An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'Carry out', with examples and exercises. Hello and welcome to my blog all about English phrasal verbs. Each week, I take a different phrasal verb and look at how it is used by native speakers, with a focus on the different meanings that it has and the expressions and idioms that it is used in. The phrasal verb 'carry out' is a commonly used phrasal verb, both in its literal and idiomatic applications. This is one that you have come across in a business or professional sense as it is very commonly used to describe to work and jobs. That is not its only meaning however, and in this post we will look at exactly how native speakers use it and in which situations. So, without further ado, let's get started.... CARRY OUT: KEY INFORMATION For more explanation of the terms in the table above, click here. THE BASICS To begin with, let's take a quick look at the words 'carry' and 'out' , in order to gain some background knowledge on the phrasal verb 'carry out'. The verb 'to carry' is a common verb with the core meaning of 'supporting something off the ground and moving with it from one place to another'. When we use this verb we are normally talking about transporting an object, person or animal and it can be used with any nouns for things that can be physically lifted and moved. It can also be used to talk about items which we have with us at all times in our pockets or on our person such as a wallet or an identity card. If you want to use 'carry' at an advanced level, you can use it to describe abstract nouns too, such as conviction, (prison) sentence, warning and guarantee. We then have the prepositional particle 'out', which has many usages in English. The central idea of 'out' is the opposite of 'in'. i.e. the exterior of something. Used as adverb 'out' often means movement from an interior space, which will certainly be relevant for the first meaning of 'carry out' that will look at now.... MEANING 1: Literal Our first meaning of 'carry out' is a nice and easy one as it is just the literal semantic combination of the two words 'carry' and 'out'. In other words, physically supporting something and moving with it from an interior space to an exterior space, or possibly to a different interior space (the key element is that the object is no longer in the original interior space). For this, the object can be any nouns for a thing that can lifted and carried. This literal version of 'carry out' is used mainly for human activity and therefore the indirect object (the inside space) can be any nouns that a person can be physically 'in', so that they can perform the action of 'carrying'. Don't forget the additional preposition 'of' is required for the indirect object. As such, nouns that are commonly 'carried out' include people, furniture, boxes, The list goes on and on but you get the point! Examples of usage Lisa fell over in her office and had to be carried out on a stretcher as she could not walk. Can you please help me carry these boxes out to the car? This bed is too big to be carried out of this room by just one person. MEANING 2: To perform or complete an activity The second meaning of 'carry out' is an idiomatic one and means 'to perform or complete an activity'. I think that this is perhaps the most common application of this phrasal verb as it is used across all walks of life, especially in the world of work and business. 'Carry out' used this way is mainly used to talk about performing a specific task or job such as a car repair, building work, an audit or a review. It is not really used to talk about a general job, vocation or career. Outside of the world of work, it is used to talk about crimes, attacks and other unpleasant activities that some people get involved in. Nevertheless, I'm sure that you can imagine that this application of 'carry out' is used with a diverse and wide variety of different nouns. In many cases, this meaning of 'carry out' is exactly the same as 'to do' when talking about a specific task or job and, in fact, I think that this is one of the rare occasions that the phrasal verb equivalent sounds more formal and elevated than its non-phrasal verb synonym, perhaps because the verb 'to do', is such an ordinary and commonplace verb. Examples of usage.... We are planning to carry out some research next year on people's attitudes towards climate change. The criminal gang carried out a series of armed robberies over a three year period. The train company is carrying out an excavation of the site this week in preparation for the railway lines to be laid in the next few months. Essential roadworks will be carried out on this road from Monday 18th May for a period of six weeks, so please plan your journey accordingly. MEANING 3: To implement a plan or a threat The third and final meaning of 'carry out' is to implement a plan or a threat, but can also be used with any other nouns that signify our intentions. In fact, this usage of 'carry out' is all about our future intentions, good or bad, and whether or not we implement them or put them into action. In other words, if you have a plan to do something and then you go ahead and do everything that you planned to do, you can say that you have "carried out your plan". This is exactly the same when talking about threats (which I guess are a type of plan). Other nouns that are less commonly used with this application of 'carry out' are 'commitment', 'instruction', 'idea' and 'strategy'. Examples of usage.... Despite some unexpected setbacks, we still hope to carry out our plan to make this company the leader within its sector by the end of the decade. We never actually believed that John would carry out his threat to ban his children from watching television, but he has done it! It is essential that you develop a great marketing strategy and then it carry it out if you want your business to survive. BONUS INFORMATION For anyone with a particular interest in Scottish English, the phrasal verb 'carry out' also has a noun version, 'carry-out', which is in common usage in Scotland to describe several different things related to food and drink. Firstly, it can mean food that is bought at a restaurant and taken away to be eaten, which is called a takeaway in England and a takeout in American English (although I believe carry-out) is also used in the USA to mean the same thing). On the same theme, the restaurant where the 'carry-out' food is bought can be referred to as 'a carry-out' too (confusing I know!). The last meaning of 'carry-out' as a noun refers to alcohol that is bought in a shop or a pub and taken to a different place e.g. home or a party to be consumed. Examples of usage.... I don't want to cook tonight. Shall we get a carry-out for dinner instead? We didn't want to stay in the bar, so we bought some carry-out wine and took it home. EXERCISE Re-write the following sentences using 'to carry out'.... John was not able to lift the sofa and take it outside on his own. The mechanics did the work on my car last week. We are conducting the financial audit in the first week of September. Sadly, I was not able to put my plans into action as I became ill. The CEO wasn't really going to follow through on his threats to fire his staff. Angus and Morag sat at home and ordered food from the Chinese restaurant. The answers will be available on next week's post. EXERCISE ANSWERS FROM 'LOOK UP' (other variations may be possible) Helen was LOOKING UP at the sky trying to catch a glimpse of the meteor shower. I LOOKED UP the meaning of the word in the dictionary. We didn't know the answer to the question, so we LOOKED it UP on the internet. Things are definitely LOOKING UP following the lifting of Covid sanctions last year. The next time you are in town, please LOOK me UP. Roger LOOKED UP to Mick Jagger when he was growing up. That is the end of today's post. Thank you so much for taking the time to read it and I sincerely hope that it has helped you a little bit further on your English learning journey. If you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media, so together we can help as many English learners as possible to understand and master these tricky phrasal verbs. Also, please leave any comments, questions, suggestions or examples of 'carry out' below. I really love reading them. If you want to receive new blog posts directly email every week, please sign up on the form below. See you next time! James

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'Look Up', with examples and exercises. Hello and welcome to my blog all about English phrasal verbs. Each week, I take a different phrasal verb and look at how it is used by native speakers, with a focus on the different meanings that it has and the expressions and idioms that it is used in. The phrasal verb 'look up' has a number of different meanings in English, some of which I am sure will be very familiar to you. In this post, I will look at each of its different applications and meanings, with examples of typical usage. So, without further ado, let's get started.... LOOK UP: KEY INFORMATION For more explanation of the terms in the table above, click here. THE BASICS Before we look at the different meanings of 'look up', let's take a second to consider its constituent parts as this can often be a useful way to understand some of the idiomatic meanings of a phrasal verb. The verb 'to look' is undoubtedly one that you will know very well and means to direct our vision in a particular direction, in order to see something. The prepositional particle 'up' is one that has featured in many posts on this blog already and is used to specify movement away from the ground or towards the sky. So, with those in mind let's take a look at the different phrasal verb meanings, starting with the literal meaning.... MEANING 1: To look in an upwards direction This first meaning of 'look up' is the literal meaning of these two words combined and therefore simply means to look in an upwards direction. As you can imagine, this literal meaning is generally used to describe the action of moving your head back in order to see something that is higher than or above you. However, it is also used when we are looking down at something and move our heads to "normal" position, in order to see what is happening around us. In this latter case where we start in a looking down position, we need the extra preposition 'from'. This is used more and more in today's world as most people seem to spend a large amount of their time looking down at their smartphones. Examples of usage.... I heard a meowing noise above me and when I looked up I saw a cat in the tree that I was standing under. Look up there, can you see the shooting star? Lisa looked up from her phone and realised that all of her friends had left without her. MEANING 2: To search for information The second meaning of 'look up' is one that I think most of you will be very familiar with as it means to search for information, normally either in a book or online using a search engine or informative website. This application of 'look up' is separable and takes a direct object (the information that you want to find out) and this can be placed either between 'look' and 'up' or after 'up'. Alternatively, the pronoun 'it' can be placed in the middle of 'look' and 'up' if the object has already been specified, to avoid having to repeat it again unnecessarily. Before the rise of the internet, this usage of 'look up' was limited mainly to dictionaries and encyclopaedias and at the tie people said that they "looked something up in a dictionary". Nowadays however, the usage of this meaning has exploded with the rise of the internet and now instead of the dictionary the majority of people "look something up online". Examples of usage.... I had no idea what the phrase "make do*" meant in English, so I had to look it up! Helen wasn't sure about how to cook rice properly and despite looking up the information online, she still managed to get it wrong. We looked up the word 'set' in the dictionary and were really surprised to learn how many definitions it has in the English language. * To make do means to manage with what is available although it is not ideal or what you wanted. MEANING 3: To improve Our third meaning of 'look up' is a very positive and optimistic one, which is always welcome, and it means to improve or get better. It should be noted here that this usage is limited to describing general situations and is not used to talk about specific things or people improving. As such, it is very common to use the noun 'things' in collocation with 'look up' here. Something else to make you aware of with this application of 'look up' is that it is only used in the progressive or continuous ('ing) form to describe a situation which is or is not improving. Examples of usage.... It has been a really hard few months but things are looking up now and the future is bright! Business is really looking up and we forecasting a very successful year this year. Things were looking up for me until I lost my job but hopefully I will find another one soon! MEANING 4: To visit someone This fourth meaning of 'look up' is a rarer one than the meanings that we have looked at so far and means to visit a person, specifically when you are