Mastering English Phrasal Verbs and Idioms
Mastering English Phrasal Verbs
Settle
- Settle in: Become used to being there and feel at home.
- Settle for: Choose to accept.
- Settle up: Pay the bill.
- Settle down: Become calm.
- Settled down: Started living a quiet life, get married, have children.
See
- See me off: Take me to the airport and say goodbye.
- See through: Realize the truth behind the lies.
- See to: Arrange, make sure.
- See things through: Continue till completed.
- See about: Arrange, put in order.
Take
- Take in: Deceive (not being honest).
- Take somebody up on something: Challenge or question them on what they have said, usually because you think it is wrong.
- Take on: To fight.
- Take up: To start doing something as a leisure activity (hobby).
- Take over: To become responsible for something.
- Take something out on someone: To behave badly towards someone because you feel upset about something else.
Tell
- Tell off: Reprimand, criticize.
- Tell apart: To recognize the difference between.
- Tell on: To give information about something somebody has done wrong to a person in authority.
- Tell against: To spoil someone’s chance of success.
Common English Idioms
- Is dragging its feet: Is not doing much/enough.
- A storm in a teacup: Became angry or worried when it isn’t necessary.
- A drop in the ocean: A very small amount.
- Are fighting a losing battle: Are not managing to solve the problem.
- Have bitten off more than they can chew: Have been overambitious.
- Common knowledge: Well known to everyone.
- A law unto himself: Someone who behaves independently, ignoring rules.
- Made a mountain out of a molehill: Making something trivial seem more important.
- Had outstayed his welcome: Stayed too long, and was no longer wanted.
- Are driving/have driven a wedge between: Are creating, have created hostility between.
Workplace Phrases
- A golden handshake: Money given to a retiring employee.
- It’s a good job: Another way of saying it’s fortunate.
- Just the job: Exactly what is needed.
- Hand in your notice: Resign from your job.
- Given the sack: Dismissed from your job.
- Break even: Cost and income are equal.
- Shift work: Time periods to do the work (turnos).
- The shop floor: Ordinary workers in a factory.
Sentences with Key Social Terms
If politicians lived for some weeks in a shanty town, they would realize what poverty is.
High-profile methods are among the most effective ways of attracting the attention of the government.
It is a shame that the elderly are left aside in this country, grey power is really important.
Over centuries, class distinction has been a common part of our society.
Social pressure has been a daily issue the last couple of years in this country.
Magistrates have to deal with wanton vandalism every day. That must be exhausting.
Nowadays, there have been industrial actions by workers because they want improvements in their work.
I cannot believe that in this century, racial tension is still a cause of conflict.
I don’t care about the political system any more. Political battle now is irrelevant for me.
Last year, my uncle was in the middle of a legal wrangle, but it turned out fine.
We are supposed to have a meeting with the project leader before handing in the documents.
Industrial relations is a really important issue; it’s always positive to have a good relationship between workers and managers.
I believe that in Chile, and in many other countries as well, the minimum wage is a real joke.
A lot of companies hire cheap labor from other countries as a way of reducing costs.
The idea of a civil servant being kind is very odd to me; they commonly work with a poker face.
Unfortunately, only one out of six unemployed friends of mine has an unemployment pension.
My aunt Marta buys only in the retail trade, and it has been like this since I was a girl.