Why is English is easy to learn

Why is English hard?

There is strong evidence to support this claim that English is a difficult language to learn. There is a mad spelling system in English and it seems like every word makes their own pronunciation rules because English has borrowed so many words from other languages. To know how to read spelling, you need to know which language it comes from or have heard the correct pronunciation before.

Irregular verbs in English are quite complex and are often a headache for English language learners. Why is "Purchased" the previous tension of "buying", and why is the "previous sale" of "sold" "sold"? Why were not the real words bought or "sold"?

In English, the order of words is changed by questions, something that is not present in other languages ​​like Portuguese. Many Brazilians will say "Are you American?" Instead of the right "are you American?" The word order is important not only when you ask questions, but also when describing the noun. The very subtle words in English are the ordering rules that make "a cute brown dog", it is right to say, while "a cute cute dog" would be wrong.

Why English is Easy?
In spite of these difficulties, English is the easiest language in the world to actually learn. You can think that I'm crazy to say this but allow me to explain.

Unlike other languages, there is no case in English, no gender, no word is compromised, and arguably a simple grammar system. English speakers often have difficulties during speaking Portuguese because they are not used to words that contain gender.

English is the easiest language to learn, because the vast selection of English resources to learn, including TV shows, movies, music, podcasts, books and websites. English is the most widely studied foreign language in the world and one tonne resource is available to assist every native language speaker. Thousands written about learning English, perhaps hundreds of thousands of books are a foreign language that you can use to improve. Apart from this there are a ton of great English learning blogs on theinternet.

Studying from a book will only get you so far; You need to contact the real language because it is spoken by native speakers to speak the best English. You need to make a lifestyle out of English where you listen to music every day, watch TV and read in English. The popularity of English pop culture means that you will not have to look far enough to find the resources of the English language that you can incorporate into your daily life.

English will be easy for you when you stop seeing it as some mechanical and start connecting with the culture that comes from it. You need to connect the language at a deep level by absorbing the media produced in English.

There are hundreds of TV shows in English that you can watch online for free to help improve your language abilities. Watching an episode of TV Show Friends every day can greatly improve your English, and it will help you understand the culture that comes with language. No other language can claim many different types of TV shows that guarantee that something will happen that everyone will love. I find it hard to find good TV shows for learning Portuguese because most of the TV shows in Brazil are novels. If you know about a good Brazilian TV show, please let me know in the comments.

All this is in your mind
To be told the truth, it is useless to ask whether English is a difficult language or easy language to learn. If you want to believe that English is a difficult language then you will find reasons to justify your beliefs which are difficult to learn. But if you believe that it is easy to learn then you will find reasons to justify that belief.

It is most important to ask if you are ready to dedicate yourself to the process of learning a language, which means that having daily contact with language and incorporating it into your lifestyle. If you consistently apply yourself to it and are committed to the end result, then it seems that nothing hard can be done. NASA did not bother to ask if it is difficult to keep a person on the moon, they asked if it is possible and found ways to make it.

There is no destination with a clear path to follow learning the language, it is a journey that will lead you many different routes. There are many ways to flow, but what is common in all of them is that you are the ones who will have to follow them. You are the person who determines your pace; You are those who are responsible for the failure or success at the end of the day.

http://surajprep.blogspot.com

9 most common interview questions

1:- What is your greatest strength?

It may seem like a non-brained question to answer, but be careful. Do not use it as an opportunity to apply soap on how wonderful you are; Choose a specific ability or skill that is related to the job you are applying and talking about it. It is one of the easiest times during an interview to sell itself, so hit the sweet spot of play without your arrogance. Describe what your biggest skill is, and then choose two or three examples that show it in action.

2:- What is your greatest weakness?

This question can disturb a lot of people, but not because of the reason that you can think. Although it is never a good idea that you can spoil your heart because you describe your biggest failures in life, this is not the time to practice the Orwellian couple. The move is to talk about an actual work related weakness, then explain how you handled it. Do not say that your biggest weakness is perfectionism or too early - they are strengths, and the interviewer will not be affected. What really comes out is the ability to accurately self-analyze and change accordingly. It translates maturity, insights and your work well.

3:- How do you handle stress and pressure?

Stress and pressure are omnipresent in the working world. No matter how easy your workplace can be, there are always problems, obstacles and emergencies that disrupt plans. They are important to answer the question that how do you overcome personal feelings and solve problems. Whether your first reaction is to have 60 seconds to breathe and clean or write a solution on a piece of paper, emphasize your ability to concentrate on the solution, self-motivate through adversity and remove panic do.

4:- Describe the situation or project of a difficult job and how you crossed it.

Like answering "How Do You Handle Stress and Pressure", this is an opportunity to talk about your problem-solving abilities. The best answer to this question has been answered with a focus on this because what is the question. Start by setting the status, then talk about how you solved it. CAP your answer with a short and sweet interpretation of your thought process, goal and method of solving the problem.

5:- How do you evaluate success?

Your answer to this question will tell the employers whether you are fit in office culture and if you are an inspired employee. This is a comprehensive, unclear question, but do not scare you. Choose some success goals that are related to the jobs that you have applied; Success means promoting good communication, completing projects prematurely or finding innovative solutions for some problems.

6:- Why are you leaving your job or have you left?

