An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'come across' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them. 'Come across' is a really common English phrasal verb and is a great one for you to master and have in your active vocabulary. You may have just come across this website online now or you may be a regular visitor but either way, I hope it comes across well! If you did not fully understand the last sentence, do not worry as I will explain all three meanings of 'come across. in this article. Furthermore, I will also give you lots of example sentences to show you how it is used by native speakers. So, without further ado, let's begin.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Come Across - The Basics: Key information & the words 'come' & 'across' Come Across - Meaning 1: To move across something towards someone (literal) Come Across - Meaning 2: To find something unexpectedly Come Across - Bonus: Can you come across a person? Come Across - Meaning 3: To seem Come Across - Bonus: More example sentences with 'come across' Come Across - Bonus: Potential IELTS Questions I love writing this blog and helping learners but I get very little feedback as to how useful it is and if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I would be most grateful. Thank you! 😊 James Photo: Pexels THE BASICS COME ACROSS: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 3 Past tense forms Came across / Come across Separable? No Before we look at the different ways that 'come across '  can be used as a phrasal verb, let's first look at the basics and consider its individual component words 'come' and 'across'. Firstly, we have the base verb 'to come', meaning 'to move from a place in the direction of where the speaker is' . Alternatively, we can also use it to refer to movement towards where the speaker was in the past or will be in the future. Are you coming to my party later? John came to work in his best suit today. A red car was coming towards us. The second part of the construction is the prepositional particle 'across', meaning 'from one side of something to the other'. 'Across' does not feature in many phrasal verbs but when it does it can add ideas like discovery, communication and movement and we will cover all of these in this post. So, now that we have looked at the basics, let's take a look at the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'come across'.... MEANING 1: To move across something towards someone (literal) Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To come over, to cross, to traverse Separable? No If you think about the meanings of the words 'come' and 'across', it shouldn't be too difficult to arrive at our first meaning of 'come across', which is the literal meaning of the combination of these two words: 'to move across something towards someone'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Road / Street Field Bridge Room You can see from the list of nouns above that this application of 'come across' is used with things that a person can physically move across from one side to the other. However, remember that in order to use it, the person or object must be moving towards where the speaker is (or where they were or will be in past and future tenses). Photo: Pexels She came across the room to tell me something. I've come across the city especially to see you. The horse is coming across the field towards me. Moira dropped her phone as she was coming across the bridge towards me. Although this literal meaning of 'come across' is used relatively often by native speakers, we often use the synonym 'come over' (link here ) instead. Be careful with 'come over' though as it can also be used to talk about a movement above and across somewhere, while 'come across' does not. So now we have looked at the literal meaning of 'come across', let's now move on to its idiomatic meanings.... MEANING 2 : To find something unexpectedly Photo: Pexels ​CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms ​To find, to run into, to discover, to stumble across Separable? No The second meaning of 'come across' is perhaps the most common usage of it in English and means 'to find something by chance or by accident'. In other words, to find something without wanting, trying or meaning to do so. Typical nouns that this application is used with: Website Person Video / Image / Picture Book / Article To elaborate, we use this particular application when we want to express that we had no intention of finding what we found. This carries neither positive nor negative connotations; it is simply used to talk neutrally about an experience. As you can see from the table above, 'come across' is often used for information as well as sources of information, such as the internet, media or books. It is not uncommon for language learners like yourselves to use it when talking about discovering a new word in the language being learned. In fact, as a native speaker of English, I still come across completely new words all the time! I've come across this Greek word and I don't know what it means. Are you able to help me? I was going through my emails today and I came across an important one from my boss that I had missed from last week.               Whilst Roger was studying English grammar earlier, he came across this interesting blog all about phrasal verbs!                                                             Of course, this usage of 'come across' can be applied in reference to finding physical objects and material things by chance as well.... I've lost my wallet somewhere in the office today. If you come across it, please can you let me know.                                                                                                                                   After my father died, my mother and I were clearing out his things and we came across some old photos of him from when he was a young man. She came across a beautiful painting in a small antique shop. While hiking in the forest, we came across a hidden waterfall. Although it is relatively informal, 'come across' can be used in both business and everyday English and is heard more frequently than its non phrasal verb synonyms (find, discover). In a negative sense, we can use it to express that we have not seen or heard of something before and therefore this is typically in a perfect tense.   I've never come across this kind of situation at work before and I don't know what to do. Have you ever come across this question in a job interview? Lucille has never come across this English verb before. The policeman asked me if I'd ever come across this picture before. CAN YOU COME ACROSS A PERSON? Yes, we can also use 'come across' to talk about people who we meet or have met in our lives. In this case, it usually means that we see or meet the person by chance rather than seeking them, although this could also be possible in the right context! While it is fine to use it in the sense of meeting someone who you know by chance, it is probably more common to use the phrasal verb 'run into' (or also 'bump into in British English) to describe these kinds of scenarios. I came across a man wearing a bright pink tracksuit in the park this morning. As we walked along the beach, we came across a group of surfers. Moreover, it is fairly common to use 'come across' in this way to talk about people who you have met in the course of your life so far. This is particularly so if he or she is someone you consider to be the most or the least of something or is distinguished form others in some way. It can therefore often be found with the adverbs 'ever' and 'never' as well as comparative and superlatives. I've never come across anyone so rude in my entire! Lucy is the first colleague I have ever come across who has dared to say no to me. Martin has to be the smartest 10-year-old I've ever come across! MEANING 3 : To seem Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To seem, to appear, to come over Separable? No The next idiomatic meaning of 'to come across' that we are going to look at in this post has a very similar meaning to the verb 'to seem' and is used to express how someone or something is perceived by another person. This usage is often followed by a noun, an adjective or sometimes both! Adjectives used commonly with this application: Happy Friendly Rude Arrogant Nice Quiet When used this way, the conjunction ' as' should be used before the noun or adjective. You can also use a verb in this construction, however if you do it must also follow 'as' and be in the gerund form. He comes across as a good guy but in reality he is not at all! The solicitor came across as professional. I John comes across as being highly motivated. It is common for native speakers to use 'come across' when expressing their first impressions of another person, especially if the first impression is a little controversial or negative. Alternatively, it is also used to talk about how someone was perceived in situations where there is an element of judgement from other people, such as giving a presentation, a job interview or going on a date. I haven't spoken to my new manager much yet but to be honest he comes across as a bit arrogant! Well done, you have got the job. I have had some really good feedback from the interviewers who said that you came across really well in the interview! I had a date with a guy last night and he came across as a bit strange, so I don't think I want to see him again. In addition, if you really want to 'come across' in an advanced way, then you should know that we also say it to express how emotions or ideas that are expressed in speech, music or films are felt or perceived by people. When we use it this way, it is typical to state the noun for the emotion or idea before 'come across'. When the King was talking about the death of his mother, his sadness came across in his voice. He is a passionate teacher and that comes across when he is in the classroom. Photo: Pexels MORE EXAMPLE SENTENCES WITH 'COME ACROSS' If you can memorise some of the sentences below and use them in a conversation, it will help your English to come across as more natural and like that of a native speaker: I've never come across [noun] before. I came across your [noun] online He / she comes across as [adjective] / a [noun]. If you go to [place], you're sure to come across....... This is the best [noun] I have ever come across. This is the worst [noun] I have ever come across. Photo: Pexels POTENTIAL IELTS QUESTIONS Describe the most polite person you have come across in your life. What type of noise do you come across in your daily life? Discuss some of the most interesting people you have come across in your life. 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 'come across'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'carry on' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them. This post focuses on the phrasal verb 'carry on', which has a surprising number of meanings in English. In this post, I will explain each one and give you lots of example sentences to enable you to master them and impress your English-speaking friends with your amazing phrasal verb skills! So, without further ado, let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Carry On - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'carry' and 'on' Carry On - Meaning 1: Literal meaning Carry On - Meaning 2: To continue Carry On - Bonus: Is 'carry on' a separable phrasal verb? Carry On - Bonus: What is we want to use 'carry on' as an imperative? Carry On - Meaning 3: To misbehave Carry On - Meaning 4: To behave like nothing has happened Carry On - Meaning 5: To have an illicit sexual relationship Carry On - Bonus: More example sentences with 'carry on' Carry On - Bonus: Further questions for writing and speaking practice Carry On - Bonus: Carry On Movies  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 CARRY ON: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 5 Past tense forms Carried on / Carried on Separable? Sometimes Before we carry on with the meanings of 'carry on' (do you see what I did there 😉), let's first take a moment to consider what the individual words 'carry' and 'on' mean on their own. Firstly, we have the base verb 'to carry', which means to hold or support something or someone and transport it (or them) from one place to another. It is a regular verb that is also very frequently found in phrasal verb constructions such as carry on, carry out and carry off. I can't walk anymore, can you carry me? John carried his baby son home from the hospital. Sarah couldn't wave to her friend as she was carrying bags of shopping Who wants to help me to carry this sofa into the other room? Secondly, we have the prepositional particle 'on', which is a word that you will all be familiar with as it is extremely widespread in English, with a huge number of different meanings and applications. When used in phrasal verbs, 'on' can convey various meanings, such as continuation ( keep on ), support (count on) and beginning (set on), among others. So, now that we have looked at the basics, let's carry on with the post and look at the different meanings of 'carry on'.... MEANING 1: Literal Photo: Pexels ​CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To bring on, to take on Separable? Yes We are going to start with a rarer meaning of 'carry on' as it is just the literal meaning of the two words combined i.e. 'to move or transport something with you whilst getting or moving on to something'. From my perspective as a native speaker, I would say that the use of this literal version in English is mainly limited to when we take or carry items with us on to public transport. If you have ever flown on an airplane, you may recognise the term 'carry-on luggage', to describe the bags or luggage that you are permitted to take with you to your seat or into the cabin. You should note that this only applies to public transport that we travel on . As English learners, you will know that English prepositions are rarely logical 😵‍💫, and public transport is a good example of this. In many other languages, the preposition 'in' is (logically) used to talk about most forms of public transport, however English is different and we tend to use 'on' for many of these (despite being physically inside!). To help you with this, I have included the table below, which shows which preposition we use for common types of transport: ​ON IN Bus Car Train ​Train carriage Airplane ​Airplane cabin Boat / Ship ​ Tram ​ Subway ​ As a general rule, if you can stand up and walk around on a mode of transport, we use 'on'. If we are not able to stand up and walk around, we say 'in'. You may have also heard the common variation 'to carry onto' being used here. This does mean the same thing, however it simply adds additional emphasis to the movement from the start and end points. Photo: Pexels From June 2024 all aeroplane passengers will be able to carry two-litre bottles of liquids on planes in their hand luggage. John's leg was broken, so his friends had to carry him onto the airplane. (the use of onto emphasises that his friends carried him from the ground up the steps and onto the plane). MEANING 2 : To Continue Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage ​Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To continue, to persevere, to keep, to keep on, to keep going, to go on Separable? Sometimes Some of you may be familiar with the expression featured in the photo above "keep calm and carry on" as it is one that often appears on t-shirts, mugs and internet memes. To clarify, in case you are not sure, it means 'to keep calm and continue' as this second meaning of 'carry on' is exactly that. This second application is very common in spoken language and so if you have heard 'carry on' being used before by a native speaker, it is probable that it is this one. Grammatically, when used this way, 'carry on' is normally followed by a dynamic (action) verb, which needs to be in the 'ing' progressive form. Alternatively, it can also be followed by the preposition 'with' + a noun or a pronoun such as 'it' or 'this'. The President carried on answering the diplomat's questions until the end of the meeting. The team have to carry on playing even if it rains or snows. Despite the power cut, we carried on working as we wanted to get the job finished. The horror movie was so scary that I couldn't carry on watching it and had to leave the room. Do you want to carry on with the work tomorrow as it is getting late now? Ok everyone, we will have to carry on with this tomorrow as we are out of time. From my perspective as a native speaker, I would say that 'carry on' is less formal than continue and I would therefore recommend avoiding it in formal writing and official documents. In spoken English however, 'carry on' is perfectly acceptable to use in a business or work environment and is very common in both British and American English. John, can you please carry on working on the project this week because we need to present it to the board of directors next week. Lisa will be leaving the company at the end of the month but she has promised to carry on updating the website until her last day. IS 'CARRY ON' A SEPARABLE PHRASAL VERB? 