Scarica Cd phrasal verbs e più Schemi e mappe concettuali in PDF di Lingua Inglese solo su Docsity!
Ask after To enquire about I saw Robert yesterday and he asked after you. Back down To withdraw an assertion in face of opposition
The government backed down after the trade union threatened to strike.
Bargain for To expect We hadn’t bargained for such a good turnout.
Bear out To support or confirm This assumption is not borne out by any evidence. Break down
Break off
Break up
To cease to function To cease to function, continue (of relationship/agreement/process To lose control of one’s emotions To fail or collapse (health) To abruptly stop talking To discontinue talks or relations To disintegrate To part (a couple in a relationship) To disband, end
Ron’s car broke down on the motorway. Negotiations at the UN broke down. Meg and Steve were incompatible. Their marriage soon broke down. Barbara broke down after she heard the news. His health broke down after he started working in the mines. He broke off to go and answer the phone. The EU broke off talks with Russia. The clouds broke up and the sun shone. Kathy and David have broken up. The party broke up and we all went home.
Bring about
Bring on Bring round Bring up
To cause, make happen
To cause something unpleasant to occur To persuade someone to do something To rear; care for until fully grown To raise a matter for discussion
The fall of a comet may have brought about the extinction of the dinosaurs. Obesity is brought on by a rich diet and little exercise. Richard finally brought his father round to his way of thinking. Jock was brought up in Scotland. I’d like to bring up the problem of students’ study rooms.
Call for
Call off Call on
To pick up someone or something (from home) To cancel an event or agreement To pay a visit
I’ll call for you at 7.30. Someone will call for the document this afternoon. The party was called off. I might call on her later.
Carry on Carry out
To continue To perform a task
Carry on with what you were doing, don’t let me interrupt you. They are carrying out a market research survey. Catch on Catch up with
To become popular To reach the same position/level as someone/something else To contact someone to get their news
High heels have really caught on. “Come on, you’re not keeping up with me.” “You run on ahead, I’ll catch up with you later.” I hardly ever get the chance to catch up with old friends.
Clear up To become cured To become brighter (weather) To tidy up To solve, find an answer to
My rash has cleared up. I hope it clears up , I’m sick of all this rain. You’d better clear up your room. We’ve cleared up the problem, you can go back into the house now.
Come across Come into Come out
To meet by chance To inherit money or property To be released or published
I came across Gwyneth yesterday, I hadn’t seen her for ages. Paris Hilton will come into a lot of money one day. Adele’s new CD is coming out next week.
Come up Come up against Come up to
Come up with
To appear or happen unexpectedly To meet with a difficulty To reach the same level of expectation, standard Think of, invent
Something has come up , I’ll have to cancel the meeting. I’ve come up against a problem. The film didn’t come up to expectations.
Haven’t you come up with an idea yet? Count on To rely on You can count on me any time.
Crop up To appear or happen unexpectedly Something’s cropped up , I’ll have to cancel the meeting.
Cut back/down
Cut off
To reduce, economize
To be interrupted when speaking
I’m cutting down on eating sweets. The government has cut back on medical benefits. I was put through to New York but was cut off after one minute.
Deal with To take measures The European governments are unable to deal with the crisis efficiently.
Do away with
Do with
Do without
To remove, abolish To kill (colloquial) To find something useful or would like to have or do To manage without Would prefer not to have
Many restrictions on imports have been done away with. Bluebeard did away with all his wives. I could do with a cup of tea!
I can’t do without my early morning coffee. I can do without your comments, thank you! Draw up To come to a stop To prepare a document
The drivers drew up at the traffic lights. They instructed their lawyer to draw up an agreement.
Drop in (on)
Drop off
To pay a visit without prior arrangement
To fall asleep
Drop in whenever you’re in the area. I dropped in on my neighbours on my way home. I was watching TV in the afternoon and suddenly dropped off.
End up To finish in a certain way or place We ended up having to do the cleaning ourselves. We lost our way and ended up in a forest.
Face up to To confront and deal with We have to face up to reality.
