An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'call off' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native. Many of you will be familiar with the English phrasal verb 'call off', but do you know all of he different ways that it is used? In this article, I will explain the different meanings that it has and provide you with lots of examples of it being used in context to help you to learn and use them in English. So, without further ado, let's make a start. Don't forget to leave a comment at the end! 😊 TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Call Off - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'call' and 'off' Call Off - Meaning 1: To cancel something Call Off - Bonus: What is the difference between 'call off' and 'cancel'? Call Off - Meaning 2: To take a day off work 🇺🇸 Call Off - Meaning 3:To stop an attack Call Off - Meaning 4: To request shipment of a bulk order 👔 I love writing this blog & helping learners but I receive very little feedback as to how useful it is or if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I'd be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS CALL OFF: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 4 Past tense forms Called off / Called off Separable? Yes To begin our exploration of the phrasal verb 'call off', let's first examine the individual words 'call' and 'off' and what they mean individually. The verb 'to call' is a common English verb, which has several key meanings that are all ultimately to do with using your voice. The first of these is to give someone a name or to say what you consider someone or something to be. My parents were going to call me Lionel but they changed their minds and called me David instead. I live in the UK, so I do not call a temperature of 10° cold. He called me intelligent and of course he is correct! The other main meaning of the verb 'to call' is to use your voice in order to get someone's attention, usually to give them a message. This usage has developed over time to include using a telephone and more recently cellphones and computers to communicate with other people over long distances. Somebody called me when I was walking down the street but when I turned around there was nobody there. I will call you tonight to see how you are. Next, we have the prepositional particle 'off', which you will undoubtedly be very familiar with already. 'Off' functions in English as the natural opposite of 'on' and can be used to talk about things that are not functioning or cancelled, amongst many other things. When used in phrasal verb constructions, 'off' can be used to add different ideas, which include completion, separation and departure. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's take a look at the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'call off'.... MEANING 1: To cancel something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To cancel Separable? Yes The first meaning of 'call off' that we will examine in this post is the one that many of you will already be familiar with as it is the most common of its uses and means 'to cancel something'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Deal Event Search Concert Wedding Match / Game Talks Party This usage is a relatively modern one as it was first recorded in English in the late 19th century and so is still a youngster in the vocabulary world. One of the many meanings of 'off' is to describe when a planned event, agreement or deal is no longer going to happen (as opposed to 'on' when an organised event is happening as planned). When you combine this idea with the idea of someone calling, or rather announcing, that an event is not going ahead, it brings us to the idea of cancellation. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 'CALL OFF' AND 'CANCEL'? When we use this application of 'call off', we are essentially saying that a person decides that something planned or scheduled will not happen and this is therefore a synonym of the verb 'to cancel'. The party has been called off on Saturday as John has Covid. We are going to have to call the meeting with the supplier off as none of us will be free on that day. In many cases, 'call off' and 'cancel' are interchangeable and could be used in the same sentences without any change in meaning or nuance. Nouns that can typically be used with either of these include planned or organised public events, meetings, business deals, sports fixtures, matches, weddings and parties. Roger and Helen's wedding has been called off and nobody knows why! The planned concert was called off when several members of the band came down with food poisoning. Due to the adverse weather conditions, we regret to inform you that today's football match has been called off. Despite this huge overlap and interchangeability, I think that the scope of the verb 'to cancel' is a bit wider than 'call off' and there are some instances where we tend to use cancel but not 'call off' as it would sound a bit strange. This would typically be for appointments, such as with a hairdresser or a doctor and commercial orders of goods and services from a company, so avoid using 'call off' with these, especially with the orders as this could be mistaken for another meaning that we will look at later in the post! Lastly, this application of 'call off' can also be used to mean 'to stop something', or 'to order something to stop'. This is normally for something that is in progress and typically would be heard with nouns such as investigation, enquiry, search and work*. When used in this way, I would use 'call off' rather than 'cancel' as it sounds more natural to my ears. Call off the search, we have found the body! The chief inspector of the police ordered the investigation to be called off when new evidence was presented. The subcontractor called off the work as he had a dispute with his customer. *Work in this sense refers to specific work that a professional does rather than a person's job. Note that we use the definite article (the) for work being done and no article when referring to a person's general job that they do every day. MEANING 2: To take a day off work Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? North American English Potential synonyms To call in sick Separable? No The next meaning of 'call off' is one that most of us have had to do at one time or another when we have to take a day off work and that is to call your employer to advise them that you are not going to be there that day. This may be because you are sick, because a member of your family or a pet is sick, someone close to you has died or perhaps you just want a day off; the reason for the absence is not important, the main idea is the communication to your work to advise them that you won't be there that day. I may be wrong here but this usage does seem to me to be much more American than British as I personally would use the alternative 'to call in sick' in this instance. However, with that being said, I am very familiar with the usage and the meaning is completely clear to me as a native British English speaker. Call off work today and come with us to the beach! If you need to call off work for any reason, please contact your line manager as early as possible on the day in question. David has a meeting with HR next week as he has called off work three times already this month and hasn't really given any valid reasons. MEANING 3: To stop an attack Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To desist, to summon away Separable? Yes This third usage of 'call off' is an advanced usage that continues the ideas of stopping or cancelling something that we looked at earlier in the post and it specifically means 'to stop an attack'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Attack Troops Dog To clarify, this does not mean to stop an attack by putting up a good defence and repelling your attacker in classic Bruce Lee style, but rather when someone senior on the attacker's side demands that an attack is stopped. This would typically be a person of high rank in the armed forces, a senior statesman or head of state. Interestingly, this usage is actually far older than the previous ones that we have looked at and dates back to at least the early 17th century when the nature of warfare was, in many ways, very different to how it is today. Call off the troops, this conflict it pointless! The King saw that his army was losing and decided to call of the attack. Sadly, in the modern world we still have too much pointless war, however from the perspective of everyday language, it is perhaps more likely that you will come across this usage in reference to aggressive people or dogs. If a dog is aggressive and attacks another dog, a human or other animal, the owner will likely be asked or demanded to call off the dog and make it stop the attack. The same can be said with humans, if you are being threatened by another person or they are attacking you, we can use call off to ask someone who exerts some influence over them to ask them to stop the attack. Simon pleaded with the gangster boss for him to call his men off and to stop threatening him for the money. The dog was biting my leg and when I asked its to call his dog off, he ignored me! MEANING 4: To request shipment of a bulk order Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Business English Potential synonyms To ship, to part ship Separable? Yes The fourth and final meaning of 'call off' that I will explain to you in this post is a rare one that is used specifically in the commercial world and means to request the shipment of a bulk order. This usage is one that you may come across if you ever work for a company that sells to or purchases from a company in an English-speaking country. To clarify this, a bulk order is an order of a large quantity of products in one single transaction. Often, companies place these orders at a cheaper price and do not take delivery of all of the goods at one time. Instead, they request or 'call off' specific quantities that they require at different times until the order has been fulfilled. For example, the company Phrasal Verbs Ltd needs some new stock of English dictionaries and places a bulk order for 1000 x copies with their supplier at a discounted rate. The small warehouse at Phrasal Verbs Ltd only has enough space for 250 dictionaries, so it is not possible for them to take delivery of all 1000 x units at that time. Instead, they call the order off at a later date when they need more dictionaries and keep calling it off until they have received all 1000 copies. We will place the order with you and call the other units off and when we need them. The customer has asked to call off the rest of their order but they need to pay their overdue invoice first. Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'call off'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'look 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 familiar are you with the phrasal verb 'look out'? I am sure that many of you have heard it before, perhaps as a warning or in its noun form, however do you know the different ways that it can be used in English? In this post, I will explain the various meanings and applications that it has in everyday English, with lots of examples to help you understand, learn and use them. So, without further ado, let's make a start! Don't forget to leave a comment at the end 😀 TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Look Out - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'look' and 'out' Look Out - Meaning 1: To view somewhere from an internal space Look Out - Meaning 2: To try to notice something Look Out - Bonus: To be on the lookout / keep a lookout Look Out - Meaning 3: To alert someone to danger Look Out - Meaning 4: To search for and find something 🇬🇧 Look Out - Meaning 5: To act selfishly Look Out - Meaning 6: To give a view to something Look Out - Bonus: Lookout as a noun 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 LOOK OUT: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 6 Past tense forms Looked out / Looked out Separable? Sometimes As per usual, let's start our exploration of our nominated phrasal verb 'look out' by considering the words 'look' and 'out' and what they mean on their own. Firstly, we have the verb 'to look', which is a common verb whose main meaning is to direct your eyes in a certain direction or towards a specific thing in order to see it. Look at my new shoes. Aren't they amazing?! She looked at me and smiled. Additionally, 'to look' can also be used without a direct object (intransitively), specifically to refer to how something or someone appears. You don't look very well. Do you feel ill? Lisa's new haircut looks lovely. It really suits her. It is often combined with prepositional particles to form phrasal verb constructions, which have meanings that can range from simply adding directional information about where the person is looking, to less obvious, idiomatic meanings (this is English, after all). One such prepositional particle is 'out', which you will all of course be very familiar with as it is such a common word in the English language. When used an an adverb and preposition, 'out' typically refers to a state of being in, or moving towards, an external space and therefore functions as the natural opposite of the particle 'in'. When used in phrasal verbs, 'out' can often add ideas of revelation, distribution, removal or appearance, among others. So, now that we have looked at the basics, let's move on to the main event, i.e. meanings of the phrasal verb 'look out' 🙂 MEANING 1: To view somewhere from an internal space Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To view out, to peer out Potential antonyms To look in Separable? No The first meaning of the phrasal verb 'look out' that we will cover is a nice and easy one as it is just the literal meaning of the combination of the two words i.e. to look from an internal space out to an external place. For this first usage, the most obvious and commonly used example would be looking out through a window from the inside of a building to the outside. The first thing I did this morning when I woke up was look out of the window to see if it had snowed overnight. Sometimes, I get so bored in business meetings that I find myself looking out at the people on the street, rather than listening to what is being said. Of course, we can use this application when talking about looking out of any internal space from which people can view the outside and this would typically include things like cars, planes and other types of transport in which people are inside. John looked out from the plane and saw a mass of white cloud below it. The dog looked out of the car window in fascination. You may have noted from the examples in this section that one of the additional prepositions 'of' or 'from' is normally used before the noun with this application. Out of the two of these, I would say that 'of' is definitely more commonly used than 'from'. These are also omitted in informal spoken English, especially British English. The dog looked out the car window in fascination. MEANING 2: To try to notice something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To beware, to watch out, keep an eye out for, to keep your eyes peeled, to be alert Separable? No For the second meaning of 'look out', we require the additional preposition 'for' as the construction 'to look out for' means to try and notice something. When we use this, it doesn't mean that we want people to stop what they are doing and search for something in the present moment, but rather that we want them to remain alert and vigilant for something in case they see it or come across it. The usage can be applied in many different areas of life but here are some typical scenarios when you are likely to hear it... When you lose something - If you lose something, you might tell people what you have lost and ask them to let you know if they see it, or ideally give it back to you if they do find it. I've lost my favourite pen. Please could you look out for it and if you do see it, please return it to me. Criminals / danger - If we are ever in a place where there are criminals or where we may potentially face danger, we could be warned to look out for it. Look out for pickpockets on the underground trains. Disease symptoms - If you think that you may have a disease or if a disease is prevalent, you may be told to look out for certain symptoms. For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic, people were advised to look out for such symptoms as a loss of taste and smell and a persistent cough. Look out for a rash that does not disappear under pressure. Desired item - If you want to buy something rare, scarce or in limited supply from a shop or store, you may say that you will look out for it or a nice person may look out for it for you. I'll look out for some of that Manuka honey for you and buy it if I see it. Aside from these uses, this application of 'look out' can be used for any situations in which you need to remain alert or vigilant for something. BONUS: To be on the lookout / to keep a lookout In addition to the phrasal verb, 'lookout' also exists as a noun (more on this later in the post). There are a couple of common expressions that can be used with this noun which mean the same thing as the application of 'look out' in this section: "to be on the lookout for" and "to keep a lookout for something". I am on the lookout for a new sofa for my living room, so if you know anywhere that sells them at a good price, let me know. My cat hasn't been home for two days, so please keep a lookout for him in your gardens and kindly tell me if you see him. MEANING 3: To alert someone to danger Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Lower intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To be careful, to watch out, to beware Separable? No In the last section, I explained how 'look out' can be used to mean to remain vigilant or alert in a potentially dangerous or hazardous place and this third usage is simply an extension of that as it means to alert someone to danger. Unlike most other phrasal verb meanings, this particular usage only really tends to exist as an imperative, i.e. to give someone a command