Speaking English: Phrasal Verbs are CRITICAL for Speaking American English Well

Speaking English with a smooth, confident voice means that you need to have good command of these phrasal verbs. This video is meant to be used as a phrasal verbs masterclass.

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Video Transcript:

Crack up can mean this:

This self-proclaimed toddler mom is being praised online for intervening with a passenger’s meltdown.

Or this:

He cracked up at the airport when he missed his flight. That’s bad, you do not want to do that. The news anchor cracked up on air. That can be great. I love laughing hard. Two really different meanings but the same words, the same spellings. Phrasal verbs are really common in English.

I’m Rachel, I have a background in opera singing and I’ve been teaching the American accent to non-native speakers for over 20 years. Scan this QR code or go to rachelenglish.com/free to get my free course, The Top Three Ways to Master the American Accent. It will blow your mind. It will give you totally new ideas on how to get the sound you’ve always wanted.

Phrasal verbs. In this little conversation there’s a phrasal verb in each sentence.

Hey are you gearing up for your big trip tomorrow?

Yeah, I just need to tie up a few loose ends today. I’m a little worked up about getting it all done but I don’t want to be stressed out on vacation.

I hate to bring up more stress but do you think we could quickly go over your schedule for next month before you leave?

Sure. I can squeeze in a quick call at like 3. I’m trying to head out by 5.

Great. Well I hope you can really eat up the downtime on vacation.

Gearing up means to get ready for something. Are you gearing up for your big trip tomorrow?

Yeah. I just need to tie up a few loose ends today.

Tie up means to finish. Here, a loose end is a part of a project that’s not done. If I’m going to tie that up that means I’m going to finish it before vacation.

I just need to tie up a few loose ends today. I’m a little worked up about getting it all done but..

Worked up means pretty emotional, like excited, angry or anxious.

I don’t want to be stressed out on vacation.

Stressed out is just another way to say stressed. Under pressure, feeling anxiety about getting everything done.

I don’t want to be stressed out on vacation.

I hate to bring up more stress.

Bring up means to mention or to cause.

I hate to bring up more stress.

Sure I can squeeze in a quick call at like 3.

Squeeze in means to make time for something when you’re already really busy.

Sure, I can squeeze in a quick call at like 3.

I’m trying to head out by 5.

Head out means to leave.

I’m hoping to head out by 5.

Great, well I hope you can really eat up the downtime on vacation.

Eat up means to really, really enjoy something.

I hope you can really eat up the downtime on vacation.

Let’s see that conversation again.

Hey, are you gearing up for your big trip tomorrow?

Yeah, I just need to tie up a few loose ends today. I’m a little worked up about getting it all done, but..

I don’t want to be stressed out on vacation.

I hate to bring up more stress, but do you think we could quickly go over your schedule for next month before you leave?

Sure, I can squeeze in a quick call at like 3. I’m trying to head out by 5.

Great, well I hope you can really eat up the downtime on vacation.

So, phrasal verbs are everywhere. A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb with a preposition or adverb that creates a new meaning different from the individual words. For example, we just learned that eat up means to really enjoy something, which is not directly related to the meanings of eat or up alone.

Today we’re going to study 166 phrasal verbs. Are you ready for this? Let’s jump in.

Crack.

I like this one because we have down and up. Down, up, these seem like opposites but crack down and crack up are not opposites. They simply have two totally separate meanings.

Crack down means to be more forceful, more severe in the enforcement of a punishment or of a rule. For example, the police are cracking down on underage drinking, or the university is cracking down on plagiarism. When you put the two words together, they become a compound word a noun. Same idea, a crackdown is a severe or stern enforcement of rules laws or regulations. There’s been a crackdown on speeding.

It’s also the name of a video game. Have you played it? I have not.

Crack up has nothing to do with rules regulation or enforcement. It has several different meanings. First, it has to do with mental health. If you’re not well depressed or under pressure or anxious and you have an event like a mental breakdown or a psychotic break, you crack up.

She cracked up because of the pressure of her new job.

This can also be a one-word noun. He had a crackup during finals. Or,  He’s a crackup, he’s mentally ill.

Now, when you use it as a noun, he’s a crackup. It’s more harsh than saying someone is mentally ill. It’s kind of writing that person off. There’s no sympathy for the illness when you call someone a crackup. But it also has a meaning that’s very different. When something is hilarious, very funny and you laugh and laugh, you are cracking up.

That movie cracked me up. I cracked up.

It’s also used in the phrase cracked up to be, meaning supposed to be or expected.

He’s cracked up to be the greatest pitcher of all time.

But usually, the phrase is used in the negative when something or someone doesn’t meet expectations.

It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Fame isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be.

To review, you can crack down on something when you’re serious about the rules. When you crack up, it can either mean you’ve had a bit of a mental breakdown or the complete opposite. You’ve laughed really hard at something. It can also mean expected and is usually used in the negative. Making YouTube videos isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It looks simple but each video takes so much time.

Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

Crack down means to be more forceful more severe in the enforcement of a punishment or of a rule.

Crack up. First it has to do with mental health if you’re not well depressed or under pressure or anxious and you have an event like a mental breakdown or a psychotic break. You crack up.

But it also has a meaning that’s very different. When something is hilarious very funny and you laugh and laugh, you are cracking up.

Cracked up to be, meaning supposed to be or expected. When we bang something out we do it quickly without nuance, without being totally careful or precise about what we’re doing. The sentence I use it in is:

I can bang it out on the piano. I can’t play well but I can get through it. I can bang it out. Probably playing loudly. You can also bang out something like a report.

Oh, I don’t have much time, I’m just going to bang out the report. Quickly, without as much attention to detail as you would like to take or as you could take.

You can bang out something you write like an article, a book.

Bang it out. Actually just the other day, I found someone banging something out on the piano.

Stony, are you banging out of tune?

Banging away can mean the same thing. She banged away at the piano she played without much skill.

But it can also mean something opposite. To really work on something over time, to work hard. That’s the opposite of quickly banging out a report. He banged away at the speech for days.

Bang down. We tend to use this a lot with fist.

You might bang your fist down on the table loud, forceful.

If you bang into someone or something, you hit it with your body. You might bang into a desk, or bang into someone as you’re rushing down the street. Bang! Ow!

If you bang into something, you might get banged up. If you get banged up, you’re injured, hurt. It can range from something small to something serious. He was in a car accident and was banged up pretty badly.

To review, bang out and bang away can both mean the same thing: to do something quickly, crudely without great skill.

She’s banging away at the piano. I’m going to bang out a piece on the piano.

But bang away can also mean to spend a lot of time working on one thing. He’s been banging away at that project all week.

You can also bang down your fist.

Bang into something or someone. Ow! I banged up my arm.

You can also bang something up. I banged up the car. I banged up my knee.

Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

I can bang it out on the piano. I can’t play well but I can get through it.

I can bang it out.

Quickly, without as much attention to detail as you would like to take or as you could take. She banged away at the piano. She played without much skill. But bang away can also mean to spend a lot of time working on one thing.

Pick two phrasal verbs from what we’ve already learned and make up a sentence to put in the comments below. Pause the video if you need to but seriously, take a minute to let your brain creatively apply what you’re learning.

Today we’re studying cut and there are so many phrasal verbs with cut that I’m going to cut this video into. There’s a story about my brother when he was a baby and some confusion over phrasal verbs. He heard the sound of a chainsaw outside and he said “What are they doing?” My mom said “They’re cutting down a tree.” This means cutting it at the base so there’s no tree anymore. Cutting it down.

