ESL Blogs

Hi, everyone!

I think it is time to explain the phrasal verbs I used writing my previous blog or I meant expecting your corrections. First of all, I’d like to say that phrasal verbs are not idioms, at least for English speaking people. However, speaking a few other languages, I realize they sound like idioms for you as in your languages the same actions are defined by some other verbs.  Phrasal verbs are really “tricky” as you may see. If you use a wrong preposition or a wrong verb, you say something different that may make sense!

Now, there is one easy rule for you to remember. Phrasal verbs may be separable (I have marked them with symbol (S)) and inseparable. If a phrasal verb is separable, we may place an indirect object between a verb and a preposition. If an indirect object is a pronoun, we ALWAYS place it right after a verb. We place ANY indirect object the same way if a verb is followed by two (or more) prepositions. Here are a few examples.

He called her up.

He called his friend up

Or

He called up his friend.

Take your hands out of the pockets.

Take the dirty dishes away from the table.

Moreover, you should realize that one phrasal verb may have different uses like TO BRING UP, TO RUN OVER, TO PICK UP and many others. So, you should always try to understand them in the given context. Let’s consider one of them, TO RUN OVER. Here are two examples:

He didn’t slow down and ran a dog over.

I ran over the pricelist and decided to refrain from buying new equipment.

I believe it is clear that in the first sentence a guy drove over a dog and in the second I looked through the pricelist. So, I am not going to copy a dictionary and will explain the meanings of the phrasal verbs in my blog.

RUN OVER (S) means that you knocked somebody or something down and drove over.

RUN INTO (BUMP INTO, COME ACROSS)– to meet someone unexpectedly.

PASS AWAY – to die.

PASS BY – to walk or drive past someone/something.

CALL AWAY (S) – to tell/request/order someone to leave the place where he is and to go somewhere else, mostly on business.

CALL UP/IN (S)  - to make a phone call.

CALL OFF (S) – to cancel.

CALL FOR -  if you CALL FOR someone, you go to the building where he/she is, so that you both can go somewhere.

CALL ON  - to pay a visit to someone.

CALL OUT (S)  - in my blog I mean to challenge to a duel/ fight.

SHOW OFF - to boastfully display one's abilities or accomplishments.

SHOW UP – to appear.

BRING OUT (S) – to produce or publish some new product.

BRING OFF (S) – to complete, to finish some work successfully.

BRING UP (S) – in my blog, to bring before the court.

PUT AWAY (S) –to set aside, to put something where it is kept when you don’t use it.

PUT OFF (S) – to postpone.

PUT IN PRINT – to publish.

BE OUT OF DATE – to be old-fashioned, no longer valid or relevant.

BE UP TO DATE – to be modern, up to standards.

PICK UP (S) - in my blog, to acquaint with girls.

PASS OVER (S) – in my blog, to take no notice of someone, to disregard.

I believe you have all necessary information to correct a learner and to explain teacher’s ideas. I sincerely hope you will bring off your task at last!

And, of course, it will be great if you write some examples with the phrasal verbs I have just explained. You may also write your blogs and I will correct your mistakes if any.