Communication.

Communication is the activity of conveying information. Communication requires a sender, a

message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the
sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across
vast distances in time and space. Communication requires that the communicating parties share an
area of communicative commonality. The communication process is complete once the receiver has
understood the sender.

1. Email
2. SMS
3. Phone call

International businesses are facing new challenges to their internal communication structures due to
major reforms brought about through internationalization, downsizing, mergers, acquisitions and joint
ventures.

Lack of investment in cross cultural training and language tuition often leads to deficient internal
cohesion. The loss of clients/customers, poor staff retention, lack of competitive edge, internal
conflicts/power struggles, poor working relations, misunderstandings, stress, poor productivity and lack
of co-operation are all by-products of poor cross cultural communication.

Cross cultural communications consultants work with international companies to minimise the above
consequences of poor cross cultural awareness. Through such cooperation, consultancies like
Kwintessential have recognised common hurdles to effective cross cultural communication within
companies.

Here we outline a few examples of these obstacles to cross cultural co-operation:

Lack of Communication

It may seem obvious to state that non-communication is probably the biggest contributor to poor
communication. Yet it continues to prove itself as the major problem within most companies.

Lack of communication with staff is not solely due to lack of spoken dialogue. Rather it relates to access
to information.

For example, not giving feedback (negative or positive), informing staff of decisions and actions that will
affect their roles or failure to properly communicate expectations are all ways in which information can
be withheld from staff. This will eventually result in an alienated staff base that feels divided from
management and superiors.

If managers are too selective in providing information, this can cause suspicion and jealousy among staff
and will eventually result in internal strife instead of cohesion.

A management which does not and will not communicate and interact physically with staff demonstrates
a lack of interest, trust and respect.

In the West it is often the case that communication lines are vertical. Staff report up to managers and
managers up to senior levels and so on. Ideally lines of communication should run both ways. Those
with a subordinate place in the communication process tend to feel estranged, indifferent and possibly
even belligerent.

Lack of communication in all its forms is unhealthy. Companies and managers must be aware of how,
what and to whom they are communicating.

Language
Communication difficulties through language come in two forms:

Use of inappropriate language

Language carries with it subliminal meanings and messages transmitted through vocabulary, stress and
tone. The wrong use of words or emotions hidden behind phrases can send messages that affect staff
self-perception, confidence and attitude. Critical language causes poor interpersonal relationships and
low self-confidence whereas supportive language and tones has the opposite effect.

Foreign Languages

These days, offices may have native speakers of over 50 languages all under one roof.  It is important
that the main language of the office is established, whether it be English, French or Spanish. Once this is
constituted all employees should only converse in the main language. This avoids exclusion of staff who
can not understand other languages. In addition, a company should ensure that all its employees are
fully conversant in the main language. Language tuition should be seen as a necessity not a luxury.

Culture

International businesses with a highly diverse workforce in terms of nationality and cultural background
face challenges from the differences in language, values, belief systems, business ethics, business
practices, behaviour, etiquette and expectations.

Cross cultural differences can negatively impact a business in a variety of ways, whether in team
cohesion or in staff productivity. As we have seen above, different methods of communication are just
one area in which cross cultural differences are manifested.

In such multicultural companies, objective help may be needed through a cross cultural consultant who
will show teams and individuals how to manage communication and work together more cohesively and
productively.

Company Culture

Company culture pertains to the internal culture of a company in terms of how it is managed. For
example, does the company view its different departments such as sales, production, administration and
HR as closed or open systems? A closed system is one in which a total lack of synergy exists between a
sales and production department due to the structure and communication lines between the two. A
consequence of such compartmentalization is that managers of departments have a tendency to become
territorial. It is vital that team work, team building and team spirit are encouraged in order to create
open systems.

Such measures are especially valid in joint ventures and mergers whereby co-operation between two or
more companies requires their total commitment to an open system.

Understandably many companies are primarily focused on the financial and strategic side of company
operations. International businesses are now realising that many of their business problems have roots
in man-management and communication.

In summary, we can conclude that the biggest hurdle to effective cross cultural communication is a
reluctance to invest in the expertise and resources needed to overcome the problems as outlined above.
Cross cultural hurdles are easily negotiable with some objective and well-qualified assistance.

If you feel your company could benefit from cross cultural training please visit our Cross Cultural
Briefings page or contact us to discuss your ideas.

