A Phrasal Verb a Day

+ - ing = to find yourself in a situation or position as the result of doing other things. You don't set out to be in that situation, it just happens as a consequence of other things. "I went to Vegas for fun and I went to a casino. I ended up losing everything" "The Beatles started out as a hard working rock & roll band. They ended up becoming one of the most influential groups of all time"

=to encourage someone to do something that they shouldn't do "I didn't mean to do it, the others kept egging me on!“

= to make something last as long as possible, eg money, food, supplies "we have to eke out our food during the winter" "Don't eat all those biscuits! We'll need to eke them out if we're going to survive this zombie apocalypse "

= to eat a meal in a restaurant rather than at home "let's eat out tonight shall we? " " we don't have any food in the fridge, do you fancy eating out tonight? “

Something dumbs down To dumb something down the dumbing down of something = to make something simpler easier, or more appealing to a wide audience which reduces it's quality and makes it more stupid. "TV is dumbing down more and more these days with all these reality shows" "TV really dumbed down after the introduction of digital broadcasting" "Commercials cause the dumbing down of TV" Transcript here: http://teacherluke.wordpress.com/phrasal-verb-a-day/16-to-dumb-down/

1. To take someone somewhere by car. "could you drop me off at the station, do you think?" 2. To deliver something. "Jeff dropped this letter off for you" 3. To become weaker, smaller or lower in value or level. "his concentration drops off after lunch" 4. To doze off. "I missed that. I dropped off to sleep for a moment" 5. When something is attached and then falls off. "the wing mirror just dropped off my car!" Transcript here: http://teacherluke.wordpress.com/phrasal-verb-a-day/15-to-drop-off/

= to fall asleep for a short time, especially when you're not in bed and you don't intend to. "I was on the bus and I felt so sleepy that I just dozed off for a few minutes" "I often catch Jose dozing off at the back of the classroom"

= to leave in a hurry (synonyms are 'to shoot off' or to 'rush off') E.g. "Sorry, I can't hang around, I've got to dash off" "I'd love to hang around but I've got to dash off to the bank" http://teacherluke.wordpress.com/phrasal-verb-a-day/13-to-dash-off/

This means to get yourself in a really comfortable position on the sofa or in bed, with your legs bent and off the floor, so that you are in a curved shape - nice and comfy. "I curled up on the sofa with a cup of tea and a good book" "I can't wait to just curl up in bed and fall asleep" "The cat sat in front of the fire, curled himself up into a little ball, and fell asleep"

1. To become mentally ill. "He couldn't take the pressure any more and he cracked up" 2. To suddenly start laughing, to burst out laughing. "someone farted in the classroom and everyone cracked up!“

APVAD #10 TO CRACK DOWN ON SOMETHING = when an authority deals with something (like crime) in a stricter way. "the government has promised to crack down on benefit fraud " " The police are cracking down on violent crime" What is the government cracking down on in your country?

APVAD #9 09/01/14 "I've got a nasty cold. I keep coughing up all this green phlegm. It's digusting" "That's a bit too much information, thanks" "It's your turn to pay. Come on, cough up"

"We're having a whip round for Bill's birthday. Would you like to chip in a few pounds for the collection?" "Sorry, can I just chip in. I couldn't help overhearing your conversation. I just wanted to say, you should buy an Oyster card and top it up every day. It's cheaper in the long-run" Luke's English Podcast - how to use the London Underground http://teacherluke.wordpress.com/2011/11/07/mind-the-gap-how-to-use-the-london-underground/

APVAD #7 07/01/14 - to catch up catch - caught - caught 1. To catch up with the others = to get to the same speed as the others. E.g. In a race, if you're running too slowly and you're falling behind, you need to run faster and catch up with the other runners (and then try to keep up with them, or overtake them). 2. To work harder to get to the same level of progress as others. E.g. In a class, the bad students don't concentrate hard enough and then at the end of the year they need to work extra hard in order to catch up with the other members of the class. "If you don't catch up, I'll have to move you down a level" 3. To catch up on something = to get updated on something. E.g. If you've missed the latest series of Breaking Bad, you need to go home and catch up on it, by watching all the episodes. "I haven't seen season 4 of Game of Thrones yet. I need to catch up on it" "I've got to go home and catch up on some sleep" 4. To get the latest news from your friends "Let's catch up next week." ...and that terrib

APVAD #6 06/01/14 - TO GET CARRIED AWAY = to get so excited or involved in what you are doing that you lose control and go too far. E.g. "YES, WE'RE GOING TO BE RICH!“ “Wait, let's not get carried away, they haven't signed the contract yet" #6 #phrasalverb #english #vocabulary For an example, check this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKU7kQJxKgA #6 A transcript for this episode is available here http://teacherluke.wordpress.com/phrasal-verb-a-day/6-to-get-carried-away/

APVAD #5 05/01/14 "BRING IT ON! “ You say this phrase when you're ready to face a challenge. "You think you can beat me? Come on then. Bring it on! Let's go!" #english #phrasalverb #5 A transcript for this episode is available here: http://teacherluke.wordpress.com/phrasal-verb-a-day/5-bring-it-on/

APVAD #4 04/01/14 to bounce back = to feel happy/healthy/successful again after something bad has happened. "Paul's really upset because his girlfriend has dumped him, but he'll bounce back, he usually does" "The economy is predicted to bounce back over the next year" We don't always add an object to this phrasal verb, and it's non-seperable, so you don't say "bounce sth back", just "bounce back". If you want to add an object you can use 'from', e.g. "He has bounced back from the break-up". Try to use this phrase in a text or audio comment. Bye for now! #4 A transcript for this episode is available here: http://teacherluke.wordpress.com/phrasal-verb-a-day/4-to-bounce-back/

A PHRASAL VERB A DAY #3 03/01/14 "bail out" To bail someone/something out means to rescue someone/something. 1. To bail out the banks. After the credit crisis of 2008 many banks lost lots of money and were facing bankruptcy or insolvency. The government decided to bail them out by giving them large sums of money (rescue packages, or bailout packages). 2. To bail someone out of prison. When someone is arrested by the police, and charged for a crime, they can sometimes go home before the court trial if someone pays some money. If no one bails the person out, they have to stay in jail until/during the court case. "He was released on bail" or "they bailed him out of prison". Questions: 1. Did the government bail out the banks in your country? 2. Would you bail your friend out of prison if he/she had been arrested? A transcript for this episode is available here http://teacherluke.wordpress.com/phrasal-verb-a-day/3-to-bail-out/

02/01/14 A PHRASAL VERB A DAY - back up This means to show someone that you agree with them and that you support them. "back me up on this one will you?" (support me) "don't worry, I'll back you up" (I'll support you) "if I ask for more money, will you back me up?" A transcript for this episode is available here http://teacherluke.wordpress.com/phrasal-verb-a-day/2-to-back-someone-up/

A PHRASAL VERB A DAY 01/01/14 - to ask someone out This means to ask someone to go on a date with you. Here's an example in an article about the best way to ask a girl out: http://library.thinkquest.org/C004916/dating-guide/dating-askingout.shtml A transcript for this episode is available here: http://teacherluke.wordpress.com/phrasal-verb-a-day/1-to-ask-someone-out/