Grammar Teacher » Expression

Eating phrasal verbs

admin — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:02:40 +0000

If you ‘bolt down’ food, you eat it very quickly. This expression is informal.

He bolted down the food. He really enjoyed it.
I’m so busy that I’m going to bolt down some food and get straight back to work.

If you ‘wolf down’ food, you also eat it quickly but specifically because you are hungry. This is also informal.

Did you see the way she wolfed down that food? She must have been ravenous.
After the marathon, I wolfed down some fish and chips.

If you consume a lot of drink (usually alcohol) quickly, you ‘knock it back’. This is informal and is often used quite negatively.

He was knocking back the champagne at the reception.
We must watch Bill carefully in the bar with the clients. He can really knock it back.

If you eat an excessive amount of food, you ‘pig out’. This is informal.

I’m not hungry because I pigged out on chocolate this afternoon.
We really pigged out in the restaurant.

If you ‘plough through’ some food, you eat it all but with some difficulty because there is a lot of it. In American English, ‘plough’ can be written as ‘plow’.

He served a huge plate of spaghetti and it took me ages to plough my way through it.
They served us snake. I didn’t like it but I plowed my way through it to be polite.

If you ‘put away’ food or drink, it can mean you eat or drink a lot of it. (Obviously, it can also mean that you place the food or drink in a fridge or cupboard – the context of the sentence should make clear the meaning.)

Watch Peter. He’s been putting away a lot of beer and he sometimes turns aggressive when he’s drunk.
He has put away some sandwiches but is still hungry.

If you ‘pick at’ your food, you only eat a small amount of it, usually because you are not hungry, you are on a diet or because you are ill.

She only picked at her food, even though it was delicious.
We were so busy talking that we only picked at our food.

If you ‘cut down’ or ‘cut back’ on a particular food or drink, you consume less of it.

My doctor told me to cut back on the amount of salt in my diet.
I need to cut down the amount of fried food I eat.

If you ‘eat up’, you finish all your food.

I don’t like tripe but I ate it all up when it was served to us by our hosts.
Eat up. It’s time to go.

If you ‘drink up’, you finish all your drink.

We seem to have drunk up all the orange juice.
Drink up. It’s time to go.

If you ‘polish off’ some food, you finish it completely and quickly.

The guests polished off all the food in the first thirty minutes.
He has just polished off two whole pizzas and still says he is hungry.

If you ‘dish up’ some food, you put it onto plates or dishes, ready to be served.

I’ve heard she is going to dish up something really special.
Can you collect up the starter plates, while I dish up the main course?

‘Serve up’ is a another way of saying the same thing as ‘dish up’.

They served up a six course meal for their guests.
It’s no better than the food we serve up in our canteen and twenty times more expensive.

If you ‘lay on’ some food or drink, you provide it.

We’ve laid on a buffet lunch for our visitors.
They laid on a small drinks party for us.

If you make a meal very quickly and easily, you ‘whip it up’. This is informal.

Have a seat and I’ll whip us up something to eat.
I could whip up a salad, if you are hungry.

If you make food quickly and without much effort, you ‘knock it up’.

I knocked myself up a quick meal from what was left in my fridge.
Do you want me to knock up some lunch?

If you make food hot so that it can be eaten, you ‘heat it up’.

I’ve already prepared the food for the party. All we need to do is to heat up the pizzas.
I could heat up a can of soup if you are hungry.

If you ‘warm up ‘ cold food, you are making it hot again so that it can be eaten.

I’ll warm up that stew from last night.
The canteen makes a large quantity once a week and then just warms up the amount needed every day.

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Emotions – phrasal verbs

admin — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:51:14 +0000

If something ‘gets you down’, it makes you feel unhappy.

This uncertainty is beginning to get me down.
The way everybody keeps complaining really gets me down

If somebody or something makes you feel upset or unhappy, they ‘get to’ you. This is an informal expression.

The way he whistles all the time when we are working really gets to me.
The heat is really getting to me. We need air conditioning.

If something makes you very unhappy, it ‘tears you apart’.

It tears me apart to know that I lost that job because of my own stupidity.
It would tear me apart if something I said made you leave.

If you are ‘put out’, you are annoyed.

I was really put out when he turned down the job.
He seemed a bit put out that we hadn’t invited him to speak.

If you ‘cheer up’, you start to feel happier.

Cheer up. Things are not so bad.
I bought a new Ipod to cheer myself up.

If you ‘perk up’, you suddenly become happier, cheerful or more energetic. It is also possible to ‘perk someone up’.

Your visit really made him perk up.
He was being miserable but he perked up when Mary arrived.

If you ‘brighten up’, you suddenly look or feel happier.

She brightened up when she heard the good news.
You need to brighten up. Your long face is putting off the customers.

If you ‘liven up’, you become more energetic or cheerful. You can also ‘liven up’ a place, event or person.

