4. Focus on: present and past continuous phrasal verbs

Like one-word verbs, phrasal verbs can normally be used in the continuous tense (also called the progressive tense) using the -ing form of the verb (also called the present participle) and a form of be:

The principal told me you'd been cheating on the test.

I've been going after my master's for nearly five years.

Which dictionary is he looking up the words in?

How will she be paying for her tuition bill?

The compass needle couldn't be pointing to the south.

We would be planning for a bigger crowd if the weather weren't so bad.

They should be wrapping the meeting up in a few minutes.

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

1. cheat on p.v. When you cheat on your sexual partner, you have sex or a romantic relationship with another person.

Sarah filed for divorce after she caught George cheating on her. Can you believe it? She was cheating on me with my best friend!

2. cheat on p.v. When you do something dishonest so that you can do better on a test, you cheat on the test.

The teacher caught Ali cheating on the exam.

If I didn't cheat on the tests, I'd never pass any of my classes.

1. go after p.v. When you chase and try to physically stop or to attack people, you go after them.

A policeman saw him stealing the car and went after him.

Captain Morgan was ordered to go after the enemy soldiers.

2. go after p.v. When law enforcement officials try to prosecute people through a legal procedure, they go after them.

Federal prosecutors are now going after the top drug dealers.

The senator introduced a bill designed to go after deadbeat dads.

3. go after p.v. When a business tries to increase its profits by trying to increase its market share or its number of customers, it goes after them.

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The tobacco company denied going after the teenage market.

The CEO said he wanted to go after new customers in China.

4. go after p.v. When you go after something, you try to obtain it even though it may be difficult to do.

Sofia went after a degree in accounting.

Todd trained for a year before going after the record in the 100-yard dash.

1. look... up p.v. When you get information from a reference book, such as a word from a dictionary or a telephone number from a telephone book, you look the word or number up.

The teacher told the students to look the new words up in a dictionary.

I looked up his number, but it's not in the phone book.

2. look... up p.v. When you locate and visit people you have not seen for a long time, you look them up.

/ was in Dallas on business, and I looked up Dan Jones, my old college roommate.

If you're ever in Kempton, look me up.

3. look up p.v. When a situation is looking up or starting to look up, it is improving.

Business was pretty bad for a while, but things are starting to look up. I'm much happier than I was last year. Things are looking up.

1. pay... for p.v. When you give someone money in exchange for something, you pay for it or pay someone for it.

Can I pay for this stuff with a credit card?

Alfonso paid the waiter for his dinner.

paid for part.adj. After you have paid for something, it is paid for. My car is old, but at least it's paid for.

2. pay for p.v. When you are punished for something, you pay for what you have done. I caught the guy who's spreading these false rumors about me, and he paid for ruining my reputation. Young people think that drugs are harmless, but they'll pay for their foolishness someday.

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1. plan for p.v. When you make preparations for something in the future, you plan for it.

The festival was a disaster because they didn't plan for such a huge crowd.

It's never to early too start planning for retirement.

1. point to p.v. When you indicate people or things with your hand or a finger, you point to them. When an arrow or a sign indicates something, it points to it.

The waitress couldn't hear me, so I pointed to my empty glass and she understood. The prosecutor asked, "Can you point to the man you saw carrying the gun?"

2. point to p.v. When a situation or occurrence causes you to consider something else, it points to that thing.

These terrible test scores point to a need for some major changes in our educational system.

The fact that all the people with food poisoning ate tuna salad sandwiches pointed to contaminated mayonnaise as the source of the illness.

1. put... to p.v. When you confront people with a difficult or thought-provoking question, accusation, or proposition, you put it to them.

He didn't want to tell me the truth, but I really put it to him, and he finally told me the whole story.

When Prof. Kline put his theory to me like that, I realized what he was talking about.

2. put... to p.v. When you put people to trouble or put them to an expense, you cause them to do extra work or to spend money.

Thanks for helping me with my flat tire. I'm sorry to put you to so much trouble.

I know my father would pay my dental bill if I asked him, but I hate to put him to such an expense.

3. put ...to p.v. When you put part of your body or something in your hand to something, you touch or press it to something.

