Start off

start off & starts off starting off started off started off

1. start off (withlby) p.v. When an activity or event starts off, it begins. When you start an activity or event off with something, you begin with it. When you start an activity or event off by doing something, you begin by doing it.

The singer started the concert off with a song from her latest CD.

Many speakers like to start off a speech by telling a joke.

2. start off p.v. When people or things start off a certain way, they are this way at the beginning of a process that changes them. Start out is similar to start off.

The day started off nice, but it got cold and cloudy.

I thought the movie was good, but it started off kind of boring.

1. throw... away p.v. When you throw something away, you dispose of it by

385

putting it in the wastebasket, trash, and so on. Throw out is the same as throw away.

If you're finished with these papers, throw them away.

Nancy's outside looking in the trash for her wedding ring; it was accidentally thrown away.

2. throw... away p.v. When you throw away something important or valuable, you foolishly do something that causes you to lose it.

This is your last chance to save your marriage, so don't throw it away.

When I got mad and quit my job, I threw away a chance to become vice-president of the company.

EXERCISE 49a — Complete the sentences with phrasal verbs from this section. Be sure the phrasal verbs are in the correct tense.

1. We were lucky that the floodwater didn't ________ ________ the second floor.

2. These steps have ice on them, so ________ ________ to my arm.

3. I usually________________work at 8:40.

4. It's important to ________ your day ________ with a good breakfast.

5. I never used to care about Maria's bad attitude, but now it's starting to ________ ________ me.

6. I'm a little busy now. Give me your phone number, and I'll ________ right________ ________you.

7. Go ________ your shoes ________ — we're leaving in a minute.

8. Ann cut her hair in the bathroom, and she _______ the sink _______ with hair.

9. Don't let the baby ________ ________ the table — he might fall off.

10. If you hadn't ________ ________ the theater late, you wouldn't have missed the beginning of the movie.

11. ________ ________ all that junk in the garage made a lot more room.

12. As Jerry was _____ _____ the train, he realized that he had forgotten his ticket.

13. Whenever I ________ ________ feeling depressed, I call my mother.

14. If you want to ________________ in this world, you need a good education.

15. The trail to the top of the mountain ________ ________ level, but then it gets steeper and steeper.

386

16. Maybe you should ________ ________ with your work and stop wasting time.

17. ________ ________ for a couple of minutes — I'm almost ready.

18. This is a great opportunity. Don't be stupid and ________ it ________.

19. I know you're busy, but when do you think you might have time to ________ back ________ fixing that leak in the roof?

20. I waited outside Mr. Baker's office for two hours, but I never ________ ________ talk to him.

21. Madeleine fell off her bike, but she ________ right back ________ again.

22. ________ ________ work! This has to be finished in three hours, and you haven't even started.

EXERCISE 49b — Write answers to the questions using phrasal verbs and participle adjectives from this section. Be sure the phrasal verbs are in the correct tense.

1. Linda's three-year-old daughter can't put her shoes on. What can't Linda's three-year-old daughter do?

2. Luis started to feel a little depressed. What did Luis do?

3. Marvin had a nice family and a good job, but he lost them because of drugs. What did Marvin do to his family and job?

4. After I take a break, I'm going to continue working immediately. What am I going to do?

5. Betty doesn't have the information I want, so she's going to call me when she does. What is Betty going to do?

6. The sewer drain became blocked by dead leaves. What happened to the sewer drain?

7. In Question 6, how would you describe the sewer drain after it became blocked?

8. Ned has never arrived at his office after 9:30. What has Ned never done?

9. You continued with your work. What did you do?

10. When the temperature inside the turkey reaches 190 degrees, take it out of the oven. When should the turkey be taken out of the oven?

387

11. Bill said that he couldn't wait any longer. What did Bill say?

12. My taxes are due in three days, so I've got to do them tonight. What have I got to do?

13. Sam's birth certificate must have been accidentally put in the trash. What must have happened to Sam's birth certificate?

14. Dan showed me how to mount a horse. What did Dan show me?

15. Their marriage began well, but things got worse. What did their marriage do?

16. My brother told me that I shouldn't let it bother me. What did my brother tell me?

17. Alex was allowed to pet a baby tiger at the zoo. What happened to Alex?

18. The mountain climber held the rope tightly. What did the mountain climber do?

19. Mike went to the diving board and stood on it. What did Mike do?

20. The bus driver stepped out of the bus to check the tires, and then he entered the bus again immediately. What did the bus driver do after he checked the tires?

21. It's been only fifteen minutes since Heather left. She could not have arrived at the airport already. What couldn't Heather have done already?

22. The salesperson always begins his presentation by introducing himself. What does the salesperson always do?

23. Having an MBA should help you to progress in your career. What should an MBA do?

EXERCISE 49c — Write five original sentences using get to and get back to. Try to use right and back in some of the sentences.

1. __________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________________

4. __________________________________________________________

5. __________________________________________________________

388

EXERCISE 49d, 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. The company has decided to save money by ________ ________ on advertising.

2. Look at the arrival monitor to see if his plane has ________ ________ yet.

3. That sneaky car salesperson ____ me ____ paying for a lot of options I didn't want.

4. Those shoes are so ugly. Why don't you just ________ them ________?

5. Anyone who has done as much good for other people as he has deserves to be ________ ________.

6. Charles used to ________ ________ ________ me because he went to col­lege and I didn't.

7. What do you ________ ________ changing the meeting from Tuesday to Wednesday? No one has said anything to me about it.

8. The opening of the new factory had to be ________ ________ because some equipment hadn't been delivered.

9. Janice loves to cook, and she especially ________ ________ ________ baking fancy pastries.

10. The antigovernment newspaper was ________ ________ by the dictator.

11. Rio de Janeiro is so beautiful. It ________ me ________ when I saw it.

12. Jim asked Lydia to marry him, but she ________ him ________.

13. That chimney is ________ a lot of cold air ________.

14. Most people ________ ________ a cold in four or five days.

15. If it gets too cold in here,________ ________the air conditioner.

16. Could you ________ the lights ________ please, it's getting dark.

389

50. FOCUS ON: Keep at it!

I hope the time and effort you've put into finding out more about phrasal verbs has paid off. If you've knocked yourself out, stuck with it, and not fallen behind or gotten mixed up or burned out, a great improvement in your ability to under­stand and use English has come about — you've ended up being better able to figure out what you read and hear and better able to come up with the right word when you write or speak. But don't get stressed out and give up if you can't remember every meaning of every verb — improving your vocabulary takes time. It comes down to regularly brushing up on what you have learned and, when you come across a word you don't know, looking it up in a dictionary. Keep at it!

1. ask... out p.v. When you ask people out, you ask them to go with you to a place of entertainment in order to have fun and spend time together.

Being asked out by Tom was quite a surprise to Judy.

The Bakers called and asked the Ortegas out.