English Advanced Book by Alex Alejandro Jimenez

English Advanced Book:
1. English Collocations
What is Collocation?
A familiar grouping of words which appears together because of their
habitual use and thus creating the same meaning is called collocation.
Suppose, when we say heavy rain instead of big or strong rain, it
conveys the meaning that it is raining heavily.
Although in the above example strong rain or the big rain conveys
the same meaning. In fact, both of them are also grammatically
correct. But, the use of big rain or strong rain will sound strange.
Thus, we use heavy rain to sound natural and a lot better English.
Similarly, there are many such examples where we use a particular

set of groups of words to sound naturally correct. A group of words
that are expected to be together can also be defined as collocations.
Some more examples of collocations are to do homework, to make
the bed, to take a risk, etc.
Besides the reasons mentioned above, there are reasons as well for
using collocations. These are:
 Making the use of the English language natural and interesting

 As it follows a particular order, it helps in adhering to pre-
decided and a proper structure of the English language
 Helps in beautifying the language
 Make better use of words or group of words by presenting it in
better form
 It enhances the use of language and thereby comparatively leads
to innovation of the English language
Types of Collocations
Verb Collocations
The collocations which are used extensively tend to involve verb +
noun formation in the day to day situations. Here are some of the
examples of these words for you to understand them better. In each of
these examples the verb has other meanings as well, but combining it
with the words will result in a group of words.
 To save time
You will save a lot of your time if you concentrate on your studies
rather than browsing through the internet.
 To come prepared
You have a presentation tomorrow, so make sure that you come
prepared.
 To find a replacement
Indian team needs to find a replacement for Sachin as soon as
possible.
Adjective Collocations
Many collocations can be formed when you add adjectives with noun
and adverbs. Here are a few examples of how you can make
collocations using a single adjective.
 Deep: Deep feeling, deep pockets, deep sleep, deep trouble.

 Heavy: Heavy rain, heavy sleeper, a heavy drinker, heavy snow,
heavy traffic.
 Strong: Strong smell, strong sense, strong denial.
Noun Collocations
In this type of collocations, you can use a verb as well as a noun to
form the group of words.
Service industry, tea leaf, dogs bark, water flows, paper flutters,
blurred vision, critical analysis.
Business Collocations
Mostly, the use of collocations is critical in various types of
businesses and work situations. Here, there are numerous ways in
which you can form a collocation using verbs, nouns, adjectives, and
adverbs. They can be combined with keywords and a business
expression can be formed. Some of the important business
collocations are:
Security blanket Cash flow
Opinion poll Make money
Forgive a debt Counterfeit money
Key in a PIN Annual turnover
GO bankrupt Cease to trade
Hard-earned money Deposit a check
Close a deal Open an account

Practice Questions for You
Q.Complete the following collocations
a)___________ a home.
b)__________ trouble
c) I really hate when she criticizes everybody. It really rattles
________
d)Everyday I used to go to Temple under false ________. I never
wanted to, but my parents made me go every day.
a)Get b)Make c)My Bones d)Pretenses
Prepositions
How can we use these little words correctly?
Prepositions are used in many different ways in English - perhaps that's why a lot of
people have problems with them.
First, they are used with time words:
 on Monday
 in the 20th century
 at night
Prepositions of Time
In, at, on and no preposition with time words:
Prepositions of time - here's a list of the time words that need 'on', 'in', 'at' and some
that don't need any preposition. Be careful - many students of English use 'on' with
months (it should be 'in'), or put a preposition before 'next' when we don't need one.
times: at 8pm, at midnight, at 6:30
holiday periods: at Christmas, at Easter
at night
at at the weekend
at lunchtime, at dinnertime, at breakfast time
days: on Monday, on my birthday, on Christmas Day

days + morning / afternoon / evening / night: on Tuesday morning
on dates: on the 20th of June
in years: in 1992, in 2006
months: in December, in June
decades: in the sixties, in the 1790s
centuries: in the 19th century
seasons: in winter, in summer
in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening
next week, year, month etc

last night, year etc
no this morning, month etc
prep every day, night, years etc
today, tomorrow, yesterday
Second, they are used to show where something or someone is:
 The plate is on the table.

 Julie is in the garden.
 The picture is on the wall.
Prepositions of Place
Prepositions of place can be difficult - here's some help about using 'at', 'in' and 'on'
when you're talking about where things are.
Basics:
If something is contained inside a box or a wide flat area, we use ‘in’:
in the newspaper in a house

in a cup in a drawer
in a bottle in a bag
in bed in a car
in London in England
in a book in a pub
in a field in the sea
in my stomach in a river
If something is on a line or a horizontal or vertical surface, we use ‘on’:
on the table on the wall

on the floor on the window
on my face on a plate
on the page on the sofa
on a chair on a bag
on the river on a t-shirt
on the ceiling on a bottle
on a bike on his foot
If something is at a point, (it could be a building) we use ‘at’:
at the airport at the door

at the table at the bus stop
at the cinema at the top
at the bottom at the pub
at the traffic lights at the front
at the back at school
at university at the window
at the hospital at the piano
Here are some more common ones that don't really fit:
 on TV
 on the bus
 on a train
 on a plane
 on the radio
 at home
 at work
Third, they are used after some adjectives:
 She is good at tennis.
 Scotland is famous for whisky
 I'm worried about my new job.
Adjectives and Prepositions
Some adjectives need a preposition before their object. There doesn't seem to be a
logical rule, I'm afraid! We just need to learn them.
Here are some of the most common ones:

 famous for
France is famous for its food.
 proud of
He is very proud of his new car.
 interested in
Julie is very interested in sport.
 pleased with
John is very pleased with his new suit.
 bad at
They are very bad at maths.
 good at
Einstein was very good at physics.
 married to
My mother has been married to my father for 20 years.
 excited about
I'm very excited about my holiday.
 different from / to
Coffee is different from tea.
 afraid of
I'm afraid of spiders.
Fourth, they are used after some verbs:
 I'm listening to music.
 She is waiting for her friend.
 He borrows money from his sister.
Verbs and Prepositions
Some verbs need a preposition before an object or another verb. The preposition is
only grammatical, so it doesn't change the meaning of the verb.
Here are some of the most common ones:
 arrive at / in somewhere
We arrived at the airport.
We arrived in London.
 belong to somebody
This book belongs to me.
 borrow something from somebody
I borrowed a book from my classmate.
 concentrate on something / doing something
I concentrated on studying at the weekend.
 depend on something / somebody
It depends on the weather.
 explain something to somebody
The teacher explained the exercise to the students.
 listen to something / somebody
I listened to music.
 pay somebody for something
I paid the waiter for the coffee.
 wait for somebody / something
Wait for me!
 worry about somebody / something
Don't worry about a thing!
Fifth, they are used after some nouns:
 She has trouble with remembering new vocabulary.
Finally, they are used in certain phrases:
 The bus arrived in the end.

 She arrived just in time for the film.
Preposition Collocations 1
Prepositions can be tricky. One problem is that there is often no logic at all! We use them in
many phrases and expressions and unfortunately, we just need to learn these by heart. There
aren't really any rules.
(I've called these 'preposition collocations' but sometimes people call them 'prepositional
phrases' or 'preposition expressions'.)
1: At last = finally
 After a long journey, at last we arrived at our hotel.

 At last! I thought you'd never get here!
2: On foot = walking (NOT by foot)
 I usually go to work on foot.

 Did you come by car or on foot?
3: By mistake = not meaning to
 I dropped the glass by mistake. I'm really sorry.

 She gave him the wrong book by mistake.
4: In advance = beforehand
 We need to book the tickets for the cinema in advance, or we won't get a good seat.
 She always buys her food for Christmas well in advance.
5: Out of reach = too high to touch (literally or metaphorically)
 She tried to grab the kite as it flew away but it was already out of reach.
 That job is out of reach. I don't have the right qualifications for it.
6: For instance = here is an example

 John reads a lot. For instance, yesterday he read two books.
 You should eat more vegetables. Why don't you have a salad at lunchtime, for
instance?
7: In danger = in a dangerous situation
 When the car started rolling we realised that we were in danger. Luckily we managed
to stop.
 The dog fell into the river and was in danger for several minutes.
8: Without fail = always / definitely
 She visits her mother every week without fail.

 I study for twenty minutes a day without fail.
9: By chance = without planning
 I saw Julie at the station by chance.

 She found the perfect book by chance in a second hand bookshop.
10: On purpose = intending to do something
 She left without paying on purpose! It wasn't a mistake.

 Did you take my bag on purpose? Why would you do that?
11: For a change = to do something different
 Let's have Italian food for a change. We always eat British food.
 I don't want to go to the cinema again. I want to go to the park for a change.
12: On time (for) = at the time that was arranged
 She was on time for the meeting. It started at nine and she arrived at nine.
 Why are you never on time? I'm so fed up with waiting for you.
13: To my surprise = I was surprised
 I opened the door, and to my surprise, it was Lucy! I'd thought she was in Paris.
 To his surprise, the baby stopped crying and smiled at him.
14: At once = immediately
 You must do it at once! Don't wait even one minute.

 She cleaned up at once when she realised that her mother was coming to visit.
15: In common (with) = something that's shared or the same
 People from different countries have a lot in common. We all want to have good lives.
 What does a cat have in common with a mouse? Well, they are both mammals.
Common English Collocations
With The Words Big, Great,
Large, Deep, Strong, And Heavy
In English, a collocation is two or more words that go together naturally.
Learning collocations is essential for making your English sound fluent and
natural!
Here are 50 common English collocations with the words big, great, large,
deep, strong, and heavy.
ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS WITH THE WORD

BIG
The word big is often used in collocations with a happening or event, for example:
 a big accomplishment
 a big decision
 a big disappointment
 a big failure
 a big improvement
 a big mistake
 a big surprise

GREAT
The word great is often used in collocations with feelings or qualities.
Great + feelings
 great admiration
 great anger
 great enjoyment
 great excitement
 great fun
 great happiness
 great joy
Great + qualities
 in great detail
 great power
 great pride
 great sensitivity
 great skill
 great strength
 great understanding
 great wisdom
 great wealth
LARGE
The word large is often used in collocations involving numbers and measurements.
 a large amount
 a large collection
 a large number (of)
 a large population
 a large proportion
 a large quantity
 a large scale

STRONG
The word strong is often used in collocations with facts and opinions:
Strong + facts/opinions
 strong argument
 strong emphasis
 strong evidence
 a strong contrast
 a strong commitment
 strong criticism
 strong denial
 a strong feeling
 a strong opinion (about something)
 strong resistance
Strong + senses
 a strong smell
 a strong taste
DEEP
The word deep is used for some strong feelings:
 deep depression
 deep devotion
It is also used in these expressions:
 in deep thought
 in deep trouble
 in a deep sleep (when the person won’t wake up easily)
HEAVY
Heavy is used for some weather conditions…
 heavy rain
 heavy snow
 heavy fog
The word heavy is also used for people with bad habits:
 a heavy drinker
 a heavy smoker
 a heavy drug user
There’s also the expression “a heavy sleeper” – that’s not someone who sleeps a lot;
instead, it’s a person who doesn’t wake up easily when sleeping.
The word heavy is also used in collocations with two unpleasant things: TRAFFIC
and TAXES!
 heavy traffic
 heavy taxes
2. Linking Words
Linking words and expressions
(Connecting text with linking words and expressions)
What are linking words and expressions? What is their purpose?
Linking words or linking expressions (sometimes also

called connecting words) are
simply words and expressions that tie whole sentences, parts of
sentences, phrases, or individual elements together to establish a smooth
transition in a text. The term ‘linking’ means ‘connecting’ and stands
for cohesion. Since the English language is quite rigid in its sentence
structure, such words are needed to make the writing fluent and
comfortably readable without making it appear hifalutin. In this way, the
listener or reader can simply follow the flow of the argument.
Since linking words are also a stylistic device for easily readable text,
they appear much more often in written language than in spoken
language.
Many of the linking words are conjunctions, adverbs, or prepositions and

can be either single words or compound expressions.
How are linking words and expressions used and categorized?
Linking words and expressions can roughly be divided according to

their purpose and meaning. Likewise, the following ones usually appear
at the beginning of a clause to link or connect
entire sentences. Connectors that mostly occur in the middle of a
complex sentence are subordinate conjunctions in many cases. For their
detailed usage, have a look at the article about subordinators. Compare
the possible uses:
Text linkers serve to …
 … list additions, something similar or not contrary:

o first of all, first or firstly, second or secondly, third or thirdly
o next, then, finally
o in addition, moreover, furthermore
o similarly, likewise
o Example sentence:
 “The university tuition fee can be paid monthly. In addition,
students are granted free access to the online library.”
 … express contrast and anything to the contrary:
o but, however, nevertheless, nonetheless
o in spite of, despite
o in contrast, on the contrary, on the other hand, conversely
o Example sentence:
 “Prime Minister Johnson has denied all the allegations. In
spite of that, people do not believe him.”
 … clarify the reason and the purpose:
o due to, owing to, as a result of, as a consequence of
o therefore, for that reason, consequently
o Example sentence:
 “There has been a forest fire in the north of the country. As
a consequence, smaller villages around the area have been
evacuated.”
 … show temporal relations:
o in the beginning, at the beginning
o at last, lastly, eventually
o before, until, as soon as, while, during
o Example sentence:
 “Five houses had been burgled over three weeks. Eventually,
the burglar was arrested.”
 … formulate conclusions and summaries of previous information:
o all in all, briefly, to sum up, to summarise, to conclude, concluding,
in conclusion
o Example sentence:
 “To conclude, I would like to thank you all very much and
have a nice day.”
Further explanations relating to the ‘Linking words and expressions’
The following explanations are related to the topic ‘Connecting text

with linking words and expressions in English’ and could therefore be
interesting too:
 Coordinating conjunctions (‘and, but, or’, etc.)
 Main clauses in English
 Subordinate clauses in English
Coordinating conjunctions
(Using coordinating conjunctions and correlative pairs)
When are coordinating conjunctions used in English?
English grammar also

divides conjunctions or connectives into groups according to their use
and meaning. One category of these is the coordinating conjunctions,
which combine information of equal importance in the sentence (such as
individual words or parts of a clause) or even entire sentences. Equal
means that the items are syntactically equivalent. Compare:
 Conjunctions that are frequently used in English are ‘and, but, or, for,

so, yet’. Some details about their meaning with example sentences:
o ‘and’ connects statements that are not in opposition (contradiction)
to each other:
 “Maria does a lot of sports, and she plays the piano.”
 Note: There is usually a comma before this type of
‘and’ (see comma before ‘and’ for details about the
rules).
o ‘but’ expresses something to the contrary or an exception:
 “Daniel knows a lot about cars, but he doesn’t know
anything about motorbikes.”
o ‘or’ stands for alternatives:
 “I would like to have some coffee, or you could offer me a
piece of cake.”
o ‘for’ is only rarely a conjunction too (but mostly a preposition) –
which happens especially in literature. Is this the case, it is used for
justifications or reasons. However, it sounds rather highbrow and is
quite formal:
 “He didn’t get any trouble, for they understood his problem.”
o ‘so’ (as a synonym for ‘consequently’) is needed
for consequences:
 “We had missed the last bus, so we had to walk home.”
o ‘yet’ may also be employed as a connective word but must not be
confused with the adverb at the end of the sentence (see the
detailed explanation on the adverb ‘yet’):
 “They gave us all the information, and yet we didn’t know
what to do.”
 Like in this statement, ‘yet’ is often combined with
‘and’ in a sentence.
Which are the multi-part conjunctions and correlative pairs in English?
In addition to the ones that consist of single words, English also

offers word combinations or multi-part conjunctions. These related
words always appear together in their meaning and cannot be changed
either. As many of them consist of exactly two words, they are
called correlative pairs. Like the individual words mentioned above,
they connect sentences, parts of sentences, or expressions
of equal importance. Now, compare the most critical correlative
conjunctions in examples and what they signify:
 ‘as … as’ is needed to make comparisons (see comparisons with

adjectives and adverbs for a description):
o “The new building is as high as the old one.”
 Note that ‘as/as’ stands within a phrase.
 ‘the … the’ occurs with comparative sentences or clauses
(Attention: Do not confuse this type of ‘the’ with the article.):
o “The more you study, the better your exam will be.”
 Note here too that ‘the/the’ combines two clauses.
 ‘both … and’ combines two indications that are not contradictory:
o “Both Harold and his ex-girlfriend are coming to my birthday
party.”
 ‘either … or’ and ‘neither … nor’; find the detailed usage in the
explanation of ‘either/or’ and ‘neither/nor’ :
o “You can finish the task either today or tomorrow.”
 not only … but also:
o “My new job is not only well-paid but also very interesting.”
 whether … or:
o “Whether you like it or not, I’m leaving.”
 rather … than:
o “I’d rather have another glass of wine with you than going home
now, but I have to get up early tomorrow.”
Conjunctions in English
(Use and function of English conjunctions)
What are conjunctions used for?
Conjunctions are connectors that are a crucial part of the English

language, as they are used in almost every written and oral conversation
quite frequently. In principle, sentences could be composed without
conjunctions, but, stylistically, this would not sound pleasant. In general,
the use of English conjunctions is not particularly difficult. However,
there are some distinctive features regarding differences in meaning,
which must be taken into account.
As far as usage is concerned, it should be remembered

that one conjunction is usually sufficient; only seldom is it the case that
several appear together. Regardless of this, however, there are
also multi-part conjunctions. It should also be noted that connective
words can never be changed, so they always maintain their form. Now,
compare the possible uses:
 As the name suggests, English conjunctions can, on the one hand,

connect sentence elements:
o Such elements may be single words:
 “Have you seen Kate and Marie?”
o Or they can also be expressions/phrases that belong together:
 “I’d like to have a green apple or a fresh orange.”
 On the other hand, conjunctions serve to combine
whole sentences (main clauses or subordinate clauses ):
o “This was a lot of fun, and tomorrow we’re doing it again!”
o “Gwen was in a hurry, so she left early.”
o “Please call me as soon as you have arrived.”
 This example shows a multi-part conjunction consisting of
three words (as soon as).
How can conjunctions be divided into subgroups?
Since the function of connectives/conjunctions differs, they can

broadly be divided into two categories. These are …
 … on the one hand, connective words that relate expressions

of equal importance. They belong to the coordinating conjunctions:
o Examples are:
 and, but, or, so, yet, for, etc.
o Likewise, correlative conjunctions are a part of this group too.
They consist of two or more words. Examples:
 neither … nor, either … or, as … as, no sooner … than, the …
the, rather … than, etc.
 … on the other hand, linking words that introduce subordinate clauses.
This type belongs to the subordinating conjunctions:
o Examples of such conjunctions are:
 because, while, as long as, before, wherever, even though,
if, since, etc.
Subordinating conjunctions
(Using subordinating conjunctions in English)
When are subordinating conjunctions used in English?
Subordinating conjunctions or connectives are (in addition to

the coordinating ones) a further classification. The subordinators contain
considerably more words and are needed to introduce dependent clauses
(and then especially adverbial clauses ). Very often, these conjunctions
consist of more than one word. The table below lists the most commonly
used ones in English.
Example sentences
Compare these examples to illustrate main and subordinate clauses