'Carry on' is a separable phrasal verb, however English speakers tend not to separate it very often. If the object of the verb is a pronoun, then the pronoun always goes between 'carry' and 'on'. In this case a verb in the continuous 'ing' form is not required. I have temporarily stopped doing yoga but I intend to carry it on after my holiday The most common pronoun with 'carry on' tends to be 'it', but others may be possible depending on the context. Apart from this, there is no difference in meaning if you use it separably or not; this is just at the speaker's discretion. I want to carry on learning English until I can speak like a native speaker. Do you want me to carry on writing this report? We will carry this conversation on later this evening. She first started taking acting lessons when she moved to Los Angeles but she hated it and had no intention of carrying it on. WHAT IF WE WANT TO USE 'CARRY ON' AS AN IMPERATIVE? If you want to tell someone to continue what they are doing in the form of a command, "carry on!" is the more natural way to do this. Native speakers will often say this rather than "continue!", which sounds a bit colder and more formal. Alternatively, 'keep going!' is another natural sounding synonym to 'carry on' that you could use to sound like a native. MEANING 3 : To Misbehave Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To act up, to play up, to misbehave, to conduct Separable? No For those learners who want to go the extra mile* to learn as much English as humanly possible, there are another three, rarer meanings of carry on that I want to make you aware of in this post. The first of these means to behave (or to misbehave) in a way that other people disapprove of. This application is very informal is often used to describe people who are a bit too emotional, who talk too much or who get too drunk. Regardless of the particular activity, the idea behind it is that the speaker who is talking about the action is a bit irritated or annoyed by the person's behaviour. Sometimes, the behaviour isn't even specified; the use of 'carrying on' is just used to imply that the speaker disliked the person's behaviour and the listener is free to fill in the gaps! From a grammatical perspective, this usage is always used in the progressive form. She drank too much wine and started carrying on in front of my family. I was so embarrassed! Stop carrying on like a spoilt child and act your age! The neighbours were carrying on loudly all night, and no one could get any sleep. The children were carrying on so much at the restaurant that other diners began to leave. * To go the extra mile is an idiom meaning to make an extra effort in order to do or achieve a goal MEANING 4 : To behave like nothing has happened Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To behave Separable? No In the last section, we looked at how 'carry on' can mean to misbehave or act in a way that people may disapprove of, however in some contexts it can also serve as a synonym for the verb 'to behave'. Specifically, we often use it to describe when a significant change occurs in someone's life but they ignore it and continue to behave in the same way as they did before, often not acknowledging the change or life event. Typical examples of when native speakers would use this would be after receiving a diagnosis of a serious illness, after the death of a close relative or friend or after something stressful or unpleasant happens in general that would ordinarily be very stressful for the majority of people. Conversely, it is also possible to use it for good news, such as winning the lottery, although this is much rarer. When used this way carry on is normally followed by conjunctions 'like', 'as if' or 'as though'. Every time my husband and I have an argument, he carries on the next day as if nothing has ever happened, even if we haven't resolved the problem. Helen has recently been given some very bad news, however she carries on as if nothing ever changed. Simon and Doug carried on as if they hadn't just received terrible news. Jamie carried on as though he hadn't been insulted moments before. Susan carried on like nothing had changed at work, even after the big announcement about her promotion to CEO has been announced. MEANING 5: To have an illicit sexual relationship Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To have an affair, to see one another, to be unfaithful Separable? No The fifth and final meaning of 'carry on' that I want to make you aware of is to have a sexual relationship with someone, normally when it is forbidden or secretive. This is especially true if one or both of the people involved are already in a relationship with someone else or are married. Again, like with some of the other applications of 'carry on', this one is normally used to use in progressive or continuous (ing) tenses. Roger has been carrying on with Helen for several years now and they don't realise that everyone in the village knows about it, including Roger's wife and Helen's husband! We found out last week that Alan has been carrying on with his secretary for years. The gossip spread quickly when people discovered Linda had been carrying on with a married man. Photo: Pexels BONUS: More example sentences with 'carry on' If you can memorise some of the sentences below and use them in a conversation, it will help your English to come across as more natural and like that of a native speaker: If you carry on behaving like that, you will be in trouble (parent to child). I wish I'd carried on.... We didn't like the look of the restaurant so we carried on down the road to the next one. If I'd carried on learning [language] and not stopped, I would be fluent by now. At one point it was so hard and I thought I couldn't carry on but somehow I found the strength. We want to carry on the the traditions of our parents and grandparents. To get there, carry on down this road for [distance] and then turn left / right.... Photo: Pexels BONUS: Further questions for speaking & writing practice If you have a conversation with a shy person, what is the best way to carry it on when the other person stops speaking? Do you regret not carrying on learning something when you were younger e.g. a language or a musical instrument? Is there something that you started learning or doing when you were younger and had no intention of carrying on with it but which you are still learning or doing today? Photo: Wix Media BONUS: Carry On Movies The Carry On movies were a series of 31 British comedy movies that were made between 1958 and 1992. Each movie had a different theme e.g. Carry on Doctor and Carry on Camping, with a separate storyline to the others, but many of the same actors starred in the films. Much of the comedy in the films was tongue-in-cheek* and involved sexual innuendo, word play and mocking traditional British institutions and customs. Some of the humour in the films is now a little outdated but despite this, they continue to be loved and laughed at by many people to this day. To learn more about these, visit this link: https://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/group/carry_on/ * Tongue-in-cheek means to come across as serious whilst making a joke 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. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'carry on'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'take back' 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, I explain the phrasal verb 'take back' and all of the different ways that you can use it in English. For each one, I provide you with lots of example sentences to give you an idea of how it is used and in which contexts, helping you to impress all of your friends and colleagues with your impressive phrasal verb skills! So, without further ado, let's make a start... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Take Back - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'take' and 'back' Take Back - Meaning 1: To return something Take Back - Meaning 2: To allow someone to return Take Back - Meaning 3: To reclaim possession of something Take Back - Meaning 4: To retract something Take Back - Meaning 5: To be reminded of a past time I love writing this blog and helping learners but I get very little feedback as to how useful it is and if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I would be most grateful. Thank you! 😊 James Photo: Pexels THE BASICS TAKE BACK: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 5 Past tense forms Took back / Taken back Separable? Yes To begin our exploration of the phrasal verb 'take back', let's first consider the different meanings of the words that it consists of: 'take' and 'back'. The verb 'to take' is one of the most common and useful verbs in English and has a number of different meanings. These include removing something from a place with your hands, physically capturing something, transporting something to a different place and travelling on public transport. Like most of the most common verbs in English, 'to take' is an irregular verb....sorry! Please take a pen from the box. Someone has taken my coat from the cloakroom! The army is trying to take the city. The prisoner will be taken from the court to the prison tomorrow. Can you take me to school in the morning, Dad? I don't want to take the bus. The prepositional particle 'back' is one that is used in phrasal verb constructions typically to convey the ideas of returning (come back), reversing an action (pull back), and responding (call back). As we go through the different meanings of 'take back', we will see many of these themes arising. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's consider the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'take back'. MEANING 1: To return something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Lower intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To return, to give back, to exchange Separable? Yes If we take the literal meaning of the words 'take' and 'back' and combine them, we arrive at the first meaning of our phrasal verb 'take back', which is transporting or returning something to a place where it previously was. This usage is separable and it is possible to place nouns and pronouns between 'take' and 'back' or after them without changing the meaning. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Item Product Person Clothing items: shirt, shoes, pants, skirt, coat etc My cat, Arthur In a general sense, this application can be used to describe any time we physically transport a person or thing back to a place that it came from or was at an earlier point in time. For example, my cat, Arthur (pictured), has an ongoing health problem that means that he needs to visit the vets from time to time. If he goes to the vets and then has to go back again some time later for a check-up, we take him back there as he can't get there by himself (and he hates it, so he wouldn't go!). Another example would be if a friend or relative comes to stay with you. If you drive them home in your car, you can say that you take them back. I'm only here for the weekend, my brother is taking me back to Scotland on Monday. Where did you find that? Take it back to where you found it! Tamsin left her purse in the cinema, so her husband had to take her back there to see if she could find it again. We can also use this first application in a more specific way and this may prove to be very useful for any of you who enjoy shopping as it is to return goods or products to a shop (store). This is either to obtain a refund or to request an exchange for something else, maybe because the product is damaged, it does not fit well or is unsatisfactory in some way. I need to take this shirt back; it doesn’t fit me. Sue took back the blender because it stopped working after one use. If you’re not happy with the purchase, you can take it back within 30 days. They wouldn’t let me take the item back without a receipt. After realising the product was damaged, Sam decided to take it back the next day. Lesley decided to take the gift back after realising he already had one. This does not just apply to shops and can be used to refer to returning borrowed books to a library or rental cars to a rental company. He took back the book he borrowed from the library. When we took the car back to the depot, nobody was there and so we had to wait an hour for someone to show up. MEANING 2: To allow someone to return Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To have back, to allow to return Separable? Yes Let's move on to our second application of 'take back' now, which is concerned with romance and matters of the heart and means to allow someone to return.... Nouns commonly used with this application.... Husband Wife Partner Boyfriend / Girlfriend Student Employee Most commonly, we use 'take back' in this way when talking about a romantic relationship in which the couple have temporarily separated or broken up. This separation usually happens because one partner has done something wrong, like having a relationship with someone else or lying about something serious. If the "good' partner (who didn't do anything wrong) decides to resume their relationship with the "bad" partner and lets him or her return to their life, we would say that they take them back. Even after Roger cheated, Lisa considered taking him back. I don’t know if I could ever take someone back who hurt me like that. Andrew kept calling and texting, begging his ex-partner to take him back. Lucy's friends warned her not to take him back, but she followed her heart. After a long conversation, they agreed to give it another try and she took him back. Paul realised how much he missed John and asked if he would take him back. Lorraine said she would only take Alan back if he proved he had changed. Steve broke Nicola's trust and she’s not sure she can ever take him back again. Moreover, this application of 'take back' can also be used to talk about workplaces and educational institutions when employees or students are permitted to return to work or study following a period of suspension or after being fired. Like with the romantic usage of this application, we only use this when the company, school or university decides to let the person come back. The company finally decided to take the former Finance Manager back after she apologised for her mistake. The school agreed to take back the student after a formal hearing. They took him back into the team after realising they needed his skills. The coach said he wouldn’t take back any player who broke team rules. The university took the student back after a year-long suspension. MEANING 3: To reclaim possession of something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To reclaim, to retake, to recapture, to retrieve, to recover Separable? Yes Another meaning of the phrasal verb 'take back' is to reclaim possession of something and for this application, I am taking you back to the shops.... Nouns commonly used with this application.... Land City Things House / Apartment Control To begin, let's return to the idea of a person taking something back to a shop but now flip it and consider it from the perspective of the shop. If the shop assistant agrees for the customer to return an item, then we can say that the shop is taking the item back as they will become the owners of it again. This idea of owning or controlling something or having it in your possession again after a period of time without it is the key idea in this application. Essentially, the object in question belongs to someone and so they want it back. Often, this can simply be a nice and peaceful exchange, for example if someone borrows something from you and gives it you back when they have finished with it. However, perhaps more commonly, there is often an element of force or unpleasantness involved with the action of taking something back. Examples of this might be when a company takes back something that you have been renting as you miss your payments or when a national army fights to regain possession of a city or land that was once a part of their country. The landlord took back the apartment after the tenant broke the lease. Penelope took her necklace back after lending it to her friend for the party. The company took the equipment back once the contract ended. He took back his offer when he realised the deal wasn’t fair. They took back control of the land after years of dispute. The bank took back the car because Mark stopped making payments. The army took back the city after a fierce battle. Claire tried to take back her phone from her younger brother. Winston demanded to take back the painting he had loaned to the gallery. MEANING 4: To retract something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To retract, to rescind, to withdraw Separable? Yes Have you ever said something in the past that you have regretted and wished you had never said? I have done this so many times and the reason that I am telling you this is because this next application of 'take back' means to retract something that you have said or thought. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Words Statement Everything For this application of 'take back', I am dividing it into different categories, which we will call informal and formal. Let's first consider when we use 'take back' informally, which is when we say things in our everyday lives to our friends and family in an informal or casual setting and then later regret saying them. This may be because we said something insulting when we were angry and upset and didn't really mean it or because our opinions on a subject have changed and we now do not agree with our previous statements. I didn’t mean what I said; I'm sorry and I take it back. John called his sister a liar but quickly tried to take back his words. Miriam regretted the insult and wished she could take it back. You can’t just say hurtful things and then take them back like nothing happened. Simon laughed at the joke, then realised it had offended a few of the people around him but it was too late to took it back. I said something stupid and I totally take it back. It is also possible to use this application when someone says something offensive to you and you want them to apologise or even change what they said. In such cases, we might say in a shocked or angry tone " take that back! ". If we are feeling particularly hurt, we may even add the words "this instant" or "at once" to make it stronger. Take that back at once and don't ever speak to your mother like that again! Take that back! You don't mean it! One other expression that we use with this application when we completely change our mind about something and now do not agree with what we said in the past is " I take it all back ". I take it all back now that I've read the artist's autobiography; I was completely wrong about her! Let's now think about the formal usage of 'take back', which is specifically used in reference to people who speak publicly or who publish content for mass audiences to watch or read. If they change their mind about a subject that they have previously spoken or written about or if they are proven to be wrong about a statement that they have made, they may take back what they said. As these words are usually for the public, a formal taking back of a statement is often required. You should note here though that 'take back' is less commonly used in formal situations as other synonym verbs like retract, rescind and withdraw would be more likely used here to keep to a higher register. Nonetheless, it is something that you may still hear in this context, so it is worth being aware of it. The spokesperson later took back her remarks during a press conference. The newspaper editor formally took his accusations back in a written apology. The company issued a statement to take back the claims made in the advertisement. I would like to take back my previous comment, as it was made without full information. The professor was asked to take back his statement due to its offensive nature. After reviewing the facts, the witness decided to take part of his testimony back. The protester respectfully took back her earlier criticism upon hearing the full explanation. The organisation was compelled to take back its initial stance following public concern. MEANING 5: To be reminded of a past time Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To remind, to transport, to evoke Separable? Always Did you know that out of all the five senses that we humans possess, smell is the one that is thought to be the most closely linked to our memories? That is actually not a surprise for me as I often find that certain smells remind me of my younger days and childhood. What I could also say here is that they take me back to those days as our fifth and final meaning of 'take back' is to be reminded of a past time. For this usage, we are working with the idea that when we see, hear, smell or taste (and less so feel) something that reminds us of a something in our past, it causes us to think about it again, which is often (but not always) a lovely thing to do. It is literally when we are mentally or emotionally transported to an earlier time in our lives. As you can probably imagine, the usage of this particular application of 'take back' increases with age and you find that old people use this one all the time and young people less so. This song really takes me back to my high school days. Walking through the neighbourhood where he grew up took him back to his childhood. This photo takes me back to the summer we spent in Italy. Her perfume instantly took me back to when we first met. Watching that movie again took me back to my teenage years. The smell of fresh bread takes me back to my grandmother’s kitchen. Ah this takes me back! Such good memories! 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 back'. 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 back'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'cut off' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native. In this blog article, I will be explaining the wonderful English phrasal verb 'cut off' and the different ways that we use it. First, we will cover the basics and then move onto the more well known meanings, like to remove something and to block something, before finally looking at some of the lesser known and regional meanings and idioms that it is found in. Furthermore, there are lots of example sentences to show you the contexts in which each application is used. So, without further ado, let's make a start.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Cut Off - The Basics: Key information and the basics Cut Off - Meaning 1: To remove something Cut Off - Meaning 2: To separate or block a connection Cut Off - Meaning 3: To stop the supply of something Cut Off - Meaning 4: To be disconnected (telephone) Cut Off - Meaning 5: To intercept someone Cut Off - Meaning 6: To interrupt someone Cut Off - Meaning 7: To disinherit someone Cut Off - Meaning 8: To move into another driver's lane 🇺🇸 Cut Off - Bonus: The noun 'cut-off' Cut Off - Bonus: Idiom - 'to cut off your nose to spite your face' I love writing this blog and helping learners but I get very little feedback as to how useful it is and if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I would be most grateful. Thank you! 😊 James Photo: Pexels THE BASICS CUT OFF: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 8 Past tense forms Cut off / Cut off Separable? Yes In this post, we will explore 8 different ways to use the phrasal verb 'cut off' but before we do that, let's first consider the individual words 'cut' and 'off' and their meanings. I am sure that you will all be very familiar with the verb 'to cut' already. Its main usage in English is to break the surface of something or to separate one thing from another by using a sharp tool like a knife or pair of scissors. Additionally, its other common meanings include to reduce something and to block the supply of something. Like most frequently used verbs in English, 'to cut' is irregular. Jessica cut the string with some scissors. Can you cut my hair this weekend? I need to cut the grass today before it rains. Debbie cut herself with a knife whilst cooking dinner. The married couple cut the cake. The government is cutting funding to the charity next year. They want to cut the power for an hour to perform some electrical work. The prepositional particle 'off' is one that you will often see in phrasal verb constructions to add a meaning of separation or removal as we will see later in this post. In addition to this, 'off' can be used in phrasal verbs to convey ideas like departure ( set off ) and ending ( call off ) among others. Now that we have covered the basics, let's dive into the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'cut off'.... MEANING 1: To remove something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level A2 - Elementary Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To remove, to separate, to chop off Separable? Yes As I explained earlier, the verb 'to cut' can mean to remove something by using a sharp tool and this first meaning of 'cut off' means the same thing...it's just a bit more precise. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Hair Finger / Toe / Arm / Leg / Head End / Tip Branch Often when we use a verb like 'to cut', we need to provide extra information to people, telling them the result of the cutting action. When we want we to say that we have cut something in order to separate it from what it was attached to, we use 'cut off'. We are simply just adding more precise information to our description of the cutting action. Note that the natural opposite of the word 'off' in English is 'on' and so we only use this for items that are considered to be 'on' something else or that form an integral part of something. For example, we say that our hair is on our head and so if we have a drastic haircut at the hairdressers, we might say that we have had our hair cut off. Likewise, Marie Antoinette and many other people in the past were unfortunate enough to lose their head (and their lives) as a form of punishment and in such cases we can say that somebody cut their heads of...horrible but true! This usage is not just limited to body parts though and it can be used with anything that is attached to or forms part of another (usually larger) thing. Ben accidentally cut off the end of his finger while chopping vegetables. The tailor cut off the excess fabric before sewing the hem. The gardeners cut off the dead branches from the tree to make it healthier. Luke cut off a slice of bread and handed it to his daughter. The farmer cut off the chicken’s head quickly and cleanly. Emma cut off a lock of her hair to keep as a memory. John cut off the tags from his new shirt before wearing it. Lucy cut off the crusts from the sandwiches for her kids. The plumbers cut off part of the pipe to fix the leak. The mechanic cut off the rusty bolt in order to replace it. For reference, if you want to remove something that is an internal place and is not an integral part of the whole object, you would need to use the phrasal verb 'cut out' link here . MEANING 2: To separate or block a connection Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To separate, to block Separable? Yes This second application of 'cut off' is used to talk about both people and objects and means to separate or block a connection to something. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Village / Town / City Person Access Road / Street As you will have noticed, for this meaning we are continuing with the theme of separating something that was once connected to something else, however this time we are not using a sharp tool to perform a cutting action. Instead, we are talking about much larger objects and places that are normally easy to access but are temporarily inaccessible due to an obstruction of some kind. This 'cutting off' may be caused by natural phenomena or disasters such as a fallen tree, a landslide or an earthquake. Alternatively, something may be cut off intentionally by people who do not want other people to access somewhere. The village was completely cut off by the floodwaters. The rebels cut the town off from outside help. A fallen tree cut off access to the main road. The soldier's route was cut off by enemy forces. The island was cut off from the mainland after the bridge collapsed. DID YOU KNOW THAT CUT-OFF EXISTS AS AN ADJECTIVE? As a consequence of this, we can also use the adjective form 'cut-off to describe places that are difficult to access or are very far from other people and places. This may be temporarily, due to a blockage, or permanent if the place is situated somewhere that is hard to reach like up a mountain etc. They live in a cut-off village deep in the mountains. The research station is in a cut-off area that can only be reached by helicopter. It was a cut-off region with no cell service or internet connection. During winter, the town becomes completely cut-off due to heavy snowfall. LET'S NOT FORGET PEOPLE! Back to the phrasal verb again and in addition to places that are difficult to access, we can also use this application of 'cut off' to describe people who are isolated from others in their lives and often feel lonely as a result. The reason that we use 'cut off' for this is because we are talking about how people's connections to others have been blocked. We can use this in an active way, where other people choose to isolate the lonely person (cut them off) or in a passive way to describe the lonely person's experience or feelings. Sarah felt cut off from her friends after moving to a new city. José's strict parents cut him off from the outside world. Depression made Alan feel cut off from everyone around him. The friendship group cut Michelle off socially because she didn’t agree with their views. The cult leader cut his followers off from their families. MEANING 3: To stop the supply of something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To disconnect Separable? Yes For our next application of 'cut off', we have another variation on the ongoing theme of separation and that is to stop the supply of something. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Gas Electricity Water Finances / Money Aid Supplies / Services If you ever stop paying for your home utilities like electricity or gas, it is a certainty that after a period of time your supplier will disconnect the service to your house until you pay...or in other words, they will cut you off. Thankfully, this has never happened to me as I am (most of the time) very punctual with paying my bills but I have heard of this happening to other people. You will hear this application most commonly in reference to these utility services, often being used as a threat to make people pay. Alternatively, you may also hear about people being cut off financially when someone who normally gives them money stops giving it to them. I should stress that this is not in the sense of work and more like rich parents or husbands. They cut off the water supply due to unpaid bills. Beatrice's parents cut her off financially when she dropped out of college. The landlord threatened to cut off the electricity if the rent wasn't paid. The gas company cut off service to several homes during the maintenance work. Our internet was cut off because we forgot to renew the subscription. The rebels cut off food and medical supplies to the city. In addition to this, we can use 'cut off' in this way on a larger scale when talking about governmental funding and supplies of products etc. as these are all things whose supply can be stopped or cut off at any time if a government so wishes (which we are famously seeing in certain countries right now). The government has decided to cut off all aid to the World Health Organisation. If an agreement cannot be reached, it is likely that the supply of food to the area will be cut off. MEANING 4: To be disconnected (telephone) Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common (mainly passive) Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To cut out Separable? Sometimes We are now on to our fourth meaning of 'cut off' and we are again sticking with the disconnection theme as this one means to be disconnected on the telephone. In this modern day and age, the vast majority of us have a mobile phone (cellphone for those familiar with US English) and many of you may even be reading this post on yours at this very moment! As a result, one thing that we are all very familiar with is when we are in the middle of a phone call and the signal goes, meaning that the call is disconnected. When this happens, we usually say " the call got cut off ". You should note that this is mainly used in the passive sense with the helper verbs 'to get', and less commonly with 'to be'. We were talking and suddenly got cut off. I think the call got cut off; can you hear me now? Sue was in the middle of explaining something when the line cut off. Sorry, I didn’t hang up; I got cut off. We keep getting cut off; the signal must be bad out here. The phone cut off just as I was about to say goodbye. You cut off for a second there; can you repeat that? MEANING 5: To intercept someone Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To intercept Separable? Yes Another way that we can use 'cut off' to talk about people is in relation to intercepting them when they are moving or travelling to a place. Usually, this would be when you want to stop someone reaching a destination and so you attempt to obstruct their route somehow and stop them from arriving there. Typical contexts in which this application is used are police and law enforcement chasing criminals, military action and just those everyday moments when you want to stop someone from going somewhere before it is too late...something that that is often portrayed in romantic Hollywood movies. The rebels tried to escape, but government forces cut them off at the mountain pass. The army cut off the enemy’s escape route by blocking the bridge. The police cut off the suspect before he could reach the city limits. The bank robbers tried to run but the officers cut them off at the intersection. A police patrol car sped ahead to cut off the getaway vehicle. Rachel was about to get on the airplane when Ross cut her off and told her that he loved her. MEANING 6: To interrupt someone Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To cut in, to interrupt, to interject Separable? Yes Our next meaning of 'cut off' is one that is regularly heard in social situations and means to interrupt someone and stop them from speaking. When we use this application, it is normally to describe when a person suddenly or unexpectedly starts talking while another person is talking, making the other person stop. Typically, this is considered quite a rude thing to do, however perhaps it is more forgivable when the people involved are in an argument and are too angry to care. Grammatically speaking, when we use this application in an active sentence, it is always separable with the person (name or pronoun) who was interrupted going between 'cut' and 'off'. In a passive sentence, it cannot be used separably (see the examples below).... Helen tried to explain, but Roger rudely cut her off. I was in the middle of a sentence when my colleague cut me off. Don’t cut me off; let me finish what I’m saying. The politician was cut off by someone shouting from the audience. Andrew cut Julie off before she could finish her sentence. Ashley and Mark were having a deep conversation, but the waiter cut them off to take their order. Alison kept cutting Joe off during the debate, which annoyed the audience. MEANING 7: To disinherit someone Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To cut out, to disinherit Separable? Yes From looking at the picture above, you may think that this next application of 'cut off' is all about funerals and burying people, but it is not quite that as it is in fact to disinherit someone. Firstly, if the verb 'to disinherit' is new to you, it means to prevent someone from receiving or inheriting your money and possessions after you die. Now that I have explained that, it should come as no surprise to you that this application tends to be used a lot in reference to family members, particularly the black sheep of the family (those family members that have been cut off like in meaning 2). In this sense, if a person is cut off, then he or she is not able to receive any of a deceased person's wealth or possessions. It sounds harsh but families are often very complicated and it does happen from time to time. After years of disagreements, Peter's father finally cut him off from the family fortune. Linda was cut off in the will and didn’t receive a single penny after her mother's death. His parents warned Steve that if he kept misbehaving, he'd be cut off financially. Adrian cut off his daughter after she refused to join the family business. Their wealthy grandfather cut them off for squandering their inheritance. Lucy feared that marrying against her parents’ wishes would get her cut off. Anthony was shocked to learn he had been completely cut off from the estate. Being cut off by his parents forced Jim to become financially independent. MEANING 8: To move into another driver's lane Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used American English Potential synonyms To cut up Separable? Yes Our final application for the phrasal verb 'cut off' is an American usage that means to move into another road user's lane while driving. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Car / truck Driver We use this application in North American English to describe when another car suddenly turns into the lane of the freeway that you are driving in very close in front of you, meaning that you need to apply your brakes and slow down to avoid a collision. 99% of the time this is just bad driving and is extremely dangerous for everyone involved, however people seem to do it all the time! If you said this in British or Australian English, it may be understood in the context, however the correct phrasal verb to use in this case would be 'cut up'. That car just cut me off on the highway! Lisa had to slam on the brakes because someone cut her off. I hate it when drivers cut you off without using a turn signal. A truck cut him off and nearly caused an accident. Hank got angry after being cut off by a speeding car. You shouldn’t cut people off in traffic — it’s reckless. Another driver cut me off and then slowed down — so frustrating! Mary-Sue was cut off while trying to merge onto the freeway. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The noun 'cut-off' As with many phrasal verbs that describe physical actions, there is also a noun that has developed from the phrasal verb usage and this is simply 'cut-off' (cutoff in US English). This noun actually has a couple of different meanings..... The first one is more closely linked to our third phrasal verb meaning and is a noun for the action of preventing or stopping the supply of something. The government announced a cut-off of electricity to non-essential areas during the energy crisis. After the payment deadline passed, there was an immediate cut-off of services to accounts that had defaulted. The other meaning of 'cut-off' is more commonly used and is used to refer to a fixed point where something stops or finishes. This is most commonly heard in relation to time when we have cut-off dates, which are the dates on which something closes or ends such as applications for university and competition entries. The cutoff for submitting applications is Friday at 5 p.m. Your application won’t be considered if you submit it after the cutoff date. We missed the cutoff for early registration and had to pay the full fee. The cutoff point for eligibility is age 35. Photo: Pexels BONUS IDIOM: To cut off your nose to spite your face Let's finish things of with a common idiom featuring the phrasal verb 'cut off' that is in popular usage in everyday English.... To cut off your nose to spite your face This idiom is not as horrible as it may seem although it is still rather negative in nature. If you cut off your nose to spite your face, you do something in anger that will punish or hurt another person, but will also cause you problems as a consequence. Liam quit his job without having another one lined up, just to prove a point to his boss; talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face! I know you are too angry to apologise to your boyfriend right now but don’t cut off your nose to spite your face; you’re only hurting your relationship. 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 'cut 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 'cut off'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'put 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. When you think of phrasal verbs, 'put in' probably isn't one of the first ones that you think of, but it may surprise you to learn that it has at least 7 different uses in everyday English. In this post, I will explain all of these different uses to you and provide you with lots of example sentences to show you the typical contexts in which each one is used. So, without further ado, let's make a start.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Put In - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'put' and 'in' Put In - Meaning 1: Literal Put In - Meaning 2: To install something Put In - Meaning 3: To include something Put In - Meaning 4: To spend time doing something Put In - Meaning 5: To request or apply for something Put In - Meaning 6: To add to a conversation Put In - Meaning 7: To call at a port Put In - Bonus: Common idioms and expressions featuring 'put in' 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 PUT IN: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 7 Past tense forms Put in / Put in Separable? Yes Before we jump in to the different meanings and uses of 'put in', let's first briefly consider the words 'put' and 'in' as individual lexical units. The verb 'to put' is an extremely versatile irregular verb in English that we use in a wide variety of different ways. In its most commonly used application, it means 'to place an object in a position or place' and can be used both physically and metaphorically. In addition to this, it's other meanings include 'to cause someone to be in a situation', 'to write', 'to categorise' and 'to travel in a boat' (more of this to come later). Where did you put my bag? John put his hand on his wife's shoulder. That news has put me in a bad mood. Can you put all of that into an email and send it to me? I was put in a group with my friends at school today. The prepositional particle 'in' features in many different phrasal verbs and in its most obvious sense is used to convey the idea of a movement from the outside of something to the inside (go in, walk in). Moreover, we also use it in phrasal verb constructions to add ideas like fulfilment (hand in), arrival (check in), collection (bring in) and inclusion (join in) to phrasal verbs. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'put in'. MEANING 1: Literal Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level A1 - Beginner Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To place in, to put inside, to fill Separable? Always We will start the meanings of 'put in' with the literal meaning of the words 'put' and 'in' combined, which is simply 'to place something into an interior space'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Key Book Clothes Money / Payment Bag Phone Many more!! In very basic terms, this first application is just the basic action of placing an object into an enclosed space. Therefore, as you can probably imagine, this can be used in an enormous number of different situations and with an almost infinite number of nouns. For instance, you can put your keys in your bag, put your clothes in the wardrobe or in the washing machine, put your milk in the fridge, put your bicycle in the garage, put your horse in the stable etc......the list is endless! Note that when we use this application, it is almost always separable, with the noun or pronoun going after the word 'put' and the internal space after the word 'in'. Sally put the groceries in the fridge as soon as she got home. Martin put his phone in his pocket and walked away. The kids forgot to put their toys in the toy box after playing. I put the letter in the envelope, sealed it and put it in the postbox. We put the dishes in the dishwasher after dinner. Jeremy put his hand in the bag to grab a snack. I put the key in the lock and turned it but the door wouldn't open. Andrew put the book in his backpack before leaving for school. Photo: Wix Media One noun that I want to mention specifically with this first application of 'put in' is 'money' (or its various synonyms like cash, savings etc.). When we have money and we want it to deposit it in our bank account, we say that we "put it in the bank". This does not just apply to physical money, which we seem to have less and less in today's world, but also to any electronic transfers of money and investments. It is equally possible to use 'into' when stating the financial institution or investment type. Furthermore, when we are talking specifically talking about investing or paying money, we often do not state what we are paying or investing into as it is often known from the context. Carrie put in £1,000 into a new mutual fund last month. Louise and Matt put in a lot of money to renovate the old house. My brother is planning to put in some cash to help start my business. We’ve already put in thousands of dollars, but the project still isn’t finished. I put in a small deposit to reserve the apartment. Investors were eager to put in their money once they saw the potential. Yuki put in all his savings to buy a stake in the company. MEANING 2: To install something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To install, to fit, to fix Separable? Yes Another common way to use the phrasal verb 'put in' is in reference to things like equipment, systems and furniture as it means 'to install something'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Equipment Machine System Furniture Shelves Heating For this application, we are focussing on items or systems that must be installed, secured and prepared for people to use or operate. These are normally large and complex things that require an amount of skill or labour to install safely and securely. For example, you may be renovating your kitchen and need to put in a new oven and dishwasher, you may want to put in a pond in your garden or the company that you work for may want to put in a new IT system to replace the existing one. We want to put in a new air conditioning system before summer. The family put in a security camera at the front door following the burglary. My landlord put in a new dishwasher last week; no more hand washing up for me! We're thinking of putting in hardwood floors throughout the house. The company put in new computers for all the employees. I want to put in some shelves in the living room for all my books. My parents put in a skylight to bring more natural light into the kitchen. An electrician came to put in extra outlets in the office. Unless you have the required skills (I do not), then it is quite normal to hire a professional to come in and do the 'putting in' or installation work for you. It is therefore common to use this application with the causative verbs 'have' or 'get' in a passive construction to specify that we did not perform the action ourselves and somebody else did it for us. Susie had a walk-in shower put in during her bathroom renovation. We're getting a new heating system put in next month. MEANING 3: To include something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To include, to write Separable? Yes This third application of 'put in' is one that I have to use on a weekly basis when writing this blog as it is specifically used to talk about words and language and means 'to include'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Word Paragraph Sentence Statement Section Password If you have read the Basics section earlier on in the post, you may remember that one of the meanings of the verb 'to put' is to write something and it is from this meaning that we get this next usage of 'put in'. When we use 'put in' to refer to writing and words, it means to include them in something that is being written. This may be something that you are creating yourself e.g. a story, letter, speech or report or it may be something where you have to complete the information in a field or box e.g. a form. For example, if you are preparing a report for your boss, you may have to decide which information you need to put in and which you need to leave out. Alternatively, if you are writing a story, you may write something but decide not to put it in. Likewise, if you are completing a form, there may be a section that you don't understand and therefore you may not know what to put in. Alfred put in a reference to the research study in his article. The editor asked Michelle to put more detail in about the main character’s background. Don’t