9. Focus on: two-word phrasal verbs that require an additional particle when used with an object, 1

With some two-word verbs you must use a second particle when the verb has an object:

The criminal broke out.

The criminal broke out prison.

The criminal broke out of prison.

Tom and Jerry don't get along.

Tom and Jerry don't get along each other.

Tom and Jerry don't get along with each other.

Sometimes, as with break out and break out of, there is no change in meaning. Sometimes, as with hang up and hang up on, there is a small change in meaning. And sometimes, as with hook up and hook up to, the second particle is necessary not when there is one object but only when there are two:

I hooked up my new CD player.

I hooked up my new CD player my stereo.

I hooked up my new CD player to my stereo.

There is no good way to always know which second particle must be used or if and how it will change the meaning of the verb. The best thing to do is to simply memorize each case.

Throughout this book, two-word phrasal verbs that require an additional parti­cle when used with an object are shown with the second particle in parentheses:

break out (of).

Do not confuse two-word phrasal verbs that require an additional particle when used with an object with three-word phrasal verbs. Three-word phrasal verbs always have three words — there is no two-word version, or if there is a phrasal verb with the same verb and first particle, it has a different meaning and is classified as a different verb. For example, break out and break out (of) are included in one definition because they have the same meaning, but put up and put up with have different meanings and are classified separately.

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1. break out (of) p.v. When you escape from a place where you are a prisoner, you break out or break out of that place.

Bubba broke out of prison last month.

The police have been looking for him ever since he broke out.

breakout n. An escape from prison is a breakout.

There hasn't been a successful breakout from the state prison in more than twenty-five years.

1. breakout p.v. When fighting begins suddenly, it breaks out.

Rioting broke out after the general canceled the election. Millions wilt be killed if nuclear war breaks out.

1. catch up (with) p.v. When you move faster and reach the same level or place as people who had been moving faster or doing better than you were, you catch up or catch up with them.

We left an hour before Luis, but he drove fast and quickly caught up.

After missing several weeks of class, Raquel is so far behind that she'll never catch up.

Pepsi has caught up with Coca-Cola in some markets.

The mugger was running so fast that the angry mob couldn't catch up with him.

caught up part.adj. After you have moved faster and reached the same level or place as people who had been moving faster or doing better than you are, you are caught up.

When I was sick, I missed a lot of schoolwork, but I worked hard and now I'm caught up.

1. catch up (on) p.v. When you study or learn something you are interested in but have not had time for, you catch up on it.

I wonder what the latest gossip is. Let's call Michael so we can catch up. After I returned from vacation, I read the newspaper to catch up on the local news.

caught up part.adj. After you have studied or learned something you are interested in but have not had time for, you are caught up.

Now that I've read the newspapers I missed while I was on vacation, I'm caught up.

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1. chicken out (of) p.v. [informal] When you do not do something because you are afraid, you chicken out or chicken out of it.

/ was going to ask Heather to go to the dance with me, but I chickened out. Miguel's mad at himself because he chickened out of asking his boss for a raise yesterday.

1. get along (with) p.v. When you get along with people, you have peaceful, harmonious relations with them. Get on is similar to get along.

Jim and his cousin aren't good friends, but they get along. I haven't gotten along with my neighbors for years.

2. get along p.v. When you are able to do some sort of work without any serious problems, you get along.

How are you getting along in your new job? Oh, I'm getting along okay, thank you.

1. give up (on) p.v. When you stop trying to do something because you think you will never succeed, you give up or give up on it.

Forget it! This is impossible — I give up! I've tried for years to have a nice looking lawn, but I've just given up on it.

2. give... up p.v. When you are running from or fighting with the police or enemy soldiers and you surrender, you give up or give yourself up.

When the bank robbers realized they were surrounded by police, they gave up. The suspect got tired of hiding from the police, and he gave himself up.

3. give ...up p.v. When you stop doing something you do regularly, such as a sport or a job, you give it up.

My father didn't give sky diving up until he was eighty-two. I had to give up my second job because I was so exhausted all the time.

1. hang up (on) p.v. When you stop talking on the telephone and put down the receiver, you hang up the telephone. When you are angry and hang up the tele­phone without saying good-bye to someone, you hang up on the person you are talking to.