Body language is a form of non-verbal communication, which consists of body

posture, gestures, facial expressions, and eye movements. Humans send and interpret such signals
almost entirely subconsciously.
John Borg attests that human communication consists of 93 percent body language
and paralinguistic cues, while only 7% of communication consists of words themselves[1];
however, Albert Mehrabian, the researcher whose 1960s work is the source of these statistics, has
stated that this is a misunderstanding of the findings[2](see Misinterpretation of Mehrabian's rule).
Others assert that "Research has suggested that between 60 and 70 percent of all meaning is derived
from nonverbal behavior."[3]

Body language may provide clues as to the attitude or state of mind of a person. For example, it may
indicate aggression, attentiveness, boredom, relaxed state, pleasure,amusement, and intoxication,
among many other cues.

Role-playing refers to the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a
social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the Oxford English Dictionary defines role-
playing as "the changing of one's behaviour to fulfill a social role",[1] the term is used more loosely in
four senses:

 To refer to the playing of roles generally such as in a theatre, or educational setting;

 To refer to taking a role of an existing character or person and acting it out with a partner
taking someone else's role, often involving different genres of practice;
 To refer to a wide range of games including role-playing video game, play-by-mail games and
more;
 To refer specifically to role-playing games.[2

What is Roleplay?

 Roleplay is a fast way to improve speaking and listening for real life situations.

 Roleplay uses scripts that you read with your partner, like actors in a movie.

Eg: customer and salesperson, student and professor, football player and manager, boyfriend and
girlfriend

 Roleplay gives you information about your role. You can then talk with your partner using this
information.

Why use Roleplay to Practice English?

 Roleplay helps you speak English in full sentences.

 Roleplay makes you think about what you are saying, so you remember the language.

 Roleplay gives you many things to think and talk about.

 English Roleplay is FREE!

Types of Roleplay

1. Situation Roleplays

Step 1 – Do a roleplay, speaking with your partner

Step 2 – Do a similar roleplay with some new information

Step 3 – Do a similar roleplay with some new information

Step 4 – Do a similar roleplay with your own information in the gaps

Step 5 – Play a role using information cards

Step 6 – Ask and answer questions about yourself

Situation roleplays give you practice speaking English with correct sentences and pronunciation. The
language is controlled in the first four steps, and then you can practice what you have learnt in steps
five and six.

Examples: At the Markets, Clothes Shopping, Airport Check-in, Job Interview 2, PRACTICE: Got

Time: 30 minutes - 1 hour

2. Story Roleplays

Step 1 – Do part 1 of the story with your partner

Step 2 – Do part 2 of the story with your partner

Step 3 – Do part 3 of the story with your partner

Step 4 – Choose what happens next in the story

Step 5 - Finish the story with your partner

Step 6 - Questions

In Story roleplays, you and your partner are characters in a story. The language is controlled in the
first three steps, and then you have to finish the story with your own language.

Examples: Marketing Consultant, Jack and Jen, Football Manager

Time: 30 minutes - 1 hour

3. Short Discussions

Step 1 – Ask and answer questions about the topic

Short Discussions give you practice in asking and answering questions about a topic.

Examples – Introduction, Talk about Food, Talk about America, IELTS 1, NEWS! Global Warming

Time: 10 - 20 minutes

4. Long Discussions

Step 1 – Ask and answer questions about the topic

Step 2 – Discuss the opinions of two people

Step 3 – Discuss two more opinions

Step 4 – Discuss two more opinions

Step 5 – Give your own opinions on a similar topic

Long Discussions give you practice in asking and answering questions about a topic, as well
as discussing the opinions of other people.

Examples: Girlfriends & Boyfriends, Environment, Movies.

Time: 30 minutes - 1 hour

Use of vocabulary

Designed to "polish up" the vocabulary students already know, plus expand their vocabulary
knowledge to over 6,000 new items, this easy-to-use series is perfect for self-study, reference,
practice, and classroom use. The American English editions present 100 two-page categorized units
(60 units in Basic Vocabulary in Use) with vocabulary on the left-hand page and practice activities on
the right-hand page. The units follow familiar themes from travel, work, and school to family and
feelings. There are suggestions on learning techniques, dictionary use, and organizing a vocabulary
notebook. Each book includes an index of phonetic transcriptions and optional answers.
Basic (Includes free audio CD)
Everyday Verbs, People, The World, At Home, School and Workplace, Leisure, Social Issues. 1,200
items.
Intermediate 
Word Formation, Phrase Building, Connecting and Linking, People, Daily Life, Work, Communication
and Technology, Tourism. 2,500 items.
Upper Intermediate 
Countable/Uncountable Nouns, Feelings and Actions, Fixed Expressions, Phrasal Verbs, Connecting
and Linking, Strategies for Learning. 3,500 items.
This item is part of series/related titles group(s): Vocabulary in Use

