Phrasal Verbs

Hi,

As a continuation of our last newsletter, let us dive a little deeper in the subject. As we have seen, we call Phrasal Verb the combination of a verb and one or two prepositions when it gets a whole new meaning. Examples:
ASK OUT: I’m going to ask her out. Meaning: to invite a person to go on a romantic date with you.

As we can see, ASK and OUT lose their “original” meaning and now have a whole new meaning for this combination, which from now on we will call set.
Phrasal Verbs are very recurrent in everyday speech and are not seen with good eyes in formal speech or text.
Although they seem difficult at first, you’ll understand and use them well as you progress in the language. But, remember: the list is long, so expect to learn a new phrasal verb every now and then.
Meanwhile, take a look at this list taken from http://www.sk.com.br/sk-twow.html:

TRANSITIVE PHRASAL VERBS (SEPARABLE):
• ASK OUT - I'm going to ask her out.

• BACK UP - The senator backed up the President's economic plan.

• BLOW OUT - He blew out the match after lighting the stove

• BLOW UP - The war plane fired a missile that blew up the bridge.

• BREAK IN - 1. Before you feel comfortable in your new shoes, you have to break them in. 2. The new trainee arrives tomorrow. It'll take some time to break him in.

• BREAK OFF - The U.S. broke off relations with Cuba in the 1960's.
• BREAK UP - Break up the chocolate in small pieces.

• BRING ABOUT - Economic problems brought about the devaluation of the Brazilian real.

• BRING FORWARD - The meeting has been rescheduled for an earlier time. They decided to bring it forward one week.

• BRING IN - The government will bring in new legislation to prevent economic power abuse.

• BRING UP - 1. Parents have the responsibility to bring up their children. 2. He brought up an interesting subject in the meeting.

• BRUSH OFF - Pentagon brushes off criminal complaint against Rumsfeld.

• BURN DOWN - The fire burned down the house in a short time.

• BURN UP - We burned up all of the wood in the fireplace

• CALL OFF - I'm going to call off my medical appointment because I feel much better now.
• CALL UP - I'm going to call up my sister tonight.

• CALM DOWN - They're having an argument. Let's calm them down.

• CARRY OUT - The manager has an assistant to carry out general tasks like typing and answering the telephone.

• CHECK OUT - Where did you get this information? I'll check it out.

• CLEAN UP - Clean up your room, please.

• CLEAR UP - I'm going to the bank to clear up the problem with my credit card.

• CLIMB UP - It takes more than 4 hours to climb up that mountain.

• COUNT IN - If you are going for a picnic, count me in.

• COUNT OUT - If you support the war, count me out!

• CROSS OUT - I crossed out all the errors in the essay.

• CUT OFF - 1. The electric company cut off our service until we paid our bill. 2. We got cut off before we could finish the phone conversation.

• DRIVE BACK - Our brave soldiers drove back the enemy forces.

• FIGURE OUT - The technician figured out the problem.

• FILL IN - We need your phone number. Please fill it in on this form.

• FILL OUT - Fill out the application form, please.

• FIND OUT - The journalist found out that the politician was lying.

• GET BACK - I want to get my money back.

• GET DOWN - Don't let this situation get you down.

• GET OUT - Get out of here!

• GIVE AWAY - She gave away her old dress.

• GIVE UP - He gave up tennis.

• HAND IN - Please answer the questions, put your name on this sheet and hand it in. –

• HAND OUT - The teacher handed out the answer sheet.

• HANG UP - Hang up your coat in the closet after you take it off.

• KEEP AWAY - Keep the children away from dangerous places.

• KEEP OFF - Keep your hands off me!

• KEEP ON - The company will keep him on the job.

• KEEP UP - Keep up the good work.

• KICK OFF - The bad players were kicked off the team.

• KNOCK DOWN - He was knocked down three times during the fight.

• LEAVE BEHIND - My books were too heavy, so I left them behind at the school.

• LET DOWN - Don't let me down.

• LET IN - Let me in!

• LET OUT - I let the dog out and the cat in.

• LIGHT UP - Light up the candles with these matches.

• LOCK UP - The police locked him up.

