ACT UP
Behave of function improperly
I think I need to take my car to the mechanic because it’s acting up again.

ADD UP (separable)
Calculate a sum
I added up the receipts and it totalled $145.

ADD UP TO
Equal an amount
The total expenses added up to $550.

ADD UP
Make sense
Her story doesn’t add up. I think she is lying.

ASK OUT (separable)
Invite on a date
I can’t believe that Josh finally asked me out on a date!

ASK OVER (separable)
Invite to one’s home Why don’t we ask the Rob over for dinner?

AIM AT
To try to a achieve something
I aim at seeing her.

BACK OUT
Not keep (a promise, agreement, deal)
Sam backed out of the agreement at the last second.

BACK UP1
Give support
You need example to back up your opinion.

BACK UP2
Move backwards, reverse
Could you back up a little so I can open this drawer?

BEAR UP
Withstand
I didn’t think he would bear up so well in that situation.

BEAR WITH
Be patient
Please bear up with me while I fill out the paperwork.

BLOW UP1
Make explode; destroy using explosives
The terrorists blew the building up.

BLOW UP2
Explode
The bomb blew up before they could defuse it.

BLOW UP3
Suddenly become very angry
When Eric heard the news, he blew up and rushed out if the room.

BET ON
To expect or feel sure that some thing will happen
She’ll soon get used to the idea. I bet on it.

BREAK DOWN
Stop working properly
The car broke down in the desert.

BREAK DOWN
Become mentally ill
She broke down after her father died.

BREAK IN
Interrupt
While we were discussing the situation, Terry broke in to give his opinion.

BREAK INTO
Enter a place unlawfully
The burglar broke in between midnight and 2AM.

BREAK OFF ((SYN)) FINISH
End something
Sally broke her engagement to John off.

BREAK OUT
Appear violently
Violent protests broke out in response to the military coup.

BREAK UP
Break into pieces
I broke the cracker up into pieces and put it in the soup.

BREAK UP
Disperse (a crowd), stop (a fight)
The police broke the demonstration up before it got out of control.

BREAK UP = SPLIT UP
End a relationship
Derek and MARY broke up again. What a rocky relationship.

BRING ALONG
Bring with
When we go to the forest, bring your wildlife guide along.

BRING OUT
Highlight, stress
Your new shirt brings out the color of your eyes.

BRING*OVER+
Bring to someone’s house When you visit me, why don’t you bring over your son?

BRING*UP+
Mention
I didn’t want to bring up the fact that she was unemployed.

BRING*UP+
Raise (a child)
Sam was brought up in South Carolina.

BRUSH*OFF+
Ignore something or someone
Mary brushed her ex-boyfriend off at the party.

BUILD UP (TO)
Gradually increased in amount, size or strength
The pressure of the test builds up.
The music builds up to a rousing climax.

BURN*DOWN+
Destroy by setting fire to
The children burned the house down while playing with matched.

BURN UP
Be hot
I am burning up in here – open the window.

BURN UP
Consume by fire
The papers were burned up in the fire.

BURN*UP+
Destroy by fire
He burnt up the files.

BUY*OUT+
Buy the shares of a company or the shares the other person owns of a business
A company from Oregon bought out Pacific Inc.

BUY*UP+
Purchase the entire supply of something
We bought up all the beer in the store.

CALL AROUND/ROUND
To go someone’s house for a short time to visit them I’ll call around my relatives as soon as I arrive in Wales.

CALL*OFF+
To cancel, to stop an event that has been arranged from taking place, especially because of a prison
Mary decided to call off her wedding with Max.

CALL*UP+
To telephone
Mary called the priest up to tell him the wedding was off.

CALM*DOWN+
To stop being emotionally distressed
Max was so upset that nothing could calm him down.

CARRY ON
To continue
Eric was not sure if he could carry on any longer.

CARRY STH OUT
To do something that you have organized or planned
You’re a liar! You should have carried out the promise.

