ENGLISH PRESENTATION ON

PHRASAL VERBS AND IDIOMS

SUBMITTED TO: Toobah Ahmed

SUBMITTED BY:
Zahra Haider(FA23-BSM-046)
Aleeza Akram(FA23-BSM-014)
Hassan Shehraz(FA23-BSM-022)
Ali Muqadas(FA23-BSM-052)
Tayyaba Muneer(FA23-BSM-058)
Muhammad Anas(FA23-BSM-044)
Kanza khan(FA23-BSM-007)
SUBJECT: English Language
PROJECT: Presentation and assignment on Phrasal
verbs and

idioms
 PHRASAL VERBS

The Oxford Learner's Dictionary

defines a phrasal verb as “a verb
combined with an adverb or a
preposition, or sometimes both,
to give a new meaning,
For example, 'go in for', 'win over'
and 'see to'.”

IDIOMS
Idioms are expressions or phrases
that have a figurative meaning
beyond their literal interpretation.
They are commonly used in
everyday language and often
convey a cultural or contextual
meaning that may not be
immediately apparent to non-
native speakers or those
unfamiliar with the specific idiom.
Idioms can add color, depth, and nuance to our
language.
PHRASAL VERBS
The Oxford Learner's Dictionary defines a phrasal verb as “a verb
combined with an adverb or a preposition, or sometimes both, to give
a new meaning,
For example
Verb + Preposition (Adverb)

“Stand Up” “Sit Down”

Example#1: If using a object.

“Put your books away”

“Put away your books”

Example#2: If using a pronoun.

“Put them away”
 Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
To explain, give a reason I hope you can account
account for
for the time you were out!

agree with To have the same opinion as I agree with you. I think you
someone else. should go as well.
back away To move backwards, in fear or When he saw the bear,
dislike he backed away in fright.
black out To faint, lose consciousness Jenna fell in the parking lot
and blacked out.
call back To return a phone call Could please call back in ten
minutes?
carry on To continue The soldiers carried
on walking in order to get to
their post before dark.
cut down on To reduce in number or size I've decided to cut down on
the amount of sweets I eat.
wipe off To clean (board, table). I'll wash up if you wipe off the
table.
use up To finish a product (so that Your parents used up all the
there's none left) coffee!
take out To remove; extract Please take out your mobile
phones and turn them off.
take on To hire or engage staff I hear they're taking on extra
staff for this event.
take care of To look after Please take care of my cat
when I'm away.
To take a seat I think you should sit down. It's
sit down
bad news.

run into To meet by accident or I'm so glad I ran into you. I

unexpectedly (also: bump into) need to ask you something.
point out To indicate/direct attention to As I already pointed out, there
something was a mistake in your
calculation.
pass away To die Your grandfather passed
away peacefully in his sleep
last night.
mix up To mistake one thing or person She had so many cats that she
for another kept mixing up their names
look forward to To await or anticipate with I'm looking forward to my
pleasure birthday. It's in two days time.
let down To disappoint I feel so let down because
they promised me a puppy but
all I got was a doll.
keep on To continue doing something If you keep on making that
noise I will get annoyed.
join in To participate Yes David, you can join in the
discussion any time you like.
hang up To end a phone conversation If you hang up now, I'll never
speak to you again.
Bear with Be patient Please BEAR WITH me a moment while I finish this email.

Break off End a she BROKE OFF their engagement when she found that he
relationship had been unfaithful.
Not allow I had to HOLD BACK FROM losing my temper with them.
Hold back from yourself to do
something

Bottle away Store up He kept his feelings BOTTLED AWAY.

Dissociate I put some ambient music on and ZONED OUT.
Zone out yourself from
situation

Warp up Cover in paper They WRAPPED UP the presents and then put a ribbon
around them.

Go ahead Proceed We now intend to GO AHEAD with the final stage of the
project.

Pick out Choose She PICKED OUT the foods she wanted to take and left the
rest.

Prey upon Exploit or They PREY UPON people's fears in order to get them to buy
harm products.

Look up To get better Everything is finally LOOKING UP for Lucy.

Make your She CAME OUT while she was at college and has been
Come out gender living with her partner.
identity known
to others.

Getaway Escape She went on vacation in the country in order to GET AWAY.

Behave The rude students were JERKING AROUND during the

Jerk around stupidly lecture.

