An Extensive List of Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example

To respect or obey a If you want to keep your job here,

abide by
decision, a law or a rule you must abide by our rules.

To explain, give a I hope you can account for the

account for
reason time you were out!

To make sense, seem The facts in the case just

add up
reasonable don’t add up.

advise To recommend not I advise against walking alone in

against doing something this neighborhood.

To have the same

I agree with you. I think you
agree with opinion as someone
should go as well.
else.

To take into We need to allow for unexpected

allow for
consideration charges along the way.

1. To plead or make a 1. He appealed to the court to

appeal to request change its decision.
2. To be attractive or 2. A vacation of sunbathing
interesting doesn’t appeal to me.

To make a formal
He applied for a scholarship for
apply for request for something
next semester.
(job, permit, loan etc.)

To move backwards, in When he saw the bear, he backed

back away
fear or dislike away in fright.
Phrasal Verb Meaning Example

Local authorities backed down on

To withdraw, concede
back down their threats to build on that part of
defeat
the beach.

1. I’m going to be very strict with

1. To give support or
him. I hope you’ll back me up on
encouragement
back up this?
2. To make a copy of
2. You should back up all your
(file, program, etc.)
computer files in a secure location.

To base your hopes on I’m banking on you to help with

bank on
something / someone the charity event.

To faint, lose Jenna fell in the parking lot

black out
consciousness and blacked out.

To separate using a The police blocked off the street

block off
barrier. after the explosion.

1. Tommy blew up the red balloon.

1. To explode
blow up 2. Don’t blow up at me. It’s not my
2. To get angry
fault.

It all boils down to who has more

boil down to To be summarized as
power.

To start a computer by You need to boot up your

boot up loading an operating computer before you begin to
system or program work.

To separate from a One of the wolves broke

break away
crowd away from his pack.

1. The washing machine broke

1. To go out of order,
downso we had to call in the repair
cease to function
break down technician.
2. To lose control of
2. John broke down when he heard
one’s emotions
the news.
Phrasal Verb Meaning Example

Burglars broke into my car last

break into To enter by force
night.

Rioting broke out after the

break out To start suddenly government raised the fuel prices
again.

To escape from a place Several prisoners broke out of

break out of
by force jail.

To come to an end She broke up with Daniel after

break up
(marriage, relationship) dating him for five years.

Sara is bringing up her children

bring up To raise (a child)
by herself.

To improve, refresh
I must brush up on my French
brush up on one’s knowledge of
before going to Paris next month.
something

To meet by chance or I bumped into Adam at the bank.

bump into
unexpectedly He says “hello”.

1. stop (something) 1. The light bulb burnt out. Please

working change it.
burn out
2. become exhausted 2. She needs to work fewer hours.
from over-working Otherwise she will burn out.

Could please call back in ten

call back To return a phone call
minutes?

The game was called off because

call off To cancel
of bad weather.

To become more It took Kylie several hours to

calm down relaxed, less angry or calm down after she saw the
upset accident.

The soldiers carried on walking

carry on To continue in order to get to their post before
dark.
Phrasal Verb Meaning Example

1. To do something as
1. His orders were carried out to the
specified (a plan, an
letter.
carry out order, a threat)
2. That company does not carry
2. To perform or conduct
outtests on animals.
(test, experiment)

To register at a hotel or They said I must check in at least

check in
airport three hours before my flight.

1. Donna checked out of the hotel

1. To pay one’s bill and
this morning.
check out leave (a hotel)
2. I don’t know if this price is correct.
2. To investigate
I’ll check it out online.

When the police started asking

clam up To refuse to speak questions, the suspect clammed
up.

The local authorities have decided

clamp down To act strictly to prevent
to clamp down on illegal parking
on something
in handicapped parking places.

1. I was cleaning up and came

1. To find by chance acrosssome old photos of you.
come across 2. To appear, seem, make 2. The politician came across as a
an impression complete fool during the TV
interview.

Has the owner of the winning lotto

come forward To present oneself
ticket come forward?

To rely or depend on You can count on me to keep

count on
(for help) your secret.

To reduce in number or I’ve decided to cut down on the

cut down on
size amount of sweets I eat.

1. To remove using 1. She cut out a coupon from the

cut out
scissors newspaper.
Phrasal Verb Meaning Example

2. To stop doing 2. You need to cut out all red meat

something from your diet.

To handle, take care of Catherine is not good at dealing

deal with
(problem, situation) with stress.

After the storm died down, we

To calm down, become
die down went outside to see the damage it
less strong
had caused.

She didn’t get a salary this month,

do without To manage without so she’ll have to do without extra
treats.

To last longer than The suspect’s trial dragged

drag on
expected on longer than we had expected!

To write (contract, They drew up a contract and had

draw up
agreement, document) me sign it.

Their wedding gave us a chance

dress up wear elegant clothes to dress upand get out of the
house.

To visit, usually on the Why don’t you drop in to see us

drop in
way somewhere on your way home?

1. To deliver someone or
1. I’ll drop off the papers later today.
drop off something
2. I often drop off in front of the TV.
2. To fall asleep

To leave school without Zack dropped out of college and

drop out
finishing joined the army.

To reduce, become less

Traffic usually eases off about
ease off severe or slow down
7pm
(pain, traffic, work)

To finish in a certain
end in Her marriage ended in divorce.
way; result in

To finally reach a state, If you don’t improve your work

end up
place or action habits, you’ll end up being fired.
Phrasal Verb Meaning Example

His plans to trek through South

fall through To fail; doesn’t happen America fell through when he got
sick.