(adverbial clauses):
Main clause Subordinate clause (here an adverbial) with conjunc
“They had already left, because we arrived late.”
“We needed a long time to finish although the task seemed to be easy.”
Note: Some of the connecting words in the following list may also

be prepositions in other uses. This change of function applies to ‘since,
after, before,’ for example.
List of most commonly used subordinate conjunctions
English modal, causal and temporal conjunctions including examples
English subordinating Example sentence

conjunction
after “She called me after the visitors had left.”
“I would like to buy a new car, although I don’t

although
have enough money.”
as
as if
“We have dinner at seven o’clock as we always
as long as
do.”
as soon as
as though
“We decided to stay at home, because it was

because
raining.”
before “Don’t watch the movie before you read the book.”
even if “Even if you buy her some roses, she will still be
even though angry.”
“I still have to laugh every time I watch that

every time
movie.”
except “Your solution sounds good except that it would

except that take too long.”
if “We would really like to fly to Australia, if only the

if only plane tickets weren’t so expensive.”
“Appointments are made in order that all

in order that
participants can be present.”
“You have to tell the boss, otherwise you may get

otherwise
fired.”
“I’ve only seen five bears since I moved to

since
Canada.”
so “Paula has two jobs so that she can afford a world

so that trip.”
than “My brother is a bit taller than I am.”
“Though the show was very long, it was

though
interesting.”
unless “I don’t want to go there unless you come with

English modal, causal and temporal conjunctions including examples
English subordinating Example sentence

conjunction
me.”
“The dog has to stay in the house until we come

until, till
back.”
when “Can you give Xavier the DVD when you see him?”
“Just ask me whenever you have a problem with

whenever
your computer.”
“My British uncle likes tea, whereas his wife drinks

whereas
a lot of coffee.”
“Thanks to modern airplanes people can fly

wherever
wherever they want to fly.”
“Gary visited me twice while I was living in

while
France.”
Use of adverbs in English

(Using and forming adverbs in English grammar)
What are adverbs (what are the rules)?
Adverbs are words that modify or ascribe more details to verbs,

adjectives, other adverbs or even whole sentences in particular. They
express how something happens or is done or how something or a
person is. In English clauses, they can appear either as adverbials (and
thus, as a constituent) or as a grammatical modifier (and thus, as a part
of a constituent). Compare the following:
 Some examples of how adverbs may appear in sentences:

o “David speaks loudly.”
 The adverb ‘loudly’ refers to (modifies) the verb ‘speaks’
here.
o “Deer are extremely shy animals.”
 In this statement, the adverb ‘extremely’ modifies
the adjective ‘shy’.
o “Sarah drives very carefully.”
 The adverb ‘very’ modifies the second adverb ‘carefully’,
which in turn modifies the verb ‘drives’.
How are adverbs formed?
The formation of adverbs in English varies slightly in some cases,

depending on the related adjective. However, it is not unlikely that an
adverb has ‘-ly’ at the end. Compare the following possibilities of
forming:
 English adverbs usually originate from the underlying adjective by

simply appending ‘-ly’:
o loud → loudly
o quick → quickly
o quiet → quietly
 Adjectives that already end in ‘-y’ replace the ‘-y’ by ‘-ily’:
o happy → happily
o easy → easily
 If an adjective ends in ‘-ble’ or ‘-tle’, merely the ‘-e’ is replaced by a ‘-y’:
o sensible → sensibly
o gentle → gently
 Adjectives ending in ‘-ic’, the suffix ‘-ally’ is appended. The ‘a’
is not stressed:
o basic → basically
o ironic → ironically
Adverbs with special forms

(Using special forms of adverbs in English)
Particularities of adverbs in English
In English, besides adverbs with regular formation by appending ‘-ly’,

there are also some that possess particular forms. Although these
forms end in ‘-ly’ too, they have a completely different meaning to their
counterpart (either adjective or adverb). Moreover,
some adjectives cannot produce an adverb at all. Note therefore that
the adjectives listed below retain their form as an adverb – by adding
the suffix ‘-ly’, they obtain a different meaning:
 Compare the following adjectives and adverbs with special forms and

their use with ‘-ly’ as the suffix:
o hard – hardly:
 “Peter is a hard worker.”
 adjective
 “Peter works hard.”
 adverb
 “Peter hardly works.”
 adverb
o late – lately:
 “In late summer we went hiking.”
 adjective
 “He arrived late last night.”
 adverb
 “Have you seen her lately?”
 adverb
o fast:
 “She is a fast driver.”
 adjective
 “She drives fast.”
 adverb
 Careful: For the word ‘fast’, a form with ‘-ly’ is not possible.
 Incorrect would be ‘fastly’.
 The adjective or adverb ‘good/well’ is another exception:
o “Jane is a good singer.”
 adjective
o “Jane sings well.”
 adverb
o But: “How are you? – I’m very well.”
 adjective
No adverb after certain verbs
Furthermore, it needs to be considered that some verbs cannot be

combined with adverbs. If a verb of this type appears in the sentence,
only an adjective and no adverb may follow. Now, read the most
important ones:
 Some verbs that only go with adjectives:
o to be
o to get
o to become
o to keep
o to seem
o to sound
o to remain
o to stay
o to turn
o to grow
 Example sentences:
o “She is very nice.”
o “The task seems easy.”
Which of the adverbs have double meanings?
In addition to the adverbs with exceptions mentioned above, few others

exist that have different meanings when
appearing with and without the suffix ‘-ly’. Compare the most common
ones in the list:
 By appending ‘-ly’ to these adverbs, the following differences in

meaning occur. Example sentences are given in brackets:
o fair (→ “The whole team have played fair.”)
o fairly (→ “This task is fairly simple.”)
o free (→ “Now, the book is available free of charge.”)

o freely (→ “Guests can move freely around the hotel complex to
enjoy all leisure facilities.”)
o high (→ “Don’t throw the ball so high.”)

o highly (→ “Your help is highly appreciated.”)
o most (→ “His second statement was the most convincing one.”)

o mostly (→ “Tornados occur, but mostly in the east of the country.”)
o near (→ “He works somewhere near.”)

o nearly (→ “We have nearly finished.”)
o pretty (→ “That phone costs pretty much.”)

o prettily (→ “She always smiles prettily.”)
o right (→ “A bird is sitting right behind you.”)

o rightly (→ “He usually remembers rightly.”)
o wrong (→ “The students pronounce the word wrong.”)

o wrongly (→ “The man was wrongly imprisoned.”)
Adjectives in adverbial clauses

(Adjectives adverbially used by paraphrasing)
Which adjectives cannot form adverbs?
Although many adverbs originate from adjectives (very often by

appending ‘-ly’) in English, some adjectives exist that cannot form
adverbs. An example of such a type is ‘silly’. The difficulty is that such
adjectives still end in ‘-ly’, which can easily cause confusion with
adverbs. As a result, if such adjectives need to be used adverbially, a
substitute form or a paraphrase, for example, ‘in a … way’, is required.
Compare the following:
 Adjectives that cannot form adverbs are, for example:

o silly, friendly, lively, likely, lonely
 There is still a way to use them adverbially, which means as an adverbial
or, in particular, as an adverbial clause . To perform this,
the substitute form or paraphrase ‘in a … way’ or ‘in a … manner’ can
be employed:
o “Our new neighbours are friendly.”
 In this sentence, ‘friendly’ is an adjective.
o “They talked to me in a friendly way.”
 Here, ‘in a friendly way’ is an adverbial clause and
expresses how they talked in more detail. Incorrect would
be:
 “They talked to me friendly.”
 “They talked to me friendlily.”
Syntax and word order

(Rules for the English syntax and word order in a sentence)
What is the word order in English grammar?
As a learner, you need to know that the sentence structure, which is

the word order, is considerably rigid in English. This lack of flexibility
occurs because the constituents of the sentence cannot be moved
arbitrarily within it. So, they usually need to occupy their fixed place or
position. In principle, the subsequent order of the constituents or parts
applies in positive and negative English sentences:
Rule for English sentence formation
S-V-O
is the acronym (abbreviation) for
Subject (S)–Verb (V, main verb)–Object (O)
In most cases, this order may not be changed. Compare the examples:
Subject Verb(s) Object
I drink coffee.
You don’t have a car.
We can play the guitar.
In a more detailed breakdown, the English sentence structure looks as

follows. Note that the place (details: locative adverbials ) always
comes before the time (details: temporal adverbials ):
Subject Verb(s) Indirect object Direct object Place Time
He can give her the book at home tomorrow.
They are going to write him a letter at work next week.
Time Subject Verb Indirect object Direct object Place
Every day Sue does – exercises at the gym.
Alternatively, the adverbial of time may appear at the beginning of the

sentence:
Subordinate clauses can be extended by a
preceding conjunction (connective words in English):
Conjunction Subject Verb(s) Indirect object Direct object Place Time
because they won’t be – – there later.
and I cannot tell you the secret – now.
What is the typical word order in questions?
Interrogative sentences, which are questions in most cases, also

retain the order of subject–verb–object. Note, however, that
the question word appears at the beginning of the sentence, and
the auxiliary verb moves to the position in front of the subject:
Question Auxiliary Main Indirect Direct

Subject Place Time
word verb verb object object
at
Why can’t he help me – tomorrow?
work
When did you come – – home last night?
3. Relative Clauses
What is a relative clause?
We can use relative clauses to join two English sentences, or to give more
information about something.
I bought a new car. It is very fast.
→ I bought a new car that is very fast.
She lives in New York. She likes living in New York.

→ She lives in New York, which she likes.
Defining and Non-defining
A defining relative clause tells which noun we are talking about:
 I like the woman who lives next door.

(If I don't say 'who lives next door', then we don't know which woman I mean).
A non-defining relative clause gives us extra information about something. We

don't need this information to understand the sentence.
 I live in London, which has some fantastic parks.

(Everybody knows where London is, so 'which has some fantastic parks' is extra
information).
Defining relative clauses:
1: The relative pronoun is the subject:
First, let's consider when the relative pronoun is the subject of a defining relative
clause.
We can use 'who', 'which' or 'that'. We use 'who' for people and 'which' for things. We
can use 'that' for people or things.
The relative clause can come after the subject or the object of the sentence. We can't
drop the relative pronoun.
For example (clause after the object of the sentence):
 I'm looking for a secretary who / that can use a computer well.
 She has a son who / that is a doctor.
 We bought a house which / that is 200 years old.
 I sent a letter which / that arrived three weeks later.
More examples (clause after the subject of the sentence):
 The people who / that live on the island are very friendly.
 The man who / that phoned is my brother.
 The camera which / that costs £100 is over there.
 The house which / that belongs to Julie is in London.
Try an exercise where the relative pronoun is the subject here.

2: The relative pronoun is the object:
Next, let's talk about when the relative pronoun is the object of the clause. In this
case we can drop the relative pronoun if we want to. Again, the clause can come after
the subject or the object of the sentence. Here are some examples:
(Clause after the object)
 She loves the chocolate (which / that) I bought.

 We went to the village (which / that) Lucy recommended.
 John met a woman (who / that) I had been to school with.
 The police arrested a man (who / that) Jill worked with.
(Clause after the subject)
 The bike (which / that) I loved was stolen.

 The university (which / that) she likes is famous.
 The woman (who / that) my brother loves is from Mexico.
 The doctor (who / that) my grandmother liked lives in New York.
Non-defining relative clauses:
We don't use 'that' in non-defining relative clauses, so we need to use 'which' if the
pronoun refers to a thing, and 'who' if it refers to a person. We can't drop the relative
pronoun in this kind of clause, even if the relative pronoun is the subject of the
clause.
(Clause comes after the subject)
 My boss, who is very nice, lives in Manchester.

 My sister, who I live with, knows a lot about cars.
 My bicycle, which I've had for more than ten years, is falling apart.
 My mother's house, which I grew up in, is very small.
(Clause comes after the object)
 Yesterday I called our friend Julie, who lives in New York.

 The photographer called to the Queen, who looked annoyed.
 Last week I bought a new computer, which I don't like now.
 I really love the new Chinese restaurant, which we went to last night.
Prepositions and relative clauses
If the verb in the relative clause needs a preposition, we put it at the end of the
clause:
For example:
 listen to
The music is good. Julie listens to the music.
→ The music (which / that) Julie listens to is good.
 work with
My brother met a woman. I used to work with the woman.

→ My brother met a woman (who / that) I used to work with.
 go to
The country is very hot. He went to the country.

→ The country (which / that) he went to is very hot.
 come from
I visited the city. John comes from the city.

→ I visited the city (that / which) John comes from.
 apply for
The job is well paid. She applied for the job.

→ The job (which / that) she applied for is well paid.
Whose
'Whose' is always the subject of the relative clause and can't be left out. It replaces a
possessive. It can be used for people and things.
The dog is over there. The dog's / its owner lives next door.
→ The dog whose owner lives next door is over there.
The little girl is sad. The little girl's / her doll was lost.
→ The little girl whose doll was lost is sad.
The woman is coming tonight. Her car is a BMW.

→ The woman whose car is a BMW is coming tonight.
The house belongs to me. Its roof is very old.

→ The house whose roof is old belongs to me.
Where / when / why
We can sometimes use these question words instead of relative pronouns and
prepositions.
I live in a city. I study in the city.
→ I live in the city where I study.

→ I live in the city that / which I study in.
→ I live in the city in which I study.
The bar in Barcelona is still there. I met my wife in that bar.
→ The bar in Barcelona where I met my wife is still there.

→ The bar in Barcelona that / which I met my wife in is still there.
→ The bar in Barcelona in which I met my wife is still there.
The summer was long and hot. I graduated from university in the summer.
→ The summer when I graduated from university was long and hot.

→ The summer that / which I graduated from university in was long and hot.
→ The summer in which I graduated was long and hot.
Defining Relative Clauses Exercise 1
Make one sentence from the two short ones. The sentence in italics should become the
relative clause. The relative pronoun is the subject of the relative clause.
1. She worked for a man. The man used to be an athlete.
_______________________________________________________________
2. They called a lawyer. The lawyer lived nearby.
_______________________________________________________________
3. I sent an email to my brother. My brother lives in Australia.
_______________________________________________________________
4. The customer liked the waitress. The waitress was very friendly.
_______________________________________________________________
5. We broke the computer. The computer belonged to my father.

_______________________________________________________________
6. I dropped a glass. The glass was new.
_______________________________________________________________
7. She loves books. The books have happy endings.
_______________________________________________________________
8. They live in a city. The city is in the north of England.
_______________________________________________________________
9. The man is in the garden. The man is wearing a blue jumper.
_______________________________________________________________
10. The girl works in a bank. The girl is from India.
_______________________________________________________________
11. My sister has three children. My sister lives in Australia.
_______________________________________________________________
12. The waiter was rude. The waiter was wearing a blue shirt.
_______________________________________________________________
13. The money is in the kitchen. The money belongs to John.
_______________________________________________________________
14. The table got broken. The table was my grandmother’s.

__________________________________________
_____________________
15. The television was stolen. The television was bought 20 years ago.
_______________________________________________________________
16. The fruit is on the table. The fruit isn’t fresh.
_______________________________________________________________
Make a new sentence by joining the two short sentences. The sentence in
italics should become the relative clause, and the relative pronoun is the object.
17. We ate the fruit. I bought the fruit.
_______________________________________________________________
18. She bought the computer. Her brother had recommended the computer.
_______________________________________________________________
19. He lost the money. I had given him the money.
_______________________________________________________________
20. We called the taxi company. Julie often uses the taxi company.
_______________________________________________________________
21. John met a girl. I used to employ the girl.
_______________________________________________________________
22. Lucy called the doctor. My mother knows the doctor.
_______________________________________________________________
23. He brought a woman. I used to often meet the woman .
_______________________________________________________________
24. We employed the lawyer. Julie recommended the lawyer.
_______________________________________________________________
25. The fruit is on the table. I bought the fruit.
_______________________________________________________________
26. The wallet belongs to John. Lucy found the wallet in the garden.
_______________________________________________________________
27. The food was delicious. David cooked the food.
_______________________________________________________________
28. The car was stolen. My father gave me the car.
_______________________________________________________________
29. The man was arrested. I reported the man to the police.
_______________________________________________________________
30. The doctor was right. Lucy asked the doctor about her problem.
Make one sentence by changing the sentence in italics into a defining relative clause.
The relative pronoun can be the subject or the object of the relative clause.
31. They found the money. I dropped the money.
_______________________________________________________________
32. I broke the plate. The plate was a wedding present.
_______________________________________________________________
33. The police arrested the man. I saw the man steal a handbag.
_______________________________________________________________
34. The Queen fired the chef. We had met the chef.
_______________________________________________________________
35. She wrote to her friend. Her friend lives in Vietnam.
_______________________________________________________________
36. Jill ate the sandwich. The sandwich had tomato and cheese inside.
_______________________________________________________________
37. His friend lives in Scotland. His friend is a lawyer.
_______________________________________________________________
38. We called the secretary. I went to school with the secretary.
_______________________________________________________________
39. The CD is in my bag. The CD has Spanish music.
_______________________________________________________________
40. The book is very interesting. The book is about Japanese culture.
_______________________________________________________________
41. The bag was stolen. I bought the bag yesterday.
_______________________________________________________________
42. He likes films. The films come from Asia.
_______________________________________________________________
43. My nephew broke the plate. I received the plate as a present.

_______________________________________________________________
44. The chocolate was very old. We bought the chocolate last week.
_______________________________________________________________
45. The TV programme was very funny. Lucy recommended the TV programme.
_______________________________________________________________
46. The girl is on TV tonight. I met the girl yesterday.
_______________________________________________________________
Make one sentence by changing the sentence in italics into a defining relative clause.
The relative pronoun can be the subject or the object of the relative clause.
47. The man was late. Julie invited the man.
_______________________________________________________________
48. The doctor was sick. I wanted to see the doctor.
_______________________________________________________________
49. The accountant was arrested. The accountant works for my father’s company.
_______________________________________________________________
50. I wrote to the friend. You met the friend last week.
_______________________________________________________________
51. The mobile phone can’t be fixed. The mobile phone is broken.
_______________________________________________________________
52. John made a copy of the photo. I took the photo.
_______________________________________________________________
53. I met a girl. The girl was a doctor.
_______________________________________________________________
54. We called a doctor. The doctor works at a hospital in London.
_______________________________________________________________
55. We like the actor. The actor was in a famous film.
_______________________________________________________________
56. I went to the restaurant. I read about the restaurant in the newspaper.
_______________________________________________________________
57. She bought a car. Her sister liked the car.
_______________________________________________________________
58. I often buy cheese. The cheese is imported from Paris.
_______________________________________________________________
59. The hairdresser was very good. The hairdresser has red hair.
_______________________________________________________________
60. The child is playing in the garden. We see the child often.
________________________________________
_______________________
61. The nurse is in the office. The nurse treated my grandmother.
_______________________________________________________________
62. The car is in the garage. The car broke down.