in the town or city in which they live. To clarify, this application is generally used for interactions with people who you know and who live far away from you and is used as an invitation to say come and see me if you are ever in the area where I live. In terms of the grammar here, this is separable and the object (the person who you are visiting) goes in between look and up, especially if you are the person inviting the other to visit you ('look up me' is completely wrong). We do use this meaning of 'look up' in British English and it would definitely be understood, however it does feel more American in usage to me. Examples of usage.... Look me up the next time that you are in Denver. It would be great to see you again! If you're ever in Liverpool, you should look my sister up. She will show you around the city and tell you the best places to go. When I am in New York next, I will be sure to look you up. MEANING 5: To admire and respect someone This fifth and final meaning of 'look up' is to admire and respect someone and I've left it until last as it requires the additional preposition 'to' in order for it to be used. If we 'look up to someone' it is something very complimentary and positive and means that we want or aspire to be like that person in some way. This is often (but not always) used for people who are older than us, for people who are respected experts in a field that we are also in or perhaps for famous people who we are fans of or who inspire us in some way. In other words, these people are role models. Regardless of the specifics, the central idea is that we hold these people on a kind of pedestal above us in our minds and to see them we need to look up (as per meaning one). Examples of usage.... I really looked up to you when I was growing up and I am so pleased to be able to finally meet you in person. He is one of the greatest tennis players of all time and I have looked up to him ever since I started playing tennis myself. Roger desperately wants to a role model for his students and for them to look up to him. EXERCISE Re-write the following sentences using 'to look up'.... Helen was staring up at the sky trying to catch a glimpse of the meteor shower. I searched for the meaning of the word in the dictionary. We didn't know the answer to the question, so we searched for it on the internet. Things are definitely improving following the lifting of Covid sanctions last year. The next time you are in town, please come and visit me. Roger's role model was Mick Jagger when he was growing up. The answers will be available on next week's post. EXERCISE ANSWERS FROM 'SET OUT' (other variations may be possible) What time did you SET OUT this morning? I had no idea what I was doing when I SET OUT as a singer. Make sure that you SET OUT your letter according to standard conventions. This CV is very poorly SET OUT, I don't wish to see this candidate for an interview. The management team has SET OUT a new set of rules for home working. I tend to SET seeds OUT in my garden in March ready for Spring. That is the end of today's post. Thank you so much for taking the time to read it and I sincerely hope that it has helped you a little bit further on your English learning journey. If you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media, so together we can help as many English learners as possible to understand and master these tricky phrasal verbs. Also, please leave any comments, questions, suggestions or examples of 'look up' below. I really love reading them. If you want to receive new blog posts directly email every week, please sign up on the form below. See you next time! James

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'set out', with examples and exercises. Hello and welcome to my blog all about English phrasal verbs. Each week, I take a different phrasal verb and look at how it is used by native speakers, with a focus on the different meanings that it has and the expressions and idioms that it is used in. The theme of this post is 'set out', which is a phrasal verb that includes the word in English with the most different definitions, 'to set' (check it on Google if you don't believe me), along with the preposition 'out'. Unlike the verb 'to set', its phrasal verb offshoot 'set out' does not have a huge number of meanings, but the meanings that it does have are quite varied. So, without further ado, let's take a look at them.... SET OUT: KEY INFORMATION For more explanation of the terms in the table above, click here THE BASICS The phrasal verb 'set out' is formed of the verb 'to set', which, as I previously mentioned, is the word with the most definitions in the English language - according to the Oxford Dictionary the word 'set' can be interpreted in 464 different ways as a verb, a noun and an adjective! Don't worry too much though as I do not think that the average native English speaker would know half of those definitions! The definition of 'to set' that will be relevant for the phrasal verb meanings is 'to place, put or lay something in a specific position'. The prepositional particle 'out' is one that you will certainly already know and also has many meanings in English (though far less than 'set'). I think that the meanings of 'out' that will be relevant for 'set out' are 'to move away from an inside space' and also 'to be visible', although both of these may need some imagination when we come to look at the different meanings of 'set out'. Ok, so now we have covered that, let's check out the different meanings.... MEANING 1: To start a journey The first meaning of 'set out' is to leave or depart somewhere in order to start a journey I believe that this meaning originated from the definition of 'set' meaning to place or to put your foot outside, which, when you think about it, is exactly what you do when you start a journey. For this meaning we often require either the additional prepositions 'on' or 'for' to add additional information. We use 'on' to link the type of journey or movement that we are starting such as journey, voyage or trip and we use 'for' to specify the destination at the end of our journey such as home, work, or the name of a town or city. Examples of usage.... Captain Cook set out on a voyage of discovery over 250 years ago. This morning we set out at 4.00am so that we could get to the top of the mountain in time to see the sunrise. Unfortunately you've missed Roger, he set out for work about half an hour ago! After a long, hard week working away, I am will be setting out for home in the morning. MEANING 2: To start trying to do something Our second meaning of 'set out' is similar to the first meaning as it also means to start something, but rather than a journey, we use it to to describe when we start trying to do something, which is usually a long-term endeavour. In other words, this could be used to describe the start of a figurative journey, rather than a literal or a real one, e.g. to start training in a particular career. As mentioned above, 'set out' in this sense is commonly used to describe the action of starting something new, however it can also be used to talk about a person's aims or intentions when they start this new activity or career. For this, the additional preposition 'to' is required when specifying the thing that you are starting or the aim or objective that you had when setting out. Examples of usage.... When I set out in this business, I had no idea how difficult or stressful it was going to be. I wish someone had told me this when I first was setting out as a young architect. John didn't set out to be a teacher but he ended up becoming one nonetheless. He set out to change people's attitudes and he was very successful at doing so. EXTRA INFORMATION The noun 'outset', meaning the start or beginning of something, is linked to this phrasal verb meaning and is in common use among English speakers, especially when looking back at the past and talking about things in hindsight. This is normally used with either the prepositions 'from' or 'at'. Examples of context.... The project was doomed to fail from the outset. INTENDED MEANING: The project was certain to fail right from the beginning. I knew at the outset of the match that it was going to be a really good game. INTENDED MEANING: I knew that the game would be good right at the start. MEANING 3: To arrange The third meaning of 'set out' is to arrange something in an attractive or organised way. This can be used with both physical and non-physical objects, ranging from nouns as diverse as business documents to window displays in shops, in other words anything that can be organised for other people to view and understand. When talking about documents, we use 'set out' all the time when we design or produce the document such as CVs (resumes for American English learners), letters, certificates and personal statements. In the case of CVs (resumes) people are usually free to set them out as they wish but with letters etc. there are normally conventions which must be followed and therefore we need to set them out accordingly. Alternatively, if we set out physical objects such as window displays in shops, or tables for dinner, then we are referring to physically placing the objects in a way that is (hopefully) organised or attractive. It is also of course possible to set things out incorrectly in an unattractive manner, but generally that is not what people want to do I guess. One last thing to mention here is that the past participle 'set out' (an annoying irregular one) is commonly used as an adjective to describe how well something is structured or organised. Examples of usage.... The successful candidate for the job had set their CV out in a clear and concise way, which really impressed the hiring committee. The teacher set out the classroom in such a way that all the students had a clear view of the whiteboard. The checklist is really well set out. Everyone should be able to follow it easily. MEANING 4: To present ideas coherently Meaning number four of 'set out' is linked quite closely to the third meaning that we have just covered as it means to present ideas, arguments and facts coherently. This is really just an evolution of the third meaning, as instead of organising something so it is visually clear, we are instead organising it so that it is conceptually clear and understood by someone. Therefore, this meaning of 'set out' is often used when talking about academic or formal writing or discourse as it used to describe and evaluate how ideas, arguments and perspectives are structured and organised and ultimately how effective they are at conveying the intended message. Again, like in the previous meaning, the past particle 'set out' is often used here. Another way that 'set out' is commonly used in this way is when talking about rules, guidelines, procedures, protocols and regulations etc. 'Set out' is generally used here to describe when these are established and communicated to the people affected by them. Examples of usage.... The politician clearly set out her justification for why she feels that a referendum is necessary in the newspaper article that she wrote last week. The facts were set out in paragraphs 2 and 3 of the document. The management set out some new rules and guidelines on health and safety for all employees following new legislation that the government had passed. Without a well set out argument, you will never get the council to take notice of your plight. MEANING 5: To plant This fifth and final meaning of 'set out' will probably only be useful for the green-fingered* among you as it means to plant and seeds and plants in the ground. I would say that due to the niche area in which it is used, this usage is a rare one, especially since it is more common to use the verbs 'to plant' and 'to sow' instead. However, it is always good to be aware of it, if for nothing else to be able to impress your English-speaking friends and colleagues. Examples of usage.... Try and ensure that the seedlings are set out on a cloudy day in moist soil. These plants must be set out at least 50cm apart from each other. *Green-fingered is an adjective used to describe people who enjoy gardening and who are good at growing plants. EXERCISE Re-write the following sentences using 'to set out'.... What time did you start your journey this morning? I had no idea what I was doing when I started my career as a singer. Make sure that you structure your letter according to standard conventions. This CV is very poorly organised, I don't wish to see this candidate for an interview. The management team has established a new set of rules for home working. I tend to plant seeds in my garden in March ready for Spring. The answers will be available on next week's post. EXERCISE ANSWERS FROM 'PLAY UP' (other variations may be possible) I can't find my keys, I am sure I PUT them ON the table when I came home. PUT some clothes ON, we have visitors! The first thing I do when I get home from work is PUT ON on the television. The local Women's Institute is PUTTING ON a charity event next month. He is PUTTING ON that Scottish accent. He comes from London! I have PUT ON a lot of weight since I got married. That is the end of today's post. Thank you so much for taking the time to read it and I sincerely hope that it has helped you a little bit further on your English learning journey. If you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media, so together we can help as many English learners as possible to understand and master these tricky phrasal verbs. Also, please leave any comments, questions, suggestions or examples of 'set out' below. I really love reading them. See you next time! James