Idioms Meaning

An idiom is an expression whose meaning is not compositional — that is, whose meaning does not follow from
the meaning of the individual words of which it is composed. For example, the English phrase "to kick the
bucket" means "to die". A listener knowing the meaning of kick and bucket will not necessarily be able to
predict that the expression can mean to die. Idioms are often, though perhaps not universally, classified as
figures of speech.
far-fetched: difficult to accept; difficult to believe.

"That story's pretty far-fetched. Nobody's going to believe it."

feel blue: feel sad and depressed.

"I'm feeling blue because I haven't had any mail except bills for a long,
long time."

fire someone: dismiss someone from a job because of poor performance.

"If you continue to be late for work, the company will fire you."

feel puny: feel unwell, ill.

"Ted was feeling puny yesterday, so he decided not to go to work."

savvy: knowledgeable about ___ .

"If you're having problems with your hard disk, talk to Jim. 
He's very computer-savvy. "

schmooze: make relaxed, casual conversation.

"No, we weren't talking about anything important.

We were just schmoozing."

shoot the breeze: make relaxed, casual conversation.

"No, we weren't talking about anything important.

We were just shooting the breeze."

sleep on it: take at least a day to think about something before making a

decision.
"The job that you're offering me sounds really good, but I'd like
to sleep on it before giving you my final decision."

ell a white lie: say something that isn't true in order not to hurt or offend
someone.

"The cake that Susan made tasted terrible, but I knew that she
made it because she wanted to please me, so when she asked
if I liked it, I told a white lie and said it was good."

toss something: throw something away; put something in the trash.

"These shoes are worn out. I guess I'll have to toss them."

tough: difficult.

"Question number three is a tough one.Do you know the answer?"

There, there.: expression of comfort.

"There, there. Everything's going to be OK."

tight-fisted: very frugal; unwilling to spend money unnecessarily.

A: Do you think Charlie will donate any money to the activities fund?
B: No way! He's too tight-fisted!

a tightwad: someone who is very frugal and unwilling to spend money

unnecessarily.

A: Will Charlie donate any money to the activities fund?

B: Absolutely not! He's a real tightwad!"

tricky: easily confused or misunderstood.

"This problem is tricky. I don't really understand it."

two-faced: deceitful; disolyal; someone who pretends to be a friend but

isn't.

"I thought he was my friend, but he's two-faced. He says nice things

to me when we're together, but makes jokes about me when we aren't

catch one's eye: attract one's attention/interest.

"This brochure about Tahiti caught my eye when I was at the travel

agency."

catch some Zs: sleep for a while; take a nap.

"You look tired, Dave. Why don't you catch some Zs?"

change one's mind: decide to do something different from what had been

decided earlier.

A: "Why are you working this week? I thought you were going to be on
vacation."
B: "I changed my mind. I'm taking my vacation next month."

chicken (adjective or noun): cowardly.

"Fred will never ask Lucy for a date. He's chicken / a chicken.

chow: food.

"How's the chow in the university cafeteria?"

chow down: eat.
"It's almost 6:00. Are you ready to chow down?"

a cinch: something that's very easy to do.

A: How was the test?

B: It was a cinch. I finished it quickly and I know that all my answers were
correct.

 let-down: a disappointment; something that's very disappointing.

"It must've been quite a let-down not to be chosen for that job.

I know you really hoped you would get it."

Let sleeping dogs lie.: Don't cause problems by doing something when it

isn't necessary.

"I know that what Julie said made you angry, but let sleeping dogs lie. 
If you say or do anything, you'll only make things worse."

live from hand to mouth: survive on very little money; have only enough
money
to pay for basic needs.

"Chuck and Alice are living from hand to mouth since Chuck lost his job."

live and let live: don't unnecessarily make things difficult;

do as you wish and let others do as they wish.

"I'm not going to criticize Alice's family just because their habits
are a little strange. My motto is 'Live and let live.'"

a low blow: a big disappointment.

