ENGLISH PHRASAL VERBS

English Phrasal Verbs - 3

Act out

Meaning:

-          demonstrate something with gestures and actions

-          to express your thoughts or feelings through your words or behaviour

-          to do something that you have planned

-         to act a part in a real situation

-          to express your thoughts, emotions, or ideas in your actions 

For Example:

1.   The children started to act out the whole incident.

2.   She acted out the role of the lover.

3.   The ritual of the party convention is acted out, in the same way, every year.

4.   The children acted out the scene in the classroom.

5.   I used to come home and act out the movie for the kids.

6.   The children acted out their favourite poem.  

Act up

          Meaning:

-         Cause pain or frustration by functioning badly

-          If a person, especially a child, acts up, they behave badly 

-          If a machine or part of the body acts up, it does not perform as well as it should

-          to behave badly

-          to operate badly 

-          to become active

         For Example:

          1. My car is always acting up in cold weather. 

2. Her shoulder was acting up (here acting up means - hurting because of injury). 

3. Rani got bored and started acting up. 

4.  The little girl was acting up, so her mother took her out of the restaurant.

5. My car is acting up again, I don't know what is wrong with it.  

6. Dad's poor knee is acting up again. 

7. My computer has been acting up recently. I need to get it repaired.

Add up

Meaning:

-          Make sense; seem reasonable

-          Add up means to make sense

-          to seem reasonable; to make sense

-          to make a total that seems reasonable or is useful

-          to calculate the total of two or more numbers or amounts

        For Example:

1. The water added up the bill and the total sum was 10 rupees.

2. His story just doesn't add up.

3. We can't sponsor this project. The figures simply don't add up.

4. When you're feeding a family of six the bills soon add up.

5. The waiter can't add up.

6. Add up all the money I owe you.

Ache for

         Meaning:

-          to want someone or something very much

-          To feel a strong desire for someone or something

-          Want something or someone a lot

-          To desire or want something

        For Example:

                                                    

          1. It had been a hard day, and I was aching for a good night’s sleep.

           2. Suddenly his heart ached for the sight of his native country.

            3. They ached for love.

            4. My heart ached for him.

            5. He was lonely and aching for love.

            6. She ached for the companionship of her husband when he was deployed overseas.

           7. He was so lonely he ached for the sound of a human voice.

Author: 

Dr.M. Selvam

Assistant Professor of English

Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science

Coimbatore