FCE topic:8 important events

contents

important events

Reading and Use of English (Part 6)

Language development: Reported speech

Writing: Advantage/disadvantage Essay

Speaking – Hobbies

Listening: (Part 4 )

Language development: Expressing ability

Use of English: Angling (open cloze)

Use of English: Sentence transformation

Language development: Phrasal verbs with get

life events

Reading and Use of English: Part 6

You are going to read an article about a couple's first meeting. Six sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences (A-G) the one which fits each gap (1-6). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.

A So I really had met my Mr. Brighton an underground train. B Wendy's heart was pounding as she stepped onto the platform clutching the scrap of paper. C This came as a shock to Wendy, who told him it was out of the question. D As Wendy explains, 'l know it seems ridiculous, but it never occurred to me to refuse.'E Fortunately, Wendy saw the funny side of it and they started going out together.F Seeing this, Dennis suddenly felt irritated and gave the man's briefcase a kick.G lt was Dennis who had noticed Wendy as soon as she got on but was trying not to make it too obvious that he found her attractive.

On 18 October, Dennis and Wendy celebrated their second wedding anniversary three years to the day after they first met on a crowded underground train in London. However, it was only a chance in a million that they got to know each other at all. Wendy had intended to get a taxi home that night but seeing the long queue, she changed her mind and got the tube instead. lt was a decision that was to change her life. She remembers. 'The train was packed. There was only one seat free - next to a businessman in a smart suit who had dropped off to sleep. "As I pulled out my book caught the eye of the man sitting opposite, who gave me a little nod. 1 _____” Late night trains are horrible enough without strange men staring at you,' he says. Wendy smiled briefly and got on with her reading, but she could feel herself blushing. Meanwhile, the businessman’s head was slowly moving towards Wendy's shoulder as he fell into a deeper sleep. Suddenly, to her horror, it was resting on her arm. Wendy was very embarrassed but didn't know what to do 2_______ It woke him up, and Wendy smiled her appreciation. As Wendy reached her stop and got to her feet, Dennis pushed a note into her hand with his phone number on it. To this day he doesn't know what made him do something so totally out of character, but he felt he couldn’t just let her disappear into the night. 3 ____ she hadn't gone far before she felt a tap on her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” said Dennis, who had run after her “I honestly don't make a habit of chatting up women on trains, but would you come for a coffee with me?”

4____ There was. However. Nowhere open that night, so they ended up going back to Wendy's flat for a drink. As she recalls 'He was so non-threatening that l felt instantly comfortable with him 'They sat and ta ked for hours, both realizing they had met someone special. When Denny left, he asked Wendy to phone him. Five minutes later, on his way home ln a taxi, he rang her 'l was worried that I might never see you again, 'he said and started to explain When he'd scribbled down his mobile number on that scrap of paper on the train, he'd been feeling very flustered. Suddenly the horrible truth had lust hit him he hadn't given her the right number He could never remember his own number and, without thinking he'd written down the number of his ex-girlfriend 5 ______ They got on so well that two weeks later, realizing they were made for each other, Dennis proposed. 'To me, it seemed too soon to be thinking of anything Like that,’ said Wendy. 'But later that night Dennis had a bad fall - he slipped on some wet stairs at home and knocked himself out. At the hospital they found my number on a slip of paper in his wallet and called me I dashed straight round. It was when I saw him lying there on that hospital trolley that it really hit me, I had fallen ln love with him. 6______ Fate must have been on my side when I decided against getting that taxi, because there's no way we'd have met at any other time' They got married the following year. Wendy is still stunned by her good fortune.

life events

Language development: Reported speech

Here's how it works: We use a 'reporting verb' like 'say' or 'tell'. If this verb is in the present tense, it's easy. We just put 'she says' and then the sentence: Direct speech: I like ice cream. Reported speech: She says (that) she likes ice cream. We don't need to change the tense, though probably we do need to change the 'person' from 'I' to 'she', for example. We also may need to change words like 'my' and 'your'. But, if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then usually we change the tenses in the reported speech: Direct speech: I like ice cream. Reported speech: She said (that) she liked ice cream.

