A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and a preposition, a verb and an adverb, or a verb with both an adverb and a preposition.
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Usage of “voted in”
Is it correct to write voted in in the following sentences?
Members may vote in a new leader.
Board members will be nominated and voted in by the team.
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What is the meaning of “get owned by” [closed]
I watched a video titled below;
"KJU(initial of name) gets owned by an angry pakistani reporter".
The story ends up with a reporter slapping KJU.
So do these have the same meaning; 'A slap(or ...
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0answers
69 views
New verbs we make by adding “up, off” etc [closed]
help him out or help him
Can anyone tell me what is the difference between two sentences I mentioned above?
what about the list below?
write & write down
come & come up
take & take up
...
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2answers
108 views
Why are prepositions out of place with many phrasal verbs?
Please, restrict your answers to etymological info. I browsed some other questions and found some good info here: Is it correct to change the common structure in these phrasal verbs?, which is more ...
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1answer
92 views
“Sent” vs “sent off” vs “sent out”
When do we use one over another?
I sent a letter.
I sent off a letter.
I sent out a letter.
Here I found a similar topic but I am still confused.
sent = sent to one or more people
...
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1answer
107 views
How should I use the phrasal verb “to d**k around”?
To waste time
Stop dicking me around and get to the point.
Would you please stop dicking around with her?
To take advantage of
You're dicking him around, you know?
Don't ...
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3answers
124 views
word for the act of each person in a group put in some money combined to buy something
What's the verb/phrasal verb to describe the act of giving/putting in a share of money towards a total amount to buy something as a group where each of the other members in the group put in their ...
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1answer
68 views
“Bring down X” vs. “bring X down” [duplicate]
I am unable to understand the difference between these two sentences:
I want him to bring down the opponents.
I want him to bring the opponents down.
Which is right and when should each ...
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2answers
71 views
Is “Cutting Across the Afternoon of Life” grammatical? [closed]
I'm using this for a title of short story. The title has to reflect the last line of the story, which is as follows:
A long, dark shadow cuts across the countless cubicles.
I've thought of ...
2
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2answers
91 views
Why is it “objections to moving”, not “objections to move”? [closed]
I got this sentence from the Economist:
There are two primary objections to moving to the chained CPI.
My question is, why have they used moving instead of move after objections to?
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4answers
97 views
break/burst into + '-ing' form
Is it possible to use a verb in the -ing form with these phrasal verbs?
I mean, dictionaries I use contain only some exemplary sentences with a noun following the phrasal verb (break/burst into ...
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1answer
62 views
“is to” + verb, “was to” + verb
I've got a sentence that I can't quite well understand. My problem in the sentence is the "were to play" part.
How does it change the meaning of the sentence? Does it mean that this was an action in ...
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1answer
84 views
Can one use “known from” as “known for”?
I wonder if we can use the form "known from" instead of "known for" (saving the same meaning, of course).
For example: "NY is known from its beautiful Empire State Building"
instead of "NY is known ...
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1answer
94 views
What does “switch off” mean? [closed]
I read a blog post which includes the following sentence:
I hear many PhD students say they feel stressed because they can’t switch off.
What does the term switch off mean in the sentence above?
...
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1answer
54 views
“impede” vs. “impede on”
I can’t figure out whether the following sentence needs the word on or not:
It was getting crowded, impeding our ability to move around.
It was getting crowded, impeding on our ability to ...
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1answer
103 views
Proper use of “drop” and “drop off” [closed]
Can I use drop to say I will leave something somewhere?
I will drop the books at your house.
I will drop off the books at your house?
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1answer
273 views
“Take the role” vs. “take over the role” vs. “take on the role”
Is there a significant difference between the three expressions, or can they be used interchangeably?
I'm trying to say that a colleague of mine succeeded to another after the latter had quit his ...
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2answers
108 views
Is there any difference between “stoop down” and “stoop”?
According to Longman, they are the same, but I wonder if this is correct or if so, which one is more common.
For example:
Dave stooped down to tie his shoes.
Dave stooped to tie his shoes.
...
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5answers
222 views
Looking for the opposite of “drill down”
I am a programmer working on a chart component that allows to drill down on selection of a node. Drilling down will show the details of that node (like its children etc.). But I am struggling to find ...
2
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3answers
129 views
Topography of phrasal verbs
Is there an exhaustive list of the prepositions/adverbs/particles that can contribute to a phrasal verb?
And is there any 'verb-part' that can be used with the entire list?
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1answer
73 views
Meaning of “broken off short”
What does "the handle broken off short" mean when referring to an axe?
Does it mean the handle is broken off and it is a little far from the rest, or that it is broken close to the axe and there is ...
2
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2answers
98 views
“Wash hands of” — why not “off” instead of “of”?
The phrase "wash hands of" is supposed to mean giving up or having nothing to do with something.
But why is it "of" and not "off"? Using "off" sounds more like giving it up and distancing oneself ...
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2answers
67 views
“Roll” vs. “roll up” [closed]
Are these two verbs the same? According to Longman, they are the same.
Here are some made up sentences:
I rolled this (up) into a ball.
Let's roll (up) our sleeves.
(I made up these ...
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2answers
381 views
Is “catch up” used in formal language as in “We will catch up sometime”?
I wrote "we will catch up sometime" to one of my new friends. When I searched the Internet I found that people used it in informal situations. Is it okay to use this in formal writing as I did since ...
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1answer
156 views
Is there any book about origins of phrasal verbs' meaning?
In Macmillan dictionary, 3rd meaning of roll up:
[TRANSITIVE] if you roll a car window up, you turn a handle or push a button
so that the window goes up
I've learned 'roll up' below:
...