If you have left on friendly conditions with your previous employer, then your reaction may be to separate everything that was wrong with them. Do not do this at any time, for any reason. Until you were discontinued, look at your motivated need to find new opportunities. You might want to concentrate on a different type of work, or perhaps there was no room for your old company to grow. Whatever the reason, the best answer to this question will be on personal and professional development.

7:- Why do you want this job?

The answer to this question will be similar to the above, instead of explaining why you want to grow, target your answer to the job and company for which you are applying. Talk about opportunities that prospective employers will give you and how you will benefit them as a company. No matter the job or salary, communicate your interest with specific examples and short plugs about your abilities. Why should we hire you?

Answer this question simply, not by saying, "Because I'm great," or a broader version. This is an opportunity to talk about what makes you the right candidate for the situation. For this it is necessary to know what the employer is seeing, and then matches their skills and experience.

8:- what are your goals for the future?

This question depends on your ambition: An interviewer who asks that she wants to know what you are trying to achieve. Discuss your plans for the future so that your personal ambition benefits the company.

9:- tell more about you.

Of course, this is a comprehensive question that an interviewer can ask, so it is important to prepare it. If you are not good at coming on the fly with the answer, you can start running and removing individual anecdotes. Answer this question by talking about your professional self: what you can do, and what you have accomplished. This is an opportunity to create a well-defined snapshot that will give a good impression to the employer.

surajprep.blogspot.com

History of English

When English Was First Spoken:-
English taken from Proto-Indo-European language spoken by nomadic people circling Europe about 5000 years ago This language also came from German. English is traditionally divided into three major historical periods: Old English, Middle English and Modern English. Old English was brought to the British Isles by the Germanic people: Jute, Saxon and Angles, starting in 449, with the establishment of learning centers in Winchester, the history was being written, and translations of important Latin texts in the West Saxon dialect . 800, the spoken bid became the official "Old English" The word adopted came from Scandinavian languages.

Development of English language:-
In the Norman Conquest in 1066, the Norman French dialect (which was a Germanic influence French) reached Britain. The learning center gradually moved from Winchester to London, so old English no longer dominate. Norman French is spoken by the elite, and Old English is spoken by ordinary people, it has been in the middle of time to become Middle English. By the 1200s, about 10,000 French words were included in English. Some words were served as substitutions for English words, and some coexisted with slightly changed meanings. Spelling changed as people with Norman-French background wrote the English words as they had heard. Other changes include loss of sex for nouns, some words form (called inflection), silence "e," and correlation of more constrained word order. Chaucer wrote in English in the mid-1300s. At that time, Latin (churches, courts), French and English were widely used in the UK, although there were still many regional dialects in English that caused much confusion.

There were structural and grammatical changes too. Charles Barber explains in "The English Language: A Historical Introduction":

"A major syntactic change in English language from Anglo-Saxon's time, [ubject] -O [bject] -V [erb] and V [erb] -S [ubject] -O [bject] type of word-order, and S [ubject] -V [erb] -O [bject] is normal. The type of SOV disappeared in the early Middle Ages, and the VSO type was rare after the middle.In the seventeenth century, the VS word-order is actually Is still present in English as a less common version, as in 'Downstairs children's poo Mr. crowd, "but full Viso type rarely happens today."

Modern English Use:-
Many scholars consider the early modern English period about 1500. During the Renaissance, English included many words from Latin to French, Classical Latin (not only Latin of Church) and Greek. The works of King James Bible (1611) and William Shakespeare are considered in modern English.

A major development took place in the language that ended the "Beginning" proportion of modern English period, when the pronunciation of long vowels changed. It is called the Great Wawl Shift and it is believed that it happened from 1700 or later after the 1400s. For example, as a Middle English long high tone eventually turned into a modern English long i, and a Middle English long oo developed in a modern English sound. Changed in the middle and lower vowels as well, such that for a modern English ah eh sound is changing in a long e and long sound.

So to clarify, the word "modern" means more than its pronunciation, grammar and pausing relative to spelling, with nothing to its current term or slang, which is always changing.

Today's English:-
In accordance with "Global Language in English Language" by David Crystal, English is sometimes adopting new words from other languages ​​(350 languages). About three-fourths of these words come from Greek and Latin, but, as Ammon Shia points out in "Bad English: A History of Linguistic Aggression", "This is certainly not a Romance language, it is a Germanic The proof of this can be found in the fact that it is very easy to make a sentence without the words of Latin origin, but it is very impossible in which there is no word from Old English. "

With many sources behind its development, English is malleable, words are being invented regularly as well. Robert Birchfield, "The English Language", is called "a fleet of Jugaudu trucks, without any care. No form of linguistic engineering and no amount of linguistic legislation will prevent the myths of change which lie ahead . "

Amendment in dictionary:-
After using a certain quantity, dictionary editors decide whether there is enough power to add to the dictionary in a new word. Merriam-Webster notes that his editors spend a day or two hours reading material, looking for new words, spending old words, new forms, new spellings, and so on. Words are logged in their database for documentation and further analysis for further analysis. Before being added to a dictionary, there should be extensive use of publications and / or media in a wide variety of publications (not widespread usage, not jargon) to replace a new word or an existing word. The Oxford English Dictionary has a similar process for its 250 lexographers and editors, who are continuously researching and updating information on language.

surajprep.blogspot.com

what is phrasal verbs

What is a Phrasal Verbs?