Reported Speech

Direct Speech

Tense

I like ice cream I am living in London I bought a car I was walking along the street I haven't seen Julie I had taken English lessons before I'll see you later I would help, but..” I can speak perfect English I could swim when I was four I shall come later I should call my mother I might be late I must study at the weekend

present simple present continuous past simple past continuous present perfect past perfect* will would* can could* shall should* might* must

she liked ice cream. she was living in London. she had bought a car. she had been walking she hadn't seen Julie. she had taken English she would see me later. she would help but... she could speak perfect she could swim when she would come later. she should call her mother she might be late she must/had to study

She said (that)

I was staring at a painting in the National Museum of Art, when this amazingly attractive man came up and asked me if I liked the painting. I replied that l'd seen it before in a book I have at home. He then said he'd been looking at me for the last few minutes and that he found me very attractive. I was embarrassed and told him to leave me alone. I said I didn't talk to strange men in art galleries. He asked me what the matter was and explained that he was just trying to be friendly. Then he smiled and asked me to join him for a coffee. I don't know why but I said I would, and that was the beginning of our romance. Somebody asked me last week if I regret marrying a foreigner and living abroad and I replied, 'Certainly not!' and that l'm the happiest l've ever been in my life.

Occasionally, we don't need to change the present tense into the past if the information in direct speech is still true (but this is only for things which are general facts, and even then usually we like to change the tense): Direct speech: The sky is blue. Reported speech: She said (that) the sky is/was blue.

Reported Questions

So now you have no problem with making reported speech from positive and negative sentences. But how about questions? Direct speech: Where do you live? How can we make the reported speech here? In fact, it's not so different from reported statements. The tense changes are the same, and we keep the question word. The very important thing though is that, once we tell the question to someone else, it isn't a question any more. So we need to change the grammar to a normal positive sentence. A bit confusing? Maybe this example will help: Direct speech: Where do you live? Reported speech: She asked me where I lived. Do you see how I made it? The direct question is in the present simple tense. We make a present simple question with 'do' or 'does' so I need to take that away. Then I need to change the verb to the past simple.

Reported Questions

So much for 'wh' questions. But, what if you need to report a 'yes / no' question? We don't have any question words to help us. Instead, we use 'if': Direct speech: Do you like chocolate? Reported speech: She asked me if I liked chocolate. No problem? Here are a few more examples:

Direct Question Do you love me? Have you ever been to Mexico? Are you living here?

Reported Question He asked me if I loved him. She asked me if I had ever been to Mexico. She asked me if I was living here.

And finally, how about if someone doesn't ask so politely? We can call this an 'order' in English, when someone tells you very directly to do something. For example: Direct speech: Sit down! In fact, we make this into reported speech in the same way as a request. We just use 'tell' instead of 'ask': Reported speech: She told me to sit down.

Reported Orders

Direct OrderGo to bed! Don't worry! Be on time! Don't smoke!

Reported Order He told the child to go to bed. He told her not to worry. He told me to be on time. He told us not to smoke.

Time Expressions with Reported Speech

Sometimes when we change direct speech into reported speech we have to change time expressions too. We don't always have to do this, however. It depends on when we heard the direct speech and when we say the reported speech. For example: It's Monday. Julie says "I'm leaving today". If I tell someone on Monday, I say "Julie said she was leaving today". If I tell someone on Tuesday, I say "Julie said she was leaving yesterday". If I tell someone on Wednesday, I say "Julie said she was leaving on Monday". If I tell someone a month later, I say "Julie said she was leaving that day".

So, there's no easy conversion. You really have to think about when the direct speech was said. Here's a table of some possible conversions:

Time Expressions with Reported Speech

then / at that time

now

today

yesterday / that day / Tuesday / the 27th of June

the day before yesterday / the day before / Wednesday / the 5th of Dec.

yesterday

the night before, Thursday night

last night

last week

the week before / the previous week

today / the next day / the following day / Friday

tomorrow

Read the conversation and complete the text below. Tim: Hi Sarah, it's Tim. What are you doing tonight? Sarah: You're noisy! Anyway, l'm studying. Tim: That's boring - come out for a meal instead. Sarah: Well, l've nearly finished I suppose. Which restaurant do you have in mind? Tim: That new lndian one I went there last week it is great. Sarah: OK then. Can you pick me up? Tim: Sure. l'll be there at seven. Sarah: Great. I must be back early though.

