Table Of ContentTHE ULTIMATE PHRASAL VERB BOOK
Contents...........................................................................4 7. FOCUS ON: separable phrasal verbs with long
objects......................................................................46
TO THE TEACHER......................................................6 chuotl du pup..................................................................................................................................4467
let out..................................................................47
TO THE STUDENT.......................................................7 point out..............................................................48
run over...............................................................48
see about.............................................................49
1. FOCUS ON: separable and nonseparable phrasal take in..................................................................49
verbs..........................................................................9
come from.............................................................9 8. FOCUS ON: present perfect phrasal verbs.............56
figure out............................................................10 burn out...............................................................56
give back.............................................................10 fall over...............................................................57
look for...............................................................10 fight back............................................................57
put on..................................................................10 hear of.................................................................58
run into................................................................11 pick out...............................................................58
show up...............................................................11 tear down.............................................................58
take off................................................................12 work in................................................................59
2. FOCUS ON: phrasal verbs and do, does, and did...16 9. FOCUS ON: two-word phrasal verbs that require an
come off..............................................................17 additional particle when used with an object, 1...63
doze off...............................................................19 break out.............................................................64
fall for.................................................................19 catch up...............................................................64
give in.................................................................19 chicken out..........................................................65
hear about...........................................................19 get along..............................................................65
pull through.........................................................19 give up................................................................65
stay off................................................................20 hang up................................................................65
throw up..............................................................20 hook up...............................................................66
work up...............................................................66
3. FOCUS ON: three-word phrasal verbs...................23
feel up to.............................................................23 10. FOCUS ON: phrasal verbs used as nouns, 1.........71
get over with.......................................................23 fall off.................................................................71
go along with......................................................23 kick back.............................................................74
go in for..............................................................24 lay off..................................................................74
look forward to...................................................24 screw up..............................................................75
put up with..........................................................24
screw out of........................................................24
talk down to........................................................24 11. FnOouCnUsS.. .O...N...:.. p...h..r..a..s.a..l. .v..e..r..b..s. .u..s..e..d.. .i.n.. .c..o..m...p..o..u..n...d.. .....80
4. FOCUS ON: present and past continuous phrasal backup.................................................................81
verbs........................................................................27 cut off..................................................................82
drop off...............................................................83
cheat on...............................................................27 follow up.............................................................84
go after................................................................27 take out................................................................84
look up................................................................28 try out..................................................................85
pay for.................................................................28 wake up...............................................................86
plan for................................................................29 work out..............................................................86
point to................................................................29
pwurta pto u..p................................................................................................................................2390 12. FOCUS ON: past perfect phrasal verbs................93
back off...............................................................93
5. FOCUS ON: pronunciation of two-word phrasal come across.........................................................94
verbs........................................................................33 come up...............................................................94
fall through.........................................................95
break down.........................................................33 put out.................................................................95
burn down...........................................................35
cfianldl ionu.t.................................................................................................................................3355 13. FOCUS ON: passive phrasal verbs, 1..................100
hand back............................................................35 call off...............................................................100
look at.................................................................36 dose off.............................................................100
setup....................................................................36 hand in..............................................................101
let off.................................................................102
6. FOCUS ON: pronunciation of three-word phrasal light up..............................................................102
verbs........................................................................41 track down.........................................................103
boil down to........................................................41
ccoommee udopw wni twhi.t.h......................................................................................................4421 14. FpOhrCaUsaSl vOeNrb: sp, a1r.t..i.c..i.p..l.e.. .a..d..j.e..c..t.i.v..e..s. .f.o..r..m...e..d.. .f..r.o..m.... .107
get around to.......................................................42 butt in................................................................109
get out of.............................................................42 dress up.............................................................109