or a warning and therefore it is often shouted or said in a loud voice. The reason being is that it is something that we say spontaneously when we see that someone is in immediate danger of being injured or killed. Look out! There is a car coming! Look out you idiot! You almost got yourself killed! The man saw that the tiles were about to be blown off the roof by the strong winds and he quickly shouted "look out" to the people standing underneath it to alert them to the danger. MEANING 4: To search for and find something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? British Potential synonyms To find out, to get out, to find, to dig out Separable? Yes The fourth meaning of 'look out' is a primarily British usage that means to search for and find something, normally with the intention of showing it to someone. This application is really a cross between the two phrasal verbs 'look for' and 'get out' as it combines elements of both of them; looking for the item and then getting it out of the place that it is stored, which is normally somewhere in your home amongst your possessions. On a grammatical note, unlike the previous meanings of 'look out' that we have looked at so far in this post, this usage takes a direct object (the item that you are searching for to get out) and this usage is therefore separable, with the direct object going either between 'look' and 'out' or after them. I will look the photos of your parents out for when you come to see me the next time. John looked out his driving license from his desk and presented it to the policeman. I have got a spare phone charger if you need one. I'll go and look it out now in the bedroom. MEANING 5: To act selfishly Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To be selfish, to care for Separable? No For the fifth meaning of 'look out', we need to enlist the additional particle 'for' again. This time however, instead of looking out for something, we are instead looking out for someone, which can either be ourselves or another person. If we look out for ourselves (note the usage here with the reflexive -self pronoun), then it means that we are prioritising our own interests and ignoring others peoples needs and requirements. This is of course something that we all need to do in life from time to time, however if people look out for themselves too much, it can be perceived as selfishness and therefore 'to look out for yourself' can often be used to mean to be selfish, self-serving or egotistical. You need to stop doing everything for your children and look out for yourself for a change. Alan has already gone and didn't offer to give anyone a lift. He's just looking out for himself again, as per usual. Marie accused Helen of only ever looking out for herself and not caring about what anybody else wanted. It is also common to use the word 'own + noun' instead of the reflexive '-self' pronoun here, and examples of these nouns could be family, career, job and perhaps most commonly and generically, interests. Roger was just looking out for his own family and didn't really give any consideration to anyone else. Debbie will always look after her own interests first. Some people say she is selfish but I think she is sensible. Interestingly, if we change the reflexive pronoun or 'own' noun from ourselves to another person, then the meaning completely changes to the opposite. If you look out for someone, it means that you care a lot about them and you always try to make sure that they are safe and do not come to harm. This is not quite the same meaning as 'looking after someone' as you are not caring for their needs all the time, but rather you are more watching from a distance, much like an aunt or uncle would, and you will always be there to help if they have a problem. I've been looking out for you ever since you were a little boy. Will you look out for Calum this week whilst we are away on holiday? He's fine to look after himself, but I just want to be be sure there is someone around in case he has any problems. MEANING 6: To give a view to something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere but more American Potential synonyms To face, to overlook, to afford Separable? No The final meaning of 'look out' that we will cover is one that means 'to give a view to something' and is used specifically for buildings. Nouns commonly used with this application.... View Sea Ocean Mountain Valley Field Church I know that this may sound strange as the verb 'to look' is one that is normally only ever used for something with eyes, however this is not always the case. If a building looks out to something, such as the sea, then it means it affords (gives) a view of the sea when you are inside it. As such, you are likely to see this in property listings and holiday brochures as it is a great way to sell somewhere because we all love a beautiful view! For this usage, we require the additional preposition 'to' to specify the thing that can be seen from the building. The house looks out to the rainforest on three sides. This 18th Century country cottage looks out to views of rolling hills and green fields. When I was growing up, my house looked out to mountains on one side and the ocean on the other. I was so lucky! Photo: Pexels BONUS: The noun 'lookout' I mentioned earlier in the post that the noun 'lookout' can be used in certain expressions and before I finish the post, I just want to make you aware of a couple of other meanings that it has as a noun... Lookout as a place - In British and Australian English, the noun 'lookout' is used to mean a place where you can go to see beautiful views. This is normally somewhere elevated, such as up a mountain or hill, from which you can see for a long distance, often in different or all directions. Lookout as a person - The noun lookout can also be used to describe a person who has been designated to watch for any danger or trouble and who can then alert the rest of the community. It is not really something that we use or need in our everyday lives now, however it can still be heard when talking about history, in literature and in tv shows and movies. 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. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'look 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 'go down' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context. Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native. 'Go down' is an English phrasal verb with a wide variety of different meanings and applications. In this post, I will explain to you the main meanings that it has, including when prices go down, when a computer goes down and when something goes down in history. In addition to this, I will also give you some other expressions and idioms that it features and, as always, a lot of examples in context to help your understanding. So, without further ado, let's make a start! Don't forget to leave a comment at the end! 😊 TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Go Down - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'go' and 'down' Go Down - Meaning 1: To move to a lower place or level Go Down - Bonus: To go down the street Go Down - Meaning 2: To be reduced Go Down - Bonus: To go downhill Go Down - Meaning 3: To stop functioning temporarily Go Down - Meaning 4: To be remembered in a certain way Go Down - Meaning 5: To be defeated Go Down - Meaning 6: To get a positive or negative reaction from someone Go Down - Meaning 7: To happen Go Down - Meaning 8: To go to prison 🇬🇧 Go Down - Bonus: Additional uses of 'go 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 GO DOWN: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 8 Past tense forms Went down / Gone down Separable? No Before looking at the meanings of any phrasal verb, I always think that it is worthwhile considering the individual words on their own as this can often help give some much needed logic to some of the more abstract phrasal verb meanings. Let's begin then with our base verb 'to go', which is among the most frequently used English verbs and functions both as a main verb and an auxiliary verb when forming the future tense 'going to'. At its core, this verb is all about movement from one place to another, specifically when it is away from where the speaker is. This is something that certainly influences the phrasal verb meanings that we will look at shortly. I am going to the cinema this evening. She went to shop to buy some milk. Next, we have the versatile prepositional particle 'down', which can be used as a preposition, adverb, adjective, verb and noun in English. It's primary meaning is to talk about movement towards a lower place or the state of being in a lower place than something else and this idea is often carried across to 'down' phrasal verbs. In addition to this principal meaning, 'down' can also convey the ideas of reduction, interruption and settling to phrasal verbs, among other ideas. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's take a look at the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'go down'.... MEANING 1: To move to a lower place or level Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To sink, to drop, to fall, to descend Potential antonyms To go up, to rise, to ascend Let's start things off nice and easy with the literal meaning of the combination of the words 'go' and 'down', which is simply to move to a lower place or level. This first meaning can be used for any movement from a higher place to a lower place and therefore has an enormous number and variety of applications in everyday English. It is used purely to talk about the action of physically moving in a downwards direction when the method of movement e.g. walking, climbing, falling is not important. Remember here that this is used when the movement is in the direction away from where the speaker is. For direction towards where the speaker is, we use 'to come'. I am just going down to reception on the ground floor to meet the visitors. She went down the stairs and into the cellar to fetch some wood. John has gone down to the village in the valley to buy some supplies. In addition to the general idea of moving in a downwards direction, 'go down' is regularly heard with the following common nouns... Sun - In the evening, when the sun is setting and moving towards the horizon before eventually disappearing, we say that it is going down. My fiancé asked me to marry him on the beach as the sun was going down. It was so romantic! We had to wait for the sun to go down before we could set off our fireworks. Airplane - If an airplane, helicopter or other flying machine goes down, it means that it accidentally crash lands on the ground. The helicopter went down at around 11am this morning and investigators have been trying to identify what happened ever since. A small airplane has gone down between Longville and Smithston but luckily nobody on board was harmed. Ship - Similar to an airplane, if we say that a ship, boat or other mode of water transport has gone down, it means that is has sunk. The Titanic went down shortly after hitting an iceberg. The captain refused to leave his beloved boat and he went down with his ship. One other key usage of this first application that I want to to make you aware of is that 'go down' is also used as a synonym for the verb 'to swallow'. Quite literally, when we swallow something, it goes down from our mouths to our stomachs, so for once we have a rare logical usage for a phrasal verb! Mmmmm that casserole went down really well. It was delicious! I can never get tablets to go down and almost choke every time that I take one. BONUS: To go down the street You should also be aware that 'go down' can often be used by native speakers to refer to a general movement from one place to another, without any particular slope, descent or downwards movement involved. This is mainly heard with the words 'road' or 'street' to talk about movement along it but it can also be used for movement from one place to another that is further south. Using 'go down' in this way will definitely help your English to sound native! Roger was walking down the street when he saw his wife holding hands with another man. To get to the library, just go down this road for about half a kilometre and turn right by the church. Are you going down to London to see your cousins this weekend? MEANING 2: To be reduced CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To decrease, to reduce, to lower, to degrade Potential antonyms To increase Following on from our first meaning of 'go down', the second should be quite logical for you as it means 'to be reduced'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Price Rate Level Percentage Quality Condition Swelling Perhaps most commonly, this usage refers to numbers, prices and percentages and specifically when they become lower compared to what they were at an earlier time. 'Go down' tends to be used for these when there is no human intervention in the decrease or reduction in level and it happens naturally or organically. The crime rate in New York has gone down by 10% over the last decade. Following a government announcement, the wholesale price of gas has gone down, meaning that these reduced costs can be transferred to customers in the form of lower energy bills. The number of people on the hospital waiting list is expected to go down over the next month. Another noun that this second application of 'go down' is used with is 'quality'. When the condition or the quality of something is seen to be reduced or to be worse than it was previously, we can say that it has gone down. This can theoretically be used for anything that we can form a qualitative opinion on, i.e. how good or bad we think that something is. and typically you will hear native speakers using it to describe things like cities, places, restaurants and businesses. I think that the standard of pop music has gone down over the past twenty years or so. The quality of the food in the restaurant went down a lot when the new owners took over, so we stopped going there. BONUS: To go downhill In addition to saying that something has 'gone down' when the quality of it is not as good as before, there is also an idiomatic expression that is often used by native speakers to mean the same thing, particularly in British English and that is 'to go downhill'. The city centre went downhill during the 1980s but it has received a lot of investment in recent years and it is now much better again. The customer service at that company has gone downhill. It's not as good as it used to be. One final noun that I want to include in this section is actually more to do with health than numbers or levels and is used specifically for swelling. Imagine that you fall over and hurt your ankle and over the next 24 hours it swells and grows in size. When it eventually starts to heal and become smaller again, we say that the swelling is going down. The swelling should go down after a week or so but if it doesn't please come back and see me. I was bitten by a mosquito on my eyelid. It swelled up to an enormous size and didn't go down again for days. MEANING 3: To stop functioning temporarily Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To crash The third meaning of 'go down' is one that affects many of us more often than we would like and that is to stop functioning temporarily. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Computer Internet Phone (line) Network System This usage is primarily used with equipment and services, particularly in the sphere of computers and IT where services are available for us to use all of the time. The idea behind this usage comes from the idea that when a service is running and in operation, we say that it is 'up' (or sometimes 'up and running). As 'up' is the natural opposite of 'down', if the computer or service stops working, then we can say that is goes down. Lisa's computer went down whilst she was in the middle of writing an important report for work. The internet went down at work yesterday, so we were all sent home as we had nothing to do. Due to a powerful storm, the phone network has gone down and it is impossible to make phone calls. MEANING 4: To be remembered in a certain way Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To be remembered as Potential antonyms To be forgotten The fourth meaning of 'go down' is one to describe anything that is monumental, noteworthy or incredible as it means to be remembered or recorded in a certain way. Normally, this is because it is something that is unprecedented or is noteworthy for a particular reason, whether that be good or bad. For this application to make sense, one of two additional words needs to be used: 'as' or 'in'. We use 'to go down as' when we want to say that something is remarkable and unforgettable and this is often followed by a superlative. Queen's performance at Live Aid went down as one of the greatest live shows of all time. This race that we have seen this evening will go down as one of the most thrilling we have ever seen at the Olympics. To give you a bit of background on this usage, another, rarer meaning of 'go down' is to be written or recorded on paper or books and this brings us to the other alternative 'go down in' as this is usually followed by 'history' or 'the history books', meaning that the notable event in question will be recorded in books for people to read about in years to come. The year 2020 will go down in history as the year that the world came to a standstill due to the pandemic. Obama went down in the history books as being the first black president of the United States. MEANING 5: To be defeated Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To win, to conquer Potential antonyms To lose The fifth meaning of 'go down' is to be defeated or to lose something and is used primarily in the world of sport and competitions. Although 'go down' is used as a direct synonym of the verb 'to lose', I would say that it is used much more rarely in this respect and can often sound a bit dramatic. I would be less inclined to use it when just talking about an ordinary football match or tennis game etc, and perhaps more when there is an element of shock or importance attached to the defeat. When using this application to talk about a defeat, the