02/07/24

English Class

Exercise with phrasal verbs.

1) [teacher to school kids] Who broke the window? We are not leaving this room until
someone _________________.

Shows up Owns up Catches up Draws up

2) The fire ______________ because we didn't put enough wood on it.

Died off Died out Went off Went away

3) After a heavy meal and three glasses of wine, I ______________ in front of the telly.

Dropped out Dozed off Dropped away Dozed away

4) We always used to copy our homework from each other and the teacher never
___________.

Caught up Caught on Let off Let up.

5) We always used to copy our homework from each other. Our teacher probably knew,
but she never ______________that we did.

Let up Let on Let off Let down

6) We started off selling our services at a premium, until stiff competition

___________the price.

Drove down Drove off Pulled down Put down

7) The start of the tennis match was put back twice, before being cancelled for the day
when officials realised that the heavy rain wasn't going to ________________.

Let up Let off Let in Let out

8) I can't come today as I'm a bit busy, but I'll try to ______________ tomorrow and
see you.

Drop by Drop off Drop out Drop through

Current affairs

1. The police caught and ____________the gang twenty miles from the scene of the
robbery.

Arrested Prosecuted Accused

2. The politician has refused to speak to the media after recent ____________of
corruption against him.

Obligations Altercations Allegations

3. Many observers are sure that the elections were _________.

Ripped Rigged

4. The strike began with mass ____________at factories across the country. Workers
downed tools and refused to work.

Redundancies Walkouts Workouts

5. Police _______________ with demonstrators as ten thousand people gathered to

protest against government cuts.

Crashed Grasped Clashed

6. There are many _____________to overcome before the new system can be
implemented.

Barriers Hurdles Walls

7. The president _______________the crisis by saying it wasn't as serious as the

media had reported.

Reduced Lessened Downplayed

8. The suspect was ______________and questioned for two days, before being
released.

Retained Maintained Detained

 9. Extra security will be brought in for the political ____________, as the crowd is
expected to exceed ten thousand.

Relay Rally Rail

10. After many years of bad relations, the country now wants to repair
____________with its neighbours.

Contacts Talks Ties

Fill in the blanks to form a phrasal verb from this list of phrasal verbs for business. Some of the
verbs will need to be conjugated.

​ 1. Kevin is going to pick me up at the office and __pick___ me off at the airport.
​
​ 2. I’m in a meeting right now and can’t talk. Can I _call___ you back in about an
hour?
​ 3. I really need to finish this today. I should have done it earlier in the week, but I
kept _calling___ it off.
​
​ 4. I’m looking for a used laptop. Can you __ask___ around and see if anyone has
one they want to sell?
​
​ 5. They had planned a strike, but they __called___ it off after management gave
in to some of their demands.
​
​ 6. I worked really late yesterday. I didn’t __check___ in until about 8:30.
​
​ 7. I’m going to _____ together with some of my coworkers this weekend.
​
​ 8. I didn’t think anyone knew yet. How did you __check__ out about the news?
​
​ 9. It took him several hours to __check___ out why his code wasn’t working.
​
​ 10. Would you mind __ask___ out a short customer satisfaction survey?
​
​ 11. After college, I briefly worked in New York and San Francisco, but I eventually
_____ up in New Jersey.
​
​ 12. Our company used to offer tuition reimbursement, but HR _____ away with
the program.
​
​ 13. We’re trying to ____ back on travel expenses this year. Last year we spent
entirely too much.
​
​ 14. Can we _____ on you to have this finished by the end of the week?
​
​ 15. Do you think management will _pich____ in to the union’s demands?
​
​ 16. You need to keep trying, even if you experience failure at first. Don’t _____
up!
​
​ 17. Caroline had her baby last week. If everyone in the department _____ in, we
can buy her a nice gift for the baby. (two possible answers)
​
​ 18. In English class last night, we _____ over everything we’ve learned in the last
three months.
​
​ 19. Before the meeting started, they _____ out the agenda to all of the
participants. (two possible answers)
​
​ 20. This is really confusing. It’s going to take hours to _____ out this mess.
​
​ 21. I _____ into an old friend while I was at the bank today. We decided to get
coffee and catch up. (two possible answers)
​
​ 22. Let’s _____ in to the hotel as soon as possible so we can get some rest.
​
​ 23. Our IT department is _____ up cubicles and workstations for the new
employees.
​
​ 24. I think we need to _____ around and get some other quotes. I think they
might be overcharging us.
​
​ 25. I want to take a few days off this month, but I don’t want to _____ up all my
vacation days so early in the year.
​
​ 26. We’re _____ out a new software programs to see how it works.
​
​ 27. The new printer isn’t working. I just got off the phone with tech support and it
looks like we’re going to have to _____ it back to the manufacturer to be
repaired.
​
​ 28. It’s a fantastic management book. You should ____ it out.
​
​ 29. It’s a big decision. You should take some time to ______ it over.
​
​ 30. We all ____ up to our CEO. She’s one of the most highly-accomplished
people in her field.
​ 31. Thanks for _____ me up during the meeting. I appreciate the support.
​
​ 32. I was going to work on the presentation last night, but some friends of mine
______ by and I simply didn’t have time. (two possible answers)
​
​ 33. I’m changing departments next week. It’s a welcome change. I’m really
_____ forward to getting started.
​
 ​ 34. I’m trying to _____ up smoking, but it’s been hard to quit.
​
​ 35. If you want something, you have to _____ after it.
​
​ 36. I forgot to _____ in my vacation request form. I hope they’ll still let me take
the day off.
​
​ 37. We should always be _____ out for new opportunities.
​
​ 38. What we prepared wasn’t what they were looking for. It looks like it’s back to
the drawing board and that we’re going to have to _____ everything over.
​
​ 39. Our financial records got _____ up, and we had to spend hours sorting things
out.
​
​ 40. The new addition was supposed to be completed by the end of March, but it
wasn’t ready until the beginning of July. The contractors really _____ us down.
​
​ 41. We’ve run out of office space. Management is _____ into ways to
accommodate everyone. We may lease another floor in this building.