go back on...........................................................42 dry up................................................................109
go through with...................................................43 fill out................................................................110
monkey around with...........................................43 put away............................................................110
stick up..............................................................110 zip up................................................................171
use up................................................................111
22. FOCUS ON: the particle up and the adverbs right
15. FOCUS ON: phrasal verbs and will or be going to and all....................................................................175
...............................................................................117 burn up..............................................................177
blow away.........................................................118 clear up..............................................................177
come through....................................................118 count up............................................................178
dry out...............................................................119 eat up.................................................................178
fix up.................................................................119 heat up...............................................................178
go with..............................................................120 pay up................................................................178
head back..........................................................121 plug up..............................................................179
tell on................................................................122 wipe up..............................................................179
16. FOCUS ON: phrasal verbs with gerund objects, 1 23. FOCUS ON: two-word phrasal verbs that require
...............................................................................126 an additional particle when used with an object, 2
believe in..........................................................126 ...............................................................................183
carry on.............................................................127 crack down........................................................183
count on............................................................127 cut down............................................................183
get through........................................................128 drop out.............................................................185
go for................................................................129 get away............................................................185
hold off.............................................................129 hold out.............................................................186
put past..............................................................129 make up.............................................................186
think about........................................................130 stay out..............................................................188
watch out...........................................................188
17. FOCUS ON: adverbs and phrasal verbs.............135
come over.........................................................136 24. FOCUS ON: phrasal verbs used as nouns, 2.......192
get back at.........................................................136 come down........................................................192
go about............................................................137 Let up................................................................193
grow out of........................................................137 print out.............................................................193
rip up.................................................................137 show off............................................................194
wear down.........................................................138 slow down.........................................................194
stop over............................................................195
18. FOCUS ON: phrasal verbs and can, could, will, and trade in..............................................................195
would.....................................................................143
bfirgeuarket horno.u..g..h............................................................................................................114444 25. FaOndC mUuSs Ot.N...:.. p...h..r..a..s.a..l. .v..e..r..b..s. .a..n..d... .h..a..v.e.. .t.o..,. .h...a..v.e.. .g..o..t2 t0o0,
get off...............................................................145 do with..............................................................201
go beyond.........................................................146 have on..............................................................201
lift upon............................................................146 hurry up.............................................................202
line up...............................................................146 knock over.........................................................202
stand around......................................................147 lighten up..........................................................202
tell apart............................................................147 plan ahead.........................................................202
settle for............................................................203
19. FOCUS ON: phrasal verbs and the adverb right151 think up.............................................................203
abirmin ga tb.a..c..k....................................................................................................................115512 26. FOCUS ON: phrasal verbs and the adverb back206
bring over..........................................................152 get together.......................................................206
cool off..............................................................152 go over..............................................................207
go back..............................................................153 go up.................................................................208
hand over..........................................................153 let in on.............................................................208
pull over............................................................153 open up..............................................................209
warm up............................................................154 put together.......................................................209
shut off..............................................................209
20. FOCUS ON: phrasal verbs followed by the -ing start up..............................................................210
form.......................................................................159
egnod a ruopu.n..d......................................................................................................................115599 27. FthOeC aUdvSe OrbN r:i gphhtr..a..s.a..l. .v..e..r..b..s. .w...i.t..h.. .t.h..e.. .p..a..r..t.i.c..l.e.. .o..f.f. .a2n1d4
Go off...............................................................161 bite off...............................................................215
hang around......................................................162 break off............................................................215
lie around..........................................................163 dry off...............................................................215
start out.............................................................163 knock off...........................................................216
stay up...............................................................163 tear off...............................................................216
wash off............................................................216
