40. FOCUS ON: gerund phrasal verbs vs.

phrasal
verbs followed by the -ing form
We have seen in previous sections that phrasal verbs are sometimes followed by the -ing form.
We have also seen that transitive phrasal verbs sometimes take gerund objects. At a glance,
there seems to be no difference between these two constructions:

Jim went away singing.

-ing form
Jim stuck with singing.
gerund

But because a gerund is a verb functioning as a noun, it can be replaced with an ordinary
nongerund noun. However, this is not true of the -ing form:
Jim went away it. Jim
stuck with it.

Infinitive

present tense -ing form past tense past participle

blow off blow off & blows off blowing off blew off blown off

1. blow... off p.v. [informal] When you do not do something that you are supposed to do
because you do not want to or because you do not think it is important, you blow it off.
l was supposed to report for jury duty Monday morning, but I blew it off.
Bob had a hangover, so he blew off helping Marsha fix her car.
bring up
bring up & brings up bringing up brought up brought up

1. bring ...up (to) p.v. When people bring something from a higher level or position or from
south to north to where you are, they bring it up or bring it up to where you are.
Would you please go downstairs and bring up the package that was just delivered?
The rescue workers brought morphine up to the injured mountain climber.

2. bring ... up p.v. When you introduce a new topic into a conversation, you bring it
up.
Last night during dinner, Dad brought up the idea of saving money by staying home instead of taking a vacation this
year.
You and your big mouth! We were having a great time until you brought that up.

3. bring ... up (to) p.v. When you bring up children, you care for them as they grow to adulthood.
When you bring up children to believe something or to behave in a certain way, you try to teach this
belief or behavior to them.

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 Tom was born in Canada, but he was brought up in the United States.
Bringing quadruplets up is a lot of work.
I was brought up to believe in honesty and compassion.
Infinitive
present tense -ing form past tense past participle
burst out burst out & bursts out bursting out burst out burst out

1. burst out p.v. When you burst out laughing or crying, you begin laughing or crying
loudly and suddenly.
Heather burst out laughing when I fell into the swimming pool.
When Sam heard the news, he burst out crying.
come back
come back & comes back coming back came back come back

1. come back (tolfrom) p.v. When people return to a place where you are, they come back or
come back to that place or come back from the place where they were before.
Todd went to Florida thinking it would be hot and sunny, but he came back talking about how cold and rainy it
was.
I'm never coming back to this awful place again.

2. comeback p.v. When people, organizations, companies, or athletes overcome difficulties

and become successful again, they come back.
My home team came back from last place and won the championship.
Senator Dolittle lost in 1988, but he came back to win in 1994.

comeback n. When people, organizations, companies, or sports teams overcome difficulties

and become successful again, they make a comeback.
The Bulls were down by 34 points but won the game with an 18-point lead — what a
comeback!

3. come back p.v. When a condition, problem, situation, or activity returns or greatly
increases, it comes back.
l need to see the doctor. The pain in my shoulder has come back.
There isn't much chance that double-digit inflation will come back any time soon.

comeback n. When a condition, problem, situation, or activity returns or greatly

increases, it makes a comeback.
Health officials are concerned that tuberculosis is making a comeback.

4. come back p.v. When a fashion or fad comes back, it becomes popular again.
Miniskirts are coming back this year.
Western movies and TV shows go out of style and then come back every few years.

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 comeback n. When a fashion or fad becomes popular again, it makes a comeback. l

saved all my wide neckties because I knew they'd make a comeback someday.

Infinitive
present tense -ing form past tense past participle
get off on getting off on got off on gotten off on
get off on & gets off on

1. get off on p.v. [informal] When you get off on something or get off on doing something,
you find it enjoyable and exciting.
Sally loves winter sports, and she especially gets off on snowboarding.
Mountain climbing is what I get off on.
go away
go away & goes away going away went away gone away

1. go away p.v. When you leave a place or leave a person, you go away.
Go away! I'm trying to study.
Mark went away not realizing he had left his briefcase behind.

2. go away (for) p.v. When you travel for a period of time, you go away for this time.
We always go away for a few weeks in the winter.
Lydia is going to go away for a while.

