The units which deal with phrasal verbs and other expressions present only a small number of the expressions that exist. There are many others based on both the basic verbs focused on in Units 84-90 and on a whole range of other verbs. This unit looks at some other verbs, giving examples of a few of the phrasal verbs and expressions connected with them.
See
I must see aboutho arrangements for the conference.
-
[deal with1They've gone to see Jim off at the airport. [go with someone about to set off on a journey]
It's easy to see through his behaviour. [not be deceived by]
It's sometimes hard to see the wood for the trees. [get a clear view of the whole of something because of distracting details]
D o you think you could see your way to lending me a fiver? [feel it was possible to]
I must be seeing things. [having hallucinations]
Run
I ran into an old friend yes;erday. [met unexpectedly]
Her patience has run out. [come to an end]
Let's run over the plans again. [review]
The children have run me off my feet today. [kept me so busy that I'm exhausted]
She runs the business while he looks after the children. [manages I has overall responsibility for]
How often do the trains run? [go]
Turn
There was a very large turnout at the concert. [number of people who came]
She turned down their offer of promotion. [refused]
Who do you think turned up last night? [made an appearance, often unexpectedly]
I'm going to turn over a new leaf this year. [make a fresh start]
It's your turn to do the washing-up. [It's your duty this time because I did it last time.]
He did me a good turn. [a favour]
Let
He has been let down so many times in the past. [disappointed]
He won't let us into the secret. [tell us]
I hope the rain lets up soon. [becomes less strong]
Let go of the rope. [stop holding] Please let me be. [stop bothering me]
She let it slip that she had been given a pay rise. [mentioned accidentally or casually]
Break
The car broke down again this morning. [stopped working] - - - --
There isn't going to be a wedding - they have broken off their engagement. [ended]
Burglars broke into our house while we were on holiday. [forcibly entered]
I'm dreading breaking the news to him. [telling him the news]
H e has broken her heart. [made her deeply unhappy]
The athlete broke the record for the 1000 metres. [created a new record]
Use the expressions on the opposite page to help you fill in the gaps in the text below. Use one word only in each gap.
...
Let's run .... . . . (1) the plans for tomorrow's disco just once more. First, I must see ... ( 2 ) the food arrangements while you make sure that none of
. . .
the equipment is likely to break (3). I don't imagine that many people
...
will turn ( 4 ) until later but Nick and Jill have promised to come early
. . .
to help us and I'm sure they won't let us ( 5 ) even though Jill let it ...
. . . ... . . ( 6 ) the other day that they are thinking of breaking (7)
their engagement.
9 1.2 Rewrite the following using the words in brackets.
1 Why does she let herself be deceived by him? (see) 2 I met Jack by chance at the station yesterday. (run)
3 I cooked the dinner yesterday. It's up to you to do it today. (turn) 4 I thought I was hallucinating when I saw a monkey in the garden. (see) 5 I wish you'd stop bothering me. (let)
6 He told us in secret that they were planning to break into the house. (let) 7 An enormous crowd came to hear the Prime Minister speak. (turn) Complete the sentences in an appropriate way.
If the snow doesn't let up soon...
...
A person who cannot see the wood for the trees does not make a good
...
Halfway up the mountain he let go
...
Although the turnout for the meeting was not large He felt terribly let down when
...
She didn't turn up..
.
I'm afraid we've run out...
He asked if I could see my way
...
9
1
a 4 Answer the questions below.1 Have you ever turned down an offer or invitation that you later regretted?
2 Have you ever had problems because of something (a vehicle or a piece of equipment, perhaps) breaking down at an inconvenient time? What happened?
3 Who really runs the country, in your opinion?
4 Have you done anyone a good turn today? If so, what did you do?
5 Which record would you most like to break?
6 Do you think it is possible for someone's heart to be broken?
7 Have you ever resolved to turn over a new leaf? In what way(s)?
8 Have you any particular jobs that you must see to today? If so, what?
9 Has your home ever been broken into? What happened?
The expressions opposite are only some of many expressions using these five verbs. Can you think of two other phrasal verbs or other idiomatic expressions using each of the verbs? If you can't, try to find them in a dictionary.
92 Headline English
Headline writers try to catch the reader's eye by using as few words as possible. The language headlines use is, consequently, unusual in a number of ways.
Grammar words like articles or auxiliary verbs are often left out, e.g. EARLY CUT FORECAST IN INTEREST RATES
A simple form of the verb is used, e.g. QUEEN OPENS HOSPITAL TODAY
The infinitive is used to express the fact that something is going to happen in the future, e.g. PRESIDENT T O VISIT MINE
Newspaper headlines use a lot of distinctive vocabulary. They prefer words that are usually shorter and generally sound more dramatic than ordinary English words. The words marked
* can be used either as nouns or verbs.
newspaper word aid "
axe * back bar * bid
;'
blast "
blaze :"
boost "
boss '"
head*
clash
:'
curb "
cut :"
drama drive :"
gems go-ahead hit
meaning
help cut, remove support exclude, forbid attempt explosion fire
incentive, encourage manager, director dispute
restraint, limit reduction tense situation campaign, effort jewels
approval affect badly
newspaper meaning word
key link "
move * ordeal oust plea pledge * ploy poll
"
probe * quit riddle strife talks threat vow * wed
essential, vital connection
step towards a desired end painful experience
push out request promise clever activity
election / public opinion survey investigation
leave, resign mystery conflict discussions danger ' promise marry
Newspaper headlines often use abbreviations, e.g. PM for Prime Minister, MP for Member of Parliament. (See Unit 98 for more abbreviations.)
Some newspapers also enjoy making jokes in their headlines. They d o this by playing with words or punning, e.g. a wet open air concert in London by the opera singer Luciano Pavarotti was described as:
TORRENTIAL RAIN IN MOST ARIAS
)
['most areas']An announcement that a woman working at the Mars chocolate company had got an interesting new job was:
WOMAN FROM MARS TO BE FIRST BRITON IN SPACE
(Note that the word 'Briton' is almost exclusively found in newspapers.)
92.1 On the left there is a list of headlines. On the right there is a list of news topics. Match the headlines with the appropriate topic as in the example.
1 PM BACKS PEACE PLAN marriage of famous actress
2 MP SPY DRAMA royal jewels are stolen
3 SPACE PROBE FAILS person who saw crime in danger 4 QUEEN'S GEMS RIDDLE proposal to end war
5 STAR WEDS satellite is not launched
6 KEY WITNESS DEATH THREAT politician sells secrets to enemy Explain what the following headlines mean in ordinary English.
Example: SHOP BLAZE 5 DEAD Five people died in a fire in a shop.
1 MOVE T O CREATE MORE JOBS 2 GO-AHEAD FOR WATER CURBS 3 WOMAN QUITS AFTER JOB ORDEAL 4 POLL PROBES SPENDING HABITS 5 BID T O OUST PM
6 PRINCE VOWS T O BACK FAMILY
The words marked '"n the table opposite can be either nouns or verbs. Note that the meaning given is usually in the form of a noun. In the headlines below you have examples of words from the table used as verbs. Look at the underlined verbs and explain what they mean. You may need to use more than one word.
Example: PM T O CURB SPENDING limit 1 BOOK LINKS MI5 WITH KGB
2 CHANCELLOR CUTS INTEREST RATES 3 BOMB BLASTS CENTRAL LONDON 4 PM PLEDGES BACKING FOR EUROPE 5 PRESIDENT HEADS PEACE MOVES
Would you be interested in the stories under the following headlines? Why (not)?