21. F..O...C...U..S... .O...N..:.. .p..h..r..a..s.a..l. .v..e..r..b..s. .a..n...d.. .s.h..o..u...l.d.. .a..n..d.. .o..u..g..h.1t 6to8 wwiepaer ooffff..........................................................................................................................221177
llooookk oarvoeurn..d................................................................................................................116699 28. FOCUS ON: passive phrasal verbs, 2..................222
pick on..............................................................169 beef up..............................................................222
settle down........................................................170 break up............................................................222
step on...............................................................170 call back............................................................223
take out on........................................................170 call up................................................................223
think ahead........................................................171 carry out............................................................223
give away..........................................................224 live with............................................................279
mess up.............................................................224 make of.............................................................280
stand up.............................................................225 narrow down.....................................................280
trick into............................................................280
29. FOCUS ON: phrasal verbs and might, may, and can
...............................................................................229 36. FOCUS ON: phrasal verbs with the particle down
ask for...............................................................229 ...............................................................................284
come apart.........................................................230 back down.........................................................284
drop in...............................................................230 calm down.........................................................285
flip out..............................................................230 fall down...........................................................285
look out.............................................................230 go down............................................................285
luck out.............................................................230 lay down............................................................286
make out...........................................................231 put down...........................................................286
run across..........................................................231 run down...........................................................287
sit down.............................................................288
30. FOCUS ON: participle adjectives formed from
phrasal verbs, 2.....................................................235 37. FOCUS ON: phrasal verbs used as nouns, 3.......293
lock in...............................................................236 brush off............................................................293
Lock out............................................................236 come on.............................................................294
punch in............................................................237 cover up............................................................295
put out...............................................................237 hang out............................................................295
sort out..............................................................238 leave over left over............................................295
space out...........................................................239 Let down...........................................................296
wash up.............................................................239 talk to................................................................297
31. FOCUS ON: phrasal verbs and gerund subjects245 38. FOCUS ON: the verb keep and adverbs and
care for..............................................................245 adverbials showing degrees of variability...........302
cut out...............................................................246 keep at...............................................................303
do away with.....................................................246 keep away.........................................................303
do without.........................................................247 keep down.........................................................303
look into............................................................247 keep from..........................................................304
plan on..............................................................247 keep off.............................................................304
put off...............................................................247 keep on..............................................................304
rule out..............................................................248 keep to...............................................................305
keep up..............................................................305
32. FOCUS ON: phrasal verbs with the particle out251
clean out............................................................252 39. FOCUS ON: passive phrasal verbs, 3..................309
clear out............................................................253 chop up..............................................................310
come out...........................................................253 cross off............................................................310
empty out..........................................................255 fill up.................................................................310
fall out...............................................................255 pick up..............................................................311
go out................................................................255 sell out...............................................................312
leave out............................................................256 straighten out.....................................................313
stick out............................................................256 take over............................................................313
wipe out............................................................314
33. FOCUS ON: phrasal verbs and midsentence
adverbs..................................................................262 40. FOCUS ON: gerund phrasal verbs vs. phrasal
blow up.............................................................264 verbs followed by the -ing form...........................320
catch on.............................................................264
come about........................................................265 -ing form..............................................................320
fall behind.........................................................265
goof around.......................................................265 gerund..................................................................320
help out.............................................................266 blow off.............................................................320
know about.......................................................266 burst out............................................................321
pull off..............................................................266 come back.........................................................321
get off on...........................................................322
go away.............................................................322
34. FpOhrCaUsaSl vOeNrb: sp, r2o..n..u..n..c..i.a..t.i.o..n.. .o..f.. .t.w...o..-.a..n..d.. .t..h..r..e.e..-.w...o.2rd70 run around.........................................................322