CHECK*IN+
To register (usually at a hotel, airport, or hospital)
The terrorist sweated nervously as he checked his baggage in.

CHICKEN OUT
Not to do something because of fear
Terry wanted to ask Sunny out on a date, but he chickened out.

CLEAN*UP+
To clean completely
When living with others it is important to clean up after yourself.

CLEAR OFF
To leave a place quickly
Clear off! You’ve no right to be here.

CLEAR OUT
To make a room, tidy and throw away the things in it you don’t need any more I’ll clear out my room to greet my friends.

COME ACROSS (inseparable)
To find by chance
As Eric was cleaning up his room he came across Mary’s phone number.

COME ALONG (no object)
To progress
Things are coming along well at work these days.

COME ALONG (no object)
To accompany someone who takes the lead
Ralph asked me to come along on the trip, but I decided not to.

COME AROUND (no object)
To change one’s opinion or position After our long debate, Eric finally came around to my point of view.

COME BACK (no object)
To return to a place one has been before; to return to a previous activity
Terry left our office, but quickly back after discovering he had left his keys here.

COME BACK (no object)
To be restored
I was sick and weak, but now I feel better and my strength is coming back.

COME BACK (no object)
To recall
I think I remember the story. It’s all coming back to me now.

COME BY (no object)
To visit informally
I was in the neighborhood so I thought I would come by to see how you were doing.

COME BY (inseparable)
To obtain (accidentally)
I’m not sure how I came by this hat, but I’ve had it for years.

COME DOWN (no object)
To descend, fall; go down, from a higher position to a lower one, often to the ground.
It’s been hot all day. Finally the temperature is starting to come down a bit.

COME DOWN (no object)
To become sick
Max came down with the flu.

COME IN (no object)
To arrive, get in
News came in that next year’s car models have just come in.

COME IN (no object)
To place in a race or contest
Frank came in second in the Boston Marathon.

COME ON (no object)
To start running, become available
I wish the electricity would come on again. It’s dark in here.

COME OUT (no object)
To become known, to come into public view, to debut
The news of the candidates past sexual misconduct came out just before the election.

COME OUT (no object)
To turn out, result
Everything came out fine in the end.

COME OVER (no object)
To visit casually
Terry and Sunny are coming over to watch football tonight.

COME UP (no object)
To be mentioned
In Terry’s conversation with Mary, the topic of their wedding never came up.

COME UP (no object)
To approach, draw near
Mary came up and introduced herself.

COME UP WITH (inseparable)
Think of and idea, plan, solution, or answer
Max came up with a brilliant idea.

COPY DOWN (separable)
To record in writing
Max told Mary about the idea. She copied it down and sold it to the highest bidder.

COUNT ON SB
If you can count on someone, you know that they will help you or do what you want
I’m counting on you to help me.

CROSS OUT STH
To draw a line through something that you have written, usually because it is wrong
Oh, I got a wrong answer. Can I cross it out?

CUT DOWN (inseparable)
To reduce
Terry decided to cut down his alcohol consumption.

CUT STH UP (separable)
To cut sth into small pieces, especially food
My mother cut some biscuits up to put it into the soup.

DO OVER (separable)
Do something again
“Oh, no! I forgot to save my report before I turned the computer off! Now I’ll have to do it over!”

DRAG ON (no object) Last much longer than expected or is necessary
“I thought the meeting would be a short one, but it dragged on for more than three hours.

DRAW UP (separable) Create a formal document
The Ajax and Tip-Top Banks have decided to merge. Their lawyers will draw all the official documents up sometimes this month.

DROP OFF (separable) Deliver something’ deliver someone (by giving him/her a ride)" Yes, I can take those letters to the post office. I’ll drop them off as I go home from work." You don’t have to take a taxi. You live fairly close to me, so I’ll be happy to drop you off.

