English Unit 10

Unit 10 Vocabulary for Different Situation

Structure:
10.1 Introduction
Objectives
10.2 Different Types of Situations
10.3 Phrasal Verbs
10.4 Idioms
10.5 Homonyms
10.6 Summary
10.7 Terminal Questions
10.8 Answers

10.1 Introduction
In the previous unit, you learnt about the vocabulary usage. In this unit will
learn how at different situations a single word can be used in a different
manner. Similarly, at one single place many different words can be used.
you are also going to learn about the usage of vocabulary for different
situations.
Objectives:
After studying this unit, you will be able to:
 discuss vocabulary for different situations
 use vocabulary in different situations

10.2 Different Types of Situations

Various types of situations for which we require usage of vocabulary can be
classified under two categories for you.
 Everyday situations
 Academic situations
Both of the above have been depicted in Figure 10.1.
Everyday situations include situations like talking with friends, watching
television shows, discussing work, listening to somebody, going for
shopping, etc.
Words used in everyday situations like oops, cab, cops, etc., are not very
likely to be found in situations concerned with academic text. Vocabulary
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used there is quite professional and might be quite often technical, for
example, co-efficient, precipitate, viscosity and so on.

Source: esl.fis.edu
Figure 10.1: Types of Vocabulary Situations

Let us develop our vocabulary in specific situations.

Self Assessment Questions
1. Various types of situations for which we require usage of vocabulary can
be classified under ______________ categories
2. Words used in ____________ situations like oops, cab, cops, etc., are
not very likely to be found in situations concerned with academic text.

10.3 Phrasal Verbs

A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and a preposition, a verb and an
adverb, or a verb with both an adverb and a preposition, any of which are
part of the syntax of the sentence, and so are complete semantic units.
Sentences, however, may contain direct and indirect objects in addition to
the phrasal verb. Phrasal verbs are particularly frequent in the English
language.
A phrasal verb often has a meaning which is different from the original verb.

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Usage
Phrasal verbs can be used literally or Idiomatic or even informally.
Literal usage
Many verbs can be combined with a preposition or an adverb, and readers
or listeners will easily understand a phrasal verb used in a literal sense with
a preposition:
 "He walked across the pole."
Verb and adverb constructions can also easily be understood when used
literally:
 "Rajneesh opened the door and looked outside."
 "When I heard the noise, I looked up."
An adverb in a literal phrasal verb that modifies the verb it is attached to,
and a preposition links the subject to the verb.
Idiomatic usage
The figurative or idiomatic application in everyday speech makes phrasal
verbs extremely important:
 "I hope you will get over your sadness quickly."
 "Work hard, and get your examination over WITH."
The literal meaning of “to get over”, in the sense of “to climb over something
to get to the other side”, no longer applies to explain the subject's enduring
sadness or the stress of an examination which they have to overcome.
The combined meaning of verb plus adverb, or verb plus preposition is
totally different from each of its component parts, that the semantic content
of the phrasal verb cannot be predicted by its constituent parts. Thus it so
becomes much more difficult for a student learning English to recognise.
Other idiomatic usages of phrasal verbs show a construction such as:
verb + direct object + preposition/adverb + indirect object:
In her introduction to "Longman Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs, What this
dictionary contains", Rosemary Courtney includes as a third category idioms
which are formed from phrasal verbs, such as let the cat out of the bag.
These idioms are printed in heavy type. Idioms have a meaning which is
different from the meaning of the single words, and usually have a fixed
word order.