do over..............................................................270 The cat ran around the room chasing the
float around.......................................................271 mouse.............................................................322
lead up to..........................................................271
put up to............................................................271 The children were running around the
stand for............................................................271 museum, and the guard told them to
sstattiikccekk batoarco.k.u...n....d.......................................................................................................................................................................222777232 sstticokp w..i.t.h........................................................................................................................332223
35. FOCUS ON: gerund phrasal verbs......................277 41. FOCUS ON: two-word phrasal verbs
with the particle in that require into
fgooo bl yar..o.u..n..d..................................................................................................................227788 when used with an object...........................327
hold against.......................................................279 break in.............................................................328
leave behind......................................................279 Check out..........................................................329
go in.................................................................330 talk out of..........................................................374
let in..................................................................330
psnluega ikn i.n........................................................................................................................333301 47. FOCUS ON: particles used without
sneak out.........................................................331 verbs....................................................................379
brush up............................................................379
42. FOCUS ON: phrasal verbs with get, 1335 come in..............................................................380
cut back.............................................................380
get back...........................................................335 move in.............................................................381
get behind........................................................336 move out...........................................................381
get down...........................................................337 pull out..............................................................382
get in.................................................................337 put in.................................................................382
get out..............................................................338 run out...............................................................383
get over............................................................339
get up...............................................................340
48. FOCUS ON: modals and present perfect
passive phrasal verbs...................................387
43. FOCUS ON: modals and present perfect
phrasal verbs...................................................344 close down........................................................388
knock out..........................................................388
blow out...........................................................345 look down on.....................................................389
give out.............................................................346 look up to..........................................................389
gross out............................................................346 put back.............................................................389
run up................................................................346 switch off..........................................................390
shut up..............................................................347 throw out...........................................................390
stop off..............................................................347
try on.................................................................347
49. FOCUS ON: combinations of get, right,
back, and to.......................................................395
44. FOCUS ON: participle adjectives and
passive phrasal verbs with the verb get dog up...............................................................398
...............................................................................354 get ahead...........................................................398
get back to.........................................................398
beat up..............................................................355 get on................................................................398
mix up...............................................................356 get to.................................................................399
piss off..............................................................357 hang on..............................................................400
rip off................................................................357 start off..............................................................400
throw away........................................................400
45. FOCUS ON: phrasal verbs with the
verb turn............................................................362 50. FOCUS ON: Keep at it!............................405
turn down..........................................................362 ask out...............................................................405
turn in...............................................................362 come down to....................................................405
turn into............................................................363 deal with............................................................405
turn off..............................................................363 hold on..............................................................406
turn on...............................................................364 pay back............................................................406
turn out..............................................................365 take up on..........................................................406
turn over............................................................366 turn around........................................................406
turn up...............................................................367 wear out............................................................407
46. FOCUS ON: pronunciation of phrasal Answers.......................................................................414
verbs with the particle into.......................372
build in..............................................................372 Index............................................................................444
bump into..........................................................372
con into.............................................................373
con out of..........................................................373
freak out............................................................373
make for............................................................373
talk into.............................................................373
Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS 26. Phrasal Verbs and the Adverb bade / 194
27. Phrasal Verbs with the Particle off and the
To the Teacher / iv
Adverb right I 202
28. Passive Phrasal Verbs, 2 / 210
To the Student / v
29. Phrasal Verbs and might, may, and can /217
30. Participle Adjectives Formed
1. Separable and Nonseparable Phrasal
from Phrasal Verbs, 2 / 223
Verbs / 1
31. Phrasal Verbs and Gerund Subjects / 233
2. Phrasal Verbs and do, does, and did / 8 32. Phrasal Verbs with the Particle our / 239
33. Phrasal Verbs and
3. Three-Word Phrasal Verbs / 14
Midsentence Adverbs / 250 34.
