B1 PHRASAL VERBS

Base on /beɪs ɔn/ base sth. on sth. Basarse

She received a scholarship based on his high school grades.

Your final grade will be based on the part by how well you perform on standardized assessments.

Be over /bi ˈoʊvər/ finish terminarse

Final exams are over, and summer has arrived, and I’m overjoyed.

After the storm was over, we were shocked to discover a giant tree had fallen into our neighbors’ living room.

Break down /breɪk daʊn/ to separate into parts, analyze descomponerse

If John ever broke down in the woods, he’d always have a ready supply of kindling for a warm bonfire.

Before breaking down the door and arresting one of the suspects, the cops in crime novels have a couple of suspects.

Break in /breɪk ɪn/ enter forcibly or unexpectedly Entrar por la fuerza

Julian turned over the investigation into the church break-in to the police.

It claimed that the exact time of the break-in had not been revealed.

Break up /breɪk ʌp/ end a relationship separarse, terminar

We’ll be leaving soon, and we don’t want to break up your party.

This unequal distribution appears to be linked to the breaking up of the ancient supercontinent Gondwanaland.

Bring up /brɪŋ ʌp/ take care of during childhood criar

She has a natural sense of humor and can riff on almost any topic we bring up.

It is far more harmful to be brought up in a hostile environment by estranged parents.

Call for /kɔl fɔr/ demand; require requerir

The safest option is to call for assistance over the radio and wait out here all night until help arrives.

You’ve passed your exam, and it calls for a celebration!

Call in /kɔl ɪn/ summon for assistance or negotiation pedir ayuda o negociar

There were no others Harrell could call in quickly enough to make a difference.

If Manda is there working for them, I want to get her out of there before I call in the cops.

Carry on /ˈkæri ɑn/ engage in; conduct llevar a cabo

When they walked out of the bookstore, Newman made a concerted effort to carry on a normal conversation.

Trying to carry on a normal conversation was difficult.

Carry out /ˈkæri aʊt/ put (plans, instructions, etc.) into practice poner en práctica

You were the one who stated that we were dealing with zealots who would go to any length to carry out their plans.

But she’d take a message, and he’d be able to rely on someone from the Agence to carry out his wishes.

Check in /ʧɛk ɪn/ register at a hotel, convention registrarse en un hotel

Graham thanked the taxi driver for his assistance in carrying the suitcases into the foyer, then proceeded to the reception desk to check-in.

I handed him a folded note, and he pushed away from me, arriving at the check-in desk with a stubbed toe.

Check out /ʧɛk aʊt/ examine and verify or approve verificar

“We have to check out new routes or new ships instead of enjoying them as we should,” she grumbled, sometimes bitterly.

That evening, I went to Freda Taylor’s to check out into Cheryl’s bosses.

Come on /kʌm ɑn/ make progress progresar

‘In any case, it’s a better come-on than the guy who said it reminded him of Silver Blaze,’ she added.

As Sam walked in, Touchstone was looking out at his capital, watching the lights come on.

Cross out /krɔs aʊt/ delete tachar

He crossed out “fellow-subjects” and replaced them with “fellow citizens.”

We were then given a simple exam that consisted of crossing out stupid answers until only the least stupid one remained.

Cut up /kʌt ʌp/ cut into pieces cortar en trozos

She went up on the sidewalk, cut up a lorry, and ran a red light.

Every day, I had to get dressed and have my food cut up for me.

Deal with /dil wɪð/ take action on actuar

Her mind hadn’t had time to deal with the broader implications of all that sadistic megalomania trapped within the woman who ruled Medallion.

Even in this day and age of greater transparency, someone must still enter the sewer to deal with the rats.

Depend on /dɪˈpɛnd ɑn/ trust someone or something depende de

In her last difficult years, she depended completely on her husband to look after her.

She was a fiercely independent woman who refused to depend on others.

End up /ɛnd ʌp/  become eventually; turn out to be acabar

She wouldn’t have been the first person to end up on a criminal’s arm.

It could end up costing her a small fortune in the long run.

Fill in /fɪl ɪn/ a person or thing that fills in, as a substitute, replacement, or insertion rellenar

Then you’ll be able to afford a really good ten-year memory to fill in the gaps in your own system.