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'put on', with examples and exercises. Hello and welcome to my blog all about English phrasal verbs. Each week, I take a different phrasal verb and look at how it is used by native speakers, with a focus on the different meanings that it has and the expressions and idioms that it is used in. The phrasal verb 'put on' is an extremely common and diversely used phrasal verb in the English language. In this post we will look at its diverse range of meanings and particular uses, including placing clothes on your body, gaining weight and acting in an insincere way. So, without further ado, let's make a start.... KEY INFORMATION For more explanation of the terms in the table above, click here THE BASICS Our phrasal verb of choice this week is made up of the common and diverse verb 'to put', along with the prepositional particle 'up'. The main meaning of the verb 'to put' is to place something in, or move something to, a particular place, and it is used frequently by English native speakers with a wide and varied selection of nouns, both physical and abstract. I think for this reason, there are also multiple meanings and uses of 'put on', which we will look at shortly. The prepositional particle 'on' is one that you will all be familiar with already and means 'to be in contact with and (usually) above a surface', often with the surface supporting the object. Ok, so now we have the basics covered, the first meaning should be a walk in the park.... MEANING 1: To place on a surface (literal) With the individual meanings of the component words in mind, it should be no surprise to you that the first meaning of 'put on' is the literal meaning of the combination of the two words i.e. to physically place an object onto a surface. As such, this is very commonplace language in everyday life and you will certainly hear it sooner or later if you spend time in an English speaking environment. As this one is a straightforward meaning, let's move on, but before we do, here are a handful of examples of typical usage.... Please can you pick up those books and put them on the bookshelf. Have you seen my keys? I put them on the table when I got home but they aren't there anymore. John put his coffee on his car roof and forgot all about it. MEANING 2: To place something on your body The next meaning of 'put on' is a small departure from the literal meaning that we have just looked at but it is nonetheless a similar concept as it means, specifically, to place something on your body, rather than on a generic surface, like a table or a shelf. The majority of the time, 'put on' is used in this sense when we want to wear something and therefore it is used with all types of clothes, including glasses, watches, jewellery and wigs. It is also used to talk about applying make-up to your face. It should be noted that 'put on' is used specifically for the action of placing the item on your body and should not be confused with the verb 'to wear', which is used to describe the state of having an item on you body for a period of time. Examples of usage.... Will you put on some decent clothes, we have got visitors! Ok your eye test has finished, you can put your glasses back on again now. I was about to put on my trainers and go running this morning when it started raining. Helen put her best dress on and headed out to the office party. MEANING 3: To make something operate The third meaning of 'put on' is to make something operate or function, normally by activating it with a button or switch. This usage derives from the adverbial meaning of 'on', to describe an electrical device that is in operation e.g. the television is on, and so this meaning of 'put on' is used to describe the action of making the device function. This is very similar to the other phrasal verbs 'turn on' and 'switch on'. Interestingly though, whilst you can also turn off and switch off a device, you cannot 'put off' a device.....I'm not sure why, but it does not sound correct at all. Sometimes we do not always refer to the physical device that we are 'putting on', but rather the end product. A prime example of this would be music, as it is normal to say that we 'put on music' rather than 'put on a CD player' (an outdated reference, I know). Another such example of this would be food and you can often hear native speakers talk about 'putting food on' to say they will start cooking it. This meaning is separable and the direct object can either go in the middle of the phrasal verb construction or at the end, without altering the meaning. Examples of usage.... It's so hot in here, can someone put the air conditioning on. Quick, put the television on, you're on the news! Sometimes I like to run a nice bath, put on some classical music and relax. I've put some pasta on, so it should be ready in about 15 minutes. What film shall I put on this evening? MEANING 4: To organise an event or show This next meaning of 'put on' is to organise a public event, which people can attend and / or watch. This is used to talk about organising shows, plays, concerts, charity events, displays, exhibitions and festivals, as well any other events that I may have forgotten. In this sense 'put on' can be used to describe the act of organising the event as well as to talk about the performer(s) and how well or badly they performed. Examples of usage.... The local amateur dramatics society is putting on a charity play this week, shall we go? The company is putting on an exhibition to mark their 100th anniversary. The rock band Queen always put on a good show. EXTRA INFORMATION TO SOUND LIKE A NATIVE SPEAKER In British English 'put on' can also be used to talk about public transport when additional train or bus services are made available to people due to exceptional circumstances. See the examples below.... Due to the ongoing train strikes, the local council is putting on additional bus services to help people get around the city. The company put on extra trains before and after the football game to help disperse the crowds quickly. MEANING 5: To be deceptive The fifth meaning of 'put on' means to deceive people and is used to describe act in a way that is contrary to reality, to try and fool others (or sometimes themselves). This meaning of 'put on' is used when people change the way that they interact with, or appear, to others, such as purposely changing their accent to sound like they come from a different place (putting on an accent) or modifying their facial expressions to hide what they are really feeling. The expression 'to put on a front' can often be used here, specifically when someone appears positive or happy in a situation but in reality they are very sad, scared or nervous. In addition to appearance, we can also use 'put on' to talk about when someone is lying about something and subsequently behaving in a way to support the lie. An example of this would be if someone pretends to be sick and then acts like they are sick by coughing etc. to support the pretence. If other people don't believe that the illness is genuine, they may say that the person is putting it on. One other thing to note here is that we use the adjectival form 'put-on' to describe the fake or dishonest action. Examples of usage.... He's so good at putting on an American accent. He even fools actual Americans! I put on a brave face at work today but inside I felt like crying all day. John phoned in sick to work earlier today, however his boss believes that he is putting it on so that he can go to his child's sports day at school. Lisa does not come from Scotland, her Scottish accent is obviously put on. IDIOM ALERT! A nice idiom to make you aware of here is "to put on airs and graces", which means to behave in such a way as to impress people and make them think that you are more important or sophisticated than you really are. If you put on airs and graces, you generally want people to believe that you are from a higher social class and often come across as pretentious to other people. MEANING 6: To trick someone Our sixth and final meaning is 'to put someone on', which means to trick someone or play a joke on them, often by telling them something that is not true and making them believe it. This usage is primarily American and as such, is not something that I would normally use in my British English. Alternatively, in British English we would be likely to say 'to have someone on' to mean the same thing. Incidentally, 'put someone on' does exist in British English, however the meaning is totally different and would normally be used in the context of telephone calls when we want to request to speak to another person, often in the room. Example of usage.... This can't be genuine! Are you putting me on? If you guys are trying to put me on, I think you should know that I can see through your tricks. BONUS Although we have now examined the different meanings of 'put on' in English, we are not done yet though as there are also a large number of expressions and specific situations in which 'put on' is used and here are some of the most commonly used ones.... To put money on something = To put money on something means to gamble or place a bet. For this, you can state the exact amount e.g. you could put $5 on a team to win a football game, or you can say that you would put money on something, if you are absolutely certain that something is true or will happen in the future. To put on weight = This is another way of saying that you gain weight or become heavier and is primarily British in usage. To be put on medication = If we are ever prescribed medication by a doctor or medical professional, we can say that we have been put on medication, in a passive sense. This applies for both humans and animals. To put a spell on someone = This is one that you may have come across if you are into the fantasy genre as it means to use magic on someone. To put on a (good) spread = If someone puts on a (good) spread, it means that they are hosting a dinner party or event and they provide a lot of food and drink. The word 'good' is an optional extra here but is often used by complimentary guests. To put on charge = Our final usage in this section means to plug something in to recharge, such as a cellphone or a battery of some kind. As you can imagine, this has become a very well-used expression since the rise of the cellphone and I must say it at least once a day. EXERCISE Re-write the following sentences using 'to put on'.... I can't find my keys, I am sure I placed them on the table when I came home. Get dressed, we have visitors! The first thing I do when I get home from work is switch on the television. The local Women's Institute is organising a charity event next month. He is faking that Scottish accent. He comes from London! I have gained a lot of weight since I got married. The answers will be available on next week's post. EXERCISE ANSWERS FROM 'PLAY UP' (other variations may be possible) The politician PLAYED UP his rival's past connections with a criminal gang. The marketing department PLAYED UP the importance of the seminar. John's car has been PLAYING UP for the last couple of weeks. My cat Arthur PLAYED UP a lot yesterday. Helen's back PLAYS her UP from time to time. Look at the way that Lisa PLAYS UP to the boss - she is clearly desperate for a promotion! That brings us to the end of the post. Thank you so much for taking the time to read it and I sincerely hope that it has helped you a little bit further on your English learning journey. If you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media, so together we can help as many English learners as possible to understand and master these tricky phrasal verbs. Also, please leave any comments, questions, suggestions or examples of 'put on' below. I really love reading them. See you next time! James