preposition 'to' is usually required to specify the winning team. Liverpool went down 2-1 to Bayern Munich in the game last night. Novak Djokovic went down in the Wimbledon final to Roger Federer. Sometimes, this application of 'go down' is used as a threat to someone to say that you will defeat them in a game, match or fight before it happens. You're going down in the match tonight! This usage has also given rise to the commonly used expression: 'to not go down without a fight', which means regardless of whether or not you win or lose a competition, game or battle, you will give your best efforts to win and will not make it easy for your opponent. This is often used by the underdog i.e. the person or team expected to lose the competition. O a darker note, in addition to sport and games, this can also be used in war and with people who have a terminal illness. I know that my cancer is incurable but I refuse to go down without a fight. Karen was unfairly fired by her company and has vowed to take them to court as she is not going down without a fight. MEANING 6: To get a positive or negative reaction from someone Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To be received, to elicit a reaction The sixth meaning of 'go down' that we will look at in this post is an informal usage which means 'to get a positive or negative reaction from someone'. To clarify this usage, let's consider an example. Imagine that the love of your life asks you to marry them and naturally you say yes. You then have to tell your parents and hopefully, provided that they like your partner, they will be happy about it, in which case we can say that it went down well with them. Alternatively, if they are not happy about the engagement and they reacted negatively to the news, we cay say that it did not go down well with them. Here are some more examples of this.... I handed in my resignation to my boss today and it not go down well at all. He was really annoyed that I have decided to leave the company. Did you tell John that you wanted to break up with him? How did the news go down? We told our young son that we are moving to California and it went down really well with him. He is very excited about starting school there and making new friends. Not only do we use this for people's reactions to news or announcements, we can also use 'go down' with performances, meals or anything that people can like, dislike, or in other words, have a positive or negative reaction towards. The meal I cooked for my husband's family went down very well. Everyone had a second helping! The singer's recent performance did not go down well with fans who said that his voice is not as good as it used to be. Lastly, we often use the nouns 'treat' or 'storm' to describe when people react very positively to something or enjoy it a lot. I made a cake and took it into my office this week. It went down a storm with my colleagues and they are asking me when I am going to make another! I showed your video to my parents. It really went down a treat with them and they enjoyed it a very much. MEANING 7: To happen Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere but more American Potential synonyms To happen, to go on The seventh meaning of 'go down' is another informal one that is mainly used in American English and means 'to happen'. This application tends to be used in a very general sense, such as to ask what has happened in the past or what is happening at the present moment in a very similar way to the phrasal verb 'go on' in the expression "what's going on?". As I said, this is very much a slang usage, so I would not recommend using this in any kind of formal or professional situation. Do you know what is going down at the park? There are police cars and ambulances parked everywhere by the gates! I'm intrigued to find out what goes down at this nightclub that you go to every week. Why do you like it so much? Simon refuses to talk about what went down in the bar last night. MEANING 8: To go to prison CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? British English Potential synonyms To be imprisoned, to be sent down, to go to jail, to get banged up We are now at the last of the main meanings of the phrasal verb 'go down' that we will look at in this post and this one is another informal one that means to be sent to prison. This is a British English usage and refers specifically to when a criminal is convicted of a crime and must spend time in jail as a punishment. This usage is typically followed by the period of time that the criminal will have to spend there. Maureen's husband has been convicted of armed robbery and has gone down for six months. The serial killer went down for life for his disgusting crimes. Photo: Pexels BONUS: Additional uses of 'go down' As a result of how common the words 'go' and 'down' are in the English language, there are a great number of other more specific uses of 'go down' that exist in everyday language. I didn't want to make this post too long, so I've condensed these down into one section for you... Lights - If we say that the lights go down, it means that they becomes dimmer or less bright and this is typically used to describe when this happens at the beginning of a show or performance in a theatre, cinema or concert. Curtains - Staying with the theatrical theme, if we say that the curtains go down, we are specifically referring to when the curtain in a theatre is lowered at the end of a performance. Knees - To go down on your knees means to lower your body so that you are in a kneeling position, i.e. the bottom half of your legs are flat against the floor whilst the rest of your body is upright, as can often be seen with people praying in a church. All fours - If someone goes down on all fours, it means that they lower their body so that both their hands and knees are on the ground, for example you may need to go down on all fours to clean the floor, to crawl or to get underneath something low. Pub - If you are in the UK and somebody asks you if you are going down the pub, don't worry as this is nothing to worry about; it is simply an informal way to ask if you are going to the pub for a drink. Temperature - If the temperature goes down, it gets cooler or colder. Drain - If water or liquid goes down a drain, it simply means that it drains away, normally into a pipe or sewage system. You should note however that 'to go down the drain' is a common idiom in English that means to be wasted. It is usually used with such nouns as time, money, effort and work. To go down on someone - Lastly, the expression 'to go down on someone' is a slightly euphemistic way of saying performing oral sex on someone. Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'go down'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'cut 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. 'Cut out' is a useful English phrasal verb with a number of different meanings and uses. Do not fear though as despite these different meanings, many of them share a common theme. In this post, I will explain all of these different meanings for you, from removing something from its surroundings to excluding someone from something and dieting. Furthermore, I will give you lots of examples in context to help you understand and use them. So, without further ado, let's get started! Don't forget to leave a comment at the end 😊 TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Cut Out - The Basics: Key information & the individual words 'cut' and 'out' Cut Out - Meaning 1: To remove something by cutting Cut out - Bonus: The noun 'cutout' Cut Out - Meaning 2: To delete something Cut Out - Meaning 3: To exclude someone from something Cut Out - Meaning 4: To stop eating or doing something Cut Out - Bonus: The imperative 'cut it out!' Cut Out - Meaning 5: To temporarily stop functioning Cut Out - Bonus: Some common idioms with 'cut 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 CUT OUT: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 5 Past tense forms Cut out / Cut out Separable? Sometimes Before we get started with the meanings of the phrasal verb 'cut out', let's first consider what the words 'cut' and 'out' mean on their own. Firstly, we have our base verb 'to cut'. This common English verb is principally used to talk about using a sharp implement such as scissors or a knife, either to break the surface of something or to make something shorter by removing a part of it. Typically it is used with nouns such as hair, grass, bread and cake. It is one of those annoying irregular verbs that keeps the same form for both past tense forms, so it can be confusing for English learners. I cut myself when I was chopping onions earlier. The grass is so long, so I'm going to cut it later today. She cut the sandwiches in half and gave them to her children Other less frequently used meanings of 'to cut' are to stop something and to reduce something, among others. Next, we have the particle 'out', which functions as the natural opposite of the word 'in' and carries the primary meaning of being in, or moving towards, an external place. In phrasal verb constructions 'out' can often add this idea of a movement towards an outside place, often in the form of removal or elimination. Furthermore, it can also convey the ideas of distribution, emergence, and revelation to them. Now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the meanings that are created when we put them together to form the phrasal verb 'cut out'.... MEANING 1: To remove something by cutting Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To extract, to remove, to detach Separable? Yes For our first meaning of 'cut out', let's take a trip back to primary (elementary) school as this one is an activity that many of us engaged in at that young age and that is namely, to remove something from what it is attached to by cutting it. In the example of the primary school, this action is typically by using a pair of scissors to remove a section or area from the surrounding paper to form a shape of some sort. Moving away from this example, this application of 'cut out' can be applied in many different areas of life where you need to remove something from what it is connected to by cutting it with a sharp implement or tool. Examples of these could be a medical removal of a lump or cyst that needs to be cut out of your body or a person who is a trapped in a car following an accident and who needs to be cut out by the fire brigade. As you have probably realised, this first meaning is really just the literal combination of the two words 'cut' and 'out' together as it simply refers to cutting something and removing it from what it is in, or attached to. We all drew pictures of stars, cut them out and stuck them on the wall. The children made masks in class and made sure to cut out the eyes so that they could see whilst they were wearing them. John had a wart on his hand which the doctor cut out for him. The passengers all had to be cut out of the car wreckage, but thankfully none of them were injured. BONUS: The noun 'cutout' You should also be aware that 'cutout' (alternative 'cut-out') also exists as a noun and refers to the finished shape or form of something once it has been cut out from the surface it was originally attached to. Although this can be something small like a simple shape, it is most commonly used in reference to something large, typically the shape of a person that is able to stand up vertically without support. What do you want us to do with the cut-outs? I have a life-size cardboard cut-out of David Beckham in my bedroom. MEANING 2: To delete something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To delete, to remove, to edit out, to cut Potential antonyms To keep in, to include Separable? Yes The second meaning of 'cut out' means to delete or remove something and is used specifically when talking about written texts, documents and books, as well as movies and tv shows. To be clear, with this application we are not talking about deleting or removing the entire piece of work, but rather certain details, a section of it or, in the case of TV or movies, a scene or part of one. Like with the first usage of 'cut out', we are again looking at the idea of the removal of something. In the case of the written texts and documents then the idea is simply to remove the words, sentences, paragraphs or sections so that they are no longer in the text.... If I were you, I would cut that section out as it could be confusing for the reader. In the end, I decided to cut out the information about my first jobs from my resume. Jenny read through her essay again and cut out a couple of unnecessary references. In the case of TV and films, the idea is very much the same. The verb 'to cut' is often used in this field as a synonym of the verb 'to edit' and therefore if you edit a TV show or film and decide that some parts of it should no longer be in it or are not necessary, you can remove them, or cut them out. The movie director decided to cut the sex scene out of the movie as it was not integral to the storyline. Please can you cut that part out of the final edit! Due to changing views amongst people, certain scenes from old movies have had to be cut out in order to avoid offending people. MEANING 3: To exclude someone from something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To cut off, to exclude, to ostracise Separable? Yes The next meaning of 'cut out' is another one that features the core idea of removal or separation and this time is about people, because 'to cut someone out' means to exclude someone from something. This sometimes takes the form of exclusion from some sort of activity when you do not allow someone to take part in it, such as a card game, but I wouldn't use it so much here personally. Instead, I would perhaps use a phrasal verb like leave out or exclude here. Where I would use it however, would be when talking about relationships between people with whom you have blood ties, i.e. family members. If you cut a member of your family out of your life, then it means that you no longer have any contact with them and refuse to let them have any involvement in your life whatsoever. My parents cut me out of their lives when I decided to marry someone who they didn't approve of. I cut my brother out of my life many years and we have had no contact since. I'm scared that my family will cut me out if they find out what I've done. Lastly, if a relative has cut you out of their life, then it stands to reason that they will probably exclude you from their last will and testament too. If you're not sure what one of these is, it is a legal document that expresses your wishes about who receives your money, property and possessions after you die. When this happens, we use this application of 'cut out' to express it... My mum has threatened to cut me out of her will. Linda was shocked to learn that she had been cut out of her late father's will. MEANING 4: To stop eating or doing something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To omit Separable? Yes Next, we have our fourth meaning of 'cut out', which again involves the core meaning of removal that has been present throughout the meanings so far. This time, 'cut out' means to stop eating, drinking or doing something that we would normally eat or do on a regular basis. This is often in an attempt to resolve a problem or make some kind of positive life change. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Alcohol Cigarettes Bread Dairy Firstly, let's take the example of food and drink and imagine that you want to lose some weight. One way of doing this would be to consider the things that you normally eat and drink, i.e. the things that are in your diet. After examining this, you may decide that if you stop eating certain foods, such as chocolate or cake, you will lose weight. As a consequence, you decide to cut these fattening foodstuffs out of your diet. I need to diet before my wedding, so I've decided to cut out bread, cheese and alcohol until the big day. Cutting out high sugar food and drink can be very beneficial to your health. Of course, this application is not just limited to food and drink as 'cut out' can also be applied to regular activities or habits such as smoking, sporting activities or even napping. I guess that the general idea is that you avoid doing or eating something for a positive reason, often to do with your physical or mental health. I've had to cut out jogging recently as I have developed pain in my knees. My doctor has advised me to cut out napping in the afternoon as it will help me to sleep better at night. BONUS: The imperative 'cut it out!' You should also be aware that 'cut out', or 'cut it out', is frequently used in the imperative form by native speakers, especially in American English, to tell someone to stop doing what they are doing.This doesn't tend to be used for regular activities that a person does but rather something that someone does in a particular moment which irritates or annoys the other person. Whoever is whistling, can you please cut it out. It is driving me insane. John, cut it out! You are getting on my nerves! MEANING 5: To temporarily stop functioning CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To stop Separable? No For our fifth and final usage of 'cut out', we are going to move away from the central idea of removal as this next meaning is to temporarily stop functioning. This usage is primarily used with machines, especially motors and engines, and is used specifically to describe when a motor is running and then suddenly stops, meaning that it needs to be restarted again. Oftentimes, this stopping happens due to a mechanical problem and therefore may reoccur multiple times, in which case we would then say that it "keeps on cutting out"...two phrasal verbs for the price of one! 