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Courtney then cites (among many other examples in the dictionary) such
phrases as "to add insult to injury", "to add fuel to the flames", "to leave
someone in the lurch", "to scare someone out of their wits", etc.
"To get over an examination" is not the correct application of the phrasal
verb "to get over." The author wants to imply, "to finish," the phrasal verb in
this case is "to get over with." To get over the examination means put it in
your emotional past.
Informal usage
Phrasal verbs are usually used informally in everyday speech as opposed to
the more formal Latinate verbs, such as “to get together” rather than “to
congregate”, “to put off” rather than “to postpone”, or “to get out” rather than
“to exit”.
The following list of phrasal verbs will be quite helpful for you:
Act up: Misbehave (for people); not work properly (for machines).
"The babysitter had a difficult time. The children acted up all evening."
Add up: Logically fit together.
"His theory is hard to believe, but his research adds up."
Note: This phrasal verb is often negative.
Find the total.
"What's the total of those bills? Could you add them up and see?"
Add up to: To total.
"The bills add up to Rs 932. That's more than I expected!"
Ask out: Ask for a date.
"Loveena has a new boy friend. Girish asked her out last night."
Back down or Back off: Not follow a threat.
"Tom was going to call the police when I told him I'd wrecked his car, but
he backed down/off when I said I'd pay for the damages."
Beg off: Decline an invitation; ask to be excused from doing something.
"At first Lali said she would be at the party. Later she begged off."
Blow up: Inflate.
"We need lots of balloons for the party. Will you blow them up?"
Explode; destroy by exploding.
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A: "That old building really came down quickly!"

B: "That's because the construction company used dynamite to blow it
up."
Become very angry.
"When I told Ishita that I'd had an accident with his car, she blew up."
Break down: Separate something into component parts.
"We spent a lot of money at the supermarket. When we broke the total
cost down, we spent more on cleaning supplies than food."
Stop working / functioning.
"Abhijit will be late for work today. His car broke down on the way."
Break in: Enter by using force (and breaking a lock, window, etc.)
"Arham’s apartment was burglarized last night. Someone broke in while
he had gone out for a movie.
Wear something new until it's comfortable.
"These are nice shoes, but they're too stiff. I hope it doesn't take too
long to break them in."
Train; get someone / something accustomed to a new routine.
"I hope I can learn my new job quickly. The manager hasn't scheduled
much time for breaking me in."
Break up: disperse; scatter.
"What time did the party break up last night?"
End a personal relationship.
"Krishna and Samaira aren't going steady any more. They got really
angry with each other and broke up."
Bring/take back: Return something.
"Yes, you can borrow my pen, don't forget to bring it back to me when
you're finished."
"This book is due tomorrow. I guess I should take it back to the library."
Burn up: become destroyed / consumed by fire (For people and non-
upright things only)
"All of Mr Jaswal’s warehouse burned up when his barn burned down."
Cause for someone to become very angry.

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"Did you hear how rudely Fred talked to me? That really burned me
up!"
Butter up: Praise someone excessively with the hope of getting some
benefit.
"I guess Nisha really wants to be promoted. She's been buttering his
boss up all week."
Call off: Cancel something that has been scheduled.
“The meeting has been called off due to certain unavoidable issues.”
Call on: Ask someone for an answer in class.
"I don't know why the teacher never calls on you. You always know the
answer."
Catch on: Develop understanding or knowledge of something.
"Rajeev had never used a computer until he took this class, but he
caught on very quickly and is now one of the best students."
Catch up (with) (often without an object; with an object, inseparable): stop
being behind.
"Terry stopped to rest for a few minutes. He'll catch up / catch up with
us later."
Do in: Cause to become very tired.
"Those three games of football yesterday afternoon really did me in. I
slept for ten hours after I got home."
To kill; to murder.
"They said that the murdered man was done in between 10 and 11
o'clock last night."
Eat out: Have a meal in a restaurant.
"I'm too tired to cook tonight. Why don't we eat out?"
Egg on: Urge / encourage greatly toward doing something (usually
something negative).
"At first Girish and Ramesh were just having a mild argument, but Girish
's friends egged them on until they started fighting."
Fall through: Not happen. (describes something that was planned but
didn't happen.)