Kill off Reduce They used to be a lot of wolves but most of them have been
KILLED OFF by humans.
 CONVERSATION BETWEEN
TWO PEOPLE USING PHRASAL
VERBS

Dialogue between two friends discussing an upcoming trip:

Friend 1: Hey, have you heard about our upcoming trip to the
mountains?
Friend 2: Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it. We need to plan
everything out, though.
Friend 1: Absolutely. We should start by figuring out when we can set
off.
Friend 2: I was thinking of heading out on Friday evening so that we
can kick off our trip bright and early on Saturday.
Friend 1: Sounds good to me. We can pack our bags on Friday morning
and then set out in the evening.
Friend 2: Speaking of packing, we should make a list of what we need
to bring along.
Friend 1: That's a good idea. We don't want to leave anything
important behind.
Friend 2: I'll also need to look up some nearby restaurants and places
to eat during our trip.
Friend 1: Yeah, it's crucial to plan where we can grab a bite to eat,
especially if we're hiking or exploring.
Friend 2: And we should definitely make a reservation for
accommodation in advance.
Friend 1: Right, we don't want to end up without a place to
stay. I'll take care of that part.
Friend 2: Great, and I'll research some fun activities we can do
while we're in the mountains.
Friend 1: That's a fantastic idea. It'll make our trip even more
exciting.
Friend 2: I can't wait to hit the road and enjoy our mountain
adventure!
Friend 1: Me neither. It's going to be an amazing trip.
 IDIOMS
An idiom is a phrase or expression whose meaning is not
deducible from the literal definitions of the individual
words. Idioms often depend on the culture and might not
make sense if translated word-for-word. They are
commonly used in everyday language, stories and casual
conversations.
IDIOM: “SPILL THE BEANS”- To accidentally or
purposely reveal a secret.
EXAMPLE: Sarah promised not to tell anyone about
the surprise party, but she accidentally spilled the
beans to Ali, and now he knows about it.

IDIOM: “BEAT AROUND THE BUSH”- To avoid

talking about something directly.
When the girl eagerly asked the boy about her new
dress, he blushed and started beating around the
bush.
 “Couch potato "- To describe someone who is very
lazy and spends a lot of time watching TV.
For example, "My brother is a real couch potato. He
watches TV all day long."

"The apple of my eye" - A sweet and endearing way

to describe someone you love or cherish.
For example: “My family is the apple of my eye. I
love them more than anything in the world."
“Burn the midnight oil”- To stay up late working
or studying.
The scientist worked late into the night, burning
the midnight oil to try to find a cure for the
disease.

“Cost an arm and a leg”- To be very expensive.

"Going on dates can cost women an arm and a leg."
“Don't cry over spilled milk" - Advises not to worry
about things that have already happened and
cannot be changed.
Ayesha spilled coffee on her
computer, and her files were
damaged. Her mother advised her
not to cry over spilled milk and to
create new files instead.

“Pull someone's leg” - To make a joke or trick

someone.
"On April Fool's Day, it's common to
pull someone's leg with harmless
pranks and jokes."
 “Cat got your tongue?” - Are you unable to speak?
It's often used when you expect a response from
someone, but they are staying silent.
When the teacher asked the question, the student's
silence made the teacher wonder, "Cat got your
tongue?"
;c\

“Go bananas” - To
become very excited
or angry.
When the friend called
his friend "mad," the
other friend got angry
and went bananas
 “Stop ironing my head!”- To
tell someone to stop being a
nuisance or annoying you.

Stop ironing my head and let

me enjoy my meal.

“Piece of cake”- Something that is

easy to do.
Criticizing cricket can be quite a
challenge for someone who has never
played it before, but for an
experienced player, it's a "piece of
cake."

“Kill two birds with one stone” -

Achieve two things with one action.
The man's skilled hunting allowed him
to kill two birds with one stone as he
caught a fish in the river and also
brought down a bird from a tree
during his outdoor adventure.
 “Bite the bullet”- To
do something that is
unpleasant or difficult
but necessary.
Although the assignment was
challenging, the student decided to bite
the bullet and complete his homework before
the deadline.

“Hit the hay”- Go to bed.

I'm so tired I could hit the hay right now.