😉 Aside from motors and engines, this application of 'cut out' can theoretically be used with any machines that are electrically or mechanically operated and which can stop suddenly stop working when we are using them. The engine on my car kept on cutting out so I had to ring the mechanic for some advice on what to do. There is something wrong with our television. It works fine for half an hour or so then it just cuts out and needs to be turned on again. My lawnmower cut out halfway through mowing the lawn and it won't turn back on again, so now my lawn looks really weird. One other time that 'cut out' is used in this sense is not with machines, but rather when talking about phone calls. If you are on the phone to someone and the phone line keeps getting interrupted or failing so that you only hear some of the words that the other person is saying, you can say that it is cutting out. I'm struggling to hear what you're saying as the line keeps cutting out. Say that again, you just cut out. Photo: Pexels BONUS: Commonly used idioms with 'cut out' Before I end this post, there are a couple of common idioms that feature the phrasal verb 'cut out' that you should definitely have you in your active vocabulary. If you can memorise these and use them in your everyday English, it will definitely help you to sound more like a native speaker... To not be cut out for something - We use this particular idiom when we are talking about careers and jobs that we cannot or should not do.This is because they are not natural to us, we do not not joy them or we do not possess the requisite skills. I tried teaching in a school but I wasn't cut out for it. I hated the naughty children and the stress that came with the job. I'm much more suited to an office job. The student left medical school in the first year as he realised that he just wasn't cut out to be a doctor. To have your work cut out (for you) - This idiom is used when you have something very difficult or challenging to do. This could be when you have a lot of work to do in a short space of time or when the job that you have to do will require a lot of skill and patience. The new government really has its work cut out for it to clean up the mess that the previous government left behind. Ok, we have to prepare a 3-course meal for 50 guests by midday. We really have our work cut out for us! 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. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'cut 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 'draw 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 post is all about the English phrasal verb 'draw in'. This moderately common phrasal verb is one that is used to talk about a variety of different things such as breathing, attracting someone's attention and darkness. In this post I will outline and explain the different meanings that 'draw in' has and provide you with lots of examples in context to help you learn and memorise them. So, without further ado, let's get started. Don't forget to leave a comment at the end! TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Draw In - The Basics: Key information & the individual words 'draw' and 'in' Draw In - Meaning 1: To attract someone Draw In - Meaning 2: To inhale Draw In - Meaning 3: To arrive at a station Draw In - Meaning 4: To get shorter (days) 🇬🇧 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 DRAW IN: KEY INFORMATION Usage Medium Number of meanings 4 Past tense forms Drew in / Drawn in Separable? Sometimes To enable us to fully understand the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'draw in', let's begin by considering the words 'draw' and 'in' and what they mean on their own. Firstly, we have the verb 'to draw', which is an interesting verb with several distinct, yet linked, meanings in English. If we go back and look at its history, the verb 'to draw' is in fact a variation of the verb 'to drag', meaning to pull something with force or difficulty. From this, we get the main ideas of 'to draw' in modern English, which include pulling something behind you, pulling curtains open, attracting a crowd of people and 'breathing (literally pulling air). In addition, we also have the idea of drawing a picture, as this involves pulling a pen or pencil across paper. The horse drew the carriages along the road. Photo: Pexels Taylor Swift's concert in London is expected to draw a huge crowd. It's getting dark, so I'm going to draw the curtains. It was difficult to draw breath up the mountain. These meanings are not exhaustive as there are indeed many ways that 'draw' can be used in English but the vast majority can all be logically traced back to the idea of pulling or dragging something. Next, we have the prepositional particle 'in', which you will certainly be very familiar with. 'In' can function as a preposition, adverb, adjective and even as a rare noun. As you will probably be able to guess, the meaning of 'in' is primarily to talk about being inside something, included in something or moving towards the interior of something. When used in phrasal verbs, 'in' often conveys this inwards direction or movement to the base verb, but it can also be used to add the ideas of inclusion, involvement, transformation and arrival. Now that we have covered the basics, let's head to the main reason that you are here reading this page, i.e. the meanings of the phrasal verb 'draw in'.... MEANING 1: To attract and involve somebody in something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To attract, to involve, to implicate, to captivate Potential antonyms To repel Separable? Yes The first meaning is of 'draw in' that we will look at in this post is 'to attract and involve someone in something'. I was originally going to split this first usage into two parts, however there is so much overlap between them that I thought it would be better to do it all in one. So, firstly, to 'draw someone in' can mean to attract someone's attention, usually as their interest has been sparked. This concept is commonly expressed in the passive form, i.e. someone is drawn in by something. This particular piece of art drew me in as I was walking around the gallery. I was fascinated by it and wanted to know more about it. I wasn't sure about the book but after reading a couple of pages, it had completely drawn me in and I was hooked. I was struggling to listen to what my wife was saying as I had been drawn in by the conversation on the table next to us. When considering the meanings of the words 'draw' and 'in' that I explained in the previous section, this meaning should be quite logical to you as when we are attracted by something, our attention is pulled towards it. Sometimes, when people are drawn in by something interesting or captivating, it is not uncommon for them to to take it one step further and move towards the object or spectacle that has caught their attention, a bit like they are being pulled by a magnet and this application of 'draw in' also applies here. This could be something small or simple such as going into a shop because you are intrigued about what is shown in its window display or something large, such as a music concert or festival which attracts thousands of people who are interested in the artists and want to watch the show. The music festival is expected to draw in a crowd of over 100,000 people this weekend. The smell of the fresh bread drew baking me into the bakery. If the destination to which we are drawn is one that is a physical interior space, then we would use 'draw into' rather than draw in'. My friends and I were drawn into the bar by the happy hour promotion in the window. My mum always gets drawn into clothes shops by the pretty clothes in the window. Lastly, not only can we be drawn into physical spaces, but it is also possible to be drawn into situations and predicaments. In other words, something causes you to become involved in something. This is especially true if the situation is a negative one and we do not wish to be a part of it, such as an argument between friends or a work conflict or dilemma. Again, we tend to use the variation form 'draw into' here when talking about being in a situation. They've asked me for my opinion on the subject and I said nothing as I refuse to be drawn into it. When I was a naive teenager, I was drawn into a religious cult. How have I got drawn into this argument? It has nothing to do with me! I was drawn into the debate on Facebook after reading the comments. They made me so angry that I felt that I had to give my opinion. MEANING 2: To inhale Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To breathe in, to inspire, to suck in Potential antonyms To breathe out, to exhale, to expire, to blow out Separable Yes As you may recall from the Basics section, one of the meanings of our base verb 'to draw' is to breathe, so this next meaning is a nice and easy one that simply means 'to inhale' or 'breathe in'. Quite literally, this is purely the idea of pulling air into your lungs. This particular application of 'breathe in' normally requires a direct object, which is typically either a breath or air. It is also separable, with the direct object (breath or air) going either between or after the phrasal verb, with no discernible change in meaning. Before starting my speech, I drew in a deep breath and focused on the words that I had to say. The patient struggled to draw in air through her nose. Engaging your abdomen to draw in breath will give you more air. Be careful not to confuse the noun 'breath' with the verb 'to breathe' here and remember that they have very different pronunciation and the final 'e' makes all the difference... MEANING 3: To arrive at a station Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To arrive, to pull in Potential antonyms To leave, to depart, to pull off, to pull away Separable No Our third meaning of 'draw in' is one for all the trainspotters amongst you as it is primarily used for trains and means 'to arrive at a station'. We use this application specifically to talk about the moment when a train is slowing down as it approaches a railway station and is about to stop or is stopping. Again, for this meaning we can trace it back to the idea of drawing to mean pulling, as the train is pulling the carriages behind it, with 'in' adding the idea of arriving at the destination to where the train is travelling. For this usage, we use the additional preposition 'to' to indicate the place where the train stops i.e. the station, the platform or the city. I saw my wife waiting for me on the platform as my train was drawing in. The train drew in and all of the passengers got off, but I couldn't see you anywhere! When my train drew into London Waterloo Station, I looked around at all of the crowds on the platform. MEANING 4: To get shorter (days) Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? British English Potential synonyms To get shorter Potential antonyms To get longer, to draw out Separable? No For those of us who live far from the equator, it is a fact of life that every year the days get a lot shorter the closer you get to 21st December and a lot longer the closer you get to 21st June. With the UK being situated far from the equator in the northern hemisphere, we tend to experience quite stark differences in the length of days compared to some of our more southerly neighbours. Therefore it is perhaps no surprise that we have come up with a pair of phrasal verbs to describe this very phenomenon, namely 'to draw in and 'to draw out'. To clarify, we use 'draw out' for when the hours of light in a day get gradually longer, between December and June, and 'draw in' for the other half of the year when the daytimes become shorter and the hours of darkness get longer. Typically, we use 'draw in' the most in the early autumn (fall), i.e. September or early October in the northern hemisphere, when it becomes more apparent that the sun is setting sooner and winter is on the way. Something that is slightly confusing with this usage is that, in addition to saying that the days are 'drawing in' to express that they are getting shorter, we can also say that the nights or evenings are also drawing in and this means exactly the same thing. Basically, whenever we use 'draw in' in this sense, we are talking about the days getting shorter, regardless of the noun that we use...English is very strange sometimes! 🤷🏻‍♂️ It's the summer solstice next week, which means that the days will start drawing in again. You can tell that autumn is on the way. The nights have really started drawing in in the last couple of weeks. The evenings are drawing in now and I don't have much time to go for a run in the daylight after work anymore. Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'draw in'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'throw 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. In this article, we will be looking at the English phrasal verb 'throw out' and all of the different ways that it is used by native speakers. I imagine that you may already be familiar with at least some of its uses, however did you know that it has at least 7 different meanings? Don't worry if you didn't as some of these are quite rare or specific and I will explain each of them in this post, so that you can see which ones may be useful for you in your future English conversations 😀 So, without further ado, let's make a start.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Throw Out - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'throw' and 'out' Throw Out - Meaning 1: Literal Throw Out - Meaning 2: To get rid of something Throw Out - Bonus: The idiom 'don't throw the baby out with the bathwater' Throw Out - Meaning 3: To evict someone Throw Out - Meaning 4: To reject an idea or proposal Throw Out - Meaning 5: To say or produce something without much thought Throw Out - Meaning 6: To produce energy Throw Out - Meaning 7: To make something be wrong Throw Out - Meaning 8: To eliminate a player by throwing 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 THROW OUT: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 7 Past tense forms Threw out / Thrown out Separable? Yes By way of an introduction to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'throw out', let's start with a short examination of the individual words 'throw' and 'out' and their standalone meanings. 'To throw' is a common irregular verb in English, which we use primarily to talk about the action of sending objects flying through the air using our arms and hands, like a ball or a javelin. It is also possible to use it with some less obvious nouns like 'party' and 'tantrum'. Aside from this, 'to throw' has some rarer meanings too, such as 'to intentionally lose a game' and 'to confuse someone'. Sometimes, the verb 'to throw' can often be used in contexts when actions are done quickly or carelessly and this nuance is often carried across into phrasal verbs, such as 'throw together'. James threw the ball for his dog. Somebody has thrown a rock through the window The protestors threw bottles and stones at the police. It's my 40th birthday next month, so I am throwing a big party to celebrate. When my 4-year-old daughter does not get what she wants, she throws a tantrum. It threw me when I saw my husband at home as he was supposed to be at work. The particle 'out' is one that regularly appears in phrasal verbs and is often used to convey the idea of moving from an inside space to an exterior one or moving away from a specific point. Moreover, when 'out' features in phrasal verbs, it can add such ideas as exhaustion ( run out ), elimination (rule out) and trying ( check out ), among others. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's take a look at the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'throw out'.... MEANING 1: Literal Photo: ChatGPT CEFR Language Level A1 - Beginner Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To chuck out, to toss out, to hurl out, to expel Separable? Yes Let's start things off in a nice and easy way with the literal meaning of 'throw out', which (as you can probably guess), is the physical action of throwing an object from a internal physical space so that it is no longer inside it. Typically, when using this literal application we require the noun either for the internal space from which the object is thrown or for the opening through which the object leaves the space. Most typically, you will come across this being used with 'window' and 'door'. You should note that the additional preposition 'of' can be used here to specify this noun, however native speakers often drop this. Both of these variations are considered correct and the decision to use 'of' or not here is purely stylistic. Occasionally, you may hear someone threatening to throw something out of the window if it is not working properly. This is often a computer as we all know how frustrating it can be when they do not work properly! Kirsty threw her old shoes out of her closet to make room for her new ones. Daniel threw the ball out of the garage and into the yard. The angry coach threw out the broken water bottle from the team bus. In a fit of rage, the teacher threw the student's cellphone out of the classroom window. I swear if this computer doesn't start working properly soon, I am going to throw it out of the window MEANING 2: To get rid of something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To discard, to get rid of, to throw away Separable? Yes I think many of you will be familiar with this second application of 'throw out' as it is probably the most commonly used of all of its meanings and that is 'to get rid of something'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Clothes: shirts, shoes, socks, trousers, pants etc. Household equipment: kettle, toaster, television, iron etc. Household objects: Ornaments, cushions, toys, books etc. First of all, to clarify when I say 'get rid of something', I mean to throw it in the garbage or discard it somewhere so that you no longer have possession of it. This is because you no longer want or need the item. Another very common synonym phrasal verb for this particular application that you may know is 'throw away', with both of these being used equally often. As you will see in the idiom that we will look at shortly, this application is separable, with the unwanted item being the direct object. This can either go between 'throw' and 'out' or after them, without any change in the meaning. We decided to throw out all the old magazines that had been piling up in the bedroom. Don’t throw that sweater out; it might come back into fashion some day. Sandra threw her broken toaster out and bought a new one. The landlord threw out the old, worn carpets