Phrasal verbs | Sunday Observer

Phrasal verbs

20 November, 2022

Phrasal verbs are an important feature of the English language.
The meaning of a phrasal verb often bears no relation to the meaning of either the verb or the particle which is used with it. Many phrasal verbs have several different meanings.
Tie in with (if an event ties in with another, both events happen at the same time)
There are a series of events planned to tie in with the Vesak festival.
Tie up (to tie a part of a person or animal’s body with a rope so that they cannot move or escape)
I tied the dog up before opening the gate.
Tie up with (to be connected with something)
Physical symptoms are usually tied up with your mental state.
Tighten up (to fasten something that holds one thing to another firmly)
The mechanic tightened up the screws before starting the engine.
Tinker about (to spend time doing small jobs before trying to repair something)
I saw him tinkering about in the garage.
Tinker with (to make small changes to something to repair it)
Why are you tinkering with your car?
Tip off (to warn somebody about something that will happen so that they can take preventive action)
Someone has tipped off the police about a possible burglary.
Tip over (if something tips over, it falls onto its side)
When she stood up, she accidentally tipped her cup of tea over.
Tire of (to become bored with something)
Children will never tire of video games.
Tire out (to make someone very tired)
The long journey tired him out.
Toil away (to work very hard on something for a long time)
Mother has been toiling away in the kitchen since morning.
Tone down (to make a piece of writing or performance less offensive)
The editor has toned down some parts of the article.
Tone up (to make your body firmer or stronger by doing exercises)
Jogging is a good exercise to tone up your body.
Top off (to complete something in an enjoyable or successful way)
It was an exciting day and I wanted to top it off by walking down the lane.
Top up (to add more liquid to a container to make it full)
When I was about to finish my drink she poured some more coffee to top up my cup.
Topple over (to fall to the ground)
These bottles are going to topple over any minute.
Toss for (to decide which person or team can do something by throwing a coin in the air and guessing which side of the coin will be on top when it lands)
To decide who is going to bat first, they decided to toss for it.
Toss off (to write something very quickly without thinking about it carefully)
The journalist tossed off an article in half an hour.
Total up (to add numbers or amounts together to get a total)
Let me total up the money we have collected.
Touch down (when an aircraft touches down it lands on the ground)
The plane touched down at the Katunayake Airport.
Touch on (to mention a subject briefly when speaking or writing)
The speaker touched on the spiralling cost of living while delivering a talk on economic reforms.
Touch up (to improve something by making small changes)
The artist is going to touch up his painting.
Toughen up (to become stronger and more able to deal with problems)
Children toughen up when they go to university.
Tout for (to try to persuade people to buy your goods or services)
There were many young lawyers touting for business.
Tower over (to be much taller than somebody)
Susan is only 14 but she towers over her elder sister.
Toy with (to think about an idea in a way that is not very serious)
She is toying with the idea of going abroad for employment.
 

 

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