He’s trying to figure out how to

To understand, find the
figure out earn enough money to go on the
answer
trip to Spain.

To complete (a form/an Please fill out the enclosed form

fill out
application) and return it as soon as possible.

To discover or obtain I’m going to to find out who’s

find out
information responsible for the power cut.

Tom had difficultty focusing

To concentrate on
focus on on work the day before his
something
holiday started.

get along To be on good terms; It’s important to get along with

(with) work well with your team supervisor.

What are you getting at? Do you

get at To imply
think I’m to blame?

I think we should get away for the

get away To escape
weekend.

To manage to cope or to Students without jobs have a hard

get by
survive time getting by.

get in To enter When did you get in last night?

get into How did you get into your car

To enter
(+noun) without the keys?

1. You should get off the train in

1. To leave (bus, train,
Kings Heath.
get off plane)
2. I can’t get the ink stain off my
2. To remove
shirt.

To board (bus, train, I’m trying to get on the flight to

get on
plane) Brussels.
Phrasal Verb Meaning Example

get on with To continue to do; make After they split up, she had a hard
(something) progress time getting on with her life.

get on (well) He doesnt get on very

To have a good
with well with the other members of
relationship with
(somebody) the committee.

He had a hard time getting out of

get out To leave
Newark because of the snow?

To avoid doing Edna’s trying to get out

get out of
something of working the night shift.

To recover from
get over (illness, Has she gotten over the flu?
disappointment)

To recover from
Mary had the chickenpox last
get over (illness,
week but she got over it.
disappointment)

Please get rid of that old t-shirt.

get rid of To eliminate
It’s so ragged.

Let’s get together for your

get together To meet each other
birthday on Saturday.

Will you please get up? You’ve

get up To rise, leave bed
got a class in 20 minutes.

1. To cease opposition; 1. We will never give in to the

give in yield terrorists’ demands.
2. To To hand in; submit 2. I’ll give in my paper tomorrow.

To stop doing Morris gave up drinking 10 years

give up
something ago.

Andy went through a lot of pain

go through To experience
after his mother died.

To spend one’s
He’s like Peter Pan. He never
grow up childhood; develop;
really grew upat all.
become an adult
Phrasal Verb Meaning Example

To submit (report, Please hand in your papers before

hand in
homework) Friday.

Susan volunteered at the shelter

hand out To distribute where she handed out warm
clothes.

To spend time in a
Which pub does the team hang
hang out particular place or with
out at after the game?
a group of friends

To end a phone If you hang up now, I’ll never

hang up
conversation speak to you again.

1. Please hold on and a

representative will answer your
1. To wait call.
hold on
2. To grip tightly 2. She was so scared on the
rollercoaster ride that she held
on for dear life.

To be quick, act Hurry up and finish your lunch or

hurry up
speedily we’ll miss the train.

To resolve by The two countries met at the

iron out discussion, eliminate conference to iron out their
differences differences.

Yes David, you can join in the

join in To participate
discussion any time you like.

1. There was a war on, so some kids

1. To engage in, become were only sixteen when
join up a member of they joined up.
2. To meet and unite with 2. Let’s separate now and join
up later at the restaurant.

To continue doing If you keep on making that noise I

keep on
something will get annoyed.
Phrasal Verb Meaning Example

To stay at the same

I read the paper every day to keep
keep up with level as someone or
up with the news.
something

The rugby match kicked off at 3

kick off To begin, start
o’clock.

Please check your form again and

leave out To omit, not mention
make sure nothing is left out.

I feel so let down because they

let down To disappoint promised me a puppy but all I got
was a doll.

Andy can you look after your

look after To take care of
sister until I get back?

She’s such a snob. She

look down on To consider as inferior always looks down on anyone
who is poor.

If you don’t want to take part in

To be a spectator at an
look on the game you can look on for
event
now.

Harry went to the shop to look

look for To try to find something
for a new computer.

look forward To await or anticipate I’m looking forward to my

to with pleasure birthday. It’s in two days time.

I always looked up to my father.

look up to To admire
He was a great man.

To laugh at/ make jokes It’s not nice to make fun

make fun of
about of people in wheelchairs.

To invent (excuse, That’s a good excuse. Did

make up
story) you make up it up yourself?

To mistake one thing or She had so many cats that she

mix up
person for another kept mixing up their names.
Phrasal Verb Meaning Example

To arrive in a new home Did you hear? Our new neighbors

move in
or office are moving in this afternoon.

To leave your
When are you moving out? We
move out home/office for another
need your office for the new guy.
one.

You were so tired after the game

nod off To fall asleep
that you nodded off on the couch.

To admit or confess Come on. Own up. We know you

own up
something did it!

Your grandfather passed

pass away To die away peacefully in his sleep last
night.

He didn’t drink enough water so

pass out To faint he passed out at the end of the
race.

I’ll pay you back as soon as I get

pay back To reimburse
the loan.

To postpone, arrange a Don’t put off until tomorrow,

put off
later date what you can do today.

It’s very dark in here. Please put

put on To turn on, switch on
on the light on.

The fire fighters were able to put

put out To extinguish
out fire in ten minutes.

To accommodate, give I can put you up until the

put up
somebody a bed weekend but then I’m going away.

I’ll pick you up at around 7:00 to

pick up To collect somebody
take you to the airport.

To indicate/direct As I already pointed out, there

point out
attention to something was a mistake in your calculation.

To count on, depend on, You can rely on me. I always

rely on
trust arrive on time.
Phrasal Verb Meaning Example

Since he had a sound alibi, the

rule out To eliminate
police ruledhim out as a suspect.

