As a lot of you know, I think that infographics are a great, visual way of communicating grammar points or vocabulary chunks to learners. In today's post, I'd like to share with you this inforgraphic by Grammar.net to introduce verbs + prepositions and those 'dreaded' phrasal verbs!
Take a look at this:
[Infographic provided by Grammar.net]
Are you familiar with these phrasal verbs and those verb + preposition combinations or verb phrases?
Verb Phrases
Here are some example sentences for those verb phrases:
agree with - "I have to agree with Martin on this one. If we don't act fast, we will lose the contract".
look forward to - "I look forward to meeting your family next week" (following verb in the +ing form )
"I am looking forward to my holiday next week" (noun)
concentrate on - "Could I have some quiet, please? I need to concentrate on this email." (noun)
"I am finding it really hard to concentrate on writing this draft contract". (following verb in the +ing form )
Phrasal Verbs
And now for some example sentences for the phrasal verbs. The infographic gives you some of the different meanings of each phrasal verb. I have decided to add more meanings to some of the phrasal verbs so that you can see the variety of ways these phrasal verbs can be used.
work out
- to solve a problem by considering the facts - "I can't work out what to do with this situation.
- to solve a problem by doing a calculation - "I was born in 1956, you work out my age".
- to exercise - "I love working out in the mornings".
- to be successful - "I am sure that everything will work out in the end".
- to decide or agree on something - " We have worked out when to start our course".
- used for saying what the actual cost or value is when you calculate it - "Taking the Eurostar works out more expensive than travelling with EasyJet".
turn down
- to refuse - "She turned down their job offer"
- to reduce the volume - "Can you turn down the TV, please?"
- to ready the bed for sleeping - "Sir, would you like me to turn down the beds?" (This is an old use of the expression but you can still hear it in 5-star or 6-star hotels where this service is still offered)
break down
- cease to function - "The washing machine has broken down again".
- separate into sections - " The task can be broken down in smaller, manageable sections".
- relationships or discussion - "The Economic Talks in Beijing broke down after two days".
- become upset, especially in public - "People broke down and cried when they heard the news".
- make a door or wall fall - "The police had to break down the door in order to enter the flat".
use up
- to consume all of something - "Have you used up all the eggs?"
(NB: I have never heard of the other example of the use of this phrasal verb as shown in the infographic)
bring up
- a topic of conversation - "OK, everyone. I'd like to bring up the topic of waste disposal".
- raise a child (often used in the passive voice)- "We were brought up to respect our elders".
- vomit - "During the car journey, she brought up all her lunch! It was disgusting!"
turn up
- increase power/sound - "It's so hot in here. Could you please turn up the air conditioning?"
- arrive (often unexpectedly or with no prior arrangement) - "Look who just turned up?" "You don't have to make a reservation. You can just turn up".
- to find (by accident) - "Hey, look what just turned up? I have been looking for these documents everywhere".
- to happen unexpectedly- "Don't worry. Another job offer will turn up when you least expect it".
I cannot stress enough how important it is to learn the different uses of these phrasal verbs in the context of a sentence and not in isolation. Many of my clients think they need to memorise the uses but I always tell them that to do so is pointless and in fact, meaningless. If there is no context, there is no meaning and therefore will be impossible to remember.
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Ciao for now
Shanthi
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