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After I finished talking to her, I said good-bye and hung up. When he called me a moron, I got so mad I hung up on him.

2. hang ... up p.v. When you hang something in a high place so that it cannot touch the ground, you hang it up.

When I get home, the first thing I do is hang my coat up. Timmy never hangs anything up; he just leaves it on the floor.

hung up part.adj. After you have hung something in a high place so that it cannot touch the ground, it is hung up.

Timmy, why are your clothes on the floor and not hung up?

1. hook... up (to) p.v. When you connect one electronic device to another, you hook it up or hook it up to something.

/ bought a new printer, but I haven't hooked it up yet. I hooked my sound system up to my TV, and now the TV is in stereo.

hooked up part.adj. After one electronic device has been connected to another, it is hooked up.

There's a VCR on my TV, but don't try to use it because it's not hooked up. hookup n. A hookup is an electrical connection.

The cable TV hookup usually costs $20, but it's free this month.

1. hook up (with) p.v. [informal] When you meet people somewhere, usually after you have done some things separately, you hook up or hook up with them.

You do your shopping, I'll go to the post office, and we'll hook up around 2:30, okay? I'll hook up with you at 12:00 at the corner of State and Madison, and we'll have lunch.

1. work up (to) p.v. When you gradually improve at something difficult that you do regularly, you work up to that improvement.

You can't lift 200 pounds on your first day of weight training. You have to work up to it. When I started running, I couldn't go more than a mile, but now I've worked up to five miles.

2. work up p.v. When you gradually develop the energy, confidence, courage, and so on, to do something difficult or something you do not want to do, you work up the

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energy, confidence, courage, and so on. When you gradually develop a feeling, you work up the feeling.

It took me a long time to work up the nerve to ask my boss for a raise. If I work up some energy, I'll wash the car. I really worked up a sweat in the gym today. Raking leaves all day sure works up an appetite.

worked up part.adj. [informal] When you are anxious, worried, or upset about something, you are worked up or worked up about it.

Mark has been acting nervous all day. What's he all worked up about? Relax, we're only a few minutes late. It's nothing to get worked up about.

EXERCISE 9a — Complete the sentences with phrasal verbs from this section. Be sure the phrasal verbs are in the correct tense.

1. My elbow has gotten so bad that I think I might have to ________ ________ tennis.

2. After several years of tension between the two countries, war ________ ________ in 1972.

3. Maria, how are you ________________ at your new job?

4.1 am so lazy today. I just can't ________ ________ the energy to finish my school project.

5. The murderer was tired of running from the police, and he ________ himself________.

6. The other runners were so far ahead that I couldn't ________ ________.

7. Susie,________________your clothes right now!

8. For a long time I could type only around twenty-five words per minute, but I've slowly ________ ________ to sixty.

9. I'm really behind in my work. If I don't take work home with me, I'll never ________ ________.

10. Lydia is a nice, easygoing person. You won't have any trouble ________ ________ her.

11. I tried and tried to learn to speak Japanese, but I finally________________.

12. Hello Mark? I'm really angry, and I've got some things to tell you, and don't you dare ________________on me!

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13. Dan is so shy. He was supposed to give a speech today at school, but he ________ ________.

14. Okay, here's the plan: You go to the bookstore, I'll get my laundry, and we'll ________ ________ around 11:00.

15. I wonder what's been happening while we were on vacation. I think I'll read the newspaper so I can ________ ________.

16. This is a maximum security prison. No one has ever ________ ________.

17. Bob tried to ________ ________ my new dishwasher, but he didn't do it right, and he flooded the kitchen.

EXERCISE 9b — Complete the sentences with the correct second particles.

1. I called my girlfriend to apologize for forgetting her birthday, but she hung up _______ me.

2. When I started lifting weights, I could lift only thirty kilograms, but little by little I worked up ________fifty.

3. He's very sick, but the doctors haven't given up ________ him yet.

4. Sofia was going to bleach her hair, but she chickened out________ it.

5. Don't invite Carmen to Rosa's birthday party. They don't get along ________ each other.

6. The bank robber was carrying 2,000 quarters, so it was easy for the police catch up ________ him.

7. No prisoner has ever broken out ________ this prison.

8. I need a different cable to hook my monitor up ________ my computer.

9. You've been gone a long time, and you have to catch up ________ a lot of things.

EXERCISE 9c — Write three sentences using the objects in parentheses. Be sure to put the objects in the right place.

