English Phrasal Verbs

                                                                   English Phrasal Verbs

Bump into

Meaning:

-         To meet someone unexpectedly / by accident

-         Meet someone by chance

Example:

-         I bumped into Karthi last night at the mall. He was with his wife.

-         I always bumped into people I know on this street.

-         I bumped into an old friend today. It was such a pleasant surprise!

-         We live in a small town, so it is effortless for us to bump into each other.

Break up

Meaning:

-         To be inaudible over the mobile phone

-         A bad telephone connection

Example:

-         I want to call my mother, but the phone line always breaks up.

-         Can you please call me, because the connection is breaking up?

-         We cannot hear you. You are breaking up.

Call back

Meaning:

-         To return a phone call

-         Telephone someone again or to telephone someone who phoned you earlier

Example:

-         I am waiting for someone to call me back with a price.

-         She said she’d call back.

-         He called her three times, but she never called the guy back.

-         I will call you back in a few minutes.

Call Up

Meaning:

            -         Call someone on the phone

-         Invite someone to play in a team

Example:

-         My dad called me up to tell me the good news.

-         Call me up anytime.

-         You can call up and leave a message if I am out.

-         I called her up twice already.

Hold on

Meaning:

-         Used to tell someone to wait or stop

-         Wait a short while

Example:

-         Hold on, I will check my diary.

-         Can you hold on? I will see if he is here.

-         Hold on while I get my coat.

Get back to someone

Meaning:

-         Call someone later

-         To talk to someone again, usually on the phone

Example:

-         I will get back to you later with those pictures.

-         I will find out the gold ring and get back to you.

-         Sorry, I am in a meeting right now, can I get back to you in twenty minutes?

Pick up

Meaning:

-         Answer the telephone call

-         To answer the phone

Example:

-         Why don’t you pick up your phone when it is ringing?

-         The phone rang and rang and nobody picked up.

-         If you don’t pick up the phone, you might miss an important call.

Turn up

Meaning:

              -         To make the volume louder on the radio, or television

                  -         To increase the sound

Example:

-         Can you turn the Tv up? I can’t hear anything?

-         Don’t turn the TV up, I am trying to read.

-         I turned the volume up.

-         Turn the heat up high.

 

Author: 

Dr.M. Selvam

Assistant Professor of English

Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science

Coimbatore