You need to liven up a bit. You’re so miserable it is making everybody feel unhappy.
We need to liven up the party. Everyone looks miserable.

If you ‘calm down’, you stop feeling angry, upset or excited. It’s also possible to ‘calm someone down’.

You need to calm down a bit. You’re too excited.
Calm down. Let me explain.

If you have had an experience that has made you feel unhappy, you need to ‘get over’ it.

It took me a year to get over being made redundant.
You need to get over your disappointment and move on with your life.

If you are feeling sad or unhappy, you can force yourself out of this mood – you can ‘snap out of it’. This is an informal expression.

You need to snap out of this mood and do something positive.
I hope he snaps out of this soon.

If you have been acting emotionally and unreasonably because you are upset or angry, you need to ‘pull yourself together’ and act reasonably.

Pull yourself together and stop this stupid mood.
I need some time alone to pull myself together.

If you are so excited about something that you behave in a silly or hasty way, you are ‘carried away’ by the idea.

I got carried away reading my book and didn’t get any sleep.
We mustn’t get carried away with our enthusiasm. We must exercise reasonable judgment.

If you ‘freak out’, you start behaving in a very strange or violent way. This is an informal expression. You can also ‘freak someone out’.

I freaked out when I saw my boyfriend kissing another girl.
It freaked me out to discover that the woman I was talking to was really a man.

If you ‘flip out’, you start to behave in a very excited or strange way. This is informal and mainly American.

He flipped out when they wouldn’t let him on the flight because he was too late.
The children flipped out when they met Mickey Mouse.

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English Idioms – anger

admin — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 10:31:51 +0000

Learn new expressions in English with these exercises:

If you are ‘at the end of your tether’ or ‘at the end of your rope’ (US only) you are so tired, weary or annoyed with something that you feel unable to deal with it any more.

He hasn’t been able to find a job and is at the end of his tether.
That baby hasn’t stopped crying all day and I’m at the end of my rope.

If you are worried or upset about something because you have tried every possible solution and nothing has worked, you are ‘at your wits’ end’.

Nothing I’ve tried seems to work. I’m at my wits’ end.
She can’t get him to follow her orders. She’s at her wits’ end.

If something keeps on repeating and it annoys you, it ‘gets on your nerves’. (This is informal.)

His constant talking is getting on my nerves.
We don’t work well together. We get on each other’s nerves.

If you ‘add insult to injury’, you make a bad situation even worse.

He was an hour late for the meeting and then, to add insult to injury, he spent twenty minutes on the telephone.
To add insult to injury, not only did she not come to the meeting but she then insisted that she had never been invited.

‘The last straw’ is the last in a series of unpleasant events which makes you decide that the situation cannot continue.

Working in the company was not very nice so, when they asked me to take a pay cut, it was the last straw and I left.
The last straw was when he came back from lunch at 4.00. I sacked him on the spot.

If someone keeps doing something and it is making you very angry, it is ‘driving you round/around the bend’. (This expression is informal.)

Her constant moaning is driving me around the bend.
She rings me up every week trying to sell me something. It’s driving me round the bend.

Another similar expression is ‘driving me up the wall’. (This expression is informal.)

The way she always arrives one hour late is driving me up the wall.
All these telephone calls are driving me up the wall.

A similar expression, but more formal, is ‘driving me to distraction’.

The way he whistles all the time is driving me to distraction.
Her insolence is driving me to distraction.

If you are ‘tearing your hair out’, you are very frustrated.

I’ve been tearing my hair out trying to timetable this meeting.
I’m tearing my hair out trying to solve the problem.

If you say that you ‘will kick yourself’, it means that you will be angry with yourself for missing an opportunity.

I could have kicked myself for wasting time earlier when I found out I’d missed the plane by only five minutes.
If I don’t buy one now and they sell out quickly, I’ll kick myself.

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Business English Idioms – health

admin — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:54:48 +0000

Here are some idioms to do with health.

To say that you are in good health, you can use the expressions ‘as fit as a fiddle’ or ‘fighting fit’.

I’ve never felt better. I’m really fighting fit.

After those vitamins the doctor gave me, I feel as fit as a fiddle.

(Yes, ‘fiddle’ is another word for ‘violin’. No, I don’t understand the origins of this expression either!)

To say that you are OK ( but are not in really good health) use ‘I can’t complain’

I’ve had a bit of a cold but I can’t complain.

(As I’m still off work, I’ve not been able to check out if this expression is used in US English. I’ll let you know later.)

To say that you have recovered from an illness, you can use these expressions:

I was knocked out for a few days but now I’m back on my feet.

I was quite ill but now I feel as right as rain.

I’m well on the way to recovery.

The doctor gave me a clean bill of health.

Here are some expressions to indicate you are not in good health.