“Barking up the wrong tree”- To

someone is looking for
something in the wrong place.
For example, If you're looking
for love on a dating app, you
might be barking up the wrong
tree.
“Hit the hay”- Go to bed. I'm so tired I could hit the
hay right now.

“Barking up the wrong tree”- To someone is

looking for something in the wrong place.
For example, If you're looking for love on a dating
app, you might be barking up the wrong tree.

“Happy as a clam”- To be very happy or content.

For example, "I'm happy as a clam to be on
vacation."
“Don't count your chickens before they
hatch”: This idiom means that you shouldn't
celebrate something before it has actually
happened.
For example, "Don't count your chickens before
they hatch. You still have to pass your exams to get
into college."
“Money doesn't grow on trees”- To remind
someone that money is not easy to come by.
For example, "If you want to buy that new car,
you're going to have to start saving your money.
Remember, money doesn't grow on trees".

“Break a leg”- Good luck! "I'm sure you'll do great

on your presentation. Break a leg!"
“Miss the boat”- To miss an opportunity.
The Pakistan cricket team missed an opportunity to
qualify for the World Cup final

“Get cold feet”- To suddenly become

scared or nervous about something.
"Even though he had prepared his
speech for days, he got cold feet just
before his presentation in front of
the class, and his nervousness was
evident to everyone”.

“Get your act together”- To start

behaving in a more responsible or
organized way.
A student does not complete their
homework. Their teacher tells them
that they need to "get their act
together" if they want to pass the
class.
 “Work like a dog”- To work very hard.
"All the students work like a dog to achieve a high
CGPA."

"When Chickens have teeth!"- is used when

something is never, ever going to happen.

"I can't believe you actually returned

my money!
“Lose your marbles”- To become mentally unstable
or to lose one's ability to think and reason clearly. It
is often used to describe someone who is
acting in a confused or irrational manner.
"After working long hours for several days
without proper rest, he seemed to be losing his
marbles and was making some strange decisions."

“Butterflies in my stomach”- To describe the feeling

of nervous excitement or anticipation.
"I had butterflies in my stomach before the presentation.

“The elephant in the room”- To describe a problem or issue that everyone is aware of but
no one wants to talk about.

"In the midst of all these economic discussions and policy debates, it's essential that we
acknowledge and tackle the elephant in the room.

“You can say that again”- To express agreement with

something that someone has just said.

Person 1: "I'm so frustrated with my job."

 Person 2: "You can say that again. I've been thinking about quitting for weeks."

In each of these examples, the speaker is using the idiom "You can say that again." to express
their strong agreement with the statement that was just made.

“Better late than never”- means to do something late is better than not doing it at all.

"I was late for my appointment, but I'm glad I made it. Better late than never."

“Worked up”- to be in a state of high emotion, such as excitement, nervousness, or anger. It

can also mean to be physically tired or exhausted.

I'm all worked up about my presentation tomorrow.

“On the ball”- To be alert, attentive, and responsive. It is often used to describe someone
who is quick to react and who is always up-to-date on the latest information.

"The manager needs someone who is on the ball to take care of this customer issue. "

“Hang in there”- To offer encouragement and support to someone who is going through a
difficult or challenging time.

"Things may be tough right now, but I know you can overcome this. Just hang in there, and
things will get better."
“Pull yourself together” -To take control of your emotions and behavior.

Don't be afraid to speak up in class. Pull yourself together and give

your presentation."

“On cloud nine”- To be extremely happy and excited.

I was on cloud nine after giving the presentation.

“Fit as a fiddle”-To be in excellent health and full of energy. It is often used to describe
someone who is very active and healthy.

I was so tired after my flight, but I'm feeling as fit as a fiddle now.

"Add insult to injury”- to make a bad situation worse.

She was already feeling down about her breakup, and then her friend made a joke
about it, which only added insult to injury.

“Call it a day”- To stop working or doing something for the day.

After working non-stop for 12 hours, the workers decided to call it a day.
“Up in the air”- Uncertain or undecided.

The outcome of the election is still up in the air.

“Can't judge a book by its cover”- You can't tell what someone is like by how they
look.

“By the skin of your teeth”- To describe a situation in which someone has just barely
managed to succeed or narrowly avoided failure.

"I almost missed my flight, but I made it to the airport just by the skin of my teeth. The gate was
about to close when I arrived."