DROP IN (inseparable) Visit informally (and usually without scheduling a specific time)
If you were in town next month, we’d love to see you. Please try to drop in (on us).

DROP BY (inseparable)
Visit informally
If you were in town next month, we’d love to see you. Please try to drop by the house.

DRAW OUT (separable)
Prolong sth (usually far beyond the normal limits)
I thought that speech would never end. The speaker could have said everything important in about five minutes, but he drew the speech out for over an hour!

EAT IN
To eat a meal at home instead of going to a restaurant
Because of the terrible weather, we had to eat in.
EAT OUT (no object)

To eat a meal in a restaurant instead of at home
I’m too tired to cook tonight. Why don’t we eat out? END UP (no object)
Finally arrive at; arrive at unexpected place
We got lost last night and ended up in the next town.
END UP (no object)

Arrive somewhere as a result or consequence
You’re working too hard. If you don’t take it easy, you’ll end up in the hospital!

FACE UP TO (inseparable)
Admit to; take responsibility for
You can’t pretend that you’re doing OK in this course, Joe. Sooner or later, you’ll have to face up to the fact that you’re failing it.

FALL OUT
To have an argument with someone and stop being friendly with them
I couldn’t go out with my girlfriend because I had fallen out with her.

FEEL UP TO (inseparable)
Feel strong enough of comfortable enough to do something
I know the accident was a terrible shock. Do you feel up to talking about it?

FIGURE OUT (separable)
Logically find the answer to a problem; solve a problem by thinking about it carefully. 
For a long time I couldn’t understand the last problem, but I finally figured it out.

 FIGURE OUT (separable)
Understand why someone behaves the way she/he does
I can’t figure Margie out. Sometimes she’s very warm and friendly and sometimes she acts as if she doesn’t even know me.

FILL IN (separable)
Add information to a form
The office needs to know your home address and phone number. Could you fill t hem in on this form?
Could you fill in for me?

FILL IN (ON) (separable)
Supply information that someone doesn’t know I wasn’t able to attend the meeting yesterday, but I understand that it was important. Could you fill me in?

FILL IN FOR (inseparable)
Temporality do someone else’s work; temporality substitute for another person Professor Newton is in the hospital and won’t be able to teach for the rest of the term. Do you know who’s going to fill in for her?

FILL OUT (separable)
Complete a form by adding required information
Of course I completed my application! I filled it out and mailed it over three weeks ago!

FILL OUT (no object)
Become less thin; gain weight
Jerry used to be really skinny, but in the last year he’s begun to fill out.

FIND OUT (inseparable)
Learn / get information (about)
I’m sorry that you didn’t know the meeting had been cancelled. I didn’t find out (find out about it) myself until just a few minutes ago.

GET ACROSS (separable)
Make something understood; communicate something understandably; to succeed in making someone understand an idea
Alan is really intelligent but sometimes he has problems getting his ideas across.

GET ALONG (WITH) (inseparable)
Have a good relationship (with); be friendly (toward)
Why can’t you and your sister get along? Everyone else gets along with her just fine!

GET AROUND (inseparable)
Avoid having to do something
Teresa got around the required math classes by doing well on a math proficiency test.

GET AROUND (no object)
Move from place to place
She doesn’t have a car. She gets around by bicycle, bus, or taxi.

GET BY (no object)
Survive financially in a difficult situation
It’s going to be hard to pay the rent now that you’ve lost your job, but somehow we’ll get by.

GET IN (inseparable)
Enter a small, closed vehicle
I don’t know where Carole was going. She just gets in her car and drove away.

GET STH DOWN (separable)
To write sth quickly, especially so that you do not forget it.
Could you get your e-mail address down?

GET IN (no object) Arrive
Do you know what time Fred’s plane gets in? GET ON (inseparable)
Enter a large, closed vehicle
I’m sorry, but you’re too late to say goodbye to Angela. She got on the plane about 20 minutes ago. GET OFF (inseparable)
Leave a large, closed vehicle
When you get off the bus, cross the street, turn right on Oak Street and keep going until you’re at the corner of Oak and Lincoln Boulevard.