Tim took me out last night - he called and ask me (1) _____ doing, so I sard that ) (2) ____. He said I (3)______ boring and asked me (4) ______ for a meal I instead. I replied that I (5)______ finished and asked him which restaurant (6)_____ in mind. He told me that he (7) _______to the new Indian restaurant the previous week and that it (8) _____ great. I asked I him (9)_____ up and he said he (10)________ there at I seven. I said (11)_______ back early.

Remember the last conversation? complete the sentences with the verbs in the box.

1 Sarah____________ Tim of being nosy. 2 Tim____________ Sarah to go out for a meal. 3 She____________ to go out for a meal. 4 Tim____________ going to the new Indian restaurant. 5 He____________ that he'd been there before.

accused

agreed

explained

invited

suggested

Remember the last conversation? complete the sentences with the verbs in the box.

Verb + to-infinitive Verb + object + to-infinitive Verb + -ing Verb (+ object) + prep + -ing Verb (+ object) + that + clause

accused

agreed

explained

invited

suggested

life events

Writing: Advantage/disadvantage Essay

ln your English class you have recently had a discussion about relationships. Now your teacher has asked you to write an essay. Write an essay using all the notes and give reasons for your point of view

ls it better to live alone or with someone else? Notes Write about 1 independence 2 money 3 _ (your own idea) Write your essay in 140-190 words in an appropriate style.

paragraph 1: Introductionparagraph 2 / 3 : advantage paragraph 3 / 4 : disavantage paragraph 4 / 5: Conclusion

opening statement --+ disadvantage 1 + reason (specific example) disadvantage 2 - reason (specific example)

general statement / rhetorical question: qualifying the argument.

summing up/balancing the argument/overall point of view

opening statement + advantage 1 - reason (specific example); advantage 2 - reason (specific example)

Conclusion

General introduction

Another reason

The first part of the argument

The second part of the argument

(3) Many people think that ... Some people say/claim that ... Why do some people beileve ... ? However, if that ¡s the case, then why l'd like to begin by ... (4) To sum up, there are arguments However, in my view, ... It is clear that ...

(1) ln the first place ... The main advantage is that (you are free to) .. For one thing (there is no one else to ..) First of all l'd like to say that ... The first point l'd like to make ts ... (2) Then there is ... What's more, ... Another major advantage/disadvantage is that Last but not least, ...

(5) On the other hand, ... ln contrast, ... However, not everyone

Choose the correct answers.

01

1 Flatmates often don't get on very well at first. In addition / In fact, they can have a lot of arguments. 2 Flats in my city are awfully expensive for one person. In addition / In other words Ilike sharing. 3 Most people share household tasks. For instance, / That is to say, they take it in turns to wash up.

4 I haven't got room for a flatmate. Moreover / For example, l like living on my own. 5 I think that house would be too expensive. Similarly, / Besides, it's a long way from the centre. 6 He's a nice guy to live with. Nevertheless / What's more, he needs to help out more. 7The flat's on the fifth floor and there's no lift. Because of this / Even so, we decided to rent it. 8 It's not very big. Even so / On the other hand,it's right in the centre.

life events

Speaking – Hobbies

1. How do you usually spend your free time? 2. Are you going to do anything interesting at the weekend? 3. Do you do anything to keep fit? 4. Do you have the same interests as your parents? 5. Do you prefer to go out or stay at home in the evenings? (Why?) 6. Do you spend a lot of time watching television? 7. Are any of your friends particularly interested in sports? 8. Did you have more hobbies when you were younger? 9. Do you use your free time productively, would you say? 10. Have you got any plans to take up a new hobby? 11. Have you had much free time recently? 12. Have your hobbies changed since you were a child? 13. Tell us about the last time you tried a new leisure activity. 14. What sort of sports do you follow? 15. Would you describe yourself as a workaholic?