A phrase verb is a phrase that is composed of one verb and other word or two, usually a proposal but sometimes a verb adjective.

Therefore, before we can talk about phrase actions, it is important to understand what the verbs, proposals and adverbs are.

An action is a verb word. It happens something (i.e., hear, see), the state of being one (i.e. live, sleep), or having a verb (i.e. reading, singing).
A preposition is a word that describes the relationship between two words. For example, bees are at the top of the table or under the table, but are not inside the table (hopefully). Proposals mainly deal with location or direction (i.e., but, around) and time (i.e. "by" or "around" a fixed time).
Adverb is a word that describes a verb. For example, you can run quickly or slowly and can come in class sooner or later.
Now that you know what actions and proposals are, then you are ready to put them together in verbal action.

Phrasal verb works by changing the meaning of the verb on the basis of its meaning, which follows them.

You think it's easy - you probably already know many phrase actions. For example, read the last sentence before this section: "So let's learn some phrases." The word "coming" in that sentence is a phrase verb!

The word "come" means to move towards something. With the preposition "on", however, the phrase "let" becomes a phrase of encouragement.

There are many other phrasal verbs!

Learn How Phrasal Verbs
English verbs are everywhere, so one of the best ways to learn them is to try to listen to them. These phrases are usually used, and listening in the conversation will not be uncommon. Do you hear a verb with a word with a word many times? This can be a phrase action.

If you are not sure whether a phrase is a phrase or just an action that is going to be spoken with a preposition, then try to see it. Most dictionaries have entries of phrasal verbs, so look for the phrase to see. You can also see the English page in the phrase phrase, which is an excellent resource, so save that link!

The meaning of some phrases is clear - like "falling down" - but almost like some idioms, because they can not be translated literally - like "come". To make them easier to learn, you can try to group activities like categories. Time of day (i.e. rising, laying) or positive (i.e. cheating) and negatives (i.e. accepting)

There are lots of functional verbs that all of them can find difficult to learn. But many of these phrases become natural after a while - all this is duplication and practice.

One of the fastest ways to understand phrasal verbs and use them correctly is watching videos on FluentU. Fluentu provides authentic English videos - such as movie trailers, TV ads, motivational speeches and more - where you will hear tuning actions used naturally by native speakers. And you should never worry about misunderstanding them.

Because Fluentu has English learning tools, which are produced in every video including interactive subtitles. Simply enter definition, grammatical information and examples on any phrase, verb (or any word) and fluentu.

There are also flashcards and funny quizzes for every video that help you remember what you learned.

For example, see this video from José Gonzales as a song "Heartbeats", which contains several English phrases. If you sign up for a fluentu test, you can watch it with all the learning facilities and find out the full video library. There are thousands of videos for beginners through advanced learners.

How To Use Phrasal Verbs In English
Phrasal verbs are used like verbs - anywhere it is understood!

Generally, verb and preposition should be said together in a phrase verb, like the phrase "falling down". In some cases, however, you can separate the verb and preposition by putting other words between them.

For example: The phrase "turn off" can be used in the same way, or it can be interrupted by telling you that you are closing. In other words, you can say "turn off the TV", but you can also say "turn off the TV." both are correct!

One more thing to keep in mind about phrases is that they are still verbs. This means that the verb part of the phrase can be changed depending on the time of sentence. So for example "closed" can also be "closed" and "off".

It will take some time for you to get used to it, which actions can be separated and which can not be done, so hang in it!

56 of the most useful phrasal verbs in English
Below are some of the most common phrases in the English language. We arranged them in alphabetical order so that they could meet easily, but you can still create groups when you want to learn them!

bring
Bringing up - mentioning something. (Note: This phrase can be divided into two parts of the verb.)

"Mark was ill and had to miss the party, so please do not bring it, I do not want them to feel it disappearing."

Bring - To be something, usually something negative. (This phrase can be isolated from what is happening in two parts of the verse.)

"His lung cancer was brought in years of smoking."

bring it on! - Accept the challenge with confidence.

"Do you want to run a race? Keep it in front of me! I can beat you!"

Call
Call - It means visiting someone, or using someone's knowledge or having someone else.

To meet someone: "I will call you this evening how you feel."

To use someone's knowledge: "I may have to call the excellent professors of the university to answer your question."

Call - off to cancel something.

"The picnic was called due to rain."

Cheer
Cheering - Supporting someone by giving words of encouragement to them. (Can be separated from person / people's name or pronouns)

"Even Samantha was in the last place, but his brother made him happy during the whole race."

Be Happy - This phrase can either be used as a phrase of encouragement, that someone is unhappy (just "make them happy!"), Or it means that it is possible to try to please someone.

"Andrew's day was bad, so his girlfriend cheered him with ice cream."

Come
Come up (with something) - think of any idea.

"I had come up with this idea about a woman living with my best friend and daughter for a TV show. I call it a half lady."

Come up - to bring a topic, or when something happens unexpectedly.

To bring a topic: "I wanted to tell him that I got a new job but the opportunity never came."

Unexpected event: "I was going to meet my friends for dinner, but something happened that caused me to cancel."

Come in - Entrance.

"Come in, the door is open!" The grandmother said to the wolves. "

Filling - meet or meet coincidence

"I was cleaning the attic and I came to my high school uniform. Can you believe that it is still fit?"