GET OFF (separable)
Be excused (for a period of time) from work, class, or other regularly scheduled activities 
Some schools got off President’s Day off but ours didn’t. We had classes as usual. GET OUT OF (inseparable)
Leave a small, closed vehicle
There’s something wrong with the garbage door opener. You’ll have to get out of the car and open it by hand. GET

THROUGH
To succeed in talking to someone on the telephone
Could you get through me the human resource department?

GET OVER (inseparable)
Recover from an illness or painful experience, to begin to feel better after a shock or an experience that upset you
Katy was really upset when she failed the test. She thought she would never get over feeling so stupid.
Get over it!

GET RID OF (inseparable)
Dispose of, give away or throw away
That shirt is really ugly. Why don’t you get rid of it? GET RID OF (inseparable)
Dismiss someone; fire someone from a job; cause someone to leave
The treasurer of the XYZ Company was spending too much money so the company president got rid of him.

GET UP (no object)
Leave bed after sleeping and begin your daily activities.
You’ll have to get up much earlier than usual tomorrow. We have to leave by no later that 6:00 AM. I know I won’t hear the alarm tomorrow morning. Can you get me up at 6:00 AM? GIVE UP (separable)
Stop doing sth (usually a habit)
He knows smoking isn’t good for his health, but he can’t give it up. GIVE UP (no object)
Decide not to try to solve a problem
What’s black and white and red all over? I give up. What?
An embarrassed zebra!

GIVE STH AWAY
To give sth that you do not want or need to someone, without asking him or her for any payment.
He gave away most of his money to charity.
GO AFTER

To follow or chase someone, in order to catch him or her, attack them, or talk to them
You go first; I’ll go after you. GO DOWN
If a price or the level of sth goes down, it becomes lower.
The price of oil is going down due to the development of the transportation.

GO DOWN WITH
To get a particular illness, especially one that you catch from other people and which isn’t serious Our youngest boy has gone down with flu.

GO OFF
If food or drink goes off, it is not good to eat or drink any more, for example it has been kept too long and it often smells bad
This milk goes off. We should buy new one.

GO OFF
If an alarm goes off, it makes a sudden loud noise; especially in order to warn people about sth
Wake up!! The alarm goes off.

GO OUT WITH
Have a date with sb
You went out with Sharon last night, didn’t you?GO OVER
To visit someone who lives near you for a short time
I’ll go over my friend. GO THROUGH STH
To experience sth, especially a difficult or unpleasant situation, or a period of time when a lot changes or happens
He’s amazingly cheerful considering all he’s had to go through. GO THROUGH STH
To carefully read or discuss sth, to check that it is correct and acceptable
I always start the day by going through my mail.
She went through the company’s accounts, looking for evidence of fraud. GO UP (RISE)
If a price or the level of sth goes up, it increase
Cigarettes are going up in price.

GO WITH (no object)
Look pleasing together
You should buy that shirt. It will go well with your dark brown suit.

GO WITH (no object)
Date regularly and steadily
Is Gina going with Jim? I see them together all the time.

GOOF OFF (no object)
Be lazy; do nothing in particular
Do you have any special plans for your vacation?
No. I’m just going to stay home and goof off. 

 
GROW UP (no object)
Spend the years between being a child and being an adult
Did you know that Frank grew up in Malaysia?

GROW UP (no object)
Behave responsibly; behave as an adult, nor a child (mature)
Lee really irritates me sometimes. He’s really silly and childish. I agree. I wish he would grow up.

HAND IN (separable)
Submit homework, an assignment, etc.
You’d better get started on your report. You know that you have to hand it in at 8:30 tomorrow morning! HAND OUT (separable)
Distribute
Why don’t you have a course description and list of assignments? The teacher handed them out on the first day of class.

