English Phrasal Verbs – out part 5

If you ‘shut out’ a noise or light you prevent it from being heard or seen. You can also ‘shut out’ emotions and feelings, usually painful ones.

  • We need to close the curtains and shut out the light.
  • You will have to try to shut out those painful memories.

If you don’t include somebody in an activity, you ‘shut them out’. In the US, if you prevent the other team from scoring, you have ‘shut them out’.

  • They claim that women are shut out from the key decision posts.
  • The Yankees shut out the Red Sox.

If you ‘storm out’, you leave angrily.

  • He stormed out of the meeting with an angry look on his face.
  • Don’t storm out. Stay and explain to us why you are so upset.

If you ‘try something out’, you test it to see if it is satisfactory.

  • I want to try out this restaurant before we invite clients there.
  • The company are trying out a new security system.

If you ‘cry out’, you shout or make a loud noise.

  • He cried out in pain.
  • He was so frightened that he cried out for help.

In informal English, if something ‘is crying out for’ something, it needs it urgently.

  • The company is crying out for better leadership.
  • The factory is crying out for modernization.

If you ‘hand out’ something, you give it to everybody in the group.

  • Don’t take notes. I’ll hand out a summary later.
  • We could try handing out some promotional leaflets in the street.

If you ‘hand out’ advice, criticism, a punishment etc., you give it to somebody (who usually doesn’t want to receive it.)

  • She’s good at handing out criticism but she can’t take it.
  • He’s always handing out advice but he doesn’t really know what he’s talking about.

If you ‘invite somebody out’ you ask them to go with you to some pleasant event.

  • I’ve been invited out to dinner by an old friend.
  • He invited me out to the cinema but I was too tired and went back to my hotel room.

If you ‘wear something out’, you use it to the point where it becomes weak or damaged.

  • My brakes have worn out. I need new ones urgently.
  • I’ve worn out my shoes shopping for the perfect dress.

exercise 1
exercise 2
exercise 3
exercise 4

8 thoughts on “English Phrasal Verbs – out part 5”

  1. Sir, thanks a lot. Your exercise is very helpful for us, specially for the people of 3rd world country like Bangladesh. Pray for us so that we can make the best from this lessons.

  2. The company are trying out a new security system.
    The company is crying out for better leadership.
    Why do you use are in sentence number one and is in number two?
    Thanks a lot
    Heinz-Juergen

      1. I disagree. There are many people in a company. However “it” (the company) is a singular. Likewise, with Government. The Government has many ministers. However, it decides on policy. Not they. When referring to the Ministers deciding policy, you can say “they” but you cannot say “they” for Government.

  3. Hi there,
    I’m from Iran, I am trying to learn English language. I think this site is full of positive things, tanks for grammar test, I’ll take other exams in near future.
    Tanks for every thing….

  4. What about Canadian English?
    In this as in many other things, we are half way between British and American.
    It seems we can use either one.

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