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'play up', with examples and exercises. Hello and welcome to my blog all about English phrasal verbs. Each week, I take a different phrasal verb and look at how it is used by native speakers, with a focus on the different meanings that it has and the expressions and idioms that it is used in. This post is all about the phrasal verb 'play up' and its different meanings and uses in English. 'Play up' has a few different meanings, however some of these tend to be more commonly used in British English and so are very familiar to me but they may not be to English speakers in the USA or elsewhere. So, without further ado, let's take a look at these different meanings.... KEY INFORMATION For more explanation of the terms in the table above, click here THE BASICS As is customary at the start of each post, we'll start by looking at the component words which make up our phrasal verb under the spotlight. Firstly, we have the verb 'to play', which can mean to take part in a game or sport, as well as to portray a character in a performance in a theatre show or movie etc. This second meaning is the one that is more relevant for the phrasal verb meanings, as you will see shortly. Secondly, we have our prepositional particle up, signifying movement to a higher position away from the ground or towards the sky ⬆. So now we have covered the basics, let's move on to the phrasal verb meanings... MEANING 1: To exaggerate the importance of something The first meaning of 'play up' that we will look up in this post requires a small amount of dishonesty, as the meaning is to exaggerate or emphasise something, in order to make it seem better, more important or more interesting to other people than it really is. In other words, if something is not very important or trivial, but we want other people to think that it is important, we can tell some white lies* and play it up in order to make them think that it is important. The extra emphasis that we place on something when we play it up can be used for both positive and negative purposes; on one hand something could be played up in order to raise publicity for a good cause and on the other hand a small, insignificant detail about someone's past could be played up by another person in order to make them look bad (this often happens in politics). Another key aspect of this meaning is expectation as things are often played up by people in order to increase people's interest levels about something upcoming in the future. A new TV show, a musical performance, a new product being launched onto the market or a baby gender reveal are all things which can be played up by people in order to generate interest. Additional nouns that you may come across with 'play up' are rumours or speculation, both of which could be 'played up' for humorous effect by the people who the rumours are about, especially if they are not true. In terms of sentence structure, this use of 'play up' requires a direct object, which can either be the noun specifying the thing being played up, or the pronoun 'it'. Examples of usage.... The government has been accused of playing up the significance of the tax cuts. INTENDED MEANING: People have accused the government of exaggerating the effect that the tax cuts will have. It was obvious that the footballer was playing up his leg injury. INTENDED MEANING: It was clear to everyone that the footballer was pretending his leg injury was worse than it really was. The media has played up reports of the quarrel between the two politicians. INTENDED MEANING: The media has exaggerated the politicians' argument to make it seem more fierce than it actually was. *White lies are lies that people tell which are generally harmless or trivial in nature, often told in order to hide the truth from someone as it will make them unhappy - this is the good kind of lies 😝 MEANING 2: To not be working properly The second meaning of 'play up' is primarily used in British English and means 'to not work or function properly'. This is often used by (slightly annoyed) British people when they have problems with items such as their car, their computer or smartphone. When we use 'play up' in this sense, we do not mean that the problematic item has stopped working completely and is now out of order, but rather that it is working erratically, developing problems from time to time or is not working to 100% efficiency. This usage is quite an informal one and in more formal settings a verb such as 'to malfunction' may be more appropriate. Despite its informality however, this usage is in frequent usage among British people, so you are likely to hear it from time to time if you have British friends or colleagues. Examples of usage.... I am going to be late into work today as my car is playing up. INTENDED MEANING: I will be late for work because my car has developed a problem. My laptop has been playing up for the last couple of weeks, I think I should get a new one. INTENDED MEANING: My laptop has not been functioning properly for the last few weeks and so I think it would be a good idea to invest in a new one. EXTRA INFORMATION TO SOUND MORE LIKE A NATIVE In addition to complaining about dysfunctional equipment or devices, it is also very common to use 'play up' to describe body parts that are not working properly and causing you health problems as a result. This is typically used to describe chronic problems which come and go, such as back pain or pain from a long term injury and, rather understandably, is used most frequently by the older generation. Examples of usage.... My back is playing up again, I am in agony! INTENDED MEANING: My backache has returned and it is very painful! Speak up! My ears are playing up and I can't hear you properly! INTENDED MEANING: Speak louder, my ears are not so good, so I can't hear what you are saying! Moreover, with this usage it is also very common for people to add an object pronoun (me, you, him, her or them) to say that the particular malfunctioning body part is causing them pain or discomfort. Examples of usage.... My eyes play me up from time to time but that's just a normal part of getting old I guess! INTENDED MEANING: Sometimes my eyes do not work as well as they should but that is all part of the normal aging process. My feet have been playing me up something dreadful since I ran the marathon! INTENDED MEANING: My feet have been very painful ever since I ran the marathon rice. MEANING 3: To misbehave For our third meaning, we have another usage that is primarily used in British English and that is 'to misbehave'. Logically, this is really the same as the previous meaning, however instead of a device or body part not working in the way it should, we are rather talking about a person not behaving in the way that they should, in other words they are misbehaving. As this meaning is primarily concerned with bad behaviour, it will come as no surprise to you that it is used often to talk about naughty children. However, we can certainly also use it to talk about pets (my cats play up all the time) and occasionally even adults. Again, this usage is largely informal and more formal alternatives such as 'to misbehave' should be used in formal environments. Furthermore, it is also possible to play someone up. We use this variation when someone is responsible for looking after a child e.g. a babysitter, and the child misbehaves whilst in that person's care. We could then say that the child plays the babysitter up. Examples of usage.... The kids were so well behaved today, they didn't play up once! INTENDED MEANING: The children behaved well today and were not naughty at all. Our cats have started playing up ever since the building work on our home started. INTENDED MEANING: Our cats have started to be badly behaved since our home renovations started. Ok children, we are off now so please do not play the babysitter up. INTENDED MEANING: We are leaving now, so please behave well for the childminder. Meaning 4: To influence someone to make them like you Our fourth and final meaning of 'play up' is a return to the dishonesty that we looked at in the first meaning of this post because it means to act in a certain way in order to make someone like you and treat you well. This could be by flattering them, doing something to help them or buying them gifts - regardless of the action however, the ultimate aim is to gain some sort of advantage from them. For this usage the additional preposition 'to' is required since we 'play up to' the person that we are trying to impress. A typical example of when this is used would be in work environments when someone wants to play up to the boss in order to get a promotion or special treatment of some sort. This usage is not limited to the world of work though and can be found in any situation where someone wants to gain an advantage with another person. Example of usage.... Lisa is blatantly playing up to the boss, she's desperate to get his secretary's job! INTENDED MEANING: It's obvious that Lisa is trying to impress the boss, she really wants to get his secretary's job. BONUS Before finishing this post, I want to give you one more expression which features our phrasal verb 'play up'. The expression in question is 'to play up for the camera', which is used to describe when a person acts in a certain way when they are being filmed, in order to come across well. The idea is that they do not not normally act that way in reality and their behaviour is all just for the camera. Another variation of this is also 'to play up to the camera'. EXERCISE Re-write the following sentences using 'to play up'.... The politician emphasised his rival's past connections with a criminal gang. The marketing department told the employees that the seminar was very important but it was a waste of time! John's car has not been working properly for the last couple of weeks. My cat Arthur misbehaved a lot yesterday. Helen gets back pain from time to time. Look at the way that Lisa acts around the boss - she is clearly desperate for a promotion! The answers will be available on next week's post. EXERCISE ANSWERS FROM 'GET BY' (other variations may be possible) Can you move your car please? I need to GET BY. My ancestors GOT BY on a diet of mostly bread, meat and vegetables. My car is not ideal but I can GET BY with it until I can afford a new one. You can GET BY onto the next stage with this result but you could have done better. My brother GETS BY on a low salary. We managed to GET BY the police barrier without anyone seeing us. That is the end of today's post. Thank you so much for taking the time to read it and I sincerely hope that it has helped you a little bit further on your English learning journey. If you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media, so together we can help as many English learners as possible to understand and master these tricky phrasal verbs. Also, please leave any comments, questions, suggestions or examples of 'play up' below. I really love reading them. See you next time! James

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'get by', with examples and exercises. Hello and welcome to my blog all about English phrasal verbs. Each week, I take a different phrasal verb and look at how it is used by native speakers, with a focus on the different meanings that it has and the expressions and idioms that it is used in. This week's post is another phrasal verb featuring the ever-popular verb 'to get'; namely 'get by'. In this post, we will look at what native speakers mean when they use 'get by' in a literal sense, as well as its different figurative meanings, including to do the minimum possible required to succeed and to have just enough of something to manage. So, without further ado, let's get started.... KEY INFORMATION For more explanation of the terms in the table above, click here THE BASICS The phrasal verb 'get by' is made up of arguably the most popular verb amongst English native speakers, 'to get', and the prepositional particle 'by'. As we have seen in previous posts, the verb 'to get' has a wide range of different uses in English, however the meaning that is most relevant for the different usages of 'get by' is 'to move to and arrive at a different place or position'. The particle 'by' can be used both as a preposition and an adverb in English and the prepositional meaning which we are interested in for this post is 'movement past something'. Now, with the two elements of this phrasal verb explained, the first of the meanings should be an easy one to understand so let's go.... MEANING 1: To move past something Following on from the previous section, this first usage of 'get by' is the literal meaning that is produced when we combine the two forms of 'get' and 'by', outlined in the previous section, i.e. to move past something so that you are on the other side of it. This is generally only ever used for physical movement and not in a symbolic or metaphorical way. In general, we use 'get by' in situations where it is difficult to move past something as there is some sort of obstruction, or in other words, when something is blocking your path. In contrast, if there is no obstacle present or we can move past something easily and without restriction, then native speakers are more likely to use another relevant verb of movement such as go, walk or drive. The verb 'to get' in this case implies an element of difficulty to the action. As such, here are some typical situations in which we use 'get by' in this way.... When a road is blocked by a car or another kind of obstruction and you cannot easily drive past it. When a person is blocking a path that you are walking on and you need to walk past them. When a road has been closed by authorities and you need to turn onto it in order to reach your destination. Examples of usage.... If you park your car here, you will make it difficult for other cars to get by. INTENDED MEANING: If you park here, other cars will not be able to pass it easily. Sorry, do you need to get by? INTENDED MEANING: Sorry do you need to walk / go past me? The police have sealed off the road where I live and will not let me get by to go home. INTENDED MEANING: The road on which I live has been blocked by the police and they will not allow me to go past the roadblock to get home. MEANING 2: To survive with the minimum possible The second meaning of 'get by' is 'to survive or manage with the minimum possible amount of something'. When we use 'get by' in this sense, the key idea is that we have only a small amount of something and it is just enough to meet our requirements. In other words, the amount that we have allows us to manage in the given situation, however if we had more of it, either the situation would be better or our lives would be more comfortable. 