HANG AROUND (ROUND)
To spend time somewhere not doing anything, for example because you have nothing to do, or because you are waiting for sth or someone.
You hang around here in case he comes, I’ll go on ahead. HANG UP (no object)
End a phone conversation by replacing the receiver.
I’d like to talk longer, but I’d better hang up. My sister needs to make a call. HEAD FOR
to travel towards a place
Where do you head for?

HOLD UP (separable)
Delay
I’m sorry I’m late. There was an accident on the freeway and traffic held me up. HOLD UP (separable)
Rob, threaten someone with harm unless he/she gives her/his money or other valuable things.
Sarah is very upset. When she was walking home last night, two men held her up and took her purse and jewellery.

IMPROVE ON
To do sth better than before or to make it better than before
We’ve certainly improved on last year’s figures. JACK UP (separable)
Raise (used for prices)
The car dealer bought my old Ford for $750 and jacked the price up to $1,500 when they sold it.

KEEP AWAY
To not go near a person, place or animal
Keep away from the edge of the cliff.

KEEP ON
Continue (inseparable—followed by an –ing verb) I’m not ready to stop yet. I think I’ll keep on working for a while.

KICK OFF
If an event kicks off or you kick it off, it starts
What time shall we kick off?
Tom will kick off with a few comments.

KNOCK OUT (separable)
Make unconscious
The boxing match ended when one boxer knocked the other one out.
That medicine really knocked me out. I slept for 14 hours straight!

KNOCK ONESELF OUT (separable)
Work much harder than normal or than what is expected
We completed the project on time because of Terry. He knocked himself out to be sure we didn’t miss the deadline.

LAY OFF (separable)
Dismiss someone from a job because of lack work or money (not because of poor performance)
I feel really sorry Sally’s family. Her father was laid off yesterday. LEAVE OUT (separable)
Forget; omit
Oh, no! When I made the list of those who attended the meeting, I left your name out!

LET DOWN
Disappoint
I know I let you down when I didn’t do what I promised. I’m really sorry. LOOK AFTER
To spend time with someone and make sure that they are safe and have the things they need, especially a child or someone who is sick.

LOOK AWAY
To turn your eyes away from someone or something so that you cannot see them
Look away from them! They are real the mob.

LOOK DOWN ON (inseparable)
Hold in contempt; regard as inferior
It’s not surprising that Fred has few friends. He seems to look down on anyone who doesn’t like the same things that he does.

 LOOK FORWARD TO (inseparable)
Anticipate pleasantly; think about a pleasant thing before it happens
I’m really looking forward to vacation. I can’t wait for it to begin! LOOK INTO (inseparable)
Investigate / get more details about something
Someone said there was a meeting at 9:30 but I haven’t heard anything about it. Shall I look into it? LOOK LIKE (inseparable)
Resemble (in appearance)
Does he look like his father or his mother?

LOOK OVER (separable)
Check; review
I think I may have some typos in this report. Could you look it over?

LOOK UP (separable)
Find something in a reference work
I’m sorry, but I don’t know what that word means. I’ll have to look it up. LOOK UP TO (inseparable)
Respect
Everyone looks up to Joyce because she always makes time to help others.

MAKE FUN OF (inseparable)
Make jokes about (usually unkindly)
I agree that Bob looks ridiculous since he shaved his head, but don’t make fun of him. You’ll hurt his feeling. MAKE UP (separable)
Invent / create (imaginary) information
Judy’s story is hard to believe. I’m sure she made it up. MAKE SB UP (separable)
To put colored creams, powders, etc., onto someone’s face to change the way they look.

MAKE UP (RETAKE) (separable)
Compensate for something missed or not done by doing extra or equivalent work
I’m sorry I missed the test. May I make it up? MAKE UP (WITH) (inseparable)
Re-establish a friendly relationship by admitting guilt.
Jack and his girlfriend were very angry at each other, but last night they finally made up (with each other).