FCE Speaking Part One on hobbies/ leisure/ free time

jam

knives

frogs

knits

Barbie Dolls

trains pigeons

Collect Do Go Learn Make Play

Amateur dramatics

How to draw

models

Monopoly

rare coins

waterskiing

FCE Speaking Part One on hobbies/ leisure/ free time

Cross out the activity in each group that cannot be used with the verb in bold. l do (a bit oflsome) gardening / darrs /yoga / drawing 2 collect autographs / old sports cars / pool/ stamps

1. Do you have any hobbies or interests? 2. How do you usually spend your days off? 3. Do you plan to meet up with your friends in the next few weeks? 4. What kind of television do you watch? 5. What things were you interested in when you were a child? 6. Would you say that you have enough free time? 7. Are you interested in visiting museums? 8. Did you collect anything when you were younger? 9. Do any of your friends spend too much time on the internet? 10. Do you like to get out of town on your days off? 11. How do you usually plan how to spend your free time? 12. What is your favourite way of spending your evenings? 13. How sporty are you? 14. Is there are sport that you’d like to try in the future? 15. Would you prefer to have more money or more free time?

FCE Speaking Part One on hobbies/ leisure/ free time

life events

Listening: (Part 4 )

You will hear a radio interview with a journalist called Simon, who is talking about the psychology of hobbies. For questions 'l-7, choose the best answer (A, B or C).

1 According to Simon, what can you learn by knowing about people's hobbies? A what kind of job they have B what kind of person they are C what kind of skills they have 2 What do celebrities'hobbies often have in common? A They take place outdoors. B They are connected with music. C They involve being part of a group. 3 On film sets, the most popular way for actors to spend their time is A playing competitive board games. B helping each other with crosswords. C doing creative activities by themselves.

4 What is unusual about the Dalai Lama? A He loves old mov es. B He collects vintage cars. C He is always mending things 5 Whai does Bill Wyman get most pleasure from? A collecting antique jewellery B writing archaeological books C Iooking for items of historic interest

6 Simon says that the hobbies of world leaders are often A dangerous. B obsessive. C embarrassing. 7 What does Simon say about ordinary people who are fanatical about their hobbies? A They are usually a little strange. B Luckily, they are the exception. C lt can be hard for others to put up with them.

life events

Language development: Expressing ability

Expressing Ability

Ability can be expressed using modal verbs and phrases. Learners often prefer to use be able to because it is the easiest to form. can, could, and managed to. It is at this point that learners encounter usage rules and often make mistakes. The most important rules relate to general ability and specific ability. General ability means that a person had the ability to do something at all times and in all situations. Specific ability means that the person had the ability to do something in a specific situation or at a specific time.

Expressing Ability

Present Is/am/are able to + main verb Thomas is able to play the piano. Catherine is not able to play the piano. Can + main verb Catherine can play the flute. Thomas can’t play the flute. Both of these forms may be used, in positive or negative, for general or specific ability.

Expressing Ability

Past Was/ were able to + main verb Thomas was able to play the piano when he was a boy. Catherine was not able to play saxophone when she was a girl. This form may be used, in positive or negative, for general or specific ability. Could + verb When Jane was in Austria, she could speak German. Could, in positive, is only used for general ability. When Jane was very young, she couldn’t speak German. Couldn’t is used for general or specific.

Expressing Ability

C Future/Perfect tenses, infinitive: be able to Can has no infinitive or past participle so we use be able to. I will be able to play more tennis in the summer. Has he ever been able to finish a marathon?

Expressing Ability

D Other ways of expressing ability Managed to/ succeed in / I know how to Gerry lost control of his car but managed to avoid a crash. This form is only used for specific ability: one time, one situation

Typical Mistakes The typical mistakes learners make are to use could for past positive specific ability. My friend’s phone was engaged all day yesterday. Finally, late in the evening, I could speak to him. In this sentence, we should use I was able to speak to or I managed to speak to him. Example When Jim was a boy he could climb trees very well (This was a general ability). However, there was one tree that was very tall and he couldn’t climb it (the general specific rule is only for could in positive so there is no issue here). One day, when he was feeling very energetic, he was a able to/ managed to climb the tree (specific time, situation).