'Get by' can often have negative connotations, especially when talking about money, as it is often used when talking about financial difficulties, or in extreme cases poverty and deprivation. If we want to express or quantify the small amount that we have, we require the extra preposition 'on' to do this. Alternatively, we can also use 'to get by with' when specifying something that we have, which enables us to do something, but is not ideal for the job (i.e. there are better alternatives in existence). Aside from money, other common nouns which can be used with 'get by' when they are in short supply are sleep, food and knowledge. It is also commonly used in the expression 'get by on my own', meaning to manage without the help of other people, although it will not be easy. Examples of usage.... I don't earn a lot of money but I get by! INTENDED MEANING: I don't earn much money but what I earn is enough for me to survive on. It is said that Margaret Thatcher got by on four hours sleep a night. INTENDED MEANING: People say that Margaret Thatcher only needed to sleep for four hours every night. It was a tough situation but I got by with a little help from my friends and family. INTENDED MEANING: The situation was not good but I survived it thanks to my friends and family. MEANING 3: To satisfy the minimum requirements For our third meaning of 'get by', we do not have to make such a big leap from the second meaning that we have just looked at, as it means 'to satisfy the minimum requirements of something'. This is very much the same idea as the second meaning, but the focus here is that we achieve a certain requirement such as an examination pass, with the lowest possible mark. For example, if you needed a score of 50% in an exam in order to pass it and you got a score of 51%, you could say that you got by with 51%. Conversely, if you scored less than the requisite 50% mark, then you failed and 'get by' cannot be used here. As per the example above, this is commonly used with examinations and tests, however it can also be used for any other area where minimum requirements must be met in order to quality for something e.g. sports. Example of usage.... I got by with low passes in my exams, so I can go to university but I won't be able to go the university or my choice. INTENDED MEANING: I passed my exams with low grades, so I can go to university but not the universities that I want to go to. MEANING 4: To go unnoticed Our fourth and final usage of 'get by' is one that links back to the literal usage that we covered earlier on in the post. The idea of this is more of an extension of the first meaning because it means 'to move past something or someone without being seen or noticed'. This usage is a good synonym of the phrasal verb 'to sneak past', as it essentially means to move past a person or group of people unnoticed, in order to get to where you want to be. This is something that you often see in action movies where the protagonist has to sneak past some people to get to the place where he or she can save the day! 'Get by' is used intransitively in this sense when the speaker is talking about 'getting by' a person without them being seen or noticed, however it can also be used transitively with a direct object when we want to talk about moving an object or another person past someone without being seen. Lastly, we can also use this meaning of 'get by' when talking about something passing checks or verifications without being noticed or spotted, typically when the thing in question would not normally 'get by' if it were spotted. Examples of usage.... If you want to get into the club, you are going to have to get by the bouncers. INTENDED MEANING: If you want to enter the nightclub, you will need to pass the bouncers to do it. The visitor to the prison tried to get the cigarettes by the prison guards. INTENDED MEANING: The prison visitor tried to sneak in cigarettes to the prison without the guards noticing. Although there was an error on my passport application, it still managed to get by the verification checks. INTENDED MEANING: Despite having an error on it, my passport application passed the verification checks without it being spotted. Before I finish this post, here are a couple of golden oldies featuring our phrasal verb of choice 'get by' for reference...enjoy! EXERCISE Re-write the following sentences using 'to get by'.... Can you move your car please? I need to drive past it. My ancestors survived on a diet of mostly bread, meat and vegetables. My car is not ideal but I can cope with it until I can afford a new one. You can pass onto the next stage with this result but you could have done better. My brother earns a low salary but it's enough for his needs. We managed to move past the police barrier without anyone seeing us. EXERCISE ANSWERS FROM 'MAKE UP' (other variations may be possible) Helen and Lisa had an argument last week but they have MADE UP now. I didn't want to go to work today so I MADE UP a fake illness and called in sick. Vegetarians now MAKE UP 10% of the British population. I had a dentist appointment this morning so I have to work extra hours this evening to MAKE it UP. You can sleep here tonight, I will MAKE UP a bed for you in the spare room. She needs to MAKE her MIND up about what she wants to do by this evening. The answers will be available on next week's post. That is the end of today's post. Thank you so much for taking the time to read it and I sincerely hope that it has helped you a little bit further on your English learning journey. If you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media, so together we can help as many English learners as possible to understand and master these tricky phrasal verbs. Also, please leave any comments, questions, suggestions or examples of 'get by' below. I really love reading them. See you next time! James

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'make up', with examples and exercises. Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about English phrasal verbs! Read on to learn more about the phrasal verb 'make up'... This week's blog post is all about the phrasal verb 'make up', which is definitely one that you will have come across before as it is super common and is one that I have used many times on these blog posts before. In this post we will look at its different meanings including inventing stories, making a decision and applying cosmetics. So, without further do, let's get started....don't forget to leave a comment at the end 😊 KEY INFORMATION For more explanation of the terms in the table above, click here THE BASICS The phrasal verb 'make up' is formed of the verb 'to make' and the prepositional particle 'up'. The verb 'to make' is a very common verb and is often confused with the verb 'to do' by English learners as the two are quite similar and can often be translated into other languages as the same word. Both 'to make' and 'to do' have an extensive number of uses in English, but one of the main ideas of the verb 'to make' is creation and production, while a dominant idea of 'to do', in contrast, is performing an action. This concept of 'to make' will be useful to keep in mind when we look at the different uses of 'make up' shortly. Next we have the particle 'up', meaning a movement in the direction away from the ground or towards the sky ↑. When we combine these words, there is no literal meaning whatsoever, so let's just move straight on to the different figurative meanings..... MEANING 1: To make peace after an argument Let's start off the meanings of 'make up' on a positive note. For this we are going to need the additional preposition 'with' and the reason for this is that 'to make up with someone' means to reconcile or become friends with them again after an argument or disagreement. 'Make up' is not just limited to friendships though, and is used a lot to talk about romantic couples who have disagreements or break up and then make peace again afterwards. The use of this meaning is, however, limited to personal relationships and is not used so much to describe business or professional relationships. One expression that we often use in a tongue-in-cheek* way to talk about when people reconcile following a dispute or argument is "to kiss and make up". This is used regardless of whether or not the people in question are friends or in a romantic relationship. A variation of 'make up' that you may hear is 'to make it up', which has the same meaning. This is especially common in the past form i.e. 'made it up'. Examples of usage.... All John and Helen seem to do is break up and then make up the next day. I wish you and your brother would make up! She's deeply offended and refuses to make up with me. * The expression 'tongue-in-cheek' is used to describe something that is not seriously intended and used in a jokey or humorous way. MEANING 2: To invent a story or information For our second usage of 'make up', we are entering into the realm of fantasy and fairy tales as the meaning is 'to invent or create something that does not exist by using the powers of our imagination'. These imaginary creations can range from stories, characters and people to excuses, lies and false information. The key idea is that it is created in our imagination and is not real. Unsurprisingly, this meaning is used very commonly with children who tend to enjoy making up stories, characters and scenarios as part of their play activities. However, as you will know, adults are also very good at creating fictional information, excuses and lies and this usage of 'make up' can therefore be used with both innocent and immoral intent. Aside from the verb form, the past particle 'made-up' is also frequently used as an adjective (note the hyphen) to describe something fictional that someone has invented and as such, you will often hear such terms as "made-up story" and "made-up word", among many others. Examples of usage.... When I was a child, I used to make up imaginary friends because I was lonely. I didn't go to the party - I was too tired so I made up an excuse and said thatI was ill. Although the novel features made-up characters, the story is based on real life events. EXTRA INFORMATION TO SOUND MORE LIKE A NATIVE SPEAKER There are a couple of well-known expressions of this usage of 'make up' that I really like and want to make you aware of... You couldn't make it up - We use this expression when talking about things that happen in reality that are so strange or bizarre that a person would not be able to create them using their imagination. To make it up as you go along - This second expression is used for situations in which we do not know what we are doing and we just do things by instinct, without preparation or planning. We decide how to do it in the present moment (and hope for the best). MEANING 3: To constitute a whole For our third meaning of 'make up', we need to make a 180 degree turn away from the poetic world of fantasy to the much more prosaic and serious world of data, statistics and facts. This meaning of 'make up' is 'to form or to constitute a whole and is used to talk about the different elements or things which combine together to form something bigger or complete. This meaning of 'make up' is commonly used in statistical information, especially when talking about percentages and fractions. Examples of usage.... It is estimated that the 100 most common words in any language make up about 50% of the words regularly used in it. Greyscale colours currently make up three quarters of cars produced worldwide. Furthermore, 'make up' is also used when we have already given percentages or proportions and we want to talk about the part that completes the remainder of the group. We can use 'make up' here, often with the 'the rest' or 'the remaining X%'. Examples of usage.... The three of us have all paid a quarter of the bill each, so if you could also pay a quarter and make up the rest, it would be great. INTENDED MEANING: We've all paid our share of 25%, so if you can pay the final 25% and the remainder of the bill, it would be really good. In the English exam the weighting of the speaking section is 40%, the listening section is 30% and the reading and writing sections together make up the remaining 30%. INTENDED MEANING: The weightings for the English exam are 40% for speaking, 30% for reading and the remaining 30% will be for reading and writing combined. Lastly, it is very common to use the passive form 'made up' with the additional preposition 'of' to express the different things which something consists of. Examples of usage.... Air is made up of nitrogen, oxygen, argon and small amounts of many other gases. All matter is made up of very small particles known as atoms. MEANING 4: To compensate for something