__________________________________________
_____________________
63. The waitress was very pretty. My brother dated the waitress.
_______________________________________________________________
64. The secretary is in the office. The boss likes the secretary.
_______________________________________________________________
4. Reported Speech
Reported Speech
Reported Statements
When do we use reported speech? Sometimes someone says a sentence, for example
"I'm going to the cinema tonight". Later, maybe we want to tell someone else what the
first person said. Here's how it works:
We use a reporting verb like 'say' or 'tell'. If this verb is in the present tense, it's easy.
We just put 'she says' and then the sentence:
Direct speech: I like ice cream.
Reported speech: She says she likes ice cream.

We don't need to change the tense, though probably we do need to change the ‘person'
from 'I' to 'she', for example. We also may need to change words like 'my' and 'your'.
On the other hand, if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then usually we change
the tenses in the reported speech:
Direct speech: I like ice cream.
Reported speech: She said she liked ice cream.
Tense Direct Speech Reported Speech
present simple I like ice cream” She said (that) she liked ice cream.
present I am living in She said she was living in London.
continuous London”
She said she had bought a car OR She

past simple I bought a car”
said she bought a car.
I was walking She said she had been walking along
past continuous
along the street” the street.
present perfect
“I haven't seen Julie” She said she hadn't seen Julie.
past perfect*
“I had taken English She said she had taken English lessons
lessons before” before.
“I'll see you later”
will
would* “I would help, but..” She said she would see me later.
can “I can speak perfect
English” She said she would help but...
“I could swim when
could* I was four” She said she could speak perfect English.
“I shall come
She said she could swim when she was four.
shall later”
should* She said she would come later. She
“I should call my
said she should call her mother
mother”
might* She said she might be late
must "I might be late"
She said she must study at the weekend OR
"I must study at She said she had to study at the weekend
the weekend"
* doesn't change.
Occasionally, we don't need to change the present tense into the past if the
information in direct speech is still true (but this is only for things which are
general facts, and even then usually we like to change the tense):
Direct speech: The sky is blue.
Reported speech: She said that the sky is/was blue.
Reported Questions
So now you have no problem with making reported speech from positive and
negative sentences. But how about questions?
Direct speech: Where do you live?

How can we make the reported speech here? In fact, it's not so different from reported
statements. The tense changes are the same, and we keep the question word. The very
important thing though is that, once we tell the question to someone else, it isn't a
question any more. So we need to change the grammar to a normal positive sentence.:
Reported speech: She asked me where I lived.
Do you see how I made it? The direct question is in the present simple tense. We
make a present simple question with 'do' or 'does' so I need to take that away. Then
I need to change the verb to the past simple. Another example:
Direct speech: Where is Julie?
Reported speech: She asked me where Julie was.
The direct question is the present simple of 'be'. We make the question form of the
present simple of be by inverting (changing the position of)the subject and verb. So,
we need to change them back before putting the verb into the past simple. Here are
some more examples:
Direct Question Reported Question
“Where is the Post Office, please?” She asked me where the Post Office was.
“What are you doing?” She asked me what I was doing.
“Who was that fantastic man?” She asked me who that fantastic man had
been.
So much for 'wh' questions. But, what if you need to report a 'yes / no' question? We
don't have any question words to help us. Instead, we use 'if':
Direct speech: Do you like chocolate?
Reported speech: She asked me if I liked chocolate.
No problem? Here are a few more examples:

“Do you love me?” He asked me if I loved him.
“Have you ever been to Mexico?” She asked me if I had ever been to Mexico.
“Are you living here?”
She asked me if I was living here.
Reported Requests
There's more! What if someone asks you to do something (in a polite way)?
For example:
Direct speech: Close the window, please.
Or: Could you close the window please?
Or: Would you mind closing the window please?
All of these requests mean the same thing, so we don't need to report every word
when we tell another person about it. We simply use 'ask me + to + infinitive':
Reported speech: She asked me to close the window.

“Could you bring my book tonight?”
Here are a few more examples:
Direct Request “Could you pass the milk, please?”

“Would you mind coming early
“Please help me”. tomorrow?”
“Please don't smoke”.

She asked me not to smoke.
She asked me to bring her book that

night.
Reported Request
She asked me to pass the milk.
She asked me to help her.
She asked me to come early the next
day.
To report a negative request, use 'not':
Direct speech: Please don't be late.
Reported speech: She asked us not to be late.

Reported Orders
And finally, how about if someone doesn't ask so politely? We can call this an 'order' in
English, when someone tells you very directly to do something. For example:
Direct speech: Sit down!
In fact, we make this into reported speech in the same way as a request. We just
use 'tell' instead of 'ask':
Reported speech: She told me to sit down.
Direct Order Reported Order
“Go to bed!” He told the child to go to bed.

“Don't worry!”
“Be on time!” He told her not to worry.
“Don't smoke!”
He told me to be on time.
He told us not to smoke.
Time Expressions with Reported Speech
Sometimes when we change direct speech into reported speech we have to change time
expressions too. We don't always have to do this, however. It depends on when we
heard the direct speech and when we say the reported speech. For example:
It's Monday. Julie says "I'm leaving today".

If I tell someone on Monday, I say "Julie said she was leaving today".
If I tell someone on Tuesday, I say "Julie said she was leaving yesterday".
If I tell someone on Wednesday, I say "Julie said she was leaving on Monday".
If I tell someone a month later, I say "Julie said she was leaving that day".
So, there's no easy conversion. You really have to think about when the direct
speech was said.
Here's a table of
some possible
conversions:
now
then / at that yesterday / the day before / Wednesday / the 5th of

time December
last night
today
the night before, Thursday night

yesterday / that
day / Tuesday /
the 27th of June last week the week before / the previous week
yesterday the tomorrow today / the next day / the following day / Friday
day before ere is Julie?
She asked me where Julie was.

The direct question is the present simple of 'be'. We make the question form of the present simple
of be by inverting (changing the position of)the subject and verb. So, we need to change them back
before putting the verb into the past simple. Here are some more examples:
“Where is the Post Office, please?” She asked me where the Post Office was.
“What are you doing?” She asked me what I was doing.
“Who was that fantastic man?” She asked me who that fantastic man had
been.
So much for 'wh' questions. But, what if you need to report a 'yes / no' question? We don't have any
question words to help us. Instead, we use 'if':
Direct speech: Do you like chocolate?
Reported speech: She asked me if I liked chocolate.
No problem? Here are a few more examples:

“Do you love me?” He asked me if I loved him.
“Have you ever been to Mexico?” “Are She asked me if I had ever been to Mexico.
you living here?”
She asked me if I was living here.
Reported Requests
There's more! What if someone asks you to do something (in a polite way)? For example:
Direct speech: Close the window, please.
Or: Could you close the window please?
Or: Would you mind closing the window please?
All of these requests mean the same thing, so we don't need to report every word when we tell
another person about it. We simply use 'ask me + to + infinitive':
Reported speech: She asked me to close the window.

“Please help me”.
Here are a few more examples: “Please don't smoke”.
Direct Request “Could you bring my book tonight?”

“Could you pass the milk, please?” “Would
you mind coming early tomorrow?”
Reported Request
She asked me to help her.
She asked me not to smoke.
She asked me to bring her book that night.
She asked me to pass the milk.
She asked me to come early the next day.
To report a negative request, use 'not':
Direct speech: Please don't be late.
Reported speech: She asked us not to be late.

Reported Orders
And finally, how about if someone doesn't ask so politely? We can call this an 'order' in English,
when someone tells you very directly to do something. For example:
Direct speech: Sit down!
In fact, we make this into reported speech in the same way as a request. We just use 'tell' instead of
'ask':
Reported speech: She told me to sit down.
Direct Order Reported Order
“Go to bed!” “Don't He told the child to go to bed.

worry!” “Be on
time!” “Don't
smoke!” He told her not to worry.
He told me to be on time.
He told us not to smoke.
Time Expressions with Reported Speech
Sometimes when we change direct speech into reported speech we have to change time
expressions too. We don't always have to do this, however. It depends on when we heard the
direct speech and when we say the reported speech. For example:
It's Monday. Julie says "I'm leaving today".
If I tell someone on Monday, I say "Julie said she was leaving today".
If I tell someone on Tuesday, I say "Julie said she was leaving yesterday".
If I tell someone on Wednesday, I say "Julie said she was leaving on Monday".
If I tell someone a month later, I say "Julie said she was leaving that day".
So, there's no easy conversion. You really have to think about when the direct speech was said.
Here's a table of some possible conversions:
now then / at that time
today yesterday / that day / Tuesday / the 27th of June
yesterday the day before yesterday / the day before / Wednesday / the 5th of
December
last night the night before, Thursday night
last week the week before / the previous week
tomorrow today / the next day / the following day / Friday
5. Passive Voice
The Passive Voice
Let’s look at this sentence:
65. I drank two cups of coffee.
This is an active sentence and it has the subject first (the person or thing that does the verb),
followed by the verb, and finally the object (the person or thing that the action happens to).
So, in this example, the subject is 'I', the verb is 'drank' and the object is 'two cups of coffee'.
But, we don't always need to make sentences this way. We might want to put the object
first, or perhaps we don't want to say who did something. This can happen for lots of
reasons (see the explanation further down the page). In this case, we can use a passive,
which puts the object first:
66. Two cups of coffee were drunk (we can add 'by me' if we want, but it isn't
necessary).
How to make the Passive in English
We make the passive by putting the verb 'to be' into whatever tense we need and then
adding the past participle. For regular verbs, we make the past participle by adding 'ed' to
the infinitive. So ‘play’ becomes ‘played’.
Tense Active Passive
present simple I make a cake. A cake is made (by me).
present continuous I am making a cake. A cake is being made (by me).
past simple I made a cake. A cake was made (by me).
A cake was being made(by

past continuous I was making a cake.
me).
present perfect I have made a cake. A cake has been made (by me).
present perfect I have been making a A cake has been being

continuous cake. made (by me).
A cake had been made (by

past perfect I had made a cake.
me).
future simple I will make a cake. A cake will be made (by me).
I will have made a A cake will have been

future perfect
cake. made (by me).
Verbs with two objects
Some verbs that have two objects can make two different active sentences, and so
two different passive sentences too. For example, the verb ‘give’ is like this:
67. Active: He gave me the book / He gave the book to me.
You can choose either of the two objects to be the subject of the passive sentence.
 Passive: I was given the book (by him)/ The book was given to me (by him).
Other verbs like this are: ask, offer, teach, tell, lend, promise, sell, throw.
The passive in subordinate clauses
You can make the passive in a subordinate clause that has a subject and a normal
conjugated verb. This is really the same as a normal passive.
 Active: I thought that Mary had kissed John.
 Passive: I thought that John had been kissed by Mary.
 Active: He knew that people had built the church in 1915.
 Passive: He knew that the church had been built in 1915.
You can also make the passive using a passive gerund or a passive infinitive in the same
place as a normal gerund or infinitive.
 The child loves being cuddled.
 She would like to be promoted.

When should we use the passive?
1) When we want to change the focus of the sentence:
 The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci. (We are more interested in
the painting than the artist in this sentence)
2) When who or what causes the action is unknown or unimportant or obvious or 'people in
general':
 He was arrested (obvious agent, the police).
 My bike has been stolen (unknown agent).
 The road is being repaired (unimportant agent).
 The form can be obtained from the post office (people in general).
3) In factual or scientific writing:
 The chemical is placed in a test tube and the data entered into the computer.
4) In formal writing instead of using someone/ people/ they (these can be used in speaking
or informal writing):
 The brochure will be finished next month.
5) In order to put the new information at the end of the sentence to improve style:
 Three books are used regularly in the class. The books were written by Dr. Bell.
('Dr. Bell wrote the books' sound clumsy)
6) When the subject is very long:
 I was surprised by how well the students did in the test. (More natural than: 'how well
the students did in the test surprised me')
The Passive: Present Simple
Make the sentences passive:
Somebody cleans the office every day.
_The office is cleaned every day ________________________________
Somebody sends emails.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody cuts the grass.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody prefers chocolate.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody often steals cars.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody plays loud music.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody speaks English here.

_______________________________________________________________
Somebody loves the London parks.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody wants staff.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody writes articles.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody loves Julie.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody reads a lot of books.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody cooks dinner everyday.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody delivers milk in the mornings.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody buys flowers for the flat.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody washes the cars every week.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody writes a report every Friday.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody fixes the roads.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody builds new houses every year.

_______________________________________________________________
Somebody sells vegetables in the market.
_______________________________________________________________
The Passive: Past Simple
Make the sentences passive (past simple):
Somebody lost the letter.
__The letter was lost __________________________________________
Somebody found the key.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody made mistakes.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody loved that woman.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody cleaned the rooms.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody fixed the computer.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody built that house.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody wrote ‘War and Peace’.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody painted The Mona Lisa.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody stole my wallet.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody prepared lunch.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody drank a lot of coffee.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody forgot the papers.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody closed the windows.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody invited Julie and Luke to a party.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody built a website.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody ate all the cakes.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody told me to wait.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody employed a lot of new waiters.

_______________________________________________________________
Somebody opened a shop.
_______________________________________________________________
The Passive: Future Simple
Somebody will clean the windows.
___The windows will be cleaned _________________________________
Somebody will meet you at the airport.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody will process your application.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody will find your glasses.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody will bring food.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody will help you.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody will steal that bicycle.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody will take your order.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody will write a new book.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody will build a stadium.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody will collect your luggage.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody will explain the plan.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody will wash the floor later.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody will deliver a parcel .
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody will drink all the juice.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody will prepare everything.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody will write the article next week.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody will eat the chocolate.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody will send the information.

_______________________________________________________________
Somebody will call you.
The Passive: Mixed Tenses
Change these sentences from active to passive:
People speak Portuguese in Brazil.
_______________________________________________________________
The Government is planning a new road near my house.
_______________________________________________________________
My grandfather built this house in 1943.
_______________________________________________________________
Picasso was painting Guernica at that time.
_______________________________________________________________
The cleaner has cleaned the office.
_______________________________________________________________
He had written three books before 1867.

_______________________________________________________________
John will tell you later.
_______________________________________________________________
By this time tomorrow we will have signed the deal.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody should do the work.
_______________________________________________________________
The traffic might have delayed Jimmy.
_______________________________________________________________
Everybody loves Mr Brown.
_______________________________________________________________
They are building a new stadium near the station.
_______________________________________________________________
The wolf ate the princess.
_______________________________________________________________
At six o’clock someone was telling a story.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody has drunk all the milk!
_______________________________________________________________
I had cleaned all the windows before the storm.
_______________________________________________________________
A workman will repair the computer tomorrow.
_______________________________________________________________
By next year the students will have studied the passive.
_______________________________________________________________
James might cook dinner.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody must have taken my wallet.
_______________________________________________________________
The Passive: Present Perfect
Somebody has cleaned the kitchen.
__The kitchen has been cleaned ________________________________
Somebody has watered the plants.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody has taken the money.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody has bought the presents.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody has finished the report.

_______________________________________________________________
Somebody has killed the President.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody has repaired the road.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody has elected that man.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody has learned lessons.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody has fired John.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody has ordered new books.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody has prepared the meal.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody has sent the email.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody has eaten the strawberries.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody has fixed the heating.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody has made coffee.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody has turned on the air conditioning.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody has downloaded the song.

_______________________________________________________________
Somebody has rented a flat.
_______________________________________________________________
Somebody has booked the holiday.
_______________________________________________________________
The Passive: Verbs with Two Objects Exercise 1
This time there are two answers:
1. John gave a bar of chocolate to Jill.
a:________________________________________________________________
b:________________________________________________________________
68. I lent a pencil to Graham.
a:________________________________________________________________
b:________________________________________________________________
69. Fiona told the truth to Julian.

a:________________________________________________________________
b:________________________________________________________________
70. They offered the job to Simon.
a:________________________________________________________________
b:________________________________________________________________
71. The boss showed the new computer to Anna.
a:________________________________________________________________
b:________________________________________________________________
72. Julie taught the grammar to the students.
a:________________________________________________________________
b:________________________________________________________________
73. I sent the email to John.
a:________________________________________________________________
b:________________________________________________________________
74. Lucy threw the ball to the child.
a:________________________________________________________________
b:________________________________________________________________
75. Sophia sold the car to a doctor.
a:________________________________________________________________
b:________________________________________________________________
76. I asked the question to David.
a:________________________________________________________________
b:________________________________________________________________
The Passive in Subordinate Clauses Exercise 1
Make the passive:
1. I want someone to love me.
___________________________________________________________________________
2. It seems that someone cleaned the office on Tuesday.
___________________________________________________________________________
3. Amy thinks that someone is reading to her son.
___________________________________________________________________________
4. I don’t like people seeing me in my pyjamas.
___________________________________________________________________________
5. My little niece loves people chasing her.
___________________________________________________________________________
6. I understand that someone hit Greg.
___________________________________________________________________________
7. Is it the case that someone sent the report on time?
___________________________________________________________________________
8. We avoided people seeing us.
___________________________________________________________________________
9. I think that someone built the house in 1814.
___________________________________________________________________________
10. I understand that someone fired John.
___________________________________________________________________________
11. I like someone looking after me when I’m ill.
___________________________________________________________________________
12. She hates people laughing at her.
___________________________________________________________________________
13. It seems that someone lost the papers.
___________________________________________________________________________
14. He thinks that someone is teasing Lucy.
___________________________________________________________________________
15. I hope someone will examine me soon.
___________________________________________________________________________
16. John would like someone to promote him.
___________________________________________________________________________
17. The cat enjoys someone tickling him.
___________________________________________________________________________
18. They claim that someone stole the money.
___________________________________________________________________________
19. We imagined that the storm damaged the car.
___________________________________________________________________________
20. I believe that some is preparing food.
___________________________________________________________________________
6. Gerunds and Infinitives
Gerunds and Infinitives
It can be a little difficult to know when to use gerunds and infinitives.
We use gerunds (verb + ing):
 After certain verbs - I enjoy singing

 After prepositions - I drank a cup of coffee before leaving
 As the subject or object of a sentence - Swimming is good exercise
We use 'to' + infinitive:
 After certain verbs - We decided to leave

 After many adjectives - It's difficult to get up early
 - I came to London to study English
 After modal verbs - I can meet you at six o'clock

 After 'let', 'make' and (sometimes) 'help' - The teacher let us leave early
 After some verbs of perception (see, watch, hear, notice, feel, sense) - I
watched her walk away
 After expressions with 'why' - why go out the night before an exam?
Verbs that take the gerund or 'to + infinitive' with examples and exercises:
Gerunds and Infinitives with Verbs Part 1

Here are some of the most common verbs that are usually followed by the gerund.
 enjoy: I enjoyed living in France.

 fancy: I fancy seeing a film tonight.
 discuss: We discussed going on holiday together.
 dislike: I dislike waiting for buses.
 finish: We've finished preparing for the meeting.
 mind: I don't mind coming early.
 suggest: He suggested staying at the Grand Hotel.
 recommend: They recommended meeting earlier.
 keep: He kept working, although he felt ill.
 avoid: She avoided talking to her boss.
And here are some common verbs followed by 'to' and the infinitive.
 agree: She agreed to give a presentation at the meeting.

 ask*: I asked to leave early / I asked him to leave early.
 decide: We decided to go out for dinner.
 help*: He helped to clean the kitchen / he helped his flatmate to clean the kitchen.
 plan: She plans to buy a new flat next year.
 hope: I hope to pass the exam.
 learn: They are learning to sing.
 want*: I want to come to the party / I want him to come to the party.
 would like*: I would like to see her tonight / I would like you to see her tonight.
 promise: We promised not to be late.
*We can use an object before the infinitive with these verbs.
(Note that 'help' can also be followed by the infinitive without 'to' with no difference
in meaning: 'I helped to carry it' = 'I helped carry it'.)
Gerunds and Infinitives Part 1
Put the verb into the correct form:
1. I don’t fancy ______________ (go) out tonight.
2. She avoided ______________ (tell) him about her plans.
3. I would like ______________ (come) to the party with you.
4. He enjoys ______________ (have) a bath in the evening.
5. She kept ______________ (talk) during the film.
6. I am learning ______________ (speak) English.
7. Do you mind ______________ (give) me a hand?
8. She helped me ______________ (carry) my suitcases.
9. I’ve finished ______________ (cook). Come and eat!
10. He decided ______________ (study) Biology.
11. I dislike ______________ (wait).
12. He asked ______________ (come) with us.
13. I promise ______________ (help) you tomorrow.
14. We discussed ______________ (go) to the cinema, but in the end we stayed at
home.
15. She agreed ______________ (bring) the pudding.