• LOOK UP - You have to look up the dollar exchange rate every day.

• MAKE UP - You can attend classes on Saturdays to make up for the classes you missed.

• MARK DOWN - The shoes are really cheap. The store has marked them down by 30%!

• PASS OVER - Don't bogart that joint my friend, pass it over to me.

• PAY BACK - I'll pay you back as soon as I can.

• PICK UP - 1. He picked up the newspaper to read. 2. He went to the States and picked up English in 4 months.

• PLAY DOWN - He tries to play down the seriousness of his wife's illness.

• POINT OUT - 1. He pointed out the boat in the distance. 2. He pointed out that I would have to learn English to get a good job.

• PULL OFF - Nobody thought he could win the election, but he pulled it off in the end.

• PULL OVER - The police pulled him over for speeding.

• PUMP UP - The coach really knows how to pump up the team.

• PUT AWAY - Put your things away and clean up the room!

• PUT BACK - When you are finished reading the book, please put it back on the shelf.

• PUT DOWN - 1. He put down the newspaper and took off his glasses. 2. I'm going to put my ideas down on paper.

• PUT OFF - I think I'll have to put off my dental appointment.

• PUT ON - He took his glasses out of his pocket and put them on.

• PUT OUT - The firemen put out the fire.

• PUT TOGETHER - They are planning to put together a new company.

• RIP 0FF - The man who ripped me off is well-known to the police.

• RULE OUT - The government ruled out a cut in income tax.

• RUN OVER - He ran over my bicycle with his car.

• SET APART - 1. The quality of his work sets him apart from other painters.

• SET UP - 1. He had a wealthy and influential father, who set him up in business right after college. 2. They set me up.

• SEX UP - They say that intelligence was sexed up to provide a reason to go to war.

• SHUT DOWN - Shut the computer down and let's go.

• SHUT OFF - A device that automatically shuts off the gas in case of an earthquake.

• SORT OUT - After collecting all the information, we have to sort it out.

• SPELL OUT - Let me spell out the problem again.

• STAND UP - Her new boyfriend stood her up on their second date.

• TAKE APART - In order to fix the machine you have to take it apart.

• TAKE AWAY - Take it away from here.

• TAKE BACK - You should take back your purchase if you are not satisfied.

• TAKE OFF - Hang up your coat in the closet after you take it off.

• TAKE OUT - He took his glasses out of his pocket and put them on.

• TAKE OVER - Our teacher is leaving and a new one is taking over next week.

• TAKE UP - I'm planning to take up English next semester.

• TALK OUT - I'm going to drink tonight and don't try to talk me out of it.

• TALK OVER - We should talk over the plan and come to an agreement.

• TEAR DOWN - The old building is going to be torn down.

• THROW AWAY - Did you throw those papers away ...?

• THROW OUT - Did you throw out the old newspapers?

• TRY ON - She's going to try on the new dress.

• TRY OUT - He's going to try out the new car.

• TURN DOWN - 1. He turned down the job offer. 2. The music is too loud. Can you turn it down, please?

• TURN IN - The witnesses turned the thief in to the police.

• TURN OFF - I turned the TV off and went to sleep.

• TURN ON - Mike turned on the gas heater.

• WAKE UP - Wake up the children!

• WARN OFF - Authorities in Rio warn off tourist from taking city buses.

• WASH DOWN - We had a sandwich washed down with beer.

• WORK OUT - I was unable to work out the crossword puzzle.

• WRITE DOWN - Why don't you write it down, so that you don't forget it.
INTRANSITIVE PHRASAL VERBS:
• BACK OUT - I hope he doesn't back out of the deal.

• BREAK DOWN - 1. The poor woman broke down in tears. 2. Peace talks between the warring countries have broken down.

• BREAK UP - The couple decided to break up after their argument.

• CATCH ON - The teacher repeats grammar exercises until the students catch on.

• COME BACK - He came back to Brazil after two years abroad.

• DIE OUT - Many languages have died out in the history of mankind.

• EAT OUT - We don't have any food at home. Why don't we eat out?

• FALL OFF - The door handle fell off.

• GET DOWN - When I saw the boy up in the tree, I told him to get down.

• GET UP - I usually get up early.