To escape from a place He ran away from home and

run away
or suddenly leave joined the circus.

To meet by accident or
I’m so glad I ran into you. I need
run into unexpectedly (also:
to ask you something.
bump into)

To have no more of We’ve run out of milk. I’ll just

run out of
something. pop next door to borrow some.

Let’s set off early to miss the rush

set off To start a journey;
hour traffic.

They set up their own company

set up To start a business when they were still in high
school.

Don’t buy that. Let’s shop

shop around To compare prices around and see if we can find
something cheaper.

He’s such a show off. He has to

To brag or want to be
show off tell everybody about his new
admired
computer.

I don’t think she’ll show

show up To appear/arrive
up tonight. Her daughter is sick.

shut up To be silent, stop Shut up, you’re spoiling the

(impolite) talking movie!

I think you should sit down. It’s

sit down To take a seat
bad news.

To rise from a sitting The whole stadium stood up for

stand up
position the national anthem.

My big brother always stuck up

stick up for To defend
for me when I got into a fight.
Phrasal Verb Meaning Example

To resemble, in Angie really takes after her

take after
appearance or character grandmother.

Please take care of my cat when

take care of To look after
I’m away.

The plane will take off as soon as

take off To leave the ground
the fog lifts.

I hear they’re taking on extra staff

take on To hire or engage staff
for this event.

Please take out your mobile

take out To remove; extract
phones and turn them off.

To reprimand/criticize The coach told her off for not

tell off
severely trying hard enough.

Take your time

think over To consider and think it over before you
decide.

To wear something to Go ahead, try it on and see if it

try on
see if it suits or fits fits?

I asked her out but

turn down To refuse
she turned me down flat.

To finish a product (so Your parents used up all the

use up
that there’s none left) coffee!

Watch out! There’s a dog in the

watch out To be careful
road.

1. Julie wore out her shoes running

1. To become unusable the marathons.
wear out
2. To become very tired 2. Julie was worn out after all that
running.

1. To do physical 1. You should work out twice a

work out
exercise week at the gym.
Phrasal Verb Meaning Example

2. To find a solution or 2. Can you work this out? I’m no

calculate something good at math.

I’ll wash up if you wipe off the

wipe off To clean (board, table).
table.
Lista com 26 Exemplos dos Phrasal
Verbs Mais Usados em Inglês
O que são os Phrasal Verbs mais usados?

Se você tem o hábito de ler conteúdos, assistir filmes em inglês ou

entra em contato com o idioma de outras maneiras tão ricas quanto
essas possibilidades, com certeza já deparou-se com um phrasal verb,
que nada mais é do que a combinação de um verbo com uma
preposição ou advérbio. Sempre é bom lembrar que:

– verbo: palavra que descreve uma ação;

– preposição: descreve a relação entre duas palavras (ex: o livro

está sobre a mesa);

– advérbio: descreve o verbo (ex: escrevo rapidamente quando estou

inspirado).

Por que pode ser tão difícil compreendê-los?

A dificuldade de compreender essas combinações se dá justamente

pelo fato de modificarem o significado dos verbos e outras palavras
envolvidas. Ou seja, conhecer o que cada uma significa, como e
quando devem ser utilizadas, pode não apenas ser de pouca ajuda,
como prejudicar a compreensão quando se trata dos phrasal verbs
mais usados em textos.

Quer alguns exemplos? Veja as seguintes frases!

– My television is acting up. I think it needs to be fixed.

– Your child is acting up again. Probably want some attention.

Agora, tente traduzir literalmente o phrasal verb em destaque. Seria

algo como “agir ou agindo para cima”, o que não faz nenhum sentido,
dado cada contexto. Por outro lado, observando essas frases como
um todo, começando pelo primeiro exemplo, é possível depreender
que se a televisão precisa de conserto (it needs to be fixed), é por
estar apresentando defeito.

Já no segundo, um pouco mais difícil, refere-se ao mau

comportamento de uma criança, reforçado pelo fato de estar querendo
alguma atenção (want some attention). Como você pode ver, na
dúvida, sempre avalie o contexto em que essas construções estão
inseridas, procurando por pistas para decifrar o que, de fato,
significam.

Quais são os 26 phrasal verbs mais usados e seus significados?

Agora que você já sabe o que são os phrasal verbs e conheceu um

deles, que tal aprender os 26 mais comuns, assim como exemplos
para entender os contextos em que são utilizados? Confira a seguir!

1. Ask out: invite (convidar alguém)

Paul asked his girlfriend out to a dinner in the new restaurant of the
neighborhood.

Paul convidou a namorada para jantar no novo restaurante do bairro.

2. Add up: make sense (fazer sentido)

This story doesn’t add up. Why would Louise sell the car that she
bought yesterday?

Essa história não faz sentido. Por que Louise iria vender o carro que
ela comprou ontem?

3. Break down: get upset (ficar triste ou decepcionado)

Peter broke down with the death of his favorite character in the book.

Peter ficou triste com a morte do seu personagem favorito no livro.

4. Bring about: cause (causar, provocar)

The young guys were reckless when they brought about the accident.

Os jovens rapazes foram imprudentes quando provocaram o acidente.

5. Catch up: reach a standard (alcançar um padrão ou nível)

To catch up with the class, your son needs to read all of these
chapters of the book.

Para alcançar a turna, seu filho precisa ler todos esses capítulos do
livro.

6. Come across: meet by chance (encontrar por acaso)

The girl came across her best friend.

A garota encontrou a sua melhor amiga por acaso.