16. I don’t recommend ______________ (take) the bus, it takes forever!
17. We hope ______________ (visit) Amsterdam next month.
18. She suggested ______________ (go) to the museum.
19. They plan ______________ (start) college in the autumn.
20. I don’t want ______________ (leave) yet.

Here are some more verbs that are usually followed by the gerund
 miss: She misses living near the beach.

 appreciate: I appreciated her helping me.
 delay: He delayed doing his taxes.
 postpone: He postponed returning to Paris
 practise: She practised singing the song.
 consider: She considered moving to New York.
 can't stand: He can't stand her smoking in the office.
 can't help: He can't help talking so loudly.
 risk: He risked being caught.
 admit: He admitted cheating on the test.
And here are some more verbs followed by 'to' and the infinitive.
 can afford: We can't afford to go on holiday.

 manage: He managed to open the door without the key.
 prepare*: They prepared to take the test /
the teachers prepared the students to take the test.
 demand: He demanded to speak to Mr. Harris.
 choose: I chose to help.
 offer: Frank offered to drive us to the supermarket.
 wait: She waited to buy a movie ticket.
 would hate*: I'd hate to be late / I'd hate you to be late.
 would love*: I'd love to come / I'd love him to come.
 seem: Nancy seemed to be disappointed.
Put the verb into the gerund or the infinitive with ‘to’:
1. She delayed ______________ (get) out of bed.
2. He demanded ______________ (speak) to the manager.
3. I offered ______________ (help).
4. I miss ______________ (go) to the beach.
5. We postponed ______________ (do) our homework.
6. I’d hate ______________ (arrive) too late.
7. She admitted ______________ (steal) the money.
8. I chose ______________ (work) here.
9. She waited ______________ (buy) a drink.
10. I really appreciate ______________ (be) on holiday.
11. I couldn’t help ______________ (laugh).
12. It seems ______________ (be) raining.
13. I considered ______________ (move) to Spain.
14. They practised ______________ (speak).
15. Finally I managed ______________ (finish) the work.
16. I really can’t stand ______________ (wait) for the bus.
17. Unfortunately, we can’t afford ______________ (buy) a new car this year.
18. She risked ______________ (be) late.
19. I’d love ______________ (come) with you.
20. I prepared ______________ (go) on holiday.
Here are some more verbs that are usually followed by the gerund.
 deny: He denied committing the crime.

 mention: He mentioned going to that college.
 imagine: He imagines working there one day.
 tolerate: I tolerated her talking.
 understand: I understand his quitting.
 involve: The job involves travelling to Japan once a month.
 complete: He completed renovating the house.
 report: He reported her stealing the money.
 anticipate: I anticipated arriving late.
 recall: Tom recalled using his credit card at the store.
And here are some more verbs followed by 'to' and the infinitive.
 expect*: They expect to arrive early / they expect Julie to arrive early

 intend: We intend to visit you next spring.
 pretend: The child pretended to be a monster.
 refuse: The guard refused to let them enter the building.
 tend: He tends to be a little shy.
 would prefer*: I'd prefer to do it / I'd prefer him to do it.
 deserve: He deserves to go to jail.
 appear: His health appeared to be better.
 arrange: Naomi arranged to stay with her cousin in Miami.
 claim: She claimed to be a princess.
1. It appears _________________ (be) raining.
2. We intend _________________ (go) to the countryside this weekend.
3. I pretended _________________ (be) sick so I didn’t have to go to work.
4. Can you imagine_________________ (live) without TV?
5. They tolerate_________________ (smoke) but they prefer people not to.
6. I anticipate _________________ (arrive) on Tuesday.
7. A wedding involves _________________ (negotiate) with everyone in the

family.
8. He denies _________________ (steal) the money.
9. He claims _________________ (be) a millionaire but I don’t believe him.

10. I expect _________________ (be) there about seven.
11. Julia reported _________________ (see) the boys to the police.
12. It tends _________________ (rain) a lot in Scotland.
13. Do you recall _________________ (meet) her at the party last week?
14. She mentioned _________________ (go) to the cinema, but I don’t know
what she decided to do in the end.
15. The teenager refused _________________ (go) on holiday with his parents.
16. I understand _________________ (be) late once or twice, but every day is too
much!
17. I would prefer you _________________ (come) early if you can.
18. That criminal deserves _________________ (get) a long sentence.
19. She completed _________________ (paint) her flat.
20. We arranged _________________ (meet) at four but at four thirty she still
hadn’t arrived.

These verbs can be followed by either the gerund or the infinitive with a change in meaning.
Remember + gerund
This is when you remember something that has happened in the past. You have a memory of
it, like being able to see a movie of it in your head.
 I remember going to the beach when I was a child. (= I have a memory of going to the
beach).
 He remembers closing the door. (= He has a memory of closing the door).
Remember + to + infinitive
This is when you think of something that you need to do. (And usually, you then do the
thing).
 I remembered to buy milk. (= I was walking home and the idea that I needed milk
came into my head, so I bought some).
 She remembered to send a card to her grandmother.
Forget + gerund
This is the opposite of remember + gerund. It's when you forget about a memory, something
that you've done in the past.
 Have we really studied this topic before? I forget reading about it.
 I told my brother that we'd spent Christmas at Granny's house in 1985, but he'd
forgotten going there.
Forget + to + infinitive
This is the opposite of remember + to + infinitive. It's when you want to do something, but
you forget about it.
 I forgot to call my mother. (= I wanted to call my mother, but when it was a good time
to call her, I forgot. I was thinking about something else, and the idea to call my mother
didn't come into my head).
 She keeps forgetting to bring his book back.
Try + gerund
This is when you do something as an experiment. The thing you do is not difficult, but you
want to see if doing it will have the result that you want.
 I wanted to stop smoking, so I tried using nicotine patches. (= Using nicotine patches
was easy, but I wanted to know if it would help me stop smoking).
 She tried giving up chocolate, but it didn't help her lose weight. (It was easy for her to
give up chocolate. She gave it up to see if it would help her lose weight, but it didn't).
Try + to + infinitive
This is when the thing you do itself is difficult. In the present tense or future tense, this
means you might not succeed in doing it. In the past tense, it means that you made an effort
to do the thing, but you did not succeed.
 I'll try to carry the suitcase, but it looks too heavy for me.
 She tried to catch the bus, but she couldn't run fast enough.
Look at the difference:
 I tried giving up chocolate (it was no problem to stop eating chocolate) but it didn't
make me feel more healthy.
 I tried to give up chocolate, but it was too hard. I always ate some when my friends
offered it to me.
 It was too hot in the room. I tried opening the window (it was easy to open the
window). It didn't help though, because it was very hot outside too.
• I tried to open the window, but I couldn't because it was stuck.

Stop + gerund
When we stop doing something it means the verb in the gerund is the thing that we stop. It
can mean 'stop forever' or 'stop at that moment'.
 I stopped working when I was expecting a baby. (Working is the thing I stopped).
 My grandmother stopped driving when she was 85. (Driving is the thing she
stopped).
 My boss came into the room, so I stopped browsing the internet.

 There was a fire alarm, so I stopped eating and went outside.
Stop + to + infinitive
In this case, we stop something else in order to do the verb in the infinitive.
 I stopped to eat lunch. (I stopped something else, maybe working or studying,

because I wanted to eat lunch.
 She was shopping and she stopped to get a cup of coffee. (She stopped shopping
because she wanted to get a cup of coffee).
Look at the difference:
 I stopped smoking. (I gave up cigarettes OR I threw away my cigarette at that

moment).
 I stopped to smoke. (I stopped doing something else because I wanted to have a
cigarette).
Regret + gerund
This is when you are sorry about something you did in the past and you wish you hadn't done
it.
 I regret going to bed so late. I'm really tired today.

 She regrets leaving school when she was sixteen. She wishes that she had studied
more and then gone to university.
Regret + to + infinitive
We use this construction when we are giving someone bad news, in quite a formal way. The
verb is almost always something like 'say' or 'tell' or 'inform'.
 I regret to tell you that the train has been delayed.

 The company regrets to inform employees that the London office will close next year.
1. I couldn’t sleep so I tried _____________ (drink) some hot milk.
2. She tried _____________ (reach) the book on the high shelf, but she was too small.
3. They tried _____________ (get) to the party on time but the bus was delayed.
4. We tried _____________ (open) the window, but it was so hot outside it didn’t help.
5. He tried _____________ (get) a job in a newspaper firm but they wouldn’t hire him.
6. He tried _____________ (get) a job in a newspaper firm but he still wasn’t satisfied.
7. You should stop _____________ (smoke), it’s not good for your health.
8. We stopped _____________ (study) because we were tired.
9. They will stop _____________ (have) lunch at twelve.
10. We stopped _____________ (have) a rest, because we were really sleepy.
11. Oh no! I forgot _____________ (buy) milk.
12. Please don’t forget _____________ (pick) up some juice on your way home.
13. I forget _____________ (lock) the door, but I’m sure I must have locked it.
14. Have we studied this before? I’ve forgotten _____________ (learn) it.
15. Please remember _____________ (bring) your homework.
16. I remember _____________ (go) to the beach as a child.
17. Finally I remembered _____________ (bring) your book! Here it is.
18. Do you remember _____________ (eat) steak in that little restaurant in Rome?
19. I regret _____________ (tell) you that the train has been delayed.
20. I regret _____________ (tell) Julie my secret; now she has told everyone.
7. Prefixes and Suffixes
Prefixes and suffixes are very important in English. They are sets of letters that are often
placed at the beginning of a word (a prefix) or at the end of a word (a suffix) to
change its meaning.
This is why we often see words that look similar, but have different beginnings or
endings, and have similar meanings. Learning the most common prefixes and suffixes
will help you to learn lots of new vocabulary. Look at the examples and tables in this
article and practice with these prefixes and suffixes worksheets. You'll start to feel
comfortable with them very quickly!
Prefixes and suffixes are two kinds of affixes. Review them before continuing with these
worksheets.
First, let's go over some of the most common prefixes and suffixes and how they are
used.
Prefixes
A prefix is a set of letters that is added to the beginning of a word to change its
meaning. Each prefix has a general meaning, so you will be able to understand what a
word with a prefix means more easily.
Let's look at an example.
friendly unfriendly
The first man looks very friendly! I think it would be nice to spend time with him.
The second man looks unfriendly. I don't think it would be much fun to spend time with
him!
We can see in the second sentence that we added the prefix "un-" to the word "friendly."
This prefix "un-" means "not" or "the opposite of."
Here are more examples with the prefix "un-":
 happy ----> unhappy
 finished ----> unfinished
 believable ----> unbelievable
 acceptable ----> unacceptable
These words are all adjectives. We can also use the prefix "un-" with verbs.
Look at these examples:
 do ----> undo
 plug in ----> unplug
When you see a word that begins with the prefix "un-", you can know its meaning by
looking at the word's root (the part that is not the prefix or the suffix). It might be a
word you already know!
But, be careful! Be sure you've seen the whole prefix before you decide the word's
meaning.
Look at the word below:
 underdeveloped
Let's try to find the prefix. Is it "un-" as in underdeveloped? No, that doesn't sound
right!
We know the word "develop," which means "to grow bigger or become more advanced."
This is the root of our word!
So, the prefix must be under, which means "below," "lower," or "not enough." The
word underdeveloped means "not developed enough."
The table below has some common prefixes, their meaning, and an example word.
Prefix Meaning Example word
dis- not, opposite of disagree
in-, im- not incorrect, impossible
mis- incorrectly misunderstand
re- again redo (do again)
un- not uninteresting
below, lower, not

under- underwater
enough
Suffixes
A suffix is a set of letters that is added to the beginning of a word to change its
meaning. Each suffix has a general meaning, so you will be able to understand what a
word with a suffix means more easily.
Let's look at an example.
love lovable
The couple is getting married because they love each other very much.
That teddy bear is so cute and lovable!
We can see in the second sentence that we added the suffix "-able" to the word "love."
This suffix "-able" means "capable of being" or "able to be."
So, the word lovable means something is able to be loved, or it makes you feel love for
it.
Here are more examples with the suffix "-able" or "-ible" (depending on the root word):
 present ----> presentable
 comfort ----> comfortable
 depend ----> dependable
 reach ----> reachable
"-able" is an example of an adjective suffix. Any time you see a word ending in "-able",
it is an adjective.
Some suffixes are noun suffixes. They always make a noun. For example, "-ment"
talks about an "action" or a "process":
 enjoy ----> enjoyment

 treat ----> treatment
 govern ----> government
Do you remember the word underdeveloped that we look at a moment ago? The root
of this word is "develop."
 development
The root is the same, but we have used the noun suffix ment, so this is the process or
action of developing.
The table below has some common adjective suffixes, their meaning, and an example
word.
Suffix Meaning Example word
-able, -ible able to be terrible
-ful full of beautiful
-less not having, without toothless
And here are some noun suffixes, their meaning, and an example word.
Suffix Meaning Example word
-dom place or state of being freedom
-er a person who does worker
-ment action or process payment
-ness state of being happiness
Now that we've learned some common prefixes and suffixes, it's time to practice!
Exercise A: Prefixes
Complete the sentences by writing the correct prefix in the blank space. You can use a
dictionary to help you.
dis- -in mis- re- un- under-
1. I just can't believe it! The story is _____believable!
2. No, that answer is _____correct. It is wrong.
3. Let's look at this information again. We should _____view it before the test.
4. I saw Allison just a moment ago, but now I can't find her! It seems that
she _____appeared!
5. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't hear you correctly. I _____understood you.
6. The subway does not go over the land like a normal train. It moves _____ground.
Exercise B: Adjective suffixes
Complete the words that describe the pictures below. Use the suffixes from the list.
-able -ful -less
1. The first woman is very tired. She wants to rest!
The second woman can't stay still. She always wants to move! She is rest_____.

2. The first dog isn't cute. He's a little scary!
The second dog is very cute! He's ador_____!

3. Jason writes lots of lists, so he always remembers what he has to do. He never
forgets!
But Melanie can't remember anything! She's very forget_____!

Exercise C: Noun suffixes

Complete the sentences that describe the pictures using the correct suffix. You can use a
dictionary to help you.
-dom -er -ment -ness
1. I teach science in big a university. I am a physics teach_____.
2. Sir Alan is King Richard's best knight. He is brave and strong. He is the most
important knight in Richard's whole king_____!
3. Henrietta is my best friend. She is wonderful! The best thing about her is her
kind_____. She is always so nice to people!
4. The kids always have fun together. They never disagree or have an argu_____.
8. Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs are very common in English but they also cause a few problems.
First, there are very, very many phrasal verbs and it can be hard to know where to
start. However, two linguists called Maclodie Garnier and Norbert Schmitt have
made a very useful list of the 150 most common ones. My explanations below each
look at 15 of the most common phrasal verbs.
Second, phrasal verbs often have more than one meaning. 'Take off' can mean both
'leave the ground' and 'become successful'. 'Go on' has eight meanings in the Oxford
Learner's Dictionary. How can we choose which meanings to study? Again, the
list made by Garnier and Schmitt is helpful. Here I'm looking at the most common
meaning for each phrasal verb.
Third, phrasal verbs are often used only in very specific situations. They have narrow
meanings and you will often see the same examples again and again. These are the
situations that it's important to learn. Even though 'go on' means 'happen', we can
use 'happen' in a lot more situations than we can use 'go on'.
Phrasal Verbs 1
1: GO ON = happen
 What's going on?

 There's a class going on at the moment.
 What went on last night?
2: PICK UP = get something or someone from a place
 I picked up my brother from the airport.

 Please pick up some bread.
 Would you come and pick me up from work tonight?
3: COME BACK = return to a place (the speaker is in that place)
 She came back around 10pm last night.

 When will you come back from France?
 Please come back! It's boring here without you.
4: COME UP WITH = produce an idea
 Julie came up with a great idea.

 He came up with an answer to the question very quickly.
 Can you come up with a better solution?
5: GO BACK = return to a place (the speaker isn't in that place)
 He finished his work and went back to his flat.

 When is she planning to go back to Japan?
 I'll go back to the library later.
6: FIND OUT = get information
 Can you find out what time the restaurant opens?

 I found out that we need to submit our essays next Tuesday.
 I don't know what the weather forecast is for tomorrow, but I'll find out.
7: COME OUT = appear from a place
 She came out of the kitchen.

 He went to the cafe and came out with a coffee.
 Please come out of the bedroom.
8: GO OUT = go to an event / restaurant / pub / party
 Let's go out for dinner.

 You're going out a lot these days.
 We should go out more.
9: POINT OUT = show / mention
 She pointed out the beautiful paintings on the walls.

 Please point out to the students that they must attend all the lectures.
 'We'll miss the bus if we don't hurry', he pointed out.
10: GROW UP = become an adult
 I grew up in Scotland.
 My children are growing up too fast!
 When will he grow up?
11: SET UP = create / arrange
 I need to set up a new bank account.

 She's decided to set up her own company.
 I set up some language classes at the school.
12: TURN OUT = in the end we discover
 The maid turned out to have stolen the money.

 He turned out to be a friend of Alex's.
 The party turned out to be a big success.
13: GET OUT = leave a room / building / car
 I need to get out of the house!

 She got out of the car and went into the shop.
 Get out! There's a fire in the kitchen!
14: COME IN / INTO = enter (the speaker is in that place)
 Please come in! It's great to see you.

 She came into the living room and sat down.
 Don't come in! I'm not ready yet!
15: TAKE ON = to be responsible for
 He's going to take on the new project.

