I suppose, everyone who learn English knows of the importance of phrasal verbs and idioms in casual speech. Correct usage of them allows us to sound more natural for native speaker. But majority of learners feel difficulties with understanding of this matter cause, besides a great amount of phrasal verbs, meaning of a phrasal verb can be completely different from the meaning of the verb it is formed from. For instance, verb ‘to let’ (to allow) and phrasal verb ‘to let down’ (to make someone disappointed by not doing something that they are expecting you to do). But, actually, everything is not so terrible. The thing is we just should learn and use them in the way we do with others simple words – firstly we come across it, then discover its meaning and usage, after that we recognize it wherever it’s possible (when we’re reading, listening etc.), and finally we memorize and use it.
I’d like to catch this matter up and have gathered plenty of different material about idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs. But it’s a bit boring to study it alone. So I want to ask you help me. Once a week I’ll poste 15-30 sentences which include phrasal verbs (or idioms) which are made up by one certain verb and one or more particles. Your task will be to work out what the phrasal verb or expression is and give some examples of its usage.
Ok, let’s start. Today I suggest to examine phrasal verbs that include a verb ‘come’. Complete the phrasal verbs in sentences 1-14 with appropriate particle or particles, and write these in the gird at the bottom of the page. If you do this correctly, you will reveal a phrasal verb in the orange vertical column that can be used to complete sentence 15. The meaning of each phrasal verb in its context is explained in parenthesis at the end of each sentence.
- Have you ever come ____ such a horrible person in all your life? (to meet someone or find something by chance)
- How is Sarah coming ____ ____ her photography course? (to make progress or get better in quality, skill or health)
- I’m British, but my parents come ____ India. (to have your home in particular place)
- Fast food has come ____ ____ more criticism from the press. (to receive something such as criticism)
- I don’t want the problem of money coming ____ us. (to cause an argument or disagreement between two people)
- I’ve been writing this book for six months, and it’s finally coming ____. (to finally start to work successfully)
- As I get older, I find that my birthday seem to come ____ more frequently. (to happen regularly)
- She came ____ a lot of money when her grandfather died. (to receive something – usually money – when someone died)
- We need to come ____ ____ a plan that will make us a lot of money. (to think of something such as an idea or plan)
- In the first week of my new job, I came ____ ____ several problems that had been left by the person who had my job previously. (to have to deal with something unpleasant or difficult)
- The National Blood Service is asking for more people to come ____ and donate blood. (to offer help or information)
- You never know what children are going to come ____ ____. (to say something suddenly, usually something that surprises or shocks people)
- The first time when I tried to use my new camera, it came ____ in my hands. (to separate into pieces, sometimes because the object – in this case a camera – has been badly made)
- We’ve had a difficult few weeks, but I’m glad to see we’ve managed to come ____ together. (to be still alive, working or making progress after a difficult or dangerous experience)
- I don’t feel very good. I think I’m ____ ____ ____ something. (to become ill with a particular disease, but not usually one that is serious)
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The grid is already filled in by right phrasal verbs
Comments
Hey, Barabre!
It's great you consider the blog as a useful one. It's sad but as you can see you are the one who tried to use it for improving their English. Anyway as I said I'll try to continue posting blogposts about phrasal verbs and would appreciate if you will carry on to drop by.
Now let's see which phrasal verbs from those 15 sentences weren't mentioned.
Sentence 8: to receive something when someone died - to come into (a synonym - to inherit):
I suppose almost each of us would like to come into a huge wealth from some distant uncle.
Sentence 11: to offer help or information - to come forward (can be used with 'with'):
He sincerely would like to come forward with detailes of an accident but he saw nothing.
Sentence 14: to be still alive, working or making progress after a difficult or dangerous experience - to come through:
There are many people in the world who came up against a lot of different hard situations during early years of their life (poverty, drinking parents etc) but they came through it and now are successful persons.
Hi, Barbare :)
I've found that I haven't written about one phrasal verb you gave - it's to come down upon. Frankly, I found a meaning only for 'to come down on'. According to the meaning of the second one I guess you'd meant exactly this one. So, its meaning is to criticize or punish someone for something, especially in a severe way and often unfairly:
I hate when some bosses because of their bad mood come down on their subordinates.
In the 4th sentence should be a phrasal verb that means to receive or be the object of reaction, often negative one (like a criticism). It's 'to come in for':
Some movies like 'Movie 43' are so awful that they totally fairly come in for fierce criticism.
The 14th sentence - your variant of answer is come around and a meaning you gave is correct but exactely it means to become consious again, for example after an accident or operation:
A patient has eventually come around after six months of being in a coma.
Another meaning of this phrasal verb is to happen regularly and it matches to the 7th sentence:
Fans of soccer are looking forward to the time when the next FIFA World Cup will come round.
By the way, I've spotted that phrasal verbs 'come around' and 'come about' are kind of antonyms.
The rest of phrasal verbs are correct (come up with, come up against, come apart, and come down with). Here are my sample sentences with them:
His girlfriend has had a serious problem and ask him to come up with a solution to it.
People of third world countries very often come up against a starvation and poverty.
It's very stange fact but even well-made things can easily come apart in hands of curious kids. :)
Her heighbour came down with a flu last week but now she is coming along well.
The 5th sentence - you wrote come about. Actually to come about means to happen, especially in a way that was not planned or expected:
A driver of a car that run into a tree said he don't know how the accident came about.
A phrasal verb that means to cause an argument between people is to come between (very easy, right :) ):
Mothers-in-low so often come between a wife and a husband.
The 6th sentence - your answer is come out with; and it means to say something suddenly, usually something that surprises people. This phrasal verb is appropriated to 12th sentence:
The older my daughter becomes the more unexpected things she comes out with.
Right phrasal verb for 6th sentence is to come together - to finally start to work successfully (in this context usually in progressive form - be coming together):
His bussiness finally is coming together after one good investment.
Hey, Barbare!
Let's go over your answers :)
The first one - come across - you're completely right about it.
The next one - come out of something usually means to result from some event, process or something:
They both are too selfish persons; nothing good will come out of their marriage.
Another meaning of the phrasal verb is to stop being in a particular situation or state (bad economic situation or bad mood):
Some countries have been coming out of the world economic crisis very hard.
In our example there should be a phrasal verb which means to make progress or get better in something. The most appropriate phrasal verb is to come along/come along with(usually used its progressive form - be coming along):
My study of English is coming along nicely.
How is Sarah coming along with het photography course.
And one more thing: for better understanding and memorizing those phrasal verbs it would be great to write down sentences with them.
By the way, here is a hint: phrasal verb from the first sentence I've used in the blog ;)
Barbare, phrasal verb from the third sentence is correct. As for two others, they are correct too (it means their meanings match to the explanation in parenthesis) but they also have synonyms and we have to fill in the grid by particles exactely from those synonyms. Otherwise we won't get phrasal verb for 15th sentence.
Anyaway, keep it up! :)
Thank you, Barbare, from the idiom; I've never come across it before.
How about trying to find out which particles are missed in the sentences?