An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'fill in' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native. 'Fill in' is an English phrasal verb with a variety of meanings that all, in some way, mean to fill a kind of empty space, whether that be a physical hole or a gap in a person's knowledge of a situation. In this post, I will look at all of these meanings and how they are used in English by native speakers, with plenty of examples to aid your understanding. So, without further ado, let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Fill In - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'fill' and 'in' Fill In - Meaning 1: To complete a form 🇬🇧 Fill In - Bonus: Fill in or fill out? Fill In - Meaning 2: To fill a hole or gap Fill In - Meaning 3: To fill empty spaces with colour Fill In - Meaning 4: To give someone missing information Fill In - Meaning 5: To be a substitute for someone Fill In - Meaning 6: To occupy your spare time I love writing this blog & helping learners but I receive very little feedback as to how useful it is or if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I'd be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS FILL IN: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 6 Past tense forms Filled in / Filled in Separable? Yes In order to better understand the meanings of the phrasal verb 'fill in', let's first take a look at the meanings of the individual words 'fill' and 'in'. The verb 'to fill' is a fairly common verb in English, which carries a general meaning of causing something that is empty, or partially empty, to become full. In addition to this, the verb 'to fill' is used a lot in different phrasal verb constructions such as 'fill out', 'fill up' and 'fill in'. Unlike many other English verbs, 'to fill' does not have multiple, diverse meanings and most of the time the idea it conveys is 'to make something full', The prepositional particle 'in' is a common feature in phrasal verbs and has a general meaning of being in an internal space when used as a preposition and movement towards an internal space when used as an adverb. This adverbial usage of motion towards an internal space is often transferred into phrasal verb constructions and meanings. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's take a look at the meanings of 'fill in'... MEANING 1: To complete a form Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? British English Potential synonyms To fill out, to complete Separable? Yes If you have ever gone to an English speaking country for a period of time, it is likely that you will have completed a document or a form with your information. Furthermore, if you were coming to the UK, it is likely that you have may have been asked to 'fill in' this document. That is because 'to fill in' means to complete a form or document by giving the requested information in the necessary gaps. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Form Document Questionnaire Survey Section The idea of this first usage can be linked directly back to the meaning of 'to fill' as it literally means to make the gaps (or empty spaces) on the form or document full by writing 'in' the details. Fill in or fill out? Confusingly, in English the phrasal verb 'fill out' also means the exact same thing and is interchangeable with the phrasal verb 'fill in'. Whilst there is no real difference in the meanings between these two, you should know that 'fill out' is the version that is favoured in American English and 'fill in' is more of a British usage. With that being said however, 'fill out' sounds perfectly natural to my ears as a native speaker of British English and it is also used here all the time. As you can imagine, 'fill in' is commonly used with such nouns as 'form', 'document', 'application' and 'section', i.e. words for documents that require informational input. Grammatically, it is separable and the direct object (e.g. form or document) can happily go in the middle of the phrasal verb or after it with no discernible change of meaning. Before you reach British passport control in the airport, you need to fill this form in. If you haven't filled in the survey on our website yet, please go online before your next appointment and do so. John realised that he had filled in all of the wrong sections of his tax return form and had to start it again. Fill in this job application and send it to the company by Monday. MEANING 2: To fill a hole or gap Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To fill Separable? Yes In the last section, we looked at how 'fill in' is used to talk about completing the blank spaces on a form or document and for this second meaning we are keeping to the same idea, however this time we need to substitute the idea of blank spaces on paper with empty physical spaces such as holes, cracks and gaps. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Hole Gap Crack For this usage of the phrasal verb 'fill in', we are therefore talking about moving material into a physical space to make it full or complete, often with the objective of having a level surface at the end of it. Typical examples of this would be filling in a hole in the ground with soil to make it even and filling in cracks in a wall with plaster to make it smooth. As you can probably guess, this usage of 'fill in' is used a lot when talking about DIY, building and physical work. Like the previous usage, this meaning of 'fill in' is separable and the direct object (hole, gap etc.) can be placed between or after the phrasal verb. I would say however that native speakers naturally tend to place the object afterwards more often. We removed a pond from our garden and filled in the hole with soil and compost. After the earthquake there was a huge crack in my wall, which I have temporarily filled in with plaster whilst I decide what to do about it. What is the best way to fill in drill holes in sheet metal? MEANING 3: To fill empty spaces with colour Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To fill Separable? Yes This next usage of 'fill in' is definitely one that you may have come across if you are a painter or artist of some sort. Again, for this third usage of 'fill in' we are staying with the idea of filling an empty space and this time it is not with written words or physical material but with c o l o u r . With this meaning, if you have a drawing, painting or design and you fill an uncoloured part of it with colour, you 'fill it in', so that the part in question is no longer the same colour as the canvas or paper, but rather the colour that the artist has chosen as part of the artwork. Outside of the artistic world, this can also be used for home decorating or, in fact, for anything where you add a colour to hitherto blank space. Interestingly, this is also common for tattoos and make-up, especially with lipstick for lips when you add lip liner around the edge of the lips and then fill in the rest with lipstick...I'm no expert in putting on make-up but I believe that this is the procedure. Either way, 'fill in' is definitely used with lipstick! In order to draw the ladybird's wings, I drew black spots on them and filled the rest in with red. Helen applied the lip liner around the outside of lips and then filled them in with lipstick. For your tattoo, you will need to have two separate appointments with the tattoo artist; the first to draw the outline of the picture and the second to fill it in with colour. MEANING 4: To give someone missing information Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To inform Separable? Yes If you have ever been in a situation where you do not have all of the information about it, you will probably need someone to 'fill you in'. This means that they give you the information that you are missing, so that you are fully informed about the situation at hand. With this fourth meaning of 'fill in', we are still talking about making something full or complete but this time it is people, or more specifically, the gaps in people's knowledge about a specific matter. It is normally always used in dynamic situations where things change and develop, whether this be social or professional, and if a person is not present when these developments occur, they will not be aware of the latest information, for example when you go on holiday and take time off work. They will therefore have gaps in their knowledge and these will then need to be 'filled in'. The additional preposition ' on ' is often also required with this usage to specify the situation or circumstance in question (see the examples below). The preposition ' about ' can also be used instead of ' on ' but this is used slightly less. Grammatically, this usage is separable and this is how I believe it is used the majority of the time by native speakers. John has just filled me in on everything that has happened since I went away on holiday. I can't believe it! Has anyone told you the latest information or do you need me to fill you in? Let's go out for a coffee and I can fill you in on the latest developments with my family. Somebody needs to fill the manager in about what happened in the meeting yesterday when he was at the conference. MEANING 5: To be a substitute for someone Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To cover, to be a substitute for Separable? No I am sure that you can all remember back to your school days when your normal teacher was sick or was not able to work and another temporary teacher was appointed to teach your class instead. You can say that this temporary teacher was 'filling in' for your regular teacher whilst he or she was absent and this is exactly the meaning of this next usage of the phrasal verb 'fill in'. In a professional sense, if you 'fill in' for another person, it means that you do their job on a temporary basis as they are not able to do it for some reason. As with the example above, this is often used with substitute teachers but it can also be used for any type of job role where one person does another person's work for a short-term period. Here, we have the recurrent idea of filling a gap, which this time is a job role, albeit ad interim . Grammatically, this usage of 'fill in' requires the additional preposition ' for ' to specify the person or colleague who will temporarily be absent and replaced. Also, unlike the previous usages of 'fill in' that we have looked at, this one is not separable. Roger is going on vacation next week, so I have to fill in for him and teach his senior classes. Does anyone want to volunteer to fill in for Lisa whilst she is out of the office next week? Martin is unfortunately off sick today, however Laura is filling in for him, so please contact her and she will assist you in his absence. MEANING 6: To occupy your spare time Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To pass time Separable? No You may have realised by now that every single usage of 'fill in' that we have covered so far contains an idea of filling something that is empty.....and this final usage is no different! 😜 This last meaning of 'fill in' is 'to occupy your spare time by doing something unimportant or trivial'. Moreover, this is normally whilst you are waiting for something else to happen. For example, if you finish work at 5pm and have planned to meet a friend for a drink at 7pm, you will need to do something to occupy yourself for the two hours that you wait and we call this 'filling in' time. As you have probably guessed from the example, the empty thing that requires filling in with this usage is time. My train arrives at 3pm this afternoon and my connecting train doesn't leave until 6pm, so I'll need to find something to do to fill in the time whilst I am waiting. I had nothing to do until the evening, so I filled in the day playing computer games and drinking coffee. Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'fill in'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'fill in'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'see through' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them. In this post, we are looking at the phrasal verb 'see through', which may seem like quite a straightforward phrasal verb, but in fact it has some interesting uses that you may not be aware of. For each separate application, I will give you a detailed explanation of how to use it and lots of examples to aid your understanding. So, without further ado, let's make a start.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) See Through - The Basics: Key information and the words 'see' and 'through' See Through - Meaning 1: Literal See Through - Bonus: 'See-through' as an adjective See Through - Meaning 2: To understand someone's hidden intentions See Through - Meaning 3: To persevere with something and finish it See Through - Meaning 4: To support someone in a difficult time I love writing this blog and helping learners but I get very little feedback so I don't always know if it is helpful for you. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like and share it or leave a comment at the end. I would be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS SEE THROUGH: KEY INFORMATION Usage Medium Number of meanings 4 Past tense forms Saw through / Seen through Separable? Yes Before we start our exploration of the phrasal verb 'see through', let's first consider what the words 'see' and 'through' mean on their own. Our focus verb this week is the verb 'to see', which is a sensory verb, meaning 'to perceive something with your eyes' and I'm sure it will be extremely familiar to most readers. In addition to this sensory meaning, it also has a second meaning in English, which is to understand something after consideration or reflection; possibly as we can see something clearly in our mind once we understand it. The meaning of 'see' that we are interested in for this phrasal verb however, is the first meaning of visual perception. The preposition that is keeping 'see' company in this post is 'through', which is one of those annoying English words with a lot of unnecessary letters (thru is also a less common variant of through and should be limited to informal use only). The main meaning of 'through' is to pass into something on one side of it and out on the other side. In other words, to pass into and out of the interior of something, ending up on the other side of it to the where you started. Ok, so now we have covered the basics, the first meaning should be pretty obvious.... MEANING 1: Literal Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To look through Separable? No After looking at the words 'see' and 'through', it will probably come as no surprise to you that the literal meaning of these words combined is simply 'to see through the middle of something to what is on the other side of it'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Shirt / Top / Dress / Fabric / Material Window Cloud Gap / Crack / Hole This application is used for both materials and substances that are so thin that light pass through them, as well as for surfaces and objects that have physical holes or cracks in them, allowing us to see to the other side. In this sense the modal verb 'can' is normally used to express the possibility of 'seeing through' something. I love this dress but in very bright sunlight you can see through it, so I only wear it on dreary or rainy days. The car accident was caused by the driver not being able to see through the tinted windows. The curtains were so thin that I could easily see through them. Can you see much through the binoculars? This paper is so thin that when you put it on top of another sheet, you can see through it. Native speakers also often add the word 'right' between 'see' and 'through' to emphasise when something can be seen through very easily or clearly. This crack in the wall is getting bigger, you can see right through it and into the garden now! That fish is astonishing! You can see right through it! If we want to insert a direct object into our sentence and talk about who or what we can see on the other side of the transparent surface, we just insert it into the middle of 'see' and 'through', as per the examples below.... I knew that he was coming as I could see him through the window. Now that your clothes are wet we can see your underwear through them! BONUS: See-through as an adjective In addition to the phrasal verb 'see through', we also have the adjective form 'see-through', which is derived from the literal form of this phrasal verb. As you can probably guess, if something is 'see-through', it is transparent or in other words, you can see right through it! This is most commonly used to talk about items of clothing but other nouns that you may hear it with are floor, ceiling and display. MEANING 2: To understand someone's hidden intentions Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms ​To realise, to get the measure of someone Separable? No This second meaning of 'see through' is a slight departure from the literal meaning that we have just looked at, as it does not really involve our eyes at all. The meaning here is 'to understand or realise what a person's hidden intentions are'. Nous commonly used with this application.... Lies Mask Facade Deception Disguise Pretence This meaning is all about deception and pretence. It should only ever be needed if a person is not being genuine or sincere, perhaps because they want to gain something from us or from the relationship. If and when we realise that the person's intentions are not sincere and we understand the true reality of the situation, we can say that we 'see through' them. In addition to seeing through a person, it is also common to use nouns like 'words', disguise', 'pretence', 'lies', 'deception' and 'facade'. The jury immediately saw through the defendant's story in court. I could see through him from the very start. I can't believe that you couldn't!! Lisa saw right through John's clever disguise! Stacey pretended to be nice, but I could see through her fake smile. I saw through John's lies the moment he started making excuses. The boss quickly saw through their plan to manipulate the project deadlines. Kelly thought she could fool me, but I saw through her tricks right away. The teacher saw through her student's excuse for not doing the homework. The suspect tried to act innocent, but the detective easily saw through his act. The audience quickly saw through the politician's empty promises during the debate. MEANING 3: To persevere with something and finish it Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To persevere, to persist, to stick with, to stick something out Separable? Yes In this third meaning we need to change our word order from 'see through something', with the direct object following the verb, to 'see something through', with the direct object now being placed firmly in the middle of the phrasal verb construction. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Project Job / Task Problems / Issues This change of word order and direct object placement gives us a brand new meaning, which is to 'persist or persevere with something until the end'. This is typically used in situations in which you start something that turns out to be more difficult than you originally anticipated and en element of perseverance or persistence is required in order to finish it. Examples of this could be a difficult work project, a romantic relationship that is not going well or a demanding job that you have started. The majority of the time when using 'see something through', the difficult job or situation has already previously been mentioned in the conversation, so we normally only require the pronouns 'it' or 'them'. Also, it is quite common to follow this usage up with the words 'to the end' or 'to completion'. Despite all the challenges, Lucy was determined to see the project through to the end. It won’t be easy, but if we stay focused, we can see this task through . Once I commit to something, I always see it through, no matter how difficult it gets. We need a strong leader who can see this initiative through successfully. I know this is a tough challenge, but let’s see it through together. He had doubts at times, but his passion for the work helped him see it through. My wife and I have been having problems for some time now but we have agreed that we will see them through for the sake of our children. I experienced so many problems when designing my website and I almost gave up but thankfully I persevered and saw it through and now I am a very proud website owner. Lisa has handed in her notice today and will leave at the end of this month but she has promised to see the finance project through to completion before leaving. MEANING 4: To support someone in a difficult time Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To support, to help through, to get through Separable? Yes Our fourth and final meaning of 'see through' is to help and support someone through a difficult period until they are ok again. This is quite similar to the previous meaning that we have just looked at, however rather than seeing something through, in this case the direct object changes from a situation or problem to a person and we see someone through instead. The idea here is that the problem or negative situation is something that will pass with time, however it will be very difficult (or impossible) without other people who support us and help us through to the other side. This support could come in many forms but typically would be giving money, providing emotional support or some other help that we may require until the negative or difficult situation has passed. Alternatively, if we say that something "sees us through", it means that we have enough of it to last for a particular period of time, especially if this period is difficult or challenging in some way. Typically, this could be money, food or something else which we don't want to run out of before we can obtain more of it. I wasn't able to work when I was at university but thankfully my parents paid for my accommodation and saw me through. Hibernating mammals need to store as much fat as possible to see them through the winter. Jenny's best friend saw her through the toughest moments of her life. The charity organisation sees many struggling families through difficult situations. Mel's wife saw him through his illness with unwavering love and care. David's family saw him through his financial struggles with their constant support. 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 'see through'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'see through'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'get 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. Today we are looking at another phrasal verb with the extremely common verb 'to get', namely 'get out'. It is likely that you are already familiar with this phrasal verb as it is frequently used by native speakers and in this post we will look at the various different meanings that it has in English, as well as the numerous expressions in which it makes an appearance. So without further ado, let's get started.... MEANINGS   (Click to jump to each one) Get Out - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'get' and 'out' Get Out - Meaning 1: To leave an enclosed or internal space Get Out - Bonus: The imperative 'get out!' Get Out - Meaning 2: To remove something Get Out - Bonus: 'Get Out' with reflexive pronouns Get Out - Meaning 3: To become publicly known Get Out - Meaning 4: To say something Get Out - Meaning 5: To go places and enjoy yourself Get Out - Meaning 6: To avoid a job, duty or task Get Out - Meaning 7: To feel the benefit of something Get Out - Bonus: Common idioms featuring 'get 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: Pexels THE BASICS TAKE OUT: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 7 Past tense forms Got Out / Got Out / Gotten Out Separable? Sometimes By way of an introduction to 'get out', let's first examine the words that it consists of and what they mean individually.... As a result of its many different meanings and high frequency of use, the verb 'to get' is one of the verbs that causes English learners the most headaches. You only need to listen to a conversation between native speakers for a couple of minutes to realise just how common it is. Luckily, we can forget about most of the meanings for this post as the relevant one for the phrasal verb 'get out' is 'to reach or arrive at a particular place'. What time will we get to London? Sarah got home late last night. The prepositional particle 'out' also has many meanings in English and can be used to express a large amount of different ideas and concepts. In this post we will focus on just one, namely 'to move from inside something to outside of it'. which leads us nicely to the first meaning of 'get out'.... MEANING 1: To leave an enclosed or internal space Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To leave, to vacate, to exit, to go out Separable? No If you are ever in a situation where an English-speaking person approaches you and tells you to 'get out!', you can be sure that they want you to leave the room or building. This is because perhaps the most common meaning of the phrasal verb 'get out' is this first one, which is 'to leave an enclosed or internal space'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... House / Room / Building Car Way Debt Road In this initial application, 'get out' is more of a literal meaning of the combination of 'get', referring to reaching or arriving at a place, and 'out', in the sense of no longer being inside something. In other words, it means to leave somewhere enclosed and end up outside of it. When used in this way, 'get out' tends either to be used in affirmative sentences with a modal verb, such as 'have to' or 'need to', or with 'let's' when offering a suggestion. I don't think that this building is very safe, let's get out of here. You shouldn't be in this room. You need to get out now! The teacher told me to get out of the classroom. It was too hot in that pub; I had to get out get some fresh air. Moreover, in negative sentences, it is often used to express when we are not able to leave somewhere or have difficulties leaving and is therefore often found in collocation with 'can't' or 'couldn't'. Helen has accidentally locked herself in her bathroom and can't get out. Arthur the cat got in the box and refused to get out of it again! My grandfather finds it difficult to get out of the bath. When I was younger, I was locked in my bedroom and I couldn't get out. Just to make things a bit more complicated, the use of 'get out' is not just limited to places that we are physically inside, but can also be used for any nouns with which we use the preposition 'in' without physically being inside them, such as way, road, trouble or debt. You need to follow these steps if you want to get out of debt. I will get of your way and let you do your work. How are you going to get out of this terrible situation? Please get out of the road. It's not safe to play there. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The imperative 'get out!' Moreover, as you can see from the examples above, 'get out!' is very useful in its imperative form and is therefore used very commonly in certain situations. However, I do think that this imperative form is somewhat negative in nature and can often come across as rude, impolite or even threatening. Nonetheless, sometimes it is necessary to use it, in order to prevent a problem or dangerous situation from happening as no other expression works as well in these situations. Get out of my way! What are you doing in my house? Get out or I will call the police! Get out right now! I don't want to see you here ever again! Get out of my pub! MEANING 2: To remove something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Advanced ​Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To remove, to pull out, to take out Separable? Yes This second meaning of 'get out' is actually very similar to the first meaning and is just a change in perspective from ourselves to something else. In the previous meaning, we talked about how it means to leave or exit an interior space and for this one we are removing something else from an interior space, i.e. an object or thing which we want to move so that it is no longer inside something. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Nouns for food and drink Phone Books Plates / Glasses Photos Firstly, on a grammatical note, the main difference between this meaning and the previous one is that it is transitive and therefore needs a direct object, which needs to be placed between 'get' and 'out'. We tend to use this application for two reasons, with the first one being to remove something or someone from an internal space as we do not what it or them to be in there. Again, this usage stretches to cover any nouns for which we use the preposition 'in' and does not only refer to enclosed places or spaces. Can you get the spider out of the bath please? I've dropped my wedding ring down the sink and I can't get it out! The dog fell into the swimming pool and the lifeguard had to jump in and get it out. A wasp landed in my glass of wine and I was not sure how to get it out. Other, less obvious, things that you may want to get out from somewhere are ideas and songs from your head or stains and dirt from clothes and surfaces. Ever since you told me that story, I haven't been able to get it out of my head. This is song is too catchy. I can't get it out of my head!! Despite several washes, I have been able to get these grass stains out of my favourite jeans. Karen scrubbed the wall to get the dirt marks out. Furthermore, we can also apply this usage to people and 'get someone out'. Here, the direct object is a person, in which case it is used to mean either of the following... to help someone who is trapped or stuck in something to escape. to enable someone to escape from somewhere such as prison or captivity. Roger got Helen out of the bathroom by breaking down the locked door. Sarah believes that her husband was wrongly jailed and has been trying to get him out for years. Help, I'm locked in the bathroom. Can someone please come and get me out! The second reason that we use this application is in order to take something out of storage in order to use or consume it. The wine glasses are in that cupboard. Could you get them out for me? Can you get the ice cream out of the freezer please, I really want some. Andrew, would you mind getting the extra chairs out of the cupboard so that our guests can sit down. The cats need to go to the vets later, so I've got the carrier out of the cupboard. Is anyone hungry? I'll get some snacks out if you are. Whenever I visit my parents, they always get the photos of when I was a child out to show to my partner. Photo: Pexels BONUS: Get out with reflexive pronouns It is also possible to use a reflexive pronoun ('myself, yourself, etc.) as the direct object when talking about physically removing ourselves from an interior space or, perhaps more commonly, from a situation that we are in. I don't know how long it is going to take for me to get myself out of debt. Lisa got herself out of a toxic relationship last year and is now much happier. MEANING 3: To become publicly known Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To publish, to spread, to leak Separable? Yes The next meaning of 'get out' that we will consider means 'to become known'. This is not in the sense of becoming famous, but rather when secret or previously private information becomes known to people. Nouns commonly used with this application.... News Story Information Details Secret I think logically this application makes sense as we are talking here about private or censored information, which has 'escaped' and is 'out' of its imaginary confinement, meaning that it is now free and available to everyone. It is very common for this usage of 'get out' to be heard with the word 'word' instead of 'information'. Another way that you might come across this usage is in the construction 'it got out that...'. See the below examples. Somehow the secret about Helen's private party has got out and now everybody wants to come. We need to keep this from the press. If word gets out about this, it will destroy our reputation. Despite our best efforts to keep it a secret, the news of our engagement eventually got out. Once the truth got out, the company had no choice but to issue a public apology. Ryan was furious when he realised that his personal information had got out. Rumours about the celebrity breakup got out before the couple could make an official statement. The politician tried to cover up the scandal, but the word got out to the press. MEANING 4: To say something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To say, to speak, to spit out, to utter Separable? Yes Our fourth meaning of 'get out' is 'to say something' and is actually often used when we are not able to speak. When we use this application, we are referring specifically to language and the words that we use. 'To get words out' is just a lengthy way of saying 'to say'. We tend to use this application when the words that we are trying to say are difficult for some reason, meaning that we struggle to say them or we are not able to say them at all. This could be because you are physically unable to say the words due to a medical condition or it could be through stress or worry that you may offend someone or cause an argument. In spoken English, you are likely to hear this usage in the expressions 'get the words out' or the simpler version 'get it out'. Ben was so shocked by the news that he could barely get any words out. Emma took a deep breath and finally got the words out. I was struggling to get the words out through my tears. It was difficult, but he managed to get out the right words and his Mum hugged him. I knew Steve had something to say, but he just couldn’t seem to get it out. Becky stammered a few times before finally getting it out. Mike tried to explain, but he couldn’t get it out properly. I wanted to tell him the truth, but I just couldn’t get it out. Photo: Pexels BONUS: To get something out of someone If we are ever in a situation where we want someone to give us information that is secret or withheld and the person is unwilling to give it, we can say that ' we are unable to get it out of them '. We only tend to use this expression when the information is not given freely by the person to begin with and so we need to encourage or pressure them to share it with us. The detectives questioned the suspect for six hours about who committed the crime but they were unable to get it out of him. My brother refused to tell me what my parents had got me for my birthday but I got it out of him in the end. MEANING 5: To go to places and enjoy yourself Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To go out Separable? No This next usage of 'get out' means to leave your house in order to go to places and have enjoyable experiences. It is quite similar to the phrasal verb 'go out', meaning to leave your house and / or socialise with people, however whilst we can use 'go out' to talk about specific times e.g. " I go out every Friday night ", we cannot use 'get out' here. The reason being is that this application of 'get out' is normally used to talk in a general way, rather than about specific instances. In other words, we use it to refer to the idea of going out to different places, rather than a specific time when you go to the cinema or to the beach. In terms of usage, this application of 'get out' tends to be used mostly in negative sentences and occasionally in questions. Moreover, from this, we get the common expression " I don't get out much ", which is often used in a humorous way when someone does something embarrassing or awkward in a social situation and they want to be self deprecating. Moreover, it is also quite common to add the additional words 'and about', giving us ' to get out and about' , which gives the added implication that the person moves around from place to place. Ever since I've had a baby, I've not got out much. You need to stop playing computer games and get out and about a bit more! After being stuck inside all week, I finally got out for a walk. Beth doesn’t get out much because of her busy work schedule. I need to get out of the house and clear my head. We decided to get out and explore the city over the weekend. It’s important to get out and about and meet new people. Now that the Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, everyone is eager to get out again. If it's nice, I might get out for a walk later. MEANING 6: To avoid doing a job, duty or task Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate ​Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To avoid, to shirk Separable? No I've purposely left these last two meanings of 'get out' to the end as they both require the additional preposition 'of' to achieve their meaning. Nouns & gerunds commonly used with this application.... Meeting Job / Work Housework / Chore Party Going / Working / Doing The first of these two means 'to avoid doing a job, duty or task that you are supposed to do'. This could be work, a social engagement, an event that you have been invited to or an action that you have to carry out. The idea here is that another person wants (or expects) you to do something, but you don't want to, so therefore you need to find an excuse for not doing it. On a grammatical note, this application of 'get out of' is either followed by a noun or by the a verb in its gerund ('ing) form. I'm so sorry that I can't come to your party tomorrow. I have an important work meeting and I can't get out of it. Is there any way you can get out of going to the the theatre tonight? Peter always finds a way to get out of doing the housework. Natalie pretended to be sick to get out of going to the meeting. I can’t believe you managed to get out of that boring family dinner! Bill tried to get out of paying the bill, but they caught him. Trudie made an excuse to get out of helping with the project. I wish I could get out of working this weekend but there's no way I'll be able to. Richard used a fake emergency to get out of a date that wasn't going very well. MEANING 7: To feel the benefit of something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced ​Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To get pleasure from, to take pleasure in, to delight in Separable? Always This final usage of 'get out' that we will cover also requires the additional preposition 'of' and means to feel the benefit of doing something'. In other words, to obtain something good or positive as a result of performing an action. Another way that we could say this is 'to get something out of something'. Most frequently, this refers to a good feeling, burst of energy or pleasure that we get after performing an action. Some people, including me, get this from doing exercise, while others may get a lot out of giving presentations at work or helping to look after sick people. I don’t think Andrew got much out of the book because he wasn’t really paying attention while reading it. I still do yoga every day because I get a lot out of it. I quit my part time job as I stopped enjoying and apart from the extra money, I wasn't getting much out of it. This pleasurable sensation is sometimes called a 'buzz' or a 'kick', which gives us the common expressions 'to get a kick out of something' and 'to get a buzz out of something, which both mean 'to get a good feeling as a consequence of doing something'. My boss is so rude and horrible to all of us. I swear he gets a buzz out of it. I get a kick out of teaching English and watching their skills improve. My mum volunteers with a charity for elderly people and she really gets a kick out of helping them. In addition to positive feelings, this application of 'get out' is also used to talk about benefits and positive things that we get after as a result of doing something. These can range from knowledge and skills to confidence and peace of mind and I sincerely hope that you English learners get a lot out of my posts! Amy really got a lot out of that leadership seminar; it really boosted her confidence and skills. You’ll get more out of the course if you actively participate in discussions. I always get a sense of peace out of meditation—it helps me relax. They got so much out of their trip to Japan, both culturally and personally. Photo: Pexels BONUS: Common idioms featuring 'get out' Before we wrap up this blog post, there are a few very common expressions with 'get out' that I want to cover..... To get something out of the way - We use this expression when we have to do something unpleasant, boring or stressful in the future and we want it to be over, so that we can stop worrying about it. It could also be used in situations when we are looking forward to something and we want the time to pass quickly between now and then. Examples of this could be when you have a work meeting planned, which you are worried about and you want it to be over so that you can relax. Another would be that you are going on holiday next week, so you just want this week at work to pass quickly. I just need to get today out of the way and then I can go on vacation! Sandra can't wait to get her Dad's funeral out of the way, so she can begin to move on. To get out of hand - If a situation gets out of hand, it means that it has become difficult to control or it has become uncontrollable. The party was going well until a few people got too drunk and things started to get out of hand. A get-out clause - This is something that is often written into official agreements and contracts with the purpose of allowing someone to get out of doing something if a certain situation occurs. This is often used in business English but has also found its way into colloquial everyday English too. Is there a get-out clause in this contract? Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'get 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 'get 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 'set 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. 'Set off' is a common English phrasal verb that is used by people in many different areas of modern life, ranging from holidaymakers to accountants and even fashion designers. In this post, I will take you through all of its different applications in English and tell you how you should use them, with lots of examples to help your understanding. So, without further ado, let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Set Off - The Basics: Key information & the individual words 'set' and 'off' Set Off - Meaning 1: To begin a journey Set Off - Meaning 2: To activate something Set Off - Meaning 3: To cause someone to react Set Off - Meaning 4: To start a chain of events Set Off - Meaning 5: To improve the appearance of something Set Off - Meaning 6: To balance one thing against another 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 SET OFF: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 6 Past tense forms Set off / Set off Separable? Sometimes Before we delve into the different meanings of 'set off', let's take a moment to consider the individual meanings of the words 'set' and 'off'. It may surprise you to know that the word 'set' is the word with the highest number of meanings in the English language, with a total of 430 different meanings and senses! That is a crazy amount and I highly doubt that most English native speakers know them all and are able to use them. When used as a verb, 'set', unsurprisingly, has a large number of meanings, however the one that is most relevant for the purposes of the phrasal verb 'set off' is 'to cause something to be in a specified condition' e.g. " he set the house on fire ". In this example sentence 'to set' is the causing action and the condition is 'on fire'. The prepositional particle 'off', like most prepositions in English, has a wide variety of different meanings and uses. When used in phrasal verb constructions it can often provide ideas of separation, departure and finishing, among many others. One meaning of 'off' to note here is that when used as an adjective, it can describe someone that has is about to start, or has just started on a journey, for example if you hear " the horses are off ", it means that the horses in a race have just started running. In another example, if someone says ' I'm off to work ", it means that they are about to leave the house to go to work in the next minute. Now that we have covered the basics, let's have a look at the different meanings of 'set off'... MEANING 1: To begin a journey Photo: Wix Media CEFR English Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To set out, to depart, to leave, to head off, to embark Separable? No The first meaning of 'set off' that we will look at is 'to begin a journey', or alternatively 'to depart' or 'to leave'. This usage of 'set off' is a very common in spoken English and is slightly informal in register. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Journey Trip Adventure Voyage For this application of 'set off', we combine the sense of the verb to 'to set', meaning 'to cause something to be in a specified condition, with the adverbial meaning of the particle 'off', meaning 'to be moving away from a place'. Therefore, when we use 'set off' in this way, we are saying that we are going to move away from a place, or in other words depart or leave. This usage is very similar to the phrasal verb 'set out' (link here ) and perhaps slightly more commonly used. Grammatically, this application of 'set off' is inseparable and does not take a direct object. 'Set off' is often followed by additional prepositions 'on' or 'for'; ' on ' is used to specify the type of journey and ' for ' is used to specify the destination. What time are you setting off tomorrow morning? I'm sorry, you've just missed John. He set off for work five minutes ago. When I set off on this hike earlier this morning, it was freezing cold. Look at the time! We'd better set off for the airport soon or we will be late for the flight. MEANING 2: To activate something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common British or American? Both Potential synonyms To trigger, to activate, to detonate Separable? Yes The second meaning of 'set off' is 'to activate' something and is used specifically with certain nouns such as 'bomb' and 'alarm'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Alarm Bomb Detector Sprinkler Gun Firework Like with the previous examples, this application of 'set off' links back to the meaning of the verb 'to set' that is 'to cause something to be in a specified condition' and the specified condition this time is 'activation mode'. In simple terms, 'to set off' is to cause something to activate. As I mentioned above, 'set off' is used with specific nouns, which are all generally devices or equipment that are inoperative for most of the time and need to be activated in some way in order to become operative. These typically include fire alarms, smoke alarms, burglar alarms, metal detectors, bombs and guns, all of which must be triggered or 'set off' in order to fulfil their function. If you have read my post on the similar phrasal verb 'go off' (link here ), you may remember that these are very similar in meaning. It is worth noting however that 'set off' is used when there is some kind of known intervention, often human, and in sentences the person who activates the alarm is the subject, whilst the activated device is the object. On the other hand, we use 'go off' to describe when these devices are activated without human intervention or we do not know what caused the device to be activated. In 'go off' clauses therefore the activated device is the subject. Someone set the fire alarm off in our building at 3am this morning, so we all had to get up and wait outside until the fire department had checked everything was ok. Make sure you remove your belt when you go through security at the airport or you will set off the metal detector. The hunter accidentally set off his gun whilst he was cleaning it, but luckily the bullet did not hit anything. MEANING 3: To cause someone to react Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To trigger Separable? Yes The third meaning of 'set off' is to cause someone to react in a certain manner, which is usually emotional in nature and lasts for a period of time. This meaning is actually very similar to the previous meaning that we have just looked at but rather than a device, the thing that is being activated is a person's emotion or reaction. This application is most commonly used with crying, laughter or making someone angry. For example, if you watch a sad movie that makes you cry, you can say that it '"sets you off crying". Alternatively, if someone makes you laugh uncontrollably, you can say that they "set you off laughing". As you can see from these examples, the gerund ('ing) form of the verb is normally used after 'set off', but this is not always necessary if the action is already clear from the context or situation. In addition to laughing and crying, 'set off' in this sense can be used to describe a human action that is activated or triggered and continues for a period of time such as coughing, singing, sneezing or talking. Grammatically, this application of 'set off' is separable. As this always refers to the actions or emotions of a person, we tend to mostly use this with indirect personal pronouns (me, him, her etc.) and these must always be placed between 'set' and 'off'. Helen watches this movie all the time even though she knows that it will set her off crying at the end. All of the smoke in the bar set me off coughing and I had to leave. Don't set me off again! I've only just stopped laughing from last time. Why did you have to bring that subject up?! You've set him off now, he won't stop talking about this for ages. MEANING 4: To start a chain of events Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To spark off, to trigger, to bring about Separable? Yes The fourth meaning of 'set off' is really just another sub-meaning of the ones that we have already covered. As per the previous two meanings, it also means 'to trigger' something and in this case it is an event or, perhaps more commonly, a series of events. This usage is really all about the principle of cause and effect as if something makes an event or a chain of events happen, we can say that it "sets if off". It is likely that you will come across (link here ) this particular application in the news and in current affairs in English. Grammatically, this application of 'set off' is separable, with the triggered event serving as the direct object. I think in terms of usage however, we tend to place the direct object after the phrasal verb more often. When the Prime Minister refused to authorise the new law, it set off a chain of events, which eventually led to his resignation. The decision by the judge to release the murderer set off a large number of riots all over the country. A discovery of a few old coins in the car park set off a series of events that culminated in a buried treasure being found underneath it. MEANING 5: To improve the appearance of something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium British or American? Both Potential synonyms To go with Separable Yes For this fifth meaning of 'set off', we are moving away from the 'triggering' sense of the last few usages as this one means 'to improve or embellish the appearance of something'. In other words, 'to make something look more attractive or beautiful by adding decorative elements to it'. It is worth noting here that this embellishment is normally done by adding some form of contrasting colour or object. When something 'sets something else off', it makes it more attractive or appealing to the eye and can even make the item or colour seem more evident or outstanding. As you can probably imagine, this application of 'set off' is used a large amount in the worlds of interior design, art, fashion and the hair & beauty industry where making something look attractive to people is the prime objective. Although I've written here that this usage of 'set off' is to make something appear more visually attractive, it can also be used with flavour in food, where one ingredient can be added to a dish that has a very different taste and yet complements the taste of the original dish. The artist's decision to add a hint of purple to the picture was a very smart one as it sets the green off wonderfully. That hat really sets off the colour of your hair, you should buy it! The lace around the rim of the hat really sets if off. It's amazing how just a small amount of cinnamon in this apple tart really sets off the flavour of the apples. MEANING 6: To balance one thing against another Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To offset, to make up for Separable? Yes The sixth and final meaning of 'set off' that we will cover in this post is 'to balance one thing against another, often so that the effect of the first thing is reduced or eliminated'. To get an idea of this, you should imagine a weighing scale (like in the gif above), on one side of which is a heavy weight. In order to reduce the effects of this heavy weight (the imbalance), a weight must be added to the other side to either lessen or remove the imbalance. This principle is known as 'setting off one thing against another'. While this of weighing scale is used less and less in the modern world, this application of 'set off' continues to be used in modern life, particularly when talking about money and finance. You may also be familiar with the verb 'offset', which is derived from this application of 'set off' and is probably now more widely used than its phrasal verb synonym. Grammatically, this usage of 'set off' is separable, however it tends to be more frequently used inseparably. The additional preposition against is usually used. Any future debts will be set off against the profits of the company. If you rent your property out, the money that you spend on maintenance and repairs should be set off against your rental income. 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 'set off'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'set 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 into' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them. How well do you know the phrasal verb 'look into'? If this is a completely new one for you, then you are in luck as it is a nice and easy phrasal verb with only two meanings. In this post, I will explain both of these useful meanings for you and provide with lots of example sentences to show you how they are used by native speakers. So, without further ado let's get into it.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Look Into - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'look' and 'into' Look Into - Meaning 1: To look inside something (literal) Look Into - Bonus: What if we add an extra preposition? Look Into - Bonus: Don't confuse 'look into' with 'look in' Look Into - Meaning 2: To investigate Look Into - Bonus: Typical example sentences of 'look into' I love writing this blog and helping learners but I get very little feedback so I don't always know if it is helpful for you. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I would be most grateful. Thank you! 😊 James Photo: Pexels THE BASICS LOOK INTO: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 2 Past tense forms Looked into / Looked into Separable? No As a starting point for this post, let's take a look at the basics and consider the individual component words 'look' and 'into'. Firstly, we have the super common verb 'to look', which has a number of meanings in English, depending on which prepositional particle it is combined with. For this particular phrasal verb, we mean in the sense of directing our eyes in a direction in order to see something. Why are you looking at me like that? John looks around the room. Secondly, we have the prepositional particle 'into', which I know from my experience with English learners is not the easiest preposition to understand. All you need to remember with 'into' is that is describes a movement to an end point which is inside  something. This "movement and entry" meaning of 'into' is often also conveyed in the phrasal verbs that it features in (go into). Alternatively, it can also be used in phrasal verbs to give the ideas of a change of state (turn into) and collision (crash into), among others. Now that we have looked at the basics, let's take a look at the different meanings of our chosen phrasal verb 'look into'.... MEANING 1 : To look inside something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To look at, to look, to peer into, to stare into Separable? No The first of the two meanings of 'look into' is the literal meaning of the combination of the two words, which is simply 'to look inside something'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... House Room Window Eyes Hole To clarify, when we use 'look into' literally, it means to look with our eyes towards the interior or inside of something. The speaker is normally (but not always) on the outside or exterior. As such, it is possible to use it with all nouns for things that have a physical inside space, like a house, a hole or a box. Interestingly, we often use it with the noun 'window' despite the fact that a window is just glass and does not have an interior space. What we in fact mean when we say this is that we are looking into the building or room behind the glass. A robin was sitting on a tree and looking into my house. The curious cat looked into the box as he knew a mouse was hiding inside it. Ashley looked into the cave but couldn’t see anything in the darkness. The child looked into the aquarium and watched the fish swimming around. I looked into the room and saw that nobody was there. The police looked into the bag and found it was empty. There are also certain nouns in English with which we often use the particle 'in' but which do not have a physical interior space such as light, darkness and future. You should know that we commonly also use this literal application of 'look into' to refer to these nouns too. When I looked into her eyes, I knew she was telling the truth. Looking into the future, the outlook for treatment of the disease is very good. As I looked into the darkness, I thought I could see a pair of eyes looking at me. WHAT ABOUT IF WE ADD AN EXTRA PREPOSITION? It is common to combine 'to look into' with an additional preposition such as down, up or back, in order to add extra spatial information to what you are saying. The additional particle needs to go between look and into, e.g. 'to look up into' or 'to look down into'. Photo: Pexels Photo: Pexels The cat is looking down into the drain. She looked up into the night sky and was amazed by the amount of stars that she could see. The scientist was looking down into the volcano. I stood on my doorstep and looked back into my house one more time. DON'T CONFUSE 'LOOK INTO' WITH 'LOOK IN' Due to their similarity and closeness in meaning it can be very easy to confuse these two phrasal verbs. In some situations this is not a problem because ' look in' can mean the same as 'look into' but ' look in' is used more commonly by native speakers to say that they are searching for something in a place or inside an interior space e.g. in a bag or a in a room. LOOK IN: I can't find my keys! I've looked in my bag and in my room and they are definitely not there! In the above example, it would be incorrect to say "I've looked into my bag and my room " because this would only mean that you looked with your eyes and but did not search inside the room for the keys. In short, 'look into' is for looking with your eyes, whilst 'look in' is often used for searching. MEANING 2: To investigate Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level ​B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potentia, synonyms To investigate, to scrutinise, to explore Separable? No So now we come to the second and most common meaning of 'to look into ' , which means 'to investigate or to examine information about a particular situation or problem in order to establish what caused it or what needs to be done to resolve it'. Nouns commonly used with this application: Matter Issue Claim Complaint Possibility Situation This application is very used all the time in business English when a problem has occurred and the employees in the company want to understand what happened and why. Furthermore, it is also something that you may hear the police or other authority figures say when investigating an alleged crime and they want to learn as much information as possible as they can about it. We promised the unhappy customer that we would look into the issue that they raised. The school is looking into reports of bullying. The team of top scientists has been looking into the effects of climate change on biodiversity in the region and will publish their findings next week. The IT team looked into the system crash to find out what caused it. Victoria promised to look into the matter and take appropriate action. The police are looking into the robbery that happened at the palace last night. Additionally, this application of 'look into' can simply just be used to talk about researching options for things or learning about a subject before making a decision. For example, if you want to go on holiday to Australia, you may look into different types of accommodation and flights. Alternatively, if a business wants to replace part of their IT infrastructure, they will probably look into different options before making a decision on the most suitable one. They're looking into new ways to reduce energy consumption. We need to look into our options before making a final decision. In terms of formality, I would say that 'look into' is less formal than ' investigate' , however 'look into' is frequently used in business English for things such as establishing what has caused a particular issue to arise. ' Investigate' tends to be used by the police when or in large scale formal investigations, however it is normally possibly to use these words interchangeably without causing any problems. Photo: Pexels BONUS: More example sentences of 'look into' 'LOOK INTO' FOR BUSINESS USE: I don't have an answer right now. Can I look into it and come back to you? The [noun] is being looked into. The company is looking into the possibility of [verb + ing]....... I need you to urgently look into the matter and give me your feedback. 'LOOK INTO' FOR PERSONAL USE: When I looked into his eyes, I knew he...... When I looked into the mirror*, I..... As his mother looked into the room, she..... The police are looking into the matter. After looking into it, we decided..... *With a mirror, it is also possible and common to say "look in a mirror". Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on it and reading it. I hope that you found it useful and have been able to learn something new. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'look into'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'bring up' from a native speaker, with lots of example sentences Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them. This post is all about the phrasal verb 'bring up', which has very varied and diverse meanings, especially compared to some of the recent phrasal verbs that I have covered such as ' look at ' and ' take over '. In this post we will consider the different meanings that it has and also look at some common expressions that it is used in. So let's not beat around the bush* any longer and let's get started.... *'To beat around the bush' is an idiom that means to talk about things that are not important and not get to the point. TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Bring Up - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'bring' and 'up' Bring Up - Meaning 1: Literal Bring Up - Meaning 2: To raise a child Bring Up - Bonus: The noun 'upbringing' Bring Up - Bonus: Some common expressions with 'bring up' Bring Up - Meaning 3: To introduce a topic into a conversation Bring Up - Meaning 4: To vomit Bring Up - Meaning 5: To cause to appear on a screen Bring Up - Meaning 6: To come to a sudden stop Bring Up - Bonus: The idiom 'to bring someone up short' Bring Up - Meaning 7: To update or improve Bring Up - Bonus: To bring up the rear I love writing this blog and helping learners but I get very little feedback so I don't always know if it is helpful for you. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like and share it or leave a comment at the end. I would be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS BRING UP: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 7 Past tense forms Brought up / Brought up Separable? Yes As I mentioned at the beginning, 'bring up' is a phrasal verb with very diverse meanings and consists of the verb 'to bring', meaning to take something to a place with you, and the prepositional particle 'up', meaning a movement in the direction away from the ground or towards the sky ↑. I know from experience of teaching English that the verb 'to bring' can often be confused with the related verb 'to take'. The difference between these two verbs is mainly to do with the position of the speaker and the direction of movement. Both verbs can mean to carry something to a place. If the object is carried towards them, we use 'to bring' and if the object is carried away from where they are when they are speaking, we use 'to take'. Can you bring me some water please? (Here the speaker is not moving and wants the water to come to them, where they are speaking.) I will take some sandwiches with me to work tomorrow. (Here, the speaker is going to move from where they are speaking to go to work and the sandwiches will go with them.) The above is just a brief overview of the differences between these two verbs and more detailed explanations are available elsewhere online. I just wanted to make you aware of the main differences here before we look at the phrasal verb meanings. So, without further ado, let's check them out.... MEANING 1: Literal Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To take up, to bring, to take Separable? Yes To start things off, let's consider the literal meaning of the phrasal verb 'bring up', which is commonly used by native speakers to express the idea of transporting something to a place that is relatively higher than where they are. This application is typically used when someone is upstairs in a house or building or in a higher physical position than the person who they are talking to and they want him or her to bring them something. Could you bring up the boxes from the basement? I've asked Mike to bring up my suitcase to the attic. Linda brought up the laundry basket from the ground floor. The waiter brought up the food to our hotel room. We need to bring up the chairs from the storage room for the party. On a grammatical note, one thing to note here is that we normally insert the object pronoun such as me, him, her, them etc. between 'bring' and 'up'. I think this literal meaning is quite easy and straightforward to understand, so we'll move on to the next meanings but before we go, here are a couple of examples to illustrate usage.... Can you bring me up some water when you come to bed? As it is your birthday tomorrow, I will bring you up some breakfast in bed. MEANING 2: To raise a child Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To raise, to rear Separable? Yes The first non-literal meaning of 'bring up' that we will consider is similar to the common phrasal verb ' grow up ', but while 'grow up' simply refers to the process of growing from a child to an adult, we use 'bring up' to talk about how our parents (or primary caregivers), actively look after and teach a child during the growing up process. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Son / Daughter Child / Children Kid Grandson / Granddaughter / Children This can be used to talk about where we lived during our childhood, as well as the beliefs and values that we were taught during this time. It is used by native speakers commonly in both an active and a passive sense alike. In the active sense, we are talking about the parents or caregivers who are the subjects of the verb and in the passive sense we talk about ourselves or other people and what was taught and experienced during the growing up process. My parents brought me up to always say please and thank you and to treat everyone with respect. He was brought up in an orphanage and never knew his birth parents. Lisa managed to bring up four children all by herself after her husband tragically died. Mary worked hard to bring up her children on her own. John and Sue brought up their kids to be kind and respectful. Parents should bring up their children with good values. My friend was brought up in a strict household. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The noun 'upbringing' Did you know that there is a noun that is derived from this application of 'bring up'? The noun 'upbringing' is used to refer to how a person was treated, educated and shaped when they were growing up, or in other words, how they were brought up. I had a very strict upbringing and so I have tried to be a little more relaxed with my own children. What was your upbringing like? Kathy's strict upbringing instilled in her a strong sense of discipline and responsibility. Despite his humble upbringing, Jason worked hard and became a successful entrepreneur. BONUS: Some common expressions with 'bring up' In addition to the noun 'upbringing', there are also a couple of other expressions that feature this usage of 'bring up' that I want to make you aware of.... Were you brought up in a barn? This rhetorical question is a variation of " Were you born in a barn ?" and is used to criticise someone who leaves a door open in a room, particularly if it is cold or draughty. Were you brought up or dragged up? This is another rhetorical question which can be aimed at someone who doesn't behave well, implying that their parents did not teach them how to behave properly when they were growing up. Both of the above expressions are normally used in a humorous way and are not meant to cause offence, however it could be offensive if said in an unfriendly way, or if you do not have the right sort of relationship with the person, so I would recommend only using this with people with whom you have a good relationship. MEANING 3: To introduce into a topic into conversation Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms ​To introduce, to raise, to mention Separable? Yes Our next meaning of 'bring up' is very different to the previous one that we've just looked at and means 'to introduce a topic or subject of discussion into a conversation'. Nous commonly used with this application.... Subject Topic Point Argument Issue The idea behind this is that the person who brings the subject up, does so intentionally, i.e. the subject did not enter into the discussion by chance but because somebody wanted to discuss it. (By the way, if a subject enters into a conversation naturally, then the phrasal verb 'come up' (link here ) would be applicable.) This can be heard often in business English, especially in reference to meetings and agendas for subjects that need to be discussed. It is also equally common to use it outside of the business world, when talking about general conversations or discussions. I've made a note of the issue and I will bring it up at the next management meeting. Why did you have to bring that up in front of my parents?! You know their views on the subject! I didn't want to bring up the funeral yesterday as I could see that you were already upset. Anna brought up an interesting point during the debate. I didn’t want to bring up the argument from yesterday, so I kept quiet. Nick always brings up politics at family dinners. The teacher brought up the importance of time management. Let’s not bring up that embarrassing story again! MEANING 4: To vomit Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level ​B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To vomit, to puke, to throw up, to barf, to be sick, to cough up Separable? Yes Out fourth application of 'bring up' means 'to vomit or to be sick'*. Although this is not the most pleasant of meanings, it happens to us all at some point and is therefore worth covering! Nouns commonly used with this application.... Food / Drink Alcohol Blood Bile Phlegm When we use this application of 'bring up', the focus is not so much on the vomiting action itself, but rather on what is being expelled from the stomach and could be for example blood, poison or something that you have swallowed that you should not have. It is also possible to use 'bring up' in this sense with coughing, for example with phlegm. We can also use the more specific phrasal verb 'to cough up' here as a synonym. The baby brought up some milk after feeding. Kate had food poisoning and kept bringing up her dinner. After drinking too much, Jack ran to the bathroom to bring up his drinks. The motion sickness made Marianne bring up her breakfast. The dog was very sick and was bringing up lots of blood but luckily it was not life-threatening and he has made a full recovery now. My 3-year old son swallowed a small toy part but he brought it up again shortly afterwards before any harm was done. *As a side note, don't forget that 'to be sick' in English can mean to have an illness or disease and also to vomit. The context is key here to understand which one we mean. Meaning 5: To cause to appear on a screen Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To open Separable? Yes Our next meaning of 'bring up' is one that has become MUCH more widespread over the last few decades as it is used particularly with IT and computers and means 'to cause something to appear on your screen'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Document Spreadsheet File Picture Website Menu Results This application is normally used when we click on something to open it, such as a document or web page, but is also used extremely commonly when talking about the results of a search on a search engine (naming no names, you know the ones I'm talking about!). If you right click with your mouse, it will bring up a menu. Can you bring up the results of the test on your screen for me? When I looked up the question online it brought lots of irrelevant results up. Press this button to bring up the settings menu. Can you bring up the document on your laptop? MEANING 6: To come to a sudden stop Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To stop, to halt, to pull over Separable? Yes This sixth meaning of 'bring up' is a rarer one than some of the meanings that we have already covered and means 'to cause a vehicle to come to a sudden stop'. This is especially used for cars, but could be used for all types of vehicles, including boats, where it is specifically used for dropping an anchor in order to stop it. They decided to bring up the ship in the harbour for the night due to the bad weather. The driver brought up the car just before the red light. IDIOM ALERT: The idiom 'to bring someone up short' I think that this is a good time to introduce an idiom with 'bring up' that is linked to this particular meaning. The idiom 'to bring someone up short' is a fairly common expression that is used to express when someone stops what they are doing because something has surprised or shocked them. I was having a productive day yesterday until an email from my boss brought me up short. MEANING 7: To update or improve Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To update, to modernise, to improve Separable? Yes This seventh and final meaning of 'bring up' that I wanted to include in the post is when it is used to describe the process of updating or improving something. This is typically expressed by way of two different set expressions: 'to bring someone up to date' and 'to bring someone up to speed'. When we use it to talk about updating (bring up to date), we can mean updating a machine, a product, a building or anything else which can be modernised so that it is as current as possible. Moreover, we can also use it to mean updating a person (bring up to speed), so that they have all of the most recent information about a given topic or situation. A third, rarer, set expression exists with this application, which is 'to bring something up to standard'. This can also be used in reference to improving something (often, incidentally, by modernising it) so that certain standards are met. The interior designers are planning to bring the interior of the castle up to date. I had a meeting with Roger earlier and he brought me up to speed with everything that I missed whilst I was on holiday. The teaching in the school was very poor, so a team was sent there to bring it up to standard. Can you bring me up to date on the latest project developments? The company is bringing its software up to date with new features. Kelly brought the team up to date on the changes in the schedule. I need to bring my knowledge up to date with the latest technology trends. The teacher brought the students up to date on the recent discoveries in science. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The idiom 'to bring up the rear' Before I finish the post, I just want to give you a bonus expression featuring our phrasal verb of choice 'bring up'. The expression in question is 'to bring up the rear' and is quite appropriate to have at the end of this post as it means to be the last one of a group or category. This is most often used when talking about the last people in a queue, line or group of people who are going somewhere. The slowest hikers brought up the rear of the group. In the marathon, Jamie struggled but managed to bring up the rear. Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on it and reading it. I hope that you found it useful and have been able to learn something new. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'bring 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 with your English-learning friends. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'look at' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them. The focus of this post is the phrasal verb 'to look at', which is one that I find that I use a LOT on this blog and so I thought it would be a good idea to give it its own dedicated blog page. In this post we will explore the main meanings of 'look at' and also some typical situations in which it is used by native speakers with lots of example sentences showing how it is used. So without further ado, let's go..... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Look At - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'look' and 'at' Look At - Meaning 1: Literal Look At - Bonus: 'Look at' with adverbs Look At - Meaning 2: To examine something Look At - Bonus: To have a look at or take a look at something Look At - Meaning 3: To consider something Look At - Meaning 4: To view from a different perspective Look At - Bonus: Some additional uses of 'look at' I love writing this blog and helping learners but I get very little feedback so I don't always know if it is helpful for you. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like and share it or leave a comment at the end. I would be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS LOOK AT: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 4 Past tense forms Looked at / Looked at Separable? No As is customary on Phrasal Verbs Explained, let's start the post by considering the basics.... In this case, we have the main verb 'to look' followed by the prepositional particle 'at'. The verb 'to look' is a very common verb which can be used either to talk about viewing something with your eyes or to talk about how something is perceived when somebody views it. In the first case, the prepositional particle 'at' is required to specify the person or object that we are viewing. 'At' is a preposition with many uses in English, but the meaning that is relevant here is "towards or in the direction of something". See the below examples.... Photo: Pexels The lady looked at the apple. Photo: Pexels The apple looked very fresh. One thing I notice with students is that they often confuse the verb 'to look' with other verbs of vision, such as 'to see' and 'to watch'. If you find it difficult to distinguish between these different verbs, I have put together the table below, which will give you some basic information regarding the differences.... Verb Meaning Example To see ​To perceive or notice something with your eyes. The action is passive. ​I can see a spider on the wall. To look To move or direct your eyes in a direction in order to see something. The action is active. I looked at the spider on the wall. To watch To focus on something and follow it with your eyes for a period of time. This is normally something that moves or changes. The action is active. I watched the spider walking across the wall. Now that we have covered the basics, the first meaning that we will look at should be a piece of cake..... MEANING 1: Literal Photo: Pexels ​CEFR Language Level A1 - Beginner Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms ​To glance, to peek, to view, to gaze, to stare, to check out Separable? Only with certain adverbs As you may have seen in the examples in the green table in the last section, we use the preposition 'at' after look, to specify the thing that we focus on with our eyes. This can be used either for when we direct our eyes and attention from one thing to another or it can be used just to talk about focusing on something with our eyes. It is possible to use 'look at' for both short and long periods of time. For short periods of time, potential synonyms could be verbs such as 'to peek' or 'to glance' and for longer periods of time the verbs 'to gaze' or 'to stare' could possibly be used. Regardless of the duration, a key element of 'look at' is that the person or object that we are viewing does not move and we do not need to follow it with our eyes; in that case we would then use the verbs 'to watch' or 'to observe'. Therefore, we do not say " I looked at a movie " or " I looked at the TV ", but rather " I watched a movie " or " I watched TV ". Literally speaking, if you say " I looked at the TV ", it will probably be understood by a native speaker to mean that you are looking at the TV equipment and not watching the programme or movie. Look at these old school photographs! How young do we look?! Helen was looking at her phone and so did not see the hole in the road. What are you looking at? Photo: Pexels BONUS: 'Look at' with adverbs