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"We had originally intended to go to Mexico for our vacation, but our trip
fell through when I got sick."
Feel up to: Feel strong enough or comfortable enough to do something.
"I know the accident was a terrible shock. Do you feel up to talking
about it?"
Get along (with): Have a friendly relationship (with); be friendly (toward).
"Why can't you and your sister get along? Everyone else gets along
with her just fine!"
Get around: Avoid having to do something.
"Timil got around the required math classes by doing well on a math
proficiency test."
Move from place to place.
"She doesn't have a car. She gets around by bicycle, bus, or taxi."
Get around to: Do something eventually.
"I really should wash the dishes, but I don't feel like it. Maybe I'll get
around to them tomorrow morning."
Get in: Enter a small, closed vehicle.
"I don't know where Santosh was going. She just got in her car and
drove away."
Arrive.
"Do you know what time Rakesh 's plane gets in?"
Hand in (separable): Submit homework, an assignment, etc.
"You'd better get started on your report. You know that you have to
hand it in at 8:30 tomorrow morning!"
Iron out: Mutually reach an agreement; mutually resolve difficulties.
"Yes, I know we disagree on lots of things, Susan, but we can iron them
out."
Jack up: Raise / life by using a jack.
"We'll have to jack the back of the car up before we can change the
tire."
Raise (used for prices).

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"The car dealer bought my old Ford for $750 and jacked the price up to
$1,500 when they sold it."
Keep on: Continue
"I'm not ready to stop yet. I think I'll keep on working for a while."
Continue to remind someone to do something until he/she does it (even
if this irritates her/him).
"Bill's very forgetful. You'll have to keep on him or he'll never do all the
things you want him to do."
Knock out (separable): Make unconscious.
"The boxing match ended when one boxer knocked the other one out."
"That medicine really knocked me out. I slept for 14 hours straight!"
Lay off: Dismiss someone from a job because of lack of work or money
"I feel really sorry for Sally's family. Her father was laid off yesterday."
Look up: Find something in a reference work.
" I don't know what that word means. I'll have to look it up."
Look up: Find where someone lives or works and visit him/her.
"Thanks for giving me your address. When I'm in Mumbai next month, I'll
be sure to look you up."
Look up to: Respect.
"Everyone looks up to Vinay because she always takes out to help
others."
Make up: Invent / create (imaginary) information.
"Vartika's story is hard to believe. I'm sure she made it up."
Make up: Compensate for something missed or not done by doing extra or
equivalent work.
"I'm sorry I missed the test. May I make it up?"
Make up (with): Re-establish a friendly relationship by admitting guilt.
"Sujoy and his girlfriend were very angry with each other, but last night
they finally made up."
Nod off: Fall sleep (usually unintentionally).
"The speech was so boring that several people in the audience nodded
off before it was finished."

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Pass out: Faint; lose consciousness.

"When Sohna heard that she'd won a million dollars, she was so
shocked that she passed out."
Pass out: Distribute.
"Everyone in the room needs one of these information sheets. Who will
help me pass them out?"
Pick out: Choose; select.
"Joseph's niece especially liked his birthday card because she had
picked it out herself."
Pick up: Lift; take up.
"Those papers are making the floor dirty. Please help me pick them up."
Arrange to meet someone and give her/him a ride.
"Of course we can go there together. What time should I pick you up?"
Get; buy.
"The children just drank the last of the milk. Could you pick some more
up on your way home this evening?"
Refresh; revitalize.
"He was feeling a little tired, so he drank a glass of orange juice. It
picked him up enough to finish his work."
Round off change from a fraction to the nearest whole number.
"Round all prices off to the closest whole-rupee amounts.“
Set back: Cause a delay in scheduling.
"We've had some problems with the project that have set us back at
least two days. We'll give you a progress report tomorrow."
Set back: Cost.
"I wonder how much Bill's new car set him back."
Stand for: Represent.
"These letters seem to be an abbreviation. Do you know what they
stand for?"
Take after: Resemble; favor
"Both my sister and I take after our father."

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Take/bring back: Return.