Come forward - like a volunteer, about a crime

"The police is encouraging people to come forward with any information about the hijacked girl."

cut
Cut Off - This phrase can be used in many ways, but its general meaning is "Stop or stop some." (Can be separated).

While driving, suddenly to come in front of another car: "That red car bitten me and I almost crashed."

To prevent someone from supplying things or communicating with anyone: "His father is rich, but he bitten him without his money."

Cut out (this) - this phrase means "Stop it."

"Hey, cut it off! I was watching that movie, so the channel stopped changing!"

Cut in - When you speak, stop someone in the middle.

"I was going on a date with that girl, but her friend was cut off and I missed the chance."

Drop
Drop-in / these - for some time to stay for a trip.

"Andrew is such a great lover, when he heard that his girlfriend is cold that she has fallen to bring some soup."

Drop-Off - To leave something or someone in your destination. (The object can be isolated from closing.)

"I can give you a ride and leave it at work."
Drop
Fall - This phrase means "break in pieces", but it can be used to talk about things that are not physical, such as marriage or a person.

"He tried to save his marriage by going to medical, but in the end if he got separated."

Falling down - Falling on the ground, usually by accident.

"My friend slipped on a banana peel and fell down. I thought it was only in cartoons!"

Fill
Filling (someone) - giving details about something to anyone. (Usually separated by the person who is full).

"Quickly, let's go!" There is no time to explain, I will fill you in the way.

Filling - Completely Complete

"The little girl gets filled with candy before dinner, and she does not want to eat chicken."

get
Escape - to avoid You've heard the phrase "getaway car". The car used by the criminals to escape from crime scene like bank robbery.

"Carmen's neighbor tried to show pictures of all of his cats, but Carmen managed to get away."

To solve a problem by avoiding the main issue - this phrase can be used to refer to a number of informally organized individuals with many sexual partners. As you can imagine, it is not very good to say that a person gets "around"!

"Some people know all the different ways of coming around tax laws."

Being together (to be together) - Have a friendly relationship with someone.

"Some people are surprised that I really like my mother-in-law!"

Rise - to stand up, or to wake up

"I have so much trouble getting up in the morning that I have to set three alarms."

Go back - returning to something or something. This phrase is often used to say that you will come back later with the answer to any question or answer.

"Derek's colleague was not sure what time the meeting took place, so he said that he has come back with time."

Go back - to take revenge from someone.

"Her ex-husband took her home, so she came back with her dogs."

give
Give out - this phrase means to stop working or to put some hand or to distribute something.

To stop working: "The city was completely rebuild the bridge, because it was about giving out and falling down."

To distribute: "He has a lot of contacts because he gives his business card to everyone he gets."

To give in - to surrender, especially in a fight or logic.

"Ben's mother gave him and let him stay with his friends for a long time."

Give away - give things for free (May be different from given items.)

"When Linda's cat was a cat, she drove her out of good homes."

Accepting defeat - To stop trying, surrender.

"Two weeks after trying to make my own table, I gave up and bought just one."

go
Go out (with) - go on a date with someone.

"Sarah was very happy when Peter asked her to go out with her!"

Going forward - to go in front of someone, or to say something or say.

"Go ahead, explain to me why there is a car on my roof."

Go ahead
To grow - sometimes to grow, sometimes someone asks for childish behavior.

"Some people tell Steve that he needs to grow up, but he likes acting like a child."

Separation - Being away from someone, like a friend

"When my friend went to a different country, I tried to stay with him, but we gradually got separated."

Keep phone
Wait - to keep something.

"When all others were being fired, Paul was hired in his job."

Hang out - to spend time with someone, carelessly

"My friends and I used to roam the park after school."

Hang up - To end a call on the phone, especially if it is before the other person is ready.

"I was in the middle of a sentence, and he hung on me! How rude."

Hold
Holding - Holding something tight tightly This phrase can also be a way to tell someone to wait for a moment.

"You keep a good hold on your hat, it's there."

Hold back - stop yourself from doing anything or saying.

"Amy has a great voice but whenever she sings in public, she feels ashamed and keeps it back."

Log
Login (with) - is used with computers, this phrase means signing in to your account on a website or computer.

"Do not forget to log in to your fluent account to learn better and faster English."

Log out / off - is also used with the computer, this phrase means signing out of your account.

"When you use public computers, you should always log out of your accounts."

look at
Look up - to check the meaning of something. (Can be isolated by the object being viewed).

"If you do not know the meaning of a word, you should see it in the dictionary."

Watch out - for some thing to look out for.

"Watch out, your way is coming for a baseball!"

the wages
Pay back - to give someone back the money you want to give them. (Can be isolated by the person to be paid.) When it is written as a word, "payback" means revenge.

"When I forgot my purse at home, thank you for lunch! I'll pay you back tomorrow."

Make a payment - This phrase may be either to pay someone for a particular purpose (like paying for a new car), or to suffer due to doing something like this.

"Because of late today she has paid for all the problems she has suffered!"

Put
Keep out - this phrase means to extinguish the fire, or to tease someone by asking for favor. (In the case of harassment, it can be isolated by the disturbed person.) Keep in mind that in very informal slang, this phrase has a more aggressive meaning.

To extinguish the fire: "Fire extinguishers have managed to extinguish the fire before spreading to other homes."

To bother someone: "I ask you to make dinner, but I do not want to keep you out."