You may have seen in the tables above that 'look at' can sometimes be used separably. It should be noted that the object always follows 'at' and cannot be placed between the two words, however there are certain adverbs that we can insert between 'look' and 'at' to modify them. Some of the most common examples of these are: directly, closely & carefully. Alternatively, it is also possible to place these adverbs at the end of the sentence and sometimes before 'look at', but I personally think that inserting the adverb between them sounds better and would help to elevate your sentence. If you look directly at the sun, you will damage your eyesight. Look carefully at the picture and tell me what you can see. MEANING 2: To examine something Photo: Pexels ​CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere ​Potential synonyms To examine Separable? Only with certain adverbs Our next meaning of 'look at' is very much linked to the literal meaning that we have just considered and for all intents and purposes means the same thing. The only difference in this meaning is that we use 'look at' to describe when we carefully and methodically examine something. This is usually with the intention of determining the cause of a problem, finding out the nature of something (what it is) or checking something, such as a document, in order to make sure that it is all correct and in order. As you can imagine, we normally reserve this usage of 'look at' for experts or professionals within a particular field, such as doctors, lawyers or teachers. Your ankle looks really sore, you should get a doctor to look at it. There is something wrong with my car and I've taken it to the garage, so that a mechanic can look at it. I have asked my boss to look at the report I've written before I submit it to the shareholders. Photo: Pexels BONUS: To have a look or to take a look at something There are a couple of common variations of this usage of 'look at', which I want to make you aware of. In both cases 'look' is used as a noun and alternative verbs are used: To take a look at something To have a look at something Both of these variations mean the same thing and are also often used to mean 'to examine something' in the same way as described above. Leave this with me, I will take a look at it later today and give you my feedback. Would you mind having a look at my resume? I'm not sure if I have included everything I need. You should note that it is also possible to use these in the literal form, especially when asking someone to direct their attention to something. Come here and take a look at this!! You won't believe it! Have a look at this and tell me what you think! MEANING 3: To consider something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate ​Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To consider, to think about Separable? With certain adverbs The next meaning of 'look at' is to consider or think about something. This is a usage that I use a great deal on this blog, since the whole aim of the blog is to consider and explore phrasal verbs and their meanings and usage. Additionally, I think that it is a further progression of the two meanings that we have already covered in this post. When we use 'look at' in this way, we are talking about directing our thoughts or attention to a particular topic or issue, rather than our eyes. We often use it, like I do on this blog with different phrasal verb meanings, to take something in particular and think about it carefully in order to discuss or write about it. Alternatively, it can also be used to talk about when we consider specific problems or issues and how they can be resolved or when you have to make a decision and are considering different options. One particular way that 'look at' is used here is when we want to give an example in order to justify or support something that we are saying. We often give our initial opinion and follow this by saying " look at XYZ for example". In today's post, we are looking at 'to break down '... We are aware of the problem and we are looking at ways in which we can resolve it as quickly as possible. I looked at Cambridge University as an option for my degree but the entry requirements were too high. John should definitely be the person who gets the manager's job. Look at how good he is at interacting with the other members of the team, for example! MEANING 4: To view from a different perspective Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere ​Potential synonyms To view, to see Separable? No The last usage of 'look at' on this post is one that does not differ too much from its other usages and is used to talk about viewing something from a different perspective to our own, or from a particular viewpoint. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Perspective Point of view We often use this to "put ourselves in someone else's shoes", in other words, to see something from a different person's perspective in a given situation. Moreover, we can also use it to talk about our own perspective at a different time in our lives, in which case we would often use the 3rd conditional due to the hypothetical nature of the statement. Look at it from my perspective! If you looked at it from Helen's point of view, you might think differently! If I had known this when I was younger, I would have definitely looked at things differently! Photo: Pexels BONUS: Some additional meanings of 'look at' Before finishing this blog post, I want to make you aware of some additional uses of 'look at' that are commonly used by native speakers in everyday English. Not much to look at - If somebody uses the expression that someone or something is "not much to look at", they mean that the person or thing is boring, plain, ugly or lacking beauty. As you can imagine, this can be quite offensive, especially if used to talk about a person, however sometimes it is used to say that something is not aesthetically pleasing but has some other positive qualities. My house is not much to look at from the outside but the inside is breathtakingly beautiful! Look at you ! - This short expression is often used to convey surprise at how someone looks or is dressed, usually in a positive way. Wow, look at you Lisa, all dressed up like that. You look beautiful! Would you look at that! - This short expression, which is more common in American English, is used to convey surprise about something negative that has happened. Would you look at that! My car has two flat tyres, how has that happened? 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 'look at'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'look at'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

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

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'let 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. 'Let down' is a phrasal verb with several meanings that can be applied to very different areas of life. You may already be familiar with its most common meaning, 'to disappoint someone', which we will look at in detail in this post, as well as the other meanings of let down'. So, without further ado, let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Let Down - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'let' and 'down' Let Down - Meaning 1: To disappoint someone Let Down - Bonus: The noun 'letdown' Let Down - Meaning 2: To lower something Let Down - Bonus: The idiom 'to let your hair down' Let Down - Meaning 3: To be a reason that something fails Let Down - Meaning 4: To make an item of clothing shorter Let Down - Meaning 5: To deflate I love writing this blog & helping learners but I receive very little feedback as to how useful it is or if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I'd be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS LET DOWN: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 5 Past tense forms Let down / Let down Separable? Yes Before we look at 'let down's different meanings, let's first consider the meanings of the individual words 'let' and 'down'. 'To let' is an irregular English verb and primarily means 'to allow or permit something', or 'to not prevent something from happening'. It is used in a wide number of common expressions and therefore will be a verb that I'm sure many of you will be very familiar with. The prepositional particle 'down' is the natural opposite of the particle 'up' and is most frequently used to refer to something in a lower position relative to the speaker, or to describe movement towards this lower position. As such, in phrasal verb constructions 'down' can often add the ideas of moving downwards or decreasing. If you have read my post about the phrasal verb 'let up' (link here ), you may remember that it can be used literally to mean 'to allow someone to go up to a higher place'. We can also apply this same logic to 'let down' and it can mean 'to allow someone to go down from a high to a lower place', e.g. down some stairs or to a lower part of a building, however this usage is quite rare and so I only just wanted to briefly mention it here. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's look at the meanings of 'let down'.... MEANING 1: To disappoint someone Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To disappoint, to fail someone Separable? Yes The first meaning of 'let down' is to disappoint someone and is a common usage that you may hear in many popular songs and on popular TV shows. Although 'to let down' does mean 'to disappoint' and most of the time can be used interchangeably with it, there are some subtle differences in meaning and usage.... If you let someone down', you fail to do something that people expect you to do or hope that you do. This could be anything from just a small unfulfilled promise to not choosing the career that your parents hoped that you would. The verb 'to disappoint' could also be used in most of these cases, however 'to disappoint' refers more to a person's sad feeling when something doesn't go their way. So, in a nutshell 'let down' is more a failure to do something that was promised or expected and 'disappoint' is more to describe how you feel emotionally after someone lets you down. On a grammatical level, 'let down' is separable and can be used both ways, however it must always be used separably with indirect object pronouns (me, him, her, them etc.). Lastly, a common collocation that exists is 'to let someone down gently', which means to give a person bad news in a nice, gentle or kind way. Are you able to babysit my children tonight? My usual babysitter has let me down and I don't know who else to ask. I feel like I have let my parents down by not going to university. The company's supplier let us down at the last minute, so they had to try and find someone else who could supply the goods. We are not able to to go to John's party tonight. I know he really wants us to be there, so we will let him down gently. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The noun 'letdown' In addition to the phrasal verb 'let down', there is also the noun 'letdown', which is used to describe the action of letting someone down or disappointing them and is a synonym of the noun 'disappointment'. The noun is usually used to refer to a disappointing situation, but it can also be used to describe a person, although this can often be a little insulting. We tried out the new Italian restaurant in town last night but it was a letdown. We won't go back there again! Roger thinks that he is a letdown in his parents' eyes but it's not true; they are very proud of him. MEANING 2: To lower something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To lower Separable? Yes The next meaning of 'let down' is to lower something from a high position to low position or to the ground, usually in a slow and careful manner'. In other words, this is to move something towards the ground or in a downwards direction. Often, with this sense of 'let down', the subject is the person who is carrying out the action and the item being lowered or 'let down' is the object. As I wrote, this application of 'let down' is normally used to describe the act of slowly and carefully lowering something or someone and as such, it is often used in situations with ropes and some types of machinery. In addition to the this, 'let down' can also be used to talk about when something that is restricted, bound or tied in a high place is untied or released. Typical examples of this are 'letting sails on a boat down' and 'letting your hair down'. Again, this application of 'let down' is separable and is fine to use both separably and inseparably, however I think that we tend to use it more in an inseparable way. The firemen arrived and carefully let the cat down from the tree in a basket tied to a rope. The rock climber got stuck halfway up the mountain and asked the crew to let him down. As the wind was increasing, the sailors decided to let down the sails. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The idiom 'to let your hair down' One of the examples that I gave for this meaning of 'let down' was to untie your hair, so that it is free to hang down around your face. While this is used in everyday speech, 'to let your hair down' has also become a very popular idiom meaning 'to relax and have fun'. For this idiom, only the separable usage works. Lisa is determined to forget about work and let her hair down this weekend. You need to stop stressing and go out and let your hair down for a change. MEANING 3: To be a reason for something to fail Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To detract Separable? Yes The next meaning is a primarily British usage of 'let down' and is used to give a reason for why something fails or, less commonly, does not do as well as expected'. This is a similar kind of idea to the first meaning of disappointment that we looked at, however in this sense there is no element of disappointment, but rather the idea that one thing causes something to fail or not be as good or successful as it was expected to be. This can be used to describe anything for which there is an element of judgment or evaluation from other people, so therefore it could be as diverse as a painting, a candidate for a job, an outfit or the decor of a building. Often, we use this application of 'let down' separably, however sometimes we can use the unseparated construction "something is let down by something" - see below. He is a really good looking guy but unfortunately his personality lets him down. The house itself was perfect and the only thing that let it down and stopped us from buying it was that there was no garden. If there is one that thing that this car model is let down by, it is the high petrol consumption. MEANING 4: To make an item of clothing longer Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To lengthen Separable? Yes The fourth meaning of 'let down' is a useful one for anyone who enjoys sewing and needlework as it means 'to make a garment or item of clothing longer'. This is normally done by unfolding the excess material of a garment that is normally folded over at the bottom of it. It is often used with trousers and skirts that are not long enough. As with the other meanings of 'let down', this application can be used both separably and inseparably and with this one, I would say that both are equally as common as the other. I need to let these new trousers down as they are too short. That skirt is far too short, it needs letting down! MEANING 5: To deflate Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? British English Potential synonyms To deflate Separable? Yes This fifth and final usage is another primarily British usage of 'let down' and it means 'to deflate something'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Tyre (Tire) Balloon Ball Airbed The idea behind this meaning comes from another phrasal verb, namely 'to blow up' (check it out here ), one of the meanings of which is to 'inflate something'. The opposite of 'up' is of course 'down' and rather than 'blow down' (which doesn't exist), we use 'let down'. We can only use 'let down' for when something deflates with human intervention or action, rather than bursting and this is why the verb 'let' is used as this often implies an idea of intentionally allowing something to deflate and making it happen. Grammatically, this is no different to the other applications of 'let down' and can be used both in a separable and an inseparable way. Someone has let the tyres down on my bike! How am I going to get to work now?! We need to let down the airbed and put it away before the guests arrive. Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'let down'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'let 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 'turn' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them. The phrasal verb 'turn down' is a commonly used phrasal verb that has several idiomatic meanings used in everyday English. In addition, there are also some specific situations in which we can use it. We will look at all of them in turn over the course of this post, so let's not put it off any longer and let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Turn Down - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'turn' and 'down' Turn Down - Meaning 1: To reduce the intensity of something Turn Down - Meaning 2: To refuse or reject Turn Down - Bonus: To get turned down Turn Down - Meaning 3: To decrease Turn Down - Bonus: The noun 'downturn' Turn Down - Meaning 4: To fold or face downward Turn Down - Bonus: To turn down a road Turn Down - Bonus: Have you every had turndown service in a hotel? I love writing this blog and helping learners but I get very little feedback so I don't always know if it is helpful for you. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like and share it or leave a comment at the end. I would be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS TURN DOWN: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 5 Past tense forms Turned down / Turned down Separable? Yes Although I am sure that you are already familiar with the phrasal verb 'turn down', it is always a good idea to look at the individual words as a starting point, as these can often help us understand some of the idiomatic meanings of phrasal verbs. Firstly, we have the verb 'to turn'. This is a verb with a few different meanings, including to move in a circular path, to change direction or to change and become something else. I think that the overarching (main) idea of the verb 'to turn' though is a change of position or state. Secondly, we have the prepositional particle 'down', which can be used as an adverb and a preposition and broadly means be in, or to move towards, a lower position or place ⬇️ (from a higher one). So, now that we are familiar with the words, let's check out the different meanings that we have in English when we combine these two words to get the phrasal verb 'turn down'.... MEANING 1: To reduce the intensity of something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To reduce, to lower, to decrease Separable? Yes Our first meaning of the phrasal verb 'turn down' is to reduce the intensity of the output of an item of equipment, such as a television, a heating system or a radio. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Volume Heat Music Television Lights When we turn something down, we ultimately want the amount of energy produced by the equipment to be lower, for example because a television is too loud, an oven is too hot or a light is too bright. As you may have already worked out, this meaning of 'turn down' originated from the action of adjusting switches or controls by turning them from a higher setting or number to a lower one. 'Turn down' is a separable phrasal verb and is used very commonly in separable form by native speakers, often with the pronoun 'it' when we have already mentioned the equipment. Note that there is no change in meaning between the separable and inseparable form. Your music is so loud! Can you turn it down please? It was like a sauna in here earlier, so I turned the heating down. Bring the liquid to the boil, then slightly turn down the heat before adding the pasta. John turned down the brightness on his phone to save battery. MEANING 2: To refuse or reject something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms ​To refuse, to reject, to decline Separable? Yes Another extremely common meaning of 'turn down' is one that you are likely to come across in everyday English and means to refuse, reject or not accept something. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Invitation / Invite Application Offer Job Broadly speaking, there are two different ways in which 'turn down' can be used here. The first is when you actively decide to refuse something such as an invitation or an offer. An example of this could be that you are offered a job, however it is in another city and you are not prepared to move house, so you decide to not accept the job, or in other words, you turn it down. Other situations in which this meaning is commonly used would be when you do not accept an invitation to a party, social event or an offer of a place at a university. The second way that 'turn down' is frequently used in English as a way of rejecting something is in the passive sense, i.e. when you apply for something and your application is rejected or turned down. Using the example of a job application again, imagine that you apply for the job of your dreams, however you receive a response from the company advising you that your job application has not been successful. In other words, your application has been turned down. Hopefully you will never be in the above situation, but if you are, it is worth remembering that 'turn down' is quite informal and companies are more likely to say that your " application has not been successful " in their communication to you (as in the above example). Other synonyms that companies may use as an alternative to "turned down", could be "rejected" or "denied". We are more likely to use "turn down" when telling our friends and family about it in a more informal setting. Remember that in the passive form, it is not possible to use 'turned down' separably. Unfortunately I have to turn down the kind invitation to your wedding as I will be on vacation on that date. I turned down the offer of a job promotion as I didn't want the extra stress that it would bring. Our application to build an extension on our house has been turned down by the planning office. Eleanor turned down the job offer because the salary wasn’t high enough. Roger asked Lisa out on a date, but she turned him down. The company turned down our proposal for a business partnership. I regretfully had to turn down the invitation because I was too busy. The bank turned down Nigel's loan application due to bad credit. Photo: Pexels BONUS: To get turned down When using 'turn down' in the passive sense, as mentioned above, it is also very common to use the construction 'to get turned down' instead of the more standard 'to be turned down'. This is common usage among native speakers in spoken English, although I would say that this is perhaps even more informal than 'be turned down'. My army application got turned down because I am not fit enough! What will you do if the application gets turned down? MEANING 3: To decrease Photo: Freepik CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms ​to decline, to decrease Separable? No A much rarer meaning of 'turn down' is used specifically to mean a decline or a decrease in the rate of something. This is most frequently used to talk about the stock market, but can also be used to talk about birth and death rates, rates of diseases (e.g. Covid-19) or rates of unemployment. Generally speaking, it could be used with anything that can be plotted on a line graph (showing a decline). Please note that this usage of 'turn down' is not separable. Investors will lose money if the market turns down. The stock market turned down sharply in the wake of the disappointing earnings report. Shares of the company turned down following the news of regulatory issues. After several months of growth, the tech sector began to turn down due to economic uncertainty. Investors panicked as the index turned down amid rising inflation concerns. Photo: Pexels THE NOUN 'DOWNTURN' The reason that I wanted to include this rarer usage of 'turn down' on this post is because it also has a corresponding noun, 'downturn', which is used much more commonly in everyday English than its verb counterpart. Like the verb, 'downturn' is commonly used by native speakers to describe declines in activities and rates, especially across the business and economics world. In the year 2020 there was a sharp downturn in the world's major economies as the Covid pandemic struck. MEANING 4: To fold or face downward CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To fold, to fold over, to turn over, to face downward Separable? Yes This fourth usage of 'turn down' means to fold something, i.e. to bend something, such as paper or cloth, so that a part of it rests on top of the other. 'Turn down' can be used as a synonym of 'fold' specifically when we are folding the top part of piece of paper in a downward direction, so that it covers a part or all of the top surface. This could be done to hide what is on the paper or to act as a marker. A prime example of this is when people turn down the top corner of a page in a book that they are reading, so that they know which page they last read. This isn't such a common usage, but it is still worth being aware of it. Another way that 'turn down' is used is when you turn something over, such as a piece of paper or a playing card, so that the detail or the information on it is now facing downwards and is not visible to people. This is used a lot in card games. It is also common to use 'turned down' in an adjective form to describe cards that are facing downwards. I hate it when people turn down the page corners of their books! Why can't they use a bookmark?! All of the cards must be turned down at the start of the game. James turned down the pages of the book to mark his place. The waiter turned down the edges of the tablecloth to keep it neat. Photo: Pexels BONUS: To turn down a road An extra way that native speakers use the phrasal verb 'turn down' that you may hear in everyday conversation is when giving directions or talking about a journey. Often when referring to roads and streets, native speakers will use the prepositions 'up' and 'down' to talk about a movement along them (as far as I know, there is no difference between them, it is just something that we do 🤷‍♂️). When talking about turning from one road onto another and also sometimes then driving along it, it is very common to hear native speakers say things like " turn down that road " or " turn down the first road on the left for 100 metres ". Photo: Pexels BONUS: Have you ever had turndown service in a hotel? As a final point, I just want to make you aware of one last usage of 'turn down' that you may come across , especially when staying in hotels. Turndown service is where hotel staff enter a guest's room whilst they are out and prepare it for them by making the bed and sometimes even leaving a mint or small chocolate on the guest's pillow. The end result is that the bed is nice and fresh for the guest when they come to sleep in it that evening. 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 'turn down'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'turn 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