MAKE OUT (Note: often negative) (separable)
See / hear something well enough to understand what it means
Ruth’s writing is very small. I almost need a magnify glass to make it out. What were the last two examples that he gave? I couldn’t make them out.

MAKE FOR (inseparable)
Go to or toward
Her teen-aged children are always hungry. As soon as they arrive home from school, they make for the refrigerator.

MAKE FOR (inseparable)
Result in; cause
Many hands make for light work. (If many people work together, there’s less work for everyone.)

MARK UP (separable)
Increase the price
Mrs. White’s import shop is profitable because she buys things inexpensively and then marks them up.

MAKR DOWN (separable)
Reduce the price
These shoes were really a bargain! The store marked them down by 40%!

MIX UP (separable)
Cause to become confused
I didn’t complete the assignment because I didn’t know how. The directions mixed me up.

MOVE OVER
If you ask someone to move over, you are asking him or her to change his or her position or seat so that there is space for you.
Could you move over a little?

PASS AWAY (no object)
Die
I was very sorry to hear that your grandfather passed away.

PASS OUT (hand sth out) (separable)
Distribute
Everyone in the room needs one of these information sheets. Who will help me pass them out?

PICK OUT (separable)
Choose; select
Billy’s grandmother especially liked her birthday card because Billy had picked it out himself.

PICK UP (separable)
Lift; take up
Those books don’t belong on the floor. Will you help me picked them up?

PICK UP STH (separable)
To learn how to do sth by watching or listening to other people or by practicing doing it, rather than by being taught.
Where did you pick up that word?

PICK UP (separable)
Arrange to meet someone and give her/him a ride
Of course we can go there together. What time should I pick you up?

PICK UP (separable)
Get; buy
The children just drank the last of the milk. Could you pick some more up on your way home this evening?

PITCH IN (no object)
Help; join together to a accomplish something.
We’ll be finished soon if everyone pitches in.PULL OVER (no object)
Drive a vehicle to the side of the rode
When the policeman indicated that I should pull over, I knew he was going to give me a ticket.
PUT AWAY (separable)
Return something to the proper place
I just took these clothes out of the dryer. Will you help me put them away?
PUT STH BACK (separable)
To put sth in the place where it was before
Could you put the diary back? It is a private stuff.

PUT SB DOWN (separable)
To criticize someone in an unkind way that makes them seem stupid or unimportant, when other people are present
Don’t put me down! PUT SB THROUGH (separable)
To connect someone to the person they want to speak to, on the telephone
Can you put me through human-resource department?

PUT STH OFF (separable)
To delay doing sth until later, or arrange for sth to happen at a later time, especially because there is a problem, or you don’t want to do it now We’ve had to put off our wedding until September. He keeps putting off going to the dentist.

PUT STH ON (separable)
To put clothes on your body
Hurry up! Put your coat on!

PUT STH ON (separable)
To switch on a piece of equipment
I’ll put the kettle on for tea. PUT STH ON (separable)
To make a tape, CD, etc. begin to play
Do you mind if I put some music on?

PUT STH ON (separable)
To become heavier, especially by the amount mentioned
She looks like she’s put on weight. PUT STH OUT (separable)
To make a fire, cigarette, or candle stops burning
Firefighters soon put the fire out.

PUT UP WITH SB/STH (tolerate)
To accept an unpleasant situation or someone’s annoying behaviour without complaining don’t know how she puts up with him. I’m not going to put up with their smoking any longer.

READ STH OUT
To read sth and say the words, especially the words or numbers that are writer in a list, message, etc.
Could you read it out? I haven’t brought my glasses.

RELY ON/UPON
To need or use sth/someone in order to exist or do sth successfully.
You should rely on your own judgment.
You can rely on me to keep your secret.

RIP OFF (separable)
Cheat; take advantage of; charge too much
Don’t even think about buying a car there. They’ll rip you off.