Later they were still going he still heard the sound of the chainsaw and he said “Well what are they doing now?” My mom said “Well now they’re cutting it up.” He said “Why would they cut it down if they’re just going to cut it up?” Well, of course cutting a tree down is not the opposite of cutting a tree up. Cut down has a couple of different meanings. It can mean like in the case of the tree, to make something fall down by cutting it at the base. It can also mean to reduce. I’m trying to cut down on sugars but it’s so hard around the holidays.

If you cut someone down you’re trying to make that person look or feel stupid. The bully cut her down in front of everyone by making fun of her glasses.

There’s also a phrase to cut someone down to size. That means they think they’re better than they are and you want them to know you don’t think they’re so great. He was so arrogant I’m going to cut him down to size at the next meeting.

To cut up means to cut into pieces. The vegetables need to be cut up. If someone is a cutup, he or she is making jokes being funny. I love John, he’s such a cutup!

If you cut someone up, that’s not good. That means you’ve attacked him with a knife. But it also has a figurative meaning, for when someone is very upset hurt feelings. She’s cut up over losing her job. To cut back has the same meaning as to cut down. It’s to reduce. We need to cut back our reliance on fossil fuels. I need to cut back calories if I’m going to lose weight.

To cut across or to cut through something is to take a shortcut. Make your route a shorter distance. Let’s cut through the quad. It’s quicker that way. He cut through the woods.

Cut across can also mean to affect different groups. News of the merger cut across all the departments. Everyone even those people in separate departments who maybe didn’t usually get along felt worried about the merger.

Cut through can also mean to slice something. The knife cut through the rope easily. That can also be used figuratively. his words cut through my heart.

Cut away means in video to change to a different scene. For example, cut away to people laughing. If you cut something away, that means you remove it with a knife or a scissors or something like that. Cut away the fat before cooking the chicken.

Okay, so that was cut down, cut up, cut back, cut across, cut through, cut away. Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

Cut down has a couple of different meanings. It can mean like in the case of the tree, to make something fall down by cutting it at the base. It can also mean to reduce. If you cut someone down, you’re trying to make that person look or feel stupid. There’s also a phrase to cut someone down to size. That means they think they’re better than they are and you want them to know you don’t think they’re so great.

To cut up means to cut into pieces. If you cut someone up, that’s not good. That means you’ve attacked him with a knife. But it also has a figurative meaning for when someone is very upset. To cut back has the same meaning as to cut down. It’s to reduce. To cut across or to cut through something is to take a shortcut, make your route a shorter distance. Cut across can also mean to affect different groups. Cut through can also mean to slice something. Cut away means in video, to change to a different scene. If you cut something away that means you remove it with a knife or a scissors or something like that.

Cut in has a couple of definitions. You can cut in when someone is speaking, interrupt them. You can also cut into traffic with your car. Someone cut in front of me. Or a line. Don’t you hate it when you’ve been waiting in line for something for a while and then someone cuts in towards the front? Not fair. If you cut somebody in, that means you let them in on a deal or a profit of some sort. Money. He cut his brother-in-law in on the deal. If you cut into something, that means you slice it with a knife but you don’t slice it into two parts. You just cut into it. It can also happen from your clothing or environment in a way that’s uncomfortable. This shoe is cutting into my foot or this bench is cutting into my back. It doesn’t mean it’s actually cutting through your skin in these cases. It can also mean to take up too much of something. All of these emails are cutting into my free time.

Cut off. Multiple uses. To cut someone off is to interrupt. If someone is telling you a long story and you don’t want to hear it or you know what they’re going to say, you might say “I’m going to cut you off right there.” Or you could say “She cut me off in the middle of a sentence.” It can also mean to stop providing for someone. My parents cut me off. They said I need to get a job. It can also mean to end a relationship. I cut it off with Bob. He talks way too much.

Also with traffic. This is just like cut in. She cut in front of me. She cut me off. If you cut something off, it’s like to cut away. You remove something with a knife or other sharp tool. Van Gogh cut off his ear.

Cut out. If something stops working. The radio cut out. If it sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t, like there’s a loose connection, you can say “The radio keeps cutting in and out.”

Have you ever heard the phrase “Cut out the middleman.” What’s that mean? That means you can buy something directly from the business that is making that thing. Not from a store that bought the item from the maker. That’s a middleman. The price goes up. If you buy something from a business who bought it from another business. There’s probably been a markup in price. That’s a bonus phrasal verb for today. Mark up. So if you cut out the middleman, that means you don’t include or involve that person and that generally means what you’re buying is going to be cheaper.

To cut out can mean to stop doing something. I’ve cut out sugar. That means I don’t eat sugar anymore. Have you ever heard ‘Cut it out.’ This means stop it, stop doing that. You can say that when someone is pestering you, annoying you. Cut it out.

There’s also a phrase ‘You have your work cut out for you.’ That means wow, there’s a lot to do or what you need to do is really hard. It’s going to take me weeks to translate this. I have my work cut out for me. Not cut out can mean not fit, not having the qualities to do something. She’s not cut out to be a teacher. Cut down, cut up, cut back, cut across, cut through, cut away, cut in, cut into, cut off and cut out. That’s a lot and so many ways to use these verbs. I hope studying this verb doesn’t cut into your other studies too much.

Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

Cut in has a couple of definitions. You can cut in when someone is speaking, interrupt them. You can also cut into traffic with your car. If you cut into something that means you slice it with a knife but you don’t slice it into two parts. It can also mean to take up too much of something. Cut off. Multiple uses. To cut someone off is to interrupt. It can also mean to stop providing for someone. It can also mean to end a relationship. If you cut something off, it’s like to cut away, you remove something with a knife or other sharp tool. Cut out. If something stops working. Have you ever heard the phrase ‘Cut out the middleman?’ That means you can buy something directly from the business that is making that thing. To cut out can mean to stop doing something. Have you ever heard ‘Cut it out.’ This means stop it. Stop doing that.

When you pin something down, it has nothing to do with pinning something up. We usually use the phrase to pin something down in the negative. I can’t pin it down. That means I can’t understand or identify something. There’s something strange about him but I can’t quite pin it down. I can’t quite figure out what’s strange about him.

If you pin a person down, then you physically hold them, maybe sit on them, make them unable to get up. We broke up the fight and pinned them down. It also means to get someone to be very clear about something. For example, I keep trying to make lunch plans with Sarah but I can’t get her to pin down a date.

If you pin something on someone, well, it can literally mean to attach something to someone with a pin. She pinned the corsage on her date. But it can also mean to try to make someone responsible for something. To try to make someone take the blame for something. She was in charge of the project that failed but she tried to pin it on me. We also use it idiomatically. To pin your hopes to or on something or someone. This is when you rely completely on this one thing or person to fix a situation. I’m pinning all my hopes on this new teacher that she can help my son understand Math. What about if you pin something up? Here, you’re attaching something to a wall with pins. I pinned up an advertisement for a roommate on the bulletin board.

As a noun, a pinup is a beautiful sexy woman. Someone who you would maybe want to put in a poster and pin on your wall. She is Hollywood’s latest pinup girl.

Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

I can’t pin it down. That means I can’t understand or identify something. If you pin a person down, then you physically hold them, maybe sit on them, make them unable to get up. It also means to get someone to be very clear about something. If you pin something on someone, well, it can literally mean to attach something to someone with a pin. But it can also mean to try to make someone responsible for something. To try to make someone take the blame for something. We also use it idiomatically. To pin your hopes to or on something or someone. This is when you rely completely on this one thing or person to fix a situation. What about if you pin something up? Here, you’re attaching something to a wall with pins.

Can you tell apart all of these definitions? To tell something apart is to be able to distinguish between different things. I still have a problem telling the twins apart. This is the same meaning as to tell from. Can you tell her from her sister? That is can you distinguish between them. Do you know who is who?

Tell off is when you’re very angry and you yell at someone about something. He broke my sister’s heart so I told him off. A phrase with the same meaning is to go off on. She went off on me because I accidentally left the oven on. To tell on somebody is to tell other people something someone did that was bad. Kids use this phrase all the time. Don’t tell on me. I’m going to tell on you if you keep doing that. If you do that I’m going to tell on you and then mom and dad are going to tell you off.

Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

To tell something apart is to be able to distinguish between different things. This is the same meaning as to tell from. Tell off is when you’re very angry and you yell at someone about something. A phrase with the same meaning is to go off on. To tell on somebody is to tell other people something someone did that was bad. Kids use this phrase all the time.

I can’t play up enough the importance of phrasal verbs. They’re really used all the time in conversational and written English. Play up. Hmm, that sounds like a phrasal verb. Let’s not play around with these phrasal verbs.

To play around means to treat carelessly. Don’t play around with that, it’s fragile. It can also mean to act in a way that’s joking, that’s not serious. If you’re sort of teasing someone and they say “Stop it.” Or “You’re being mean.” Or “You’re such a jerk.” You can say “I’m just playing around.” Meaning “I wasn’t being serious.”

It can also mean to test something. To try something out maybe you’re designing a logo and you’ve come up with five or six ideas but you haven’t decided on the final version yet. You might say “I’m still playing around with the logo.”

To play along is to cooperate with someone’s idea. For example, I know Santa’s not real but I’m going to play along for the sake of the kids. I’m going to pretend that Santa is real.

To play something back is to play something that’s been recorded video or audio. For example, say you’re listening to a podcast with a friend. You might say “I didn’t hear that sentence can you play it back again?” To play something down is to try to make it seem less important. When the project failed, he tried to play down his role in it. She’s so talented but she’s always trying to play it down. To play something up is the opposite. To try to make something seem more important. In the job interview, play up your strengths. To play someone off someone else, is to make those two people disagree oppose each other. She played her parents off each other after the divorce to get what she wanted. To play on. This is a phrase we often use with fears. When you play on someone’s fears, you take advantage of what they’re afraid of to get what you want. He played on her fear of burglars and sold her a very expensive security system.

When something plays out, it comes to an end. If two people are arguing someone might say “Should we intervene?” You could say “No let’s see how this plays out.”

If you play with something you’re constantly touching it. Like when someone plays their hair. We also use this with idea in the phrase playing with the idea. It means you’re thinking about something, you haven’t decided for sure. She’s playing with the idea of running for city council.

Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

To play around means to treat carelessly. It can also mean to act in a way that’s joking that’s not serious. It can also mean to test something, to try something out. To play along is to cooperate with someone’s idea. To play something back is to play something that’s been recorded. Video or audio. To play something down is to try to make it seem less important. To play something up is the opposite. To try to make something seem more important. To play someone off someone else, is to make those two people disagree, oppose each other. To play on. This is a phrase we often use with fears. When you play on someone’s fears, you take advantage of what they’re afraid of to get what you want. When something plays out it comes to an end. If you play with something, you’re constantly touching it. Like when someone plays with their hair. We also use this with idea in the phrase ‘playing with the idea’. It means you’re thinking about something.

Hit back. If you hit back at someone, you’re responding to an attack with an attack. After the paper ran a false story on her, she hit back with a lawsuit. If you hit somebody up, you’re asking them for something. Hey, can I hit you up for a dollar? Or, if you ever need anything, hit me up. That is if you ever need anything, just ask.

What if you hit it off with someone, that means you get along really well with them right from the beginning. Luckily I hit it off with my mother-in-law. If you hit on someone, well, that means you’re sexually interested in someone and want them to know it. I’m not sure but I think that guy at the bar is hitting on me. It means you don’t think he was just talking to you for the sake of conversation. You think he was talking to you to let you know he was interested. So that’s if you hit on someone. But what if you hit on something? That is to find something. I think you hit on the answer there. I think you hit on a solution to the problem.

Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

Hit back. If you hit back at someone you’re responding to an attack with an attack. If you hit somebody up, you’re asking them for something. What if you hit it off with someone? That means you get along really well with them right from the beginning. If you hit on someone, well, that means you’re sexually interested in someone and want them to know it. But what if you hit on something? That is to find something.

If you hear about something, you’re told some news you’re learning information. Did you hear about Joan and Steven? They broke up.

Break up. That’s another phrasal verb when you’re in a relationship and it ends. Bonus phrasal verb. What about to hear from? This would be a person I heard from Shannon that Joan and Steven broke up. Or if you’re waiting for someone or something from someone, you might say “Did you hear from John?” If you’re waiting to get a report from him. “Did you hear from John?” Or if you’re waiting to get anything from him. It can also mean to get someone’s opinion. A business might say “We’d love to hear from you.” That means they want your feedback about your experience. Do you know the book Gone with the Wind? No, but I’ve heard of it. If you’ve heard of something you’re familiar with it in that you know it exists but you don’t have experience. You’ve heard of the book but you haven’t read it. You’ve heard of the movie but you haven’t seen it. You’ve heard of an event in history but you haven’t studied it. Do you know about the painter Dali? No I’ve never heard of him. That means you didn’t even know that he existed.

If something is unheard of, it’s a new idea it’s never been done before. The woman who won the race set a world record. That kind of time is unheard of. What about the phrase hereof with not? I will not hear of it. That’s a polite way of saying ‘No, I won’t allow that.’ Someone might say “I’ll just walk to your house from the train station.” You can say, “No, I won’t hear of it. I’ll pick you up in my car.” Have you ever heard the phrase, to hear someone out? Just hear me out. When would you say this? You would say this when you know someone doesn’t believe you, or doesn’t want to hear what you’re saying and you just want them to listen to you. For example, if you hurt someone’s feelings and they didn’t want to talk to you but you wanted to apologize. You could say “Just hear me out.”

Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs. If you hear about something, you’re told some news, you’re learning information. Break up. That’s another phrasal verb, when you’re in a relationship and it ends. If you’re waiting for someone or something from someone, you might say “Did you hear from John?”

It can also mean to get someone’s opinion. If you’ve heard of something, you’re familiar with it, and that you know it exists, but you don’t have experience. If something is unheard of, it’s a new idea, it’s never been done before. What about the phrase hereof with not? I will not hear of it. That’s a polite way of saying ‘No, I won’t allow that.’ Have you ever heard the phrase to hear someone out? You would say this when you know someone doesn’t believe you or doesn’t want to hear what you’re saying, and you just want them to listen to you.

