Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Phrasal Verbs

Come across.
a) To seem, to be considered, to be perceived. Nathan comes across as rude, but he's really
just shy.
b) To find, especially in an unexpected way. / was cleaning out the closet when I came across
this old photo album.

Come along.
To accompany. You can come along. We'd love to have you join us.

Come around.
a) To visit or frequent a place. Ever since Josh broke up with Mary, he doesn't
come around anymore.
b) To change one's mind or attitude in a positive or favorable way. Don't worry about Greg;
he'll come around soon enough and agree with you.
Come back.
To return. Bring your family when you come back.

Come by.
a) To visit for a short time. Come by when you're in the neighborhood.
b) To receive, to get something, usually of value. How did you come by that expensive
car?

Come down.
a) To decrease, such as a price. The price on that house has come down a lot. They were
asking about $45,000 more.
b) To visit an area considered geographically lower or further south. /'// be in New York
that week, but I'll see if I can come down to Philadelphia.

Come down on.
To punish severely. Used with "hard." When her parents caught Jessica smoking, they
really came down hard on her.

Come in.
a) To enter. The door's open, so just come in.
b) To be received as a signal, as in a television, radio, or cell phone. / love this station, but
it doesn't come in very well outside the city.

Come into.
To receive something valuable, especially inherited money. Kevin came into some
money, so he paid off all of his debts.

Come on.
To request that someone do something, often pronounced c'mon. Come on. I'd really
like you to come to the movie with me.

Come out.
To divulge something about oneself or one's identity, especially sexual orientation.
None of Dan's friends was surprised when he came out; they knew he was gay.

Come through.
To help or perform something according to expectation. / wasn't sure if he'd be able to
lend me the money, but Jack really came through for me.

Come to.
a) To arrive at. (Used with "conclusion,""realization,"etc.) I've just come to the conclusion
that I'd like to go to school.
b) To awaken after having been unconscious. When Mary came to, she discovered that
someone had moved her to the sofa.

Come up.
a) To visit an area considered geographically higher or further north. /'// come up and visit
you when you go to the mountains this summer.
b) To rise socially, economically, or professionally. Bob's really come up since he became
the president of the company.

Come up with.
a) To get an idea. (Used with "idea,""solution,""proposal,"etc.) Where did you come up with
the idea that the director was quitting?
Drop off.
To deliver something or someone to a specific location. Can you drop this package off
at the post office?

Get back.
To receive again. / got back the message I sent Kevin, so he must have gotten a new e-mail
address.

Get back to.
To return a call or respond to a message. Sorry, I can't talk now. I'll get back to you later.

Get out.
To put something in the mail. Did you get that package out yet? It needs to be in the
mail by 5:00 PM.
Get to.
To arrive somewhere. I'm just calling to see if the letter I sent has gotten to you yet.

Give out.
To issue, to give something to many people at the same time. Meredith is giving out
invitations to her birthday party.

Go out.
To leave, as by mail. Has the mail gone out yet?

Hand out.
To distribute something by hand. /'// hand out the tests after you put all your
books away.

Mail out.
To put something in the mail. Have you mailed out the bills yet?

Pass out.
To distribute to many people at the same time, similar to hand out. Look at this book they
passed out to everyone at the last workshop I went to.

Pick up.
a) To get or obtain something. You can come and pick up your new security ID
after Tuesday.
b) To become infected by something. Walt must have picked up a cold or something at work,
because he feels awful today.
c) To get something from a store, to buy. Can you pick up a few things from the grocery store
on the way home from school?
d) To learn, to absorb knowledge. Isn't it amazing the way children pick up languages?

Pick up on.
To understand. Terry's young, but she picks up on everything, so be careful what you say
in front of her.

Send off for.
To order through the mail. Oh, I like this skirt. I'm going to send off for it as soon as I get
paid.

Send out for.
To (call and) request a delivery, usually food. Since we have to work late, we'd better send
out for some dinner.