Unit 11

Text: History of Tomatoes

Grammar: Phrasal verbs: form and meaning

Formation

A phrasal verb is a verb + adverb or preposition, and occasionally a verb + adverb and preposition.

The price of petrol is going up (= increasing) again.

He fell over (= fell to the ground) and hurt his knee.

She's trying to find out (= learn/discover) the name of that new hotel.

Who's going to look after (= take care of) the children when their mother is in hospital?

If you don't understand the meaning, look it up. (= find the meaning in a dictionary)

He doesn't get on with (= have a good relationship with) his parents, (verb + adv + prep)

Meaning

Sometimes the adverb or preposition doesn't change the meaning, but makes it sound more natural.

I didn't wake up until 7 o'clock. I'm saving up for a new computer.

Hurry up or we'll be late. She stood up and went over to the door.

Sit down and be quiet. He told me to lie down on the bed.

Sometimes an adverb adds a particular meaning. For example, back can mean 'return'.

I'm going to take that jacket back to the shop; it's too small.

You can look at the books but remember to put them back on the shelf.

More often, the adverb or preposition changes the meaning of the verb: 'take off doesn't mean the same as 'take', and 'get on' doesn't mean the same as 'get'. Here are some examples:

It took her a long time to get over (= get better/recover from) her illness.

We'll take a short break and then carry on (= continue) with the meeting.

My wife has decided to give up (= stop) smoking.

I can't make any sandwiches - we've run out of bread. (= no bread is left; it is finished)

I've told them we can't put the meeting off. (= change the time of the meeting to a later date)

Multiple meanings

Be careful: many phrasal verbs have more than one meaning.

It was so hot I had to take off (= remove) my jacket.

I'm always nervous when the plane takes off. (= leaves the ground)

I've got a lot of work to get through (= finish) before Friday.

I tried phoning him, but I couldn't get through. (= make contact and

talk to him)

My alarm clock didn't go off (= ring) this morning.

The bomb could go off (= explode) at any minute. [See picture.]

The fish will go off (= go bad) if you don't put it in the fridge.

I picked up most of the rubbish. (= took it from a place, using my hands) I have to pick Jane up (= collect her in my car) from the station.

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