My husband and I are looking to make a lot of large purchases for our home. A dining room table and chairs, a couch, chairs and tables for the living room. Maybe a new bed. We might even buy a TV. We haven’t had one for as long as we’ve been living together. So when you’re buying something that’s fairly expensive, you generally don’t just go to the store, pick one out and buy it. You might go to several stores, look online, do some research. When you’re researching the price of something, you’re pricing it out. We have to price out the cost of a new roof. Another way you could say this is with another phrasal verb, shop around. That is when you look at more than one place in order to choose what you’re going to buy. We shopped around all day to price out new TVs and I think we got a great deal.

You might also see the phrases price up or price down. When you price something up, you increase the price. They priced it up when they realized everyone wanted one. When you price something down, you reduce the price. Hopefully, things will be priced down after the holidays.

So, to review, to price out means to compare the prices of something. This table costs this much at one store and this similar table costs this at another store. Shop around also means to look at more than one place, more than one store for any given item. Price up means to increase the price and price down means to decrease the price.

Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

When you’re researching the price of something you’re pricing it out. Another way you could say this is with another phrasal verb, shop around. You might also see the phrases price up or price down. When you price something up, you increase the price. When you price something down, you reduce the price.

Die away. This means to fade away. To fade to nothing. We use it a lot with sounds. The sound of the train died away as it left town. Or, the laughter of the crowd died away as they realized how serious the situation was. It can also mean to become weaker. The excitement of Christmas Day died away as the kids got older. The new paint smell should die away over time. Die back is used with plants. Our yard dies back in the winter. This means the plants don’t die but they lose leaves, they lose color. But they will come back in the spring. Die down has a meaning just like to die away. To fade or lose strength or intensity. Put another log on the fire, it’s dying down. When the rain dies down, let’s go for a walk. To die for. This means to want something a lot, or for something to be amazing. I die for the chance to go to the big game. This chocolate cake is to die for. I’m dying to go to Europe. To die out is to be extinct. For everyone of a species or family to be gone. The dinosaurs died out millions of years ago. We have to prevent rare species from dying out. Old family traditions have died out with the younger generations. Die away, die back, die down, die for, die out.

Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

Die away. This means to fade away, to fade to nothing. We use it a lot with sounds. It can also mean to become weaker. Die back is used with plants. Our yard dies back in the winter. This means the plants don’t die but they lose leaves they lose color but they will come back in the spring. Die down has a meaning just like to die away. To fade or lose strength or intensity. To die for. This means to want something a lot or for something to be amazing. To die out is to be extinct. For everyone of a species or family to be gone.

Breakaway. This is when something is being held in place, tied in place, and then gets separated. The boat may break away from the dock in the storm. Also a person who’s being held can break away. The girl broke away from her father and jumped into the pool. It can also mean to move away from a group. She has broken away from the pack and is now in the lead. This would be in a race. Everyone was running in a group and she broke away. Separated herself from them. Breakdown. We have several meanings here. Your car can break down, your washing machine can break down, this is when something stops working correctly. Stops functioning. My car broke down on a long road trip. It can also refer to something more abstract like a marriage or a negotiation. Their marriage broke down after the kids left the house. The negotiations broke down quickly. We also use this phrasal verb in the phrase break down and cry. It means to have your emotions take over, to be out of control. I just broke down and cried when I saw the violence on TV. Or it can mean to dismantle something. Break down the cardboard boxes before putting them in the recycling bin. It also means to divide something into smaller parts. I’m going to break down the old shed in my yard. The meat will break down as you cook it. This is a big problem. Let’s break it down into manageable parts. Put the two words together and it becomes a noun. A mental breakdown is a mental disorder, an event, not an ongoing problem but a specific event when someone cannot function normally due to stress depression or anxiety. Break in has a couple of very different meanings. First, it can mean to enter illegally. Let’s break into Mary’s vacation house when she’s not there. It can also mean to use something a while to make it more comfortable. These new shoes hurt, I need to break them in. Or, a new baseball glove. The leather is still very stiff. You have to use it a while to break it in. It can mean to do something suddenly. She broke into a smile when she saw the puppy. The audience broke into applause as soon as the star walked on stage. Have you ever heard someone talk about a big break? That means a moment of discovery in a competitive field. The child star had her big break when the Broadway producer saw her singing on the street corner. We use break in this way too. It’s tough to break into showbusiness. Break away, break down, break in, just three phrasal verbs here but a lot of meanings. Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

Breakaway this is when something is being held in place, tied in place and then gets separated. Also a person who’s being held can break away. It can also mean to move away from a group. Breakdown. We have several meanings here. Your car can break down, your washing machine can break down, this is when something stops working correctly, stops functioning. It can also refer to something more abstract like a marriage or a negotiation. We also use this phrasal verb in the phrase ‘break down and cry’. It means to have your emotions take over, to be out of control. Or, it can mean to dismantle something. It also means to divide something into smaller parts. Break in has a couple of very different meanings. First, it can mean to enter illegally. It can mean to do something suddenly.

I hope this video will help you have a breakthrough with phrasal verbs. Let’s get started break off means to separate break off a piece of chocolate. Part of my tooth broke off in a skiing accident. To break off can also mean to end a relationship. My mom thinks I should break it off with Doug. Break out can mean to start suddenly. A fire broke out in the kitchen. The war broke out right after he graduated. She broke out in song at the party. And if you’ll remember, break in means to enter illegally. Break out means to exit illegally like jail. I don’t know how they did it but two men broke out of jail.

It can also mean to serve something. It’s almost midnight, let’s break out the champagne. We also use this phrase with skin irritations and acne. Of course I broke out right before my wedding. Or, we can use it with in, breakout in. I broke out in a cold sweat before my speech. I was really nervous about it.

We use breakthrough for having a success, and we use it a lot as a noun, one word with no space, breakthrough. He believes he’s close to a big breakthrough with his research. We also use breakthrough with barriers. When playing Red Rover, you have to break through the other team’s line.

Break up. Now this one is sad. This is when a relationship ends. Joe and I broke up last week. Or, I think I’m going to break up with Sam. We also use this with cell phones all the time if the connection isn’t good. If you keep not hearing parts of what the other person is saying, you might say “What? You’re breaking up.” It can also mean to separate in general. Let’s break up into small groups to discuss the play. You have to break up the bread for this recipe. If you break with something, that means you reject something like a tradition. We’re going to break with tradition this year and stay home for the holidays. Breakaway, break down, break in, break off, break out, break through, break up, and break with. That’s a lot of phrasal verbs. Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

Break off means to separate. To break off can also mean to end a relationship. Break out can mean to start suddenly. Break out means to exit illegally like jail. It can also mean to serve something. We also use this phrase with skin irritations and acne. We use breakthrough for having a success. We also use breakthrough with barriers. When playing Red Rover you have to break through the other team’s line. Break up, now this one is sad. This is when a relationship ends. We also use this with cell phones all the time if the connection isn’t good, if you keep not hearing parts of what the other person is saying you might say “What? You’re breaking up.”

It can also mean to separate in general. If you break with something, that means you reject something like a tradition.

Get psyched up because we’re about to learn an awesome phrasal verb. To get psyched up is to get mentally prepared. I’m studying a lot. I’m feeling positive, I’m trying to get psyched up for my final exam. He psyches himself up before races by listening to heavy metal. My coach does a good job of psyching me up before games. If you psych somebody out, then you make them feel less confident. The other team tried to psych us out with their expensive uniforms. I got psyched out when I couldn’t find my lucky penny. Even though up and out aren’t really opposites, psych up and psych out are opposites. Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

To get psyched up is to get mentally prepared. If you psych somebody out, then you make them feel less confident.