Apply - to get your clothes or make-up.

"Every morning she keeps her dress, lipstick, shoes and hat - in that order."

to take
Take off - this phrase can mean cloths, or may be off for a trip (when aircraft start their flights).

"He was very happy when he finally went home and removed his shoes. They were having pain in his feet all day! "

Take out - to remove something, like a pocket or a bag. This phrase can also be used to take someone on a date. (The item being extracted can be isolated by the person or person.) The phrase can also mean to remove someone, as if killing them - but this is probably not something that you need to use in everyday conversation Will be!

To remove something: "The children sat at their desk and took out their pen and paper."

To take someone on a date: "She took her to the most expensive restaurant in the city."

turn
On / Off - To turn a machine or light on or off.

"Stop the light, I'm trying to sleep!"

Turn around - so that you are facing the opposite direction to move.

"Sally was about to sit in the plane, but when she called someone's name, she turned upside down."

Turn - When someone was lost then unexpectedly found.

"Whatever I lose, it usually turns under the sofa. This is my cat's favorite place. "

hot
Warm up (to) - To start liking someone or something like that, like you spend more time with them, especially if you did not really like them at the beginning.

"When we first met, that new puppy was scared of my husband, but he warmed it very quickly."

work
Exercise - Exercise

"I try to exercise every morning, taking a heavy donut from my mouth repeatedly."

Work (some) out - to settle with a solution or someone

"I'm not worried, I'm sure we can do some work so that everyone is happy."

How many of you knew these functional actions in advance? English verbs are everywhere! Do not be afraid of that - just start with something at a time and soon you will be an expert.