"This book is due tomorrow. I guess I should take it back to the library."
"Yes, you can borrow my pen, but don't forget to bring it back to me
when you're finished."
Turn up: Appear unexpectedly.
"We were all surprised when Pam turned up at the party. We didn't
even know she was in town."
Wait on: Serve (usually customers in a restaurant, shop, etc.)
"I want to make a complaint. The person who just waited on me was
very impolite."
Wait for: Wait until someone / something arrives or is finished with
something else.
"When will Dennis be finished with work? I've been waiting for him for
almost an hour!"
Zonk out: Fall asleep quickly because of exhaustion.
"I intended to go shopping after work, but I was so tired that I zonked
out as soon as I got home."

Self Assessment Questions

Write ‘True’ or ‘False’
3. A phrasal verb often has a meaning which is different from the original
verb.
4. Phrasal verbs cannot be used informally.

10.4 Idioms
An idiom is an expression whose meaning is not compositional – that is,
whose meaning does not follow from the meaning of the individual words of
which it is composed. For example, the English phrase "to kick the bucket"
means "to die". Have a look at some more examples,
At the eleventh hour: At the last minute; almost too late.
" I finished my work at the eleventh hour, but I wasn't late.”
Be all ears: Be eager to hear what someone has to say.
“Tell me what you think about my proposal. I'm all ears to hear.”

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Back to square one: Not successful

"When the plans were refused, it was back to square one for the
architect."
Burning the candle at both ends: Work long hours without resting.
“Would you like to go to a party tonight?" Reply: "I can't. I'm way too
tired. I've been burning the candle at both ends all week."
Burning the midnight oil: When you are working hard late into the night.
“I could see the light in your window last night. It looks like you have
been burning the midnight oil."
Bad hair day: A day when everything seems to go wrong.
“What's wrong with Jenny? Is she having a bad hair day?"
Bang your head against a brick wall: Continue vainly to try and achieve
something in spite of several unsuccessful attempts.
"I've been banging my head against a brick wall trying to explain
the internet to my grandmother."
Can't cut the mustard: Being unable to achieve a result or in social
contexts to make an impression.
“All his fancy sales talk just couldn't cut the mustard with those people.”
Cast a shadow: Have a strong impression.
“The war in Europe cast a shadow over the world”
Cast iron stomach: A person with strong digestion, untroubled by eating or
drinking things which would affect others.
“Jack's got a cast iron stomach; I've seen him eat two meals at once.”
Cock and bull story: A story which isn't believed by the speaker or person
describing it.
“It was pure cock and bull, that story about the hedgehog orchestra, I'm
sure of that.”
Dark horse: One that isn't expected to win, but is a possible threat.
“Pegasus was the dark horse in the race, but he won strongly.”
Devil's advocate: A person putting the negative position, whether they
agree with it or not.

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“I guess I'll have to be the devil's advocate here; what happens if this
doesn't work, and we don't get that result?”
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch: Don't plan or take actions
on the basis of things that haven't yet happened.
“Let's not count our chickens here, before we get confirmation.”
Drive someone up the wall: Infuriating, irritating, or driving someone else
mad.
“This particular client is driving me up the wall with all that extra
paperwork.”
Ebb and flow: Metaphor for a cycle of events, using the tides ebb and flow
as the analogy.
“The seasonal ebb and flow of the business was an obvious factor in
their stock orders.”
Every cloud has a silver lining: All bad things have an element of good in
them.
“Every cloud does have a silver lining, I'll have to do without seeing that
guy's face ever again”
Every dog has his day: Even the lowliest of people will have a moment of
glory.
“So George finally got that promotion! Every dog has his day.”
Feast your eyes: To have a good look at something.
“Feast your eyes on this camel.”
Foot in mouth: To make a self defeating statement.
“If he ever managed to hold a conversation without putting his foot in his
mouth, nobody noticed”
Give the slip: Evade someone or something.
“Give them the slip, we'll have dinner by ourselves.”
Go bananas: To go crazy.
“Don't just go bananas on us, get it sorted out!”
Heaven sent: An unexpected but welcome event.
“The new secretary is heaven sent. We can actually find our clients on
the database, now.”

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High on the hog: Living in a state of excess, but living well.