during the renovation. I’m going to throw out these old clothes unless any of you want to keep them? Jimmy threw his old running shoes out after the soles wore through. I threw a load of toys out last week that the children no longer play with. My manager told me to throw out a pile of outdated paperwork from the office. Photo: Pexels BONUS: Don't throw the baby out with the bath water The curious sounding idiomatic expression 'don't throw the baby out with the bath water' is a very old saying that means to avoid accidentally getting rid of valuable items when you throw unwanted items out. There is a myth surrounding this expression that it originated from times before plumbing when an entire family used to share bathwater, with the youngest of the house (the baby) going last when the water was dirtiest, meaning that the baby could no longer be seen. Sadly, this is not its true origin as it appears to have entered English from an old German proverb. It's a fascinating story nevertheless! I know our current marketing strategy isn't working, but we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater; let's identify the parts that are working well and only change what isn't. MEANING 3: To evict someone Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To evict, to turf out, to kick out, to eject Separable? Yes The third meaning of 'throw out' is another common one that is perhaps more common in British English and means 'to evict or to remove someone from somewhere'. First and foremost, you are most likely to encounter this application of 'throw out' in reference to when a person is evicted from the place in which they live. In other words, they are forced to leave their home and are forbidden from living there again. Note that with this application, it is common to use it in both an active and a passive way, for example, a landlord may throw out the tenant living in his property if they do not pay rent or a teenager may be thrown out of their parents' home if they misbehave excessively. Besides evicting people from their homes, we can use 'throw out' in this way, to talk about being removed from public places, organisations and educational institutions. Usually, when used in these situations, there is an element of force behind the action. The landlord threw out his tenants after months of unpaid rent. Emma threatened to throw her roommate out if she continued to leave the apartment in a mess. The doorman threw the drunk customer out for causing a disturbance. Security threw out the protestors who refused to leave the building. The tennis club threw out one of its members who repeatedly broke the rules. The party leader threw a politician out of the political party over his controversial remarks. The university decided to throw out the student for academic dishonesty. Spencer was thrown out of school for repeatedly skipping classes and fighting. Here are some example sentences in the passive voice.... At the age of 16, Amy was thrown out of her parental home after she became pregnant. The tenants were thrown out after failing to pay rent for three months. Lisa was thrown out of the café for being verbally abusive to the staff. The student was thrown out of school for cheating in his final exams. Oh no, if my landlord finds out about this, I will be thrown out! MEANING 4: To reject an idea or proposal Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To dismiss, to reject, to acquit, to drop Separable? Yes The next usage of 'throw out' that we will cover in this post is one that you are likely to hear in more formal situations and environments and means 'to reject an idea or proposal'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Idea Proposal Suggestion Argument Case Claim Lawsuit As the picture above would suggest, this application of 'throw out' is used a lot in courts of law (i.e. some of the most formal places one can be in). Typically, this is when someone presents a case to court that they want to be heard and the judge dismisses it because there is not evidence or information to support it. In these instances, we can say that the case was "thrown out" by the judge. Moving away from the courtroom, it is also possible to hear this application of 'throw out' being used in business when an idea, application, proposal or suggestion is rejected as not being satisfactory or worth pursuing. This is normally by people in authority with the power to make such decisions. The judge threw the case out due to insufficient proof. The court threw out the appeal following a review of the evidence. The committee have decided to throw out the amendment after a brief discussion. Jack the referee threw out the player's protest, citing the rules of the game. The organisers will throw out any entries that don't follow the contest rules. The committee threw out his proposal because it lacked supporting evidence. The motion was thrown out during the meeting. After some consideration in the meeting, the idea was thrown out as impractical. MEANING 5: To say or produce something without much thought Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To say, to utter, to blurt out, to state Separable? Yes As I mentioned in the Basics section, sometimes when the verb 'to throw' is used in conjunction with a preposition or particle, it can be used to mean that something is done in a quick or unplanned way and in this fifth application of 'throw out', we have exactly the same idea as it means 'to say or produce something without much thought'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Sentences Words Ideas Suggestions Questions If you have ever been in a brainstorming session at work where your boss asks you for ideas on a specific subject, it is likely that you threw some ideas out during this activity. That is because you probably had very little time to prepare and were just asked to come up with ideas in that moment without thinking about it too much. This is in fact a classic example of when this application of 'throw out' can be used because you are not only saying these things quickly, but also in large quantities. In essence, we can use this application when we say things in a way that seems unplanned. Alternatively, if you are an expert in something, it may also be possible use 'throw out' when talking about citing facts and figures etc as you know the subject so well, you can just give the information automatically without spending time thinking about it. Joanne threw out a few ideas during the meeting. The speaker threw a question out to his audience to break the ice. The coach threw out some last-minute instructions to the team. The team leaders threw several suggestions out for the new project name. The comedian threw out some one-liners that got the audience roaring with laughter. He threw out the question to see how people would react. I’ll throw a few options out and see what everyone thinks. The scientist threw out some alarming statistics to support his argument. MEANING 6: To produce energy Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To emit, to give out, to put out, to give off Separable? Yes In the previous section, we covered how 'throw out' can be used to mean to produce words and information from our brains and for this next meaning we are going to stay with the theme of production, however this time the meaning is 'to produce energy'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Smoke Light Heat Warmth As you can see from the list of commonly used nouns above, we use this one for nouns for things that can be generated by fire or sources of energy that radiate them so that they are detectable with our senses. This may be a fire that throws out a lot of heat or smoke, a lamp that throws out a lot of light or a log burner that throws out warmth. The main idea here is that the energy is expelled from the source into the air so that we notice it. Typically, we would use it when the amount of energy is remarkable in some way, i.e. very high or very low. For those of you who are familiar with the phrasal verb 'give out', 'throw out' is actually a synonym of this here, however it is not used as commonly as 'give out'. The fire threw out a steady warmth all evening, making the room nice and cosy. The old lantern threw out a faint, flickering light but it was enough to see with. The sun throws out intense rays that heat the desert sand on a daily basis. Our campfire threw out sparks as the logs cracked and split. My electric heater threw more heat out than I expected. I hope that Kate's will be able to throw a strong beam out to enable us to see the tunnel ahead. This fire isn't throwing much heat out; do you have any more logs? A bright glow was thrown out by the volcano’s molten lava. MEANING 7: To make something be wrong Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To throw off Separable? Yes The seventh and penultimate meaning that of 'throw out' that we will cover in this post is one that will be relevant for those among you who have to do calculations as it means 'to make something be wrong'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Calculation Figures / Numbers Plans Results Readings I was quite a good student at school and I did quite well in most subjects but one that often posed difficulties for me was maths. I still sometimes struggle with it today and this is often made clear when I have to do calculations and I make mistakes. Generally, the reason that my sums are wrong is that something has thrown the calculation out or in other words, something has made the total incorrect. This might be me because I added an extra zero to a figure or I transposed two figures; both of which lead to an incorrect total. In addition to sums and calculations, we can use 'throw out' in this way to describe when we get incorrect results or readings for things, which is typically caused by an error somewhere along the process. One other time that I hear this application in use is with regards to plans. If you have plans to do something and then something else occurs that means you have to change or adapt the plans, we can say that it "throws out our plans". A small error in the formula can throw out the entire calculation. The incorrect data has thrown out the whole report and we have to run it again. One wrong measurement will throw out the whole experiment, so please be extremely careful. Using the wrong units could throw out the results. The faulty sensor was throwing out all the temperature readings. The sudden schedule change threw out all our travel plans and we had to rebook our flights. MEANING 8: To eliminate a player by throwing Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere - sports English Potential synonyms To get out, to bowl out Separable? Yes Our eighth and final meaning of 'throw out' is a much rarer one that is used specifically in bat and ball sports such as cricket and baseball and means to eliminate another player from the game by throwing. To clarify this, in certain games it is possible to throw a ball either to land in a certain place or to another member of your team, which can then result in the player who hit the ball being eliminated from the game. They can no longer play in the game and are therefore out. In baseball, this is usually when a fielding player throws the ball to another team member who is standing on one of the bases and who can then touch the ball onto the base, meaning that the batsman is then out of the game. In cricket, it refers to when the ball is thrown by a fielder and hits the stumps, ending the game for the batsman who is in play at that time. The catcher threw out the runner trying to steal second base. The outfielder threw the runner out at home to save the game. The bowler tried to throw the batter out at first with a perfect throw. Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'throw out'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'throw 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 'open 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. 'Open up' is a common English phrasal verb that will be familiar to many of you, however do you know all of the different ways to use it? For example, do you know the difference between opening up a shop, opening up a lead and opening up to someone? Don't worry if you are not sure as in this post, I will explain the different meaning and uses to you and give you lots of examples of these in context to help your learning and understanding. So, without further ado, let's get started! Don't forget to leave a comment at the end 😊 MEANINGS   (click to jump to each one) Open Up - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'open' and 'up' Open Up - Meaning 1: To open something that is closed or locked Open Up - Bonus: To open someone or something up Open Up - Meaning 2: To open a business Open Up - Meaning 3: To express your true thoughts and feelings Open Up - Meaning 4: To begin to happen or exist Open Up - Meaning 5: To start shooting a gun 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 OPEN UP: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 5 Past tense forms Opened up / Opened up Separable? Yes Let's get started by taking a look at the words 'open' and 'up' individually and what they bring to the "phrasal verb" table. 'To open' is a common verb in English that primarily means to remove, break or change the outside of something in order to allow access to what is inside it. It is typically used with nouns such as door, window, book and eyes. I opened the car door and got out. John opened his eyes and looked around the room. Aside from this, the verb 'to open' has other meanings and uses and the majority of these all carry an idea of increased accessibility or eliminated restrictions or limitations to something. One of these other meanings that is particularly pertinent to the phrasal verb 'open up' is to make something available....more on that to come later! The prepositional particle 'up' features in a huge number of phrasal verb constructions. Given that the primary meaning of 'up' as an adverb is to talk about movement in the direction away from the ground, it will come as no surprise to you that it can also add this same directional meaning to phrasal verbs. In addition to this more obvious function, 'up' can also serve to convey other ideas to phrasal verbs, such as completion, preparation and appearance. So, now that we have looked at the basics, let's explore the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'open up'... MEANING 1: To open something that is closed or locked Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To open, to unlock Potential antonyms To close up, to close, to lock Separable? Yes As we have just established, the verb 'to open' means to modify something in order to allow access to what it contains and this first meaning of 'open up' is just a variation of this as it means to open or unlock something that is closed, such as a door, a box, a cupboard, a window or a gift. I guess at this point you are probably thinking why do we need the form 'open up' when the standard verb 'to open' means the same thing. This is a very good question as they do both generally carry the same meaning and are usually interchangeable, however sometimes we use 'open up' when there is more of an emphasis on, or interest in, what is contained inside the closed object. This may perhaps be because the item is not normally opened, it has never been opened before or because we do not know what is inside it and we are just curious to find out. In other words, there is perhaps more interest or intrigue surrounding what is inside. John cheerfully opened up his birthday presents. I wonder what is inside this locked cupboard? I am going to try to open it up to find out. Open up your books to page 15. Another very common group of nouns that are commonly used with this of application of 'open up' are buildings and we can use 'open up' for these when we talk about them becoming unlocked to enable people to enter inside them. I would say that this usage tends to be mainly for public buildings, which I will talk more about in the next section, however it is worth mentioning here that 'open up' can be used as an imperative, especially in American English, by someone who is outside requesting to be allowed entry and this can often be private residences too. Open up! Come on let me in! I was woken up at 2am this morning by husband yelling 'open up' outside our window. He had lost his key and could not get in. BONUS: To open someone or something up Sometimes, when we want to gain access to the interior of something that is covered or protected, it is necessary to access it by cutting it with a tool or implement of some sort. This is in fact another way that 'open up' can be used, notably with surgical operations in hospitals, where the surgeon needs to open up the patient in order to perform the necessary and often life-saving action. We could not gain access to the interior of the abandoned ship, so we had to open it up using special tools. We need to open up the patient and remove the tumour. MEANING 2: To open a business Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To open Potential antonyms To close, to close down, to shut, to shut down Separable? Yes This second meaning of 'open up' is really two separate sub-meanings, but as both of them are about the world of business and share a clear connection, I thought it would be better to consolidate them all in one section. In the previous section, I mentioned that we can use 'open up' to talk about opening a building to allow people to enter inside it and this links directly to the first of these two usages, which is to open a business for the day. As you can imagine, this usage is reserved for businesses such as shops, stores, garages, pubs, bars, restaurants etc., which all tend to open and close on a daily basis. The action of opening up here is purely unlocking the premises or building and preparing it so that it is ready for customers. Aside from companies, this sub-application can be used for any public buildings that are locked or shut (normally overnight), such as museums or government buildings. What time does the pub open up today? I need to be at the shop before 8am tomorrow morning as it is my turn to open up. Lisa arrived