English Phrasal Verbs – out part 6

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If you ‘burst out’, you suddenly say something. If you ‘burst out laughing’, you suddenly start to laugh. If you have an ‘outburst’, you express your feelings (usually anger) strongly.

  • I burst out laughing when I saw Derek wearing his kilt.
  • He suddenly burst out crying when I told him he had lost his job.

If you ‘call somebody out’, you ask them to come to help you.

  • We called out the fire brigade because the situation was so dangerous.
  • I was called out in the middle of the night because the computer system went down.

If you ‘call out’, you say something loudly.

  • If you know the answer, just call it out.
  • I called out your name but you couldn’t have heard me.

If you ‘carry out’ a task, you do something you were told or agreed to do.

  • We need to carry out a survey to see what people really want.
  • I didn’t think he would carry out his threat to resign.

If you ‘clear out’ a place, you remove all the unwanted items.

  • We cleared out the old storeroom and turned it into an office.
  • You’re fired. Clear out your desk and leave the premises.

If you ‘wear somebody out’ , you make them very tired.

  • I’m worn out from all the business trips I take.
  • Running two offices in Milan and New York is enough to wear anybody out.

If you ‘work something out’, you make a calculation or make a plan and a decision.

  • I need to work out the new prices for next year’s catalogue.
  • We need to work out an agreement between our companies.

If something unpleasant or bad ‘breaks out’, it starts.

  • The fire broke out in the warehouse.
  • A fight broke out in the canteen when somebody tried to jump the queue.

If you ‘drop out’ of an activity, you stop doing it.

  • We dropped out of the bidding for the new contract because we were going to make a loss.
  • I’ve dropped out of the planning committee because I don’t have the time.

If you ‘fall out’ with someone, you have an argument with them.

  • Harry and I have fallen out about the plans for the new building.
  • I don’t want to fall out with you but I strongly disagree.

exercise 1
exercise 2
exercise 3
exercise 4

9 thoughts on “English Phrasal Verbs – out part 6”

  3. Hi there! I really like getting emails from you. They help me a lot. Thank you so much.
    Warm regards from Mongolia

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