Phrasal Verbs 2

drive off

pull out

slow down

cut in

pull up

Do …

-         check your mirror before you drive off or pull out into traffic.

-         slow down when driving in fog or when the roads are wet or icy.

Don’t …

-         cut in after overtaking other cars.

-         pull up suddenly (e.g. at traffic lights, junctions or pedestrian crossings).

send in

run into

run over

knock down

pull away

Here are genuine excuses sent in to insurance companies:

-         Coming home I drove into the wrong house and ran into a tree I didn’t have.

-         The pedestrian had no idea which way to run, so I ran him over.

-         I was sure the old lady would make it to the other side of the road when I knocked her down.

-         I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, then drove straight into the river.

play up

back up

shut down

switch off

log off

Computers have minds of their own and always seem to play up or ‘crash’ at the worst possible moment. Most users find it impossible to work out exactly what has gone wrong, so it is very important that you regularly back up all your important files.

It is equally important that you shut down the computer correctly before you switch off. And whatever you do, don’t forget to log off after using the Internet – otherwise your phone bill could be sky high.

drop out

set up

bring out

come up with

He dropped out of Harvard to set up a company with his friend Paul Allen. One of the first products they brought out was a version of BASIC for the Altair 8800 computer.

Then, in 1980, IBM asked them to come up with an operating system for their new personal computer. It was a huge success, and the company – Microsoft – went on to dominate the PC industry and make Bill Gates one of the richest and most powerful men in the world.

live on

get by

put aside

run up

come into

I don’t know many people who think they have enough money to live on. They get by, but very few seem able to put aside anything for the future. Again, thanks to credit cards, it is now very easy to run up huge debts which are very hard to repay. That’s perhaps why so many people dream of coming into a fortune – usually by winning the National Lottery or the football pools.

save up

go without

splash out

stick to

To save up for something (e.g. a new car) usually means having to cut back on things. You should try to:

-         go without anything you don’t absolutely need (CDs, new clothes, etc.)

-         stop splashing out on expensive restaurant meals, visits to the cinema, pub, etc.

-         decide on a fixed sum (e.g. $50) to save each month – and stick to it!

take in

open up

fill up

pay in

shut up

move on

A true story …

Joseph Well, an American living in the early part of the 20^th century, was a con man who took in so many people that he made over $6 million!

His favourite ‘con’ was to open up a new bank in a town, employ billiard room customers as cashiers and fill up cash bags with lead disks.

He would then convince businessmen that he had set up a genuine bank and wait for them to pay in large sums of money before shutting up and moving on to the next town!

try on

put off

shop around

come down

go with

sell out

I hate shopping – especially for clothes. Just the thought of going into a clothes shop to try on something new is enough to put me off.

And to get the best bargains you really have to shop around or buy in the sales when prices really come down.

And even if you find something (e.g. a jacket), it’s so hard to find a shirt to go with it. Or else the one you really wanted is sold out!

go out with

fall for

ask out

finish with

be cut up

I first started going out with Nina when I was 19. We were both students. I fell for her in a big way – it was ‘love at first sight’!

After a few weeks I finally asked her out. She said ‘Yes’. That was it! By the end of term I was ready to spend the rest of my life with her.

A week later she finished with me! I was really cut up. How could she do this to me?

Looking back, it wouldn’t have worked. But I still think of Nina sometimes. Well, you never really forget your first love, do you?

walk out

grow apart

get along with

move in

Dear Abby,

My partner has just walked out on me. She says we’ve grown apart and is really tired of me. I can’t understand it. I thought we got along with each other well. Since I moved in I’ve always taken her with me to watch Manchester United and I don’t mind her joining me and my mates at the pub. And I never told her she was a terrible cook even though she was. I’m so surprised!

Let-down Barry

______________

Dear let-down Barry,

The only surprise for me is that she’s put up with you for so long!

see through

break up

carry on

break down

‘After a few years of marriage a man can look right at a woman without seeing her and a woman can see right through a man without looking at him.’

‘I am a marvellous housekeeper. Every time I break up with a man, I keep his house.’

‘A girl must marry for love, and carry on marrying until she finds it.’

‘They say girls tend to marry men like their fathers. That’s probably why so many mothers break down at weddings.’

stick by

go off with

let on

go through with

‘A wife is someone who’ll stick by you in all the troubles you wouldn’t have had if you hadn’t married her.’

‘I’ve had bad luck with both my wives. The first one went off with another man and the second one didn’t.’

‘I married Miss Right. But she never let on before we got married that her first name was Always.’

‘Take my advice. If you have any last-minute doubts about getting married, don’t go through with it. Wait until you’re absolutely sure.’

go down with

pass out

come round

burn down

put in

A true story…

At a wedding in England in 1973 the vicar suddenly went down with flu and a replacement had to be brought in at the last minute.

Then the bride passed out as the ring was put on her finger and she didn’t come round for 20 minutes.

The ceremony finally ended and the happy couple left in a van which contained a cement mixer. Their honeymoon hotel had burnt down, so they had decided to stay at home and spend the time putting in a new central heating system instead.