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Phrasal Verbs With Two Meanings

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Each sentence in the first group uses the same phrasal verb as a sentence in the second group. Find the pairs of sentences by putting the following verbs into the sentences.

catch on
dry up
fall off
fall through
look up
make up
put off
run across
see through
take back

1. There’s a hole in the floor. Mind you don’t it.
2. Whenever there is a period without rain, all the lakes .
3. They said that the blue cheese was very tasty, but the smell me .
4. They quarrel almost every day, but they always kiss and afterwards.
5. I’ve had some bad luck, but things are beginning to , I’m glad to say.
6. Once you have started something, you ought to it to the end.
7. Hold the handlebars with both hands or you might .
8. This coat I bought is too small for me. Do you think I should it to the shop?
9. Have you seen Roger lately? Yes, I happened to him in Oxford last Week.
10. Janet’s children are very intelligent. When you explain something to them, they seem very quickly.

a) If you don’t know the meaning of a word, you can always it the dictionary.
b) Is that a true story, or did you just it ?
c) Sword swallowing is very popular in Rumania, they tell me. Do you think it would ever in this country?
d) Actors hate it when they forget their words and simply .
e) It is dangerous to let children busy roads.
f) He tried to deceive her with his talk about marriage, but she was able to him very easily.
g) His plans to go to Australia after he became seriously ill.
h) I said that Julie was a lazy good-for-nothing, but I was wrong. I everything I said about her.
i) We used to get a lot of people at our meetings, but attendance has started to lately.
j) The meeting that was due to take place today has been until next week.

Vocabulary

catch on:

  • to understand, especially after a long time (ES: entender)
  • to become fashionable or popular (ES: llegar a ser popular)

dry up

  • forget speech, slang (ES: quedarse en blanco)
  • dry completely (ES: secarse)

fall off

  • become detached from (ES: caerse de)
  • decrease (ES: disminuir)

fall through

  • come down through sth  (ES: caerse por)
  • be unsuccessful, come to nothing(ES: fracasar, venirse abajo)

look up

  • lift your gaze (ES: mirar arriba)
  • find meaning, improve (ES: buscar, mejorar)

make up

  • invent, imagine (ES: inventarse)
  • constitute (ES: montar una empresa…)
  • make up (with somebody) (ES: hacer las paces)
  • make up with your mind (ES: decidirte)

put off

  • delay until later (ES: posponer)
  • Put somebody off + ing: discourage  (ES: desanimar, quitar intenciones de)

run across

  • encounter by chance (ES: toparse con alguien)  == come across == run into
  • cross (ES: cruzar, correr a través)

see through

  • See through somebody:  not be deceived (ES: verle las intenciones a alguien, calar)
  • See something through: (task, project) complete (ES:terminar)

take back

  •  (ES: retirar)
  •  (ES: devolver)

deceive

  •  fool into doing (ES: engañar, tomar el pelo)  == take somebody in

Keys

1) fall through
2) dry up
3) put off
4) make up
5) look up
6) see through
7) fall off
8) take back
9) run across
10) catch on

a) look up
b) make up
c) catch on
d) dry up
e) run across
f) see through
g) fall through
j) put off
i) fall off
h) take back