“They're living high on the hog now, don't know if they can keep it up,
though.”
Make hay while the sun shines: Take to advantage of the opportunity.
“We've got buyers crashing the phone lines, let's make hay while the
sun shines!”
New kid on the block: New person in a social group.
“He's the new kid on the block in the industry, but doing pretty well.”
Out of the blue: Unexpected.
“The new job came out of the blue, no warning.”
Over the top: Bizarre, completely beyond the norm.
“Their comedy is really over the top.”
Pass the buck: Give the responsibility to others, avoiding blame.
“Those auditors always pass the buck to their staff, when things go
wrong.”
Pull the plug:. Put an end to, or stop supplying the means to do something.
“If you keep wasting your money, I'm pulling the plug on your
allowance.”
Rome wasn't built in a day: Great work takes time.
“Rome wasn't built in a day either, because they found they wanted the
buildings to be able to stand up.”
See the wood for the trees: Unable to see the obvious.
“If you have a look at the trees, you might see the wood.”
Snug as a bug in a rug: A nice warm cozy place or situation.
“This is your new home, you'll be snug as a bug in this house.”
The best of both worlds: The best of two different situations.
“So you're both a millionaire and the champion of the poor, sounds like
the best of both worlds.”
Third time lucky: Superstitious statement, referring to third attempt after
previous failures.
“Third time lucky, see if you can actually eat the pizza this time.”

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Activity:
Write the meanings of these frequently used idioms:
1. Catch a cold _________________________
2. See eye to eye________________________
3. Under the weather_____________________
4. Stuffed to the gills_____________________
5. Out of the frying pan and into the fire________
6. Slow boat to China_____________________
7. Nose to the grindstone___________________
8. On pins and needles_____________________
9. Fly off the handle_______________________
10. Toot your own horn_____________________

Self Assessment Questions

5. An ____________ in a literal phrasal verb modifies the verb it is
attached to, and a preposition links the subject to the verb.
6. A phrasal verb is a combination of a ___________ and a ___________.

10.5 Homonyms
Homonyms are words which are pronounced the same but have different
meaning and different spellings. Below is a list of commonly confused
homonyms and instructions on how each word should be used.
1. Aid (verb ) – to assist. For e.g.
Managers aid in business decision-making.
Aide (noun) – an assistant
A middle level manager is an aide to the top management.
2. Allowed (verb) – Past tense of the verb 'to allow' –- to permit. For e.g.
His mother allowed him to stay up late on Saturday.
Aloud (adverb) – using the voice, not silently
She read the story aloud.

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3. Blew (verb) – Past tense of blow. For e.g.

She blew a lot of bubbles at her birthday party.
Blue (noun) – a colour
Her house is painted blue.
4. Cent (noun) – /100 of a dollar. For e.g.
One cent isn't worth very much.
Scent (noun) – An aroma, for e.g.
The scent in the air is fabulous!
Sent (verb) – Past tense of the verb 'to send', for e.g.
I sent you some pictures last week.
5. Dew (noun) – Light water condensation usually found in the morning.
For e.g.
The grass was covered with dew.
Do (verb) – To perform, for e.g.
They usually do their homework immediately after school.
Due (adjective) – Payable, for e.g.
The full payment is due by the end of the month.
6. Effect (noun) – Result. For e.g.
The recent inflation was the effect of growing prices of necessary
commodities
Affect (verb) – To change, for e.g.
Famines affect the economic health of a nation
7. Foreword (noun) – Introduction to a book. For .e.g.
Timothy Leary wrote the foreword to Ken's book.
Forward (adjective) – Advancing for e.g.
We moved forward in the line.
8. Groan (noun) – Low sound expressing displeasure, for e.g.
Students often groan when I announce a test.
Grown (verb) – Past participle of the verb 'to grow', for e.g.
My daughter has grown quite a bit this year.
9. Heal (verb) – To cure a disease, for e.g.
Doctors heal thousands of patients a year.
Heel (noun) – The back part of the foot or shoe
I hurt my heel while playing tennis.