Expressing Ability

choose the correct answers. Both options may be correct in some sentences. 1 I can / manage to play the piano quite well . 2 Last week I was able to / could get away for a few days. 3 I could / have been able rider de a bike from a very early age. 4 When I was at school, I couldn't / wasn't able to draw very well 5 ln the Last month I have managed to / knew how to get some outdoor exercise every weekend. 6 Once the exams are over, l will be able to / can spend more time on my favourite hobby. 7 I could / managed to beat my father at chess eventually but it wasn't easy 8 I was very pleased when I finally managed to find / succeeded in finding a salsa class.

Expressing Ability

life events

Use of English: Angling (open cloze)

Angling Angling (fishing with worms or artificial flies using a rod, line and hook) is (0) one of the most popular outdoor pursuits is the UK with between two and four million people taking part (1)__ a regular basis. For a father, (2)__ able to spend some quality time with h s son must be a big attraction but (3)__ else would anyone want to spend hours in the wind and rain, standing waist-high in water in the hope of catching a fish? lf they (4)__ they would probably throw it back anyway Until recently, 98 percent (5) __ all anglers have been ma e (6)__ a few years ago the Environmental Agency made a decision to try and attract more female participants to the sport. They appear to have succeeded (7)__ their arm, since more and more women using angling (8) __ an effective

open cloze

life events

Use of English: sentence transformation

Look at three completed key word transformation questions. Which question tests: a verb/adjective/noun + preposition collocations? b prepositional phrases? c phrasal verbs?

1 I am here as a representative of the government. BEHALF I am here on behalf of the government. 2 They employ extra staff at weekends. ON Extra staff are taken on at weekends.

3 Prices have gone up sharply again. INCREASE There has been a sharp increase in prices.

For questions 'l-6, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given.

4 They had to cancel the outdoor exhibition because of the bad weather. CALLED The outdoor exhibition__________ because of the bad weather. 5 I failed to persuade Tom to take up stamp collecting. SUCCEED I___________ Tom to take up stamp collecting. 6 We found it difficult to write the story. TROUBLE We____________ the story.

1 Phil knows how to cheat successfully at chess. AWAY Phil knows how to _________at chess. 2 l'll take my MP3 player because we might want to listen to music. CASE l'll take my MP3 player _________ listen to music. 3 There probably won't be any more customers today. UNLIKELY It_____________ be any more customers today.

life events

Language development: Phrasal verbs with get

get

The verb "to get" TO GET can be used in a number of patterns and has a number of meanings. TO GET + direct object = to obtain, to receive, to buy

I got my passport last week. (to obtain) She got her driving license last week. (to obtain) They got permission to live in Switzerland. (to obtain) I got a letter from my friend in Nigeria. (to receive) He gets $1,000 a year from his father. (to receive) She got a new coat from Zappaloni in Rome. (to buy) We got a new television for the sitting room. (to buy)

get

TO GET + place expression = reach, arrive at a place

How are you getting home tonight? We got to London around 6 p.m. What time will we get there? When did you get back from New York?

get

TO GET + adjective = become, show a change of state

I am getting old. It's getting hotter. By the time they reached the house they were getting hungry. I'm getting tired of all this nonsense. My mother's getting old and needs looking after. It gets dark very early in the winter. Don't touch the stove until is gets cool.

Do you get it means do you understand. Do you get what the teacher was explaining in class? He's getting dinner tonight means he's preparing the meal. You can relax. It's my turn to get dinner tonight. I'll get the bill means I'll pay. Put your wallet away! I'll get the bill. That really gets me! means that irritates me. It really gets me when my sister shows up late. To get rid of something means to throw it away. I'm going to get rid of all these old newspapers. To get out of bed on the wrong side means to be in a bad mood. He got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning and he's been horrible all day. To get your own back means to have your revenge or punish someone. She's getting her own back for all those rude things you said at the party last night.

Other expressions with get

Take vs Get

When you’re at the office, do you take a message or do you get a message? It depends. They’re both correct but mean completely different things. The use of take and get is confusing for many English learners, let's clarify the difference between these two common verbs and offer some activities to make sure you fully understand and don’t forget.

What is the difference between take and get?

Which sentence is correct? OR Which sentence is more natural? I got a call from Gary this morning. I took a call from Gary this morning.

