this come about? You were supposed to be watching the children! Nobody is really sure how the accident came about. The opportunity to work abroad came about unexpectedly. The change in policy came about due to a change in government guidelines. A friendship between the two neighbours came about quite naturally. The problem came about because nobody checked the figures carefully. The couple's decision to move to Scotland came about after a holiday there last year. The misunderstanding came about when one of the emails was accidentally deleted. The idea for the new project came about during a discussion in a team meeting. Many important discoveries have come about by chance. Another slightly more formal way to use this application of 'come about' to give a reason for why a situation happened is to use the expression 'it came about that.....'. It came about that we had to cancel the meeting because several key people were unavailable. It came about that nobody in the business knew the answer, so we had to consult an expert. It came about that they became business partners after working together on a small project. It came about that the documents were sent to the wrong address. To conclude, most advanced English learners at your level are likely to know 'to happen' and 'to occur', however if you want to really set yourself apart and sound more like a native, then start using 'come about' as well 😀 MEANING 2: To change direction (boats) Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To turn Separable? No The second and final application of 'come about' that we will cover in this post is one that is used specifically in the nautical world, or in other words boats and ships, and means to 'change direction'. Note that this is only used in reference to smaller boats and yachts that rely on wind and sails to move and not an engine. To clarify, if a boat comes about, it changes the direction that its bow (front part) faces. This is done in response to the direction of the wind and the aim of making a boat come about is to re-position it so that the wind changes from one side of it to the other. This is chiefly done to enable a boat to keep moving when a boat is sailing into the direction of the wind. Interestingly, did you know that the reason that we use 'about' here and not 'around' is that in the past both of these words used to mean the same thing? While they are still sometimes interchangeable today, using 'about' to mean 'around' can often sound a little old-fashioned in modern English but it does still exist in expressions and phrasal verbs such as this! The captain told the crew to come about and head back towards the harbour. As the wind strengthened, the yacht came about and sailed towards the opposite shore. The sailors prepared to come about before reaching the rocks. The boat came about smoothly despite the rough conditions. We needed to come about in order to avoid another vessel. The skipper shouted, "Ready to come about!" After coming about, the yacht picked up speed on the new tack. The crew worked together quickly as the boat came about. 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 about' more confidently and naturally. Feel free to leave any comments, feedback or your own sentences using 'come about' 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 'get across' 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 'get across', which is a common phrasal verb that can be used to talk about crossing something physically or communicating ideas and information successfully. Unlike many phrasal verb posts with the verb 'to get', this one is relatively short as 'get across' only has two meanings! In this post, I will explain both of these meanings for you and give you example sentences for each one so that you know how and when to use them. So, let's make a start and learn what the phrasal verb 'get across' is all about.... QUICK ANSWER: What does the phrasal verb 'get across' mean? The phrasal verb 'get across' has two main meanings in English: To move from one side of something to the other To communicate ideas or information successfully TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one) Get Across - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'get' & 'across' Get Across - Meaning 1: To move from one side to the other Get Across - Meaning 2: To communicate information or ideas successfully I love writing this blog & helping learners but I receive very little feedback as to how useful it is or if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I'd be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS GET ACROSS: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 2 Past tense forms Got across / Got across - gotten across Separable? Yes As per usual, let's start the post by taking a look at the words that form our phrasal verb of choice, which in this case are the verb 'to get' and the prepositional particle 'across'. Get - The verb 'to get' needs no introduction from me as it is extremely common in English. It can be quite a tricky verb for learners as it has a huge number of meanings and applications in English. In fact, I'm sure you could dedicate an entire blog to its different meanings but let's just concentrate on phrasal verbs for now! Some of the main meanings of 'to get' include 'to receive', 'to understand' and 'to fetch' but the meaning that is most relevant for this phrasal verb is 'to reach or arrive somewhere'. It is important to note that 'to get' is an irregular verb with two accepted past participles; 'got' is used more in British English and 'gotten' is preferred in American English. I got a letter in the post today. I don't get this grammar point; could you explain it for me? My Dad has gone to get some bread from the shop. What time did you get home last night? Across - The prepositional particle 'across' is not one that is seen in many phrasal verbs. On its own it is used to talk about moving from one side of something to the other (an idea that we will revisit shortly) or to talk about the other side of something. This meaning is also transferred to phrasal verbs and in addition to this, 'across' can add the ideas of discovery (come across), communication (put across) and distribution (spread across). So, now that we have looked at the basics, let's move on to the meanings of the phrasal verb 'get across'.... MEANING 1: To move from one side to the other Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To go across, to cross, to traverse Separable? No The first of our two meanings of the phrasal verb 'get across' is the literal meaning that we get when we combine the two words 'get' and 'across', which is 'to move from one side of something to the other'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Bridge Road River City At first glance, this meaning is probably quite obvious to you and should not need much explanation, however there is an element of nuance that is involved with this first meaning of 'get across' that you should be aware of. As I stated, we use this literal application to talk about being situated on one side of something e.g. a river or road, and moving across so that we are on the other side of it. In addition to 'get across', there are several other verbs that we can use to describe this same action in English, with 'go across' being the most obvious and common one. You should note here however that 'get across' and 'go across' are not always used interchangeably and this is the nuance that you should know.... We use 'go across' to talk about a simple movement across something where there are no difficulties or obstacles e.g. the car is going across the bridge. On the other hand, we use 'get across' in situations where we are not able to cross something or if there are obstacles or difficulties in doing so. Consequently, this application can often be found in negative statements and questions. Example sentences of 'get across'.... We managed to get across the river before it started to rain. It took the turtles hours to get across the busy highway safely. The children tried to get across the narrow bridge one by one. Jonathan swam hard to get across to the other side of the lake. We couldn’t get across the river because the current was too strong. Martin couldn’t get across to the island without a boat. Getting across the city during rush hour can take a long time! Were you able to get across the road safely? How did she get across the bridge in that weather? So, to summarise, if you want to talk about crossing something in a normal way, use 'go across' and if you want to say that there difficulties and doubts about the crossing or if you weren't able to cross something, 'get across' is better 😀 MEANING 2: To communicate information or ideas successfully Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To communicate, to put across Separable? Yes Now we come to the second meaning of 'get across', which is the true phrasal verb application and means 'to communicate information successfully'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Information Idea Point Message Isn't it really annoying when you try to explain something to somebody and they just do not understand what you are trying to tell them. In these frustrating situations, it is very common to use this application as you can say that you are unable to 'get the information across'. To clarify this, if you get information across to someone, you succeed in making them understand it. This is not just used in an educational or learning sense but also when you want to make another person understand an important practical piece of information or how you feel about something. Two nouns that are commonly used in collocation with this application of 'get across' are 'message' and 'point'. We use both of these to talk about conveying a key piece of information to someone or to people in general. IS GET ACROSS A SEPARABLE VERB? On a grammatical note, this meaning of the phrasal verb get across' is separable and I would say is used more commonly in a separable way in everyday language. Example sentences of 'get across'.... The politician explained the idea well and really got it across to the audience. The teacher used simple examples to get the concept across. Ben struggled at first, but he eventually got his point across. The campaign video got the message across effectively. It’s hard to get your feelings across in a short email. Dean couldn’t get his idea across clearly during the meeting. The instructions didn’t really get across to the students what they needed to do. Becky tried to explain, but she didn’t get her point across. The advert failed to get the message across. Do you think the speaker got the main point across? So, now that you have read that, did I get the message across well about the phrasal verb 'get across'? 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 'get across' 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. 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