• All this work is beginning to tire me out. I need a break.
• The long journey has tired me out.

• John was going to make the presentation but he backed out at the last minute.
• You’ve signed the contract so you can’t back out now.

• I had to sort out a problem with our delivery times.
• We’re meeting on Monday to sort out the details of the new contract.

• They have pulled out of the deal because they didn’t like our payment terms.
• The unions have pulled out of the negotiations and are now threatening strike action.

• I think we can rule him out for the job as he doesn’t speak Italian well enough.
• We haven’t ruled out the possibility of appointing a local agent.

• I only found out about this earlier today.
• We need to find out a lot more before we can give a definitive answer.

• I usually wash out my clothes in the sink when I am staying in a hotel.
• Red wine is really hard to wash out.

• The tennis at Wimbledon was washed out for the day.
• There so much rain that it might wash out the game.

• He was a big football star in college but he washed out in the NFL.
• The training course is tough but I’m not going to wash out.

• I’ll spread these photos out on the table so that you can all see them.
• You can spread the payments out over several months.

• Keep that. It might come in useful one day.
• I don’t like learning English but it will come in useful when I get a job.

• The football match was stopped because the rain was coming down so heavily.
• Don’t buy an Ipod yet. The prices will be coming down soon.

• The magazine comes out once a month.
• My new book comes out in August.

• Can we come on to the subject of parking?
• Before we come on to that, does anybody have any comments?

• I came across these old photos when I was cleaning out my cupboard.
• She came across Richard in the middle of Oxford.

• I’m sorry for shouting. I don’t know what came over me.
• A look of pleasure came over her face.

• A big problem came up at work.
• Something has come up and I can’t meet you.

• Peter came up with a good idea today.
• Can anybody come up with a solution?

• When you first meet Susan, she comes across as a shy person but in fact she is quite self-confident.
• Do you know that you come across as very arrogant?

• I’ll let you know what comes of the meeting.
• No great harm came from it.

• I hope this high risk strategy comes off for us.
• I don’t think it is going to come off.

• The idea came upon me when I was out walking the dog.
• I came upon the solution by pure chance.

• I promised to do it, I can’t let her down.
• They let us down badly by not completing the work on time.

• I have a front door key. I can let myself in.
• They’re at the door. Can you let them in?

• I opened the curtains to let in the sunshine.
• I need some new boots for winter. These let water in.

• This job is very hard. I didn’t realise what I was letting myself in for.
• She didn’t realise how much work she was letting herself in for doing this course.

• I don’t know what they’re doing. They wouldn’t let me in on their plans.
• She let me in on her secret. She’s getting married!

• He was caught smoking in the office but they let him off because it was the first time.
• I’ll let you off this time but if you do it again, you’ll be severely punished.

• I owed him some money but he let me off. I didn’t have to pay him back.
• I was supposed to work until 10 pm but my boss let me off at 9.

• He stopped at the traffic lights to let me out.
• Let me out at the end of the road. I can walk the rest of the way.

• When she heard the news, she let out a huge sigh of relief.
• They all let out a groan when they heard the bad news.

• We’ll go out for a walk if the rain lets up.
• The pressure at work is non-stop. It never lets up.

‘to set about’ is to dealing with something in a particular way.

• I need to find a new flat but I’m not sure how to set about looking for one.
• I don’t think you are setting about it the right way.

‘to set against’ means balance one thing against another.

• The advantages are not so big when set against the disadvantages.
• We can set our expenses against the tax.

‘to be set against’ something means to be opposed to doing it.

• He won’t change his mind. He is absolutely set against it.
• His parents were set against him becoming a musician and made him study engineering.

‘to set aside’ means to use something, often time or money, for a specific purpose.

• I have enough money for the deposit set aside.
• I’ve set aside Monday and Tuesday to work on it.

‘to set back’ is to cause a delay.

• Bad weather was the reason that the launch of the rocket was set back until Monday.
• The whole project has been set back by the late delivery of some of the parts.

‘to set down’ something you are holding means to put it down.

• She lifted up the teapot but set it down again without pouring any tea.
• The waitress set down an enormous plate of steak and salad in front of me.

‘to set down’ your ideas or some facts means to record by writing them.

• Here is the leaflet where we have set down guidelines for our employees.
• We were all asked to set down our views on what had happened.

‘to set in’ is when something unpleasant starts and seems likely to continue.

• It looks as if the rain has set in for the afternoon.
• Panic didn’t really set in until just before I was due to give my presentation.

‘to set off’ means to start on a journey.

• Sorry we’re late. We didn’t set off until half past eight.
• The weather was perfect when we set off but it was raining when we got back.