 She isn't taking on any new students at the moment.
 Could you take on some extra work?
Phrasal Verbs Exercise 1

Choose the correct phrasal verb: go on / pick up / come back / come up with / go back / find out /
come out / go out / point out / grow up / set up / turn out / get out / come in(to) / take on.
21. Can you ________________________________________ (think of an idea) a better

idea?
22. She ________________________________________ (showed / mentioned) that

the shops would already be closed.
23. I wish I hadn’t ________________________________________ (become

responsible for) so much work!
24. I ________________________________________ (went to an event) for dinner with

my husband last night.
25. He ________________________________________ (entered a place where the

speaker is) the kitchen and made some tea.
26. Where did you ________________________________________ (become an adult)?
27. I’d love to ________________________________________ (arrange / create) my

own business.
28. I really want to ________________________________________ (leave a building)

of this office and go for a walk.
29. As I arrived, he ________________________________________ (appeared from a

place) of the door.
30. She ________________________________________ (got something from a

place) some dinner on the way home.
31. Could you ________________________________________ (get information) what

time we need to arrive?
32. I thought the conference was going to be boring but it
________________________________________ (in the end we discovered) to be

quite useful.
33. What time did you ________________________________________ (return to a
place where the speaker is) yesterday?
34. She ________________________________________ (appeared from a place) of the

café and put on her gloves.
35. A performance ________________________________________ (is happening) at

the moment.
36. He ________________________________________ (left a car) of the car.
37. He ________________________________________ (went to an event) a lot at

the weekend, so he’s tired today.
38. Can we ________________________________________ (arrange / create) a

meeting next week?
39. Would anybody like to ________________________________________ (become

responsible for) this new client?
40. He ________________________________________ (returned to a place where the

speaker is) before I left.
41. It’s lovely watching my children ________________________________________
(become adults).
42. She ________________________________________ (returned to a place where the

speaker is not) to school.
43. He ________________________________________ (showed / mention) the stars

to the children.
44. He ________________________________________ (returned to a place where the

speaker is not) to Poland last year.
45. He ________________________________________ (thought of an idea) a solution.
46. Please ________________________________________ (enter a place where

the speaker is)!
47. At the end of the film, it ________________________________________ (in the end

we discovered) that John was a good guy.
48. Could you ________________________________________ (get someone from

a place) Lucy later?
49. We need to ________________________________________ (get information) how
much it costs.
50. What ________________________________________ (’s happening)?
Phrasal Verbs 2
16. GIVE UP = stop having or doing
 She has finally given up smoking.

 I had to give up coffee when I was ill.
 He gave up chocolate for a month.
17. MAKE UP = be the parts that form something (often used in the
passive with 'of')
 Women make up 46% of the employees here.

 This class is made up entirely of boys.
 People who can speak English make up a quarter of the world's population.
18. END UP = finally do or be something, especially when you don't

expect it
 We ended up going back home because it was raining so hard.

 They ended up passing the last exam, even though they failed all the other
exams.
 Be careful! You'll end up without a job if you are rude to your boss.
19. GET BACK = arrive somewhere again, especially your home (+ to +

place)
 She got back to Paris last night.

 What time did you get back yesterday?
 We got back very late because the train was delayed.
20. LOOK UP = raise your eyes
 She looked up from her computer and asked a question.

 I called his name, but he didn't look up.
 John looked up from his book when Julie came in.
21. FIGURE OUT = think about until you understand / plan (more
common in USA)
 Let's figure out how we can get to London very early in the morning.
 She couldn't figure out why he had left.
 He finally figured out that the cat must have broken the plate.
22. SIT DOWN = change from standing to sitting

 Do please sit down.
 She sat down and took out her book.
 The children sat down in rows and crossed their legs.
23. GET UP = change from lying or sitting to standing (more casual than
'stand up')
 She got up when we arrived (= she was sitting and she stood up).
 I don't want to get up. It's so comfortable sitting here.
 What are you doing on the floor? Get up!
24. TAKE OUT = remove from a container (+ of before a noun)
 She took the letter out of the envelope.

 I'll take the sweets out of the box and put them under the Christmas tree now.
 He took his clothes out of the suitcase and put them away in the wardrobe.
25. COME ON = we say this to encourage someone to go faster or try

harder
 Come on! You're going to be left behind.

 Come on, don't worry. It's all going to be fine.
 She kept telling me to come on, but I was already going as fast as I could.
26. GO DOWN = move to a lower place (+ to + place)
 She started to go down the stairs.

 We went down to the cafÃ© and bought some coffee.
 Let's go down to the cellar and see if we can find those books.
27. SHOW UP = arrive at or come to an event / meeting (especially if

there's something surprising)
 We all went to the party, but Lucy didn't show up.

 He showed up at the meeting two hours late. Julie was very angry.
 I wonder if John's going to show up today. He didn't come last time.
28. TAKE OFF = remove clothes or jewellery
 I took off my coat because it was very hot.

 She always takes off all her rings before she goes to bed.
 Is it okay to take off my shoes?
29. WORK OUT = think about until you understand / plan (more
common in UK)
 We need to work out how to get to the wedding.

 She couldn't work out how the bird had got into the living room.
 I don't know why the car won't start but I'll work it out.
30. STAND UP = change from lying or sitting to standing (less casual

than 'get up')
 Please stand up when the queen comes in.
 She finished her coffee, stood up, and left the restaurant.
 He stood up to let an old man have his seat.
Choose the correct phrasal verb:

give up / make up / end up / get back / look up / figure out / sit down
get up / take out / come on / go down / show up / take off / work out / stand up.
1. She ________________________________________ (arrived somewhere again) to London

last week.
2. David ________________________________________ (removed clothes or jewellery) his

gloves and put them in his pocket.
3. John ________________________________________ (changed from lying or sitting to

standing – not casual) and left the room without a word.
4. What time did John ________________________________________ (arrive somewhere

again) yesterday?
5. Please ________________________________________ (I am encouraging the person to go

faster or try harder)! We’re already miles behind the others.
6. She ________________________________________ (raised her eyes) from her laptop and

smiled.
7. She ________________________________________ (stopped having or doing) coffee last

year but was so grumpy that she started drinking it again.
8. You should ________________________________________ (remove clothes or jewellery)

your hat inside.
9. People from other countries ________________________________________ (are the parts
that form something) about a third of the population of London.
10. He didn’t even ________________________________________ (raise his eyes) when she

came in. So rude!
11. We ________________________________________ (are moving to a lower place) to the

beach now. Would you like to come?
12. Lucy! ________________________________________ (change from lying or sitting to

standing – more casual) quick! The teacher is coming!
13. The children ________________________________________ (changed from lying or sitting
to standing – less casual) when the headmaster arrived.
14. She came into the room and ________________________________________ (changed

from standing to sitting).
15. She _________________ the bags __________________ (removed from a container) of the
car and put them in the hall.
16. ________________________________________ (I’m encouraging the person to go faster or

try harder)! You’re doing really well. Keep going!
17. She finally ________________________________________ (thought until she understood /

planned – more UK) the answers to the maths homework.
18. They ________________________________________ (moved to a lower place) to the

kitchen and made some tea.
19. Please ________________________________________ (change from standing to sitting).
20. You’re making me nervous!
21. She ________________________________________ (changed from lying or sitting to

standing – more casual) slowly and picked up her bag.
22. After a long day, we ________________________________________ (finally did or were

something, especially when you don’t expect it) getting a pizza and falling asleep on the sofa.
23. I can’t ________________________________________ (think about until I understand / plan
– more UK) why Andrew is so upset.
24. We’ll ________________________________________ (stop having or doing) chocolate after

the holidays!
25. I can’t ________________________________________ (think about until I understand /

plan more USA) how to do this exercise.
26. I couldn’t believe it! He didn’t ________________________________________ (arrive at or
come to an event / meeting - especially if there’s something surprising) until 11pm!
27. They ________________________________________ (thought about until they understood

/ plan – more USA) that it must have been the toddler who put the milk in the oven.
28. She wanted to go travelling but she ________________________________________ (finally did

or was something, especially when you don’t expect it) working in a shop all summer.
29. I ______________the book ____________________ (removed from a container) of my bag

and gave it to him.
30. I think coffee and cakes ________________________________________ (are the parts that
form something) most of her diet!
31. We had a meeting yesterday but only a few people
32. ________________________________________ (arrive at or come to an event / meeting -

especially if there’s something surprising).
Phrasal Verbs 3
31. COME DOWN (FROM) = move from a high place to a lower place
 She came down slowly from the roof.

 Do come down! Youâ€™re going to fall!
 They came down from the tower.
32. GO AHEAD = to begin to do something
 I asked the manager and she says to go ahead and start the meeting.
 Go ahead! You donâ€™t need to wait for us!
 Iâ€™m going to go ahead and book the holiday.
33. GO UP = increase (in price or temperature, etc.)
 House prices have gone up a lot in the last few months.

 At the beginning of our trip, it was really cold but then the temperature went
up.
 I canâ€™t believe how much the prices have gone up since my last visit here.
34. LOOK BACK (ON) = think about something in the past
 When I look back on my childhood, I realise how different the world is now.
 She spent time looking back on the race and thinking about ways to improve
for next time.
 When I look back on those days, I canâ€™t believe how young and foolish we
were.
35. WAKE UP = change from sleeping to being awake
 What time do you usually wake up?

 She woke me up at 5am!
 Could you wake up the children, please?
36. CARRY OUT = do and finish a task or activity
 She carried out an experiment on the cells in her laboratory.

 Please carry out the survey as soon as you can.
 The work was carried out by a local builder.
37. TAKE OVER = take control of
 I donâ€™t want to invite Mark! He always takes over the conversation.

 When the boss resigned, Julie took over the company.
 The rebels took over the Parliament.
38. HOLD UP = hold something high up so people can see it
 She held up her hand.

 He held up the bag and asked if anyone would like a closer look.
 Please hold this up for a moment.
39. PULL OUT (OF) = take something out of a container
 She pulled her purse out of her pocket.

 He reached into the drawer and pulled out a notebook and pen.
 She grabbed her bag and pulled out a bottle of water.
40. TURN AROUND / TURN ROUND = move so you face the other
direction
 He turned around and looked out the window.

 We walked along the beach for a while, then turned around and walked back.
 Turn around and donâ€™t look! Iâ€™ve got a surprise for you!
41. TAKE UP = use a certain amount of space or time
 The table takes up most of the kitchen!

 This work will take up the whole weekend.
 The children take up most of my time.
42. LOOK DOWN = move your eyes down

 She was very shy and she looked down when she met anyone new.
 I looked down to see a puppy at my feet.
 He opened the window and looked down.
43. PUT UP = fix something where it will be seen
 She put up lots of pictures in her new flat.

 Please put up this notice.
 The children put their drawings up on the wall.
44. BRING BACK = make something return
 She brought the conversation back to the weekend.

 He wants to bring back traditional schools.
 We had stopped having weekly meetings but the new boss brought them back.
45. BRING UP = start to talk about
 I wasnâ€™t going to mention it, but Julie brought up the plans for the
holidays.
 I want to talk to my boss about my pay but I donâ€™t know how to bring it
up.
 After we sat down, she brought up the problems that sheâ€™d been having at
work.
come down (from) / go ahead / go up / look back (on) / wake up / carry out / take over / hold up /
pull out (of) / turn around / take up / look down / put up / bring back / bring up.
1. Now that Amanda has quit, we really need someone to
________________________________________ (take control of) that part of the business.
2. If you want to get started on the report, please
________________________________________ (being to do something).
3. We were talking about the weather and then she
________________________________________ (started to talk about) the election.
4. This project ________________________________________ (is using a certain amount of

space or time) far too much time.
5. The repairs were ________________________________________ (done and finished a
task or activity) by a carpenter.
6. John is going to ________________________________________ (take control of) the

project.
7. Why don’t you ________________________________________ (begin to do something)

and have dinner? I’ll join you later.
8. She ________________________________________ (moved from a high place to a lower

place) the attic with dust in her hair.
9. I ________________________________________ (changed from sleeping to being

awake) in the middle of the night and I couldn’t go back to sleep.
10. The scientists ________________________________________ (did and finished a task or

activity) an experiment.
11. He felt something touch his leg so he ________________________________________
(moved his eyes down) and saw a cat.
12. ________________________________________ (change from sleeping to being awake)!

We need to go out!
13. She often ________________________________________ (thought about something in

the past) her time at university.
14. We used to call each other every week. Let’s ___________________ that
_____________________ (make something return) – it was really good.
15. She __________________ her purse ______________________ (took something out of a

container) her pocket.
16. Her phone call ________________________________________ (used a certain amount of

space or time) the whole evening.
17. Let’s ________________________________________ (fix something where it will be

seen) a notice to tell people the class has been cancelled.
18. Please ________________________________________ (move from a high place to a

lower place) that tree! It’s not safe!
19. Her house will probably ________________________________________ (increase) in

value.
20. The stock market ________________________________________ (has increased)

recently.
21. She ________________________________________ (moved her eyes down) at her feet

and mumbled an answer.
22. She ________________________________________ (fixed something where it will be

seen) some photos of her family next to her bed.
23. Please ________________________________________ (hold something high up so

people can see it) the sign so I can read it.
24. He likes to ________________________________________ (think about something in the

past) his trip round Australia.
25. She ________________________________________ (held something high up so people

can see it) the camera.
26. He _________________ the conversation _______________________ (make something

return) to the problem.
27. We walked to the lake, then ________________________________________ (moved to

face the other direction) and came back.
28. Could you ________________________________________ (start to talk about) this

problem at the meeting, please?
29. He ________________________________________ (moved to face the other direction)

and left the room.
30. He reached into the drawer and ________________________________________ (took

something out of a container) a notebook and pen.
Phrasal Verbs 4
46. LOOK OUT = look at something outside or far away
 She looked out at the sea.

 He walked to the window and looked out at the garden.
 Let's go up the tower and look out over the whole town.
47. BRING IN = bring something to a place (often a workplace)
 I brought in some cakes for us as a treat.

 Please bring in your books tomorrow.
 I think I left my umbrella at your flat â€“ could you bring it in tomorrow?
48. OPEN UP = make something be available
 Learning English opened up many new job opportunities for him.

 Now I've got an Italian passport, the whole of Europe has opened up. I can
travel anywhere.
 She learned German and the work of Goethe opened up to her.
49. CHECK OUT = look at, especially to find new information
 Please check out my Facebook page.

 You should check out John Smith's book. It's really good.
 The next time you're in London, check out the Science Museum.
50. MOVE ON = start talking about or doing something new
 After they had talked about the report, they moved on to the next topic.
 Please let's stop talking about this! Let's move on.
 (At the gym). We've done this exercise enough. Let's move on to the next
exercise.
51. PUT OUT = publish or tell the public about
 The school put out a call for donations.

 The hospital put out leaflets telling people about the flu.
 The government put out a book explaining how to do your taxes.
52. LOOK AROUND = look at where you are or walk around it to see what
is there
 Let's have a look around the shopping centre.

 She looked around the office.
 We were in Lisbon for only one day but we managed to look around the city.
53. CATCH UP (be or get caught up) = be involved in something, often

something you don't want to be
 Sorry I'm late. I got caught up at work.

 She was caught up in the strike at the airport.
 Let's leave now - they're going to ask for volunteers for the party and I don't
want to be caught up in that!
54. GO IN = enter (becomes 'into' with 'to')
 She went into the house and shut the door.

 Let's go in here.
 John went into the café.
55. BREAK DOWN = stop working
 Unfortunately, her car broke down on the way to the school.

 My washing machine has broken down - can I wash my clothes at your house?
 The truck broke down and blocked the whole road.
56. GET OFF = leave a train / bus / plane
 I need to get off the bus near the hospital.

 She got off the plane and took a taxi to the party.
 We got off at the wrong station!
57. KEEP UP = move at the same speed as
 Wages haven't kept up with rent prices.

 Do keep up! Why are you walking so slowly?
 She talks so fast that I can't keep up.
58. PUT DOWN = place something on a table or the floor or similar
 I came into my room and put down my bag on the floor.

 She put her glass down on the table.
 Please put down that box! It's too heavy for one person to carry.
59. REACH OUT = stretch your arm to get something
 She reached out for the book on the floor.

 He reached out and picked an apple from the tree.
 The baby reached out for the toy.
60. GO OFF = go somewhere to do something
 Julie went off to the gym.

 Where's Lucy? She's gone off to work.
 She went off to buy a skirt.

look out / bring in / open up / check out / move on / put out / look around / be caught up / go in /
break down / get off / keep up / put down / reach out / go off
1) She walked over to the door and ____________________________ (looked at something

outside or far away).
2) Reading ____________________________ (made something be available) a new world for

him.
3) Unfortunately, she got ____________________________ (involved in something, often

something you don’t want to be) at the office so she can’t come for dinner.
4) Could you ____________________________ (bring something to a place) the money

tomorrow?
5) She ____________________________ (brought something to a place) her baby daughter to

meet us.
6) Quick! Let’s ____________________________ (enter) to the shop. It’s starting to rain.
7) Please try to ____________________________ (move at the same speed as) with us – we

don’t want to lose you in the crowd.
8) This is our stop. We need to ____________________________ (leave a train / bus / plane)

the bus here.
9) Okay, so you need to ____________________________ (leave a train / bus / plane) at Green

Park and change to the Victoria Line.
10) He got ____________________________ (involved in something, often something you don’t

want to be) in the demonstration in the centre of town, so he was late for work.
11) He ____________________________ (went somewhere to do something) to meet Amy.
12) Do we have time to ____________________________ (look at where you are or walk

around it to see what is there)? I’d really like to see your new house.
13) He ____________________________ (stretched his arm to get something) and grabbed a
book from the top shelf.
14) The doctor ____________________________ (published or told the public about) a leaflet
about how to prevent colds.
15) _____ that ________________________ (place something on a table or the floor or similar)!
16) It’s dangerous!
17) What opportunities will ____________________________ (make something be available)

once you have passed this exam?
18) She spent the morning ____________________________ (looking at where you are or
walking around it to see what is there) the old theatre.
19) Even though I was studying every night, I couldn’t ____________________________ (move
at the same speed as) with the rest of the class.
20) She ____________________________ (entered) to the restaurant and sat down near the
window.
21) Please ____________________________ (look at, especially to find new information) my

website!
22) She ____________________________ (place something on a table or the floor or similar)

her bag on the table.
23) The pop group ____________________________ (published or told the public about) two
new albums last year.
24) She ____________________________ (stretched her arm to get something) for the ball.
25) The printer ____________________________ (stopped working) so I couldn’t print our

tickets.
26) Sorry we’re so late. Our car ____________________________ (stopped working) and we
missed the train.
27) She ____________________________ (went somewhere to do something) to the library.
28) Enough talking about this! Let’s ____________________________ (start talking about or
doing something new).
29) They ____________________________ (looked at something outside or far away) of the

window at the mountains.
30) You should ____________________________ (look at, especially to find new information)
the new exhibition at the National Gallery. It’s amazing.
31) Once you’ve mixed the ingredients, ____________________________ (start talking about or
doing something new) to the next stage.
Extra Information:
Phrasal verbs are mainly used in spoken English and informal texts. (The more
formal a conversation or text, the less phrasal verbs are found.)
Phrasal verbs consist of a verb plus a particle (preposition, adverb). The particle can
change the meaning of the verb completely, e.g.:
 look up – consult a reference book (look a word up in a dictionary)

 look for – seek (look for her ring)
 look forward – anticipate with pleasure (look forward to meeting someone)
There are no rules that might explain how phrasal verbs are formed correctly - all
you can do is look them up in a good dictionary and study their meanings. In our
lists, you will find some frequently used phrasal verbs and their meanings.
Frequently Used Phrasal Verbs with:

 break, bring, call, carry, come, do, fall, get, go, keep, look, make, put, run, set, take, t
urn
Position of the Particle

The particle is placed either after the verb or after the object.
Example:
Write down the word. / Write the word down.
If the object is a pronoun, however, the particle has to be placed after the pronoun
(object).
Example:
Write it down.
Non-native speakers are often told that their only option is to memorise
each phrasal verb individually. Is it really necessary to do all that work? No. Not
only is it unnecessary, it’s inefficient. And it’s inefficient for three reasons:
1. Memorising phrasal verbs is inefficient because there are over 10,000 phrasal
verbs in the English language. Memorising each one independently would be
unreasonably time-consuming.
2. It’s inefficient because memorising phrasal verbs isn’t nearly as productive as
analysing meanings and using words in context.
3. Memorisation isn’t efficient because a huge number of phrasal verbs can be
understood from their component parts.
In order to understand phrasal verbs more clearly, we can divide them into three
categories:
 Transparent phrasal verbs

 Idiomatic phrasal verbs
 Aspectual phrasal verbs
Transparent phrasal verbs can be fully decoded by recognizing the meanings of

each word: the verb and the preposition. Generally speaking, a common sense of
the verb is combined with a directional sense of the preposition. In the first example
below, the meaning of put combines with the directional meaning of on to indicate
that the helmet is placed over the head.
 Now, if you’d like to put on your helmet.
Now let’s consider another example:
 They never send back all mail from these college places.


