Phrasal verb 5 Flashcards
to bite off
to accept as a responsibility or task
(gánh vác)
ex: When I accepted the position of chairman, I didn’t realize how much I was biting off.
ex: When James registered for 18 units in his last semester at college, he bit off more than he could chew.
to tell apart:
to distinguish between (also: to pick apart, to tell from)
ex: The two brothers look so much alike that few people can tell them apart
ex: That copy machine is so good that I can’t pick the photocopy and the original apart.
ex: Most new cars are very similar in appearance. It’s almost impossible to tell one from another.
all in all
considering everything
(trên hết)
ex: There were a few problems, but all in all it was a well-organized seminar
ex: Leonard got a low grade in one subject, but all in all he’s a good student
to pass out
- to distribute (also: to hand out)
- to lose consciousness
ex: Please help me pass out these test papers; there must be a hundred of them.
ex: Alright, students, here are the class handouts for this week.
to go around
to be sufficient or adequate for everyone present, to circulate, to move from place to place
ex: We thought that we had bought enough food and drink for the party, but actually there wasn’t enough to go around.
ex: Mike has been going around telling people that he was accepted to Harvard University. Do you believe him?
to be in (the/one’s) way
to block or obstruct; not to be helpful, to cause inconvenience
ex: ocelyn couldn’t drive through the busy intersection because a big truck was in the way.
ex: Our small child tried to help us paint the house, but actually he just got in our way.
to put on
- to gain (pounds or weight)
- to present, to perform
ex: Bob has put on a lot of weight recently. He must have put at least fifteen pounds on.
ex: The Youth Actor’s Guild put on a wonderful version of Romeo and Juliet at the Globe Theater
to put up
- to construct, to erect
- to lift, to raise upwards
ex: The construction company is tearing down that old office building in order to put up a new one
ex: Please put your hand up if you have never studied English grammar before.
to put up with
to tolerate to accept unwillingly
ex: The employee was fired because his boss could not put up with his mistakes any longer.
ex: While I’m studying, I can’t put up with any noise or other distractions.
in vain
useless, without the desired result
(vô hiệu)
ex: All the doctors’ efforts to save the injured woman were in vain. She was declared dead three hours after being admitted to the hospital.
ex: We tried in vain to reach you last night. Is your phone out of order?
day in and day out
continuously, constantly
(also: day after day; for longer periods of time, year in and year out and year after year)
ex: During the month of April, it rained day in and day out.
ex: Day after day I waited for a letter from him, but one never came.
to catch up with
to work with the purpose of fulfilling a requirement or being equal to others
= to keep up with
(theo kịp)
ex: The student was absent from class so long that it took her a long time to catch up.
ex: If you are not equal to others, first you have to catch up with them before you can keep up with them.
to hold still
not to move
(đứng yên)
ex: Please hold still while I adjust your tie.
ex: If you don’t hold that camera still, you’ll get a blurred picture.
to know by sight
to recognize
(This idiom is used when the person has been seen previously but is not known personally. The person must be used to separate the idiom.)
ex: I have never met our new neighbors; I simply know them by sight.
to be the matter
to be unsatisfactory, to be improper, to be wrong
ex: What is the matter, Betty? You look very upset.
ex: Yes, something is the matter. I’ve lost my purse!