Our next usage of 'make up' is one that is very common in the workplace. If you work for a company in the anglophone world and you need to take some time off e.g. for a doctor's appointment, your boss may authorise the time off but might also say that you need to make the time up. The reason for this is because the next usage of 'make up' means to compensate for something that is lost, lacking or missing. The example above with working hours is a very commonly used one in the English speaking world. Another typical way that this usage of 'make up' can be heard in English is when we have a target or required amount of something e.g. money and we do not have enough of it to reach the target amount. We can use 'make up' here to talk about the amount that is required in order to reach our target amount, i.e. the difference between how much we have and how much we need to have. A common expression featuring this usage of 'make up' that you may hear is 'to make up for lost time', which we use to describe when we do something more quickly, intensely or regularly, in order to compensate for not having done it in the past. For obvious reasons this is often used by middle-aged and older people, perhaps during or after a midlife crisis! Examples of usage.... Yes, you can have the time off this week to go to the funeral but can you please make the time up next week. Now that my injury has healed I'm training more than ever as I'm making up for lost time! EXTRA INFORMATION TO SOUND MORE LIKE A NATIVE SPEAKER If you are ever in a situation where an English speaker disappoints you in some way, it is likely that they will say sorry (especially British people as we apologise for everything) and that they will make it up to you. In the case of disappointing someone, as mentioned above, the idea here links back to the first meaning of making peace following an argument, but the focus here is that we are saying we will do something to remove the negative feelings caused by the disappointment (essentially apologising), with the end objective being reconciliation and peace. Note that the extra particle 'to' is required here to designate the person who we have disappointed and want to make happy again. Examples of usage.... I'm so sorry that I forgot your birthday. Let me make it up to you by taking you out for a meal. I can't be there this weekend but I will make it up to you, I promise! MEANING 5: To prepare something from ingredients or parts The fifth usage of 'make up' means to prepare, build or create something by combining different ingredients or parts. As you can probably imagine from the word 'ingredients', food is frequently used with this meaning of 'make up' and it is very common to use this with any dish or item that can be made by mixing and combining different ingredients together. Another example of where this meaning of 'make up' is in common usage is with material and fabric where we create garments or curtains. Moreover, we can also say that we 'make up a bed for someone' when we create a new, often temporary, bed for them using blankets etc. This is different to making a bed, where we arrange the blanket and pillows on an existing bed. Examples of usage.... Let me give you some tips on how to make up an amazing and tasty casserole. I You can sleep here tonight, I will make up a bed for you in the spare room. MEANING 6: To apply cosmetics For our sixth meaning of 'make up', we are diving into the world of cosmetics. I'm sure that most of you reading will be familiar with the noun makeup, meaning cosmetic products that are used to add colour to the face and change or improve one's appearance. It may therefore come as no surprise to you that the noun makeup is derived directly from our sixth phrasal verb meaning, which is to apply cosmetics to the face and body. For this usage, reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself etc.) are required when talking about a person who is applying their own makeup. This is of course not the case for people who get their makeup applied by somebody else e.g. actors and celebrities. Although this usage is still used in everyday English, I would say that the construction 'to do your makeup' is perhaps more common than this phrasal verb form, but it is good to be aware of it nevertheless. Example of usage.... Lisa made herself up and put on her best evening gown. Meaning 7: To decide This final meaning of 'make up' that I want to bring to your attention means to make a decision and is used in the construction "to make up your mind". This is actually more of an idiomatic expression than an entirely different meaning, but it is so common that I wanted to include it as a separate meaning of its own. The structure of this expression is flexible and 'mind' can be placed both in the middle of and after the phrasal verb 'make up', without changing the meaning. Examples of usage.... John took ages to make up his mind about what food to order at the restaurant. I've made my mind up about where I want to go to university. One extra thing to make you aware of before the end of this post is the expression "to be made up about something". This is a common idiomatic expression in British English to mean to be delighted or extremely happy about something, normally good news. Examples of usage.... That's amazing news! I'm made up for you. Roger is made up about his new work contract! EXERCISE Re-write the following sentences using 'to make up'.... Helen and Lisa had an argument last week but they are friends again now. I didn't want to go to work today so I invented a fake illness and called in sick. Vegetarians now constitute 10% of the British population. I had a dentist appointment this morning so I have to work extra hours this evening to compensate. You can sleep here tonight, I will prepare a bed for you in the spare room. She needs to make a decision about what she wants to do by this evening. The answers will be available on next week's post. EXERCISE ANSWERS FROM 'COME OVER' (other variations may be possible) Do you want to COME OVER to mine tonight for dinner? My grandparents CAME OVER here from Europe after the war. The speech CAME OVER very well. I suddenly CAME OVER all hot and sweaty and needed a drink of water. One minute he was fine and then all of a sudden he CAME OVER all angry. I've changed my view on the matter and have COME OVER to your way of thinking. This brings us to the end of the post, so thanks very much for reading. Now it is YOUR turn.....leave a comment on the blog post with your own sentence using 'make up'....don't be shy!!! If you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media, so together we can help as many English learners as possible to understand and master these tricky phrasal verbs. Sign up on

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'come over', with examples and exercises. Hello and welcome to my blog all about English phrasal verbs. Each week, I take a different phrasal verb and look at how it is used by native speakers, with a focus on the different meanings that it has and the expressions and idioms that it is used in. This week it is the turn of the phrasal verb 'come over', which is a fairly common phrasal verb that shares some of its meanings with the common phrasal verb 'come across' (which you can find out more about by clicking here). 'Come over' does however have some other meanings that we will also cover in this post. So, without further ado, let's take a look at them.... KEY INFORMATION For more explanation of the terms in the table above, click here THE BASICS Before we go any further, let's first of all consider the words which make up the phrasal verb 'come over', which will hopefully give some much needed logic to some of the idiomatic meanings that we will cover in the post. Our main verb is the extremely commonplace verb 'to come', which broadly means to move towards the speaker or the place where the speaker is (or will be in the future). We then have the prepositional particle 'over', which has several different meanings, but the meaning that is relevant for this phrasal verb is to move across an area, normally from one side of it to the other. So now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of 'come over'.... MEANING 1: Literal As per usual, let's start by considering our chosen phrasal verb's literal meaning. In a literal sense, 'come over' means to physically move across an area or space, towards where the speaker is, or depending on the context, where the listener is. In addition, it can also be used to say that someone is coming towards you, normally with the intention of speaking to you. This is very similar to the literal meaning of the phrasal verb 'come across' but I would say that 'come over' is perhaps used more commonly by native speakers to express this particular meaning. A more advanced usage (C1) of this meaning of 'come over' is to travel over a long distance from one place to another, usually involving crossing a sea or an ocean. This is often used when talking about people visiting a far away country or emigrating from one country to another. Examples of usage.... Oh no! He's noticed that we're talking about him and he is coming over. My parents came over to the UK in the 1960s and I was born here not long afterwards. When are you coming over to visit us in Australia? We miss you! MEANING 2: To visit someone's house The second meaning of 'come over' is not so different from the literal version that we have just considered, as it is an informal way to mean 'to visit somebody's house', with the idea that the visitor travels across an area to end up at the speaker's house (or possibly the listener's house). It is usually used when you are talking about somebody visiting you at your own home and is often expressed either as "come over to my house" or "come over to mine*". It is also absolutely fine to omit the 'to my house' or 'to mine' from the sentence as 'come over' on its own carries this implied meaning when used in the appropriate context. Examples of usage.... What are you doing later? Do you want to come over to watch a movie? INTENDED MEANING: Do you want to come to my house later to watch a film? I'll come over to yours next week and we can have catch-up! INTENDED MEANING: I will come to your house next week and we can catch up. * When talking about a person's house, it is normal for native speakers to use the possessive pronouns mine, his, hers, ours etc EXTRA INFORMATION TO SOUND MORE LIKE A NATIVE SPEAKER Another variation of 'come over' that you may have heard before, especially in song lyrics, is 'come on over'. This is a common way of verbally inviting someone to join you where you are or to come to your house. Generally speaking, 'come on over' has the same meaning as 'come over', but we tend to use it when we are inviting someone to do something in the present, rather than at a point in the future. Moreover, I would say that it feels a little friendlier and softer than 'come over', which is also not hard or unfriendly. As such, 'come on over' is often used in an encouraging way, especially if the person being invited is reluctant to come for some reason. MEANING 3: To be perceived Meaning number three of 'come over' means 'to be perceived' and again is very similar to the phrasal verb 'come across'. For this meaning, we are primarily concerned with how people, or the things that they say and do, are perceived or understood by others. It can be used to describe both how a person's behaviour and messages or information are interpreted and viewed by other people. When talking about how a person is perceived, we tend to use adjectives to describe a person's character or behaviour e.g. nervous, confident, shy and for this we require the extra word 'as'. Examples of usage.... Lisa came over as very self-assured in the interview but in reality she was very nervous. INTENDED MEANING: Lisa seemed to be very confident in the interview but really she wasn't. The politician comes over as weak and that is why people will not vote for him. INTENDED MEANING: The politician is perceived to be weak by others and therefore they will not vote for him. Conversely, when using 'come over' to describe how a message or information is perceived by people, we tend to use adverbs such as well, brilliantly and strongly. Did my speech come over well? INTENDED MEANING: Was my speech clear? Did people enjoy it? Despite the social distancing during filming, the romantic scenes in the film came over brilliantly. INTENDED MEANING: In spite of the social distancing at the time of filming, the romantic scenes were well received by viewers. Meaning 4: To suddenly feel different The fourth meaning of 'come over' means to suddenly feel very different to normal. This can be in a physical way, for example when we start to feel sick, dizzy or faint. It can also be in a behavioural or emotional way, for example when we begin to feel very angry or sad all of a sudden. When talking about these sudden changes that we experience, it is normal to include the word 'all' between the word 'over' and the adjective, perhaps to express that the feeling or emotion has taken over us entirely. Often, with the sudden emotional or behavioural changes, it can often be because we have been affected by