Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

-Published on 18th Feb 2023 by Oxford School of English-

A phrasal verb is a verb made up of a base verb and one or more particles, which together create a new meaning. For example, the verb "pick" and the particle "up" combine to form the phrasal verb "pick up," which means "to lift or take up." An idiom is a phrase or expression that has a figurative meaning different from the literal meaning of the individual words. For example, the idiom "kick the bucket" means to die. Both are used in spoken and written English, but idioms are often more specific to a particular culture or region and may be more difficult for speakers from other cultures to understand. Given below are some commonly used phrasal verbs:

1. Break down means to stop working or malfunction

2. Look into means to investigate or research

3. Put off means to postpone or delay

4. Calm down means to relax after being angry over something

5. Eat out means to eat food outside, like in a restaurant

6. Give off means to release something in the form of a smell

7. Boil down to means to be summarized to

8. Clamp down on means to act strictly or harshly to prevent something from happening

9. Die down means to become less strong or lose effect

10. Stick up for means to defend

11. The ball is in your court means it's now your turn to take action

12. Bite the bullet means to face a difficult situation with courage

13. Cost an arm and a leg means to be very expensive

14. Beat around the bush means to avoid saying what you mean

15. Break the ice means to start the conversation

16. To have two left feet used to describe a person who can’t dance properly

17. To play it by ear used to tell to deal with a situation as it develops

18. To drive someone up the wall means to make someone want to leave the conversation or a situation because they can’t tolerate it anymore

19. To skate on thin ice means to be in a risky situation

20. To move the goalposts meaning to change the rules or norms of a particular situation midway

Note that phrasal verbs are composed of verb+particle, and idioms are phrases that have a figurative meaning, different from the literal meaning of the individual words.