1. Tonight I'm going to try to hook up. (my fax machine, it)

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2. After my accident, I had to give up. (scuba diving, it) ________ ________

________ ________.

3. You can hang up in the closet, (your coat, it) ________ ________

________ ________.

EXERCISE 9d — Write answers to the questions using phrasal verbs, participle adjectives, and nouns from this section. Be sure the phrasal verbs are in the correct tense.

1. When I went on vacation three weeks ago, my sister and her husband were talking about getting a divorce. Now that I'm back from vacation, I want to know what happened while I was gone. What do I want to do?

2. Lydia has to stop driving because her eyesight is so bad. What does Lydia have to do?

3. Susie was walking with us, but she stopped to look in a store window, and we continued walking. What does Susie need to do now?

4. I spilled wine on your white carpet, and you became angry and upset. How would you describe yourself?

5. Connecting a printer to a computer is easy. What is easy?

6. In Question 5, how would you describe the printer after it is connected to a computer?

7. Several prisoners are going to try to escape from the state prison tonight. What are the prisoners going to try to do tonight?

8. In Question 7, if the prisoners are successful, what would their escape be called?

9. Linda and Nicole don't like each other, and they argue sometimes. What don't Linda and Nicole do?

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10. We argued with our daughter for months, but we stopped trying to get her to stop smoking. What did we do?

11. Fights start in that bar all the time. What happens in that bar all the time?

12. Paul slowly developed the courage to ask his boss for a raise. What did Paul do?

13. In Question 12, what didn't Paul do?

14. The police told the robber to surrender. What did the police tell the robber?

15. Karen is trying to gradually be able to lift 100 pounds. What is Karen doing?

16. Betty was so angry with her boyfriend that she put the telephone receiver down without saying good-bye. What did Betty do to her boyfriend?

EXERCISE 9e, Review — Complete the sentences with these phrasal verbs from previous sections. Be sure the phrasal verbs are in the correct tense. To check their meanings, review the section number given after each one.

1. Who is he? I've never ________ ________ him before, and I don't know anything about him.

2. My mail ________ ________ while I was on vacation.

3. Thanks for all your help. I'm sorry to ________ you ________ so much trouble.

4. That dead tree is rotten. I'm surprised it hasn't ________________yet.

5. I ________ ________ several cars last weekend, but I can't decide which one to buy,

6. Can you help me ________ a tie ________ to wear with this shirt?

7. What a surprise! I ________ ________ my fifth grade teacher at the mall today.

8. Charles ________ ________ a beautiful Mercedes-Benz across the street and said it was his.

9. Okay, class, you've got until the bell rings. When you're finished with your tests,_______ them ________ to me.

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10. Everyone in town knows that Jake has been ________ ________ his wife for years.

11. I'm not sure if there will be time to meet with you today, but I'll try to ________ it

12. The invasion was so sudden that there was no way to ________ ________.

13. The cashier________________our stuff and said, "That comes to $142.56."

14. Bob's not in a good mood today. He just ________ ________ that he needs surgery.

15. It was fun to visit my hometown, but I was sad to see that my old house was being

16. I need to buy a new 100-watt bulb; this one ________ ________ yesterday.

10. FOCUS ON: phrasal verbs used as nouns, 1

Many two-word phrasal verbs can be used as nouns. All the verbs in this section have a noun form. Notice that the two-word noun is sometimes written with a hyphen:

verb: go ahead

noun: go-ahead

and sometimes as one word:

verb: lay off

noun: layoff

Unfortunately, there is no rule that will help you to always know which form to use. Also, not everyone agrees which nouns should be hyphenated and which should be written as one word, so you will occasionally see a noun written both ways.

1. fall off p.v. When people or things drop to a lower level from a higher place, they fall off the place where they were.

The dish fell off the table and broke. Be careful you don't fall off your bicycle.