He’s never seen the real outside, so you’ll have to fill in the blanks.

Fill up /fɪl ʌp/ an act or instance of filling up, as a tank with fuel llenar

Tax now accounts for nearly 75% of the cost of filling up at the pump for motorists.

It’s good for us, he’d insisted, holding out his glass for a fill-up of water.

Find out /faɪnd aʊt/ discover; learn averiguar

Of course, Marianne would find out in the end; how could I think otherwise?

We can’t even get through on the phone, fax, or e-mail to find out what’s going on.

Get along with /gɛt əˈlɔŋ wɪð/ people  are friendly to each other llevarse bien con alguien

I don’t really get along with my sister’s husband.

But you must learn to get along with the other guests.

Get back /gɛt bæk/ return regresar

It shows how much your wife loves you that she kept pleading with you to get back together.

He would no longer fit in were he to put his chef whites on again and get back in the kitchen.

Get down /gɛt daʊn/ descend bajar algo

I’m back in time’s ever-moving stream, which means we should probably get down to work.

When you get down from there, come see me; we’ll get some doughnuts.

Get in /gɛt ɪn/ enter, arrive entrar

I’ve seen women much heavier than you strut around and dare the world to get in their way.

I’m afraid an earlier attempt to get in touch with Signorina Minetti also met a conspicuous lack of success.

Get off /gɛt ɔf/ leave; go away salir

When Taggart went to get off, he found the doors blocked by a crowd of football fans fighting to get on.

Make enough for both of us and have it ready to eat by the time you get off watch.

Get on /gɛt ɑn/ proceed; make progress continuar

Perhaps Lucy was a truly strong personality, capable of putting the past behind her and get on with her life.

Then they were forced to get on more trucks to be transported sixty kilometers to the nearest trains, which were all cattle trains.

Get rid of /gɛt rɪd ʌv/ get free from or relieved of (something undesirable)  deshacerse de algo

Difficult to smuggle the transceiver aboard, equally difficult to get rid of the cardiac unit that was inside the box.

She’d made a serious mistake in inviting him up here, and she didn’t know how to get rid of him.

Get up /gɛt ʌp/ rise (from a chair, from sleep, etc.) levantarse

She was barely on her feet and contemplated getting up to turn off the light or falling asleep right there.

But I never expected you to get up at night and care for the children when I was exhausted.

Give back /gɪv bæk/ return or restore devolver

We’ve found a new home here, and the family is overjoyed to be able to give something back to England.

But it’s worth it because you get given back so much more.

Give in /gɪv ɪn/ abandon a claim, fight, or argument; surrender; yield ceder

More or less without thought, other than her determination not to give in, she jammed on her brakes.

His voice was almost rough with the beat of his blood, his hunger, the rushing need he refused to give in.

Give out /gɪv aʊt/ cause to be known; make public revelar

I’m sorry, sir, but I’m not allowed to give up any information about our guests.

They liked to give up his phone number to the attractive clerks he robbed.

Give up /gɪv ʌp/ hand over; turn over; surrender rendirse

To make room for them to hang their coats, he had to give up his own little hidey-hole in the stockroom.

Harrell would be there, just waiting, knowing he couldn’t or wouldn’t be allowed to give up.

Give way /gɪv weɪ/ break down; collapse repartir, delatar

Despite employer concerns, she also gives away a minimum wage.

It enhances your already powerful focus, but you must also give way, often in odd or seemingly unfair situations.

Go for /goʊ fɔr/ be regarded or taken as intentar conseguir algo

Until I saw Jett, the temptation to go for high melodrama was almost overwhelming.

So I’m going to look at the house where I have to go for the money.

Go off /goʊ ɔf/ go away; leave, esp. suddenly explotar

I took a lot of flak for letting the two of you go off without first informing the Special Forces Brigade.

And if we break up, I can borrow Dad’s car and go off on long, moody drives at weekends.

Go on /goʊ ɑn/ move ahead; proceed; continue continuar

I believe she is about to put the bit in her teeth and go on the offensive.

And he had no doubt Lirael would choose to go on without him.

Go out /goʊ aʊt/ stop burning, be extinguished salir, apagarse

It was all money due to go out to the shipowners in the New Year, apart from my two percent.