7. Do over: do again (fazer novamente)

Johanna always blame herself when has to do the things over.
Johanna sempre se culpa quando precisa fazer as coisas novamente.

8. Drop by: come for a quick visit (dar uma passada, aparecer sem hora
marcada)
Richter was coming from college when he dropped by his mother’s
house to lunch.

Richter estava voltando da faculdade quando deu uma passada na

casa da mãe para almoçar.

9. Fall apart: break into pieces (desmoronar, desfazer-se)

Their marriage has fell apart after only a few months together.

O casamento deles se desfez depois de apenas alguns meses juntos.

10. Figure out: find the answer (entender, encontrar a resposta)

It was difficult for her to figure out the problem.

Foi difícil para ela entender o problema.

11. Find out: discover (descobrir)

The researchers will find out the solution for many diseases soon.

Os pesquisadores encontrarão a solução para muitas doenças em

breve.

12. Get along: like each other (gostar ou se dar bem um o outro)
It’s amazing that Paul and Anna get along so well, since they first met!

É incrível que Paul e Anna se deem tão bem desde a primeira vez em
que se conheceram!

13. Get away with: do something bad without being punished (sair impune)
The thief got away with the robbery, even with so many cops around.

O ladrão saiu impune com o roubo, mesmo com tantos policiais por
perto.

14. Get through: finish (terminar)

I will get through this work today.

Eu terminarei este trabalho hoje.

15. Give up: stop trying (desistir)

John always plans to give up working at night

John sempre planeja desistir de trabalhar à noite.

16. Grow up: become an adult (crescer)
Rose lives in United States, but she grew up in Brazil.

Rose vive nos Estados Unidos, mas ela cresceu no Brasil.

17. Hand over: give something (dar ou entregar algo)

As soon as the class has begun, the teacher asked the children to
hand over their smartphones.

Assim que a aula começou, o professor pediu às crianças que

entregassem seus smartphones.

18. Keep something from: not tell, hide (não contar algo, esconder)
It’s wrong to keep our relationship from our parents.

É errado não contar sobre o nosso relacionamento aos nossos pais.

19. Look after: take care of (cuidar)

He likes looking after his parents.

Ele gosta de cuidar dos seus pais.

20. Look forward: to be excited about future (estar ansioso, animado)

I’m looking forward to seeing my family again, after all these years
abroad.

Estou ansioso para ver minha família novamente, após todos esses
anos no exterior.

21. Make something up: tell a lie (mentir, inventar uma história)
Emily had to make up a story to convince her father letting her go to
the party.

Emily teve que inventar uma história para convencer o pai a deixá-la ir
à festa.

22. Pass something up: decline (recusar algo)

Although the job offer was very good, he passed it up because of his
new goal.

Embora a oferta de emprego tenha sido muito boa, ele a recusou por
causa do seu novo objetivo.

23. Run out: finish, use or sell all of something (esgotar, ficar sem)
The market ran out of milk this morning.

O mercado ficou sem leite nesta manhã.

24. Stick to: to adhere, remain faithful (seguir, manter-se fiel a algo)
To keep yourself healthy, you must stick to the rules of the diet.

Para manter-se saudável, você deve seguir as regras da dieta.

25. Think something over: consider (ponderar, considerar)

Ada is thinking the job proposal over before her final decision.

Ada está considerando a proposta de emprego antes da sua decisão

final.

26. Work out: exercise (exercitar-se)

Gary goes to the gym to work out every morning.

Gary vai à academia para exercitar-se todas as manhãs.

 'Make' or 'Do'?
It can be hard to decide when to use 'make' or 'do' in English. Here's some help.

1: We use 'make' when we create or construct something. For example:

 She made a cake.

 I've made us some coffee.
 Did you really make those trousers?

2: We use 'do' for general activities. In this case, 'do' is often used with
'something', 'nothing', 'anything' or 'everything':

 What did you do at the weekend?

 I didn't do anything yesterday.
 She's fed up with doing everything herself. She needs some help.
 Are you doing anything interesting during the holidays?

NOTE: 'What do you do?' means 'what's your job?'

3: There are many, many fixed expressions with 'make' and 'do'.
Unfortunately, they don't really follow any useful rules, so you have to learn
them. Sorry!

Here's a list: (download this list in PDF).

And click here for 'make' or 'do' exercise 1.

DO:
30 mph (miles per Many people do more than 30 mph through this town. It's
hour) very dangerous.
badly She did very badly on the exam, so she'll have to retake it.
your best Don't worry about getting everything correct. Just do your
best.
business It's been a pleasure doing business with you.
chores I have to go home and do some chores this afternoon.
a course John has decided to do a course in computing this
autumn.
a crossword She sat on the sofa, doing a crossword and drinking tea.
damage The storm has done a lot of damage to the house.
the dishes / the I really hate doing the dishes. I'm hoping to buy a
washing up dishwasher this year.
a drawing The little boy spent hours doing a drawing.
your duty He has to do his duty and look after his elderly parents.
an exam I have to do three exams and write a huge essay this term.
exercise Julie likes doing exercise, especially running.
an exercise The teacher asked us to do a lot of grammar exercises
over the holidays
someone a favour My friend did me a huge favour and lent me some money.
the gardening David often spends Sunday afternoons doing gardening.
good She helps homeless people and tries to do good.
you good You should eat your vegetables. They'll do you good!
your hair Allie spends ages doing her hair in the morning.
harm I spilt coffee on my suit and tried to clean it, but I did
more harm than good. It looks even worse now!
homework Have you finished doing your homework?
housework Let's do the housework quickly this morning, then we can
go out for lunch.
the ironing My mother listens to the radio while she does the ironing.
a job I think the students did a great job with this essay. It's
excellent.
the laundry / the He did the laundry, cleaned the house, and made dinner.
washing
your nails Jenny likes to do her nails each week.
a painting There was an old man sitting on the bank of the river,
doing a painting.
paperwork Does everybody hate doing paperwork?
research I'm doing some research for my thesis at the moment.
the shopping I'll do the shopping tomorrow morning. We need milk,
bread, pasta and bananas.
time (= be in He broke into a bank, was caught by the police, and now
prison) he's doing time.
well My sister is doing well in her new job.
work Unfortunately, Lucy does a lot of work at the weekends.
your worst I've bought all new winter clothes:– boots, a coat and a
very warm hat. Weather, do your worst!

