Look up = search for information in a

book/computer
Ex: Look the word up in the dictionary.


Ask someone out = invite someone to
hang out
Ex: I will ask her out on our first date.

Look up = visit someone you have not
seen for a long time
Ex: Ill look you up next time Im in London.


Make someone out = understand the
character or motivation of someone
Ex: I just cant make Jim out at all.

Look up = improve
Ex: Things are looking up.


Get through = make contact by telephone
Ex: I try to phone her but I couldnt get through.


Make out = assert, represent
Ex: Im not as bad as Im made out to be.


Send something off = post
Ex: I sent off the order last week.


Make out = manage with some difficulty
to see or hear something
Ex: In the dim light, it is difficult to make out the
illustration.


Get through = pass or assist someone in
passing (a difficult or testing experience)
Ex: I need these lessons to get me through my
exams.

Make out = try to give a specified
impression, pretend
Ex: He made out he was leaving.


Eat out =eat in a restaurant
Ex: We were too tired to cook at home so that we
decided to eat out.

Bring something back = make sb remember
or think about something from the past
Ex: This photo brings back happy memories.


Mess someone about = cause
inconvenient
Ex: I wish hed stop messing us about!


Ring someone back = phone someone
again
Ex: Ill ring you back later.


Come across = discover (or met) by
chance
Ex: I came across an interesting book in the library.


Turn up = arrive
Ex: The goods havent turned up yet.


Take down = write
Ex: I have taken down the title of the book.


Drop someone/something off = delivery,
leave
Ex: I dropped the package off at her house.


Play up = not work properly
Ex: The video was playing up and eventually it
broke down.


Ask someone around = invite home
Ex: We asked some friends around to watch a film.


Break down = stop working
Ex: Our car broke down on the way coming home.

Bring up = mention
Ex: I brought up this problem at the last meeting.


Sort out = deal with
Ex: Its time to sort out the problem.

Put off = postpone (informal)
Ex: Hes put the meeting off three times.


Call off = cancel
Ex: He wants to call the meeting off.


Do away with = get rid of something or
stop using something
Ex: The school decided to do away with the
language lab as no one was using it.


Give in = give a piece of written work or a
document to someone for them to read,
judge or deal with
Ex: I gave my essay in yesterday. (to the teacher)

Give in = to finally agree what sb wants
after a period when you refuse to agree
Ex: Her parents finally gave in and let her go out.


Get on (sth) = to go onto a bus, train,
aircraft, or boat
Ex: She got on the bus.

Come around/round = to visit someone at
their house
Ex: Would you like to come round this afternoon?


Go against = do the opposite of what
someone has asked or advised you to do
Ex: I would never go against my parents wishes.

Take off = remove (informal)
Ex: Please take off your shoes.


Keep on = continue to do something
Ex: Dont give up! You must keep on trying!

Cut out = remove something by cutting
Ex: Shall I cut out this ad for the new CD player?


Brush sb/sth aside = ignore
Ex: They brushed my complains aside!

Cut sb/sth off = to prevent people from
reaching a place or leaving a place
Ex: The heavy snow blocked the roads and cut the
farm off completely.


Fall for sth = to be tricked into believing
something that is not true
Ex: I fell for his story about having lost all his
money. How stupid I was!

Put sth out = to produce information (e.g.
warning, statement,) and make it
available for everyone to hear or to read
Ex: A statements put out to condemn the protests.
.
Chase sth up = try to get something that
belongs to you or that you need, or try to
discover more information about sth
Ex: Could you chase up Janes report? I need it.


Leave sb/sth out = not to include sb,sth
Ex: If youre phoning from outside the country, leave
out the first zero in the city code.


See to sth/sb = to deal with sth that
needs doing or helps sb that needs help
Ex: Could you see to lunch for our visitors?

Have sth on = to have an arrangement to
do sth (never in continuous tenses, *no
have on something*)
Ex: I have a lot of work on today (not Im having...)


Have sth on = if you have clothes or
shoes on, you are wearing them (never in
continuous tenses, never passive)
Ex: John has an amazing tie on.

Come along = arrive at a place
Ex: Quite a few people came along and bought
tickets.


Come apart = separate into pieces
Ex: The antique picture frame just came apart in my
hand.

Come round/around = become conscious
again
Ex: The nurse was with me when I came round.


Come out = be given to people (of results
or information)
Ex: When do your exam results come out?

Come out = disappear or become less
strong (of dirt or color on
clothing/material)
Ex: Let your shirt soak overnight and the stain will
probably come out.


Come up = happen unexpectedly, usually
a problem or difficult situation
Ex: I nearly told him at work this morning, but then
something came up and we had to deal with it
straightaway.

Come out = become public knowledge
after it has been kept secret (of the truth)
Ex: If this story comes out about the Prime Minister,
hell have to resign.


Come out = leave after a period in a place
(of a hospital/prison)
Ex: Jane is coming out of hospital at the weekend.
Shes better now.


Come off = happen successfully or as
planned
Ex: I was planning to arrange a surprise holiday for
her birthday, but Im not sure its going to come off.


Come about = happened, especially
something which is not planned
Ex: Ive had to organize the school affair again this
year Im not sure how that came about.


Come up = be mentioned or discussed
Ex: A: Will you tell your boss about your plans?
B: Only if the subject comes up in conversation.


Come up = become available
Ex: I dont know if a place on the council is going to
come up for a while yet, so perhaps Ill wait.

Come against = encounter or have to deal
with (a difficult situation)
Ex: Im doing a research but Ive come against a
few problems.


Come to = make (a decision about
something)
Ex: Ive got to come to a decision: do I want to
continue with it or not?

Come down to = depend mostly on or be
influenced most by
Ex: I guess my decision will come down to what my
professor recommends.