PHRASAL VERBS, IDIOMS AND OTHER EXPRESSIONS USING ‘GET’

CHECK YOUR ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR PHRASAL VERBS AND IDIOMS

PHRASAL VERBS, IDIOMS AND OTHER EXPRESSIONS USING ‘GET’

Exercise 1:

Choose the correct particle or particles (in, on, at, etc) to make phrasal verbs. An explanation or meaning of each phrasal verb in the sentence is in italics at the end of the sentence.

1	He was very rude to the teacher, but got down to / off with / away with it. (He managed to do something bad without being punished.)
2	What did you get up to / through to / on to last night? (What did you do last night?)
3	How's your son getting on / into / over at University? (How well is your son doing at University?)
4	Karen was ill for a few weeks, but she's got under / about / over it now. (Karen has recovered from her illness.)
5	I don't really want to see her tonight. How can I get over with / in on / out of it? (How can I avoid seeing her?)
6	After lunch we got down to / off with / away from discussing future plans for the company.  (We started doing something seriously / with effort.)
7	I just need to get by / through / over this week, then I can take a break for a few days. (I need to deal with a difficult situation until it's over.)
8	I don't earn much money, but I manage to get down / off / by. (I have just enough money to do what I need to do, such as buy food, pay my rent, etc.)
9	Although they are very different, Toby and Andrea get on / by / around together. (They like each other and are friendly to each other.)
10	My boss is always getting over / at / to me. (My boss is always criticising me.)
11	I tried to call the complaints department, but I couldn't get over / around / through. (It was not possible for me to be connected to the complaints department by telephone.)
12	I sometimes have problems getting my meaning through / across / over in English. (I have problems making people understand my meaning.)
13	Everyone told me that it was a really good film, but I just couldn't get into / onto / over it. (I couldn't begin to enjoy it.)
14	Mr Johnson must be getting on for / in to / off with 80. (Mr Johnson must be almost 80 years old.)
15	The goods we ordered last week haven't arrived yet. I'll get away with / out of / on to the supplier this afternoon. (I'll write or speak to the supplier (in this case, to find out what has happened).)
16	I'm not enjoying my computer classes. I don't get much round to / out of / on to them. (I don't get much pleasure or benefit from them.)
17	I'm sorry I don't have the information you need at the moment. Leave me your phone number and I'll get off with / up to / back to you this afternoon. (I'll speak to you again later.)
18	I finally got through to / round to / away from reading that book you lent me. (I had intended to read the book for a long time, and eventually I did it.)
Remember that many phrasal verbs have more than one meaning. This applies to most of those in this exercise. Use your dictionary to find the other meanings.

Exercise 2:

Look at the idioms and other expressions in bold in sentences 1 – 25, and choose a suitable definition or expression with a similar meaning from the box at the bottom of the page.

1	If you want to become rich, you have to work hard. There are no real get-rich-quick plans.
2	Come on! Get a move on!
3	When she asked for help, he told her to get lost.
4	You'll get the sack if you continue coming in late.
5	Where was I last night? Well, officer, you've got me there.
6	I think Helen got out of bed on the wrong side this morning.
7	My neighbour is so noisy. He's really getting on my nerves.
8	Gordon's having a little get together at his place tonight.
9	You've got a nerve asking me to lend you more money!
10	What are you wearing that get-up for? You look like a drug dealer!
11	OK everyone, let's get down to brass tacks and look at the sales figures.
12	Gary and I get on like a house on fire.
13	I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't seem to have any get-up-and-go.
14	If I don't get a rise soon, I'll start looking for another job.
15	This is ridiculous: we're getting nowhere.
16	You're always watching television. Get a life!
17	My job drives me crazy, but I like it, if you get my meaning.
18	Get a grip on yourself – you've got an interview in half an hour.
19	I can't get to grips with my new computer.
20	You need to get your act together if you want to succeed.
21	I've got absolutely no money, and it's really getting me down.
22	It's almost eight o'clock. Let's get going, or we'll be late.
23	He was so rude to me. Just wait until I get my own back.
24	Our teacher lets us get away with murder!
25	I need a break, so I've decided to get away from it all for a few weeks.

(A) Energy; enthusiasm. (B) To hurry up; to do something more quickly. (C) To receive more money for doing your work. (D) To understand what someone is trying to say. (E) To make someone feel unhappy. (F) To be unsuccessful; to not make any progress. (G) To be over-confident or rude. (H) To take a holiday. (I) Something that will make you a lot of money in a short space of time. (J) To organise yourself. (K) Clothes. (L) To start doing something; to begin a journey. (M) To be unable to do or use something. (N) To do something more interesting. (O) To control your emotions and behaviour. (P) To be very friendly with each other. (Q) To be dismissed from a job. (R) To take revenge on someone for something they have done. (S) A party or social event with friends. (T) To go away; to leave someone alone.  (U) To annoy someone (V) To not punish someone for doing something wrong. (W) To start the day badly; to be in a bad mood. (X) To start discussing small but important details. (Y) To be unable to answer

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