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10. Knight (noun) – Warrior from the middle ages, for e.g.
Arthur was a knight of the round table.
Night (noun) – Evening to early morning, for e.g.
I went to bed late last night.
11. Loan (verb) – To allow someone to borrow, for e.g.
Can you loan me some money until tomorrow?
Lone (adjective) – The only one, for e.g.
She is the lone person who speaks French in our class.
12. Made (verb) – Past tense of the verb 'to make, for e.g.'
She made me a cup of tea.
Maid (noun) – Domestic help, for e.g.
The maid cleaned the room.
13. Meat (noun) – animal flesh, for e.g.
I really don't like lamb’s meat.
Meet (verb) – to see someone, to be introduced, for e.g.
Let's meet next week.
14. None (pronoun) – Not one, for e.g.
None of the students came to the party.
Nun (noun) – Woman of God (Catholic), for e.g.
The nun helped the children understand the song.
15. One (number) – 1, for e.g.
Only one employee came to the presentation.
Won (verb) – Past tense of the verb 'to win', for e.g.
I won a prize at the competition.
16. Patience (noun) – Quality of being willing to wait, for e.g.
Success requires a lot of patience.
Patients (noun plural) – Person treated in a hospital or by a doctor, for
e.g.
There are too many patients waiting in the emergency room.
17. Practice (noun) – A period of training generally for sport or music, for
e.g.
I went to practice after school was finished.
Practise (verb) – To train, for e.g.
I practise tennis for two hours every day.
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18. Rain (noun) – Precipitation

I can't stand rain! I prefer sunny weather.
Reign (noun) – Period of rule, for e.g.
Queen Elizabeth the Second's reign continues to this day.
19. Road (noun) – Street, for e.g.
I took the country road instead of taking the freeway.
Rode (verb) – Past tense of the verb 'ride', for e.g.
He rode a horse last weekend.
20. Scene (noun) – Visual location, for e.g.
The scene was set in the south of France.
Seen (verb) – Past participle of the verb 'to see', for e.g.
I haven't seen him in years!
21. Sole (adjective) – The only one, for e.g.
She was the sole person to understand him.
Soul (noun) – Immortal part of a person, for e.g.
Many people believe that the soul goes to heaven when we die.
22. Their (possessive adjective) – Belonging to them, for e.g.
That's their house on the corner.
There (adverb) – At or in that place, for e.g.
Please sit over there.
23. Vary (verb) – To change, for e.g.
Results may vary with daily or weekly use.
Very (adverb) – To a high degree, for e.g.
She was very happy to see Jim.
24. Wait (verb) – To remain ready for someone or something, for e.g.
Can you wait for me in my cabin?
Weight (noun) – An amount of heaviness, for e.g.
I wish my weight were lower.
25. Weather (noun) – The meteorological conditions, for e.g.
The weather has been quite beautiful this week.
Whether (conjunction) – whether ... or – indicates an alternative, for
e.g.
I don't know whether he will come or not.

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Self Assessment Questions

7. Homonyms are words which are pronounced the ____________ way.
8. Homonyms are spelt _______________.

10.6 Summary
Different vocabulary is used in different situations. At some situations, we
may use phrasal verbs, at the others we may use idioms.
There are still other situations in which we get confused at either writing the
words or interpreting. This happens because there are words that have
same pronunciation but different meanings.
Glossary
Idiom: An expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is
comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression. This is
separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is
made.
Homonyms: Words that are pronounced the same but have different
meanings.

10.7 Terminal Questions

1. What are the various types of vocabulary that can be used at different
situations? Give five examples of each.
2. Discuss some homonyms and use them in your own sentences.

10.8 Answers
Self Assessment Questions
1. Two
2. Everyday
3. True
4. False
5. Adverb
6. Verb, preposition
7. Same
8. Differently

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Terminal Questions
1. Refer to 10.3, 10.4 and 10.5 – Phrasal verbs extremely important in
everyday speech.
2. Refer to 10.5 – Homonyms are words which are pronounced the same
but have different meaning.

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