I got a call from Gary this morning. I took a call from Gary this morning. Here is a basic difference: 1) GET is used when another person (or thing) GIVES you something. This is more passive. Someone IS GIVEN something. I got a call from Gary this morning. = Gary gave me a call this morning. This is passive, I just received the call. (GET usually requires a second person or thing to GIVE you something.) 2) TAKE doesn’t always need another person (or thing). Something can be TAKEN by a single person in the sentence. The sentence I took a call from Gary this morning. is not natural. We can improve it. I took the call in my office. This sentence is better (more natural) and it means – I accepted/received the call in my office. This is more active, I decided where to accept the call. (I am also the only person in this sentence.)

What is the difference between take and get?

Let’s look at another example: There is a new Italian restaurant near my office. I got a flyer this morning. The restaurant looks good. – This sentence is passive, we don’t know HOW I received the flyer, maybe someone gave it to me, or maybe it came in the mail. We only know that I have it, I received it. I GOT a flyer. Compare There is a new Italian restaurant near my office. I took a flyer this morning from the front door. The restaurant looks good. – This sentence has an active feeling, we know HOW I received the flyer and we know what I DID to receive it. I took it from the front door. The flyers were offered and I accepted one. I TOOK a flyer.

Take can sometimes have a negative feeling You can TAKE something that is offered to you, like a flyer, some food, etc. This is to accept something. BUT… If you remove something that is NOT offered to you we still use the verb TAKE, but the meaning is negative. This can mean stealing: “Someone took my bicycle from the park.” (Someone stole my bike.) Or it can be a mistake: “I left the house in a rush this morning and I took my wife’s keys by accident.” (I grabbed my wife’s keys by mistake.) Compare “I got $20 from my Dad for helping him clean the garage.” My Dad gave me the money. “I took $20 from my Dad’s wallet.” I stole $20 from my Dad. I removed $20 without permission.

get verb – receive/obtain – I’ll get the money somehow. (I am determined to obtain the money.) take verb – accept/receive – If he takes my advice I think he will be okay. (If he accepts/receives my advice he won’t have any problems.) Both of the sentences are about receiving something, receiving money, and receiving advice, but the difference is in the definitions – obtain and accept. Obtain the money – I will make an effort to get the money. I must do something to receive the money. – I wouldn’t say: “I will make an effort to take the money.” This use of take is more like steal. (receive [remove] something without permission) It doesn’t really fit our sentence. Accept the advice – He should willingly take my advice. The advice is being offered to him and he should accept it. We wouldn’t say “If he gets my advice I think he will be okay.” This use of get is more like understand. It doesn’t really fit our sentence.

*NOTE – Obtain means make an effort, but GET is still passive. I work hard at my job, I make an effort, and then the company GIVES me a paycheck. (Passive) I don’t TAKE the paycheck. I study hard at school for many years (effort) and then the school GIVES me a diploma. (Passive) I don’t TAKE the diploma. These words can be confusing.

Collocations with GET

Collocations Get as Become It’s common in natural conversation to use GET instead of BECOME. We can use this with an adjective to describe a situation: It’s getting hot. = It’s becoming hot here, it’s starting to be hot here. Or a feeling: I’m getting hot. = I am becoming hot, I’m starting to feel hot.with GET and TAKE

When GET is used with a noun it means to receive or possess that thing. Here are some common examples: Get a call Get a chance Get a degree/ a diploma Get a tan Get good/top/bad marks

Get Phrasal Verbs

1 Emily I didn't get off to a very good start with the BodyCombat classes because my shoes were too heavy and not very comfortable. Also, I had to miss a couple of sessions and found it difficult to get back into the routine But everything's fine now and the trainer says l'm getting on really well. 2 Keira Hi guys! I just have to tell you what I've been getting up to. Remember last time I was getting over the death of my pet rat and my dad wouldn't let me have another pet? Well, I managed to get round him in the end – lt took me two weeks and I had to promise to do better at school - and he's bought me a bearded dragon to look after How cool is that?1 3 Jack I love singing in the choir. we get together early Friday evening, which means I have to get off work a couple of hours early. When I get there, we usually chat for a bit before we get down to serious rehearsals. I know I’m not a very good singer but I get by.