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Handouts of food and clothing were given to the homeless people. Even though my father was poor, he was too proud to ask for a handout.

handout n. Printed material given to students or other people to provide them with important information.

The teacher prepared a handout for his students. There are several handouts on a table by the library entrance.

1. kick back (to) p.v. When you kick back money or kick back money to businesspeople or government officials, you illegally and secretly give them a percentage of the money that they spend with your company as a reward for giving you the business.

The prosecutor said that 5 percent of every contract was kicked back to the head of the purchasing department.

She offered to kick back 10 percent if I'd switch to her company.

kickback n. Money you illegally and secretly give to businesspeople or government officials as a reward for giving you business is a kickback.

The FBI agent heard the governor asking for a kickback. The reporter discovered that the loan was really a kickback.

2. kick back p.v. [informal] When you kick back, you relax.

It's been a tough week. Tonight I'm going to buy a case of beer and kick back. Let's kick back and watch the football game tonight.

1. lay... off p.v. When a company no longer needs workers because it does not have enough business, it temporarily or permanently lays off the workers.

Ford laid off 20,000 workers during the last recession. My wife had to go back to work after I was laid off from my job.

layoff n. Jobs cut by a company because it does not have enough business are layoffs.

The company said there wouldn't be any layoffs, despite the decline in profits.

2. lay off p.v. [informal] When you lay off people, you stop criticizing, teasing, or pressuring them.

You've been bugging me all day. If you don't lay off, you're going to be sorry. Lay off Nancy — she's having a bad day.

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3. lay off p.v. When you lay off something, such as a food or an activity, you stop consuming the food, or doing the activity.

Listen to the way you're coughing. You've got to lay off cigarettes. After Ned had a heart attack, he laid off cheese and butter sandwiches.

1. screw... up p.v. [informal] When you damage something or do something wrong or badly, you screw up or you screw up what you are doing.

/ tried to fix my computer, but I couldn't do it, and I just screwed it up instead. Mark sent his wife a letter that he wrote to his girlfriend. He sure screwed up.

screwed up part.adj. When people or things are screwed up, they are damaged or confused.

My back is so screwed up I can't even walk. George was a nice guy, but a little screwed up in the head.

screwup n. A problem or confused situation caused by someone's mistake is a screwup.

Two babies were switched because of a screwup in the maternity ward. There was a screwup in the finance department, and the bill was paid twice.

2. screw... up p.v.[informal] When people make a mistake that causes a problem for you, they screw you up.

The travel agent forgot to reconfirm my flight, and it really screwed me up. You really screwed me up when you lost my car keys.

EXERCISE 10a — Complete the sentences with phrasal verbs from this section. Be sure the phrasal verbs are in the correct tense.

1. The teacher asked me to ________ the exams ________.

2. Why don't you let a mechanic fix the car? If you try to do it yourself, you'll just ________ it_______.

3. Nobody likes the new priest in our church, and attendance has ________ ________.

4. My feet were killing me a couple of weeks ago, so I ________________ jogging for a while, and now they're fine.

5. It really ________ me ________ when you told my boss what I said about him.

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6. The Ortega’s won't take a vacation this year because Mr. Ortega has been _______ ________ and they need to save money.

7. When Mother was ________ ________, there wasn't any TV. People went to the movies or read instead.

8. The head of purchasing at my company went to jail because he made all the suppliers ________ ________ $2,000 of every contract.

9. My husband told me my plan to enter medical school was crazy, but I ________ ________ with it anyway.

10. The secretary in the human resources department said/Here's an application. Take it and ________ it ________."

11. If you want to borrow my car tonight, ________ ________. I'm not going anywhere.

12. The other mountain climbers are nervous about Jim because they think he's going to ________ ________ a cliff.

13. You've been criticizing me for the last three hours! Will you ______ ________!

14. The manager asked his assistant to ________ him ________ about the problems in the warehouse.

15. It's Friday night. Let's buy some beer and ________ ________.

16. I can't work tomorrow. Can you ________ ________ for me?

17. You're acting like a big baby. ________ ________!

EXERCISE 10b — Complete the sentences with nouns from this section.