I hope you’re not tapped out on excitement for learning phrasal verbs. Because today we’ve got another one to learn tap out that means to have nothing left. We can use it with money, energy, ideas, resources of any kind. Hey Rach, want to come out for dinner? No, I don’t have any money, I’m totally tapped out after vacation. To tap into means to use some of a supply of money, energy, ideas and so on. Our new employee has a great energy, I wish I could tap into it. Hey, can I tap into your snacks? We had to tap into our savings to buy a new car. Now, if you get tapped for something, that’s an honor. That means you were asked to do something. She was tapped to sing the Star Spangled Banner at the baseball game. She was tapped to be the company’s new CEO. Tap in, tap out, tap for. Useful phrasal verbs. Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

Tap out. That means to have nothing left. To tap into means to use some of a supply of money, energy, ideas and so on. Now, if you get tapped for something, that’s an honor. That means you were asked to do something.

Head. The noun head is this. That’s one of the meanings. You probably know that. As a phrasal verb, it has meanings completely unrelated to the body part.

Head back. It has nothing to do with the back of the head. It means to return, to start the journey back to where you were. Maybe you’ve gone out for a walk and you say “I’m starting to feel tired, why don’t we head back?” I’m going to head back around 7.

Head out has a similar meaning. It means to leave, but it refers to the place that you are, not the place where you’re returning to. If you say “I’m going to head out,” no one has to know where you’re going. But if you say “I’m going to head back,” then you’re returning somewhere and whomever you’re talking to knows where you’re going. I think it’s time to head out, I don’t want to be late. Head for or head towards. Again, movement a direction. You can use it literally. Let’s head for the lake. You can also use it figuratively. I’d like to head towards a solution to this problem.

Head off has nothing to do with ‘Off with his head!’ It means to prevent something from happening. They’re trying to head off the publication of my article. You can also use it with people, to prevent them from going somewhere. Try to head her off at the door, I don’t want her to see the painting until I’m done with it. We can also use head off just like head out, to leave. Well, I guess it’s time to head off. Head up, head down. Head down means similar to head out or head back movement in a direction. We use it with road, path. If you’re giving directions, you might say, “You want to head down I 95 to exit 40.” We also use it figuratively. Let’s say you’re visiting a town where someone you know lives but you don’t know that person too well. Maybe you don’t like that person that much. A friend asks you if you want to give that person a call when you arrive. You could say “I don’t want to head down that road. I don’t want to have to visit her every time I’m in town.”

Head up doesn’t have anything to do with movement or direction. We use it to mean to be in charge of something. She’s going to head up our marketing division. We can also use this without up. She’s going to head the team. Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

Head back. It means to return. To start the journey back to where you were. Head out has a similar meaning. It means to leave, but it refers to the place that you are not the place where you’re returning to. Head for or head towards. Again, movement a direction. Head off has nothing to do with “Off with his head!” It means to prevent something from happening. You can also use it with people, to prevent them from going somewhere. We can also use head off just like head out, to leave. Head down means similar to head out or head back, movement in a direction. Head up doesn’t have anything to do with movement or direction. We use it to mean to be in charge of something.

Snap to it. Let’s learn this phrasal verb. Snap to it means to do more quickly. It’s ordering someone to do something, not asking nicely. Pick that up, come on. Snap to it. To snap back means to return to something, the way things were, return to what’s normal. This is the same as bounce back. She snapped back into her routine after having twins, I couldn’t believe it. It can also be used for something that’s attached with elastic or something stretchy. You can pull it and it’ll snap back into place. Or a sudden jerk. My head snapped back in the accident.

To snap something off is to break it and it makes a nice satisfying snap sound. You can snap a twig off a branch. If you snap at someone, you say something quickly, meanly. Usually, it’s been building up inside of you for a while.

Stop that, would you!?

Fine. Don’t snap at me.

The phrase snap out of it, means to stop feeling upset or in a bad mood. You’ve been complaining all day, snap out of it. Snap up, well, you can snap up a shirt that has snaps. But it also means to buy something quickly. Let’s go snap up some after Christmas sales. Tickets to the concert were snapped up in the first five minutes. Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

Snap to it means to do more quickly. It’s ordering someone to do something, not asking nicely. To snap back means to return to something, the way things were. Return to what’s normal this is the same as bounce back. It can also be used for something that’s attached with elastic or something stretchy.

To snap something off is to break it, and it makes a nice satisfying snap sound. If you snap at someone, you say something quickly, meanly. Usually it’s been building up inside of you for a while.

Stop that, would you!?

The phrase snap out of it means to stop feeling upset or in a bad mood. Snap up, well, you can snap up a shirt that has snaps. But it also means to buy something quickly.

Let me show you around the phrasal verb ‘show’.

When you show someone around, you introduce them to a place. For example, the first time you visit my house, I might say “Let me show you around.” If I show you in, then I lead you into my house. If you have a job interview at a big company someone might say “Call John when you arrive.” and he’ll show you in. This is so you know where to go.

If I show you out, then it’s just the opposite. I lead you out of my house rather than having you just get up and leave yourself, it’s more polite. I’ll show you out.

What about to show off? When you show off, you’re trying to impress somebody. Trying to display your abilities to attract attention. She showed off by doing a bunch of flips in gym class. We use it a lot as a noun. He’s such a show off. You can also show something off.

She’s showing off her huge diamond ring by talking with her hand. To show through means able to be seen through something else. For example, through fabric. Your underwear shows through that dress. Show up has a couple of meanings. First, to arrive. She showed up 10 minutes late. Just show up on time it also means easy to see. The purple letters show up well on the white background. To show someone up is to look better than them or try to look better than them. I brought some cookies but Laura showed me up when she brought a homemade apple pie.

Showdown. Now, this isn’t a verb but it’s a noun. A showdown is a confrontation or dispute. The Super Bowl is a showdown between the two best teams in the NFL. Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

Let me show you around the phrasal verb ‘show’. When you show someone around, you introduce them to a place. If I show you in, then I lead you into my house. If I show you out, then it’s just the opposite, I lead you out of my house rather than having you just get up and leave yourself, it’s more polite.

What about to show off? When you show off you’re trying to impress somebody. Trying to display your abilities to attract attention. To show through means able to be seen through something else. Show up has a couple of meanings. First, to arrive. To show someone up is to look better than them or try to look better than them.

Don’t walk off until you’ve learned this phrasal verb. Walk off means to leave abruptly. Maybe because you’re upset. The actor got mad and walked off the set. Or if you’re arguing with a friend and she turns to leave, you might say “Please don’t just walk off let’s figure this out.” Walk off with means to steal. Someone walked off with the earrings. There’s also a phrase ‘to walk something off.’ This is when you walk to change your feeling about something. If someone’s really angry, you might say “Why don’t you walk it off and then we’ll talk about it.”

The idea is that it will calm you down. As a kid I remember my dad saying this to me in sports a lot. If something happened like I got hit with a ball or something that hurt but not very badly, my dad would say “That’s okay, walk it off, walk it off.”

Walk away means to leave a situation. For example, it’s hard to walk away from an abusive relationship. Or, you can’t just walk away from your problems. You can also use walk out this way. When you walk out, you leave something. The students walked out at noon to show opposition to the war. That means they all just got up and left. We also use this with marriages or relationships. When two people are living together and someone ends the relationship and moves out unexpectedly. He walked out on her last year. He walked out on his responsibilities. To walk in on something means to interrupt. I walked in on an intense conversation. It also means to find someone doing something they didn’t want you to see. If you don’t lock the bathroom door, someone might walk in on you. Or, she walked in on her parents having sex.

