Phrasal Verbs, Predictions, Timetables, Crime Vocabulary & Future Forms in English: Complete Grammar Guide

Phrasal Verbs

• Bring back -- reintroduce -- They are going to bring back the old system.
• Bring up -- raise children -- Are you bringing your children up as Catholics?
• Call off -- cancel -- They called off the trip.
• Carry on -- continue -- Goodbye, I'm carrying on studying.
• Come back -- return -- My sister came back from her holidays.
• Fall behind -- fail to produce something at the right time -- He's falling behind with his payments.
• Get back -- return somewhere -- I got back to where I lived.
• Get on -- progress -- I know she will get on.
• Get down to -- finally start doing something -- You need to get down to marking those papers.
• Give up -- stop doing something -- She gave up smoking.
• Go ahead -- begin to do something promised or planned -- He decided to go ahead with his plans.
• Go through -- experience a difficult time -- After all she has gone through, she can still smile.
• Grow up -- develop from child to adult -- I grew up here.
• Hold on -- wait -- Hold on a minute, I won't be long.
• Hold up (something) -- delay something -- The process has been held up by the bad weather.
• Keep up (somebody) -- delay somebody from going to bed -- I won't keep you up long.
• Put off (something) -- postpone -- If it rains they will have to put off the match.
• Set off -- start a journey -- When are we setting off in the morning?
• Stay up -- go to bed later than usual -- We stayed up to watch the film on TV.
• Take up (something) -- start learning something -- She's taken up tennis.

More Phrasal Verbs with Get

• Get about -- travel to different places.
• Get something across -- explain.
• Get around -- travel a lot.
• Get around to -- finally do.
• Get away -- succeed in leaving; escape.
• Get away with something -- escape punishment.
• Get back -- return to a place.
• Get something back / get back something -- have something returned.
• Get back to somebody -- phone someone later.
• Get by -- have enough money to buy things.
• Get somebody down -- make someone feel sad or unhappy.
• Get something down / get down something -- write down.
• Get in -- manage to enter.
• Get into somewhere -- manage to enter a country, a university, etc.
• Get off -- leave a bus, train, plane.
• Get on -- make progress.
• Get on with somebody -- have a friendly relationship with.
• Get on with something -- continue to do something.
• Get over something -- recover after an illness.
• Get something over -- succeed in communicating.
• Get together -- meet for a talk.
• Get round something -- find a solution to a problem.
• Get through to somebody -- succeed in reaching someone by telephone.

Summary of Key Phrasal Verbs

• Get away: escape
• Get on: make progress (also get along) / board a bus, train, etc. (get off is the opposite)
• Get on with somebody: have a friendly relationship with somebody; get along with somebody
• Get through: reach somebody by telephone / manage to finish something
• Carry on (with): continue
• Carry out: do, complete something
• Hold back: contain one's emotions
• Hold on: wait
• Hold up: delay / rob a place

Predictions

will + infinitive (predictions based on what we know or believe now): I think that Brazil will win the next World Cup.

going to + infinitive (predictions based on what we can see, hear, or feel now): It's going to be really hot tomorrow.

Timetables

Present simple is used for timetables: The last bus leaves at midnight.

Time phrases with when and as soon as

• Present simple: Phone me as soon as you arrive.

Phrasal Verbs with Take

• Take after somebody -- resemble somebody -- Jenny really takes after her mother.
• Take something back -- return something -- If the shirt doesn't fit, take it back.
• Take something down / take down something -- write something down -- Let me take down your name and number.
• Take somebody in -- deceive somebody -- Don't be taken in by products that say they help you lose weight.
• Take in somebody / take somebody in -- give a home to somebody/something -- She's always taking in stray animals.
• Take in something -- include something -- The price takes in the cost of accommodation and meals.
• Take something in -- reduce the width of (clothing) -- This dress is too big, I will have to take it in a bit.
• Take off -- leave the ground -- As the plane was taking off, I hadn't turned the iron off.
• Take something off -- remove (clothing, make-up) -- Take your coat off.
• Take somebody on -- employ somebody -- We're taking on 50 new employees this year.
• Take on something / somebody -- agree to do something -- He's taken on too much work.
• Take somebody out -- invite somebody to a place -- I'm taking my daughter out to the cinema.
• Take over something -- take control of something -- Are you going to take over the shop when he retires?
• Take to somebody / something -- begin to like somebody/something -- I took to Paul as soon as I met him.
• Take something up -- start an activity, discuss something -- Glen has taken up painting. I'm going to take this up with my lawyer.
• Take up something -- start a job; accept a job; take a period of time -- She took up her first teaching post in 1970. Are you going to take up the offer? I took up all week to do this.

Crime

• Arson: the crime of deliberately making something burn, especially a building.
• Assault: the crime of physically attacking someone.
• Blackmail: when someone tries to get money from you or make you do what they want by threatening to tell other people your secrets.
• Burglary: the crime of getting into a building to steal things.
• Fraud: the crime of deceiving people in order to gain something, such as money.
• Hijacking: the use of violence or threats to take control of a plane.
• Hooliganism: a noisy, violent person who causes trouble by fighting, etc.
• Kidnapping: taking someone somewhere illegally by force, often to get money for returning them.
• Mugging: an attack on someone in which they are robbed in a public place.
• Smuggling: the crime of taking something illegally from one country to another.
• Vandalism: the crime of deliberately damaging things, especially public property.

Phrasal Verbs with Do and Make

• Do away with something / somebody -- abolish, get rid of -- Europe has done away with duty-free shopping.
• Do somebody out of something -- cheat somebody -- The sales assistant did me out of 5 euros.
• Do without something -- manage to live without something/somebody -- I can't afford it, so I will just have to do without.
• Do something up -- fasten, tie something -- I can't do my laces up.
• Do up something -- repair, redecorate something -- They did up the house and sold it.
• Could do with something -- need, want something -- I could do with something to eat.
• Have to do with something -- have a connection with something -- The problem has nothing to do with me.
• Make away with something -- steal something -- Thieves made away with her jewellery.
• Make for somewhere -- move towards somewhere -- Two thieves made for the window.
• Make of something -- understand, interpret something -- What do you make of their proposal?
• Make off with something -- steal something and leave quickly -- They attacked him and made off with his watch.
• Make out something / make something out -- be only able to hear, see, or understand something -- I can't make out her handwriting.
• Make up of something -- combine together, form -- Tourism makes up 70% of their income.
• Make up something -- invent an excuse -- She made up a silly story about the post being late.

Present Simple vs. Present Continuous

We use the present simple for permanent situations, habits, and routines. We use the present continuous for short-term, temporary actions and situations.

My father digs the garden every Sunday (habit).
He is digging the garden now (happening now).

Verbs not used in continuous forms

be, have, depend, think, like, hear, see, smell, taste, know, understand, agree, want, love.

I don't know Peter very well.

Adverbs of Frequency

• After auxiliary verbs / before other verbs: always, never. My friend doesn't always remember my birthday.
• After auxiliary verbs / before other verbs, or at the beginning or end of a clause: usually, normally, often, frequently, sometimes, occasionally. I sometimes order pizza. Normally I check my email after work.
• At the beginning or end of a clause: every week, every day, twice a month. Twice a month we play a match.

Future Forms

Decisions, plans, and arrangements

will + infinitive (decisions made at the moment of speaking): I will ask Robert to come along too.

going to + infinitive (plans and intentions): She's going to study music next year.

Present continuous (arrangements): I am meeting Eva at 8 o'clock.