ROUND OFF (separable)
Change from a fraction to the nearest whole number
Round all prices off to the closest whole-dollar amounts. For example, round $39.73 off to $30.00.

RUN AFTER SB/STH
To chase someone or something
Run after him! He is suspected to be a criminal.

RUN INTO (inseparable)
Meet by chance
Yesterday at the supermarket, Jan ran into her former roommate. Before yesterday, they hadn’t seen each other for nearly five years.

RUN OVER
To drive over someone especially with the result that they are injured or killed
Look at! That car ran over the child and drove away.

RUN OUT OF (inseparable)
Use the last of
On the way home from work, Terry ran out of gas.

SAVE UP
To keep money so that you can use it in the future, especially when you add more money every week, month, etc.

SEE THROUGH
To realize the truth about sb/sth so that you are not deceived
We saw through him from the start.
I can see through your little game (=I am aware of the trick you are trying to play on me.)

SET UP (separable)
Make arrangements for something
You’ll see Mr. Thomas tomorrow. I’ve set a meeting up for 9:30 AM.

SELL OUT
If a shop sells out sth, it has no more of that particular thing left to sell
Have you sold the CD out?

SET ASIDE
To keep sth, especially time or money, for a special purpose, or only use it fir that purpose
Let’s set aside this problem.

SET BACK (separable)
Cause a delay in scheduling
We’ve had some problems with the project that have set us back at least two days. We’ll give you a progress report tomorrow.

SET OFF
To start to go somewhere
We set off for London just after ten.
SET UP STH
To start a business or organization
A fund will be set up for the dead men’s families.

SHOW OFF
To try to make other people admire you, by behaving in a way that you think makes you seem intelligent, skilful, or rich, but in fact is just annoying or silly
He’s just showing off because that girl he likes is here.

SLIP UP (no object)
Make a mistake
You slipped up here. The amount should be $140.28, not $150.58.

SLOW DOWN
To start to move slowly or to make someone do this

STAND OUT (no object)
Be noticeably better than other similar people or thing
Good job, Ann! Your work really stands out!

SORT OUT STH
To deal with sb’s/your own problems in a satisfactory way If you can wait a moment, I’ll sort it all out for you.

SPEAK UP
To begin to speak more loudly
Could you speak up a little?

STAND UP (no object)
Rise to a standing position
When the chairperson entered the room, everyone stood up.

STAND UP (separable)
Make a date but not keep it
Angela was supposed to go to the dance with Fred, but she stood him up and went with Terry instead.
SHOW UP (no object)
Arrive’ appear The boss was very upset when you didn’t show up for the meeting. What happened?

STAND FOR (no object)
Represent
These letters seem to be an abbreviation. Do you know what they stand for?

STAND FOR (inseparable)
Tolerate; permit (usually negative)
I’m not surprised that Mrs. Johnson rejected your report. She won’t stand for shoddy work.

TAKE AFTER (inseparable)
Resemble’ favour (in appearance) Both my sister and I take after our father.

TAKE / BRING BACK (separable)
Return
This book is due tomorrow. I guess I should take it back to the library.
Yes, you can borrow my pen, but don’t forget to bring it back to me when you’re finished.

TAKE CARE OFF (inseparable)
Provide care for’ watch one’s health Lois has been taking care of her father since he returned home from the hospital
You’ve been working too hard lately. You’d better take care of yourself!

TAKE OFF (separable)
To copy the way that someone speaks or behaves in order to make people laugh
He is good at taking out teacher off.

TAKE OFF (separable)
Remove (something you’re wearing) Please take your hat off when you go inside a building.

TAKE OFF (no object)
Leave; depart (often suddenly or quickly)
Was something wrong with Jill? She took off without saying goodbye.
When does your plane take off?

TAKE SB OUT (separable)
To go with someone to a place such as a restaurant, theatre or club, when you are paying for evening, or when you are showing them a place that they have not been to before
Why don’t we take out mother out for her birthday?