A: "Fred seems depressed. Is he OK?"

B: "He's OK, but not good. It was a low blow for him to be laid off from his
job."
lousy: terrible; very bad.

"Why did you speak so rudely to your grandmother? That was a lousy thing
to do!"

n stock: in supply and available to buy / sell.

"I'm sorry, but we just sold our last pair of hiking boots. If you come back
at the end of the week, however, we should have some more in stock.

in the black: profitable; not showing a financial loss.

"What did you do to increase profit and eliminate losses?

We've been in the black for two months in a row."

in the red: unprofitable; showing a financial loss.

"We have to do something to increase profit and decrease losses.

We've been in the red for two months in a row."

in time: not late.

"I thought I was going to be late for my flight, but it was delayed, so I was
still in time."

antsy: restless; impatient and tired of waiting.

"I hope Katy calls soon. Just sitting around and waiting is making
me antsy."

as easy as pie: very easy.

"I thought you said this was a difficult problem. It isn't. In fact, it's as easy
as pie."
at the eleventh hour: at the last minute; almost too late.

"Yes, I got the work done in time. I finished it at the eleventh hour, but I
wasn't late.

pay the piper: face the consequences for something you've done.

"I stayed up too late tonight. Tomorrow I'll have to pay the piper."

plastic: credit card(s).

"Oh, no! I forgot to get any cash! I hope this restaurant accepts plastic!"

pooped: very tired; exhausted.

"I went to bed really early last night. I was pooped!"

pop quiz: unannounced short test.

"You shouldn't have missed class yesterday. We had a pop quiz."

pretty (adv.): rather; somewhat.

"That car's pretty expensive. Are you sure you can afford it?"

pull an all-nighter: study or work all night without getting any sleep.

A: "You look really tired."

B: "I am. I pulled an all-nighter to get ready for the meeting this morning."
pull someone's leg: tease someone by trying to make her/him believe
something
that's exaggerated or untrue.

A: "Wow! Carl has done some really amazing things!"

B: "Don't believe everything he tells you. He was probably pulling your
leg."

Phrasal Verbs List

This is a list of about 200 common phrasal verbs, with meanings and
examples. Phrasal verbs are usually two-word phrases consisting of verb +
adverb or verb + preposition. Think of them as you would any other
English vocabulary. Study them as you come across them, rather than trying
to memorize many at once. Use the list below as a reference guide when you
find an expression that you don't recognize. The examples will help you
understand the meanings. If you think of each phrasal verb as a separate
verb with a specific meaning, you will be able to remember it more easily.
Like many other verbs, phrasal verbs often have more than one meaning. As
well as learning their meanings, you need to learn how to use phrasal
verbs properly. Some phrasal verbs require a direct object
(someone/something), while others do not. Some phrasal verbs can be
separated by the object, while others cannot. Review the grammar lesson on
phrasal verbs from time to time so that you don't forget the rules!

Most phrasal verbs consist of two words, but a few consist of three words,
which always stay together.

Verb Meaning Example

ask someone out invite on a date Brian asked Judy out to

dinner and a movie.

ask around ask many people I asked around but nobody

the same has seen my wallet.
question

add up to something equal Your purchases add up

to $205.32.
back something up reverse You'll have to back up your
car so that I can get out.

back someone up support My wife backed me up over

my decision to quit my job.

blow up explode The racing car blew up after

it crashed into the fence.

blow something up add air We have to blow 50

balloons up for the party.

break down stop functioning Our car broke down at the

(vehicle, side of the highway in the
machine) snowstorm.

break down get upset The woman broke

down when the police told
her that her son had died.

break somethingdown divide into Our teacher broke the final

smaller parts project downinto three
separate parts.

break in force entry to a Somebody broke in last

building night and stole our stereo.

break into something enter forcibly The firemen had to break

into the room to rescue the
children.

break something in wear something I need to break these

a few times so shoes in before we run next
that it doesn't week.
look/feel new

break in interrupt The TV station broke in to

report the news of the
president's death.
break up end a My boyfriend and I broke
relationship up before I moved to
America.

break up start laughing The kids just broke up as

(informal) soon as the clown started
talking.

break out escape The prisoners broke out of

jail when the guards weren't
looking.

break out insomething develop a skin I broke out in a rash after
condition our camping trip.

bring someone down make unhappy This sad music

is bringing me down.

bring someone up raise a child My

grandparents brought me up 
after my parents died.