surajprep.blogspot.com

Phrasal Verbs with meanings

200 Common phrasal verbs with meanings and example sentences.

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
Act on	To take action because of something like information received.	The police were ACTING ON a tip from an informer and caught the gang red-handed.
Act out	Perform something with actions and gestures..	They ACTED OUT the story on stage.
Act up	Behave badly or strangely.	My computer’s ACTING UP; I think I might have a virus.
Add on	Include in a calculation.	You have to ADD the VAT ON to the price they give.
Add up	To make a mathematical total.	We ADDED UP the bill to check it was correct.
Agree with	Affect- usually used in the negative to show that something has had a negative effect, especially is it makes you feel bad.	I feel terrible- that food didn’t AGREE WITH my stomach.
Aim at	To target.	The magazine is AIMED AT teenagers.
Allow for	Include something in a plan or calculation.	You should ALLOW FOR delays when planning a journey.
Allow of	Make possible, permit.	The rules don’t ALLOW OF any exceptions.
Angle for	Try to get something indirectly, by hinting or suggesting.	He’s been ANGLING FOR an invitation, but I don’t want him to come.
Answer back	To reply rudely to someone in authority.	Her mother was shocked when she started ANSWERING her BACK and refusing to help.
Argue down	Beat someone in a debate, discussion or argument.	The teacher tried to ARGUE the girl DOWN, but she couldn’t.
Argue down	Persuade someone to drop the price of something they’re selling.	She ARGUED him DOWN ten percent.
Argue out	Argue about a problem to find a solution.	If we can’t ARGUE our differences OUT, we’ll have to take them to court.
Ask about	Ask how someone is doing, especially professionally and in terms of health.	He ASKED ABOUT my father.
Ask after	Enquire about someone’s health, how life is going.	Jenny rang earlier and ASKED AFTER you, so I told her you were fine.
Ask around	Ask a number of people for information of help.	I have no idea, but I’ll ASK AROUND at work and see if anyone can help.
Ask in	To invite somebody into your house.	Jon’s at the door.’ ‘ASK him IN.’
Ask out	To invite someone for a date.	He wanted to ASK her OUT but was too shy.
Ask over	Invite.	They have ASKED us OVER for drinks on Friday.
Ask round	Invite someone.	We ASKED John ROUND for diner.
Auction off	Sell something in an auction.	They AUCTIONED OFF their property as they were heavily in debt.
Back away	Retreat or go backwards.	The crowd BACKED AWAY when the man pulled a knife.
Back down	Retract or withdraw your position or proposal in an argument.	She refused to BACK DOWN and was fired.
Back into	Enter a parking area in reverse gear.	He prefers to BACK his car INTO the garage.
Back off	Retreat.	The police told the protesters to BACK OFF.
Back out	Fail to keep an arrangement or promise.	He BACKED OUT two days before the holiday so we gave the ticket to his sister
Back out of	Fail to keep an agreement, arrangement.	She BACKED OUT OF the agreement at the last minute.
Back up	Make a copy of computer data.	You should always BACK UP important files and documents so that you won’t lose all your work if something goes wrong with the hardware.
Bag out	Criticise.	Don’t bag out BAG OUT Australian English.
Ball up	Confuse or make things complicated.	The new project has BALLED me UP- I have no idea what to do.
Bargain down	Persuade someone to drop the price of something they’re selling.	I BARGAINED her DOWN to half what she originally wanted.
Bash about	Mistreat physically.	If you BASH your monitor ABOUT like that, it won’t last long.
Bash in	Break, damage or injure by hitting.	The burglars BASHED the door IN to enter the house.
Bash out	Write something quickly without much preparation.	I BASHED the essay OUT the night before I had to hand it in.
Be after	Try to find or get.	The police ARE AFTER him because of the theft.
Be along	Arrive.	The next bus should BE ALONG in the next quarter of an hour or so.
Be away	Be elsewhere; on holiday, etc..	She’s AWAY on business for three weeks.
Be cut out for	Be suitable, have the necessary qualities.	She’s not CUT OUT FOR this kind of work.
Be cut up	Be upset.	She was very CUT UP about coming second as she thought she deserved to win.
Be down	Be depressed.	He’s BEEN DOWN since his partner left him.
Be fed up	Be bored, upset or sick of something.	I AM FED UP of his complaints.
Be taken with	Like something.	I WAS very TAKEN WITH the performance- it was superb.
Be up	Be out of bed.	She’s not UP yet.
Bear down on	Move towards.	She spotted him on the other side of the room and BORE DOWN ON him.
Bear on	Influence, affect.	The judge’s character may well BEAR ON the final decision.
Bear out	Confirm that something is correct.	Statistics BEAR OUT the government’s positions on the issue.
Bear up	Resist pressure.	How are you BEARING UP under the strain?
Bear up under	Cope with something difficult or stressful.	He’s BEARING UP UNDER the pressure.
Bear with	Be patient.	Please BEAR WITH me a moment while I finish this email.
Beat down	Strong sunshine.	The sun WAS really BEATING DOWN and we couldn’t stay outdoors.
Beat out	Narrowly win in competition.	The marathon runner barely BEAT OUT his rival at the tape.
Beat up	Attack violently.	The mugger BEAT him UP and stole his wallet.
Belong with	Be in the correct or appropriate location with other items.	Does this disc BELONG WITH those on the shelf?
Bend down	Lower the top half of your body.	I BENT DOWN to pick it up off the floor.
Big up	Exaggerate the importance.	He BIGS himself UP all the time.
Bitch up	Spoil or ruin something.	I BITCHED UP the interview.
Black out	Fall unconscious.	He BLACKED OUT and collapsed on the floor.
Blast off	Leave the ground- spaceship or rocket.	The space shuttle BLASTED OFF on schedule yesterday.
Block in	Park a car and obstruct another car.	I couldn’t drive here this morning because someone had BLOCKED me IN.
Block off	Obstruct an exit to prevent people from leaving.	The police BLOCKED OFF the road after the murder.
Blow away	Impress greatly.	Her first novel BLEW me AWAY.
Blow down	When the wind forces something to fall.	A tree was BLOWN DOWN in the storm.
Blow in	Arrive, sometimes suddenly or unexpectedly.	He BLEW IN from Toronto early this morning.
Blow off	Not keep an appointment.	We were going to meet last night, but she BLEW me OFF at the last minute.
Blow up	Explode.	The bomb BLEW UP without any warning.
Boil up	Feel a negative emotion strongly.	The anger BOILED UP in me when I saw what they had done.
Bone up on	Study hard for a goal or reason.	I need to BONE UP ON my French grammar for the test.