MAKE:
amends I'm so sorry that I upset you. How can I make amends?
an appointment She had toothache, so she made an appointment with
the dentist for the following day.
arrangements Okay, so we're going to go on holiday in September.
Let's make some arrangements. I'll find a hotel, and you
can look at flights.
an attempt I know we might not catch the plane, but let's at least
make an attempt to be on time.
believe The children's favourite game is to make believe that
they are kings and queens from long ago.
certain I think the café opens at six, but let's make certain. I
don't want to be standing in the street waiting!
a change I've made some changes to the document.
a choice Which job are you going to take? You need to make a
choice.
a comment My mother made a comment about my shoes.
a complaint The food took so long to arrive that Julie made a
complaint to the manager.
a confession I'd like to make a confession. I was the one who ate the
last of the chocolate.
a date I'd love to see you soon. How about if we make a date
for next week?
a decision I've made my decision. I'm going to go back to
university.
a difference Going to the gym has really made a difference to how I
feel.
a discovery When John was last in London he made a discovery - a
beautiful little café in a quiet street.
an effort You're not trying hard enough! Make an effort!
an error He made several errors on the report, and the boss told
him to rewrite it.
your escape The bank robbers took £10,000 from the safe and then
made their escape.
an exception Usually the children aren't allowed to watch TV but I
made an exception today since the weather was so
horrible.
an excuse Why was Lisa late? Did she make an excuse?
a face The child took a bite of the broccoli and made a face.
a fire We put up our tent, made a fire, and had a hot drink.
a fool of yourself You shouldn't sing in front of everyone! You'll make a
fool of yourself.
a fortune Lucy made a fortune when she sold her company. Now
she doesn't have to work.
friends She loved university and made lots of friends.
fun of The children love to make fun of the teacher,– but only
when she's not looking.
a fuss It's okay! I'm fine, it's just a cough. Don't make a fuss!
an impression Jenny certainly made an impression last night! All my
friends are asking about her.
a joke The interview was very tense at the beginning, but then
John made a joke, and after that it was much more
relaxed.
a journey Because of the snow, try not to make any journeys
which are not absolutely essential.
a list First, I must make a list of all the things I need to do.
a loss Their business made a loss the first year, but did much
better after that.
love The hero and the heroine made love in the film.
a mess What a mess you've made! Can't you tidy up a bit?
a mistake She made so many mistakes in her essay that the
teacher couldn't understand it.
money John made a lot of money in his twenties and was able
to retire at the age of 35.
a move Look how late it is! Let's make a move.
a noise Please try not to make a noise when you come home,
because I'll be asleep.
an observation Could I make an observation? I don't think some of our
customers like the new adverts.
an offer She made an offer on a house. She's nervous because
she'll find out today if it has been accepted, and she
really wants to buy that house.
a payment Hello? I'd like to make a credit card payment, please.
a phone call I'm going to go outside and make a phone call. It's too
noisy in here.
plans David is making plans to move to Paris.
a point The professor used lots of examples to make his point.
a prediction The journalist made a prediction about the economy,
but in the end it wasn't correct.
a profit His business made a profit from the beginning.
progress Finally, after being stuck in a traffic jam for an hour,
we're making some progress! We'll arrive by 8pm.
a promise I must study hard today. I made a promise to my mum
that I wouldn't fail any more exams.
a remark John was upset because the boss made a negative
remark about his work.
a reservation Could you call the restaurant and make a reservation for
tonight?
a scene Susie made a scene in the café when her order was
wrong. She shouted at all the staff and demanded to
speak to the manager.
a sound Don't make a sound! We need to be completely quiet.
a speech The bride's father often makes a speech at her wedding.
a suggestion Could I make a suggestion? How about going out for
dinner?
sure I don't think I left the gate open, but I'm just going to go
and make sure.
the bed Could you please make the bed before you leave the
house? Otherwise it looks so messy with the duvet and
the pillows everywhere.
time (=find time to Everybody's busy, but you need to make time to study.
do something) Otherwise you won't be able to get a better job.
trouble That employee is trying to make trouble. He is always
telling the boss bad things about his colleagues.
a visit I'll call you this afternoon.– I need to make a visit to my
granny this morning.
your mind up Do you want chocolate or strawberry ice cream? Make
your mind up quickly!
your way After the film, John made his way to a café, where he
had two cups of coffee and some cake.
A/an and the
from English Grammar Today

A/an and the: meaning

A/an and the are articles. They are a type of determiner and they go before a
noun.

A/an before a noun shows that what is referred to is not already known to the
speaker, listener, writer and/or reader (it is the indefinite article):

Do you have a car?

A:

Do you live in a house?

B:

No, actually, I live in an apartment.