1. At the party, the children ate in the living room, and the ___________ ate in the dining room.

2. The boss said, "One more ___________ and you're fired."

3. The reporter discovered that the mayor was taking ___________ from the construction company.

4. Every year at this time the king gives ___________ to the poor.

5. Ned will be my ___________ while I'm on my honeymoon.

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6. The teacher prepared a ___________ to give to the students.

7. The CEO said he regretted the ___________ but that there was no other way for the company to avoid bankruptcy.

8. The team lost every game of the season and suffered a 60 percent ____________ in attendance.

9. The president called General Chambers and gave him the ___________ for the attack.

EXERCISE 10c — Write three sentences using the objects in parentheses. Be sure to put the objects in the right place.

1, You haven't filled in. (all the spaces, them) ___________ ___________

2. Is the teacher handing out? (the tests, them) ___________ ___________

3. The company is going to lay off. (my brother, him) ___________ ___________

4. I'm sorry I screwed up. (your plan, it) ___________ ___________

EXERCISE 10d — Write answers to the questions using phrasal verbs, participle adjectives, and nouns from this section. Be sure the phrasal verbs are in the correct tense.

1. I wasn't sure if my plan would work, and I thought about it for a long time before I finally decided to try it. What did I do with my plan?

2. The secretary gave me an application and told me to put the correct information in the spaces, What did the secretary tell me to do?

3. In Question 2, how would you describe the application after I put the correct information in the spaces?

4. The mechanic is trying to fix my car's transmission, but she's making a lot of mistakes. What is the mechanic doing to my car's transmission?

5. In Question 4, how would you describe the transmission after the mechanic finishes fixing it?

6. You give $3,000 to the mayor every month so that he will give your company city business. What do you do every month?

7. In Question 6, what is the $3,000 that you give to the mayor every month?

8. Business is bad at Nancy's company, and they told her that they don't need her anymore. What happened to Nancy?

9. The hotel clerk forgot to call me in the morning to wake me up, and I was late for a very important meeting. What did the hotel clerk do to me?

10. I was born in Hawaii, and I lived there until I was eighteen. What did I do in Hawaii?

11. Sally's parents told her she can't watch a TV show because it's for adults. What did Sally's parents tell her about the TV show?

12. New home construction will decrease if there is a recession. What will new home construction do if there is a recession?

13. In Question 12, if there is a decrease in new home construction, what would it be called?

14. Timmy was teasing Susie all day until his mother told him to stop. What did Timmy's mother tell him to do?

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15. All is doing Omar's job while Omar is on vacation. What is Ali doing?

16. Blankets and boxes of food will be given to the people whose homes were destroyed by the tornado. What will be done with the blankets and boxes of food?

17. Sarah had to answer the phone while she was watching a movie. After she returned to the TV room, Sarah's friend Sally told Sarah everything she had missed. What did Sally do for Sarah?

EXERCISE 10e, Review — Complete the sentences with these nouns from previous sections. To check their meanings, review the section number given after each one.

1. The pilot said that the ___________ would be on time.

2. There was a ___________ on the highway, and traffic was barely moving at all.

3. A cable ___________ is usually $39.95, but this month it's free.

4. The guards suspected the prisoners were planning a ___________.

5. Waiter, we've been waiting for our dinner for an hour. What's the ___________?

6. I told my lawyer that it was a ___________ and that I was innocent.

7. When the detectives came and arrested Hank, we didn't think it was real —just a big

EXERCISE 10f, Review — Complete the sentences with these phrasal verbs from previous sections. Be sure the phrasal verbs are in the correct tense. To check their meanings, review the section number given after each one.

1. Don't try to run ten miles at first; you have to ________ ________ to it.

2. After searching for three days without any luck, the rescue team ________ ________ on finding any survivors.

3. The police showed me some pictures to see if I could ________ ________ the guy who mugged me.

4. You go to the bank, I'll go to the post office, and we'll ________ ________ with each other at the corner in forty-five minutes.

5. I wasn't happy about having Nancy for a partner on the project. I don't ________ ________ with her.

6. Just because you went to college and I didn't, doesn't make it okay for you to _______ ________________me.

7. The teacher said, "Your daughter has missed a lot of school, and she'll need to work hard to ________ ________ to the rest of the class."

8. Maria got scared and__________of jumping off the high diving board.