Some everyday actions use two words together. wake up means stop sleeping, put on means dress in clothes, and take off means remove clothes.
Getting ready
wake up — I wake up at seven.
put on — Put on your jacket.
take off — Take off your wet shoes.
Try it: It is cold outside, so before Amina leaves she needs to ___ her warm coat. (put on / wake up / look for) Answer: put on — To dress in clothes is to put them on. To wake up is to stop sleeping and to look for is to try to find, so neither one means to dress in a coat.
Using and finding things
turn on starts a machine or light, turn off stops it, look for means try to find, and throw away means put in the trash. fill in means write your answers on a form.
turn on — Turn on the light.
turn off — Turn off the TV.
look for — I look for my keys.
throw away — Throw away the old box.
fill in — Fill in this form.
Try it: The room is dark, so Hiroshi wants to ___ the light. (turn on / turn off / throw away) Answer: turn on — To start a light is to turn it on. To turn off is to stop it and to throw away is to put in the trash, so neither one makes a dark room bright.
Things that stop, meet, and depart
Three more everyday phrasal verbs. break down means stop working (usually a machine or car), run into means meet someone by chance, and take off means leave the ground (a plane). Note: take off has two meanings — remove clothes (you learned this above) and leave the ground. The situation tells you which meaning is right.
break down — My old car broke down on the highway.
run into — I ran into Sofia at the cafe.
take off — The plane takes off at 9 AM.
Try it: The bus stopped in the middle of the road. It ___. (broke down / took off / ran into) Answer: broke down — When a machine stops working, it breaks down. Took off means a plane departs; ran into means meet by chance — neither describes a bus that stopped on the road.