The before a noun shows that what is referred to is already known to the
speaker, listener, writer and/or reader (it is the definite article):

Where did we park the car? (The speaker and the listener know what car is
being referred to.)

We had to paint the apartment before we sold it. (The speaker and the listener
know what apartment is being referred to.)

The makes a noun specific.

Compare

Have you been Have you ever been to any ice rink? (an doesn’t make the
to an ice rink? noun ice rink specific)

The speaker and listener know the ice rink which is being
Have you been
referred to (e.g. the one in their town/the local
to the ice rink?
one). Themakes the noun ice rink specific.
 Not specific Specific (‘the one you and I know’)

Would you
Would you like to try the apple pie?
like an apple?

Do you have a cat? Have you seen the cat?

See also:
 Determiners (the, my, some, this)

When do we use a and when do we use an?

In speaking, we use a /ə/ before a consonant sound:

a car a house a big truck a wheel a grey day

Warning:

Some words that begin with a vowel letter in writing have a consonant sound:

/ə ju:ˈnaɪtɪd …/ /ə ju:niˈvɜ:sɪti/ /ə wʌn …/

a united group a university a one-year-old child

We use an /ən/ before a vowel sound:

an apple an old shoe an orchestra an umbrella

Warning:

Some words that begin with a consonant letter in writing have a vowel sound:

/ən aʊə(r)/ an hour /ən empi:θri: …/ an MP3 player

How do we pronounce the?

We pronounce the in two ways depending on whether the sound which comes
after the is a vowel or a consonant:
/ði:/ before vowel sounds

/ði: eksɪt/ the exit /ði: æpəl/ the apple

/ðə/ before consonant sounds

/ðə ti:m/ the team /ðə ju:niən/ the union

When do we use articles?

A/an and the with types of nouns

Countable nouns

We only use a/an with singular countable nouns:

I have a sister and a brother.

That was an excellent meal.

We can use the with singular and plural countable nouns:

The lion roared. The tree fell.

The lions roared. The trees fell.

Uncountable nouns

We don’t use a/an before uncountable nouns:

Could I have rice instead of potatoes with my fish?

Not: Could I have a rice

I hope we have nice weather.

Not: I hope we have a nice weather.

We can use the before uncountable nouns when they refer to a specific
example:

The rice we bought in the Thai shop is much better than the supermarket rice.
The weather was awful last summer.

To talk about an individual quantity or more than one quantity of an uncountable

noun, we use expressions such as a bit of, a piece of or a [specific measure] of:

That’s an amazing bit of news.

Not: That’s an amazing news.

We just made a big bowl of pasta.

Not: We just made a pasta.

Could I have a litre of milk, please?

Not: Could I have a milk, please?

General nouns

We only use the with general plural nouns when we are referring to a specific
set within a general class of people or things.

Compare

Books are so important in my life. I mean all books in general.

The books were all over the floor. I mean specific books (that you and I know).

We can make general nouns specific by using an article and adding more
information after the noun.

The life of a soldier is full of danger.(specifically the

Life is wonderful. (life in general) life of soldiers, not life in general)
She had a life of hard work. (one specific life)

He wrote a book on the history of

History sometimes repeats boxing.(specifically the history of boxing)
itself. (history in general) The country has a history of going to war.(one
specific history of one country)
Inventions, musical instruments and cultural institutions

When we talk in general about inventions, musical instruments or cultural

institutions (such as the cinema, the theatre, the circus, the opera, the ballet),
we often use the:

The computer must be the greatest invention ever. (The computer as an

invention in general, not a specific computer)

The violin sounds different to the viola.

I love a night at the opera.

See also:
 Nouns
No article before determiners (any, some, my, this)

We don’t use an article with other words that specify a noun (determiner),
e.g. any, some, my, her, this, that:

I love my job. Does she want this book?

Not: I love the my job. Not: Does she want the this book?

See also:
 Determiners (the, my, some, this)
The with things that are universally known

We use the with things known to everyone (the sun, the stars, the moon, the
earth, the planet) because they are a part of our physical environment or part of
the natural world:

The earth moves around the sun.

We lay on the grass and watched the stars.

The with everyday things

We use the with things that we know as part of our daily lives. The does not
refer to particular things in this context.

I don’t buy the newspaper these days. It’s free on the Internet. (newspapers in
general)
They always take the train. (trains in general)

Jobs and professions

When we talk about a person’s job, we use a:

She’s a gardener.

He’s an ambulance driver.

Places

We use the with mountain ranges and some mountains (the Alps, the Eiger),
groups of islands (the West Indies), rivers (the Danube), deserts (the Gobi
Desert), seas (the Black Sea), geographical regions or habitats (the Amazon
rainforest), motorways (the M42), the names of some countries (the People’s
Republic of China).

We don’t usually use articles with individual mountains or lakes when the name
includes Mount or Lake: Mount Fuji, Lake Victoria. We don’t use articles with
continents (Asia), countries (Romania), towns (Edinburgh), and streets
(Lombard Street).

See also:
 Geographical places
 Nationalities, languages, countries and regions
 Place names
The with groups within society

When we talk about particular groups or people within society, we use the +
adjective:

I think the rich should pay more tax and that the poor shouldn’t pay any.

The young need to be encouraged and supported in society.

The with dates

When we say a specific date, we use the, but when we write it, we don’t
use the:

Speaking: ‘I’ll see you on the twenty fourth of May.’

Writing: I’ll see you on 24th May.

When we talk about months, we don’t use the:

My birthday is in September.

May is my favourite month of all.

When we talk about seasons in general, we can use either in or in the.