Fall out (with) Fall through
To have an argument To fail, come to nothing
John has fallen out with his family over the will. The plan to set up a new English course fell through.
Go ahead Go back on Go down with Go in for Go off
Go on
Go on to Go out Go over Go through
Go through with Go without
To proceed, continue To fail to keep a promise To begin to suffer from, catch an illness To like, take part in To explode To decompose, be unfit to eat or drink To begin to dislike
To continue or persevere
To proceed to do To be extinguished (light or fire) To examine, check the details To search through, examine carefully To undergo (a difficult period or experience) To perform an action (usually unwillingly) To suffer lack or deprivation
The project will go ahead as planned. Dora would never go back on her word. Trish can’t come to the party. She’s gone down with flu. I don’t go in much for sports. The bomb went off without any warning. I’m sorry, I can’t give you any milk, it’s gone off. After seeing how the animals are treated, I’ve gone off eating meat for good! I can’t go on like this! Go on , do tell me the latest gossip! After she graduated, Martha went on to become a politician. The fire has gone out , I’ll have to get some more coal. Let’s go over your homework again. We went through the entire house but we couldn’t find the key. The world economy is currently going through a difficult period.
I just couldn’t go through with sacking my staff. I like to give my children what they want, even if I have to go without.
Grow on Grow out of
Grow up
To become gradually more appealing To become to old for To become to large to wear To become an adult, to spend one’s childhood and adolescence
I didn’t like rap music at first, but now it’s growing on me. Harriet has grown out of playing with dolls. Rupert has grown out of his trainers, he needs a larger pair. I grew up in England.
Have (got) it in for
Have it out
Have someone on
To feel a dislike for someone and behave in a hostile manner To resolve an issue by expressing one’s feelings To make believe something that is untrue
My teacher has it in for me, he always asks me difficult questions.
I put up with the problem for a while, but in the end I had it out with her.
I don’t believe you, you’re having me on.
Hold on Hold up
To wait To rob someone using threat of force To delay or block the progress of someone or something To expose someone as an example or for a particular treatment
Hold on , I’ll be right back! A masked gunman held up the post office. The flight was held up for 4 hours. Mark was held up in traffic. The BBC was held up as a pillar of objectivity. The prime minister was held up to ridicule after all the gaffes he made.
Join in To take part in, contribute to I joined in the conversation. Keep on Keep up (with)
To continue to do something To move at the same speed To continue
Let’s keep on working until 6 o’clock, shall we? Slow down, I can’t keep up with you. Well done! Keep up with the good work!
Knock out To make unconscious (with blow on the head) To astonish or impress
The vase fell on my head and I was knocked out.
I was knocked out by the great news!
Lay down (the law) Lay off
To issue instructions in an authoritative or dogmatic way To discharge a worker because of lack of work
The company has laid down strict procedures. My boss is very dictatorial. He’s always laying down the law! Many people have been laid off because of the crisis.
Leave out To not include Let’s leave out this part, it doesn’t fit in with the rest of the text.
Let down Let in on Let on
To disappoint, fail to support To allow someone to know a secret To reveal information
Brenda promised to help me, but she let me down at the last minute. Tina’s let me in on all the latest gossip. Don’t let on that I told you!
Live on
Live up to
To have money with which to buy food and other necessities To fulfil expectations
They live on a very meagre pension.
The film didn’t live up to our expectations.
Look after Look down on Look forward to
Look into Look on Look out! Look out onto/over Look up
Look up to
To take care of To feel superior To eagerly await
To examine (a problem/situation) To consider Beware! To have a view in a specific direction To search for information To visit, to contact To improve / get better To have a great deal of respect for
My husband’s looking after the children while I’m shopping. Our next-door neighbours are snobs, they look down on everybody. I’m looking forward to my summer holidays. (business letter): We look forward to hearing from you soon. I’ll look into the matter and let you know. We look on Patrick as our own son. Look out! You’re going to slip on the ice! Our room looked out onto the sea. Look this verb up in the dictionary. Look me up when you next come to Milan. Things seem to be looking up at last. I’ve always looked up to my uncle Philip.