something that we have seen or experienced, however this is not always the case and 'come over' can be used here to describe when we experience sudden mood changes for no reason whatsoever. You may have heard a native speaker say "I don't know what came over me!", which is normally used in an apologetic way when we do not know why we started acting in such a strange way. Alternatively, people can often use "I don't know what came over him / her" to try and excuse the wayward actions of another person and infer that they are not normally like that. Examples of usage.... I was fine one minute and then I came over all dizzy the next and had to sit down. INTENDED MEANING: I was ok one moment and then the next I started to feel dizzy and needed to sit down. She came over all sad in the middle of our conversation, so I hope I didn't upset her! INTENDED MEANING: She suddenly became sad during our conversation, so I hope that I wasn't the cause of it. I'm so sorry about my behaviour last night, I don't know what came over me! INTENDED MEANING: I am sorry about how I behaved last night, I don't know why I behaved like that or what caused it. Meaning 5: To change allegiance The fifth and final meaning of 'come over' is to change allegiance or, in other words, change sides from one side to an opposing or rival one. It is also used when people change their views on a particular subject, often in quite a radical way. This is not such a commonly used form of 'come over' but nevertheless you may come across it in the realms of politics, sport (teams) and debates (ideologies and beliefs). This meaning is certainly the rarest out of the ones that we have looked at but I wanted to make you aware of it nonetheless. Examples of usage.... What has made you come over to our way of thinking? INTENDED MEANING: What has caused you to start thinking in the same way as we do? EXERCISE Re-write the following sentences using 'to come over'.... Do you want to come to my house tonight for dinner? My grandparents moved here from Europe after the war. The speech was received very well by the audience. I suddenly started to feel hot and sweaty and needed a drink of water. One minute he was fine and then all of a sudden he got really angry. I've changed my view on the matter and have started to think like you do. The answers will be available on next week's post. EXERCISE ANSWERS FROM 'TURN UP' (other variations may be possible) John TURNED his head UP to look at the stars. Nobody TURNED UP to my party until after 11pm! I lost my cellphone last week and it TURNED UP a week later behind the sofa. Roger has taken his suit to the tailor to be TURNED UP. I can't believe that Birmingham City has won the football league, what a TURN UP for the books! Can you TURN your microphone UP as I can't hear you very well. That is the end of today's post. Thank you so much for taking the time to read it and I sincerely hope that it has helped you a little bit further on your English learning journey. If you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media, so together we can help as many English learners as possible to understand and master these tricky phrasal verbs. Also, please leave any comments, questions, suggestions or examples of 'come over' below. I really love reading them. See you next time! James

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'turn up', with examples and exercises. Hello and welcome to my blog all about English phrasal verbs. Each week, I take a different phrasal verb and look at how it is used by native speakers, with a focus on the different meanings that it has and the expressions and idioms that it is used in. The subject of this post is the phrasal verb 'turn up'. I have recently done a post about its phrasal verb opposite, 'turn down', so if you can remember the different meanings of that, then you should find some of the meanings of 'turn up' nice and simple as they are just the reverse. You will note that I said 'some' of the meanings as there are others that are completely unrelated to 'turn down' - that would be too easy! So without further ado, let's have a look at them.... KEY INFORMATION For more explanation of the terms in the table above, click here THE BASICS The phrasal verb 'turn up' consists of the verb 'to turn' and the prepositional particle 'up'. The verb 'to turn' is a common verb with various meanings, including to change direction, to move in a circular path and to transform from one thing into another. Although the verb 'to turn' is in common use in the English language, you will regularly find it appearing in a lot of different phrasal verbs because we often require extra directional or spatial information to give more precision to the action of 'turning' e.g. 'turn around', 'turn over' or 'turn back'. In conjunction with 'turn', we have the prepositional particle 'up', meaning in the direction away from the ground or towards the sky ↑. MEANING 1: Literal The first meaning of 'turn up' that I want to cover is the literal meaning, which you have probably guessed, is simply to turn or rotate something so that it is facing upwards. As this is quite self-explanatory, I don't want to spend too much time on this, but I do want to give you some typical examples of usage, which are turning your head up, so that you are looking in the direction of the sky and turning playing cards up, so that the face of the card is visible. In both of these examples however, it should be noted that other synonyms are often used, such as 'look up' turning your head and 'turn over' for the cards. MEANING 2: To arrive unexpectedly So, now we are on to our first idiomatic meaning of 'turn up', which is to arrive or to appear somewhere, often (but not always) at an unexpected time or in an unexpected manner. In other words, we can use 'turn up' as a synonym for the verb 'to arrive', but we tend to use it more when there is something unplanned or surprising about the arrival. Examples of this unconventional arrival could be the following.... the person arrives unexpectedly, without forewarning or invitation the person arrives earlier or later than planned or requested there is something funny, surprising or unexpected about the person when they arrive Although I have specifically stated a person in the examples above, it is also absolutely fine to use this with objects when talking about deliveries etc. Examples of usage.... All of the guests turned up for the party, bar one. INTENDED MEANING: Everyone who was invited to the party came except for one person. My parents turned up just as I was about to leave the house to go shopping. INTENDED MEANING: My parents arrived at my house unexpectedly at the exact time I was leaving the house to go shopping. Lisa's car broke down on her way to work and she eventually turned up there at 11am. INTENDED MEANING: Lisa's car stopped working when she was driving to work and she finally arrived there at 11am. John mistakenly thought that the party was fancy dress, so he turned up wearing a Superman outfit, much to everyone's amusement. INTENDED MEANING: John thought that it was a fancy dress party in error and arrived wearing a Superman costume, which made all the guests laugh. My neighbour turned up on my doorstep last night in floods of tears as her dog was missing. INTENDED MEANING: My neighbour knocked on my door last night, overcome with emotion, because she could not find her dog. MEANING 3: To be found This third meaning of 'turn up' simply means to be found. This often refers to when we unexpectedly find something that was previously hidden or lost. When we use 'turn up' in this way, it is usually because we have given up on finding the lost item and don't think we will ever see it again. Of course, we can use the verb 'to find' as a synonym here, however 'turn up' adds an extra nuance of unexpectedness or surprise and sometimes it can also be used to convey a bit mystery to the reappearance of the lost item. Alternatively, if something is lost or mislaid, but we are confident that we will find it again at some unknown point in the future, it is equally common to say that "it will turn up". By using 'turn up' rather than 'find', we are saying that we are perhaps not actively going to look for the missing item and it will appear in the future. Examples of usage.... We thought we had lost our cat Arthur when he disappeared. Thankfully he turned up at the house again a week later and we still have no idea where he had been. INTENDED MEANING: We presumed that Arthur the cat had vanished after we didn't see him for a few days but luckily he came back a week after his disappearance. The stolen car turned up abandoned on a roadside 10km away from where it had been stolen. INTENDED MEANING: The stolen car was found on the side of the road 10 km from place where it had been taken. I've lost my favourite socks. They must be in the house somewhere but I'm not worried as they are bound to turn up. INTENDED MEANING: My favourite socks are lost somewhere in this house but I am not bothered as I am fairly certain that I will find them again. MEANING 4: To become available unexpectedly For this fourth meaning of 'turn up', we are staying with the familiar theme of something happening unexpectedly, however this time we are talking about unforeseen opportunities or situations that arise when you are looking for something. This could be a new job opportunity, somewhere new to live or a new car that you want to buy. Regardless of what the opportunity is, the main point here is that when it does arise, it is unexpected in some way, often as it is when we have started to lose hope of success. Moreover, if we want to offer some encouragement to someone who is having difficulty finding a job for example, we can say that "something will turn up". Equally, when talking about a time in the past when a new unexpected opportunity arose, we can say that something "turned up". Examples of usage.... My son has been looking for a job since graduating from uni and he has had no luck so far, but I'm sure something will turn up soon. INTENDED MEANING: My son has not yet found a job since finishing his studies, but I am sure that he will find one in the near future. They say that the love of your life normally turns up when you least expect it. INTENDED MEANING: It is said that people meet the love of their lives when they do not expect it. MEANING 5: To increase the intensity of something This next meaning of 'turn up' is one of the most commonly used meanings of this phrasal verb and means to increase the intensity of something such as the volume, temperature or power of a device. It may be quite obvious to you, but just in case it is not, this meaning is derived from when we turn a dial to a higher number on a device (up), thus increasing its level of output or energy (see the gif above). For this meaning 'turn up' is used transitively, meaning that it requires a direct object, which is the noun whose intensity or output we want to be increased. The direct object noun can either be placed after 'turn' or after 'up', without changing the meaning. Although we can and do use 'turn up' to describe the action of increasing the intensity of many different nouns, the most common usage is probably with the noun 'volume'. For this reason, if you hear a native speaker say "turn it up", it is highly likely that what they actually mean is "turn the volume up" or "make it louder". Examples of usage.... I was so cold in my house, so I turned up the central heating. INTENDED MEANING: As I was cold at home, I increased the heating level. Please can you turn the television up as I can barely hear it. INTENDED MEANING: Could you please increase the TV's volume as I am struggling to hear it. I love this song! Turn it up! INTENDED MEANING: Make this song louder, I love it! MEANING 6: To fold or modify clothes This next meaning of 'turn up' is specific to clothing and logically links back to the literal meaning of the phrasal verb that we looked at earlier in the post. This meaning specifically means to fold parts of clothes, normally the bottoms of trouser legs, upwards in order to make them shorter, so that they fit the owner better. The part of the garment is literally turned upwards. In everyday speech it is normal to use this in a passive sense and say that you are "getting something turned up" when the garment to be modified is with the tailors. In addition to this, if something is already folded downwards such as the corner of a piece of paper or a collar on a garment, we also say that we "turn it up" when we unfold it. Examples of usage.... I have sent my new suit to the tailors to get it turned up before the wedding next week. INTENDED MEANING: My new suit has been sent to the tailors to be modified so that it fits me perfectly for the wedding next week. There was a chill in the air and so I turned up the collar on my winter coat. INTENDED MEANING: It felt a bit chilly so I opened out the collar on my coat to cover my neck. MEANING 7: To turn onto a different road or path The last meaning that I want to bring to your attention is one that I also looked at in the 'turn down' post as it essentially means the same thing, which is to turn from one road or path onto another and then continue straight along it. Native