half an hour early at the garage and had to wait for the staff to open it up so that she could leave her car there. For our second sub-meaning, we are sticking with the business theme because 'open up' is also used to talk about when someone starts or opens a new business in general. To clarify, this is when a new business is founded or created and begins trading. You could potentially use this with any sort of business or company, but I think that native speakers tend to use it more for those that customers have to visit in order to use, such as a shop, pub, restaurant, hair salon, vets etc. There is a new Italian restaurant opening up in town next week. Shall we book a table? We are planning to open up a new hair salon in Liverpool. Lastly, 'open up' can also be used for existing companies that are doing well enough to be able to open new agencies, shops or offices in new locations, cities, regions or countries. We are pleased to announce that we will be opening up a new agency in Edinburgh next year, which will be our first office in Scotland. The fast food chain has recorded record profits this year and is planning to open up 20 new restaurants around the country over the coming months. MEANING 3: To express your true thoughts and feelings Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To be frank, to be honest Potential antonyms To close up, to close off Separable? No Up until now in the post, our attention has been firmly focused on closed or inaccessible physical places and spaces, but for this third meaning we need to turn our attention towards people. The reason for this is this next meaning of 'open up' is to express your true thoughts and feelings. You may or may not be aware that the adjective 'open' can be used in English to describe people who do not conceal or hide their thoughts and feelings and who are happy to discuss these with others. Of course, not everyone is like that, and I think that openness is on a spectrum, ranging from those people who are open about almost everything in their lives, to those at the other end who are fiercely private individuals. The vast majority of us probably fall in the middle of these and have our own private thoughts and feelings that we keep hidden or locked inside. When we feel comfortable enough to start sharing these hidden thoughts with others, we can say that we 'open up' to them. Note the additional preposition 'to' here to describe the person to whom you express these innermost thoughts. Roger doesn't normally talk about his feelings very often but after a couple of beers, he usually starts to open up. Lisa opened up to me last night about the problems she's been having in her marriage recently. I am trying to get Helen to open up but she refuses to say what she thinks. Try and open up to someone if you can and vocalise how you're feeling. You will certainly feel better for it! MEANING 4: To begin to happen or exist Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To create, to begin to exist Separable? No This next one is for all of the magicians among you as this meaning is to begin to happen or exist, and at its core it is all about creating something from nothing. Unfortunately, we can't use this application for any time something comes into existence, for example, we couldn't use it for a rabbit coming out of a hat (I just liked the picture), however there are many different ways in which we can use 'open up' to talk about when something is created that did not previously exist and I will explain these below.... When access to something is created.... As we have seen already in this post, 'open up' is used when access to something interior is enabled and we can also use it when something becomes accessible to people in general. This may be on a geographical basis, for example a new road may open up access to an area that was previously inaccessible, or it could be a new business market, for example, changes in a country's laws may open up a business or investment market to people who did not have access to it beforehand. The planned new highway will go over the mountain pass and will open up access to the villages on the other side of it. Investing apps on mobile phones have opened up investing to many people who previously were unable to do so. When new opportunities become possible.... If a new opportunity arises, whether it be for a new job, a promotion in an existing job or a new possibility to do something or achieve something, we can use 'open up' to express that this new possibility or opportunity has come into existence. This could also be used when making it possible for people to participate in something that they could not do previously, such as a debate, competition or vote. A new job vacancy has opened up in the marketing department in my company and I am tempted to apply for it. The recently announced peace talks have opened up the possibility of an ceasefire in the war. Now that you have heard the speakers in the debate, we would like to open it up to you, the audience, to have your say. Voting in the competition was initially limited to member of the website but due to a low vote count, the organisers decided to open it up to the general public. In sports.... We also regularly use 'open up' in sports games or races when one of the competitors or teams develops a lead over the others. Usain Bolt took no time in opening up a significant lead in the men's 100 metre final. Chelsea FC have opened up a 3-1 lead against rivals Tottenham Hotspur. When opening a new account.... If you apply to a bank for a new bank account, or in fact any type of account, be it with an online retailer or a social media website, you can say that you open one up (again essentially creating it from nothing). Facebook deleted my account, meaning I've had to open up a new one. Opening up a bank account is much easier than it used to be. When a hole or a crack comes into existence.... If you have been unlucky enough to have experienced an earthquake, you will likely be aware that cracks and holes can be created in the ground when one of these happens. In these situations, we can use 'open up' to describe when these come into existence. In addition, we can also use 'open up' to describe when an existing hole or fissure gets wider or bigger. These cracks do not necessarily have to be physical cracks however and this is often used in a metaphorical way to talk about divisions and breakdowns in relationships and politics. During the earthquake, several large cracks opened up in the middle of the highway. The cut on my leg from last week opened up again when I was playing rugby. The new legislation has opened up a division in the far right party and I do not know it they will patch things up. When barriers are removed.... One last point to mention is here that 'open up' can be used when barriers such as walls, hills or trees are removed and as a consequence a space becomes wider or more spacious. Typically, this is used with roads when you drive past a natural barrier such as a hill or forest or a room when you remove a wall, connecting two or more rooms, creating a wider space. After a while, the forest will end and the road will open up onto lush green fields. We are going to demolish this wall and connect the kitchen with the living room, which will open up a lovely and light space. MEANING 5: To start shooting a gun Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere but perhaps more American Potential synonyms To fire Potential antonyms To hold fire Separable? No The last usage of 'open up' that I want to explain to you is a rarer one that means to start firing a gun or guns. This usage probably comes from the expression of the meaning 'to open fire', which itself goes back to the meaning of the verb 'to open' as in 'to begin', with the word 'fire' going back many centuries to when the gunpowder in guns had to be ignited by fire from a slow-burning match to become effective. For this usage, the additional preposition 'on' is required to specify the target of the shooting. A gunmen opened up on a crowd of people but luckily every bullet missed and nobody was hurt. All of the guns on the bomber opened up on its target before it swooped around and flew away in the other direction. Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'open up'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'come to' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native. The phrasal verb 'take off' is a wonderful phrasal verb to be have in your active English vocabulary, not only because it is very commonly used amongst native speakers, but also because many of its meanings are positive, happy and sometimes even humorous in nature! In this post, I will explain the different meanings that it has, with lots of examples of how it is used in everyday conversation and speech. So, without further ado, let's get started! Don't forget to leave a comment at the end! TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Take Off - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'take' and 'off' Take Off - Meaning 1: To remove something from a surface Take Off - Meaning 2: To remove an item of clothing Take Off - Meaning 3: To leave the ground and start flying Take Off - Meaning 4: To take leave from work Take Off - Meaning 5: To become successful Take Off - Meaning 6: To leave suddenly Take Off - Bonus: To take oneself off Take Off - Meaning 7: To deduct or reduce Take Off - Meaning 8: To imitate someone I love writing this blog & helping learners but I receive very little feedback as to how useful it is or if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I'd be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS TAKE OFF: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 8 Past tense forms Took off / Taken off Separable? Sometimes Before I explain the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'take off', let's first consider the individual words 'take' and 'off' and what they mean on their own. 'To take' is a highly versatile English verb that has a variety of different meanings depending on the context of the sentence that it features in. Personally, as a native speaker, the first meanings of 'to take' that I think of when I hear this verb are 'to grasp or hold something', 'to carry something with you' and one that is particularly relevant for this post 'to remove something from a place'. The English prepositional particle 'off' functions as the natural opposite of the preposition 'on' and can act as an adverb, preposition, adjective, and noun. When used as an adverb, it is perhaps most commonly used to add the ideas of a movement away from something or a an action that removes something from a surface. In phrasal verbs, 'off' can be used to convey the ideas of separation, leaving, reduction and separation, among others. So, now that we have looked at the basics, let's move onto the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'take off'... MEANING 1: To remove something from a surface Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Levels A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To remove, to take, to pick up Potential antonyms To put on, to place on Separable? Yes Let's begin with a nice and easy meaning of 'take off', which is 'to remove something from a surface'. This usage is simply just the action of removing something from the surface that it is on, so that is is no longer touching or supported by it. The action of 'taking off' in this sense is usually carried out manually, i.e. with your hands. Grammatically, this usage is separable and while it is certainly used inseparably, I think that there is more of a tendency amongst native speakers to use it inseparably in spoken English. Can you take your shoes off the table, please. When I took the book off the shelf, I accidentally knocked off the vase. John put his coffee on top his car and then forgot to take it off again before he drove off. There are a couple of other more advanced and abstract uses of this application with the idea of removal that you should also be aware of. The first is when referring to a product or service that is on the market and available to the public to buy. If the company who is manufactures or provides it decides that they no longer want to sell the product or provide the service, they take it off the market so that nobody can buy it anymore. Furthermore, in some cases these cancelled products may even be taken off supermarket and shop shelves so that they cannot be sold. Due to poor sales, the company has decided to take this product off the market. Likewise, the same applies with television and radio broadcasting, in which programmes etc. are considered to be 'on the air'. If the broadcaster decides that they are going to stop showing the programme, it will be taken off (the air). After 30 years, we are very sad to say that a decision has been made to take the programme off the air this summer. Lastly, it is also possible for sports players to be taken off the sports pitch if it is decided that they can no longer continue to play the game, whether that be because they have developed an injury or committed a foul etc. etc. The player was taken off in fifth minute after committing a nasty foul. MEANING 2: To remove an item of clothing Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To remove, to undress, to disrobe, to kick off, to strip off, Potential antonyms To put on, to wear, to keep on, to have on Separable? Yes Our second meaning of 'take off' is more a continuation of the first, rather than a completely new one, as it means 'to remove an item of clothing'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Clothes Shoes Socks Glasses Hat Watch Jewellery In this case, we are again removing an object from a surface, however this time the surface is specifically our bodies and the object being removed is an item of clothing. You may already be aware that in English we use the phrasal verb 'have on' as a synonym of the verb 'to wear' and typically, we use this application of 'take off' for anything that we 'have on' our bodies. Of course, this covers the more general nouns such as clothing and clothes as well as specific items of clothing, such as coats, jackets, shirts, trousers / pants, socks, shoes etc. In addition to this, we can also use it for things like jewellery, watches, glasses and accessories. One notable exception for something that we can have on or wear in English but not take off, for obvious reasons, is aftershave or perfume. Please take off your shoes before entering the house. It was so cold in my office today that I refused to take my coat off. When Roger got home from his run, the first thing that he did was take off his dirty clothes and have a shower. My hairdresser asked me to take off my glasses when she was cutting my hair. When going through security at the airport, it is necessary to take off all your jewellery so as not to set off the metal detector. MEANING 3: To leave the ground and start flying Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To fly, to take flight, to become airborne, to take wing, to fly off, to depart Potential antonyms To land, to arrive Separable? No Our third meaning of 'take off' is one that many of you will be familiar with and will likely have associated with this particular phrasal verb. This is especially so if you have ever flown in an airplane and it means 'to leave the ground and start flying' or 'to become airborne'. When we talk about an airplane, rocket, helicopter or hot air balloon taking off, we are specifically referring to the moment at the beginning of the flight when it leaves the ground and moves into the air in an upwards direction. In other words, it starts flying. This is something many people love (including me) and fear in equal measure! The airplane was about to take off when the pilot told us that we had to wait as there was a delay. Taking off is my favourite part of the plane journey, however my wife hates it and always gets really scared. No planes are allowed to take off during the hurricane for obvious reasons. As English is the international language of aviation, you will always hear this particular usage of 'take off' used in this way if you go on an international flight. In addition, you will almost certainly always hear the noun form 'takeoff' (alternatively 'take-off') being used too. Cabin crew, please prepare the doors for takeoff. Seatbelts must be worn during takeoff and landing. Of course, I have only mentioned manmade inventions in this usage, however you should be aware that we also use this application of 'take off' for birds, insects, bats and anything else in the natural world that is lucky enough to have the ability to fly! The captured bird took off whilst the cat was not looking and escaped into the sky. If you go to the mouth of the cave at dusk, you may be lucky enough to see hundreds of bats taking off. Suddenly, the swan took off and flew off into the sunset. MEANING 4: To take leave from work Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To have off, to take out, to book off Potential antonyms To work Separable? Yes As I mentioned in the previous section, I love taking off in airplanes. Another thing that I love, which also involves taking off in airplanes, is going on holiday (vacation in US English). Like many other lucky holidaymakers, I have a job and so when I want to go on holiday, I have to to take leave from work and book days off, which brings us nicely to our next meaning of 'take off', which is 'to take leave from work'. For this usage, we require an additional noun to specify the time period that we will not be working, such as a morning, day, week or fortnight. Alternatively, we can just use the general nouns 'time' or 'leave' when referring to an unspecified period. 