Walk into can be used a couple of different ways. It can be used when you find yourself in an unexpected situation. I walked right into his trap. or I walked right into that joke meaning, I didn’t know it was a joke until the very end. It can also mean to get something easily. She just walked into a job at the law firm. To walk over someone doesn’t mean you are literally stepping on someone. It means you take advantage of that person. You don’t treat him or her with respect. We use it with all. You can’t just let your boss walk all over you. If you walk through something, you practice it or think through the steps. If you’re rehearsing a play for example, you might say “Let’s walk through that scene one more time.” Or if you’re thinking about a complicated situation. You might say “Let’s walk through the possibilities one more time.” Walk up means literally to go upstairs. But it also means to approach. She walked up to the manager and asked for a job. Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

Walk off means to leave abruptly. Walk off with means to steal. There’s also a phrase to walk something off. This is when you walk to change your feeling about something. Walk away means to leave a situation. You can also use walk out this way. When you walk out, you leave something.

Grind up, grind down. These two phrasal verbs don’t have anything to do with direction. If you grind something up, you crush it into tiny little pieces. Grind up the cloves for the cookie recipe. She has a special machine to grind up the chicken.

Grind down means to wear away by pressure and movement. The stone was ground down over centuries. We also use it figuratively. When something grinds down on you, it makes you tired, it wears you out. Another phrasal verb, to wear out. Just like to grind down the stress of this 30-day challenge is grinding me down or is wearing me out. We can also use grind on this way. The stress of this project is really grinding on me.

Grind on can also mean to take a long time and it has a negative feeling about it. This house renovation is just grinding on. Grind out. This is to produce something. This is like bang out which you learned on day two of the challenge. You don’t necessarily focus on skill or quality, but on getting it done. I have to grind out that report. I’m going to grind out another article by the end of the day. Grind away is the opposite. It means to work at something over time. Are you studying for the GRE? Yep, I’m grinding away everyday.

Grind up, grind down, grind on, grind out, grind away. You know, now that I think of it there is a bonus grind on phrasal verb and that is when someone is doing some dirty dancing on you. Then you would say “That person was grinding on me all night.” Like if you were at a dance club or something. Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

If you grind something up, you crush it into tiny little pieces. Grind down means to wear away by pressure and movement. We also use it figuratively. When something grinds down on you, it makes you tired. It wears you out. We can also use grind on this way. Grind on can also mean to take a long time and it has a negative feeling about it. Grind out. This is to produce something. This is like bang out. You don’t necessarily focus on skill or quality but on getting it done. Grind away is the opposite. It means to work at something over time. You know, now that I think of it there is a bonus grind on phrasal verb and that is when someone is doing some dirty dancing on you.

To buy up means to buy all of something that you can quickly. This is a great deal, I’m going to buy up all these frames. Or, they’re buying up all the empty lots in Philadelphia to build apartments. To buy out means to buy all of someone’s shares or stake in a company. I bought out my partner when she decided to retire. I bought all her shares so now I own the whole company.

It can also be when a large company buys out all the stock of a smaller company taking ownership. Or if one company simply buys another company. Instagram was bought by Facebook. If you buy somebody off, that means you pay that person. You give him or her money so that they will do something or not do something for you. You bribe them. They wanted to buy me off but I’m not going to take their money, I’m going to report their illegal activity. In other words, they wanted to pay me to keep me quiet. If you buy into something, you believe it. I bought into the idea that he was going to be a great president. Or if someone’s telling you something and it doesn’t seem truthful, you can say ‘I don’t buy it.’ That’s like saying I don’t believe you.

Buy in can also mean to invest. I think you should buy into this company. I really think the stock is going to go up. We also use buy in with poker. If you want to join a poker game, you have to pay a certain amount of money to get chips to play with. That’s so you can start playing. I’m going to buy into the game at that table. The verb to buy back. This is when a company sells you something and then when it’s not useful to you anymore, they’ll buy it back. For example, textbooks. You might find a store that will buy back your textbooks at the end of the school year. To sell them used. Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

To buy up means to buy all of something that you can quickly. To buy out means to buy all of someone’s shares or stake in a company. It can also be when a large company buys out all the stock of a smaller company taking ownership, or if one company simply buys another company. If you buy somebody off that means you pay that person you give him or her money so that they will do something or not do something for you. You bribe them. If you buy into something, you believe it or if someone’s telling you something and it doesn’t seem truthful you can say “I don’t buy it.” That’s like saying “I don’t believe you.”

Buy in can also mean to invest. We also use buy in with poker. If you want to join a poker game, you have to pay a certain amount of money to get chips to play with. That’s so you can start playing. The verb to buy back. This is when a company sells you something and then when it’s not useful to you anymore, they’ll buy it back.

Polish. I like these phrasal verbs we just have two polish up and polish off but they are useful. You’ll notice them in conversations.

Polish off. This means to finish something. We use it a lot with food and drink. There’s only a little wine left in the bottle. Who will polish it off? Or, I tried not to but I polished off the cake. It can also mean to kill somebody. This use is much less frequent. She wanted her boyfriend to polish off her ex-husband. Polish up. It means to change things to improve things in order to help the image of something. I’m going to polish up my sales pitch before I send my next emails. It can also mean to work on something to improve it, to practice. I really need to polish up this piano piece before the recital. Or I need to polish up my Spanish before my trip to Peru. Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs. Polish off. This means to finish something. We use it a lot with food and drink. It can also mean to kill somebody. Polish up. It means to change things to improve things in order to help the image of something. It can also mean to work on something to improve it, to practice.

As the mother of a baby, I can say I love and treasure sleep so much more than I ever have before. So I had to include phrasal verbs with sleep. If you sleep in that means you wake up late. You don’t set an alarm, you get to sleep longer. I’m going to sleep in on Saturday. It’s going to be so great. Sleep away. We use this to mean to waste time sleeping. You can’t just sleep the morning away or don’t just sleep the whole day away or I’m going to sleep the whole day away. I’m so tired. We use the term to sleep something off, to sleep while drugs or alcohol have the chance to leave your system for your body to process them. He showed up drunk so I told him to go home and sleep it off.

To sleep on. Means to wait to make a decision until the next day. Have you ever woken up and felt like you knew the answer to something?

I have to decide what college to go to. I’m going to sleep on it and make the final decision tomorrow. To sleep over means to spend the night at someone else’s house. Mom, can Jane sleep over? If you sleep through something, that means it did not wake you up. I slept right through the New Year’s Eve fireworks. To sleep around means to have sex with lots of different people. For some reason it’s okay for men to sleep around but not women. Sleep with and sleep together can also mean to have sex. Do you think that Kim and her assistant are sleeping together? Or I didn’t sleep with him. But it can also just mean to share a bed, nothing sexual there. Aren’t enough beds in the vacation house so the two youngest kids have to sleep together.