3. go away (to) p.v. When you leave your home and live temporarily at another
place, such as a school, you go away to that place.
Jane didn't go away to school; she went to a school near her home.
Some young people are nervous about going away to school, but others look forward to it.

4. go away p.v. When a condition, problem, situation, or activity disappears or greatly

decreases, it goes away.
l have a pain in my back that never goes away.
If the rain doesn't go away, we'll have to call off the game.
run around
run around & runs around running around ran around run around

1. run around p.v. When you run around a place, you run to various parts of it.

The cat ran around the room chasing the mouse.

The children were running around the museum, and the guard told them to stop.

2. run around p.v. When you run around doing something, you go to various places trying
urgently to accomplish something that is important to you.
The woman was running around the store looking for her lost child.
We ran around the house trying to rescue whatever we could from the rising floodwater.
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 runaround n. When people are not honest with you or helpful to you, they give you the
runaround.
Why didn't you just tell me the truth instead of giving me the runaround?
Infinitive
present tense -ing form past tense past participle
stick with stick with & sticks with sticking with stuck with stuck with

1. stick with p.v. When you stick with a habit, plan, or type of work, you continue as before,
without change. Stick to is similar to stick with.
l don't like computers. I'll stick with writing letters by hand.
Todd thought about a career change but decided to stick with teaching.

2. stick with p.v. When you stick with something that you use, you continue to use
it.
My wife wants me to switch to decaffeinated coffee, but I'm going to stick with regular.
My mother has stuck with Ivory soap for forty years.

3. stick with p.v. When you stick with people, you remain with them or remain loyal to them.
It'll be very crowded at the festival, so stick with me so you don't get lost.
That other guy running for senator has some good ideas, but I'm going to stick with Senator Dolittle.

4. stick ... with p.v. When you stick people with something, you force them to take
something or deal with something undesirable or unpleasant.
I'm sorry to stick you with all this work, but you're the only one who can do it.
The shoes I bought don't fit, but the store where I bought them doesn't accept returns, so I guess I'm
stuck with them.

EXERCISE 40a — Complete the sentences with phrasal verbs from this section. Be sure
the phrasal verbs are in the correct tense.

1. I didn't know anyone at the party except Leticia, so I ________ ________ her.
2. All Timmy's friends are ______ ______ for the summer, so he won't have anyone to play with.
3. I have a job interview at 8:30 Monday morning, but that's too early for me, so maybe I'll just

________it________.

4. Miguel was surprised how much he enjoyed watching figure skating. He really _______ _______
________it.
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5. Linda ________ ________ from the party talking about what a good time she had.
6. Susie's birthday party exhausted me. The kids were _________ _________ yelling and screaming for
hours.
7. I gave my grandfather a computer, but he said he'd rather ______ ______ his old typewriter.
8. My grandmother was ______ _ _____ on a farm, but she moved to the city when she got married.
9. Dan ________ ________ buying a motorboat, but his wife said it was a crazy idea.
10. I know running is great exercise, but I'm going to _______ _______ swimming.
11. I hope high-heel shoes never ________ ________; they're so uncomfortable.
12. The strange noise in my engine has ________ __________, so I'm going to take the car to a
mechanic again.
13. I asked the mechanic why the sound keeps _______ _______ and coming back.
14. Bob's joke was pretty funny. Everyone_________ ________laughing.
15. Betty smelled smoke, and she ______ _______ the house frantically looking for
the source.
16. Why does the boss _________ me _________ making coffee every morning? Why can't someone
else do it?
17. I saved my father a lot of money by not _________ _________ to school.
18. After his defeat, the former champion said he would ________ ________.
19. Frank came to my door with flowers and an apology, but I told him to ____ ____.
20. Whenever my brother in Florida visits me here in Minnesota, he ________ some oranges

EXERCISE 40b — Write answers to the questions using phrasal verbs and nouns
from this section. Be sure the phrasal verbs are in the correct tense.

1. They're not following the original plan. What aren't they doing?
2. I took some aspirin, and my headache was gone for a while, but now I have a headache again. What

did my headache do?

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3. You started to cry suddenly and loudly. What did you do?
4. Hank was supposed to meet with his parole officer in the morning, but he didn't go because he

wanted to sleep late. What did Hank do to his meeting with his parole officer?