The neighbors were arguing again, so we put our ears to the wall to try to hear what they were saying.

When he put a gun to my head, I realized he wasn't joking.

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1. wrap... up p.v. When you enclose an object in some kind of paper, usually gift wrapping paper or packaging paper, you wrap it up.

/ have to wrap this gift up before I go to the party.

The movers wrapped up the china with newspapers.

wrapped up part.adj. After you enclose an object in some kind of paper, usually gift wrapping paper or packaging paper, it is wrapped up.

2. wrap... up p.v. When you conclude an event that has been happening for some time, you wrap it up. Wind up is similar to wrap up.

We wrapped up the meeting around 4:00 and went home.

The salesman blabbered for two hours before I finally told him to wrap it up.

EXERCISE 4a — Complete the sentences with phrasal verbs from this section. Be sure the phrasal verbs are in the correct tense.

1. It's 12:30. Let's________this meeting________and goto lunch.

2. There was no way he could deny his guilt after the prosecutor ________ it _______ him.

3. The high crime rate ________ ________ a need for more police officers.

4. You'll _______ ________ what you did to me if it's the last thing I ever do!

5. The principal gave a zero to each of the students who ________ ________ the test.

6. I _______ my ear ________ the wall to try to hear what Sally was saying about me.

7. Mike is ________ the words ________ in the dictionary.

8. The police officers ________ ________ the robbers, but they didn't catch them.

9. Linda told Ned that she would divorce him if he ever ________ ________ her again.

10. Yes, it was quite a surprise — we didn't ________ ________ twins.

11. We saw an arrow________________the door at the end of the hallway.

12. After she won the silver medal, she ________ ________ the gold.

13. Most insurance companies won't ________ ________ plastic surgery.

14. I returned to my hometown for the first time in forty years and ________ ________ my first girlfriend.

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15. The guy in the seafood store _________ the fish _________ in old newspapers.

16. The FBI is ________ ________ major drug smugglers.

17. These last six months have been difficult for Sally, but now things are starting to

18. The company started in California, but now it's ________ ________ customers all over the country.

19. You ________ me ________ a lot of trouble to help you move your piano, and you didn't even say thank you.

EXERCISE 4b — Write sentences using the objects in parentheses. Be sure to put the objects in the right place.

1. I was looking up in the dictionary, (a word, it) ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________

2. I was in Boston looking up. (some old army buddies, them) ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________

3. Dad's upstairs wrapping up. (Mom's birthday present, it) ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________

4. The committee is wrapping up. (their discussion, it) ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________

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EXERCISE 4c — 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. He showed me where the bathroom was with his finger. What did he do?

2. We're preparing for 300 wedding guests. What are we doing?

3. The situation is getting better. What is the situation doing?

4. The little boy ran away, and his father chased him and tried to catch him. What did the father do?

5. Sofia is going to try to break the record in the high jump. What is Sofia going to try to do?

6. Tom did a lot of work to get his guest bedroom ready for me when I visited him. What did I do to Tom?

7. I'm giving money to the cashier for the book I want to buy. What am I doing?

8. In Question 7, how would you describe the book after I give the money to the cashier?

9. The people in the meeting are concluding the meeting. What are they doing?

10. When Rosa was in New Orleans, she looked for and visited a childhood friend. What did Rosa do to her friend?

11. Jim asked you a really difficult question. What did Jim do to you?

12. Megan is trying to find Erik's telephone number in a telephone book. What is Megan doing?

13. Tom is married, but he slept with another woman. What did Tom do to his wife?

EXERCISE 4d, 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. I ______ ________ your mother on our first date, and we got married three months later.

2. Carmen's family ________ _________ Michoacan around twenty years ago.

3. Paul was supposed to meet us at 8:00, but he never ________ _________.

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4. These instructions don't make any sense at all. I can't ________ them ________.

5. After Aunt Mary's stroke, her chances didn't look good, but she ________ _______

1. My daughter begged me to let her get her ears pierced, and I finally ________

7. My father was listening to the radio, and he said he ________ ________ a new car that runs on water.

2. I spent two hours _________ _________ the remote control before I found it.

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