And sleep with is the same way, it doesn’t have to be sexual. She still sleeps with a teddy bear. Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

If you sleep in that means you wake up late. You don’t set an alarm, you get to sleep longer. Sleep away. We use this to mean to waste time sleeping. We use the term to sleep something off. To sleep while drugs or alcohol have the chance to leave your system for your body to process them. To sleep on means to wait to make a decision until the next day. To sleep over means to spend the night at someone else’s house. If you sleep through something that means it did not wake you up. To sleep around means to have sex with lots of different people. Sleep with and sleep together can also mean to have sex. But it can also just mean to share a bed, nothing sexual. And sleep with is the same way, it doesn’t have to be sexual.

If something grows on you, that means you like it more and more. Maybe at the beginning you weren’t sure about it but as time went on, you found you did like something. At first I didn’t like the name they chose for their baby, but it’s really grown on me. To grow apart means to be less close this happens over time. We were best friends in college but we’ve really grown apart, we hardly talk anymore. To grow back means to grow after something has been cut. I hate my haircut but I know it’ll grow back. Or the forest will grow back eventually after the fire. To grow into something means to get big enough. These shoes are too big for my son but he’ll grow into them next year. It also means to become more natural or more comfortable with something. She’s really grown into a confident young woman. Or, there’s a lot to learn, he needs some time to grow into the job.

We use the term grow out with hair. So at the hair salon, you might say “I’m trying to grow out my hair so just trim a little off.” This means I want it to be longer. I’m growing it out. To grow out of something means to get too big for something. Why spend a lot of money on children’s clothes? They’ll just grow out of them so fast. It can also mean to stop doing something as you get older. I wish he’d grow out of this temper tantrum phase. It can also mean to develop because of something. The nonprofit grew out of a need for affordable housing.

To grow up is to become an adult. When I grow up, I want to teach English. We also say it to someone who is being immature. For example, maybe someone’s making fun of someone else and you say “Grow up.” We also use it to mean to spend childhood. I want my children to grow up around their grandparents. Or, I grew up in Florida. Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

If something grows on you, that means you like it more and more. Maybe at the beginning, you weren’t sure about it but as time went on, you found you did like something. To grow apart means to be less close. This happens over time. To grow back means to grow after something has been cut. To grow into something means to get big enough. It also means to become more natural or more comfortable with something. We use the term grow out with hair. This means I want it to be longer. To grow out of something means to get too big for something. It can also mean to stop doing something as you get older. It can also mean to develop because of something. To grow up is to become an adult. We also say it to someone who is being immature. We also use it to mean to spend childhood.

Dig in. This is an informal way to say go ahead and start eating. Alright guys, the food’s going to get cold so dig in. We use this phrasal verb in the phrase dig one’s heels in. This means to refuse, to resist. He keeps trying to get me to change my mind but I’m digging in my heels. This means I’m resisting, I will not change my mind. To dig up means to find something. It took forever but I dug up the instructions on how to work the coffee maker. They’re trying to dig up evidence to put him in jail. To dig out means to locate something or someone that’s under a bunch of things. I need to dig out that file it’s at the very back. Or, after the earthquake, they tried for days to dig out survivors. Or, I hate it when I have to dig something out that’s at the very bottom of my purse. Do you dig it? To dig something is slang for liking it. I dig your shoes. I dig this lesson on phrasal verbs. Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

Dig in. This is an informal way to say go ahead and start eating. We use this phrasal verb in the phrase dig one’s heels in. This means to refuse, to resist. To dig up means to find something. To dig out means to locate something or someone that’s under a bunch of things.

Work up has a couple of different meanings. It can mean to become upset. I got all worked up about what my boss said. Or, you don’t need to get worked up about it. But if you work something up, that means you spend time developing it. He worked up a presentation for the conference. Or, we worked up an appetite by doing yard work all day.

I don’t run much now but I want to work up to a 10K. If you work towards something, that means you’re doing something with a goal in mind. We’re working towards a resolution to this problem. Or, she’s working towards an early retirement. Work through. This has a couple of different phrases. It can mean to work without stopping. We’re going to have to work through the night if we’re going to meet our deadline. When you work through something, you’re dealing with a problem and you’re trying to solve it to make it better. We use this a lot with relationships. They have a good marriage, they really work through their problems. That means they talk about their problems. They try to come up with compromises and solutions. They work through them. Work over. Means to beat up or handle roughly. The boys really worked over their younger brother. Workout this has a bunch of meanings. It can mean to exercise. I’m going to work out around 7. That means maybe I’m going to go to the gym, lift weights, go for a swim, go for a run or you can also say, ‘She always works out really early in the morning.’ It can also mean to end successfully. Hey Rachel, how’d your project go?

There were some problems at the beginning but it all worked out.

Or, their marriage didn’t work out. They got divorced after 10 years. We also use it in math or when calculating something. It works out that the train is actually the most expensive option. Or, I can’t work out this calculus problem. Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs. Work up has a couple of different meanings. It can mean to become upset. But if you work something up, that means you spend time developing it. If you work towards something, that means you’re doing something with a goal in mind. Work through. This has a couple of different phrases. It can mean to work without stopping. When you work through something, you’re dealing with a problem and you’re trying to solve it to make it better. Work over. Means to beat up or handle roughly. Work out. This has a bunch of meanings. It can mean to exercise. It can also mean to end successfully. We also use it in math or when calculating something. To work against something means to make it harder to get the desired result. His criminal history is working against him getting a job. To work around means to find a different way to do something. This is what happens when you had a plan but a problem came up. You have to work around it. The tennis courts are already reserved when we want to play. Well, we’re just going to have to work around it. Can we meet earlier? We use this a lot as a noun, just one word with no space. The architect has to come up with a workaround. The skylights she wanted aren’t available.

To work at means to try hard, to put in effort over time. If you want to get better at basketball, you have to work at it. To work away means to do something with effort over time. We often use it in its -ing form. Is Chris studying? Yep, he’s working away up in his room. This makes it sound like he’s been studying for a while. What have you been up to? Well, I’m working away at this Rachel’s English 30-day challenge trying to learn new vocabulary.

Work in means to include something or also to take time for something. Can you meet with the client on Thursday? My schedule’s tight but I’ll try to work it in after lunch. Or, ‘I read your story, I love it, but I think you should work in the part about having lunch with your mom. In other words write that part into the story. To work something into something else means to mix it in. You might see this in a recipe. Work the extra flour into the dough by kneading it. To work yourself into something. We use this with the word frenzy a lot. It’s the same as getting worked up. You become very agitated. She worked herself into a frenzy when she thought she lost her friend’s cat.

You could also use this with rage. He worked himself into a rage before confronting his father. Work off. This means to get rid of something. I’m going to work out to work off that heavy lunch. That means I went to exercise to try to burn some of the calories that I ate at lunch. Or, I went for a walk to work off my bad mood.

It can also mean to repay a debt. It took me three years to work off my credit card debt. Or, when I wrecked my dad’s car, he paid for it. Then I had to work it off for the next year by helping around the house. To work on someone means to try to convince or persuade someone to do something. Hey, did you convince Matt to come with us tonight?

No.

Alright, well I’m going to try to work on him.

Or, the clients don’t want to buy the deluxe package so we have to work on them. It’s the best deal for them. Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

To work against something means to make it harder to get the desired result. To work around means to find a different way to do something. This is what happens when you had a plan but a problem came up. To work at means to try hard. To put in effort over time. To work away means to do something with effort over time. Work in means to include something or also to take time for something. To work something into something else means to mix it in. You might see this in a recipe. To work yourself into something. We use this with the word frenzy a lot. It’s the same as getting worked up. You become very agitated.