POSITIVE ADJECTIVES FOR DESCRIBING PEOPLE EXERCISE

Kate always gives a solid effort. Her performance and attitude never vary. Kate is very
_________.

even consistent rational regular

Mark always shows up on time for meetings and appointments. He hates being late. He is
________.

Punctual timely steady undelayed

Paul always takes initiative and doesn’t need to be told what to do. He prevents future problems
by dealing with issues now. Paul is _________.

Intense practical aggressive proactive

Monica motivates herself and keeps herself on track. She is ________.

self-interested self-inspired self-disciplined self-enthused

Jacky is never arrogant. She is modest and does not act like she is better than other people.
She is _________.

Humble reserved mild self-conscious

Jose has many talents and has done well in various roles. He is ________.

Variable mobile versatile varying

Kelly has a strong desire for success. She always wants to achieve more and more. She is
________.

Pushy avaricious greedy ambitious

Lucy has a relaxed attitude. She doesn’t get stressed easily and isn’t particularly
demanding or strict with her employees. She is _________.

naive superficial confident easygoing

Mike always thinks about the wants and needs of others. He compliments his coworkers and
often helps people without being asked. He is ___________.

Patient considerate charitable affectionate

Susan always finds clever ways to solve problems and meet challenges. She is ________.

Productive resourceful active able

READ THE FORMAL EMAIL AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS.
From: Jo Backhouse
To: Karl Anderson
Date: 17 October
Subject: Support for Judy
Dear Karl,
I received a call from Judy a couple of days ago to discuss some of the issues
that she was having and I thought I'd give you a heads-up on what was said,
seeing that you are Judy's project team leader.
Judy really enjoys working with you and the team and finds the project very
interesting, but I think she's feeling a bit lost and struggling to see the big
picture. It seems that she's been given a fair amount of autonomy to carry out
the tasks that you've given her, and of course this level of delegation is not
uncommon in your branch. But I believe in her Tokyo office, she is used to a
bit more managerial direction and guidance and so is finding this international
project quite daunting.
When I asked her about meeting her deadlines, she mentioned that due to the
recent changes to the project timeline, her goalposts have been moved, and
she doesn't seem to really understand why this has happened. Bearing in
mind that she's also facing simultaneous deadlines from her department in
Tokyo, we can presume that she might be feeling a bit stretched.
Looking ahead, I was wondering if we could make it easier for Judy by offering
her more direction when setting her tasks, at least until she learns the ropes
and gets used to working unsupervised. I think she'd also appreciate you
giving her a clearer idea on how her role in the team fits into the overview of
things. Do you think you could maybe outline the group and individual targets
at your next team meeting and that way, everyone not only gets a reminder of
the end goal, but each team member, including Judy, might have a more
holistic view of the whole project?
I was also thinking it might help to touch base with her every so often to make
sure that she's up to date with any changes to the overall plan of attack. In the
meantime, I'll write to her manager in the Tokyo office and see how aware
they are of the deadlines you've given her, and if they could in some way
review her responsibilities and co-ordinate her tasks so that she doesn't
constantly feel pulled in both directions.
Judy is an extremely conscientious worker and is eager to contribute
positively to the team. Personally, I think she is someone with high potential
and will be an asset to our international projects if properly mentored. I'm keen
to know your thoughts on the matter and am open to any suggestions on how
we could better support Judy so that she has a more smooth-sailing
experience on the team.
Best regards,
Jo Backhouse
Head of Department
International Projects

PUT A CROSS NEXT TO THE CORRECT ANSWER

Why is Jo writing to Karl?

To suggest that his management style is not suitable for the current members of his team

To let him know about the issues his team member is facing and help him manage them

To tell him how to solve his problems

To ask him to take it easy on Judy and not give her too much work

What is Judy not used to?

Being told what to do

Collaborating with people internationally

Being left to do things on her own

Delegating work to other people

Why is Judy confused by the changing targets?

She feels as if she needs to understand the reasons for the changes.

She has simultaneous deadlines from the Tokyo office.

She doesn't want to know the bigger picture, just her part.

She doesn't like meeting deadlines.

Who might benefit from having a better overview of the project and a better understanding of how
the individual tasks fit together to achieve the group target?

Only Judy

Judy and the Tokyo office

Judy and Karl

Judy and the rest of Karl's team

What does Jo think of Judy?

Judy works well independently but isn't a good team player.

Judy is lazy and prefers managers to tell her exactly what to do.

Judy is very hard-working and capable and will go far in the company.

Judy is very enthusiastic but not very experienced.

Which of these does Jo do in her email?

Mix positives in with the negatives

Focus on the solutions

Use language to show that she's expressing her own opinion or a possibility and not hard facts

All of the above

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165 – Chats with Shana: Culture Shock in the U.S. (Everyday Life Stuff!) – American
English Podcast