forget to put a thank-you note in at the end of the email. They decided to put in a clause to cover unexpected delays in the contract. I put in a request for clarification in the margin. Can you put a line in about our new product launch? The writer put in some dialogue to make the scene more realistic. We can also use this application in reference to spoken language such as speeches and stand-up comedy routines but these are only things that will have been written and prepared beforehand. Toni put in a few jokes to make her speech more entertaining. Sam put in a subtle hint about the surprise ending that he knew the audience would appreciate. Photo: Pexels FORGOTTEN YOUR PASSWORD? I don't know about you, but I have so many different passwords and usernames for online accounts that I just cannot remember them all. If my devices didn't remember them for me, I would spend most of my day requesting new passwords for the ones that I had forgotten. The reason that I am telling you this is because we frequently say 'put in' as a synonym of 'enter' when talking about usernames and passwords for online accounts. Put in your username and password and click continue. I put in my old password three times and I've blocked my account! MEANING 4: To spend time doing something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To do, to spend, to make an effort Separable? Yes If you ever work hard on a particular task or project and you spend a lot of time on it, then you will definitely be able to use this next application of 'put in' as it means 'to spend time doing something'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Time Effort Energy Hours Work To give you a personal reference of this application, I can talk about writing this blog. First of all, I have to make notes on a specific phrasal verb and all of the different ways that it is used and then I have to decide which details to put in and which to leave out. Once that has been done, I create it, write it, proofread it, edit it, proofread it again, optimise it for SEO, publish it and promote it. Consequently, I can say that I put a lot of time in to create this blog! As you will have hopefully understood, if you put in time doing something, you spend time doing it and we tend to use this in this way when the person spends a lot of time on the activity. Since we are talking about time, typical nouns that are used with this application are hours, days, months and even years. Beth put in a lot of hours preparing for the exam. They put in years of hard work to build their business. I’ve already put in so much time on this project; I can’t quit now. We do not use this application just to talk about time however and it can also be used for any activity where people work hard. Therefore, it is often used with nouns like effort, work and energy. I could therefore equally say that I put a lot of time, effort and energy in when writing the blog. It is also even possible to put in shifts at work to mean to work shifts. We need to put in more practice if we want to win the championship. The sales team put in an incredible amount of energy to meet the deadline. Lucy is willing to put in whatever it takes to succeed. Ben put in extra shifts to save money for his trip. You can tell how much work Elaine put in by the quality of the final product. They put in the effort, and it really paid off in the end. Franco really put in the effort to make the presentation perfect. MEANING 5: To request or apply for something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere with some uses British Potential synonyms To request, to apply, to submit, to present Separable? Yes Our next application of 'put in' is one that is often used in more formal and business situations and means 'to request or apply for something'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Request Transfer Promotion Application Bid / Offer Order Most commonly, we use this application of 'put in' to talk about things that we want to do or have but in order to get them, we must follow a process, which normally has a decision at the end of it. There is no guarantee that the application will be successful, however. For example, you can put in (submit) an application for a job or a promotion that you want to get, you can put in a request for some kind of change in your work organisation or you can put in a bid (an offer) at an auction for something that you want to buy. Moreover, there are some other nouns that we use this application with that do not require a decision to be made such as complaint and order. These will still require an element of processing though. I put in an application for the marketing position last week. Jonny put in a request for time off next month. They put in a bid for the new construction project. Sam has put in an offer on a house that she wants to buy and she is waiting for a response. We’ve decided to put in a formal complaint about the noise. I put in an order for that new book you recommended. Put in your orders before midday today as that is the cut-off point. In addition, it is also possible to use the construction ' to put in for + noun ' to specify the thing that you want to get, such as a place at university, a promotion or a pay increase. You can even go one step further and use this construction separably by stating the direct object in between 'put' and 'in'. Keisha is planning to put in for a transfer to the New York office. Have you put in for a promotion yet? My daughter has put in for a place at Harvard University but we don't know if she has got it yet. We have put an application in for an extension to our house. MEANING 6: To add to a conversation Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere, more British Potential synonyms To interrupt, to interpose, to interject, to chime in, to butt in, to add Separable? No I think that one of the rudest things that people can do in conversations is to interrupt others when they are speaking and this next application of 'put in' is one that we can use to describe this very action. When someone puts in during a conversation, it means that they say something, interrupting the person who is already speaking and making them stop. It is not always used to mean to interrupt someone though as it can also mean to add extra information to something that somebody else has said. For example, if someone says something interesting about a political situation in a conversation that you are having and you then say something to add some extra information to what the speaker said, we can use 'put in' to describe this. This usage is quite formal and can be found in books and literature but it is not something that I hear very often in spoken everyday English. Nick suddenly put in with a comment that changed the direction of the discussion. Can I just put in here and say that I completely agree? While we were arguing, Jack put in his opinion without being asked. I was telling my story when Julie put in with a joke and threw me off. Just as I was explaining, Adam put in, “That’s not how it happened!” "I don't want to go either", John put in. MEANING 7: To call at a port Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To call at, to dock in, to stop in Separable? No You may remember from all the way back at the beginning of this post that I mentioned that one of the rarer meanings of the verb 'to put' is 'to travel in a boat'. This seventh and final application is derived directly from this meaning as it means 'to call at a port' and is used specifically for boats, ships and other waterborne vessels. For this usage we often require the additional preposition 'at' to specify the name of the town, city or port where the dock is situated. This application is not separable however and should always be used in a non-separable way. When a boat or ship puts in at a port, it enters the harbour area and stops at a berth where people or goods can be loaded or unloaded before it puts out to sea again (leaves the port). The ship put in at the harbour just before the storm hit. We put in at a small fishing village along the coast. The vessel put in for repairs after days at sea. They put in at Naples to refuel and restock supplies. After a long journey, the yacht finally put in at the marina. The captain decided to put in at the nearest port due to engine trouble. We were supposed to sail straight through, but we had to put in at the nearest port unexpectedly. Photo: Pexels BONUS: Common idioms and expressions featuring 'put in' Let's finish the post with some well known idioms and expressions featuring the phrasal verb 'put in'. If you can use some of these in your English conversations, it will sound very impressive! To put something in(to) perspective - To understand or view something more accurately, often by comparing it to something else, or by considering the bigger picture. This is often when you have a problem or issue and you want to understand if it is really very bad or if the problem is just in your head or not as bad as you think. Sarah's calm advice helped me put my problems in perspective. After hearing about Mike's struggles, my own issues seemed small in comparison; it really put things in perspective for me. To put yourself in someone's place - This expression is used to talk about when you imagine how a situation feels from another person's point of view and how they would feel in a specific situation. Try putting yourself in her place; how would you feel if that happened to you? Before you judge me, put yourself in my place and consider what I've been through. To put in a performance - This one is simply used as a synonym of giving a performance and can be used with theatre and singing shows, sports or even a business presentation. It is frequently used with qualitative adjectives like good, bad, wonderful etc. Chelsea put in a fantastic performance and won the match 3–0. Wendy put in a strong performance during the audition and impressed the judges. To put in a good word for someone - Lastly, this is a great expression for when somebody intentionally praises or says positive things about you to another person to help you in some way. For example, if you want to ask someone out on a date, you could ask the person's friend to put in a good word for you beforehand so that he or she is more likely to say yes. Alternatively, if you put in for a job at a company where you already know someone who works there, you may ask that person to put in a good word for you with the hiring team to increase your chances of getting the job. I’ll put in a good word for you with the manager; she trusts my opinion. Could you put in a good word for me when you talk to the hiring team? Photo: Pexels We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'put 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 'put 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 'set forth' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native. This is an article about the phrasal verb 'set forth' and its different meanings and uses in English. You may not be very familiar with this phrasal verb as it is quite rare, however we do use it and so there is a good chance that you will come across it at some point. Plus, it's always good to have new vocabulary to learn 😊 In the post, I will explain the two main ways that 'set forth' is used in English and provide you with lots of example sentences. So, without further ado, let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Set Forth - The Basics: Key information and the words 'set' and 'forth' Set Forth - Meaning 1: To give the details of something Set Forth - Meaning 2: To start a journey I love writing this blog and helping learners but I get very little feedback as to how useful it is and if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I would be most grateful. Thank you! 😊 James Photo: Pexels THE BASICS SET FORTH: KEY INFORMATION Usage Medium Number of meanings 2 Past tense forms Set forth / Set forth Separable? Sometimes As usual, let's begin by breaking down the phrasal verb into it's individual words, which in this case are 'set' and 'forth'. If you've read any of my other articles featuring the verb 'to set', you will know that this word is the champion of all English words as it is has more meanings than any of the others in the entire language. When used as verb, it therefore has many different applications, some of which are quite specific and obscure so we do not need to worry about those. The meanings that are the most relevant for this article however are 'to start doing something' and 'to cause something to be in a specific condition or situation'.... Jane set the project in motion with a detailed proposal. The announcement set the negotiations into action. The council set the wheels turning for the new community centre. The team immediately set to work on the new software upgrade. Becci's decision set a chain of events into motion. The new CEO set the company on a path to success. The prepositional particle in our chosen phrasal verb is 'forth', which is one that many of you may not know as it is not one that appears very often in English. Firstly, you should note 'forth' is pronounced in exactly the same way as the ordinal number fourth / 4th. The meaning is very different though as it is used either to indicate movement away from a place or the passing of time after a specific point. The river flowed forth into the valley below. From that day forth, John never drank alcohol again. MEANING 1: To give clear and detailed information Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To state, to write, to specify, to list Separable? No The first of the two applications of 'set forth' that we will cover in this article is the most common one and means 'to give clear and detailed information about something'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Ideas Arguments / Beliefs Opinions Reasons Facts Vision Findings / Results We use this first application of 'set forth' to talk about presenting information, facts, figures, arguments etc. to others in a clear, comprehensive and well-structured way so that they can interpret and understand it. While it can be used to talk about giving information orally, it tends to be used mainly for when it is given in writing. 'Set forth' can be used in this way for many reasons including to present arguments or facts, to state terms and conditions in business, to publish the results of studies and experiments or to give the reasons for a criminal's actions in court. This is quite a formal application and therefore you are much more likely to find it in intellectual and serious articles, legal documents and scientific papers than you are to find it on a social media post, in a gossip magazine or a conversation amongst friends in the pub. On a grammatical note, this usage is separable and the direct object e.g. argument or information can go between 'set' and 'forth' or after. If the information is the subject of the sentence, it cannot be separated. In his speech, the president set forth his vision for the country's future. The terms and conditions are clearly set forth in the contract. She set her arguments forth in a well-organised essay. The report sets forth the main findings of the investigation. He set his ideas about education reform forth during the meeting. The guidelines are set forth in the company handbook. In her memoir, she sets forth the events that shaped her career. The scientists set forth their theory with supporting evidence. MEANING 2: To start a journey Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Literary English Potential synonyms To set out, to set off, to begin, to start, to depart, to leave, to head off, to head out Separable? No Our second and final application of 'set forth' is a rarer one that is not so common in modern English and means to start a journey. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Journey Trip Expedition Voyage Adventure Mission Quest This usage is not one that you are likely to hear in everyday conversation and so if you use it to casually talk about leaving your house to go to work or to go to the shop, it would sound a bit strange and unnatural. It does have its place though and if you like to read English novels, particularly older and classic ones, then you are probably more likely to see 'set forth' being used in this way. The reason for this is that it is now mainly used in literary works, which is sad because I think it sounds quite dramatic and would love to use it in my everyday conversations! The climbers set forth from the village, determined to reach the mountain summit. The pilgrims set forth in search of a new home in a different land. We set forth with high hopes and a sense of adventure. The knights set forth to rescue the captured prince. After weeks of preparation, the team of scientists finally set forth into the desert. Elizabeth set forth alone, guided only by the stars. When we want to specify a noun like a journey or expedition that we are starting, we need to add the additional preposition 'on'. The team set forth on their long journey across the mountains. Early in the morning, we set forth on our adventure. The crew set forth on a mission to explore uncharted waters. The nun set forth on a pilgrimage to the sacred site. The army set forth on a campaign to reclaim lost territory. King Alfred set forth on a quest to find his missing brother. As you will note from the example sentences given above, this application of 'set forth' is not separable. 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 forth'. 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 forth'. 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 'follow up' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them. The phrasal verb that we are looking at in this post is 'follow up', which is one that is used frequently by people in business English and by people in their daily working lives. In the post, I will explain the two main ways that it is used by English speakers and provide you with lots of example sentences to show you the kinds of contexts in which we use it. So, without further ado, let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Follow Up - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'follow' and 'up' Follow Up - Meaning 1: To learn more about something Follow Up - Meaning 2: To do something additional Follow Up - Bonus: 'Follow-up' as a noun and an adjective 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 FOLLOW UP: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 2 Past tense forms Followed up / Followed up Separable? Yes In order to get the best understanding of the ways that we use 'follow up' in English, let's first consider the individual words 'follow' and 'up' and what they mean on their own. I am sure that you are all familiar with 'to follow' but if you need a reminder, it is a verb that means 'to move or travel behind someone / something, taking the same path or route'. We can also use it in a temporal sense to mean 'to come next after something at a future point in time'. It has some less frequently used meanings too, which include 'to obey orders and instructions' and 'to watch something closely over a period of time'. In fact, I'm sure many of you follow people and accounts on social media in this way. Unlike many of the base verbs in phrasal verbs, 'to follow' is regular. Please follow me to the interview room. The jealous husband followed his wife in his car to see where she was going. My cat follows me every time I leave the house. King Charles III followed Queen Elizabeth II as the monarch of the United Kingdom. Which book follows this one in the series? Soldiers in the army are trained to follow orders. I've been following this story on the news for the past few days. Next, we have the prepositional particle 'up', which is perhaps the most commonly used particle in phrasal verb constructions and in its purest sense is used to add ideas of an upward movement or increase to the base verb. Additionally, 'up' can be used to add less obvious ideas to phrasal verbs, which include completion (eat up), creation ( set up ), unexpected events ( turn up ) and improvement (cheer up). So, now that we have covered the basics, let's take a look at the two ways that we use 'follow up' in English.... MEANING 1: To learn more about something Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To find out Separable? Rarely The first of the applications of 'follow up' that we are going to consider in the post is 'to take action in order to learn more about something'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Report Story Lead Enquiry At it's core, this application of 'follow up' is one that is just the simple act of seeking more information about something. This is typically when you receive some news or information about a subject or situation and you then contact the people involved in order to obtain more information about it. Most of the time however, we use follow up when we need to take further action in order to gather extra information on a subject or matter, as outlined below. Some typical situations in which this can be demonstrated include the following.... When the police contact people from whom they have received tips and information about crimes that have been committed. When companies collect sales leads at trade shows and exhibitions and contact the potential new customers afterwards. When journalists receive information about news stories and need to contact the people involved in order to gain more information for their articles. Often, with this application we add the extra preposition 'on' to specify the thing that we are learning more about. It is also possible to use the additional preposition 'with' to state the person who you need to contact to ask questions and get information from. I'll follow up on that sales lead and see what more information I can find out. We need to follow up on this report with some deeper research. Don't pay that bill, you should follow it up with the company first and question why it is so high. He promised to follow up with the client to clarify their requirements. The team followed up on the complaint to ensure it was properly resolved. With this first application, although it can be used separably, I would say that 9 times out of 10 we use it in an inseparable way. As I mentioned before, this application is one that is used a lot in the world of work and tends not to be used so much in informal everyday English apart from perhaps to talk about issues or problems that people are experiencing with companies, businesses or services that they pay for. Christine called the customer to follow up on the service request. We need to follow up on that missed deadline and find out what went wrong. The doctor scheduled an appointment to follow up on the patient’s test results. Please follow up on that issue and let me know what happens. MEANING 2: To do something additional Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To add Separable? Yes The second of our two meanings of 'follow up' has some overlap with the first and means 'to do something additional to what we have already done'. To clarify this usage, instead of trying to learn more information, in this application our main objective is rather to continue something that has already started by doing something else that will increase the first action's effect or help it succeed in some way. For example, if you work in an office and you speak to customers on the phone, you may sometimes need to follow up a phone call by sending an email to confirm the details that were discussed during the call. In this example, the communication was started with the phone call and now you add to it by sending an email to clarify, confirm or prompt the other person to act in some way. Another example is when you are applying for a job. Firstly, you send the job application to the company and then you may follow it up with an email to the hiring manager to say thank you or to give additional information about your application. You should note that this application is frequently used in a separable way. The direct object of the 'following up' action is the original first action, which typically goes between 'follow' and 'up'. In order to state the second action, we use the additional preposition 'with'. I sent the customer an email last week and I plan to follow it up with a phone call tomorrow. The manager asked us to follow our initial report up with a more detailed analysis. The company launched a successful campaign last year and are now following up with a nationwide rollout. George followed up his presentation by sending a summary document to all attendees. We should follow our conversation up with a formal proposal. Lucy followed her application up with a thank-you email to the hiring manager. To ensure nothing was missed, I followed up the meeting with a checklist. This application of 'follow up' is not just heard in the business world however and you may often hear it in reference to your favourite singers and authors or to anyone who publishes things for people. If a writer publishes a book and then sometime later puts out a sequel, it is possible to say that they followed the first book up with the second. It is often used in this way when the first published item is famous, renowned or notable in some way. In 1987, Michael Jackson followed his album Thriller up with the album Bad. In a shock move, the romance author followed up her last book with a horror novel about vampires. Lastly, we can use 'follow up' in this way to talk about a situation when you perform one action directly after another or in a series of actions, usually to maximise its impact. When used this way, it can often be heard in reference to sport and competitions. The boxer followed up his sidestep with a series of undercuts. The chef followed up the starter of chicken and lentil kebabs with a main course of satay chicken. Photo: Pexels BONUS: 'Follow up' as an adjective and a noun If you have ever heard 'follow up' being used in either of the applications that we have already discussed, it is possible that it was as either an adjective or a noun as both of these are used equally as much as their phrasal verb cousin. AS AN ADJECTIVE.... When we use the adjective 'follow-up', it is usually placed before a noun such as 'phone call' or 'meeting' to describe a further action that is connected to a previous one. For example, you might make a follow-up phone call to a customer after you send them an email, or perhaps you have a follow-up meeting with a customer to discuss if all of the actions in your first meeting have been completed and the customer is satisfied. The doctor scheduled a follow-up appointment for the next week. Jill sent a follow-up email to clarify her earlier message. We conducted a follow-up survey to assess customer satisfaction. The follow-up interview provided more detailed information. AS A NOUN.... We tend to use the noun 'follow-up' for a further action that we take linked to a previous action, much like the phrasal verb usages that we have already considered. We typically use this in the same way as the adjective form but as we already know the context, we drop the noun and the word 'follow-up' becomes the noun instead. The manager called me in for a follow-up after our initial meeting. Did you receive a follow-up to the application you submitted? The doctor said I’ll need a follow-up in three months. Jo's presentation was impressive, and the follow-up was even better. 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 'follow up'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts. Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'follow up'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'make out' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Wix Media Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them. Did you know that the phrasal verb 'make out' has at least 7 different meanings and uses in the English language? Were you aware that, for example, it can be used in American English to refer to sex, while in British English you are more likely to hear it in reference to making payments? Don't worry if you didn't know because in this post, I will explain all of these applications to you and provide you with a lot of example sentences to show you how each one is used and in which contexts. So, without further ado, let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Make Out - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'make' and 'out' Make Out - Meaning 1: To discern Make Out - Meaning 2: To falsely claim to be true Make Out - Meaning 3: To complete an official document Make Out - Meaning 4: To be sexually intimate with someone Make Out - Meaning 5: To understand someone's character Make Out - Meaning 6: To succeed in a situation 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 MAKE OUT: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 6 Past tense forms Made out / Made out Separable? Sometimes The phrasal verb ‘make out’ is formed by combining the individual words ‘make’ and ‘out’ and so before we look at its meanings, let’s first briefly consider what these words mean on their own. Our base verb, ‘to make’, is one of the most common verbs in the English language, appearing in a wide variety of applications and expressions. Its main meanings include 'to produce', 'to create' and 'to cause', although it has many others that are too numerous to include here. Don't forget that 'to make' is an irregular verb and both of its past forms are 'made'. The company makes cars and sells them all over the world. My baby makes a lot of noise when he cries. Why have you made such a mess?! My parents made me go to university although I didn't want to. Working hard makes me tired. MAKE OR DO? There is often some confusion with English learners about when to use 'to make' and when to use 'to do'. A simple tip for this is that we use 'to make' when we talk about creating or producing something that did not exist before, while 'to do' is used more to talk about performing processes or actions. This is English however and there are of course many exceptions to this. Next, we have the prepositional particle 'out', which you should all know as a word that functions as the opposite of 'in' and is primarily used to refer to being situated on or moving towards an external space. When used in phrasal verb constructions, 'out' can often add this external meaning ( go out , get out ) but it can also add ideas such as revelation ( come out ), distribution ( give out ), removal ( cut out ) and trying ( check out ), among others. So, now that we have covered the basics, let's now consider the different ways that we can use the phrasal verb 'make out'.... MEANING 1: To discern Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To discern, to tell, to determine, to figure out, to identify Separable? Sometimes Let's begin the meanings with the one that I probably hear more than any of the others and that is 'to discern'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Words Letters Picture Face Voice In case you are not sure, the verb 'to discern' means 'to see, understand or recognise something when it is not very clear'. In other words, you need to make an effort to process the information and this is exactly how we use this first application of 'make out'. Typically, we use 'make out' with our senses of sight and hearing when we can see or hear something but it is not clear and so we have to focus on it. Once we are able to identify what it is with the appropriate sense, we can say that we can "make it out". Often, we add different adverbs like 'just', 'barely' and 'hardly' before 'make out' to emphasise that something was very difficult to identify and we were almost not able to do it. The lady had a very strong accent but I was just able to make out what she was saying. From this distance, it's hard to make out the writing on the whiteboard. I could barely make out the road signs through the thick fog. Walter tried to make out the figure moving in the shadows. Over the noise of the crowd, I could just make out my brother's voice calling my name. Through the static on the phone, I could hardly make out a word. As this application is used when something is not clear or easy for us to understand, it is often used in questions and negative statements too. Marianne spoke so quietly that I couldn't make out everything that she said. Can you make out what that label says? My eyesight isn’t as good as it used to be. Were you able to make out what Astrid was trying to tell us? How could the suspect make out the license plate in the dark? Could you make out the words in the background of the recording? We weren’t able to make out the instructions because of the poor handwriting. Louise couldn’t make out the number on the caller ID. On a grammatical note, although it is possible to use this application separably, we tend to use it in a separable way far more often than an inseparable one. The main exception is when the direct object has already been specified and we can use the pronoun 'it', which always goes between 'make' and 'out'. What was John whispering to us? I couldn't make it out! My 3 year old