Meaning: If something dawns on you, you realize it, or

become aware of it, for the first time.

For example:

dawn on sb At first I didn't realise who he was, but then it

dawned on me. I was talking to Gerry's husband!

dawn on sb that It still hadn't dawned on Jimmy that the

guy living next door was a drug dealer. He just thought the
guy had lots of friends.

Meaning: If something dates back to a certain time, it was

made at that time or it started at that time.

Synonym: go back

For example:

date back Some of the pieces of pottery we dug up at the

site date back a thousand years or more.

date back to We need to find out the period in history that

these remains date back to.

Meaning: If you decide on something, you choose one thing

from among two or more possible options.

Synonym: settle on

For example:

decide on sb/sth After looking into a lot of possible

places to spend our honeymoon, we decided on a week in
Bali.

decide on doing sth After thinking about it for a long time,

I decided on doing a Masters degree in International Law.
Meaning: to try to find information by examining something
thoroughly

Synonym: investigate

For example:

delve into Reporters will often delve into a famous

person's past, hoping to find something sensational like an
arrest record or a history of drug abuse.

delve into One of the hospital's nurses has been arrested

for giving secret medical records to a lawyer who was
delving into someone's medical history.

Meaning: to make someone less likely to do something, or

to discourage someone from doing something

For example:

deter sb from doing sth The terrorist attacks deterred

many people from visiting the country, and many tourists
cancelled their bookings.

deter sb from doing sth Did the stock market collapse of

2008 deter you from investing in shares again?

Meaning: If a sound dies away, it gradually gets softer and

softer.

Synonym: fade away

For example:

die away After about five minutes of non-stop cheering

and clapping, the applause began to die away and people
started to leave the hall.
 die away I shouted into the cavern and listened as the
echo of my voice slowly died away.

Nouns often used as subjects with

die away: sound, applause, echo, footsteps, thunder, note,
noise

Meaning: If something dies down, it gradually becomes

weaker in strength or lower in volume or magnitude.

Synonym: subside

For example:

die down The anger people felt about what the previous
government had done to their country took a long time to
die down.

die down The new president waited for the applause to die
down before he began to speak.

Nouns often used as subjects with

die down: noise, applause, excitement, laughter, wind,
storm, protest, controversy, anger, rage, fighting

Meaning: to get rid of something you don't need or don't

want any more

Synonym: throw away

For example:

dispose of sth I was fined a hundred dollars for

incorrectly disposing of a cigarette. I should have put it into
a bin instead of dropping it on the ground.
 dispose of sth In most countries it is illegal to dispose of
a dead body yourself. You have to have a registered
undertaker dispose of it for you.

Nouns often used as objects with

dispose of: litter, rubbish, garbage, cigarette, butt, waste,
body

Meaning: If you do away with something, you get rid of it.

Synonym: abolish, eliminate

For example:

do away with A lot of people think we should do away

with income tax for poor people.

do away with Governments must do away with laws that

make it an offence for people of the same sex to make love.
These laws infringe on human rights.

Meaning: If you doze off, you fall asleep without meaning to.

Synonym: nod off, fall asleep

For example:

doze off Mario dozed off during our English class and
started to snore. It was really funny!

doze off If a movie is boring, it doesn't take long before I

start to doze off.

Meaning: to make something last longer than usual or

longer than necessary

Synonym: prolong
For example:

be drawn out The trial was drawn out for another month
or two by the defense attorney's delaying tactics.

draw sth out The government wanted to draw the inquiry

out so that they wouldn't have to act on it before the
election.

Meaning: to continue for longer than seems necessary or

usual

For example:

drag on His speech seemed to drag on for hours. People

were yawning and looking at their watches, but he still kept
going!

drag on The case dragged on for many years because the

defendant's lawyers kept appealing to higher and higher
courts.

Nouns often used as subjects with

drag on: meeting, speech, case, trial, lecture, debate, movie,
concert, lesson

Meaning: If you drop something in somewhere, you stop to

leave it there and then keep going.

Synonym: drop off, deliver

For example:

drop sth in If you're going past the post office, could you
drop these letters in for me?

drop sth in I'll drop the report in on my way to the office.

Meaning: to force someone or something out of a place

Synonym: expel, throw out, kick out (informal)

For example:

drive sb out The invading soldiers drove people out of

their homes and forced them to get onto trucks.

drive out sb/sth The police came and drove out any
protesters who were still inside the building.

Meaning: If you dwell on something bad or unpleasant, you

think about it too much or you talk about it too much.

For example:

dwell on sth If I'm lying awake at night dwelling on a

problem or a conflict at work, I take my mind off it by
reading a book.

dwell on sth Wayne was dwelling on the fact that he'd

just lost his job, so I changed the topic and we talked
about something else instead.

Nouns often used as objects with

dwell on: problems, issues, the past, fears, regrets, loss,
conflict