Get Across Get across can mean to manage to go from one side to another, physically:  It’s hard to get across the road when there’s lots of traffic. It also has a meaning in communication: to get your point/message across means to communicate it successfully:  The preacher used a powerful story to get his message across. Get Along To get along with someone means to have a good relationship with that person. If you don’t get along with someone, it means there’s conflict and irritation in the relationship.  I get along with all my brothers and sisters.  I don’t get along with one of my coworkers – he’s just so annoying.

Get Phrasal Verbs

Get Phrasal Verbs

Get Around One meaning of get around is to manage to go places physically:  The subway makes it easy to get around New York City.  After she broke her leg, she used crutches to get around the house. The expression get around to doing something means to finally manage to complete that task (often when we’re having difficulty because we’re so busy). We often use it in the negative form to say that he HAVEN’T had time to do the task yet:  There are 56 emails in my inbox; I haven’t gotten around to replying to them yet.

Get Away To get away means to escape.  The dog got away from me at the park. We can also use it for taking a short vacation from work, school, or other responsibilities of daily life:  We’re hoping to get away to the mountains this weekend. Get Away With If you get away with something, it means you do something wrong or bad, but you escape the consequences:  My mother never found out I stole money from her purse, so I got away with it.

Get Phrasal Verbs

Get Back We use the phrasal verb get back as an informal way to say return – a person returning to a place, or an object being returned to its owner:  The traffic was so bad, it took me an hour to get back home after work.  Don’t lend him any books; you’ll never get them back. Get Back At Someone The expression “get back at someone” is different – this means to get revenge.  After Carly stole Sarah’s boyfriend, Sarah got back at her by spreading nasty rumors about her.

Get Phrasal Verbs

Get Phrasal Verbs

Get Back To / Get Back Into We also have get back to and get back into – these are used in slightly different ways. “Get back to” can mean returning to an activity after an interruption, or replying to someone’s communication:  Sorry I can’t talk, I need to get back to studying for this test.  I’ll find out the answer and get back to you tomorrow. Get back into is used when you return to being interested in an activity after some time away from it:  Now that I have more free time, I’m getting back into painting.

Get Behind Get behind has two meanings – it can mean to fail to accompany an expected schedule:  We’re supposed to read a chapter a day, but I’ve been sick so I got behind. If you get behind a person or cause, it means you support that person or cause:  The whole neighborhood got behind the proposal to build a new library. Get By Get by is used when you have barely enough money to survive:  We’re having a hard time getting by ever since my husband lost his job.

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Get Down Get down can mean to move down physically:  She needed help to get down from the horse. Another meaning is when something “gets you down,” meaning it makes you sad/depressed:  Cold, dark winters always get me down. Get In Get in can mean to manage to go inside:  You can’t just enter the building, you need a key card to get in. It’s also an informal way to say “arrive”:  Our flight gets in at 11PM.

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Get Into Get into can mean to be accepted or admitted to a club, group, college, etc.:  His grades were excellent and he got into a top university. To get into an activity means to become interested/involved in it:  My parents have been getting into gardening recently. Get Off Get off can mean to physically leave a bus, train, plane, bike, or motorcycle – or a surface:  We got off the bus at the last stop.  No matter how many times I clean it, I can’t get this stain off the floor. It’s also an informal way to talk about leaving work:  What time do you get off work?  I usually get off around 5:30.

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Get On / Get Onto / Get On With We use get on / get onto for entering a bus, train, plane, bike, or motorcycle:  He got on his motorcycle and rode away.  Let’s make sure we get onto the right train. The expression “get on with” an activity means to proceed with that activity, often after a delay or interruption:  I told my kids to stop playing video games and get on with their chores.

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Get Out Get out can mean to physically leave a place, or remove something from a place:  The weather was so bad, we couldn’t get out of the house.  Can you get the bags out of the car? If you tell someone “Get out!” it’s an angry way to tell them to leave, to go away from you. We also have the expression “get out of doing something,” meaning to manage to escape a task or responsibility:  My son pretended he was sick in order to get out of going to school.