• GIVE IN - He gave in to the pressure.

• GO BACK - Why don't you go back home?

• GO OFF - I'm sorry I'm late; my alarm didn't go off.

• GO UP - Peace agreements and international cooperation will go up like colorful balloons bringing joy to the world.

• GROW UP - He wants to be a doctor when he grows up.

• PULL OUT - The best player pulled out of the tournament because of an injury.

• SETTLE DOWN - When he was about 30 he decided to settle down and raise a family.

• SHOW UP - She waited for an hour but he never showed up for the date.

• SHUT UP - Shut up and listen to me!

• SINK IN - Reality is finally beginning to sink in for the supporters of the former government.

• SIT DOWN - Sit down, please.

• SLEEP IN - Every morning I sleep in now that I'm retired.

• STAND UP - You have to stand up when the national anthem is played.

• STAY OVER - It's late to drive home. Why don't you stay over?

• STRIKE BACK - The empire strikes back.

• THROW UP - After getting totally drunk he started to throw up.

• TURN UP - I invited a lot of people but only a few turned up.

• WORK OUT - From now on, instead of eating junk food, I'm going to work out at the gym.

Have fun!

The Path to Success

Hi,

Learning a second language can be a joyous experience for some and for some others not a walk in the park. Why is that? Why do some people have so much difficulty in learning a language, which is something organic, human, natural and that marries perfectly with our brains? Hard to know, but 100+ years of teaching show us that there are ways to get there.

First thing you need to know: a language is a muscle – you need to work it out or else you won’t even be able to walk around the block. So, grab everything that your teacher tosses at you: exercises, grammar books, listening activities, extra lessons, movie lessons, happy hours, etc. They will keep you exposed to the language.

Second thing you need to know: a language is like a contagious disease – to catch it you need to be exposed to it. So, expose yourself to English! Touch it, feel it, chew it, swallow it, caress it, nudge it, kick it, embrace it. The more time you spend with it, the faster you learn.

Third thing you need to know: a language needs a purpose – and it’s not sitting on a chair in front of a teacher! You need to have a real objective and use for the language. It can’t just be to use it occasionally at work or to brush up your curriculum to get that promotion you want. You need to read, write, watch movies, enjoy music, talk to people, use the Internet, etc. The more, the better.

Forth thing you need to know: a language is the means by which you know other people – and yourself! So, read more books on philosophy, psychology, self-help and, most importantly, TALK to people and to yourself. Train yourself to use English for some of your daily necessities, like, organizing your agenda, talking to your dog, thinking about your problems, etc. With time, it will become a natural thing – just what a language is all about.

Last thing you need to know: too much alcohol can spoil your night – as the Greeks used to say, balance in all things. Don’t focus on only one of the steps described above – treat them equally. You’ll see how a thing you thought difficult and distant will grow more and more natural to you.

Have fun,


• A P.S. you need to know: a language is like a new girlfriend – if you don’t have time, you make it. Remember that boyfriend or girlfriend that you liked very much in the beginning? Remember the things you did just to see or talk to him or her? A language is just the same. If you don’t have time, you pour it in all those little gaps of time you have: 10 minutes in the shower, 30 in traffic, the walk to the restaurant you have lunch, or the time you take to prepare yours. Be creative and use the tips given here.

This one is really nice...

Hi,

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

It seems to be very informative and easy to use.

Stay beautiful,

A great Dictionary

Hi,

check this website:

http://www.usingenglish.com/reference.html

There you'll find very nice dictionaries, list, explanations and examples.

Stay beautiful,

Good Long List

Hi,

and here's a good long list with many examples and translations to Portuguese for comparisons:

http://www.sk.com.br/sk-twow.html

stay beautiful,

Great online exercise on prepositions and phrasal verbs

Hi,

check this website for some very nice online exercises on prepositions and phrasal verbs:

http://www.englishpage.com/prepositions/prepositions.html

Stay beautiful,

Prepositions

Yes, I know many people don’t like them and, yes, I know they seem confusing. Yet, there are some aspects of this problem that we can call intelligible.