daughter drew a picture but I couldn't make it out, so I just smiled and said "very good". MEANING 2: To falsely claim to be true Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To claim, to pretend, to let on Separable? Yes We will move on to our second meaning of 'make out' now, which is also heard a lot in everyday conversation and means 'to falsely claim to be true'. To clarify, in its purest form, we use this particular application of 'make out' to say or to pretend that something is true when it is not. Sometimes, it can also be used to exaggerate something and make it seem bigger, more important or better than it really is. On a grammatical note, there are different structures that we use with this application, so I will explain each one and provide you with some examples.... To make out that.... Perhaps the most common way to use 'make out' in this way is with a 'that' subordinate clause. This is particularly when we want to paraphrase (express in different words) what somebody has said. Donna made out that she was an expert, but in fact she had no real experience. The company made out that their product was environmentally friendly, but it wasn't. Why did Tim make out that he owned the place? It was obvious that he didn't. Alex wasn’t trying to make out that he was innocent; he admitted everything. To make out to be... An alternative way to express this would be the construction 'to make out to be', which is commonly followed by a noun, an adjective or a combination of both. It is also possible to use a reflexive '-self' pronoun here to talk about how a person lies or exaggerates about themselves or their abilities in some way. They were making it out to be a serious problem, but it was a minor one at most. Who made it out to be such a big deal? Lucy made herself out to be the victim, even though she was the one who started the argument. Did Emily make herself out to be more qualified than she really is? To make out as if / as though / like.... We can use the phrases 'as though' and 'as if' as well as 'like' after 'make out' to describe false claims and fictional situations that people try to say are true. The managers made out as though they had solved the issue, but nothing had changed. Steve made out like he knew the manager personally, but it was all a lie. Sophie made out as if she had been seriously hurt, but it was just a small scratch. Bill’s making out as though he single-handedly saved the project, which simply isn’t true. To be made out to be.... Lastly, it is quite common to use the passive voice with this application of 'make out'. This is often when you are discussing the reputation that a person or a place has which is not true, exaggerated or undeserved. The passer-by was made out to be the villain, even though he tried to help. Carol was made out to be some kind of genius, but her work was average. The incident was made out to be more serious than it actually was. Los Angeles is made out to be this big, glamorous city but it didn't feel like that when I visited there. MEANING 3: To complete an official document Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To fill out, to fill in, to complete Separable? Yes Moving on to our third meaning of 'make out' now, which is one that is not as common as the first two but one that you may still hear nevertheless and means 'to complete an official document'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Cheque Form Document Application Receipt Card We can use this application of 'make out' for any paperwork on which we need to provide details in written or in text form. This mostly includes official forms and documents but can also be used with things like receipts and invoices. I would say that generally in British English, we are far more likely to use the synonym phrasal verbs 'fill out' and 'fill in' but in American English 'make out' is still fairly common. The cashier made out a receipt for my purchase. Sue made out the invoice and sent it to her customer. They made out the application in less than ten minutes. Poppy hasn't made out the form yet — it's still blank. Can you make out the order form before we leave? Who made out the invoice last time? GIVE ME ALL YOUR MONEY! In addition to those nouns already mentioned, when I think of this application of 'make out', one noun comes to mind immediately, which is 'cheque' (US check). When talking about cheques, we use 'make out' with the additional preposition 'to' in order to specify the person who will receive the money. Of course, the use of cheques is becoming less and less common as technology advances and banking is more and more electronic but just in case you do still use them, this may prove to be useful! Chuck made out a check for $500 to the contractor. Please make the cheque out to me. I made the cheque out to Mary Smith but she has changed her name to Mary Jones. Lastly, one unofficial document that we sometimes use 'make out' with is a card, such as a birthday or Christmas card. As with cheques, we use 'make out + to' to specify the person to whom we send the card. Who am I making the thank you card out to? I didn't make the card out to anyone in particular, just the team. MEANING 4: To be sexually intimate with someone Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Common Where is it used? American English Potential synonyms To kiss, to have sex Separable? No This next application of 'make out' is an American one that means 'to be sexually intimate with someone' and this may be one that you have heard if you watch a lot of English-language entertainment from the USA. As a native speaker of British English, I have known 'make out' in this sense for most of my life as American TV shows and movies are incredibly popular here, however I have to admit that I'd never been 100% sure exactly what it meant until I was researching this blog post. In some situations, it seemed to mean 'to kiss someone' and in others it seemed to mean 'to have sex with someone' and I was never certain. It turns out that it is both of these things and so I think to keep it simple, let's just say that it means 'to be sexually intimate with another person in any way'. Therefore, it can be used to describe anything ranging from kissing someone amorously (French kissing) to having sex, although it is used much more to describe kissing and foreplay. The central idea here is that there is sexual intent behind the action and so it would not be used to talk about kisses between family members or friends etc. As you can imagine, this one is heard a lot in the conversations of teenagers and young people. They were making out on the couch when their roommates walked in. Victoria caught her ex making out with someone new at the party. We spent most of the night just talking and making out. He bragged to his friends about making out with his crush after the party. The couple was making out in the back row of the movie theatre. Jack has never made out with a woman before. MEANING 5: To understand someone's character Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To work out, to understand Separable? Yes In the first application of 'make out' that we covered in this post, I explained how we use it to refer to something that is difficult for us to identify or understand and for this next application we are returning to that same idea. This time however we are talking about people and this is because this application means 'to understand someone's character'. The majority of the time, we use 'make out' in this way when we want to say that we do not understand why a person acts or behaves the way that they do. Alternatively, he or she may be quite mysterious or enigmatic and we may not know much about them or what their motives are. In these sorts of situations, it is possible to say that " we cannot make the person out ". This is in fact a less common synonym of the phrasal verb 'work out' (link here ), which we use to mean the same thing. On a grammatical note, we tend to use this application mainly in negative sentences and questions. I just can't make him out — he's so unpredictable. He's a bit strange sometimes, so it may take some time to make him out. She’s been here for weeks, and I still haven’t made her out. We couldn’t make him out at all; his actions didn’t match his words. Can you make him out? I can’t tell if he’s serious or just joking. Did you manage to make him out during the meeting? MEANING 6: To succeed in a situation Photo: Pexels CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? American English Potential synonyms To get on, to cope, to succeed Separable? No We will finish this post about the phrasal verb 'make out' with another American application that means 'to succeed in a situation'. To clarify, we can use 'make out' to talk about a person's progress with something such as a new job or a competition. Alternatively, we can use it to talk about how well someone is coping or dealing with the situation, which often tends to be something new in their lives. As people are often curious to learn how others are doing, this application is frequently heard in question form. Like I said before, this is an American usage not one that I would ever use in British English, so make sure you know your audience before using it! How are you making out in your new job? Despite the tough competition, she made out pretty well in the tournament. I heard your business is struggling. How are you making out these days? He didn't have much experience, but he made out better than expected. With all the chaos last year, we still made out okay in the end. 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 'make 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 'make out'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!! Sign up on the form below if you want to receive new blog posts directly by email every week as soon as they are published. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media. See you next time! James 😊 THE END

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'come along' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context Photo: Pexels Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native. Are you familiar with the phrasal verb 'come along'? It may be the first time that you have ever seen it or it may be one that you use regularly in one way but don't know all of its applications. In this post, I will explain the different ways in which we use it in English, from making progress to accompanying someone to a place, and will give you lots of example sentences to show you the types of contexts in which it is used. So, without further ado, let's get started.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Come Along - The Basics: Key information and the words 'come' and 'along' Come Along - Meaning 1: To accompany someone somewhere Come Along - Meaning 2: To appear or arrive Come Along - Meaning 3: To hurry up 🇬🇧 Come Along - Meaning 4: To make progress Come Along - Bonus: The noun 'come-along' I love writing this blog & helping learners but I receive very little feedback as to how useful it is or if people enjoy & learn from it. Therefore, if you find the post useful, please like & share it or leave a comment at the end. I'd be very grateful. Thank you! James 😊 Photo: Pexels THE BASICS COME ALONG: KEY INFORMATION Usage Come Along Number of meanings 4 Past tense forms Came along / Come along Separable? No The phrasal verb 'come along' is formed with the verb 'to come' and the prepositional particle 'along' and so before we start the phrasal verb meanings, let's quickly look at what these individual words mean on their own. If you are capable of reading this post, then you will definitely know the verb 'to come' because it is one of the most common verbs in English. 'To come' is first and foremost a verb of movement and we use it to refer to moving or travelling towards where the speaker is, will be or was, depending on the tense and context. Additionally, 'to come' has a variety of other meanings, which include 'to arrive', 'to originate' and 'to happen'. Like the majority of the most common English verbs, 'to come' is irregular. Joan comes to see me every day. Are you coming to the party tonight? I can't come to work today as I am sick. The train came on time. Pierre comes from Marseille. The prepositional particle 'along' is not as common as some of the others like 'up' and 'down' and consequently is not seen as much in phrasal verbs either. We typically use it to talk about movement in a line, which is on or next to something long, like at the side of a river or road. Alternatively, we can use it to specify a point somewhere on this line. We walked along the boulevard holding hands. Somewhere along this street is my old house. So, now we have looked at the basics and established that both words often indicate a movement of some sort, so let's now see if this idea of moving is carried across into the phrasal verb meanings.... MEANING 1: To accompany someone somewhere Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To join, to accompany, to go along, to go with Separable? No Let's begin our exploration of the meanings of the phrasal verb 'come along' with a nice and friendly one, which is 'to accompany someone to go somewhere'. For this first application, let's imagine that you are planning to go to the cinema tonight with friends. Another friend phones you and says that she is free this evening, so you ask her to 'come along' with you to the cinema. In other words, you invite her to join you. You can use 'come along' in this way for any situation in which you invite someone to go to a place where you are also going. For reference, if you are not going to be there, then you would use 'go along' instead. This is often used by native speakers as a way of gently encouraging someone to come with them somewhere. It feels more like you're offering the person the choice to come and it's perfectly fine if they decide not to, rather than strongly inviting them or pressuring them to accompany you (we all know people who do that). We do not just use this application for invitations though and we can use it to state the fact that someone is coming with you somewhere. Normally, with these statements, it is understood that the person 'coming along' is not the organiser of the trip and was invited by the speaker. We're going to the beach this afternoon; do you want to come along? I'm heading to the shop; you can come along if you like. Lisa came along with us to the concert last night. Do you mind if my brother comes along to the party? They asked if I wanted to come along on their road trip. Pete didn’t want to come along at first, but we convinced him. We’re going for a walk in the park. Come along! Can I come along when you visit your grandmother? My dog always comes along when I go hiking. Nick came along for moral support during the interview. MEANING 2: To arrive somewhere Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To arrive, to appear, to turn up, to show up. to materialise, to emerge, to occur Separable? No This second application of 'come along' is perhaps the most commonly used one and means 'to arrive' or 'to appear', depending on the context. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Opportunity Chance Bus Person Job Baby / Child As you can see from the list above, the commonly used nouns with this application are very diverse, which is a reflection of the many situations in which we can use it. Let's begin by thinking about what the literal combination of these two words means, which is 'to move along something towards where the speaker is'. The most obvious example of this is with a road, when a vehicle or a person moves along it in the direction of the speaker. From the speaker's perspective, they see the vehicle or person appear in the distance and then move towards them before arriving where they are (the vehicle or person may then stop or continue past the speaker further along the road but that is irrelevant). As I waited by the river, a canal boat came along slowly. Julian came along the beach toward us, waving. I saw a figure coming along the street in the fog. So far, we have considered this application from a literal perspective, however we also use it a lot in a metaphorical way to talk about when things appear or arrive in our life. Just like with buses and things travelling along a road towards us, this is reserved for things that we have no or little control over or when they come along. Good examples of these would be nouns like 'job', 'opportunity' and 'chance' as these are things that seem to present themselves to us at random moments during the course of lives. Alternatively, we can also use this for when things begin to exist, especially when they have a consequence on a specific situation. I was waiting for the right job opportunity to come along. A chance like this doesn’t come along every day. A new singer came along who changed the music industry. Eventually, a solution to the problem came along. Jill was single for years until the perfect guy came along. Just when I had given up hope, something better came along. New technology has come along that makes this process faster. A great investment opportunity came along, and I took it. A couple of other nouns that I hear quite a lot with this application are 'baby' and 'children' as people often use it to talk about when people have a child or become parents, therefore marking a new stage in their lives. This is particularly so if the child is unplanned. Everything changed when the baby came along. My partner and I used to travel a lot, but that stopped as soon as the twins came along. They were a happy couple and then little Owen came along. I had just started my new job when our first child came along. My life was very quiet until my grandchildren came along. MEANING 3: To hurry up Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B2 - Upper intermediate Usage Medium Where is it used? British English Potential synonyms To hurry, to hurry up, to come on, to pick up, to make haste, to rush Separable? No The third application of 'come along' that we will consider in this post is a British English one that means 'to hurry up'. Unlike the other applications of 'come along', this one is mainly used in the imperative form, i.e. to giv e someone an order or command. If you tell someone to "come along", you are just asking them to do something more quickly, often in an annoyed or irritated way. Although this application is still in use today, I hear it being used less and less and it sounds a little old fashioned and formal to my ears. I can imagine that it is still used by members of the British royal family, however the majority of commoners like myself are far more likely to use 'hurry up' or 'come on' in these often stressful situations when you need to be quick. Come along, we’re going to be late! Come along now, the bus is about to leave. Do come along; we haven’t got all day! Come along, children, it’s time to go home. Come along, or we’ll miss the beginning of the movie. Alternatively, 'come along' can be used in this way to encourage or implore someone to try harder and make more of an effort. Again, this is not something that is particularly widespread in modern everyday British English but it is possible that you may hear it. Come along now, you can do better than that! Your handwriting is improving, but come along, try to keep the letters neater. MEANING 4: To make progress Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To progress, to advance, to improve, to develop, to proceed Separable? No Next, we have our fourth and final meaning of 'come along', which means 'to make progress' or alternatively 'to develop'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Project Building / Extension Plan Languages e.g. English, Spanish We use this last application to talk about anything that we are working on or trying to improve over a period of time. This may be something physical, such as building work or a painting, or it may be something intellectual, such as learning a language. Either way, the key element of this is that we want to make progress in it over a certain period. Another key point to note is that we only use this application for things that we do not consider finished and work is still being done to achieve the outcome that we want. For example, when we are learning a language we are not at a fluent level (the result that we are trying to achieve), we can use this 'come along' to say that we are making progress and out language level is improving. Moreover, if an author is writing a book, he or she wants to finish it and makes continuous progress towards this goal, during which time we can also use 'come along'. Lastly, it is common practice among English native speakers to ask "How is XXXX coming along?" when enquiring about the progress of something. Typical responses to this often include adverbs such as 'well', 'nicely' and 'really' or sometimes do not need an adverb at all; just 'it is coming along' on its own can be used to say that you are making progress. The project is really coming along — we should be finished by next week. Your painting is coming along nicely! How's your English learning going? It's coming along thanks! The garden is coming along well now that spring has arrived. She's coming along in her recovery better than expected. My cooking skills have really come along over the past year. The new product is coming along, but we still have a few bugs to fix. Training was slow at first, but things are starting to come along. The book is coming along — I’ve written five chapters so far. How’s your plan for the event coming along? Very well thank you. Photo: Pexels BONUS: The noun 'come-along' Like many English phrasal verbs, 'come along' has a noun that derives from it. A 'come-along' is a device used for pulling or lifting objects (known as a winch) when there is limited space or access to be able to do so. Admittedly, I'm not a technical person at all and have never heard of one of these instruments before, however it is possible that you may come across or use one of these in your daily life, so I wanted to include it in case. 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 'come along'. 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 'come along'. 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 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. In this article, I will be explaining all about the phrasal verb 'let in'. How well do you know it? Did you know that it has at least 4 different meanings and uses in English? Don't worry if you didn't because in this post I will explain each individual meaning, telling you when we use it and giving you lots of example sentences in context. So, without further ado, let's make a start.... TABLE OF CONTENTS   (Click to jump to each one) Let In - The Basics: Key information and the individual words 'let' and 'in' Let In - Meaning 1: To allow entry Let In - Meaning 2: To share secret information with someone Let In - Meaning 3: To embed something Let In - Meaning 4: To become involved in something difficult 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 IN: KEY INFORMATION Usage Common Number of meanings 4 Past tense forms Let in / Let in Separable? Yes As many of you will know, all phrasal verbs are formed by combining a base verb with one or sometimes two prepositional particles. This combination becomes a new lexical unit with a distinct meaning or set of meanings to the component words, which is often confusing for English learners. As a first step in our exploration of the phrasal verb 'let in', let's therefore begin by examining the meanings of the base verb 'to let' and the particle 'in'. This will hopefully help you later in the post with some of the phrasal verb meanings that we look at. I imagine that many of you will already be very familiar with 'to let' as it is a common irregular verb in English. It has several meanings and uses but the most common one is the one that is very relevant for the phrasal verb 'let in', which is 'to allow something to happen'. My boss let me work from home yesterday. I don't let my cats in the bedroom. Just let it happen naturally. Do you let your children have a smartphone? I would do the work if my manager let me. The prepositional particle 'in' is one that we see very frequently in phrasal verb constructions and can often be used to add the idea of entry or movement towards the inside of something. Moreover, 'in' is used in phrasal verbs to add different ideas like involvement (join in), becoming popular ( come in ) and absorption ( take in ). So, now that we have covered the basics, let's now move onto the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'let in'.... MEANING 1: To allow entry Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level B1 - Intermediate Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To allow entry, to grant access, to admit, to welcome, to take in Separable? Yes We'll begin our exploration of the phrasal verb 'let in' with the literal meaning of the two words combined, which is also the most commonly used: 'to allow someone or something to enter somewhere'. Nouns commonly used with this application.... Person Animals / Cat / Dog Light Air Water Heat / Cold Let's first think about letting people in. When I was a child, I clearly remember watching a horror movie (that I was forbidden to watch) and being terrified by a ghostly man begging the owners of a house to "let him in ", or in other words, 'to allow him entry into their house'. Thankfully, the homeowners did not let him in and I'm sharing this with you because when we use 'let someone in' in this way, it is often with people and buildings or rooms, with the action of letting someone typically involving opening a door to allow entry. Of course, the action of 'letting someone in' does not always involve door opening and can also be applied to public places and spaces like nightclubs, museums and theme parks in which people are authorised to enter by designated employees. We can also use it with websites and online accounts, for example if you enter the wrong password on a website, it will not let you in. We can also use it with animals. For example, I always let my cats in from the garden for dinner every evening after I have finished teaching. On a grammatical note, this usage is separable and it is possible to place a noun or pronoun between 'let' and 'in'. Emma opened the door to let the delivery man in. Can you let me in? I've forgotten my keys! They wouldn’t let us in to the concert without tickets. The guard let the students in after checking their IDs. Don't let the cat in; he has muddy paws! Arthur let his friend in through the back door. Pippa knocked loudly on the front door until someone let her in. You may have noticed in the list at the top of this application that we can also 'let in' other things besides living beings. Typically, these would be things like air, water and light that can pass into internal spaces through holes, gaps windows or even doors. For example, if you cut down a tree in your garden, it may let in more light into your house. Moreover, if you leave a window open on a cold day, it will let the cold in, which nobody wants. Opening the window will let in some fresh air. The curtains were drawn back to let in the morning sunlight. Don’t open the door; you’ll let in the cold. The cracks in the wall let a lot of noise in from outside. This skylight lets in plenty of natural light. The boat is letting in water due to a hole in the hull. She let the smell of flowers in by opening the patio door. MEANING 2: To share secret information with someone Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Medium Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To share, to open up Separable? Yes Next up, we have our second meaning of 'let in', which is another one that takes the idea of permission from the verb 'to let' and means 'to share secret information with someone'. For this application, it is possible to use the additional preposition 'on' but this is not always necessary and there is in fact a very small difference in meaning when 'on' is used. I'll start with 'let in' is used without the word 'on'. This is typically in situations when a person who is usually shy or emotionally closed shares their personal thoughts and feelings with someone else, often making them feel vulnerable. The idea here is that they allow the other person in to their mind and thoughts, so that the other person knows what is going on with them when normally this is personal or secret information. It took me a long time to trust him enough to let Mark in. Louise never lets anyone in; she's afraid of getting hurt. You have to let people in if you want real connection. Ben tried to let her in, but he didn’t know how to express his feelings. As I mentioned, the other way to use this application of 'let in' is by adding the additional preposition 'on', giving us the construction 'to let someone in on something'. If you let someone in on something, you give them secret information that was previously unknown to them. The usual scenario for this is when some information is known by a small group of people and when someone lets another person in on it, they allow them to become part of this exclusive (and knowledgeable) group. I would say that this application is one that you are likely to hear in social groups and in casual everyday English conversations but its usually too informal to be used in business English or in the workplace. Specific scenarios in which you may hear it being said would be when organising something secret like a surprise birthday party, gossiping about something scandalous that has happened to a mutual friend or acquaintance and playing practical jokes which involve an element of secrecy. If you want to use this one, don't forget to only do it when sharing information that is secret or only known by a few people, typically in a social group. My parents finally let me in on the surprise party they’re planning for my sister. Can I trust you? I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Sue let him in on the details of the new project before it was announced. We let Victoria in on the joke after she looked confused for a while. Don’t let anyone in on this until we have a solid plan. The travel agents let us in on the deal early, so we got the best price. MEANING 3: To embed something Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Rare Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To embed, to insert, to inset Separable? Yes Our third meaning of 'let in' is a rarer British meaning of the phrasal verb, which means 'to embed' or 'to insert something'. This particular application is a specialised one that is used mainly in the trades of construction, carpentry, engineering and other forms of manual labour. As such, this is one that I am not very familiar with as I am terrible at things like that. To clarify, if you let something in, you insert or embed it onto a surface, normally so that it sits level with the rest of the surface. The carpenter let in a metal plate to reinforce the joint. The electrician let in the wiring behind the wall to keep it hidden. He let in a brass strip along the edge of the table for decoration. A small glass panel was let into the wooden door to allow light through. MEANING 4: To become involved in something difficult Photo: Wix Media CEFR Language Level C1 - Advanced Usage Common Where is it used? Everywhere Potential synonyms To get involved in Separable? Always We've made it to our fourth and final meaning of the phrasal verb 'let in', which means 'to become involved with something difficult or unpleasant'. Although this is one of the more common meanings of 'let in', I've left it to last as it is more of a fixed expression that we use with the additional particle 'for' and the reflexive 'self' pronoun, typically taking the following construction.... 'to let oneself in for something' We use this particular expression when we decide to get involved in something or take a course of action but do not realise how difficult, challenging or unpleasant it will be. In other words, you take a course of action without realising the negative effects or consequences. As such, we can often use this particular application when there is an element of regret or surprise to something. Furthermore, you may hear people using it to talk about someone else who has chosen to do something that they may regret or find tough. I didn’t realise how much work the project would be; I’ve really let myself in for a challenging few months. Monica let herself in for a lot of stress by agreeing to organise the entire wedding. Jan didn’t know what he was letting himself in for when he volunteered to coach the team. I thought babysitting would be easy, but it turns out that I had let myself in for a weekend of chaos and stress. Jo and Pete had no idea what they were letting themselves in for when they adopted three puppies. You’ve let yourself in for a difficult semester by choosing all advanced courses. 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 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 'let 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