In without the is often used in more formal or literary contexts:

These birds arrive in Britain in summer, and leave as the winter begins.

In the summer, we usually go to the mountains.

We rarely get snow in the winter.

When we talk about a specific season, we use the:

The winter of 1947 was one of the coldest in Britain.

We’ll definitely visit you in the summer. (meaning next summer)

See also:
 Nouns
The with Internet, radio and newspaper but mostly not with TV

I looked it up on the Internet.

Not: on internet

She was on the radio once.

Not: on radio

Did you see that story about parrots in the newspaper?

Not: in newspaper

There’s usually nothing on TV. (TV means television)

There’s usually nothing on the television. (less common)

The with go to, be at, be in hospital, school, prison

When we talk about the activity that happens in a building rather than about the
building itself, we don’t use the.
Compare

without the with the

She didn’t want to be in hospital but she She didn’t want to be in the
was too ill to go home. (in hospital means hospital … (in the hospitalmeans
being there as a patient) being in the building)

When I was at school, we didn’t have

When I was at the school… (at the
computers. (at school means being there as
school means being in the building)
a student)

We don’t use the with bed when we go there to sleep:

I always go to bed at eleven o’clock.

Not: I always go to the bed …

We don’t use the before work when we talk about the place where we do our
job:

They go to work at 8 am every morning.

Not: They go to the work …

See also:
 At, on and in (time)
Possessive expressions

We don’t use the to refer to an individual’s behaviour or to parts of an

individual’s body:

He spends most of his free time playing computer games.

Not: He spends most of the free time …

I must wash my hands.

Not: I must wash the hands.

 This, that and articles

We can use this instead of a/an or the, and these instead of zero
article or some when we tell stories and jokes to create a sense of the present:

[beginning of a joke]

There was this chicken who wanted to cross the road … (compare There was a
chicken who wanted to cross the road …)

These tourists came into the restaurant once and they ordered fifteen Irish
coffees.(compare Some tourists came into the restaurant once and they
ordered …)

Spoken English:

In informal speaking, we can use that as an alternative to the in stories when we

refer to something familiar or known to the listener. That highlights the fact that
the thing being referred to is known to the speaker and listener:

A:

Where did you buy your skirt? I really like it.

B:

I got it at that new shop next to Green’s Hotel. (compare I got it at thenew shop
next to Green’s Hotel.)

A/an and the: typical errors

 We don’t use the with plural nouns when we are referring to things in general:

We have to protect wild animals. (referring to wild animals in general)

Not: the wild animals.

 We don’t use the when we refer in general to something abstract or

uncountable:

I love Japanese food. (all Japanese food/Japanese food in general)

Not: I love the Japanese food.

 We don’t use the when the noun is not known to the listener or reader:
 Last Sunday, we saw a film called ‘Nightmare’. (The speaker doesn’t think that
the listener knows of this film.)

Not: … we saw the film called ‘Nightmare’.

 We don’t use the instead of a possessive pronoun:

The police asked us to put our hands up.

Not: The police asked us to put the hands up.

 We don’t use an article with go to bed:

I go to bed at eleven most nights.

Not: I go to the bed at eleven most nights.

Determiners (the, my, some, this)
from English Grammar Today
Determiners are words such as the, my, this, some, twenty, each, any, which
are used before nouns:

the countryside some paper this old sofa

my father five green chairs each person

Determiners include the following common types:

Articles: a/an, the

Demonstratives: this, that, these, those

Possessives: my, your, his, her, its, our, their, x’s (possessive ’s)

Quantifiers: (a) few, fewer, (a) little, many, much, more, most, some, any, etc.

Numbers: one, two, three, etc.

Here is a list of the determiners included in this book. Many of them have
individual entries:

(a) few, fewer, fewest every most that

(a) little half much the

(an)other her my their

a/an his neither these

all its no this

any Jim’s, Anna’s, etc. one, two, three, etc. those

 both least our what

each less several which

either many some whose

enough more such your

Sometimes we don’t use a determiner before the noun. We call this ‘zero
determiner’:

Dogs love biscuits.

See also:
 A/an and the

What do determiners do?

Determiners have two main functions: referring and quantifying.

Referring

Referring means showing us who or what the noun is pointing to or talking

about. The most common types of determiners which we use for referring are
articles, possessives and demonstratives:

A:

Where’s the newspaper?

B:

It’s on the sofa. (the means the noun refers to something the speaker and
listener both know or are familiar with)

A:

Have you seen my MP3 player anywhere?

B:
Yes. It’s on the kitchen table. (my refers to something which belongs to the
speaker; the refers to something the speaker and listener can both identify
because they both know or share knowledge about it.)

Do you want this bag or are you going to put it in that box? (this refers to
something near the speaker; that refers to something further away.)

Charles is looking for his dictionary. Have you got it? (his means the noun
refers to something belonging to a male, in this case, Charles.)

Quantifying

‘Quantifying’ means showing how much of something there is, or how many:

Five people were arrested during an anti-war demonstration in London today.

There are some letters here for you. (some means a non-specific, small
number or quantity of something.)

Do you have enough flour to make the bread. (enough means a quantity that is
sufficient or adequate for something).

See also:
 Determiners and modifiers
Possession (John’s car, a friend of
mine)
from English Grammar Today

Possessive ’s

We use apostrophe s (’s), also called possessive ’s, as a determiner to show that
something belongs to someone or something:

Is that Olivia’s bag?

Britain’s coastline is very beautiful.

We can also use it in complex noun phrases (underlined):

Greg is her youngest daughter’s husband.