4. Present and Past Continuous Phrasal Pronunciation of Two- and Three-
Verbs / 18 Word Phrasal Verbs, 2 / 257
5. Pronunciation of Two-Word Phrasal 35. Gerund Phrasal Verbs / 264
Verbs / 24 36. Phrasal Verbs with the Particle down / 271
37. Phrasal Verbs Used as Nouns, 3 / 280
6. Pronunciation of Three-Word Phrasal
38. The Verb keep and Adverbs and Adverbials
Verbs / 32
Showing Degrees of Variability / 289
7. Separable Phrasal Verbs with Long 39. Passive Phrasal Verbs, 3 / 296
Objects / 37 40. Gerund Phrasal Verbs vs. Phrasal
Verbs Followed by the -ing Form / 307
8. Present Perfect Phrasal Verbs / 46
41. Two-Word Phrasal Verbs with the Particle in
9. Two-Word Phrasal Verbs That Require an
That Require into When Used with an Object
Additional Particle When Used with an
/314
Object, 1 / 53
42. Phrasal Verbs with get, 1 / 322
10. Phrasal Verbs Used as Nouns, 1 / 61 43. Modals and Present Perfect
Phrasal Verbs / 331
11. Phrasal Verbs Used in Compound Nouns /
70 44. Participle Adjectives and Passive Phrasal
Verbs with the Verb get I 340
12. Past Perfect Phrasal Verbs / 83
45. Phrasal Verbs with the Verb rum / 348
13. Passive Phrasal Verbs, 1 / 91 46. Pronunciation of Phrasal Verbs
14. Participle Adjectives Formed from Phrasal with the Particle into / 358
Verbs, 1 / 98 47. Particles Used Without Verbs / 364
48. Modals and Present Perfect
15. Phrasal Verbs and will or be going to /107
Passive Phrasal Verbs / 372
16. Phrasal Verbs with Gerund Objects, 1 / 116 49. Combinations of get, right, back, and tо /
380
17. Adverbs and Phrasal Verbs / 125
50. Keep at It! / 390
18. Phrasal Verbs and can, could, will,
and would / 133 Answers to Exercises / 398
19. Phrasal Verbs and the Adverb right Index / 410
I 141
20. Phrasal Verbs Followed by the -ing
Form / 149
21. Phrasal Verbs and should and ought to 158
22. The Particle up and the Adverbs right and all
I 165
23. Two-Word Phrasal Verbs That Require an
Additional Particle When Used with an
Object, 2 / 172
24. Phrasal Verbs Used as Nouns, 2 / 180
25. Phrasal Verbs and have to, have got to, and
must / 188
iii
TO THE TEACHER
The inspiration for The Ultimate Phrasal Verb Book came about when a student asked
me for a textbook to help her learn the meanings of common phrasal verbs. I had
nothing to offer. The only textbook focusing on common verbs that I could give her
contains not one phrasal verb — it teaches arise but not get up, awake but not wake
up, seek but not look for.
Phrasal verbs are verbs, not idiomatic curiosities. There is no logic to classifying
take over with take the bull by the horns. Phrasal verbs are an essential part of
spoken and written English at all levels, and no student who hopes to master the
language can afford to overlook them.
Although this textbook is intended primarily for high-intermediate to advanced
students, ambitious students at lower levels will benefit from it as well. Only some
FOCUS sections may prove to be a little beyond them; otherwise, there is nothing to
prevent any student from studying the definitions and examples and attempting the
exercises.
A vocabulary textbook should provide mechanics as well as meaning. Students
want to know more than what a word means — they want to know how to use it
correctly.
The importance of mechanics is the reason for the emphasis on the prepositions
required when some phrasal verbs are used transitively and for the inclusion of
reviews of points of grammar not specific to phrasal verbs. Prepositions are the glue
that holds English together, but many students falter when using newly learned verbs
because they do not know that a preposition is also required, or if they do, which one.
This aspect of English is not given the attention it deserves because it is difficult to
teach — there are no rules that govern when a preposition, or which preposition, is
required, and no teacher likes to say "You just have to remember."
The hope of the latter feature, the discussion of points of grammar not specific to phrasal
verbs, is that combining practice with phrasal verbs and practice with a variety of
grammatical structures will increase not only the student's confidence in the
knowledge of phrasal verbs but also his or her willingness and ability to use them in a
wider range of situations.