Work off. This means to get rid of something. It can also mean to repay a debt. To work on someone means to try to convince or persuade someone to do something.

To cry for something does not actually involve crying. It means to urgently ask for something i heard her cry for help. It can also mean to really need based on appearance or situation. This house is just crying for someone to buy it. It’s in a great neighborhood and it’s well priced. Or, the team is crying for a new manager, meaning the current manager is pretty bad. You might cry out when you’re crying for help. To cry out means to make a loud sudden sound. It can either be a word like, hey or help or just a sound like ‘Ow!’ She cried out when she broke her arm. I cried out to him but it couldn’t be heard over the crowd. If you cry out against something, you’re protesting. You’re asking for a change. Some people have cried out against the government’s move to reduce Medicare benefits. Or, the workers cried out when the company announced pay cuts.

We also use this quite a bit as a noun. Just one word, outcry. There was a public outcry over the proposed changes to the park. We also use this phrasal verb in the phrase for crying out loud. This is an expression that shows annoyance or exasperation. When your kid starts asking for ice cream for the third day in a row, you might say “Oh for crying out loud.” And we use cry over in the phrase “There’s no use crying over spilled milk.” This means don’t get too upset about something that has already happened and can’t be changed. I wish I’d studied harder for that test. Well, there’s no use crying over spilled milk. You can study hard for the final. Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

To cry for something does not actually involve crying. It means to urgently ask for something. It can also mean to really need based on appearance or situation. You might cry out when you’re crying for help. To cry out means to make a loud sudden sound. It can either be a word like ‘hey’ or ‘help’ or just a sound like ‘Ow!’ If you cry out against something, you’re protesting. You’re asking for a change. We also use this phrasal verb in the phrase ‘For crying out loud.’ This is an expression that shows annoyance or exasperation. And we use cry over in the phrase ‘There’s no use crying over spilled milk.’ This means don’t get too upset about something that has already happened and can’t be changed.

Phrasal verbs with write a lot of these are really fun and useful. To write back is to reply to someone’s communication. I emailed her last week but she never wrote back. Of course, now, we more frequently use email back or text back. I texted him after our date but he didn’t text me back.

Write in. This means to write to an organization or company not an individual. I wrote into the paper complaining about their biased reporting. And we can always drop in and still have it be grammatically correct. I wrote to the paper to complain about biased reporting. Write in can also mean to fill in a blank, when you’re filling something out like a form or a test. Write in the correct answers or if the candidate you like isn’t on the ballot you can write her in. Did you notice? I used two more phrasal verbs here: fill in and fill out. We just use phrasal verbs all the time. And finally write in can mean to add something to a story or a play. I’m going to write in another male character to balance it out. Write off, has a meaning similar to write in. To contact a company or an organization. I’m going to write off to the company to ask for a replacement. But write off also has a meaning that’s totally different, that has nothing to do with writing. If you write something off or somebody off, then you say “That’s not important it’s not meaningful.” If you think someone is not taking you seriously, you can say “Don’t write me off.” Or “I wrote off my runny nose as allergies.” That means I didn’t take my runny nose seriously, I didn’t know it meant I was getting the flu.

Also, when you write something off, that means you can count it as a business expense and you don’t pay taxes on it. I can write off my home office. Or, when I go to Los Angeles for VidCon, I write off my flight.

To write out, the opposite of write in can mean in writing, to remove something from a story or a play. She’s bummed because they wrote her character out of the series. We can also use this term with wills. She was written out of her grandmother’s will when they had a huge disagreement.

To write something out can also mean to process something, by writing the whole story, all the details. Sometimes with grief, it helps to write out how you’re feeling. To write up can mean to issue an official warning or notice of wrongdoing. My son misbehaves a lot. He got written up three times last week at school. Or, they wrote me up at work for being late. To write something up also means to publish an article about something. My mom’s new business was written up in the local paper. Write up, write down. To write something down means to take note of it something you want to remember. Hold on, I can’t remember all this, let me write it down. Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

To write back is to reply to someone’s communication. Of course, now we more frequently use email back or text back. Write in. This means to write to an organization or company, not an individual. Write in can also mean to fill in a blank when you’re filling something out like a form or a test. And finally write in can mean to add something to a story or a play. Write off has a meaning similar to write in. To contact a company or an organization. But write off also has a meaning that’s totally different. It has nothing to do with writing. If you write something off or somebody off, then you say that’s not important, it’s not meaningful. Also when you write something off, that means you can count it as a business expense and you don’t pay taxes on it. To write out can mean in writing to remove something from a story or a play. We can also use this term with wills. She was written out of her grandmother’s will when they had a huge disagreement. To write something out can also mean to process something by writing the whole story, all the details. To write up can mean to issue an official warning or notice of wrongdoing. To write something up also means to publish an article about something. Write down. To write something down means to take note of it. Something you want to remember.

To sign away. If you sign something away, that means you give up your right to something, usually in a contract. You signed away your right to sue them in the agreement. That means sorry, you can’t sue them. You no longer have the right to. Sign over has the same meaning. She signed over the right to her story when she sold it to the publishing company. When you sign for something, that means you write your name acknowledging that you received something. You usually have to sign for packages that are being delivered.

Sign in and sign out. These are opposites. You might do this at the security desk when you enter a building. You have to sign in at the front desk before coming up. That means you write down your name on a list, maybe the time you entered and when you leave, you can sign out. Sign in at the reception desk for your doctor’s appointment. Sign on. This is like sign in or log in with a website. Enter your username and password. At Rachel’s English Academy, you have to sign on before you can access the lessons. It can also mean to start to do something or to agree to do something. She signed on as the new CEO in June. He signed on for another year as department chair.

Sign up. This means to agree to do something. I need volunteers for Saturday but no one signed up. Or, I signed up for classes at the community college. Or, he signed up to join the army. Or, today, a bunch of new people signed up at Rachel’s English Academy.

If you say sign me up, that means you’re excited to do something. I need people to help me move next week. I’m going to buy everyone dinner. Really? Sign me up. We also use this a lot with adding your email to a list. Be sure to sign up for the Rachel’s English mailing list.

Sign off. Well, just like you sign into a website, you can sign off or log off. If you’re working on a public computer, be sure to sign off. If you sign off on something, that means you approve it. She signed off on the budget cuts. Or, we need a manager to sign off on the schedule change. Sign off can also mean to end something. You might hear it at the end of a show or video. Let’s review the meanings of these phrasal verbs.

To sign away. If you sign something away, that means you give up your right to something, usually in a contract. Sign over has the same meaning. When you sign for something, that means you write your name, acknowledging that you received something. Sign in and sign out. These are opposites. You might do this at the security desk when you enter a building. You have to sign in at the front desk before coming up. That means you write down your name on a list, maybe the time you entered, and when you leave you can sign out.

Sign on. This is like sign in or log in with a website. Enter your username and password. It can also mean to start to do something or to agree to do something. Sign up. This means to agree to do something. If you say ‘sign me up’, that means you’re excited to do something. We also use this a lot with adding your email to a list. Sign off. Well, just like you sign into a website, you can sign off or log off. If you sign off on something, that means you approve it. Sign off can also mean to end something.

Don’t forget to head over to rachelenglish.com/free to get my free course, The Top Three Ways to Master the American Accent. Keep your learning going now with this video and don’t forget to subscribe with notifications on, I absolutely love being your English teacher.

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