Phrasal Verb - sneak up on
Definition:
Suddenly and stealthily (like a ninja!) appear very close to someone, usually in order to scare them
Rules:
Transitive, Inseparable
Examples:
"AH!! Don't sneak up on me! you scared me!"
__________________
"He snuck up on me, and I dropped my coffee on the floor :("
Friday, 3 May 2013
Thursday, 2 May 2013
Phrasal Verb - Shut up
Phrasal Verb - Shut up
Definition:
Stop talking, stop making noise
Rules:
Both transitive and intransitive (mostly intransitive), separable
Examples:
"Will you please... shut...up!!"
________
"Please shut your dog up, he's yapping all night, and I can't sleep!"
_________
"Shut up talking about your ex! I don't want to know!"
Definition:
Stop talking, stop making noise
Rules:
Both transitive and intransitive (mostly intransitive), separable
Examples:
"Will you please... shut...up!!"
________
"Please shut your dog up, he's yapping all night, and I can't sleep!"
_________
"Shut up talking about your ex! I don't want to know!"
Idioms: Take advantage of/make the most of
Commonly mistaken idioms!
Take advantage of / Make the most of
In spanish, (and probably other languages too... Perhaps you can correct me) this has just one translation, (Aprovechar) causing a bit of confusion for English students. Both of these can be used to describe "making good use of something" but the difference is that only "Take advantage of" can also be used in a negative/exploitative way
Take advantage of (Mostly used to describe exploitation)

Definition:
1.To put to good use
2. To profit selfishly by; exploit
Examples:
"We need to take advantage of his knowledge, we can learn a lot from him!" (good way)
"He took advantage of the old man, because he was naive and rich" (bad way)
"Her hands were busy so her boyfriend took advantage"
_____________________________________________________________________
Make the most of
Definition:
1. to put to good use; use something in a good way:
Examples:
"It's a sunny day! I need to make the most of the sun, because it's gonna rain soon probably!"
______
"Make the most of your life, travel as much as you can!"
Phrasal verb - Back off/back away
Phrasal verb - Back off/back away
Definition:
To retreat, withdraw from a position
Rules:
Intransitive, Inseparable
Examples:
The gorilla backed off when the duck (or is that a goose?) started running!
_______
"EEEYYYYYYYY" (poke poke poke poke)
"Back off!!! I'm not in a good today!"
_______
"I think we'll have to back away from this business deal, we're not in a position to accept any new business right now. Sorry"
Definition:
To retreat, withdraw from a position
Rules:
Intransitive, Inseparable
Examples:
The gorilla backed off when the duck (or is that a goose?) started running!
_______
"EEEYYYYYYYY" (poke poke poke poke)
"Back off!!! I'm not in a good today!"
_______
"I think we'll have to back away from this business deal, we're not in a position to accept any new business right now. Sorry"
Labels:
Inseparable,
Intransitive,
phrasal verbs
Phrasal Verb - Pump Up
Phrasal verb - Pump up
Definition
Give energy to someone/something
Rules:
Transitive, separable
Examples:
"The band really pumped the audience up for a really energetic show"
________________
"I drank Red Bull, now I'm all pumped up... let's do something!"
Labels:
phrasal verbs,
Separable,
Transitive
English Expressions - "to not give a fuck/shit"
English Expressions - Not give a fuck/shit
(Very informal!)
Definition:
Not care about something/someone, something doesn't have any importance to you
Examples:
"You really don't give a fuck about me"
___________
"I broke up with my boyfriend! :'("
"Pshhh I give a fuck!" (with sarcasm)
___________
As always... be creative with your expressions!
"To be honest, I don't give 2 fucks about politics"
___________
"I could not give a single tiny fuck about this class, it's boring"
(Very informal!)
Definition:
Not care about something/someone, something doesn't have any importance to you
Examples:
"You really don't give a fuck about me"
___________
"I broke up with my boyfriend! :'("
"Pshhh I give a fuck!" (with sarcasm)
___________
As always... be creative with your expressions!
"To be honest, I don't give 2 fucks about politics"
___________
"I could not give a single tiny fuck about this class, it's boring"
Labels:
fuck,
Idioms and expressions
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
Phrasal verb - Break up (with)
Phrasal verb - Break up (with)
Definition:
End a relationship
Rules:
Transitive, Inseparable
Examples:
"Why is he lying on the floor?"
"He and Ann broke up"
"Her?"
_________
"I broke up with my girlfriend yesterday"
_________
"Are still with that guy?"
"No, we broke up"
"Good, he was a bastard!"
Definition:
End a relationship
Rules:
Transitive, Inseparable
Examples:
"Why is he lying on the floor?"
"He and Ann broke up"
"Her?"
_________
"I broke up with my girlfriend yesterday"
_________
"Are still with that guy?"
"No, we broke up"
"Good, he was a bastard!"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)