There is inevitably a degree of oversimplification. That phrasal verb particles are
sometimes prepositions and sometimes adverbs is mentioned only once. No purpose
is served by differentiating between them, and the overlap between the two is
confusing to the student. Phrasal verbs are not identified as transitive or intransitive
because this is dictated by logic. Less common meanings of some phrasal verbs have
not been included. Adverb placement is presented and illustrated in simplified form
without discussion of the different types of adverbs — doing so would have gone
beyond the scope of this textbook.
iv
THE ULTIMATE PHRASAL VERB BOOK Student
And no differentiation is made between recognized adjectives derived from past participles and
past participles with adjectival meaning. The adjectival use of past participles (both phrasal and
nonphrasal) is an extremely important aspect of spoken English — something every student of
English should be familiar with — yet the dividing line between true adjectives derived from
past participles and passive sentences employing past participles with adjectival meanings is
ill-defined and problematic. Native speakers of English regularly use past participles in
superficially passive sentences with purely adjectival meaning. Whether the past participles are
verbs or actually adjectives is of no concern to the native speaker and is entirely irrelevant to
the student of English. Rather than distract the student with an unnecessary element of
confusion, both are referred to as participle adjectives throughout this textbook.
The exercises in this textbook are intended to reinforce meaning and mechanics. A cloze
exercise always comes first, followed by exercises focusing on sentence structure and the
FOCUS discussion. Last are exercises that ask the student to answer questions or write
original sentences.
There is a good deal of review built into this textbook. Every section contains two or more
exercises requiring the student to refer back to a previous section in order to review a phrasal
verb, participle adjective, or noun. When a phrasal verb has two or more meanings, it is
intentional that no help is provided to the student in determining which meaning applies;
students have to review them all and figure it out for themselves.
I have tried in this textbook to imitate the form and content of everyday English. If
occasionally the register and subject matter of some examples and exercises seem not quite
right for formal discourse, that is deliberate. Students need to learn formal English, of course,
but since most people speak informally most of the time, students need to gain familiarity with
the syntax, usage, and content of the informal English they read and hear every day at work, at
school, at home, and on television.
TO THE STUDENT
Phrasal verbs are combinations of ordinary verbs like put, take, come, and go and particles like
in, out, on, and off. They are a very important part of everyday English. Every student of
English needs a basic understanding of the most common phrasal verbs and also of common
nouns and adjectives made from phrasal verbs.
Most phrasal verbs are nor informal, slang, or improper for educated speech or formal writing.
Exactly the opposite is true — most phrasal verbs are acceptable at all levels of spoken or
written English. In fact, for many of the phrasal verbs in this textbook, there is no alternative to
the phrasal verb — there is no other way to say it.
v
However, a few phrasal verbs in this textbook are identified as informal, and it is
better not to use them in serious, formal speech or writing. But these informal phrasal
verbs are important because they are very common in everyday informal speech and
writing.
Some phrasal verbs are very easy to understand. For example, it is not difficult to
understand sit down or come in because their meanings are obvious. But many phrasal
verbs are very idiomatic. Idiomatic means that there is no way to know what the verb and
particle mean together by knowing what the verb and particle mean separately. For
example, every beginning-level student learns what the words call, run, off, and out
mean, but that does not help the student to know that call off means cancel or that run out
means use all of something.
Each section of this textbook starts with a FOCUS, an explanation of something
important about phrasal verbs. Then eight phrasal verbs and an explanation of each
important meaning of each one are presented along with one or more example sentences
for each meaning. Following that are several exercises to help you understand and
remember what the phrasal verbs mean and how to use them in a sentence. And like real
conversation, questions asked with I or we are answered with you, and questions asked
with you are answered with / or we.
And because there is a lot to learn in this textbook, there is a lot of review to help you learn
it. Every phrasal verb is reviewed at least twice later in the book. The more idiomatic
phrasal verbs are reviewed more often, and the more important meanings of phrasal
verbs with several meanings are reviewed more often.