'Take off' is not necessarily always used for holidays or vacations and can be used for any period of time when a person decides that they cannot work for whatever reason, be it sickness, family commitments or a sabbatical. I've decided to take next week off as I have lots of things to do at home. Take the day off tomorrow and let's go to the beach! The doctor has advised me to take a few months off as my stress levels are too high at the moment. John won't be in the office until this afternoon as he has taken the morning off to go to the dentist. MEANING 5: To become successful Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To explode, to blow up Potential antonyms To flop Separable? No Our next definition of 'take off' is one that we all hope for in our lives as it means 'to become successful'. primarily used for things like careers, a product or something that can become popular with the public. This is typically used in relation to careers, products, or anything that can gain popularity among the public and usually occurs abruptly and rapidly. To understand this meaning of 'take off' a bit better, let's stick with the ongoing theme and use the airplane as a metaphor for a pop star's career.... Whilst the airplane is on the ground, it moves slowly except when taking off and is not fulfilling it's primary function of flying. When it does take off however, it accelerates rapidly and flies high in the air with lots of energy, performing its intended function. Similarly, now imagine a pop singer's career as an airplane (weird, I know). Whilst it is on the ground at the airport, little progress is made and its primary goals of selling records and entertaining audiences are not met. Yet, once the airplane-shaped career takes off, it suddenly and quickly does so and before you know it, it is high up in the air, moving at top speed and achieving its objectives. In this case, the airplane is a metaphor for a pop singer's career, but it could equally be used for anything that can gain popularity with the public. Following the launch of our new marketing campaign, sales took off and our profits rose dramatically. Julia Roberts' career took off after appearing in Pretty Woman. If the company wants this product to take off in the way that their last one did, they are going to have to invest in some more market research. MEANING 6: To leave suddenly CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To run away, to leave, to run off, to depart Potential antonyms To Separable? No In the previous section, I explained how if something takes off, it can mean sudden success or popularity and for this next usage, we are staying with the idea of something happening suddenly, but in this case it is for when a person leaves or departs in a sudden or unexpected way. To put it another way, if you take off, you go away from where you are in a quick or hasty manner. This may be because you are scared, you want to avoid a confrontation, there is an emergency or perhaps you just want to go home. The reason for the sudden departure is not important for this usage, it is purely the nature of the departure i.e. sudden or unexpected that is important for this particular meaning. I'm not sure where Roger went. He took off about 10 minutes ago and didn't bother saying goodbye to anyone. The criminal took off before the police arrived. The dogs took off as soon as soon as they saw a squirrel. Sarah just shut down her computer and took off without saying a word to any of her colleagues. BONUS: To take oneself off In addition to a person taking off, it is also possible to say that a person takes themselves off, i.e. in a reflexive way, with the -self pronoun. 'To take yourself off' has a slightly different meaning as it means to leave the place where you are, often in order to go somewhere quiet or private. This can often be to get away from a particular situation or place and does not convey the same idea of a sudden or quick departure like the non-reflexive form does. Simon took himself off to his bedroom to have a think about the way that he had behaved. I needed a break from work and my hectic life, so I took myself off to Greece for a week. Lastly, it is also possible to 'take someone off somewhere', which is used for when you take a person away from the place that they are to another place. This can be either in a positive way... My husband is taking me off to Paris for a few days next week! I am really looking forward to it. Or a negative way, i.e. when the person does not want to go to the destination... The police took the suspect off to the police station for questioning. MEANING 7: To deduct or reduce Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To take away, to subtract, to reduce, to diminish, to minus, to deduct Potential antonyms To add on, to put on Separable? Yes The seventh meaning of 'take off' is definitely one for the mathematicians amongst you as it means 'to deduct' or 'to reduce' and is primarily used when talking about numbers, figures and percentages. When talking about numbers and figures, 'take off' is just another synonym of the verbs 'to subtract', 'to minus', 'to deduct' and 'to take away', however I think it is far less commonly used in this respect than the others. You are more likely to see and hear this application in use when talking about percentages being deducted from figures, however. We normally offer this customer list price with 10% taken off. That price is the list price. Don't forget you need to take off the 10% discount for the customer's net price. Are you able to take anything off this price? Another way that you may see this application of 'take off' is when something causes prices to fall. For example, if a busy road is built near to where someone lives, the price of their house is likely to decrease due to the noise and pollution that the road would undoubtedly bring. In this sense you could say, that "the new road will take a lot of money off the price of the house". MEANING 8: To imitate someone Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To copy, to imitate, to mimic, to impersonate Separable? Yes Let's end the post with a British usage of 'take off'', which is specifically 'to take someone off' and means 'to imitate or copy someone'. This application is generally used when you want to impersonate or mimic someone for comedic effect, i.e, to make other people laugh. This can range from copying the way that somebody speaks and their mannerisms to how they walk and dress. 'Taking someone off' is often slightly derogatory in nature and may often be considered as offensive or hurtful by the person who is being taken off. However, many of us Brits have a good and often self-deprecating sense of humour and this is not always the case, with some people finding it extremely funny or amusing. I guess it all really comes down to the relationship and the situation in each case! Sarah is really good at taking off our boss. She can do a great impression of her accent and how she speaks. The comedian's style of comedy is impersonation and taking off different TV stars of the past. He was trying to take me off but in fact he sounded nothing like me. Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'take off'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'come out' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native. The phrasal verb 'come out' has a large number of different meanings in English, however luckily for learners, many of them are just variations on the theme of emerging from something used in different situations. In this post, I will explain all of these different meanings and the ways that they can be used, as well as idiomatic expressions and common collocations featuring the phrasal verb 'come out'. So, without further ado, let's make a start. Don't forget to leave a comment at the end with your own sentence using 'come out'. TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Come Out - The Basics: Key information & the individual words 'come' and 'out' Come Out - Meaning 1: To emerge from an internal space Come Out - Bonus: The idiom 'to come out of your shell' Come Out - Meaning 2: To become visible Come Out - Bonus: To come out in a rash Come Out - Meaning 3: To be made available for public consumption Come Out - Meaning 4: To become known Come Out - Meaning 5: To reveal your sexual identity Come Out - Meaning 6: To say something Come Out - Meaning 7: To declare a side Come Out - Meaning 8: To be removed (of a stain) Come Out - Meaning 9: To go somewhere to socialise 🇬🇧 Come Out - Meaning 10: To finish in a particular way 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 OUT: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 10 Past tense forms Came out / Come out Separable? No Let's start the post by examining the individual words 'come' and 'out' and what they mean on their own. Firstly, we have the verb 'to come', which is one of the most common verbs in the English language and is used to refer to movement towards where the speaker is, was or will be. I am coming to your party this evening. John came to work an hour late. In addition to this meaning, it can also be used to mean 'to happen', 'to arrive' or 'to develop'. Moreover, it is used in many different phrasal verb constructions, with a lot of them having a meaning of coming, changing or ending. Next, we have the prepositional particle 'out', which functions as the natural opposite of the particle 'on' and refers to being on, or moving towards the exterior of something. 'Out' can be used as a preposition, adverb, adjective, verb and even a noun in English...it is very diverse! So, now that we have considered the basics of these two component words, let's look at what meanings they have when they are combined to form a phrasal verb.... MEANING 1: To emerge from an internal space Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level A1 - Beginner Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Synonyms To emerge Separable? No Let's start the meanings of the phrasal verb 'come out' with a nice and simple one, which means 'to emerge from an internal space'. This meaning is purely the literal meaning of the combination of the verb 'to come', as in to move from one place towards where the speaker is, and the particle 'out', as in from an internal space to an external one. As I explained in the Basics section, the verb 'to come' is used to describe a movement towards where the speaker is and therefore for this application the speaker is always outside of the interior space that the person or thing is emerging from. As you can imagine, this application is typically used with nouns that people or animals can physically be inside, such as buildings, holes, boxes, rooms etc. The list is extensive! Aside from this, we can also use it for nouns for physical spaces with which we use 'in' in general, such as water, meeting and hiding places. We can even also use it with 'womb' to talk about being born. When I came out of the airport, I was amazed at how cold it was! I am worried about my friend. She has refused to come out of her house for several days now. Humans are extremely vulnerable when they come out of the womb. As I picked up my shoe, a big spider came out from inside it. Come out and face me, you coward! Photo: Pexels BONUS: The idiom 'to come out of your shell' Something else that some animals, such as turtles and crabs, can come out of is a shell. Whilst this exists as a literal meaning to describe the emergence of these animals from their protective covers, 'to come out of one's shell' is also a common English idiom, which means 'to become more socially confident and talkative'. This is typically used for people who are shy and timid and then gradually lose their shyness and become more at ease in social situations. Lisa has really come out of her shell since she started working in the shop. John is so quiet. Do you think he will ever come out of his shell? MEANING 2: To become visible Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To appear Separable? No Our second meaning of 'come out' is very much a continuation of the first meaning that we have just looked at and means 'to become visible'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Stars Sun Moon Flowers Birds This application of 'come out' is typically used in collocation with certain nouns for naturally occurring phenomena, many of which are found in the sky, such as the sun and stars. The idea behind this usage is that the nouns in question are not visible all the time e.g. the stars are not visible during the day, and so for the time that they are not visible they are hidden from view until the evening comes when they come out of their imaginary hiding place. As well as objects found in the sky, it is also common to use this application of 'come out' with flowers to describe when they bloom and their petals are visible. The clouds cleared and the sun came out. There was a clear sky that evening and the stars came out as soon as dusk arrived. The birds come out very early on summer mornings in order to catch their food. It is lovely at this time of year when all of the flowers come out. BONUS: To come out in a rash Another important sub-meaning of 'come out' that I want to make you aware of here is a medical one and is used specifically when things become visible on your skin, such as bruises, a rash, spots or hives. For this usage, we require the additional preposition 'in', giving us the construction "to come out in". Sarah's son came out in an allergic rash all over his body. Typical! The day before the school prom and my face has come out in spots. For some reason my leg has come out in bruises but I do not remember hurting myself there. MEANING 3: To be made available for public consumption Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To be released Separable? No If you have a favourite author, then you will surely get very excited when you hear they are releasing a new book, or in other words that they have a book 'coming out'. That is because the next meaning of 'come out' is 'to be made available for public consumption'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Book Album Song Product Newspaper Magazine This application refers to anything that is created and released to the public to be consumed and ranges from books, songs and albums to new products that are made available on the market. This meaning has developed from the usage of 'out' as an adjective to mean 'available to buy, see or consume', with the verb 'to come' here being used to add the idea of being or released or made available. The next edition of the newspaper is coming out tomorrow morning. When this song first came out I hated it, but I have grown to love it since then. My company's new product is going to come out next year, so we are working hard on our marketing and advertising strategy. On a grammatical note, as you may have noticed from my initial example, a commonly used construction with this application of 'come out' is 'to have something coming out' and this is something that I see and hear a lot in everyday spoken English. Also, note that 'come out' cannot be used in an active way, i.e. you cannot say that an author is coming out a new book'. Instead, you would use 'bring out' as a phrasal verb in this instance. Coldplay have a new album coming out next year and I am really looking forward to listening to it. I've checked my favourite author's website and apparently she has a new book coming out in December. Are you looking forward to any albums, books or creative works coming out? Tell me in the comments section here . MEANING 4: To become known Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To get out, to leak, to come to light Separable? No In the last section, I explained how if something comes out, it is made available for public consumption and this next meaning of 'come out' is very similar to this as it is means 'to become known'. For this usage, the primary focus is on information, or more specifically information that was once secret or confidential. If this information comes out about a famous person, then it becomes public knowledge, or if the person involved is a mere mortal like you or me, then we would say that it is well-known. When the news first came out about the Queen's death, I was really shocked. If it comes out that I was involved in this, my career will be over! The information first came out in the newspapers and spread around the globe like wildfire. MEANING 5: To reveal your sexual identity Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To reveal Separable? No Let's stay with the theme of revealing previously secret or confidential information for this next meaning of 'come out' as this one means 'to reveal your sexual identity'. This application of 'come out' is most commonly used to talk about someone who is gay or lesbian and who decides to make the information public to the people around them, or for celebrities, the public in general. This usage is in fact a shortened form of the expression 'to come out of the closet', which describes gay people no longer hiding their true selves or feelings in a fictional closet and whilst this expression can still be heard today, 'come out' on its own tends to be used much more. Moreover, if you use this form of 'come out' on its own without any reference to an internal space (except for closet), then it will be generally understood that you are referring to someone's sexuality. Due to the increasingly relaxed attitudes around homosexuality in many English speaking countries over the past 50 years, this usage of 'come out' has become more widespread in usage. Aside from sexuality, it is also used to talk about when someone reveals any sort of sexual preference or gender status such as transsexual, non-binary or asexual. John came out to his friends and family when he was 16. When Sarah came out as gay, nobody was really surprised or shocked, much to her relief. Coming out can be a very stressful and worrying process for many people. MEANING 6: To say something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To say, to blurt out, to spit out Separable? No For our next meaning of 'come out', we are going to stay with the same theme of something emerging from an internal space. This time though we are talking about words emerging from your mouth, as this next meaning is 'to say something'. Firstly, this is not an exact synonym of 'to say' as it is not possible to 'come out a word', however it is more used to talk about your ability or inability to say something. One common way that this is used is for when you are unable to speak or say something or when you don't say something properly or how it was intended. When it was time to give my speech, I was so nervous that the words didn't