Get Over To “get over” something means to recover from it, physically or emotionally:  I just got over a bad cold.  It took her a long time to get over her dog’s death. We also have the expression “I can’t get over…” meaning “I can’t believe…” or “I find it amazing”:  I can’t get over how much she’s changed since the last time I saw her! Get Through The phrasal verb get through is used for proceeding with or finishing something difficult:  I couldn’t get through the lesson; it was too hard.  My friends helped me get through my first year at college.

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Get To We can use “get to” as an informal way to say “arrive”:  Call me when you get to Chicago. Another meaning is to have the opportunity to do something good/special:  At the circus, my kids got to eat as many snacks as they wanted. If something “gets to” you, it means it annoys/irritates you:  It was just a minor mistake – don’t let it get to you. Get Up You already know “get up” – it means to get out of bed! We can also use it for standing up after falling down:  I always get up at 7:30.  She had a hard time getting up after she slipped on the ice.

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get together (with)

1. What time do you usually ___________________ in the mornings? 2. The police couldn’t catch the bank robbers. They ____________________. 3. I’m bored! Let’s ____________________ with our friends this weekend. 4. Hurry! We don’t want to miss the train! Let’s ____________________. 5. Staying warm and getting rest will help you ____________________ your cold. 6. Tommy ____________________ after he told a lie. 7. I really like my classmates. We all ____________________ each other 8. I have to ____________________ the plane in Toronto and transfer to another plane. 9. You should study more, so you don’t ____________________ in math and science. 10. Last week, we ____________________ from our holiday in Spain. 11. My job doesn’t pay me much money. It’s difficult for me to ____________________! 12. I found a better job with a higher salary, so now I can ____________________!

get ahead

get along (with)

get away

get back

get behind

get by

get into trouble

get off

get on to

get over

get up

to progress to be friendly with someone to escape  to return to the original starting place  to fail to do work according to schedule  to have just enough money to survive  to do something not allowed and be found out  to leave a boat, bicycle, bus, plane or train  to board a boat, bicycle, bus, plane or train  to recover from a sickness  to meet other people to socialize  to leave your bed in the morning

Get Phrasal Verbs

get together (with)

get ahead

get along (with)

get away

get back

get behind

get by

get into trouble

get off

get on to

get over

get up

Collocations with TAKE

Take a look (at) = focus on something – The rash on your arm is getting bigger. You should have a doctor take a look at it. Take a bath/shower – I take a shower before I go to bed. Take a break/rest – I’ve been studying for hours. I need to take a break. Take a picture – I woke up at 4:30 today so I could take a picture of the sunrise. Take a seat = (please) sit down – Please come in and take a seat. Take notes = write notes – It’s good to take notes during your lessons. This helps you remember new information. Take care = be careful (sometimes used as a parting greeting – when you go away from each other) – Thanks for coming to my party. Take care and I’ll see you later. Take care of = look after someone or something – My neighbor is visiting Peru for 3 weeks so I will take care of his cat while he is gone.

Collocations with TAKE

Take a class/a course – I’m taking a course in Ikebana. Ikebana is Japanese flower arranging. Take a taxi/train/bus – When it’s raining hard I take a bus to the train station. (Take the bus and the train are also possible.) Take a test/an exam – I don’t like to take tests. I get nervous every time. Take your time = don’t rush, do something slowly – It’s only 4:30 so please take you time. We’ll have dinner after you arrive. Take a bite (of something) – Who took a bite of my sandwich! Take medicine – The doctor gave me some cream for my rash but I don’t have to take any medicine. Take a trip/a vacation – My family takes a trip to Hawaii every year.

Take vs Get

Exercises A. Complete the sentences with take or get in the correct tense. 1. If you want more information, please __ my business card and write me. 2. They didn’t offer me a brochure, I had to __it myself. 3. Where did you __ all those leads from? 4. I’m __ English lessons with Michelle, have you heard of them? 5. What score did you __in the technical test? 6. __ a raise shouldn’t be so complicated! 7. Did you __through to Sandra? I’ve tried calling her a few times without any success. 8. I love conferences! People always give you swags… Today I__ so many things! 9. I don’t know if anyone __ my keys, but I can’t find them anywhere. 10. Could you please __this dossier to Mrs. Hartford?