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3answers
106 views
Is “get someone up” the same as “wake someone up”?
Is using get up in this expression correct?
I am sorry I woke you up.
I am sorry I got you up.
I use get up for wake up all the time, but in this expression it sounds a bit odd.
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3answers
175 views
What is the difference between “carry out a crime” and “commit a crime”
Do these both have the same meaning?
John carried out a crime.
John committed a crime.
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5answers
101 views
Sum up the users? Or sum up the number of users?
Let's say that there is a list of users and I want to know how many users are in the list.
Would I 'sum up the users,' 'sum the users,' 'sum up the number of the users,' 'sum the number of users,' or ...
2
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2answers
115 views
Meaning of “hammer a socket on it and pop it off”
In a discussion on a pick-up truck car wheel theft, one person gave an advice to the victim that he "should have bought some locking lugs". This advice was disapproved by someone else in the ...
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5answers
228 views
Is there any phrasal verb to mean “teeth are falling out because one is getting older”?
The sentence would be:
He is Xing now.
Where X means "losing teeth" or "teeth are falling out" because he is getting older. I am assuming such phrasal verbs or words exist because it would be ...
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2answers
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What does “to beat someone to something by some time period” mean?
Beat me to it by about 30 seconds
(Source: The first comment under this answer.)
I can't find "beat to" in my phrasal verb look up table, nor this usage makes any sense to me. But it looks like ...
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2answers
73 views
How do you define broke and broke into?
How do you define broke and broke into here?
OP: "If you're not making six figures by the time you're 40, you fail at life."
P1: "whew... I just made it... broke into 6 figures at 39."
P2: "I broke ...
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3answers
155 views
Developing a crush or infatuation
For "crush" in meaning:
2 informal a brief but intense infatuation for someone, especially someone unattainable
What word would replace the terribly technical developing a crush?
Does one only ...
2
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0answers
73 views
Placing the preposition [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is it correct to change the common structure in these phrasal verbs?
I'm really confused about where to put the preposition.
She cut her hair off.
Vs
She cut ...
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2answers
178 views
“Add up to total” vs “add to total”
!
There is a possible problem with this:
The six numbers may add to more than the total population and the six percentages may add to more than 100 percent because individuals may report more ...
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2answers
306 views
Infinitive or Gerund for celebration of an event?
Which of the following sentences would be correct in a baby shower invitation.
My grandparents are looking forward to celebrate my arrival in February.
My grandparents are looking forward to ...
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2answers
234 views
What does “to look by” mean?
According to an article I read, the following sentences are roughly synonymous:
He looked by the building.
He looked past the building.
I don't know what look by and look past mean. I found a ...
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1answer
114 views
What are the origins of “take you up on it”
A common English idiom "take you up on it" is apparently used to indicate a general willingness or predisposition to accept something that is offered or granted. For example,
If you make an offer ...
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1answer
318 views
“Button up” vs. “button down” [closed]
As it pertains to a dress shirt, which is the correct usage or do these terms have different meanings?
3
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1answer
321 views
“Meet up” vs. “meet” vs. “hook up”
What's the difference between meet up, meet and hook up as a synonym of meet up?
The Free Dictionary has the following definitions:
to meet up: to see and talk to someone familiar or someone ...
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1answer
576 views
what is the difference between “hook up with” and “have sex with”? [closed]
I would like to know the subtle difference between hook up and have sex. I'm asking because hook up seems have a subtly different meaning than have sex: in the situations I've heard this word it seems ...
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5answers
278 views
Is to “tell off” a particularly British expression?
I'm translating a short story from Spanish into English. A small child says (literally):
Why don’t we knock?” I asked. “They’re gonna tell us off.”
(The Spanish is: Nos van a regañar.) I've ...
4
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2answers
429 views
What do “wonk” as against performer and “Wonking out” mean?
Time magazine’s October 22nd issue carries the article titled “Paul Ryan on the campaign trail: More performer than wonk.” The article begins with the following lines:
“Mitt Romney's running mate ...
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3answers
506 views
What's the difference between “get up” and “stand up”?
I'm translating Bob Marley's song "Get up, stand up" and, consulting my dictionary, I can't understand the difference between these two verbs.
I have understood the overall meaning of this song, of ...
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1answer
112 views
What does “back-slap” mean? [closed]
What does back-slap mean in this sentence?
Back-slap someone in Korea and they will be offended.
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2answers
5k views
What exactly does “sweep me off my feet” mean? (And why?)
Although the phrase "sweep me off my feet" probably means, "make me fall in love with you in a short time", what does it exactly mean, because "sweeping" can be difficult to be associated with "love". ...
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3answers
490 views
The difference between “to think about” and “to think of” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Difference between “think of” and “think about”
What is the difference between "to think about" and "to think of", when we can mix them and when ...
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5answers
3k views
What does 'sucker for' mean?
I recently came across a couple usages of 'sucker for' which indicates that it means 'crazy about', 'enthusiastic for', or 'interested in'. For example, 'I am a sucker for sports.', seems to say, 'I ...
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4answers
243 views
Is it correct to change the common structure in these phrasal verbs?
I just read a book to learn English. And the topic I read is about the phrasal verbs, but a big doubt has come up to my mind.
Is it correct to change the position of the preposition (putting it with ...
2
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1answer
73 views
What's the meaning of “throw out”
Ultimate fist pumping workout.
My friend threw out her shoulder by fist pumping at a club once.
The comment was made from a gif. In this gif, it shows a man doing a workout holding a barbell ...
