Boost Your English: Phrasal Verbs, Vocabulary & Idioms

Essential English Vocabulary & Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal Verbs

  • Act on somebody’s advice
  • Back something up (make a copy)
  • Be up to sth (doing something)
  • Break something up (change sth)
  • Call for something (demand to happen)
  • Come across sth/sb (discover by chance)
  • Come round (visit in house)
  • Cope / Deal with sth
  • Die out (disappear completely)
  • Dream sth up (think of a new idea)
  • Fiddle with something (move w/o purpose)
  • Get down to sth (go for it with intention)
  • Go about doing sth (do purposeful things)
  • Go for (take a break; go for a coffee)
  • Hold down sth (to keep a job)
  • Keep up with sth (make sth last min)
  • Meet up with sb (to meet another person)
  • Move on (to leave and go somewhere else)

Unit 2: Vocabulary

idealist – realist / optimist – pessimist

concerned about / worried about

inspired by / amused by

dedicated to / terrified of

discouraged by / focused on

influenced by / frustrated with

motivated by / opposed to

respected for / committed to

confused with / disappointed with

compatible with / differs from

singing up / turned him down

cut back / back up

chatting up / weed out

Brain & Mind Vocabulary

  • Mind-boggling (Alucinante)
  • Mind reader (Lector de mente)
  • Brain drain (fuga de cerebros)
  • Brainchild (creación)
  • Brain damage (daño cerebral)
  • Brainstorm (idea genial)
  • Brain-teaser (rompecabezas)
  • Brainwashing (lavado cerebral)
  • Brain scan (tac cerebral)

Common Expressions with “Mind”

  • Never mind (no importa)
  • Bear that in mind (ten en cuenta)
  • I wouldn’t mind
  • Mind your language (Cuida lenguaje)
  • Mind you…? (te importa…?)
  • If you don’t mind… (si no te importa..)

Other Useful Words

Dismal (triste) / Devised (ideado)

Breakthrough (descubrimiento) / Premise

Get a joke (pillar la broma)

Written off (darse de baja)

Unit 2: More Vocabulary

texture – feel / staple – basic

insatiable – impossible to satisfy

viable – possible / outcome – result

yields – amount produced

prone – likely to get / maturity – adulthood

inexperience – Lack of experience

Describing Yourself

I am a person who:

  • never gives up
  • is coming up with new ideas
  • works well under pressure
  • works best in collaboration with others
  • gets anxious about disruptions

Idioms & Expressions

Big fences make good neighbours / In danger of being fired (despedido)

The days of keeping up with the Joneses are numbered (follow masses)

There is a world of difference between sharing and hand-me-downs

Paying attention to what he was / cut energy consumption / cause harm to environment

Example Sentences

Your socks match your tie.

The colour doesn’t suit you at all.

These jeans don’t fit me anymore.

Married a few weeks after they met.

Who really does sth for others?

He set out to make as many friends as possible.

She put a cross next to the names.

Whatever she wears, she always looks great.

However hard I try, I always forget the…

We can meet whenever it suits you…

Whichever you buy, it will look good on you.

He’s willing to move wherever he can find work.

You need to send the CV to whoever is in HR.