speakers use both 'turn up' and 'turn down' here interchangeably and there is no discernible difference in meaning that I am aware of; it is just the speaker's choice. It can also be noted that it can be used both for travel by vehicle as well as on foot. Example of usage.... We turned up the road towards the church and realised that it was the wrong road! It would be rude of me to finish this post without also giving you some expressions in which the phrasal verb 'turn up' is used, so here are a few for you.... To turn your nose up at something = This idiom means to show disapproval of something or to refuse something in a judgemental way, often when the person believes that something is not good enough for them. It is often used in reference to snobby or arrogant people but can also be used for fussy cats like mine who occasionally turn their noses up at the food they are given to eat. A turn up for the books! = This is an idiomatic expression in British English and is used to describe a very unexpected but pleasing surprise. The roots of this idiom can be traced back to betting on horses as the records of bets were kept by people called bookmakers (colloquially known as bookies) in 'books' and if something unexpected (that word again!) happened, then some lucky gamblers would be very happy! To turn up out of the blue = This expression is very common when talking about someone or something which appears or arrives completely unexpectedly, almost as if they suddenly appear out of the blue sky or from the blue ocean. It is possible to use "out of the blue" on its own without 'turn up' and the meaning would be more or less the same. EXERCISE Re-write the following sentences using 'to turn down'.... John tilted his head up to look at the stars. Nobody came to my party until after 11pm! I lost my cellphone last week and it was finally found a week later behind the sofa. Roger has taken his suit to the tailor to be modified so that it fits him better. I can't believe that Birmingham City has won the football league, what a surprising and unexpected outcome! Can you increase your microphone level as I can't hear you very well. EXERCISE ANSWERS FROM 'SEE THROUGH' (other variations may be possible) I SAW you THROUGH in the garden. Helen could SEE THROUGH John from the very moment that she met him. You can't wear that swimming costume, it is completely SEE-THROUGH!! I intend to SEE the French course THROUGH until the very end! Here is £1000, this should SEE you THROUGH until the end of the month. Some bread and meat was enough to SEE the family THROUGH until the end of the winter. That is the end of today's post. Thank you so much for taking the time to read it and I sincerely hope that it has helped you a little bit further on your English learning journey. If you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media, so together we can help as many English learners as possible to understand and master these tricky phrasal verbs. Also, please leave any comments, questions, suggestions or examples of 'turn up' below. I really love reading them. See you next time! James

An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'see through', with examples and exercises. Hello and welcome to my blog all about English phrasal verbs. Each week, I take a different phrasal verb and look at how it is used by native speakers, with a focus on the different meanings it has and the expressions and idioms that it is used in. This week's phrasal verb is 'see through', which on the face of it seems quite straightforward, but in fact has some interesting uses that you may not be aware of. So, without further ado, let's take a look.... KEY INFORMATION For more explanation of the terms in the table above, click here THE BASICS Our focus verb this week is the verb 'to see', which is a sensory verb, meaning 'to perceive something with your eyes' and I'm sure it will be extremely familiar to most readers. In addition to this sensory meaning, it also has a second meaning in English, which is to understand something after consideration or reflection; possibly as we can see something clearly in our mind once we understand it. The meaning of 'see' that we are interested in for this phrasal verb however, is the first meaning of visual perception. The preposition that is keeping 'see' company in this post is 'through', which is one of those annoying English words with a lot of unnecessary letters (thru is also a less common variant of through and should be limited to informal use only). The main meaning of 'through' is to pass into something on one side of it and out on the other side. In other words, to pass into and out of the interior of something, ending up on the other side of it to the where you started. Ok, so now we have covered the basics, the first meaning should be pretty obvious.... MEANING 1: Literal After looking at the words 'see' and 'through', it will probably come as no surprise to you that the literal meaning of these words combined is simply 'to see through the middle of something to what is on the other side of it'. This can be used for anything through which light passes, enabling vision to the other side such as a hole, windows, cracks, tunnels, clothing and fabrics to name a few. In this sense the modal verb 'can' is normally used to express the possibility of 'seeing through' something. Examples of usage.... I love this dress but in very bright sunlight you can see through it, so I only wear it on dreary or rainy days. The car accident was caused by the driver not being able to see through the tinted windows. Native speakers also often add the word 'right' between 'see' and 'through' to emphasise when something can be seen through very easily or clearly. Examples of usage.... This crack in the wall is getting bigger, you can see right through it and into the garden now! That fish is astonishing! You can see right through it! If we want to insert a direct object into our sentence and talk about who or what we can see on the other side of the transparent surface, we just insert it into the middle of 'see' and 'through', as per the below examples.... I knew that he was coming as I could see him through the window. Now that your clothes are wet we can see your underwear through them! EXTRA TIP TO SOUND MORE LIKE A NATIVE SPEAKER In addition to the phrasal verb 'see through', we also have the adjective form 'see-through', which is derived from the literal form of this phrasal verb. As you can probably guess, if something is 'see-through', it is transparent or in other words, you can see right through it! This is most commonly used to talk about items of clothing but other nouns that you may hear it with are floor, ceiling and display. MEANING 2: To understand someone's hidden intentions This second meaning of 'see through' is a slight departure from the literal meaning that we have just looked at, as it does not really involve our eyes at all. The meaning here is 'to understand or realise what a person's hidden intentions are'. This meaning is all about deception and pretence. It should only ever be needed if a person is not being genuine or sincere, perhaps because they want to gain something from us or from the relationship. If and when we realise that the person's intentions are not sincere and we understand the true reality of the situation, we can say that we 'see through' them. In addition to seeing through a person, it is also common to use nouns like 'words', disguise', 'pretence', 'lies', 'deception' and 'facade'. Examples of usage.... The jury immediately saw through the defendant's story in court. INTENDED MEANING: The court jury could tell straight away that the defendant's story was not genuine. I could see through him from the very start. I can't believe that you couldn't!! INTENDED MEANING: I knew that he was lying or pretending from the beginning and I don't know how you couldn't. Lisa saw right through John's clever disguise! INTENDED MEANING: John's disguise did not work on Lisa and she could easily see the truth about him. MEANING 3: To persevere with something and finish it In this third meaning we need to change our word order from 'see through something', with the direct object following the verb, to 'see something through', with the direct object now being placed firmly in the middle of the phrasal verb construction. This change of word order and direct object placement gives us a brand new meaning, which is to 'persist or persevere with something until the end'. This is typically used in situations in which you start something that turns out to be more difficult than you originally anticipated and en element of perseverance or persistence is required in order to finish it. Examples of this could be a difficult work project, a romantic relationship that is not going well or a demanding job that you have started. The majority of the time when using 'see something through', the difficult job or situation has already previously been mentioned in the conversation, so we normally only require the pronouns 'it' or 'them'. Also, it is quite common to follow this usage up with the words 'to the end' or 'to completion'. Examples of usage.... My wife and I have been having problems for some time now but we have agreed that we will see them through for the sake of our children. INTENDED MEANING: My wife and I are experiencing problems in our marriage but we have decided that we will persevere with our relationship and resolve the issues for our children. I experienced so many problems when designing my website and I almost gave up but thankfully I persevered and saw it through and now I am a very proud website owner. INTENDED MEANING: When I was designing my website I faced a lot of problems which almost made me quit the project, but I persisted with it and now I am really proud of it. Lisa has handed in her notice today and will leave at the end of this month but she has promised to see the finance project through to completion before leaving. INTENDED MEANING: Lisa has told her employer that she is leaving but will ensure that she finishes the finance project before she goes. MEANING 4: To support someone in a difficult time Our fourth and final meaning of 'see through' is to help and support someone through a difficult period until they are ok again. This is quite similar to the previous meaning that we have just looked at, however rather than seeing something through, in this case the direct object changes from a situation or problem to a person and we see someone through instead. The idea here is that the problem or negative situation is something that will pass with time, however it will be very difficult (or impossible) without other people who support us and help us through to the other side. This support could come in many forms but typically would be giving money, providing emotional support or some other help that we may require until the negative or difficult situation has passed. Alternatively, if we say that something "sees us through", it means that we have enough of it to last for a particular period of time, especially if this period is difficult or challenging in some way. Typically, this could be money, food or something else which we don't want to run out of before we can obtain more of it. I wasn't able to work when I was at university but thankfully my parents paid for my accommodation and saw me through. INTENDED MEANING: When I was at university I could not work, but luckily my parents paid for my accommodation until I graduated. Hibernating mammals need to store as much fat as possible to see them through the winter. INTENDED MEANING: Mammals that hibernate in winter need to store up enough fat to enable them to survive the winters when they are sleeping. EXERCISE Re-write the following sentences using 'to see through'.... I looked out the window and saw you in the garden. Helen could tell that John was fake from the very moment that she met him. You can't wear that swimming costume, it is completely transparent!! I intend to persevere with the French course until the very end! Here is £1000, this should cover your financial needs until the end of the month. Some bread and meat was enough for the family to live on until the end of the winter. EXERCISE ANSWERS FROM 'GET OUT' (other variations may be possible) John was stuck in his car and could not GET OUT. This battery is stuck in the TV controller and I can't GET it OUT. Buckingham Palace tried to keep the news about the latest royal scandal quiet but it GOT OUT nonetheless and quickly became public knowledge. Sometimes I really struggle to GET the words OUT. I've managed to GET OUT of babysitting tonight, so I can come to the cinema with you. Lisa stopped going to the gym as she was no longer GETTING anything OUT of it. That is the end of today's post. Thank you so much for taking the time to read it and I sincerely hope that it has helped you a little bit further on your English learning journey. If you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media, so together we can help as many English learners as possible to understand and master these tricky phrasal verbs. Also, please leave any comments, questions, suggestions or examples of 'see through' below. I really love reading them. See you next time! James