In this example, the meaning of send combines with the meaning

of back. Send expresses the concept that the mail can be delivered,
and back indicates that it can be delivered in a reverse direction, or returned. In the
next example, below, the meaning of sit combines with the directional meaning
of down. The phrasal verb shows that Amy is lowering her body into a sitting
position.
 ‘Nobody tells me anything’, Amy said slowly as she sat down again.
As you can see, the verb-preposition combination sat down is not followed by

a noun phrase at all; it is therefore an intransitive phrasal verb. Finally, in the next
example, the meaning of take combines with the meaning of out. Take indicates
that the speaker is transferring the notepad from one place to another,
and out indicates the outward direction of that transfer.
 I opened my briefcase and took out a notepad.


The second category of phrasal verbs includes idiomatic phrasal verbs. These
phrasal verbs cannot be understood from the individual meanings of the verb and
preposition. These phrases are idioms, which means that their meanings are
unpredictable, or opaque – they can’t be guessed. In a way, these phrases are
similar to individual vocabulary words: the verb-preposition pair has a unique
meaning, and we learn that unique meaning the way we learn individual vocabulary
words. In the next example, carry out means ‘accomplish’, a meaning that has no
clear connection to the words carry or out.
 I should be grateful if Smith would carry out these investigations.
In the next example, give up means surrender, and doesn’t appear to connect to

the meaning of give or up.
 I learned last season not to give up.
Finally, in the example below, went off means ‘transpired’, and again, it doesn’t

relate to the meanings of went or off.
 The jury was told the event went off well.
As you can see in the above examples, most idiomatic phrasal verbs have a
synonym that is one word. This one-word synonym is usually more formal than the
phrasal verb, and is therefore more useful when you’re speaking or writing in a
formal context.
The third category of phrasal verbs contains aspectual phrasal verbs. Grammatically,
we use the term aspect to refer to the nature of a verb as completed or ongoing.
These phrasal verbs can, like the transparent category, be understood by examining
each word. However, the particle in aspectual phrasal verbs has a different meaning
to the one you may be used to. These particles indicate either that the verb action
has been completed, or that it is ongoing. For this reason, we call these examples
‘aspectual’ phrasal verbs. Most commonly, a completed verb is indicated by the
prepositions up, out, off, or down, and an ongoing verb is indicated by the
particle on or away. In the example below, up relates to use by indicating that the
oxygen is used in its entirety, i.e. that it has been used to the point of completion.
 Oxygen is used up by organisms faster than it can be replaced.
In the next example, up relates to fill by conveying that the dish is filled entirely, to
the point of completion.
 The ideal place for a soap tray is under the shower so it doesn’t fill
up with water.
In the final example below, on communicates that play should continue, that it is
ongoing.
 Referee waves play on.
As you can see, many phrasal verbs can be understood by looking at their
component parts. But in order to understand phrasal verbs based on their
components, you must be sure that you understand the three categories that phrasal
verbs can belong to.
So, for English learners, is it really necessary to memorize every phrasal verb? Not
at all. Do you still have to memorize the meanings of idiomatic phrasal verbs?
Unfortunately, yes. But that’s not so bad in the end, because most phrasal verbs
aren’t idiomatic.
1. Get on | Subir/montarse
The bus was full.We couldn’t get on.
El autobús estaba completo, no pudimos subirnos.
2. Drive off | Marcharse (en un vehículo) de algún lugar

A woman got into the car and drove off.
Una mujer se subió al coche y se marchó.
3. Come back | Volver a algún lugar

Sally is leaving tomorrow and coming back on Saturday.
Sally se va mañana y vuelve el sábado.
3. Turn round | Cambiar de dirección, girarse

When I touched him on the shoulder, he turned round.
Cuando le toqué en el hombro, él se giró.
4. Break down | Dejar de funcionar, dejar de operar (romperse)

Sorry I’m late.The car broke down.
Siento llegar tarde. El coche dejó de funcionar (se rompió)
5. Look out | Ser cuidadoso, estar atento, permanecer atento

Look out!There’s a car coming
Presta atención!, Viene un coche.

6.Take off | Despegar
It was my first flight.I was nervous as the plane took off.
Fué mi primer vuelo. Estaba nervioso hasta que el avión despegó.
7. Get on | Ponerse, Llevarse (bien/mal) con alguien, llevar algo

¿Cómo lo llevas? > How do you get it on?
¿Qué tal el examen? ¿Cómo te fué? > How was the exam?how did you get on?
8. Get by | Apañárselas
My french isn’t very good, but it’s enough to get by.
My francés no es muy bueno, pero es suficiente para apañármelas.
9. Run away (from) | Escaparse, huir, alejarse

Why did you run away from me?
¿Por qué huiste de mí?
10. Keep up (with) | Llevar el ritmo

You’re walking too fast. I can’t keep up with you.
Estás andando muy rápido. No puedo llevar tu ritmo
11. Look up (at) | Fijarse en algo

We looked up at the plane as it flew above us.
Nos fijámos en el avión hasta que nos pasó por encima.
12. Look forward (to) | Estar pendiente/emocionado por algo que va a pasar, esperar
algo, mirar hacia adelante
Are you looking forward to your holiday?
¿Tienes ganas de tus vacaciones?
13. Get in | Entrar

How did the thieves get in?
¿Cómo entraron los ladrones?
14. Let yourself in | Dejar entrar a alguien

Here’s a key,so you can let yourself in.
Aquí tienes una llave, así que puedes entrar por ti mismo.

15. Dive in | Bucear, zambullirse, sumergirse.

Sally walked up to the edge of the pool and dived in.
Sally caminó por el borde de la piscina y se sumergió.
16. Move in | Mudarse, avanzar.

I’ve got a new flat.I’m moving in on Friday.
Tengo un piso nuevo, me mudo el viernes.
17. Check in (hotel,airport) | Presentar documentos, registrarse.

As soon as I got to the airport,I checked in.
Tan pronto como llegué al aeropuerto, me registré (hice el check in).
18. Walk out | Irse de algún lugar de repente.

He just stood up and walked out.
El tan solo se levantó y se marchó.
19. Lock out | Quedarse encerrado, no poder entrar.

I had no key,so i was locked out.
No tenía llaves, así que no pude entrar.
20. Climb out | Salir/subir con dificultades.

She swam up and down the pool,and then climbed out.
Ella nadó de un lado a otro de la piscina y entonces se salió.
21. Check out | Comprobar algo, pagar la cuenta, registrar la salida (hotel).
(at a hotel) What time do we have to check out?
(en un hotel) ¿A qué hora tenemos que dejar la habitación?
22. Drop/call in | Visitar/encontrarse a alguien sin tener intención previa de hacerlo.

I dropped in to see Chris on my way home.
Me encontré con Chris en mi camino a casa.
23. Join in | Tomar parte en algún tipo de actividad que se está llevando a cabo.
We’re playing a game. Why don’t you join in?
Estamos jugando. ¿Por qué no te unes?
24. Plug in | Conectar algo a otra cosa (ejemplo conectar a la electricidad).

The fridge isn’t working because you haven’t plugged it in.
La nevera no está funcionando porque no la has conectado.
25. Fill in (U.K) – Fill out (U.S.A) | Escribir, rellenar un formulario o documento.
Please fill in the application form and send it to us.
Por favor rellena el formulario y envíanoslo.
(Aquí hago un inciso, podemos ver lo complicado que puede resultar el idioma
español a un angloparlante con este ejemplo: send it to us = envíanoslo; imagina lo
que debe significar para ellos el cambiar una frase simple con palabras básicas por
una conjugación tan “enrevesada”)
26. Take somebody in | Engañar, ser engañado.

The man said he was a policeman and I believed him. I was completely taken in.
El hombre dijo que era policía y lo creí. Estaba totalmente engañado.
27. Eat out | Comer fuera.

There wasn’t anything to eat at home, so we decided to eat out.
No había nada en casa para comer, así que decidimos salir a comer fuera.
28. Drop out |Dejar de hacer algo justo antes de terminar.

Gary went to university but dropped out after a year.
Gary fué a la universidad pero dejó de ir después de un año.
29. Get out | Evitar hacer algo, no tener que hacer algo nunca más.
I promise i’d go to the wedding. I don’t want to go, but I can’t get out of it now.
He prometido que iría a la boda. No quiero ir, pero ahora no puedo echarme atrás
(la traducción literal sería “no puedo evitar ir” o “no puedo no ir” lo cual sería una
redundancia, una traducción más correcta sería utilizar la expresión “no puedo
echarme atrás” desde mi punto de vista).
30. Cut something out | Recortar algo de un periódico o una revista, especialmente
fotos o imágenes.
There was a beautiful picture in the magazine, so I cut it out.
Había una bonita imagen en la revista, así que la recorté.
31. Leave something out | Omitir algo, no incluirlo.

In the sentence “She said that she was ill”,you can leave out the word “that”
En la frase “She said that she was ill”, puedes quitar la palabra “that”
32. Cross/rub something +out | Dibujar una línea alrededor para incluir o excluir
algo.
Some of the names on the list had been crossed out
Algunos de los nombres en la lista fueron seleccionados/rodeados (por una línea).
33. Go out | Que algo se apague por si sólo, hacer un esfuerzo, salir, pasar de moda.
Suddenly all the lights in the building went out.
De repente, todas las luces del edificio se vinieron abajo.
34. Put out(a fire,a cigarette,a light) | Extinguir, apagar algo.

We managed to put the fire out.
Logramos apagar el fuego.
35. Turn out (a light) | Apagar (luces).

I turned the lights out before leaving.
Apagué las luces antes de irme.
36. Blow out | Apagar (normalmente fuego, velas), reventar algo (explosión), vaciar.
We don’t need a candle.You can blow it out.
No necesitamos una vela. Puedes apagarla.
37. Work out | Hacer ejercicio físico.

Rachel works out at the gym three times a week.
Rachel hace ejercicio en el gimnasio tres veces por semana.
38. Work out | Desarrollarse, progresar, elaborar.

Good luck for the future.I hope everything works out well for you.
Buena suerte en el futuro. Espero que todo mejore/progrese para ti.

39. Work something out | Calcular, pensar acerca de un problema y hallar la
respuesta.
345 x 76? I need to do this on paper.I can’t work it out in my head.
¿345 x 76? Necesito un papel. No puedo calcularlo (hallar la respuesta)
mentalmente.
40. Carry out (order, experiment, survey) | Hacer algo y finalizarlo (cumplir con

algo, alguien).
Soldiers are expected to carry out orders.
De los soldados se espera que cumplan las órdenes.
41. Fall out (with somebody) | Dejar de ser amigos.

They used to be very good friends.I’m surprised to hear that they have fallen out
Solían ser buenos amigos. Me sorprende escuchar que han dejado de serlo.
42. Find out + THAT/WHAT/WHEN/WHO etc. | Recoger/tener/descubrir /recopilar

algo de información, hechos, situaciones.
The police never foun out who committed the murder.
La policía nunca descubrió quien cometió el asesinato.
43. Give/hand (things) out | Dar a cada persona, distribuir.

At the end of the lecture,the speaker gave out information sheets to the audience.
Al final de la conferencia/lectura, el ponente/orador hizo entrega de hojas de
información al público.
44. Point something out (to somebody) | Poner atención sobre algo, fijarse en algo,
señalar alguna información.
I didn’t realise I’d make a mistake until somebody pointed it out to me.
No me dí cuenta de que cometí un error hasta que alguien me lo señaló.
45. Run out (of something) | Acabar algo, quedarse sin algo importante, que algo se
vacíe.
We ran out of petrol on the motorway
Nos quedamos sin gasolina en la autovía.
46. Sort something out | Encontrar una solución, poner algo en orden.

There are a few problems we need to sort out.
Hay algunos problemas que debemos solucionar.

47. Turn out to be | Tener razón.

Nobody believed Paul at first,but he turned to be right.
Nadie creía a Paul al principio, pero tenía razón.
48. Turn out+good/nice | Que algo mejore (únicamente el tiempo).

The weather wasn’t so good in the morning,but it turned out nice later.
El tiempo no era muy bueno esta mañana, pero ha mejorado después.
49. Turn out+that | Resultó ser que…

I thought they knew each other,but it turned out that they’d never met.
Pensaba que se conocían, pero resultó que ellos jamas se habían conocido.
50. Try out ( a machine, a system) | Probar algo para comprobar que todo está bien.
The company is trying out a new computer system at the moment.
La compañía está probando un nuevo sistema informático en estos momentos.
¡¡Ya son 50 Phrasal Verbs!! Qué el ánimo no

decaiga… aun te quedan 100.

51. Go on | Algo que pasa/ocurre.

What’s all that noise? What’s going on?
¿Qué es todo ese ruido? ¿Qué está ocurriendo?
52. Call something off | Cancelar algo.

The open air concert had to be called off because of the weather.
El concierto al aire libre tubo que ser cancelado debido al tiempo.
53. Put something off | Retrasar algo, posponerlo.

The wedding has been put off until January.
La boda se ha pospuesto hasta enero.
54. Put off (doing something) | Retrasar algo, posponerlo.

We can’t put off making a decision. We have to decide now
No podemos demorar más la decisión, tenemos que decidirlo ahora.
55. Put on | Vestir algo, ponerse algo.

My hands were cold, so I put my gloves on
Mis manos estaban frías, así que me puse los guantes.
56. Put on (weight) | Coger kilos, ganar peso.

I’ve put on 2 kilograms in the last month.
He cogido 2 kilos el mes pasado.
57. Try on (clothes etc) | Para ver si te quedan bien, para ver si te gusta como te
queda algo.
I tried on a jacket in the shop,but it didn’t fit me very well.
Me probé una chaqueta en la tienda, pero no me quedaba muy bien.
58. Take off (clothes etc) | Quitarse, desvestirse

It was warm, so i took off my jacket.
Hacía calor, así que me quité la chaqueta.
59. Be off (to a place) | Expresar que alguien estará en un lugar en un momento

concreto.
Tomorrow i’m off to Paris.
Mañana estaré en París.
I’m off on holiday.

Me voy en vacaciones.
60. Walk,Run, Drive,Ride + off | Irse (caminando, corriendo, conduciendo… etc.)

Diane got on her bike and rode off.
Diane cogió su bicicleta y se fué.
61. Set off | Comenzar un camino/viaje/recorrido.

We set off very early to avoid the traffic.
Empezamos el camino muy temprano para evitar el tráfico.
62. Take off | Despegar del suelo (avión).

After a long delay the plane finally took off.
Después de un largo retraso, finalmente despegó el avión.
63. See somebody off | Acompañar a alguien al aeropuerto/estación para despedirte.

We went to the station with her to see her off.
Fuimos a la estación junto a ella para despedirnos.
64. Drive/Walk/Play + on | Continuar andando/conduciendo/Jugando.

Shall we stop at this petrol station or shall we drive on to the next one?
¿Deberíamos parar en esta gasolinera o deberíamos seguir conduciendo hasta la
siguiente?
65. Go on | Continuar.
The show must go on.
El show debe continuar.
66. Go on/carry on + doing something | Continuar (hacciendo algo)

I don’t want to carry on working here.I’m going to look for another job.
No quiero continuar trabajando aquí. Voy a buscar otro trabajo.
67. Go on with/carry on with something | Continuar (haciendo algo)

Don’t let me disturb you. Please carry on with what you’re doing
No dejes que te interrumpa. Por favor continúa con lo que estás haciendo.
68. Keep on (doing something) | Hacer algo continuamente o repetidamente (siempre)

He keeps on criticising me.
Él continúa criticándome.
69. Get on | Hacer progresos

How are you getting on in your new job?
¿Cómo te vá haciendo progresos en tu trabajo?
70. Get on (with somebody) | Tener una buena relación.

Carlos y Sara don’t get on.They’re always arguing.
Carlos and Sara no se llevan bien. Están siempre discutiendo.

De estos 70, ¿cuántos te sabes ya?

71. Get on (with something) | Continuar haciendo algo que tienes que hacer,
normalmente después de un descaso o una interrupción.
I must get on with my work.
Debo continuar con mi trabajo.
72. Doze/drop/nod + OFF | Caer dormido.

The lecture wasn’t very interesting.In fact I dropped off in the middle of it.
La lectura no era muy interesante. De hecho caí dormido en la mitad.
73. Finish something off | Hacer la última parte de algo.

I’ll finish it off tomorrow.
Lo terminaré mañana.
74. Go off | Que algo explote.

A bomb went off in the city centre, but fortunately nobody was hurt.
Una bomba explotó en el centro de la ciudad pero afortunadamente nadie resultó
herido.
75. Go off | Sonar, que algo suene.

Did you hear the alarm go off?
¿Escuchaste sonar la alarma?
76. Put somebody off (doing something) | Perder las ganas, hacer algo aunque no se

quiera, disuadir, cansar.
We wanted to go to the exhibition,but we were put off by the long queue.
Queríamos ir a la exhibición, pero nos desanimó la larga cola.
77. Rip somebody off | Engañar a alguien (informal)

Did you really pay £1.ooo for that painting? I think you were ripped off.
¿De verdad pagaste 1000 libras por ese cuadro? Creo que te engañaron.

78. Show off | Tratar de impresionar a la gente con tu habilidad, conocimiento, etc,
lucirse, exhibirse.
Look at that boy on the bike riding with no hands. He’s just showing off.
Fíjate en ese chico en la bici, conduciendo sin manos. Se está luciendo.
79. Tell somebody off | Regañar.

Clare’s mother told her off for wearing dirty shoes in the house.
La madre de Clare la regañó por llevar zapatos sucios dentro de casa.
80. Put something up (on a wall) | Colgar, poner alguna cosa en algún sitio.
I put some pictures up on the wall.
Colgué varios cuadros en la pared.
81. Pick something up | Recoger.

