Speak Up - Phrasal Verbs

> Let's read carefully the sentences before we studying this new phrasal.

* Waldo realized he was driving too fast and began to slow down.
* They claim they can slow down the ageing process.
* Can't you work any faster? You're slowing the whole class down!
* Don't wait for me - I'm only slowing you down.
* The plant's growth is slowed down by lack of light.

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> Let me see if you found out the meaning of slow down. Could you please tell me the opposite of it? I will give you four options but only one is the correct. here you are:

a) go quickly
b) go more quickly
c) go slowly
d) go more slowly

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> Congratulations for your effort in studying English. Now I want you to help me to identify which of these sentences are gramatically correct.

a) He slowed down
b) He slowed the car down
c) He slowed down the car
d) He slowed it down
e) He slowed down it
f) The car was slowed down

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> Let's learn a new phrasal verb today. But as we used to do , let's first try to understand it by ourselves.

* What Bruno really wanted was to get married and settle down.
* J.B. is going to travel for six months before settling down with his career.
* Alessandra had settled down with her new husband in a small town near Paris.

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> I need your help to understand the meaning of " settle down " . if a person settles down, which of the following might they do? There are more than one correct answers.

a) get married
b) travel a lot
c) start living in one place
d) have a lot of girlfriends or boyfriends
e) start a family

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> Read these sentences very carefully:

* She's always putting her glasses down somewhere and losing them.
* At the end of the exam the teacher told everyone to put down their pens.
* Put me down, Mummy!
* He heard the sound of the phone being put down.

> What would you do if someone you trust too much lets you down? Certainly you will feel disappointed. This is all about confidence. Its very complicated to put your life on somebody's hands or give to somebody the right to act in your name. This person must be reliable. When you vote in a senator and he accepts bribes ...this let's you down ...because you expected other attitude. You failed in voting him...he failed in letting you down.


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* When Neymar missed that penalty, he felt that he'd let the team down.
* I think that Jose serra will let down Lula's project.
* Don't worry - I won't let you down this time, I promise.
* Brazilian electors find it hard to trust anyone - They've been badly let down in the past.
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> Let's read some sentences:

* Why are you late ,Jermane? Don't you tell me that the bus broke down again!
* What a terrible journey! We broke down twice on the way home.
* I'm nervous about use her washing machine in case it breaks down again.

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> As you could see , Break down means " to stop working because of a fault". Considering that, are you able to identify what type of things can break down?

a) tools
b) machines
c) vehicles
d) dreams

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Break or break down?

1- Certainly you know the verb " break" and its meaning. I wonder if you can find the right way to complete these sentences.

1) Can I borrow your pen? Mine's (broken)- (broken down)
2) if the air conditioning system (breaks)- (breaks down), call the engineer.
3) I tried to cut some very thick paper and the scissors (broke)- (broke down).
4) My new mobile phone's (broken)- (broken down). did you drop it again?

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2- Answer the following questions, using the verb break down:

a) Why are you washing your clothes by hand?
---- Well, I'm washing my clothes by hand cos' ...............................

b) Is your car reliable?
Yes, ..............................................

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Let's read very carefully some sentences:

1- I'm afraid Lady larissa is in a meeting. Can you call back later?
2- There's a phone message for you: Can you call teacher J.B. back this evening?
3- I left lots of messages for Angelina Jolie, but she never called me back.
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The sentences above will help you with the exercises below:

1- Read carefully the sentences below. Two of them are correct explanations of the meaning of this phrasal verb. Tell me the wrong definition.

A) To telephone somebody again.
B) To telephone somebody.
C) to telephone somebody who telephoned you earlier.

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2- Which of these are gramatically possible?

a) I called back later.
b) I called my parents back later.
c) I called back my parents later.
d) I called them back later.
e) I called back them later.

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3- It's time for me to know if you really understood the correct way of using call back or call somebody back. Complete the sentences below according to the needs:

a) Emily wasn't in when I phoned the first time,  so I ................................................................
b) I'm rather busy at the moment,Waldo. Can I.......................................................................?
c) I left a message with his secretary and he ............................................................................
d) I've phoned her three times today, but she ..........................................................................

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Extra information:

There is a noun in English called callback. This noun has two meanings. It can be a device in a telephone that automatically calls again the number that you tried to call ,  but it was busy at that moment. Or it can be a telephone call that you make to somebody who has called you earlier. In this case you can use it after the verb " give".