bring something up start talking My mother walks out of the

about a subject room when my father brings
up sports.

bring something up vomit He drank so much that

he brought his dinner up in
the toilet.

call around phone many We called around but we

different weren't able to find the car
places/people part we needed.

call someone back return a phone I called the

call company back but the offices
were closed for the weekend.

call something off cancel Jason called the

 wedding off because he
wasn't in love with his fiancé.

call on someone ask for an The professor called on me

answer or for question 1.
opinion

call on someone visit someone We called on you last night

but you weren't home.

call someone up phone Give me your phone number

and I will callyou up when
we are in town.

calm down relax after being You are still mad. You need
angry to calm downbefore you
drive the car.

not care not like (formal) I don't care for his

forsomeone/something behaviour.

catch up get to the same You'll have to run faster than

point as that if you want to catch
someone else up with Marty.

check in arrive and We will get the hotel keys

register at a when we check in.
hotel or airport

check out leave a hotel You have to check out of the

hotel before 11:00 AM.

checksomeone/somethin look at carefully, The company checks out all

gout investigate new employees.

check look at Check out the crazy hair on

outsomeone/something (informal) that guy!

cheer up become happier She cheered up when she

 heard the good news.

cheer someone up make happier I brought you some flowers

to cheer youup.

chip in help If everyone chips in we can

get the kitchen painted by
noon.

clean something up tidy, clean Please clean up your

bedroom before you go
outside.

come acrosssomething find I came across these old

unexpectedly photos when I was tidying the
closet.

come apart separate The top and bottom come

apart if you pull hard
enough.

come down become sick My nephew came down

withsomething with chicken pox this
weekend.

come forward volunteer for a The woman came

task or to give forward with her husband's
evidence finger prints.

come fromsomewhere originate in The art of origami comes

from Asia.

count rely on I am counting on you to

onsomeone/something make dinner while I am out.

cross something out draw a line Please cross out your old

through address and write your new
one.

cut back onsomething consume less My doctor wants me to cut

 back onsweets and fatty
foods.

cut something down make something We had to cut the old tree in

fall to the ground our yarddown after the
storm.

cut in interrupt Your father cut in while I was

dancing with your uncle.

cut in pull in too closely The bus driver got angry

in front of when that car cut in.
another vehicle

cut in start operating The air conditioner cuts

(of an engine or in when the temperature gets
electrical device) to 22°C.

cut something off remove with The doctors cut off his leg

something sharp because it was severely
injured.

cut something off stop providing The phone company cut

off our phone because we
didn't pay the bill.

cut someone off take out of a will My grandparents cut my

father off when he remarried.

cut something out remove part of I cut this ad out of the

something newspaper.
(usually with
scissors and
paper)

dosomeone/somethingov beat up, ransack He's lucky to be alive. His

er (Br.E., informal) shop was done over by a
street gang.

do something over do again My teacher wants me

 (N.Amer.) to do my essayover because
she doesn't like my topic.

do away withsomething discard It's time to do away with all

of these old tax records.

do something up fasten, close Do your coat up before you

go outside. It's snowing!

dress up wear nice It's a fancy restaurant so we

clothing have todress up.

drop back move back in a Andrea dropped back to

position/group third place when she fell off
her bike.

drop in/by/over come without an I might drop in/by/over for

appointment tea some time this week.

dropsomeone/something take I have to drop my

off someone/someth sister off at work before I
ing somewhere come over.
and leave
them/it there

drop out quit a class, I dropped out of Science

school etc because it was too difficult.

eat out eat at a I don't feel like cooking

restaurant tonight. Let's eat out.

end up eventually We ended up renting a

reach/do/decide movie instead of going to the
theatre.

fall apart break into pieces My new dress fell apart in

the washing machine.

fall down fall to the ground The picture that you hung up
last night fell down this
 morning.

fall out separate from an The money must have fallen

interior out of my pocket.

fall out (of hair, teeth) His hair started to fall

become loose out when he was only 35.
and unattached

figure something out understand, find I need to figure out how to

the answer fit the piano and the
bookshelf in this room.

fill something in to write Please fill in the form with

information in your name, address, and
blanks (Br.E.) phone number.

fill something out to write The form must be filled

information in out in capital letters.
blanks (N.Amer.)

fill something up fill to the top I always fill the water

jug up when it is empty.

find out discover We don't know where he

lives. How can we find out?