There was a letter on the floor.I picked it up and looked at it.
Había una letra en el suelo. La recogí y le eché un vistazo.
82. Stand up | Levantarse.

Alan stood up and walked out
Alan se levantó y caminó.
83. Turn something up | Elevar, subir.

I can’t hear the TV. Can you turn it up a bit?
No puedo escuchar la televisión. ¿Puedes subirla un poco?
84. Take down (from a wall etc.) | Bajar, quitar algo de algún sitio.
I didn’t like the picture,so I took it down.
No me gustaba el cuadro, así que lo quité.
85. Put something down | Soltar, dejar, depositar.

I stopped writing and put down my pen.
Dejé de escribir y solté mi bolígrafo.
86. Sit/Bend/Lie + Down | Sentarse, tumbarse, agacharse.

I bent down to tie my shoelace
Me agaché para atar mis cordones.

87. Turn something down | Bajar algo, reducir.

The oven is too hot.Turn it down to 150 degrees
El horno está demasiado caliente. Bájalo a 150º.
88. Knock/Blow/Cut + down | Demoler, tirar, echar abajo.

Some old houses were knocked down to make way for the new shopping centre
Algunas casas viejas fueron demolidas para crear un camino al nuevo centro
comercial.
89. Be knocked down | Noquear, tumbar, golpear, dejar inconsciente.

A man was knocked down by a car and taken to hospital
Un hombre fue atropellado por un coche y lo llevaron al hospital.
90. Slow down | Reducir la velocidad, ir mas despacio.

You’re driving too fast.Slow down!
Vas demasiado rápido. ¡Ve mas despacio!
91. Calme down | Calmarse, calmar a alguien.

Calm down.There’s no point in getting angry
Cálmate. No tiene sentido enfadarse.
92. Cut down (on something) | Hacer algo menos de la costumbre

I’m trying to cut down on coffee.I drink for much of it.
Estoy intentando tomar menos café, bebo mucho.
93. Break down | Dejar de funcionar (máquinas, coches, etc.)

The car broke down and I had to phone for help.
El coche se estropeó y tuve que llamar por ayuda.
94. Close/ Shut + DOWN | Cerrar un negocio, apagar (máquina, coche, etc)

There used to be a shop at the end of the street;it closed down a few years ago
Solía haber una tienda al final de la calle; cerró hace algunos años.
95. Let somebody down | Defraudar a alguien porque no has hecho lo que esperaban
de ti.
You can always rely on Pete. He’ll never let you down.
Siempre puedes confiar en Pete. Nunca te defraudará.
96. Turn somebody/something down | Rechazar a algo o alguien.

I applied for several jobs, but I was turned down for each one.
Solicité varias ofertas de empleo, pero fuí rechazado en cada una de ellas.
97. Write something down | Escribir algo en un papel porque quizás necesitas la
información más tarde.
I can’t remember Tim’s address. I wrote it down,but I can’t find it.
No puedo recordar la dirección de Tim. La escribí pero no puedo encontrarla.
98. Go up/come up/walk up (to..) | Acercarse, acelerar el ritmo, acelerar.

A man come up to me in the street and asked me for money.
Un hombre se me acercó en la calle y me pidió dinero.
99. Catch up (with somebody) | Alcanzar una velocidad o nivel determinado.

You’re doing well.Keep it up! I can’t catch up with you.
Lo estás haciendo bien. ¡Sigue así! No puedo alcanzarte.
100. Set up (organisation,company,business,system,website etc) | Designar, elegir,

seleccionar.
The government has set up a committe to investigate the problem.
El gobierno ha elegido un comité para investigar el problema.
OMG!! Ya son 100 Phrasal Verbs!! A continuar

como campeones.

101. Take up (a hobby,a sport, an activity) | Comenzar algo.

Laura took up photography a few years ago. She takes really good pictures.
Laura empezó con la fotografía hace unos años. Hace fotos realmente buenas.
102. Fix up (a meeting) | Organizar, arreglar.

We’ve fixed up a meeting for next Monday.
Hemos organizado una reunión para el próximo lunes.
103. Grow up | Crecer, hacerse mayor.

Sarah was born in Ireland but grew up in England.
Sarah nació en Irlanda pero creció en Inglaterra.
104. Bring up (a child) | Levantar, cuidar a un niño, hacerse cargo.

Her parents died when she was a child and she was brought up by her
grandparents.
Sus padres murieron cuando era una niña y sus abuelos se hicieron cargo de ella.
105. Clean/Clear/Tidy UP | Dejar algo limpio, recogido.

Look at this mess! Who’s going to tidy up (or to tidy it up).
Mira todo este desastre, quién va a recogerlo.
106. Wash up | Limpiar los platos y cubiertos después de comer.

I hate washing up.
Odio lavar los platos.
107. End up (somewhere/doing something) | Terminar en algún lugar, o algo que se

está haciendo.
There was a fight in the street and 3 men ended up in the hospital.
Había una pelea en la calle y 3 hombres terminaron en el hospital.
108. Give up | Tirar la toalla, rendirse.

Don’t give up. Keep trying!
No tires la toalla. ¡Sigue intentandolo!
109. Give something up | Dejar de hacer algo.

Sue got bored with her Job and decided to give it up.
Sue se aburrió de su trabajo y decidió dejarlo.
110. Make up something (active form) | Formar parte de algo.

Children under 16 make up half the population of the city.
Los niños menores de 16 años forman la mitad de la población de la ciudad.
111. Be made up of something (passive form) | Estar hecho de parte de algo.

Air is made up mainly of nitrogen and oxygen.
El aire está formado principalmente por nitrógeno y oxígeno.
112. Take up (space or time) | Usar el espacio o el tiempo.

Most of the space in the room was taken up by a large table.
La mayor parte del espacio de la habitación estaba ocupado por una gran mesa.
113. Turn/Show UP | Llegar, aparecer, mostrar.

We arranged to meet Dave last night, but he didn’t turn up.
Quedamos con Dave anoche, pero no apareció.
114. Use something up | Usar la totalidad de algo hasta que no quede nada.
I’m going to take a few more photographs. I want to use up the rest of the film.
Voy a tomar algunas mas fotografías. Quiero acabar con el resto del carrete.
115. Bring up (a topic etc.) (Active form) | Introducir algo en una conversación,
mencionar algo.
I don’t want to hear any more about this matter. Please don’t bring it up again
No quiero escuchar nada más de este tema. Por favor no lo menciones.
116. Come up (Passive form) | Introducir algo en una conversación.

Some interesting matters come up in our discussion yesterday
Algunos temas interesantes salieron en nuestra discusión de ayer.
117. Make something up | Inventar algo que no es cierto, contar mentiras.

What Kevin told you about himself wasn’t true.He made it all up.
Lo que Kevin te dijo de él no era verdad. Se lo inventó todo.
118. Cheer up | Alegrarse.

You look so sad! Cheer up!
¡Pareces triste, alégrate!

119. Cheer somebody up | Hacer que alguien se sienta mejor (más feliz)
Helen is depressed at the moment. What can we do to cheer her up?
Helen está deprimida. ¿Qué podemos hacer para alegrarla?
120. Save up (for something, to do something) | Guardar algo para otra cosa (por
ejemplo guardar dinero para comprar algo)
Dan is saving up for a trip round the world
Dan está guardando dinero para un viaje alrededor del mundo.
Qué tal, ¿los estás disfrutando? se va acercando

el final…

121. Clear up | Que algo se aclare (para el tiempo)

It was raining when I got up, but it cleared up during the morning.
Estaba lloviendo cuando me levanté, pero se aclaró a lo largo de la mañana.
122. Blow up (Active Form) | Que algo explote.

The engine caught fire and blew up.
El motor se incendió y explotó.
123. Blow something up (Passive Form) | Destruir algo con una bomba.

The bridge was blown up during the war.
El puente fué destruido durante la guerra.
124. Tear something up | Despedazar, romper (en pedazos), partir (en pedazos).
I didn’t read the letter.I just tore it up and threw it away.
No leí la carta. Tan sólo la rompí y la tiré.
125. Beat somebody up | Tumbar a alguien (a golpes), golpear con ánimo de hacer
daño.
A friend of mine was attacked and beaten up a few days ago.
Un amigo fué atacado y golpeado hace unos días.
126. Break/Split up (with somebody) |Romper (con alguien)

I’m surprised to hear that Sue and Paul have split up. They seemed very happy
together.
Estoy sorprendido de escuchar que Sue y Poul han roto. Parecían muy felices
juntos.
127. Do up (a coat/a shoelace/buttons) | Abrochar, atar, amarrar.

It’s quite cold. Do up your coat before you go out.
Hace frío. Abróchate el abrigo antes de salir fuera.
128. Do up (a room,a building) | Reparar y mejorar algo, renovar.

The Kitchen looks great now that is has been done up.
La cocina se ve genial ahora que se ha renovado.
129. Look something up (in a dictionary/encyclopedia) | Comprobar algo, buscar algo

para informarte.
If you don’t know the meaning of a word,you can look it up in a dictionary
Si no conoces el significado de alguna palabra, puedes buscarla en un diccionario.
130. Put up with something | Tolerar, soportar, aguantar algo.

We live on a busy road,so we have to put up with a lot of noise from the traffic.
Vivimos en una zona muy concurrida, así que tenemos que aguantar bastante ruido
del tráfico.
131. Hold up (a person,a plan) | Retrasar a alguien o a algo.

Don’t wait for me.I don’t want to hold you up.
No me esperes. No quiero retrasarte.
132. Mix up/get people mixed up (people,things) | Confundir a algo o alguien.

The 2 brothers look very similar many people mixed them up.
Los 2 hermanos se parecen bastante, mucha gente los confunde.
133. Away | Lejos de casa.

We’re going away on holiday today.
Nos vamos lejos de vacaciones hoy.
134. Away | Lejos de un lugar, de una persona.

The woman got into the car and drove away.
La mujer entró en el coche y se marchó lejos.
135. Back | Volver a casa.

We’ll be back in 3 weeks.
Volveré en 3 semanas.
136. Back | Volver a algún lugar, o volver con alguna persona.

After eating at a restaurant, we walked back to our hotel.
Después de comer en un restaurante, caminamos de vuelta al hotel.
137. Get away | Escapar, salir de algún sitio con dificultades.

We tried to catch the thief,but he managed to get away.
Intentamos atrapar al ladrón, pero logró escaparse.
138. Get away with something | Hacer algo malo sin ser descubierto.
I parked in a no-parking zone, but i got away with It.
Aparqué en zona prohibida, pero me fui sin ser descubierto.
139. Keep away (from) | Mantenerse lejos.

Keep away from the edge of the pool. You might fall in.
Mantente lejos del borde de la piscina. Podrías caer.
140. Give something away | Darle algo a alguien porque ya no lo quieres más.

Did you sell your old computer? No, I gave it away.
¿Vendiste tu ordenador? No, lo doné/regalé.
141. Put something away | Poner algo en un lugar donde se guarda, normalmente

fuera de la vista.
When the children had finished playing with their toys, they put them away.
Cuando los niños han terminado de jugar con sus muñecos, los guardan.
142. Throw something away | Tirar algo a la basura.

I kept the letter, but I threw away the envelope
Guardé la carta, pero tiré el sobre.

143. Wave/Smile/Shout/Write/Hit smbd + BACK | Devolver un saludo, una sonrisa.

I waved to her and she waved back.
La saludé y me devolvió el saludo.
144. Call/Phone/Ring somebody + BACK | Devolver una llamada.

I can’t talk to you now.I’ll call you back in 10 minutes.
No puedo hablar ahora contigo. Te llamaré de vuelta en 10 minutos.
145. Get back (to somebody) | Responder a alguien.

I sent him an e-mail,but he never got back to me
Le envié un e-mail, pero nunca me contestó.
146. Look back (on something) | Pensar sobre algo que ha pasado con anterioridad.
My first Job was in a travel agency. I didn’t like it very much but, looking back on
it, I learnt a lot.
Mi primer trabajo fue en una agencia de viajes. No me gustaba mucho pero
mirando hacia atrás, aprendí mucho.
147. Pay back (money) | Devolver dinero.

If you borrow money, you have to pay it back.
Si pides prestado dinero, tienes que devolverlo.
148. Pay somebody back | Devolver dinero a alguien

If you borrow me money, you have to pay me back.
Si me pides dinero prestado, me lo tienes que devolver.
9. Embedded Questions
Embedded questions (wh- and yes/no question clauses)
Sometimes we want to use a question as part of another question or a statement. This is called
an embedded question.
We can use embedded questions as part of other questions. This is sometimes called an indirect
question and is often used to be polite.
Normal question: Where is the station?
Indirect question (that includes an embedded question): Could you tell me where the
station is?
We can also use embedded questions as part of statements. The embedded question is a noun clause
and can be used in a similar way to a noun. For example, we can use it as the subject or the object of
the main clause.
Normal question: Where does she work?
Embedded question in a statement: I don’t know where she works. (Here ‘where she works’ is
the object.)
Normal question: Where does she work?
Embedded question in a statement: Where she works is very far. (Here ‘where she works’
is the subject.)
Indirect Questions
Have a look at this conversation.
Me:
Me:
Person in the street:
Me:
Person in the street:

Thank you. And do you know if there's a supermarket near
Excuse me. Could you
tell me where the here?
nearest station is?
Yes, there's one next to the station.
Certainly. It's along
that road on the right. Thank you very much for your help.
I use indirect questions when I'm asking for help in the street, because they are very polite.
Indirect questions start with a phrase like 'could you tell me...' or 'do you know...'. For
example:
Direct question: Where is the bank?
Indirect question: Could you tell me where the bank is?
Notice that in the indirect question I put the verb ('is') after the subject ('the bank'), in the
same way as I do with a normal positive sentence ('the bank is over there'), but in the direct
question I put the verb 'is' before the subject 'the bank'. This is called inversion, and it is
used to make direct questions in many verb tenses in English, but we don't use inversion in
indirect questions. This is very similar to the grammar of reported questions. However, we
use indirect questions in a different way from reported questions. Indirect questions are a
way of being polite. They are very, very common in English, especially when you're talking to
someone you don't know.
'Yes / o' Questions
To make an indirect 'yes / no' question, we use 'if' and the word order of a normal
positive sentence. This is the same as for reported 'yes / no' questions. On the other hand,
we don't usually need to 'backshift' (change the tense of the verb) as we do with reported
questions.
Of course, most tenses make questions by using 'inversion' (changing the word order).
To change from a direct 'yes / no' question with inversion to an indirect question, you
add 'if' and change the word order back to a normal positive sentence. You don't need
to use inversion.
'Yes / no' questions for tenses with inversion:
Verb Tense Direct Question Indirect Question
Present simple with 'be' Is he Spanish? Can you tell me if he is Spanish?
Is the restaurant closing Can you tell me if the restaurant is

Present continuous now? closing now?
Was he late for the Can you tell me if he was late for
Past simple with 'be' meeting? the meeting?
Were you watching TV at Can you tell me if you were

Past continuous 3pm? watching TV at 3pm?
Has Lucy been to Mexico? Can you tell me if Lucy has been to
Present perfect Mexico?
Has she been living here Can you tell me if she has been living
Present perfect here long?
long?
continuous
Can you tell me if she had found
Had she found this job this job when she moved here?
Past perfect when she moved here?
Can you tell me if she had been
living here long when she met you?
Had she been living here
Past perfect long when she met you? Can you tell me if she will start her
continuous
new job next week?
Will she start her new job Can you tell me if it is going to rain
Future simple with 'will' next week? later?
Future simple with
'going to' Is it going to rain later?
Future continuous Will Lisa be meeting the Can you tell me if Lisa will be
boss later? meeting the boss later?
Can you tell me if he will have

Future perfect Will he have finished the finished the report by tonight?
report by tonight?
Can you tell me if he will have been
studying French for twenty years
Future perfect Will he have been studying when he retires?
continuous French for twenty years
when he retires? Can you tell me if we should start
now?
Modal verbs
Should we start now?
'Yes / no' questions with tenses that use 'do / does / did':
Sometimes you want to make an indirect question using the present simple of any verb
except 'be' or the past simple of any verb except 'be'. These tense make direct questions by
using 'do / does / did'. When we want to make indirect 'yes / no' questions using these
tenses, we need 'if' and we don't need 'do / does / did'.
Present simple
Does David live in Can you tell me if David lives
with any verb
London? in London?
except 'be'
Past simple with

Did Amanda call John Can you tell me if Amanda
any verb except
yesterday? called John yesterday?
'be'
'Wh' Questions
In the same way as with reported 'wh' questions, we use the question word and the
word order of a normal positive sentence to make indirect 'wh' questions. We don't
need to use inversion. Again, we also don't usually need to 'backshift' (change the
tense of the verb) as we do with reported questions.
To change a direct question to an indirect question for tenses that make questions using
inversion, you just add 'if' and change the word order back to a normal positive sentence.
'Wh' questions for tenses with inversion:
Direct Question
Verb Tense
Present simple with Why is he unhappy? Indirect Question

'be'
Can you tell me why he is
Present When is the restaurant closing? unhappy?
continuous
Can you tell me when the
Past simple with 'be' Why was he late for the restaurant is closing?
meeting?
Can you tell me why he was late
Past continuous What were you doing at 3pm? for the meeting?
Where has Lucy been? Can you tell me what you were
Present perfect doing at 3pm?
How long has she been living Can you tell me where Lucy has
Present perfect
here? been?
continuous
Can you tell me how long she has
Why had she quit her job been living here?
Past perfect
before she moved here?
Can you tell me why she had quit
her job before she moved here?
Past perfect How long had she been living
continuous here when she met you? Can you tell me how long she had
been living here when she met
you?
Future simple with When will she start her new
'will' job? Can you tell me when she will start
her new job?
Future simple with When is it going to rain?
'going to' Can you tell me when it is going
to rain?
Future What time will Lisa be Can you tell me what time Lisa
continuous meeting the boss? will be meeting the boss?
Can you tell me when he will have

When will he have finished finished the report?
Future perfect the report?
Can you tell me how long he will
have been studying French when
How long will he have been he retires?
Future perfect studying French when he
continuous retires?
Indirect Question
Can you tell me why Can you tell me when she will start
he is unhappy? Can you tell me where Lucy her new job?
has been?
Can you tell me Can you tell me when it is going
when the restaurant Can you tell me how long she to rain?
is closing? has been living here?
Can you tell me what time Lisa
Can you tell me why Can you tell me why she had will be meeting the boss?
he was late for the quit her job before she moved
meeting? here? Can you tell me when he will have
finished the report?
Can you tell me what Can you tell me how long she
you were doing at had been living here when she Can you tell me how long he will
3pm? met you? have been studying French when
he retires?
Modal verbs What should we do now? Can you tell me what we should
do now?
'Wh' questions for tenses with 'do / does / did':
Sometimes you want to make an indirect 'wh' question using the present simple of any verb
except 'be' or the past simple of any verb except 'be'. Usually these tenses make questions
by using 'do / does / did'. However, when we want to make indirect 'wh' questions using
these tenses, we don't need 'do / does / did'. Instead, we use a question word and then
normal positive sentence word order.
Present simple with any Where does David live? Can you tell me where David
verb except 'be' lives?
Can you tell me why Amanda