Terms, Abbreviations, and Symbols Used in this Textbook
verb Verb refers to the verb part of a phrasal verb. In other words, the phrasal verb minus the
particle. In the phrasal verb pull over, pull is the verb and over is the particle.
particle The adverbs and prepositions in phrasal verbs are both called particles in this book. Many
particles are adverbs and prepositions, and it can be very difficult and confusing to
figure out if a particle in a particular phrasal verb is one or the other. Fortunately,
this is almost never important to the student, so it is a lot easier to simply call them
both particles.
p.v. phrasal verb n. a noun made from a
phrasal verb
part.adj. participle adjective — a past participle of a phrasal verb used as an adjective put on it.
When words or sentences have a line through them, it means that they are
incorrect.
... Three dots between the verb and the particle mean that the object of the
phrasal verb can be placed between the verb and the particle.
vi
1. FOCUS ON: separable and nonseparable
phrasal verbs
Phrasal verbs are either separable or nonseparable. Unfortunately, there is no rule that will help
you to look at a phrasal verb and always know whether it is separable or nonseparable.
Separable phrasal verbs
Separable phrasal verbs can be separated by their object. When the object is a noun, it
is usually entirely optional whether the object is placed between the verb and the particle
or placed after the particle. Both sentences below are correct:
I took my shoes off.
I took off my shoes.
However, when a pronoun is used instead of a noun, the pronoun must be placed
between the verb and the particle:
I took them off.
I took off them.
But in one type of sentence, separable phrasal verbs must be separated — when the
phrasal verb has two objects:
She put a blanket on.
She put on a blanket.
She put a blanket on the bed.
She put on a blanket the bed.
Nonseparable phrasal verbs
Nonseparable phrasal verbs cannot be separated by their object:
He ran into a tree.
He ran a tree into.
Throughout this book, phrasal verbs that can be separated have three dots (...) between
the verb and the particle.
Infinitive_____________________________________________
present tense -ing form past tense past participle
come from
come from & comes from coming from came from come from
1. come from p.v. When you come from a place, you were born there or lived there
previously. When you come from a family or a social situation, your past experience helps
to explain your present attitudes and behavior.
Mike comes from Alaska, so he's used to cold weather.
Jane had a difficult childhood. She came from a broken home.
1
2. come from p.v. When something comes from a source, that is where it
originated.
The word "admiral" comes from an Arabic word.
The mechanic heard a strange sound coming from the engine.
Infinitive
present tense -ing form past tense past participle
figure out
figure out & figures out figuring out figured out figured out
1. figure ... out p.v. [the object can be a noun or a noun clause] When you figure out something, such as
the answer to a question, the solution to a problem, or why a person is a certain way or acts
a certain way, you think about and succeed in understanding it.
Joe's so hostile all the time. I can't figure him out.
I looked everywhere for my keys, but I couldn't figure out where I put them.
give back
give back & gives back giving back gave back given back
1. give ... back (to) p.v. When you return something to someone, you give it back.
Can I use your pen? I'll give it back after the test.
Timmy, give that toy back to your sister right now!
look for
look for & looks for looking for looked for looked for
1. look for p.v. When you look for things or people, you try to find them.
/ looked for you at the party, but I didn't see you.
Excuse me, can you help me? I'm looking for 303 Main St.
put on
put on & puts on putting on put on put on
1. put... on p.v. When you place something on or apply something to your body, you put it
on.
I put on my new dress before going to the party.
Eric forgot to put suntan lotion on, and now he's as red as a lobster.
2. put... on p.v. When you place something on or apply something to another surface, you
put it on.
I put the book on the table.
Jerry put too much fertilizer on his lawn, and now he has to cut it twice a week. Comment [S1]: n. (area of grass)
газон; lawn tennis теннис.
3. put... on p.v. When you attach or affix something to another thing, you put it on.
The Wilson’s put a new roof on their house last year.
I told the tailor to put red buttons on the dress he's making for me.
4. put... on p.v. When you put on weight, you gain weight.