find something out discover We tried to keep the time of

the party a secret, but
Samantha found it out.

get somethingacross/ov communicate, I tried to get my

er make point across/over to the
understandable judge but she wouldn't listen.

get along/on like each other I was surprised how well my

new girlfriend and my
sister got along/on.

get around have mobility My grandfather can get

 around fine in his new
wheelchair.

get away go on a vacation We worked so hard this year

that we had to get away for
a week.

get away withsomething do without being Jason always gets away

noticed or with cheating in his maths
punished tests.

get back return We got back from our

vacation last week.

get something back receive Liz finally got her Science

something you notes back from my room-
had before mate.

get back at someone retaliate, take My sister got back at me for

revenge stealing her shoes. She stole
my favourite hat.

get back intosomething become I finally got back into my

interested in novel and finished it.
something again

get on something step onto a We're going to freeze out

vehicle here if you don't let us get
on the bus.

get over something recover from an I just got over the flu and

illness, loss, now my sister has it.
difficulty

get over something overcome a The company will have to

problem close if it can'tget over the
new regulations.

get round tosomething finally find time I don't know when I am going
to do to get round to writing the
 (N.Amer.:get thank you cards.
around
to something)

get together meet (usually for Let's get together for a BBQ

social reasons) this weekend.

get up get out of bed I got up early today to study

for my exam.

get up stand You should get up and give

the elderly man your seat.

give someone away reveal hidden His wife gave him away to

information the police.
about someone

give someone away take the bride to My father gave me away at

the altar my wedding.

give something away ruin a secret My little sister gave the

surprise partyaway by
accident.

give something away give something The library was giving

to someone for away old books on Friday.
free

give something back return a I have to give these

borrowed item skates back to Franz before
his hockey game.

give in reluctantly stop My boyfriend didn't want to

fighting or go to the ballet, but he
arguing finally gave in.

give something out give to many They were giving out free

people (usually perfume samples at the
at no cost) department store.
give something up quit a habit I am giving up smoking as of
January 1st.

give up stop trying My maths homework was too

difficult so Igave up.

go after someone follow someone My brother tried to go

after the thief in his car.

go after something try to achieve I went after my dream and

something now I am a published writer.

go against someone compete, oppose We are going against the

best soccer team in the city
tonight.

go ahead start, proceed Please go ahead and eat

before the food gets cold.

go back return to a place I have to go back home and

get my lunch.

go out leave home to go We're going out for dinner

on a social event tonight.

go out with someone date Jesse has been going out

with Luke since they met last
winter.

go over something review Please go over your answers

before you submit your test.

go over visit someone I haven't seen Tina for a long

nearby time. I think I'll go over for
an hour or two.

go without something suffer lack or When I was young, we went

deprivation withoutwinter boots.
grow apart stop being My best friend and I grew
friends over time apart after she changed
schools.

grow back regrow My roses grew back this

summer.

grow up become an adult When Jack grows up he

wants to be a fireman.

grow out ofsomething get too big for Elizabeth needs a new pair of
shoes because she
has grown out of her old
ones.

grow into something grow big enough This bike is too big for him
to fit now, but he should grow
into it by next year.

hand something down give something I handed my old comic

used to someone books down to my little
else cousin.

hand something in submit I have to hand in my essay

by Friday.

hand something out to distribute to a We will hand out the

group of people invitations at the door.

hand something over give (usually The police asked the man

unwillingly) to hand over his wallet and
his weapons.

hang in stay positive Hang in there. I'm sure you'll

(N.Amer., find a job very soon.
informal)

hang on wait a short time Hang on while I grab my

(informal) coat and shoes!
hang out spend time Instead of going to the party
relaxing we are just going to hang
(informal) out at my place.

hang up end a phone call He didn't say goodbye before

he hung up.

holdsomeone/somethingb prevent from I had to hold my

ack doing/going dog back because there was
a cat in the park.

hold something back hide an emotion Jamie held back his tears at

his grandfather's funeral.

hold on wait a short time Please hold on while I

transfer you to the Sales
Department.

hold hold firmly using Hold onto your hat because

ontosomeone/something your hands or it's very windy outside.
arms

holdsomeone/somethingu rob A man in a black

p mask held the bank upthis
morning.

keep on doingsomething continue doing Keep on stirring until the

liquid comes to a boil.

keep something fromso not tell We kept our

meone relationship from our parents
for two years.