Past simple with any Why did Amanda call
called John yesterday?
verb except 'be' John yesterday?
Common Problems
It can be difficult to remember to put the verb after the subject, especially when the
indirect question is in the present simple tense of 'be'. For example, we need to say:
Could you tell me where the station is?
NOT:
Could you tell me where is the station?
10. English Idioms

THE BIG LIST OF SPANISH
IDIOMS (100+)
We’ve tweeted and posted a lot of Spanish idioms, but now they’re all here!
We’ll keep updating them for you in our BIG list of Spanish idioms and
expressions. We’ve included a literal translation when appropriate and
additional links will bring you to posts that give examples of these
expressions in use.
DETAIL
SPANISH ENGLISH (LITERAL) ENGLISH (TRANSLATION) (LINKS)
To get in the To jump on the

Subirse al carro car bandwagon
Esta ronda la pago This round I

yo pay This round’s on me
DETAIL
The important
Lo importante es thing is to
participar — participate
Dar a alguien su
merecido —
Neither more,
Ni más ni menos neither less No more, no less
Some times
Unas veces se one wins,
gana, otras se others one You win some you
pierde looses loose some
Luchar por una To fight for a lost

causa perdida — cause
To throw in the
Tirar la toalla — towel
There is no
worse
deafness than
No hay peor sordo he who No one’s as deaf as
que el que no doesn’t want those who don’t
quiere oír to hear want to listen
DETAIL
Te invito I invite you My treat
Cuando se cierra When a door Where one door

una puerta, se closes, a closes, another one
abre una ventana window opens open
Each one has

Cada una tiene lo that which People get what
que se merece their value they deserve
La curiosidad mató Curiosity killed the

al gato — cat
To be well
Tener enchufe To have a plug connected
Don’t bite the

No muerdas la hand that
mano que te da de gives you to Don’t bite the hand
comer eat that feeds you
In the house
En casa del of a The shoemaker’s
herrero, cuchillo blacksmith, son always goes
de palo knife of stick barefoot
Más vale lo malo Better the Better the devil you

DETAIL
known bad
conocido que lo than the good know than the devil
bueno por conocer to know it you don’t
When the cat

Cuando el gato no is not (here), When the cat is
está, los ratones the mice away, the mice will
bailan dance play
To be a
strange To be a
Ser un bicho raro creature freak/weirdo
Estar en el quinto To be in the To be in the

pino 5th pine (tree) boonies
Estar forrado To be covered To be loaded (rich)
To stretch the
Estirar la pata leg To kick the bucket
Like father, like son

As such (the) / The apple doesn’t
De tal palo, tal stick, such fall far from the
astilla (the splinter) tree
Matar dos pájaros To kill two To kill two birds

DETAIL
birds of one
de un tiro throw/shot with one stone
Eyes than What the eye

Ojos que no ven, don’t see, doesn’t see, the
corazón que no heart that heart doesn’t
siente doesn’t feel grieve over
No es oro todo lo All that glitters is

que reluce — not gold
To be a Mr.
Ser un don nadie nobody To be a nobody
Las penas Shared

compartidas saben pains/penaltie Two in distress
a menos s know less makes sorry less
To come out of the

Salir del armario — closet (to be gay)
Is the drop It’s the straw that

Es la gota que that fills the breaks the camel’s
colma el vaso glass back
Sobre gustos no About tastes, There’s no

hay nada escrito there is accounting for
DETAIL
nothing
written tastes
To be like a
pair of
castanets
Estar como unas (spanish hand To be happy as a
castañuelas instrument) clam
Las apariencias Appearances Looks can be

engañan deceive deceiving
En la variedad está In the variety Variety is the spice

el gusto is the like of life
Ser un pez gordo To be a fat fish To be a big fish
Más vale maña Better skill

que fuerza than strength Brain over brawn
The bread,
Al pan,pan … y al bread; and the To call a spade a
vino, vino wine, wine spade
Today for you, You scratch my

Hoy por tí, Mañana tomorrow for back I’ll scratch
por mí me yours
DETAIL
Who doesn’t
Quien no arriesga, risk, doesn’t Nothing ventured,
no gana win nothing gained
Perro ladrador, Barking dog, Barking dogs never

poco mordedor little biter bite
Más vale prevenir Better to prevent

que curar — than to cure
To do the
Hacer el mono monkey To be the clown
There isn’t
bad because
No hay mal que good it didn’t Every cloud has a
por bien no venga come silver lining
Todos los caminos All (the) roads lead

llevan a roma — to Rome
To have bad
Tener mala leche milk To be a bad apple food
Romper el hielo — To break the ice
Dios los cría y ellos God raises Birds of a feather

DETAIL
them and they

se juntan come together flock together
Más vale tarde que Better late than

nunca — never
Ser la media To be the half To be the better

naranja orange half
To put the
Meter la pata foot (in it) Screw up
To be a
Ser un chaquetero turncoat To be a flip-flopper
To (be a) good
A buen listener few
entendedor pocas words are A word to the wise
palabras bastan sufficient (is enough)
(He) Who
went to
Quien fue a Sevilla, Sevilla, lost his You snooze, you
perdió su silla seat loose
Pillarse un pedo To pinch a fart To get drunk

DETAIL
Estar como una To be like a

cabra goat To be crazy
To be eaten
Ser pan comido bread Easy as pie food
Por si las moscas For if the flies Just in case
Hacer la pelota To do the ball To suck up
Lend/Pull up a
Arrimar el hombro shoulder Give a hand
Ser un cero a la To be a zero number

izquierda on the left To be worthless s
To cost and
Costar un ojo de la eye from the To cost an arm and number
cara face a leg s
Every two To happen number

Cada dos por tres times three frequently s
To look for To make something

Buscarle tres pies three feet on more complicated number
al gato the cat than necessary s
DETAIL
To be four To be very few number

Ser cuatro gatos cats people s
Estar en el quinto To be in the To be in the number

pino fifth pine boonies s
Entrar los siete To enter the number

males seven evils To be in hell s
Más chulo que un More cool number

ocho than an eight To be too cool s
To get into a
Meterse en shirt of 11 To make a
camisas de once sticks (pieces mountain out of a number
varas of cloth) mole hill s
To follow your To be headstrong number

Seguir en sus trece thirteen or stubborn s
To be a
chorizo
Ser un chorizo (sausage) To be a thief food
Ser el año de la To be the year To be out of

pera of the pear fashion food
DETAIL
To be meat To be fish
from the bate/thrown under
Ser carne de cañón cannon the bus food
To be bad To be grumpy, in a
Estar mala uva grapes bad mood food
Estar como un To be like a

fideo noodle To be thin as a rail food
Estar como una To be like To be soaked to the

sopa soup bone food
Importar un To matter a Doesn’t matter /

pimiento pepper don’t give a crap food
¡Ostras! Oysters! Holy moley! food
Estar hasta las To be up to

narices the noses To be fed up body
Hacerse la boca To make ones

agua mouth water body
To be with
Estar con el agua al water to the To be up to your
cuello neck neck / underwater body
DETAIL
To throw a
Echar una mano a hand to
alguien someone To lend a hand body
To be in up to To be fully

Meterse hasta la ones head in involved/completel
cabeza en algo something y immersed body
To not give a

foot with a
No dar pie con ball/To not be Can’t do anything
bola on the ball right body
To put to bad To put on a happy

Poner el mal weather, a face / look at the
tiempo, buena cara good face bright side body
To talk
Hablar por los through your
codos elbows To talk a lot body
To wake up To wake up on the

Levantarse con mal with the wrong side of the
pie wrong foot bed body
To not paste To not sleep a

No pegar ojo an eye wink body
DETAIL
To be crazy
Estar loco con with To be over the
contento happiness moon
Skinny dog, It never rains but it

Perro flaco, todo covered in pours/when it
son pulgas fleas rains, it pours
Fue bonito It was good while

mientras duró it lasted
Each crazy
Cada loco con su with his
tema theme To each his own
Quien ríe el último, He who laughs

ríe mejor last, laughs best
This is a thing It takes two to

Esto es cosa de dos of two tango
Ser un caracol To be a snail To be very slow
This is a thing It takes two to

Esto es cosa de dos of two tango
Donde comen dos, Where two There’s always

DETAIL
comen tres eat, three eat room for one more
Not by getting
No por mucho up very early, Getting up early
madrugar, amanec it dawns doesn’t make the
e más temprano earlier sun rise sooner
¡De ninguna
manera! Of no way! No way!
To go by the To beat around the

Irse por las ramas bushes bush
Así es la vida Thus is life That’s life
Don’t look for

No buscarle pulgas flees on the Let sleeping dogs
al perro dog lie
Do the big

Hacer borrón y erase and new Wipe the slate
cuenta nueva account clean
To drown the To drown ones

Ahogar las penas miseries sorrows
Todo a su debido All in its due All in good time

DETAIL
tiempo time
Estar frito To be fried To be sleeping
To link to To hook up/ pick

Ligarse a alguien someone up someone
Count with
Cuenta conmigo me Count me in
To give (hit) in Hit the nail on the

Dar en el clavo the nail head
Ya estamos otra already we

vez are again Here we go again
Take a long holiday

Hacer puente Do the bridge weekend
To give
Dar alguien con la someone with
puerta en las the door in To slam the door
narices the noses in someone’s face
Mala hierba nunca Bad grass The bad ones

muere never dies never die
Straightforward Quick Placement &
Diagnostic test
The Straightforward Quick Placement & Diagnostic test has been designed to help you
decide which of the five levels of the Straightforward series is the most appropriate for you.
The Straightforward test has 50 questions, each worth one point. The first 40 are grammar
questions and the final 10 are vocabulary questions. To decide your level, use the
conversion chart below. Please note that these bandings are a guide.
Total score Level

0 - 15 Beginner
16 - 24 Elementary
25 - 32 Pre-intermediate
33 - 39 Intermediate
40 - 45 Upper Intermediate
46 - 50 Advanced
This test can also be used to diagnose grammar that you need clarification on. Please
consult the relevant level and unit of the course for more information.
Grammar
1. I ________________ from France. Beginner Unit 1
a) is
b) are
c) am
d) be
2. This is my friend. _____________ name is Peter. Beginner Unit 1
a) Her
b) Our
c) Yours
d) His
3. Mike is ______________. Beginner Unit 4
a) my sister’s friend
b) friend my sister
c) friend from my sister
d) my sister friend’s
4. My brother is ______________ artist. Beginner Unit 2 / Elementary Basics 2
a) the
b) an
c) a
d) 
5. _______________ 20 desks in the classroom. Beginner Unit 7 / Elementary Unit 3
a) This is
b) There is
c) They are
d) There are
6. Paul ________________ romantic films. Beginner Unit 5
a) likes not
b) don’t like
c) doesn’t like
d) isn’t likes
7. Sorry, I can’t talk. I _____________ right now. Beginner Unit 11
a) driving
b) ‘m driving
c) drives
d) drive
8. She _________________ at school last week. Beginner Unit 8 / Elementary Unit 5
a) didn't be
b) weren’t
c) wasn’t
d) isn’t
9. I _________________ the film last night. Beginner Unit 9 / Elementary
Unit 5
a) like
b) likes
c) liking
d) liked
10. __________________ a piece of cake? No, thank you. Elementary Unit 1
a) Do you like
b) Would you like
c) Want you
d) Are you like
11. The living room is ___________________ than the bedroom. Elementary Unit 10 /
Pre-int Unit 6
a) more big
b) more bigger
c) biggest
d) bigger
12. The car is very old. We’re going ____________________ a new car soon. Beginner Unit 12
/ Elementary Unit 11
a) to buy
b) buying
c) to will buy
d) buy
13. Jane is a vegetarian. She ____________________ meat. Beginner Unit 6
/ Elementary Unit 4
a) sometimes eats
b) never eats
c) often eats
d) usually eats
14. There aren’t ________________ buses late in the evening. Elementary Unit 3 /
Pre-int Unit 3
a) some
b) any
c) no
d) a
15. The car park is _________________ to the restaurant. Elementary Unit 3 /

Pre-int Unit 3
a) next
b) opposite
c) behind
d) in front
16. Sue ________________ shopping every day. Elementary Unit 8 /

Pre-int Unit 4
a) is going
b) go
c) going
d) goes
17. They _________________ in the park when it started to rain heavily. Intermediate
Unit 4
a) walked
b) were walking
c) were walk
d) are walking
18. ________________ seen fireworks before? Pre-intermediate Unit 7 /

Intermediate Unit 2
a) Did you ever

b) Are you ever
c) Have you ever
d) Do you ever
19. We’ve been friends ____________________ many years. Pre-intermediate Unit

10 / Intermediate Unit 2
a) since
b) from
c) during
d) for
20. You _________________ pay for the tickets. They’re free. Intermediate
Unit 3
a) have to
b) don’t have
c) don’t need to
d) doesn’t have to
21. Jeff was ill last week and he _________________ go out. Pre-intermediate Unit
11
a) needn't
b) can’t
c) mustn’t
d) couldn’t
22. These are the photos ________________ I took on holiday. Pre-intermediate Unit
12
a) which
b) who
c) what
d) where
23. We’ll stay at home if it _______________ this afternoon. Pre-intermediate Unit

8
a) raining
b) rains
c) will rain
d) rain
24. He doesn’t smoke now, but he __________________ a lot when he was young.
Pre-intermediate Unit 2
a) has smoked
b) smokes
c) used to smoke
d) was smoked
25. Mark plays football ___________________ anyone else I know. Pre-

intermediate Unit 6 / Intermediate Unit 5
a) more good than

b) as better as
c) best than
d) better than
26. I promise I __________________ you as soon as I’ve finished this cleaning.

Pre-intermediate Unit 5 / Intermediate Unit 6
a) will help
b) am helping
c) going to help
d) have helped
27. This town ___________________ by lots of tourists during the summer.

Pre-intermediate Unit 9 / Intermediate Unit 11
a) visits
b) visited
c) is visiting
d) is visited
28. He said that his friends ____________ to speak to him after they lost the football
match.
Intermediate Unit 12 / Upper-intermediate Unit 10
a) not want
b) weren’t
c) didn’t want
d) aren’t wanting
29. How about _________________ to the cinema tonight? Pre-intermediate Unit

4
a) going
b) go
c) to go
d) for going
30. Excuse me, can you ___________________ me the way to the station, please?
Pre-intermediate Unit 3
a) give
b) take
c) tell
d) say
31. I wasn’t interested in the performance very much. ________________.

Intermediate Unit 4
a) I didn’t, too.
b) Neither was I.
c) Nor I did.
d) So I wasn’t.
32. Take a warm coat, _______________ you might get very cold outside.
Upper Intermediate Unit 4
a) otherwise
b) in case
c) so that
d) in order to
33. __________________ this great book and I can’t wait to see how it ends.
Intermediate Unit 7 / Upper Intermediate Unit 4
a) I don’t read
b) I’ve read
c) I’ve been reading
d) I read
34. What I like more than anything else ___________________ at weekends.

a) playing golf
b) to play golf
c) is playing golf
d) is play golf
35. She ________________ for her cat for two days when she finally found it in the
garage. Upper Intermediate Unit 5
a) looked
b) had been looked
c) had been looking
d) were looking
36. We won’t catch the plane _________________ we leave home now! Please hurry up!
a) if
b) providing that
c) except
d) unless
37. If I hadn’t replied to your email, I___________________ here with you now.
a) can’t be
b) wouldn’t be
c) won’t be
d) haven’t been
38. Do you think you ___________________ with my mobile phone soon? I need to make
a call. Upper Intermediate Unit 7
a) finish
b) are finishing
c) will have finished
d) are finished
39. I don’t remember mentioning __________________ dinner together tonight.

a) go for
b) you going to
c) to go for
d) going for
40. Was it Captain Cook ______________ New Zealand? Upper Intermediate Unit 12
a) who discovered
b) discovered
c) that discover
d) who was discovering
Vocabulary
41. You may not like the cold weather here, but you’ll have to ________________, I’m
afraid.
a) tell it off
b) sort itself out
c) put up with it
d) put it off
42. It’s cold so you should __________________ on a warm jacket.
a) put
b) wear
c) dress
d) take
43. Paul will look ______________ our dogs while we’re on holiday.
a) at
b) for
c) into
d) after
44. She ___________________ a lot of her free time reading.
a) does
b) spends
c) has
d) makes
45. Hello, this is Simon. Could I ___________________ to Jane, please?
a) say
b) tell
c) call
d) speak
46. They’re coming to our house ___________________ Saturday.
a) in
b) at
c) on
d) with
47. I think it’s very easy to ___________ debt these days.
a) go into
b) become
c) go down to
d) get into
48. Come on! Quick! Let’s get _____________!
a) highlight
b) cracking
c) massive
d) with immediate effect
49. I phoned her ____________ I heard the news.
a) minute
b) during
c) by the time
d) the moment
50. I feel very ____________. I’m going to go to bed!
a) nap
b) asleep
c) sleepy
d) sleeper

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Similarly, there are many such examples where we use a particular

 Making the use of the English language natural and interesting

 Deep: Deep feeling, deep pockets, deep sleep, deep trouble.

Security blanket Cash flow

Opinion poll Make money

Forgive a debt Counterfeit money

Key in a PIN Annual turnover

GO bankrupt Cease to trade

Hard-earned money Deposit a check

Close a deal Open an account

a)Get b)Make c)My Bones d)Pretenses

First, they are used with time words:

days: on Monday, on my birthday, on Christmas Day

next week, year, month etc

Second, they are used to show where something or someone is:

 The plate is on the table.

If something is contained inside a box or a wide flat area, we use ‘in’:

in the newspaper in a house

If something is on a line or a horizontal or vertical surface, we use ‘on’:

on the table on the wall

If something is at a point, (it could be a building) we use ‘at’:

at the airport at the door

Third, they are used after some adjectives:

Adjectives and Prepositions

Here are some of the most common ones:

Fourth, they are used after some verbs:

Verbs and Prepositions

Here are some of the most common ones:

Fifth, they are used after some nouns:

 She has trouble with remembering new vocabulary.

Finally, they are used in certain phrases:

 The bus arrived in the end.

 After a long journey, at last we arrived at our hotel.

2: On foot = walking (NOT by foot)

 I usually go to work on foot.

3: By mistake = not meaning to

 I dropped the glass by mistake. I'm really sorry.

5: Out of reach = too high to touch (literally or metaphorically)

6: For instance = here is an example

7: In danger = in a dangerous situation

8: Without fail = always / definitely

 She visits her mother every week without fail.

9: By chance = without planning

 I saw Julie at the station by chance.

10: On purpose = intending to do something

 She left without paying on purpose! It wasn't a mistake.

11: For a change = to do something different

12: On time (for) = at the time that was arranged

13: To my surprise = I was surprised

14: At once = immediately

 You must do it at once! Don't wait even one minute.

15: In common (with) = something that's shared or the same

ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS WITH THE WORD

ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS WITH THE WORD

ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS WITH THE WORD

Linking words or linking expressions (sometimes also

Many of the linking words are conjunctions, adverbs, or prepositions and

How are linking words and expressions used and categorized?