TAKE UP (separable)
Begin (a hobby or leisure-time activity)
Do you like to ski?
I’ve never been skiing, but I think I’d like to take it up.

TAKE STH OUT (separable)
To remove sth from a bag, your pocket, etc

TAKE OVER (separable)
To start being responsible for sth or doing a job that someone else was responsible for before you.

TELL OFF (separable)
Speak to someone bluntly and negatively, saying exactly what she/he did wrong
Julie was really angry with Bob; she told him off in front of all of us.

THINK OF STH (separable)
To find a new idea, suggestion, etc., by thinking about it
Can anybody think of a way to raise money?
Have you thought of a name for the baby yet?
I think of this place as my home.

THINK STH OVER (separable)
To think very carefully about an idea or plan before you decide whether you will accept it or not agree to it
I’ve been thinking over what you said.TIDY STH UP (separable)
To arrange or deal with sth so that it is well or correctly finished
I tidied up the report before handing it in.

THROW AWAY (separable)
Discard; put in the garbage
You shouldn’t throw those newspapers away’ they’re recyclable.

THROW OUT (separable)
Discard; put in the garbage
This food smells bad. You’d better throw it out.

THROW UP (usually no object; with an object, separable)
Vomit
Edward was so nervous about his job interview that he threw up just before he left for it.

TURN UP
To arrive somewhere. Particularly when you are expected there
We arranged to meet at 7:40, but she never turned up.

TRY ON (separable)
Wear something briefly to check its fit, how it looks, etc.
I’m not sure that jacket is large enough. May I try it on?

TURN DOWN (separable)
To reduce the amount of sound, heat, etc., produced by a machine such as a radio or a cooker
He turned the lights down low.

TURN DOWN SB/STH (separable)
To decide not to accept an offer or an opportunity to do sth
Please, don’t turn it down.

TURN OUT (separable)
To happen in a particular way or have a particular result
Despite our worries everything turned out well.
You never know how your children will turn out!
If the day turns out wet, we may have to change our plans.

WASH STH UP (separable)
To wash plates, dishes, knives, etc., especially after a meal
You didn’t wash up the pans.

WORK AT STH
To try hard to improve or achieve sth

WAIT FOR (inseparable)
Wait until someone / something arrives or is finished with something else
When will Kenny be finished with work? I’ve been waiting for him for almost an hour!

WAKE UP (no object)
Stop sleeping
I usually wake up around 7:00 AM each day.

WAKE UP (separable)
Rouse someone; cause someone to stop sleeping
I have an important meeting tomorrow and I’m afraid I won’t hear my alarm. Will you wake me up at 7:00 AM?

WATCH OUT FOR (inseparable)
Be careful of; be aware of
There’s a school at the end of this block. Watch out for children crossing the street. If you take that road, watch out for ice during the winter.

WEAR OUT (separable)
Wear something / use sth until it can no longer be worn / be used
I need a new pencil sharpener. I wore this one out.
I suppose o should get some new shoes. I’ve almost worn this one out.

WRITE BACK
To reply to a letter that someone sent you, by writing a letter
I’m afraid I never wrote back. She wrote back saying that she couldn’t come.

WORK OUT (no object)
Exercise (usually in a gym, etc.) to build muscles, body tone, etc.
Instead of eating lunch on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Sheila goes to the recreation centre to work out.

WORK OUT (separable)
Solve a problem / resolve a difficult situation (usually by working together)
I know we disagree on my points, but I believe we can work things out.

WRAP UP (no object)
Wear enough clothes to keep warm
It’s really cold today. Be sure you wrap up when you leave the house.

WRAP UP (separable)
Finish sth; bring sth to a conclusion or to an end.
We’ve been talking about the problems for nearly three hours. I hope we’ll be able to wrap the discussion up soon.

WRITE DOWN (separable)
Record sth in writing
Could you tell me your e-mail address again? I want to write it down.