We can use two possessive ’s constructions in the same noun phrase:

We went to Jake’s father’s funeral.

We also use possessive ’s to talk about time and duration:

Is that yesterday’s paper?

I’ve only had one week’s holiday so far this year.

Rules for using possessive ’s

We use ’s after a singular noun and ’ after a plural noun.

Compare

singular noun + ’s plural noun + ’

The girls’ bedroom.

The girl’s bedroom
(The bedroom belongs to more than
(The bedroom belongs to one girl.)
one girl.)

We use ’s with irregular plural nouns (e.g. children, men, people, women):

The children’s parents decided which university they would go to.

They have no respect for other people’s property.

The rules for the pronunciation of a noun with ’s are the same as the rules for
pronunciation of plural forms of nouns.

Compare

noun + ’s or ’ plural noun pronunciation

The cats were

The cat’s dinner
running around /s/
is in the fridge.
the garden.

The kids’ uncle

The kids are
gave them all /z/
getting impatient.
some money.

There are three

George’s brother
Georges in my /ɪz/
was there.
family.

When a first or second name ends in -s, we can either add ’ or ’s. It is more common to
use ’ than ’s. When we speak, we usually pronounce the final part of the word as /zɪz/
or /sɪz/:

Is that James’ car? (or Is that James’s car?) (both usually pronounced
/ˈdʒeɪmzɪz/)

I love Keats’ poetry. (or I love Keats’s poetry.) (both usually

pronounced /ˈki:tsɪz/)

With compound nouns, we add ’s to the final noun:

My sister-in-law’s friend came with us.

Not: My sister’s-in-law friend

We don’t usually use the possessive ’s with things:

the door handle

Not: the door’s handle

the shop window

Not: the shop’s window

the kitchen table

Not: the kitchen’s table

Spoken English:

When we talk about places which are familiar to the speaker and the listener, we
sometimes don’t use the noun after possessive ’s:

the hairdresser’s salon – the hairdresser’s

the doctor’s surgery – the doctor’s

We had to take our cat to the vet’s twice last month. (the same as: We
had to take our cat to the vet’s clinic twice last month.)

Do you shop in Marks and Spencer’s?

We decided to go to John’s after the cinema. (the same as: We

decided to go to John’s house after the cinema.)

In short answers, we can omit the noun if it is not necessary to repeat it:

A:

Is that your coat?

B:

No, it’s Sandra’s.

We use possessive ’s with words such as one, anyone, someone, anybody, somebody:

It’s important to know one’s rights as a tenant.

Is this someone’s coat here?

When we use else with these words, the ’s is added to else:

Why didn’t you come? Everyone else’s husband was there.

Warning:

The pronoun other has the same forms as nouns. We add ’s to the singular form, and
we add an apostrophe after the plural -s ending in the plural form:
They took each other’s hand and started walking.

All of our luggage arrived but the others’ cases didn’t. The airline
promise they will be here this evening.

Warning:

We don’t use ’s with possessive pronouns:

Is that dog yours?

Not: Is that dog your’s?

I think that car is theirs.

Not: I think that car is theirs’

We don’t use ’s with the possessive determiner its. It’s means ‘it is’:

The city is proud of its parks.

Not: The city is proud of it’s parks.

Possessives with of
Noun phrase + of + possessive pronoun

We can talk about possession using the pattern: noun phrase + of + possessive
pronoun:

A friend of mine told me that all of the tickets have already sold out.

A:

Where’s Martin?

B:

He’s gone to pick up a cousin of his at the station.

Is Linda McGrath a close friend of yours?

Warning:

We use a possessive pronoun, not the object form of the pronoun:

A neighbour of mine called late last night.

Not: A neighbour of me …

Noun phrase + of + possessive ’s noun phrase

We can also use the noun phrase + of pattern before a noun phrase with possessive ’s:

He’s a brother of Maria’s.

A friend of my sister’s has opened a café on Dawson Street.

She was a daughter of the President’s.

’s or of or either?

There are some general rules about when to use ’s and when to use of but there are
many cases where both are possible:

The film’s hero or The hero of the film

The car’s safety record or The safety record of the car

The report’s conclusion or The conclusion of the report

Sometimes when we first mention a noun, we use of, and later when we refer to it
again, we use ’s:

The mountains of Pakistan are mostly in the north. At least one

hundred of them are above 7,000 metres … Most of Pakistan’s
mountains are in the spectacular Karakoram range.

When we don’t use ’s

We don’t use ’s when the noun is not a person, animal, country, organisation, etc., or
when the noun phrase is very long:

The name of the ship was ‘Wonder Queen’. (preferred to The ship’s
name was ‘Wonder Queen’.)

The house of the oldest woman in the village. (preferred to The

oldest woman in the village’s house.)

When we don’t use of

When we are talking about things that belong to us, relationships and characteristics of
people, animals, countries, categories, groups or organisations made up of people, we
usually use ’s:
 The men’s dressing room is on the left at the end of the corridor.

Not: The dressing room of the men …

The cat’s paw was badly cut.

Not: The paw of the cat …

See also:

 Possessive ’s

Possession: typical errors

 We don’t use ’s with plural nouns:

It’s my responsibility to deal with customers’ complaints.

Not: … to deal with customers's complaints.

 The possessive determiner its has no apostrophe:

We bought this car because we liked its colour.

Not: … because we liked it’s colour.

 We don’t use ’s to make nouns plural. When we want to show that something is
plural, we add -s without an apostrophe:

They had to rebuild the roads after the earthquake.

Not: They had to rebuild the road’s …