Book in	Check in at a hotel.	WE took a taxi from the airport to the hotel and BOOKED IN.
Call up	Telephone.	I CALLED him UP as soon as I got to a phone to tell him the news.
Calm down	Stop being angry or emotionally excited.	When I lose my temper, it takes ages for me to CALM DOWN again.
Cancel out	Have an opposite effect on something that has happened, taking things back to the beginning.	The airport taxes CANCELLED OUT the savings we had made on the flight tickets.
Cap off	Finish or complete, often with some decisive action.	She CAPPED OFF the meeting with a radical proposal.
Care for	Like.	I don’t CARE FOR fizzy drinks; I prefer water.
Carried away	Get so emotional that you lose control.	The team got CARRIED AWAY when they won the championship and started shouting and throwing things around.
Carry forward	Make something progress.	They hope the new management will be able to CARRY the project FORWARD.
Carry off	Win, succeed.	She CARRIED OFF the first prize in the competition.
Carry on	Continue.	CARRY ON quietly with your work until the substitute teacher arrives.
Decide upon	Choose, select.	Jane spent a long time looking at houses before she bought one, but eventually DECIDED UPON one near her office.
Die away	Become quieter or inaudible (of a sound).	The last notes DIED AWAY and the audience burst into applause.
Die back	When the parts of a plant above ground die, but the roots remain alive.	The plant DIES BACK in the winter.
Die down	Decrease or become quieter.	It was on the front pages of all the papers for a few days, but the interest gradually DIED DOWN.
Die for	Want something a lot.	I’m DYING FOR the weekend- this week’s been so hard.
Die off	Become extinct.	Most of the elm trees in the UK DIED OFF when Dutch elm disease arrived.
Die out	Become extinct or disappear.	Some scientists say that the dinosaurs DIED OUT when a comet hit the earth and caused a nuclear winter.
Dig in	Start eating greedily.	We were starving so we really DUG IN when the food finally did arrive.
Dig into	Reach inside to get something.	She DUG INTO her handbag and pulled out a bunch of keys.
Fawn over	Praise someone in an excessive way to get their favour or something from them.	She FAWNED OVER the inspectors in the hope that they would give her a good grade.
Feed off	Eat a food as part of an animals diet.	The gecko FEEDS OFF mosquitoes and other insects.
Feed on	Give someone a particular food.	He FEEDS his cat ON dry food.
Feed up	Give someone a lot of food to restore their health, make them bigger, etc.	She’s been ill for a fortnight so we’re FEEDING her UP.
Feel up	Touch sexually, grope.	Someone FELT me UP in the club as I was trying to get to the bar.
Feel up to	Feel capable of doing something.	I’m so tired. I don’t think I FEEL UP TO going out tonight.
Get ahead	Progress.	Nowadays, you need IT skills if you want to GET AHEAD.
Get ahead of	Move in front of.	I work at home in the evening to GET AHEAD OF schedule.
Get along	Leave.	It’s late; we must be GETTING ALONG.
Give up	Stop doing something that has been a habit.	I GAVE UP taking sugar in tea and coffee to lose weight.
Hit on	Have an idea.	I suddenly HIT ON the solution
Hold off	Stop someone from attacking or beating you.	Chelsea couldn’t HOLD their opponents OFF and lost the game.
Hold on	Wait.	Could you HOLD ON for a minute; she’ll be free in a moment.
Hook up	Meet someone.	We HOOKED UP at the conference.
Hunt out	Search until you find something.	It took me ages to HUNT OUT the photos.
Jack up	Increase sharply.	They have JACKED UP the price of oil this month.
Jam on	Apply or operate something forcefully.	Jack JAMMED ON the brakes when the rabbit ran in front of his car.
Jaw away	Talk just for the point of talking rather than having anything to say.	That shows that your interest is not in helping the student, but in JAWING AWAY.
Jazz up	Make something more interesting or attractive.	The show was getting stale so they JAZZED it UP with some new scenes.
Keep around	Keep something near you.	I KEEP a dictionary AROUND when I’m doing my homework.
Keep at	Continue with something difficult.	She found the course hard but she KEPT AT it and completed it successfully.
Keep away	Don’t allow someone near something.	Medicines should always be KEPT AWAY from children.
Keep back	Maintain a safe distance.	The police told the crowd to KEEP BACK from the fire.
Key to	Plan things to fit or suit people or situations.	Promotions are KEYED TO people’s abilities.
Key up	Make someone excited or nervous.	The noise got us KEYED UP.
Kick about	Discuss.	We KICKED the idea ABOUT at the meeting.
Kick in	When a drug starts to take effect.	Her hayfever didn’t feel half as bad once the antihistamines had KICKED IN.
Kick out	Expel.	The family KICKED the au pair OUT when they found out that she was planning to move to work for another household.
Knock off	Finish work for the day.	We KNOCKED OFF early on Friday to avoid the rush hour queues.
Lash down	Secure something with ropes or cords.	We LASHED the tarpaulin DOWN to stop the wind blowing it away.
Lash into	Criticise someone strongly.	He LASHED INTO them for messing thins up.
Lash out	Suddenly become violent.	He LASHED OUT and broke the man’s nose.
Lay on	Organise, supply.	They LAID ON a buffet lunch at the conference.
Lay out	Spend money.	They LAID OUT thousands of pounds on their wedding reception.
Let in	Allow someone to enter.	The doorstaff didn’t LET him IN the nightclub because he was wearing jeans.
Let off	Not punish.	The judge LET him OFF with a fine rather than a prison sentence since it was his first offence.
Line up	Arrange events for someone.	We have LINED UP a lot of meetings for them.
Link up	Connect, join.	The train LINKS UP the cities.
Live by	Follow a belief system to guide your behaviour.	He tries hard to LIVE BY the Bible.
Live down	Stop being embarrassed about something.	If I fail the test and everyone else passes, I’ll never be able to LIVE it DOWN.
Live with	Accept something unpleasant.	It’s hard to LIVE WITH the pain of a serious illness.
Log in	Enter a restricted area on a computer system.	I had forgotten my password and couldn’t LOG IN.
Log into	Enter a restricted area of a computer system.	I LOGGED INTO the staff intranet to check my email.
Log off	Exit a computer system.	When she’d finished working on the spreadsheet, she LOGGED OFF and left the office.
Log on	Enter a computer system.	He entered his password for the college intranet and LOGGED ON.
Log out	Exit a computer system.	Danny closed the programs and LOGGED OUT when it was time to go home.