5. The hotel desk clerk didn't tell me he had canceled my reservation by mistake. Instead he invented

a lot of crazy excuses that he knew weren't true. What did the hotel desk clerk do?

6. Todd's sister was very upset, and he asked what the problem was, but she told him to leave her

alone. What did Todd's sister ask him to do?

7. Skiing is what Heather likes more than anything. How does Heather feel about skiing?
8. Everyone in the factory was busy, so when the delivery truck came, David was forced to unload it

by himself. What happened to David?

9. Nancy began talking about joining the Peace Corps. What did Nancy do?
10. The number of people with malaria decreased, but now the number is increasing every year. What

is malaria doing?

11. Poverty is a problem that never decreases or disappears. What doesn't poverty do?
12. You went on a business trip three weeks ago, and you haven't returned yet. What haven't you done

yet?

13. Ned had to call his broker immediately, so he ran to various places looking for a telephone. What
did Ned do?

14. It would be nice to leave this city for a week or two. What would be nice?
15. When I was young, my parents taught me to believe in the golden rule. What did my

parents do?

EXERCISE 40c — Write eight original sentences using phrasal verbs from this
section. Try to use either gerunds or the -ing form.

1. _____________________________________________.

2. _____________________________________________.

3.______________________________________________.

4. _____________________________________________.
5._______________________________________________________
6. ______________________________________________________
7._______________________________________________________
8._______________________________________________________

EXERCISE 40d, Review — Complete the sentences with these phrasal verbs from
previous sections. Be sure the phrasal verbs are in the correct tense. To check
their meanings, review the section number given after each one.

back down, 36 go down, 36 lead up to, 34 stick around, 34

do over, 34 go out, 32 make of, 35 stick to, 34
fool around, 35 hold against, 35 put up to, 34 take back, 34
go by, 35 lay down, 36 run down, 36 trick into, 35

1. At school, Luis got into a lot of trouble for something I did, and now he________it ________ me.
2. If I could ________ it ________ again, I'd do it differently.
3. The price of gas is expected to______________to$1 a gallon within a month.
4. The light suddenly ________ ________, and I couldn't see a thing.
5. Do you have to go already? Can't you ________ ________ for a few minutes?
6. We don't want to forget anything, so let's ________ ________ the list one more time to be sure.
7. The announcement was a real surprise. I'm not sure what to ______ _______ it.
8. This book I bought is missing some pages. Can you ________ it ________ to the bookstore for me
tomorrow?
9. Crime was getting out of control, so a new sheriff was elected who promised to ________
________ the law.
10. That gun is loaded, so I wouldn't ________ ________ with it if I were you.
11. After I threatened to go to the police and tell them everything, he ________ ________ and
stopped making threats.
12. My brother always thought I would be a failure, so now that I'm rich, I love to _____ it _____ him

by complaining about how hard it is to keep a thirty-room house clean.

 13. My son is a good boy. If he was shoplifting, I'm sure someone ________ him
________________it.
14. In my history class we studied the various things that ________ ________ ________ the current
situation.
15. The month we spent in Italy was a lot of fun, but it seemed to ________ _______ so quickly.
16. My brother-in-law is so sneaky. He tried to ________ me ________ telling him the combination
to my safe.

41. FOCUS ON: two-word phrasal verbs with the particle in that require into when used
with an object
We have seen in Sections 9 and 23 that some two-word phrasal verbs require a second particle
when they are transitive, which makes them three-word phrasal verbs. Many phrasal verbs with
the particle in have a meaning that relates to entering or penetrating. When what is being entered
or penetrated is named, these verbs become transitive; however, this is not done by adding a
second particle but by changing in to into. Another way to look at it is to consider intro two
particles, in and to, written as one word:
The thief broke in.
The thieves broke into the jewelry store.

But this is true only for meanings of the phrasal verb that relate to entering or penetrating,
not for all meanings. Some meanings with in have no into version (and are included in this
section), and some meanings with into have no in version (and are not included in this
section). Moreover, sometimes into is optional, and the verb can be used transitively with
either in or into.
We see also in this section that there is often a phrasal verb with an opposite
meaning with in and into corresponding to out and out of:
I sneaked in.
I sneaked out.
I sneaked into the house.
I sneaked out of the house.

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