He was good-looking, though, and certainly did not have to look far to find a woman who would go out with him.

Go with /goʊ wɪð/ combine nicely acompañar

He makes me feel special, just like when you go with Jason and tell me how wonderful he makes you feel.

I want my wife’s body returned to Kansas City, and I’ll go with her.

Hand in /hænd ɪn/ give; submit entregar,

Please hand in your keys when you leave the hotel.

All essays must be handed in by Tuesday.

Hand out /hænd aʊt/ distribute; deal out repartir

Of course, she knew Alex well enough now to know he didn’t like people to hand out information about him.

Every year, the CIOB throws a bash to hand out its Building Manager of the Year award.

Hang out /hæŋ aʊt/ spend much of one’s time; frequent a place pasar un rato

My roommates and I used to hang out a lot of time together last semester, but we no longer see each other.

We play on the seventeenth, which is Wednesday, hang out, and then play again on the nineteenth, which is Revolution Day.

Hang up /hæŋ ʌp/ put a telephone receiver or handset back in place in ending a call colgar

He hung up the phone after the call.

We had to hang up the phone on them because they were simply unable to complete the task at hand.

Hold up /hoʊld ʌp/ delay when traveling retrasarse

An accident is holding up traffic.

Sorry I’m late, but my train was held up.

Keep in /kip ɪn/ to restrain (an emotion); repress contener

The current was already taking him past Finder, and he had to battle just to keep it in place.

In the present circumstances, Weatherby would have wanted him to keep in touch.

Keep on /kip ɑn/ continue or persist in (doing something) continuar

How long she would keep on getting away with it, she didn’t know.

The speaker kept on talking for two more hours.

Keep up /kip ʌp/ maintain in good order or condition mantenerse

To keep up with him, Mary-Lou stuffed the blazer into the large pocket of her coat and took it to her heels.

Keep up the good work!

Knock down /nɑk daʊn/ demolish demoler

They knocked down the old church and built a block of flats in its place.

I will knock down the taxes that we overpay, taxes that we have no say over how they are spent.

Lie down /laɪ daʊn/ rest acostarse

If you eat so much, the surplus lies down as fat.

I’m exhausted, so I’m going to lie down for an hour.

Look after /lʊk ˈæftər/ take care of; watch over cuidar

It entails building a special enclosure for you to experience life in the wild while still being looked after.

They are very good at looking after each other as a tribe.

Look at /lʊk æt/ watch mirar

She looks at her boyfriend.

They look at those photos.

Look for /lʊk fɔr/ search or hunt for buscar

Look for compromise, which means that both you and he must give some ground.

Look for and trim any hanging growth on climbers to prevent further damage.

Look forward to /lʊk ˈfɔrwərd tu/ anticipate, esp. eagerly anticipar algo

When you look forward to something, you usually get smacked in the face.

It may not appear to be a chore, but rather something to look forward to.

Look out /lʊk aʊt/ be on the watch; be careful ¡ten cuidado!

Blazak begged everyone watching to look out for his daughter.

You should look out for yourself from now on.

Look up /lʊk ʌp/ search for in a book of reference, etc. Buscar en un listado

If you don’t know the meaning of a word, you can look it up in the dictionary.

I went online and looked up her phone number.

Pick up /pɪk ʌp/ grasp and raise or lift; take up recoger

This afternoon, I’ll be picking up my sister from the train station.

I need to pick up the books I lent my cousin.

Put away /pʊt əˈweɪ/ put it into the place where it is normally sacar

She turned around after she finished putting the milk away.

Her bed was crisply made, her clothes put away.

Put down /pʊt daʊn/ make a written record of anotar, apuntar

Never put anything down that could be used as evidence against you later.

We’ve put down that we’d like to take some technology classes.

Put off /pʊt ɔf/ leave until later; postpone; delay aplazar

Women who put off having a baby often make the best mothers.

The Association has put the event off until October.

Put on /pʊt ɑn/ clothe, adorn, or cover oneself with ponerse

They knew where the Fat Man’s suspicions lay, the significance he put on six months.

She had put on weight, too, now that she was eating a diet more suited to her Harshini metabolism.