keepsomeone/something stop from Try to keep the wet

out entering dog out of the living room.

keep something up continue at the If you keep those

same rate results up you will get into a
great college.
let someone down fail to support or I need you to be on time.
help, disappoint Don't let medown this time.

let someone in allow to enter Can you let the cat in before

you go to school?

look take care of I have to look after my sick

aftersomeone/something grandmother.

look down onsomeone think less of, Ever since we stole that
consider inferior chocolate bar your dad
has looked down on me.

look try to find I'm looking for a red dress

forsomeone/something for the wedding.

look forward be excited about I'm looking forward to the

tosomething the future Christmas break.

look into something investigate We are going to look

into the price of snowboards
today.

look out be careful, Look out! That car's going to

vigilant, and take hit you!
notice

look out be especially Don't forget to look out

forsomeone/something vigilant for for snakes on the hiking trail.

look something over check, examine Can you look over my essay

for spelling mistakes?

look something up search and find We can look her phone

information in a number up on the Internet.
reference book
or database

look up to someone have a lot of My little sister has

 respect for always looked up to me.

make something up invent, lie about Josie made up a story about

something about why we were late.

make up forgive each We were angry last night, but

other we made upat breakfast.

make someone up apply cosmetics My sisters made me up for

to my graduation party.

mix something up confuse two or I mixed up the twins' names

more things again!

pass away die His uncle passed away last

night after a long illness.

pass out faint It was so hot in the church

that an elderly lady passed
out.

pass something out give the same The professor passed the

thing to many textbooks outbefore class.
people

pass something up decline (usually I passed up the job because

something good) I am afraid of change.

pay someone back return owed Thanks for buying my ticket.

money I'll pay youback on Friday.

pay for something be punished for That bully will pay for being

doing something mean to my little brother.
bad

pick something out choose I picked out three sweaters

for you to try on.

pointsomeone/something indicate with I'll point my

out your finger boyfriend out when he runs
by.

put something down put what you are You can put the

holding on a groceries down on the
surface or floor kitchen counter.

put someone down insult, make The students put the

someone feel substitute
stupid teacherdown because his
pants were too short.

put something off postpone We are putting off our trip

until January because of the
hurricane.

put something out extinguish The neighbours put the

fire out before the firemen
arrived.

put somethingtogether assemble I have to put the

crib together before the
baby arrives.

put up tolerate I don't think I can put up

withsomeone/something with three small children in
the car.

put something on put Don't forget to put on your

clothing/accessor new earrings for the party.
ies on your body

run meet I ran into an old school-

intosomeone/something unexpectedly friend at the mall.

run drive a vehicle I accidentally ran over your

oversomeone/something over a person or bicycle in the driveway.
thing

run rehearse, review Let's run

over/throughsomething over/through these lines
one more time before the
show.

run away leave The child ran away from

unexpectedly, home and has been missing
escape for three days.

run out have none left We ran out of shampoo so I

had to wash my hair with
soap.

send something back return (usually My letter got sent back to

by mail) me because I used the wrong
stamp.

set something up arrange, Our boss set a

organize meeting up with the
president of the company.

set someone up trick, trap The police set up the car

thief by using a hidden
camera.

shop around compare prices I want to shop around a

little before I decide on these
boots.

show off act extra special He always shows off on his

for people skateboard
watching
(usually
boastfully)

sleep over stay somewhere You should sleep

for the night over tonight if the weather is
(informal) too bad to drive home.

sort something out organize, resolve We need to sort the

a problem bills out before the first of
 the month.

stick to something continue doing You will lose weight if

something, limit you stick to the diet.
yourself to one
particular thing

switch something off stop the energy The light's too bright. Could

flow, turn off you switch itoff.

switch something on start the energy We heard the news as soon

flow, turn on as weswitched on the car
radio.

take after someone resemble a I take after my mother. We

family member are both impatient.

take something apart purposely break He took the car

into pieces brakes apart and found the
problem.

take something back return an item I have to take our new

TV back because it doesn't
work.

take off start to fly My plane takes off in five

minutes.

take something off remove Take off your socks and

something shoes and come in the lake!
(usually clothing)

take something out remove from a Can you take the

place or thing garbage out to the street for
me?

take someone out pay for someone My

to go somewhere grandparents took us out for
with you dinner and a movie.
tear something up rip into pieces I tore up my ex-boyfriend's
letters and gave them back to
him.