Look up	Consult a reference work (dictionary, phonebook, etc.) for a specific piece of information..	I didn’t know the correct spelling so I had to LOOK it UP in the dictionary.
Magic away	Make something disappear quickly.	He MAGICKED the bill AWAY and paid for us all before I could get my wallet out.
Make after	Chase.	The police MADE AFTER the stolen car.
Make away with	Steal.	The thieves MADE AWAY WITH the painting.
Make it	Arrive or get a result.	I thought you weren’t coming, so I was really pleased you MADE IT.
Make it up to	Try to compensate for doing something wrong.	He tried to MAKE IT UP TO her, but she wouldn’t speak to him.
Make of	Understand or have an opinion.	What do you MAKE OF your new boss?
Make off	Leave somewhere in a hurry.	They MADE OFF when they heard the police siren.
Mash up	Mix sources of audio, video or other computer sources..	She MASHED UP the songs into a single track.
Melt down	Heat something solid, especially metal, until it becomes liquid.	They MELTED the gold statue DOWN and turned it into gold bars.
Mess about	Not be serious, not use something properly.	The children were MESSING ABOUT with the TV remote control and broke it.
Mix up	Confuse.	I always MIX those two sisters UP because they look so like each other.
Move into	Start living in a place.	They MOVED INTO the house as soon as it was ready.
Move up	Move to make space.	Could you MOVE UP and let me sit down?
Nail down	Succeed in getting, achieve.	They are having trouble NAILING DOWN the contract.
Name after	Give someone a name to remember another person.	I was NAMED AFTER my uncle who died in the war.
Narrow down	Remove less important options to make it easier to choose.	I am not sure which university to apply to, but I have NARROWED my list DOWN to three.
Nerd out	Play safe and avoid taking a risk.	I’m going to NERD OUT and not go on the river trip.
Opt for	Choose.	I OPTED FOR an endowment mortgage and lost a lot of money.
Opt in	Choose to be part or a member of something.	If you want them to notify you of updates, you have to OPT IN.
Opt into	Choose to be a member or part of something.	I OPTED INTO the scheme.
Opt out	Choose not to be part of something.	The UK OPTED OUT of a lot of EU legislation on working hours and conditions.
Pack in	Stop doing something.	I’m trying to PACK IN smoking.
Pack off	Send someone away.	His boss PACKED him OFF to a regional office.
Pack out	Fill a venue.	The stadium was PACKED OUT.
Pack up	Stop doing something.	You should PACK UP smoking.
Pad down	Sleep somewhere for the night.	I’m too tired to come home; can I PAD DOWN here tonight?
Pad out	Make a text longer by including extra content, often content that isn’t particularly relevant.	I couldn’t think of much to write, so I PADDED the essay OUT with a few lengthy quotes.
Pal around	Be friendly and spend time with someone.	We PALLED AROUND at university.
Pal up	Become friends.	We PALLED UP when I started working with her.
Pass away	Die.	Sadly, Georgia’s uncle PASSED AWAY yesterday after a short illness.
Pass back	Return.	I felt awful when the teacher started to PASS BACK the exam papers.
Pass by	Go past without stopping.	I was just PASSING BY when I saw the accident.
Patch up	Fix or make things better.	I tried to PATCH things UP after the argument, but they wouldn’t speak to me.
Pay back	Repay money borrowed.	I PAID BACK the twenty pounds I’d borrowed.
Pay off	Produce a profitable or successful result.	Their patience PAID OFF when he finally showed up and signed the contract.
Peel away	Leave a group by moving in a different direction.	Some of the crowd PEELED AWAY to get out of the crush.
Peg out	Put washing outside to dry.	I PEGGED the washing OUT after it stopped raining.
Phase in	Introduce gradually.	They are PHASING IN the reforms over the next two years.
Phase out	Remove gradually.	They have introduced a compact edition of the newspaper and are PHASING OUT the broadsheet edition over the next few months.
Pick at	Eat unwillingly.	I wasn’t very hungry so I just PICKED AT my food.
Pick up	Collect.	While you’re in town, can you PICK UP my trousers from the Dry Cleaner?
Pig out	Eat a lot.	The food was great, so I really PIGGED OUT.
Pile up	Accumulate.	Work just keeps on PILING UP and I really can’t manage to get it all done.
Pin down	Discover exact details about something.	The government can’t PIN DOWN where the leak came from.
Pin on	Attach the blame to someone.	The police tried to PIN the crime ON him.
Pin up	Fix something to a wall, or other vertical surface, with a pin.	I PINNED the notice UP on the board
Pine away	Suffer physically because of grief, stress, worry, etc.	He’s been PINING AWAY since his wife died and is a shadow of his former self.
Pipe down	Be quiet (often as an imperative).	The lecturer asked the students to PIPE DOWN and pay attention.
Pipe up	To speak, raise your voice.	At first, no one answered, then finally someone PIPED UP.
Play along	Pretend to agree or accept something in order to keep someone happy or to get more information.	I disagreed with the idea but I had to PLAY ALONG because everyone else liked it.
Play around	Be silly.	The children were PLAYING AROUND and being annoying.
Play up	Behave badly.	The children PLAYED UP all evening and drove the babysitter mad.
Plug in	Connect machines to the electricity supply.	He PLUGGED the TV IN and turned it on full blast.
Plump down	Put something in a place without taking care.	He PLUMPED his bag DOWN and kicked his shoes off.
Plump for	Choose.	I PLUMPED FOR the steak frites.
Point out	Make someone aware of something.	He POINTED OUT that I only had two weeks to get the whole thing finished.
Poke about	Move things around or search in a casual way to try to find something.	I POKED ABOUT in my CD collection to see if I could find it.
Poke around	Move things around or search in a casual way to try to find something.	I POKED AROUND in my desk to see if the letter was there.
Polish off	Finish, consume.	She POLISHES OFF half a bottle of gin every night.
Polish up	Improve something quickly.	I need to POLISH UP my French before I go to Paris.
Pop in	Visit for a short time.	He POPPED IN for a coffee on his way home.
Pop off	Talk loudly, complain.	He’s always POPPING OFF when things don’t suit him.
Power up	Turn a computer or electronic device on so that it is ready to use.	I POWERED UP my laptop and started work.
Price up	Charge more for something.	In rural areas where they have a monopoly, some garages PRICE UP fuel because there’s nowhere else to buy it.
Pull ahead	Overtake, move in front.	The lorry was going slowly but we managed to PULL AHEAD.
Pull out	Move into traffic.	The traffic was so bad that it took me ages to PULL OUT.