** Alex is really busy now. So please leave your number and he will give you a callback as soon as he can.

Read carefully the sentences below:

 1-  When teacher J.B. says " Thank you very much for being here..." the students quickly put their material away.
  2- Ingrid always puts away her toys when she has finished playing with them.
  3- I carefully folded all my winter clothes and put them away in the cupboard.
  4- To her surprise , she found that all the dishes had been washed and put away.

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1- According to the sentences above , choose the best meaning of "put something away".

A- to put something far away from you because you don't want it near you.
B- to put something in a bin or trash can because you do not want it.
C- to put something in a box, a drawer ...etc. because you have finished using it.
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2- Which of these sentences are gramatically wrong.

A- He put his things away.
B- He put away his things.
C- He put them away.
D- He put away them
E-  His things were put away.
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3- Complete the sentences with the correct form of put away and one of the objects below:

Them                  your toys            it                     the cakes                     the car

A) You'd better..........................................................before I eat them all.
B)  Do you want to listen to this CD again or May I ............................................?
C) Stop playing and ............................................................now. It's time to go to bed.
D) I think I'll .......................................in the garage. It's safer than leaving it in the street.
E) Why do always leave your clothes on the floor? Why can't you ......................................?
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4- Answer these questions in any way you like, using the verb put something away:

a) What are you gonna do after you finish your homework?
b) Who let these things on the floor?
c) Have you finished with the dictionary?
d) What do you use to do after you wash the dishes?

* Are you ready to learn a new phrasal? Alright, so am I. Let's keep the ball rolling then. Read the sentences and try to figure out the meaning of this phrasal.

* I can't believe Suzana just gave  her new T.V. away!
* Emily is giving away her english magazine collection.
* The old tv still works. We can sell it or give it away.
* Over 5 milllon dollars has been given away since the program " Million show" began.
* The federal lottery gave away over 16 million  dollars last month.
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What does give something away mean? Whatever it takes It's good to know that you can use it in two ways. You can give something away or give away something. In order to help you to find out the meaning of this phrasal , I've prepared some exercises. let's do it together. Firstly I'd like you to know that when you give something away you are,  as a matter of fact,  giving something to somebody.
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1- Use one of the sentences below to  complete the meaning of give something away.

A- because something is old and broken.
B- in exchange of something else.
C- as a gift.
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2- I have no doubt that you know the complete meaning of this phrasal...but a student of mine was a little confused when I asked him to write some sentences using "  give something away" . He went all out to show me the many ways of using this verb...but unfortunatelly he made a mistake...only one mistake...I wonder if you can find out his mistake.

A- Selma gave her clothes away.
B- She gave away her clothes.
C- She gave them away.
D- She gave away them.
E-  They were given away.
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 3- Let's practice a little more? Help me to complete these sentences using the correct way of " give something away". Don't forget to use one of the words below:

*her old car            *all his money           *everything         *them             *the rest

 A- Jermane has decided to .................................................J.B.'s foundation.
 B-  Do you want one of these bananas? They were ..............................free at the market.
 C-  I had lots of spare tickets , so I sold three of them and ................................................................
 D-  Jade is very generous. She .............................. when she bought the new one.
 E-   I don't need this stuff. I've decided to ......................................................................
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1-

This phrasal we are going to study now is really very interesting. I sincerely hope you enjoy it as much as I  do. Well , without further ado, take a look on these sentences:

* I take after my mother in looks, but people use to say that I've got my father's character.

* Wanessa Camargo is very musical. She takes after Zezé Di Camargo in that respect.

* Who do you take after , your mother or your father?

* My brother doesn't take after me at all.

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1- Considering the sentences above it's perfectly right to say that "take after somebody means " to look like or behave like an older member of your family". Come to think of it...which of these people below can you take after?

(   ) your son                                               (        )your father                              (     ) your neighbor

(   )  your younger brother                           (      )   your aunt                                (     ) your grandmother

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2- Some of these sentences are not gramatically possible. Try to find out!

A- Vanusa takes her mother after.
B-  Anselmo takes after his father.
C-  Andrelina takes her daughter after.
D- Jose Luis takes after his son.
E- I am taken after.

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3- Match the two halves to complete the sentences:

a)   I take after my mother                                             (   ) as we are both impatient.
b)   I don't think I take after                                           (   ) because I've got green eyes like her.
c)   I am told I take after my father                                 (   ) but I don't think we are very similar
d)   My father and I both love climbing                           (   ) my mother or my father.
e)   I must take after my grandfather                               (   ) so I take after him in that respect.
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4- What about you? Who do you take after? Could you please write some sentences about yourself, using the verb " take after?" If you want you can follow the same structures you've found in the sentences above.