Put out /pʊt aʊt/ extinguish (a fire or light) apagarse

We put out the bonfire before leaving the camp.

The firefighters quickly put the fire out.

Put through /pʊt θru/ to perform successfully; carry out comunicar

We managed to put the deal through.

Could you put me through to the library manager, please?

Put up /pʊt ʌp/ offer, as for consideration, decision, auction, etc. Construir, instalar

They are putting up new street signs.

In our family, we put our Christmas tree up on the first day of December.

Ring back /rɪŋ bæk/ return a telephone call (to) regresar la llamada

Tell her I’ll call back in a few minutes.

Either ring back or ask callers to ring back at a specified time and make sure you do it.

Ring up /rɪŋ ʌp/ to record or enter (a specified amount) on a cash register llamar por teléfono

Let me ring up my mother to ask her for the recipe.

Whenever I’m depressed, he goes and gets the phone,’ she explained, `so that I can ring up a friend.

Run out /rʌn aʊt/ come to an end; expire or become used up, exhausted terminarse

She desperately wanted to hold her son again, but after hours of waiting, she had run out of time.

Luck that can last indefinitely or run out at any time.

Set off /sɛt ɔf/ start (a person) doing something desencadenar, salir

The president’s comments set off a debate on education.

She set off on these trips, often in the small hours of the morning, leaving Peter to the ostensible care of Mickey.

Set out /sɛt aʊt/ limit; define; mark out comenzar un viaje

The manager set out his plans for the coming year.

I packed my suitcase and set out on a journey.

Set up /sɛt ʌp/ place in an upright position configurar, ajustar

The set of icons you see depends on which programs or services you have installed and how your computer manufacturer set up your computer.

Attachments can be limited to a certain size file chosen by the person who set up the forum.

Sit down /sɪt daʊn/ lower oneself to a sitting position; take a seat sentarse

Please, sit down so we can start the class.

She looked surprised and put out and left me standing for a few minutes but then invited me to sit down.

Split up /splɪt ʌp/ separate out into parts; divide separarse

She was due to fly to Barcelona with her mother on their first holiday together since she and Julie’s dad split up.

Posy and Lola, with much eye contact, decided to split up and go for either end of the bar.

Take off /teɪk ɔf/ leave the ground or water in flight despegar

It is the human capital that Africa south of the Sahara required to take off.

The plane took off ten minutes after the last passenger had sat down.

Take up /teɪk ʌp/  assume protection or custody of asumir

Ladies and gentlemen, almost all of you have mentioned the Convention, which will take up a great deal of our attention as of 28 February.

There are some key characteristics that we are looking for in the type of people who are suited to take up this exciting opportunity.

Tidy up /ˈtaɪdi ʌp/ put things back in their proper places so that everything is neat ordenar, arreglar

I really must start tidying the place up.

He tried to tidy up because he didn’t want the maid to see the mess.

Try on /traɪ ɑn/ test the fit or appearance of (an item of clothing, jewelry, etc.) by putting it on probarse

In the last few weeks, he’d seen her try on and discard a slew of them.

Jessica inquired, emerging from behind the curtain in the dark red gown Sherrie insisted she tries on.

Turn into /tɜrn ˈɪntu/ become convertirse, transformarse

The caterpillar turned into a beautiful butterfly.

The landfill is the worst option for the environment because it represents a waste of resources and may turn into a future environmental liability.

Turn off /tɜrn ɔf/ cause (something) to cease operating by turning a knob, pushing a button apagar, desactivar

Before performing any projector maintenance, make sure to turn off the lamp and unplug the power cord from the wall outlet.

When you’re finished with them, turn the lights off, the television, and the computer.

Turn on /tɜrn ɑn/ make (an electrical device) start functioning by operating the controls encender

Automatic stop/start escalators stop moving when they sense no one is using them and turn on only when approaching riders to walk through a barrier linked to a power switch.

I couldn’t find the light switch to turn them on.

Turn up /tɜrn ʌp/ increase the flow, speed, intensity, loudness, etc. of, as by turning a control subir la intensidad

There is every reason to turn up the pressure several notches after four years of plodding along.

Turning DIGITAL SAFETY on may allow you to turn up the volume a little more.