Run across / into Run out of Run over
Run up against
To meet by chance To exhaust supply of To knock a person or animal down with the car To encounter difficulty, a problem
I ran across/into Maureen at the supermarket. The car stopped because they had run out of petrol. Vivian got run over crossing when the lights were green.
We’ve stopped the project because we’ve run up against a problem. Save up To put money by for later use I’m saving up all my money to buy a car.
See about See off See through See to
To attend to, deal with To accompany a person who is departing To not be deceived by To deal with, take care of
We’ll have to see about getting you new shoes. I’ll come to the airport to see you off. I saw through her lies and deceptions I’ll see to the children’s lunch.
Set about Set in Set out
Set up
To start doing with determination To begin (and likely to continue) To begin a journey To arrange or display To establish, arrange
We must set about tackling the problem. We must bring the plants indoors before the cold weather sets in. We set out for the top of the mountain at dawn. I’ve set out the plates and glasses, is there anything else? A committee has been set up to deal with the problem.
Show off To make a deliberate or pretentious display of one’s abilities or accomplishments
You always show off when your boss is in the office!
Sink in To be full understood Oliver read the letter twice before its meaning sunk in.
Slip up To make a careless error I often slip up when it comes to spelling. Sort out To look through items in order to classify or make a selection, to arrange To resolve a problem or difficulty
I sorted out all the files this morning. Now everything is in its place.
The teacher helped the student sort out her problem.
Stand down Stand for
Stand up for
To resign or withdraw from a position To tolerate (put up with) To be an abbreviation/symbol for To defend
He stood down as candidate for mayor. I won’t stand for any more rudeness! SMS stands for Short Message Service. Stand up for yourself! Don’t let them walk all over you!
Take after Take someone in Take off
To take someone out Take over
To resemble a parent or ancestor To deceive To become airborne (of airplane) To become successful or popular To escort, as on a date Assume control
Jane takes after her mother. No-one was taken in by her high and mighty manners. My plane takes off at 9.00. His career took off as soon as he left university. John is taking Mary out. Alitalia has been taken over by an investment consortium.
Take up To become interested in a pursuit To occupy time or space, consume
Fred has taken up playing Golf. Preparing lessons takes up a lot of time. This desk takes up too much space, I’ll have to get a smaller one.
Talk into / out of To persuade / dissuade Charles tried to talk me into going to Finland in the winter but I managed to talk him out of it by saying it was much too cold.
Tear up To pull or rip to pieces She tore the letter up as soon as she read it.
Tell off To reprimand or scold The teacher is always telling the students off for being late. Think over/about To consider carefully I’ll think over/about what you said and let you have an answer tomorrow. I’ll think it over / I’ll think about it (NOT think it about )
Throw away To discard, eliminate The toner had run out so I threw the cartridge away. Try on Try out
To put on clothing to see if it fits To use for the first time, test
I tried on the shoes, but they were too small. Let’s try out the new car, shall we?
Turn down
Turn into Turn out
Turn up
To reject something offered, an invitation To reduce volume, heat, light, etc. To convert into To prove to be the case To arrive to attend a gathering To increase volume, heat, light, etc To be found by chance after being lost To arrive (also unexpectedly)
J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter novel was turned down by Penguin. Please turn the music down , it’s far too loud. The Lira currency was turned into Euros. The job turned out to be too difficult. 10,000 people turned out at the concert. Shall I turn the light on? It’s getting dark. The missing document finally turned u p. Half the guests failed to turn up.
Wash up To wash the dishes I’ve finished washing up , now I’ll take a nap. Wear off To lose effectiveness or intensity The effects of the aspirin soon wore off.
Work out To calculate To solve, find the answer to To understand To engage in physical exercise
Can you work out my IMU payment for me? Let’s try to work out how to streamline the procedure. I can’t work out what the problem is I went to the gym this morning and worked out for three hours!
Write down To write, take notes Alice wrote down her address.