come out. Every time I try to pronounce his surname, it comes out wrong. I am so sorry if I offended you, it came out wrong and i did not mean to say it like that. Secondly, if we want to use 'come out' to specify particular words or things that we have said, then we can add the extra preposition 'with', giving us the construction 'to come out with something'. We use this particular construction when someone says something unexpected, unusual or surprising. This can also often be something that may considered rude or may be a confession or revelation of some sort. It's essentially the kind of comment or remark that surprises or shocks the other people in the conversation. In the middle of our conversation last night, my husband suddenly came out with the fact that he wants a divorce. I feel so shocked! My brother told me he is moving to Australia. He just came out with it as if it wasn't a big thing. She came out with it mid-conversation and nobody knew what to say to her. Lastly, as I mentioned previously, the construction 'to come out with something' can be used when somebody confesses something or reveals something secret. Consequently, people often use this in an imperative form when they want someone to confess or reveal some secret information... Come on, I know that you know who committed the crime. Just come out with it. John, stop beating around the bush* and come out with it. What do you want to tell me? *To beat around the bush is a common English idiom that means 'to avoid talking about what is important or necessary'. MEANING 7: To declare a side Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To support Separable? No Our seventh meaning of 'come out' means 'to declare a side' and is all about whether you are for or against something. The idea here is all about declaring or announcing that you are either in favour of something or in opposition to something, when your preference has never previously been made public or made known. This is usually used when talking about high-profile, famous or well-known people and their stances on political parties, political or social movements, conflicts, disputes, and arguments. Commonly used collocations that you are likely to come across with this application of 'come out' are 'to come out in favour / support of' for those who are for something and 'to come out in opposition to' for those against it. The well known media personality came out in support of the oppressed people and urged others to do what they could to help. The politician came out in opposition to the proposed deal with the nationalist right wing party. A large number of church ministers yesterday came out against the plan to cut funding to their charities. MEANING 8: To be removed (of a stain) Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To be removed Separable? No There are many benefits of wearing white clothes; they provide coolness in hot weather, look clean and smart and they go with pretty much all other colours. However, one major drawback of them, especially for messy eaters like me, is that it is easy to stain them and is often quite difficult to remove the stains. That is what this next meaning of 'come out' can be applied as it means 'to remove a stain'. Now, of course this application of 'come out' does not just apply to white clothes and can be used for any colour of clothes, or indeed any stain on material or fabric such as a sofa, carpet or sheet. For other harder surfaces such as floors and walls, 'come out' can be used however, I think 'come off' is perhaps used more. I think that the reason for this is that for materials and fabrics, the stain is caused by a substance that sinks into the material and is not just sitting on the surface of it. When we remove the stain, we therefore make it come out of the fabric, whereas on hard surfaces such as a wall, the stain is more on the surface rather than inside it and 'off' would sound better here as the natural opposite of 'on'. Red wine stains will come out if you pour white wine onto them and leave it for a while. I've washed this white shirt several times on different temperatures and this stain will not come out. Oh don't worry about those pen marks on your coat, they will come out in the wash. Roger dropped some mustard on the cream sofa but luckily he scrubbed it and it came out straight away. MEANING 9: To go somewhere to socialise Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? British English Potential synonyms To go out, to socialise Separable? No If you've ever spent much time in the UK or with British people, you will know that they like to go 'out' at the weekends. In other words, to go to a pub, bar, restaurant or nightclub (or a combination) with their friends to socialise, have a drink and relax. This next meaning is a British usage that is very much connected to this as it is simply 'to go somewhere to socialise'. Often this is used in the form of an invitation, where one persons asks another to join them when they go out or it can be used as a response to the person to say that they will join them. Remember that the verb 'to come' is used to refer to movement towards the speaker or a specified place where the speaker will be and in this case it is 'out'. Additionally, as a child before the days of internet and smartphones, I remember knocking on my friends' front doors and asking them if they "were coming out to play", which I guess is just the children's equivalent of the adult's socialising. Are you coming out tonight? If so, meet us in The King's Head at 8pm. Sorry for my late reply. I've managed to get a babysitter, so I will come out. Do you know who is coming out tomorrow evening? MEANING 10: To finish in a particular way Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To end up Separable? No We have now come to the final meaning of the phrasal verb 'come out' and rather appropriately, this one is all about finishing something. Now, it doesn't in fact mean to end something, but rather to be in a specified state or way when something finishes or at the end of an experience. Firstly, this one is often used with competitions, sporting events and polls to talk about who won or lost something, i.e. once the competition or poll has ended. The United Kingdom came out as the winners of the 1997 Eurovision song contest, following a very close vote. Tyson Fury came out as the eventual loser in his heavyweight title boxing match against Oleksandr Usyk. The votes have been counted and we are pleased to announce that the third design option for the new park came out as the most popular among local residents. Further to this, this application of 'come out' can also be used when referring to experiences and situations that people go through in life. I came out of the experience a much better and more well-rounded person. Helen came out of it feeling like an idiot. Sarah came out of her relationship with a new sense of self worth. Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new and that you've come out of the experience with more English knowledge than before. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'come 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 'sort out' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pixels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them. The featured phrasal verb in this post is 'to sort out', which is a relatively informal phrasal with a number of different meanings and usages. Across these different meanings there is a general theme though, which will hopefully help to help you understand and make sense of them. So, without further ado, let's take a look at them.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'sort' and 'out' Meaning 1: To arrange into categories Meaning 2: To resolve a problem Meaning 3: To organise or arrange something Meaning 4: To provide something for someone 🇬🇧 Meaning 5: To punish someone 🇬🇧 Bonus: The noun 'sort-out' Bonus: Typical example sentences of 'sort out' Bonus: Don't confuse 'sort out' with 'sought' out' 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: Pixels THE BASICS SORT OUT: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 5 Past tense forms Sorted out / Sorted out Separable? Yes A great way to start our exploration of the phrasal verb 'sort out' is to consider the words 'sort' and 'out' and what they mean individually. Firstly, we have the base verb 'to sort' , which can mean either 'to arrange something into categories' (think of a hat in a famous literary school for magicians) or to resolve a problem or difficulty. Photo: Pixels John sorted the playing cards into different suits. I need to sort all these old clothes before tomorrow. I have managed to sort the problem with the computer. How did you manage to sort that issue so quickly? Next, we have the prepositional particle 'out', which is a widespread and common word in English that can function as a preposition, adverb, adjective and even a verb! When used in phrasal verb constructions, 'out' can emphasise the ideas of movement to an external space ( go out ), exhaustion ( run out ), revelation (find out), removal ( cut out ), expansion (spread out) and exclusion (leave out), among other things. So, following that short introduction, let's take a look at the idiomatic usages of 'sort out' and how native speakers use it.... MEANING 1: To arrange into categories Photo: Pixels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To sort, to arrange, to organise Separable? Yes As we have just seen in the previous section, one of the main meanings of the verb 'to sort' is to arrange something into categories or types and you'll be pleased to know that this first meaning of the phrasal verb 'sort out' means the exact same thing 😀. I sorted the playing cards out into different suits. John helped Helen sort out the clothes into colour groups. You will see from the examples above that it is perfectly fine to separate 'sort' and 'out' (like in the first example) with no difference in meaning. Moreover, don't forget that the preposition ' into' is also required to specify the end category or group. IS THERE ANY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TO SORT OUT AND TO SORT? You may be wondering why native speakers add the extra word 'out' when 'to sort' alone means the same thing? While it is true that these two variations can be interchangeable with no difference in meaning, sometimes native speakers will add 'out' for extra emphasis. In other instances however, 'sort out' does have a different meaning to ' sort' , which you should be aware of. In a situation where we want to separate or remove one type of item from the others, we would use 'sort out' rather than ' sort' . Photo: Pixels Imagine that you have some old clothes that you want to go through in order to decide which items you want to keep and which you want to throw away. In this instance you would say that you are sorting out the clothes that you no longer want. Using 'to sort' for this sounds incomplete as the particle 'out' adds the extra element or idea of separation. I need to sort out the clothes that I am taking on holiday with me. Lisa has finally sorted out which items she will donate to the charity shop. The librarian sorted out the returned books into their respective genres. Can you help me sort out the laundry into whites, colours, and delicates? We need to sort out these files into different folders based on the year. MEANING 2: To resolve a problem Photo: Pixels ​CEFR Language Level ​B2 - Upper intermediate ​Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To sort, to resolve Separable? Yes As I mentioned before, 'to sort' has two main meanings in English: the first is to arrange something and the second is to resolve a problem. Luckily for you English learners, the second meaning of 'to sort out' is also the same meaning as the second meaning of 'sort', i.e. to resolve a problem or issue. Nouns commonly used with this application: Mess Things Problem Issue IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 'TO SORT OUT' AND 'TO SORT'? The short answer here is no. Both variations can be used interchangeably without any change in meaning, however like with the previous meaning, native speakers will often add the word 'out' for emphasis. From my own perspective, I think that 'sort out' is often used by native speakers when the problem or issue is a complicated or difficult one and we tend to use 'sort' more for issues that are easier or quicker to resolve. WHAT A MESS! We often use 'sort out' with the word ' mess' , which can either mean an untidy physical space like a typical teenager's bedroom or a complex situation with lots or problems. We can therefore use 'sort out' to talk about tidying the messy, untidy space as well as to resolve a complicated issue. Photo: Pixels LOVE PROBLEMS! For the romantics among you, if native speakers want to talk about resolving problems in a relationship, we will often say that we need to 'sort things out'. From a formality perspective, I would say that this meaning of 'sort out' is very informal. We do use it in business English, however in more formal situations and on formal documentation it should be avoided and an alternative like 'to resolve' should be used instead. Did you manage to sort out the customer's problem? Helen, your bedroom is a terrible mess! Sort it out! John and Roger have sorted out their differences and they are now best friends again. Lisa and her husband are trying to sort things out. MEANING 3: To organise or arrange something Photo: Pixels ​CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate ​Usage ​Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To organise, to arrange Separable? Yes Our third meaning of 'sort out' is to organise or arrange something, such as an event or a party. The focus here is on doing what is necessary in order for the event to happen. Imagine that you are arranging a surprise birthday party for a family member and you need to book a DJ for the music, book a suitable venue for the party, organise the decoration of the venue and invite the guests. For all of these you could say that you need to sort them out.... We have managed to sort out a great venue for my daughter's party next week. I haven't sorted out a DJ or the decorations yet. I need to sort both of those out this weekend! This meaning is a definite variation of the previous idiomatic meaning of resolving a problem as here we are resolving the specific problem of something not yet being organised. MEANING 4: To provide something for someone Photo: Pixels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced ​Usage Rare Where is it used? British English Potential synonyms To obtain, to provide, to supply Separable? Yes In informal British English, it is also possible to use 'sort out' to mean to provide someone with something that they need. This is normally something that in not easy to obtain or could possibly even be something illegal. Since it is informal, I would not recommend using this in business English, where an alternative such as ' provide' or ' supply' would be much more appropriate. This is often followed by the preposition ' with' to talk about the item that is to be provided. I couldn't find any gym equipment anywhere but luckily my personal trainer was able to sort me out with some. The IT department were able to sort my manager out with a new printer. The mechanic sorted out a new car for my brother after he crashed his old one. MEANING 5: To punish someone Photo: Pixels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? British English Potential synonyms To punish, to tell off, to admonish Separable? Yes The final meaning that we are looking at in this post is to 'sort someone out', meaning 'to punish someone' or 'to stop someone who is causing you a problem'. This is normally by using physical force but sometimes can be by shouting at them. I guess the ultimate aim of 'sorting out' in this sense is to make the person regret doing the wrong thing. Again, the underlying idea of this meaning is to resolve a problem but this time it is a problem that another person has caused or is causing you. This usage is also very informal and like with the previous meanings, it should be avoided when in formal situations or in business English. His parents will sort him out when he gets home. The coach promised to sort out any players who broke the rules during the game. Don’t worry about the bully; I’ll sort him out if he bothers you again. The gang leader sent his men to sort out anyone who didn’t pay their protection money. Photo: Pixels THE NOUN 'SORT-OUT' In British English it is also possible to use 'sort out' as a noun, in which case it is spelt sort-out, with a hyphen. We normally 'have a sort-out' when we are looking through our possessions in order to decide what to keep and what to throw away. It is an alternative way to say "to have a spring clean" if you are familiar with that expression. I have too much stuff in my bedroom. I really must have a sort-out! Photo: Pixels MORE EXAMPLE SENTENCES WITH 'SORT OUT' If you can memorise some of the sentences below and use them in a conversation, it will help your English to come across as more natural: I need to sort out which [noun] I am taking on holiday with me. [Pronoun] is sorting out the issue. Do you think you can sort it out by [time] We are trying to sort things / it out. That cupboard is so full. It really needs sorting out. We've managed to sort out the problem. When I have a headache, paracetamol and fresh air really sort me out. Can you do this while I sort this customer out. I am going to have a sort-out at home this weekend. Photo: Pixels DON'T CONFUSE 'SORT OUT' WITH 'SOUGHT OUT' Before I finish the post, I just want to make you aware of one more thing. Make sure you that do not confuse 'sort out' with 'sought out', which is the past form of the phrasal verb 'to seek out'. The pronunciation of 'sought out' is exactly the same as 'sort out', so it is good to be aware that both of these exist. It is worth remembering that both past forms of sort out are sorted out, so if you do hear 'sought out' in a past context, you can be fairly sure it is the past of 'seek out'. 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 'sort 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