In general, prepositions work under two principles: space and obedience. The second principle is the one that troubles you. It means that a preposition is simply there because there is a verb that wants it. For example:
I need to speak with you – I need to speak to you (we have two options here)
I need to talk to you. (with is not an option).
I learn English from my teacher. (with here is considered as interference from Portuguese).

Ah, don’t worry. Although there is no logic, you don’t have to memorize all the combinations of the language. You just need to keep yourself exposed to much English – language will naturally appear!

As for the first principle, there is some logic in it. In this case, prepositions work in a literal or metaphorical concept of space. For example:

You’ll find your book under my bed. (Literally under it)
Happiness is all around you. (Metaphorically circulating the person)
We need to talk about Kate. (Our talk will revolve around the subject Kate)
Look into your bag. (Towards its interior)
I’m on the phone. (I’m using it)

So, this aspect makes more sense, but still, languages are very organic and, thus, complex. Then, expect occasional shocks until you reach the advanced level:

I’m on the bus. You’re in the car.

As an appendix, let us deal a little with phrasal verbs. I don’t mean to extend, for they deserve an article fully dedicated, but we need to understand their mechanics.

A phrasal verb is the combination of a verb and one or two prepositions. What you need to know is that differently than other combinations, the verbs and the prepositions in it have their “original” meaning altered. Have a look:

Fall means, roughly, to be affected by gravity.
Out is, roughly again, the opposite of in. In other words, not contained or imprisoned by something.

When they come together, we have the phrasal verb “Fall Out”. This entry was taken from www.thefreedictionary.com:
Fall out
1.
a. To leave a barracks, for example, in order to take one's place in a military formation.
b. To leave a military formation.

2. To quarrel: The siblings fell out over their inheritance.

3. To happen; occur.

4. To be readily explainable; follow logically or naturally: These facts fall out nicely from the new theory.

So, dear student, take my advice: English is a language as any other. It’s organic, overspreading and at times illogical, just as human intellect. However, like in all your other abilities, practice brings proficiency. You need to have English not only in the books, but as much in your life as possible. So, keep attending the lessons. Don’t give up. Don’t let your motivation drop. Complement you classes with books, videos, music, internet and anything that makes you stay connected.

In other words, stay beautiful.

DO versus MAKE

Hi,

“DO” and “MAKE” often confuse students. The problem is there is no practical rule – yes, the Material versus Abstract concept doesn’t work! These verbs simply “collocate” with certain words. It’s like this: DO a question or MAKE a question? MAKE a question! The secret is not in the nature of the verb MAKE but in the combination MAKE and QUESTION.

So, you think, if there is no rule, do I have to memorize it all? No. This aspect of the English Language comes as you are exposed to it. I mean, continue studying, reading, listening to music, watching movies, etc and it will naturally come to you.

While it doesn’t, here is a quick list of some combinations or “collocations” as we say taken and adapted from http://www.vocabulary.cl/Intermediate/Do_Make.htm. Enjoy!

Collocations with DO

The following words are normally used with Do:

anything
a job
badly
nothing
a burp
a painting
business
right (the right thing)
a course
a service
damage
the shopping
a dance
something
the dishes
the washing
a drawing
well
exercises
work
a fart
wrong (the wrong thing)
A favour
your best
the gardening
your hair
harm
your homework
the housework
your nails

Collocations with MAKE

The following words are normally used with MAKE:

amends
faces
peace
an impression
an appointment
a fool of yourself
a phone call
arrangement
a fortune
a plan
an attempt
friends
a point
a bet
fun of someone
a prediction
a cake
a fuss
a profit
certain
inquiries
progress
a choice
a joke
a reservation
a complaint
a line
a sandwich
a confession
a list
a scene
a date
a loss
a speech
a decision
love
a statement
a difference
a mess
a suggestion
a discovery
a mistake
sure
an effort
money
trouble
an error
a noise
war
an escape
an observation
your bed
an exception
an offer
your mind up
an excuse
a pass at someone
your way


I hope this helps a little. Keep studying!

Back in Black

Hi,

Depois de algum tempo no lado incomunicável da Lua, eis a primeira postagem do ano!

Para esse ano, que tal traçarmos projetos com alunos e ex-alunos?

Grande abraço,

Ed