I’m a bit out of sorts.

I’m going down with something.

I’m feeling very run down.

There’s a bug going round and I think I’ve got it.

I’m feeling a bit off-colour/off-color.

I’m feeling under the weather.

Here is an expression for bad headaches.

I’ve got a splitting headache.

Here is an expression to indicate a lot of pain.

My legs are killing me.

My back is killing me.

Here is an expression to indicate a serious illness.

He’s in a very bad way.

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Put part 2

admin — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 09:00:31 +0000

Let’s continue with more expression with the verb ‘to put’ combined with particles. Here are some more of the most common expressions:

‘to put forward’ an idea or opinion means to suggest something for discussion.

A few suggestions have been put forward for consideration.
Jan put forward a few ideas for raising money for the charity.

‘to put forward’ a person or a name means to suggest someone for a job or position.

He put his name forward as a candidate for election.
I’ve put Peter’s name forward for the post in accounts.

‘to put in’ means to install new equipment or a new system.

We have put in a more powerful engine in the new version.
We’ve just had a new bathroom put in.

‘to put in’ money means to invest.

I’ve put a lot of money in this project. I hope to make a good profit.
I’ve put all my money in government bonds.

‘to put in for’ means to request a transfer or to apply for a job.

I hope I get the job in Toronto. I’ve put in for a transfer there.
She’s put in for the job in the Export department but I don’t think she’s qualified for it.

‘to put into’ If you put time, money or energy into something, it means that you invest a lot in it.

I’m not happy with the result even though I’ve put a lot of time into it.
She put a lot of effort into getting it right.

‘to put off’ an event means to postpone it to a later time.

Tomorrow will be too late. Don’t put it off.
She’s put the wedding off until her father has recovered from his illness.

‘to put someone off’ means to stop them doing something by disturbing them.

I wish he would let me work quietly. His talking puts me off my work.
All the people watching put him off his game. He didn’t play very well at all.

‘to put someone off’ another person means to make them dislike someone.

His arrogant attitude puts people off him very quickly.
The stories I heard about him really put me off him.

‘to put off’ the light means to switch it off.

I couldn’t sleep. I finally put the light off at two in the morning.
Can you put the light off, please? It’ll be easier to see the screen.

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Whose grammar is it?

admin — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 06:47:24 +0000

I was discussing some of your English lessons in a language forum and some people told me your words are a kind of odd to them and ask me where were you from?

what I posted in the language forum appears bellow this message, if you want to see the discussion in the forum use this link:
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?p=9659963#post9659963

Kind regards

Marco Uscanga

One of the meanings of the phrasal verb TURN BACK is
” to fold a part of something so that it covers another part” according to http://www.carolinebrownenglishlesso…sals1/menu.php
the same meaning is also defined as “To fold down” according to http://www.thefreedictionary.com/turn+back

Examples of this phrasal when takes this meaning are the following according with these references:

She marked her place in the book by turning back the page.
When we arrived in the room, the maid had turned back the bedcovers.
Turn back the page’s corner to save your place in the book

I want you to explain me the meanings of fold apart and fold down to understand turn back in the aforementioned sentences

Thanks for your help and attentions

Hi there,

Well I speak British English but my exercises are used quite a lot to teach native American speakers of English in junior schools in the US. Usually several teachers write to me if the expression is not used in US English and I add a note to this effect to my explanation.

However, in this case, I’ve just checked with the major US dictionary, Webster’s, and the same definition is given as I gave.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turn%20back

I checked out the thread and somebody posted, quite correctly, that in certain posh hotels a maid comes in the evening to ‘turn back the sheets’. That seems such a clear illustration of the meaning that I am surprised that you are looking for further clarification.

As for the person who doesn’t ‘trust Caroline Brown’, all I can say is that that type of forum is full of arrogant people who think that ‘correct English’ is what they themselves speak and that ‘incorrect English’ is things that they do not say. In the last twenty years, we have made significant progress in linguistics because of our new ability to analyse huge quantities of written and spoken language thanks to computers. The days of introspection are long over, we now have mass data.

If you want real examples of a phrase in action, you should consult a concordancer, not the opinions of unknown individuals on forums. I looked at a Canadian concordancer examining the Brown (US) database and got

001. gaze at her through the window. She had begun to TURN BACK toward the house, but his look caught he
002. nd’s exhaust overhead. Sometimes the pilot had to TURN BACK if fully blocked by fog, but 85% of his
003. lls on the Lincoln bed. At night, when Mama would TURN BACK the covers, she would have to take all t

As you can see, the third example corresponds exactly to our definition.

That was using

http://www.lextutor.ca/concordancers/concord_e.html

You could also use

http://www.edict.com.hk/concordance/

The general rule is to observe what happens rather than to rely upon individuals who are only ‘expert’ in the version of English they themselves speak

Pearson Brown