Practical Activities with Phrasal Verbs for B2/C1 students – EPISODE 2

As you know, Phrasal Verbs play a major role in the English language. This time we are going to focus on the following 10 Phrasal Verbs: RAT OUT – FALL THROUGH – BUCKLE UP – BUZZ IN – CHOW DOWN – CUDDLE UP – WALK OUT ON – BOUNCE BACK – SQUEEZE IN – GANG UP ON

I – Meaning/Explanation of the Phrasal Verbs + Example Sentences

1. Rat out: betray someone; reveal incriminating information about someone

Ex.: “We´ll get into a lot of trouble if Jake rat us out to the police.”, Wayne told the other gangsters.

2. Fall through: fail to happen; come to nothing

Ex.: “Our plans fell through when the main sponsor of the project decided to back out at the last minute.”, Jefferson told a friend.

3. Buckle up: fasten one´s seatbelt

Ex.: “You´re in for a bumpy ride, so buckle up, sit back and enjoy!”, said the amusement park attendant.

4. Buzz (someone) in: let someone enter a door that is controlled by an electric buzzer

Ex.: “Hey, Jim, this is Mike. Can you buzz me in, please?”, Mike asked Jim over the intercom.

5. Chow down: eat something quickly

Ex.: “I´m so famished I could chow a pizza down in no time.”, said David to his friends.

6. Cuddle up: nestle or snuggle close to someone in order to feel warm, loved or protected

Ex.: Nicole cuddled up with her boyfriend and fell asleep.

7. Walk out on: abandon; desert

Ex.: “I think Richard will regret it someday if he walks out on his wife and two kids after almost ten years of marriage.”, said Dave to a friend.

8. Bounce back: return to a good condition; recover after illness, defeat; etc.

Ex.: It took nearly a year for that company to bounce back from its financial crisis and become profitable again.
Ex.: “I´m glad you bounced back from your cold so fast!”, Tyler told Jim.

9. Squeeze in: find time for

Ex.: “I think I can squeeze you in at about 11 am. Would that be okay with you?”, the dentist´s secretary asked Mrs. Sullivan.

10. Gang up on: unite as a group against someone

Ex.: “This city is becoming increasingly violent. Can you believe three guys ganged up on Stuart and stole his wallet when he was waiting for the bus this morning?”, Jay asked a friend.

II – Exercise 1: Fill in the short dialogues below with phrasal verbs

Mini-dialogue 1

Sarah: Hey, Larry, you don´t look too good, are you all right?
Larry: Not really. I just had the scare of my life.
Sarah: Gee, what happened?
Larry: I decided to take a short cut to get here, so I used the alley close to Robinson square.
Sarah: Oh, don´t tell me you got mugged! That alley is often packed with drug addicts and crooks of all types.
Larry: Fortunately nothing happened, but for a moment I thought three guys would _________________ me and steal my money or even hurt me.
Sarah: Thank God you´re okay! I guess you were really lucky, Larry!

Mini-dialogue 2

Terry: Ok, I know where that street is.
Will: Good. What time do you think you will drop by?
Terry: Uh, around 5:30. Would that be okay?
Will: Sure, give me a call when you get here and I´ll _________ you ______.
Terry: Great, see you later then. Bye!

Mini-dialogue 3

Debbie: Hi, Phil, long time no see!
Phil: Hey, Debbie, are you all right?
Debbie: I´m doing great, thanks!
Phil: Good! I heard through the grapevine that Monica´s husband ______________ her. Do you know if it´s true?
Debbie: It is unfortunately.
Phil: Wow, I´m really surprised, I mean, why would he do that?
Debbie: I don´t have a clue, but I´m sure Monica will get over this situation soon enough, she´s a fighter, you know.
Phil: Sure, I do hope so!

Mini-dialogue 4

Fred: I just checked the weather forecast, seems like there´s a cold front coming our way.
Travis: Really?
Fred: Yep! Do you have any plans for tonight?
Travis: Uh, yeah, I´ll just go home, _______________ with my wife and watch a good movie.
Fred: Sounds cozy!

Mini-dialogue 5

Donald: We need to talk about our new product line.
Ryan: Sure, the sooner we do that the better.
Donald: Do you think we could _____________ a meeting ______ tomorrow morning?
Ryan: Uh, I think we could probably do that. I´ll check with the others and let you know.
Donald: Thanks, Ryan!

III – Exercise 2: Click the link below to listen to the phrasal verb sentences and write them.

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IV – KEY TO EXERCISES

I – Fill in the short dialogues below with phrasal verbs

Mini-dialogue 1: gang up on
Mini-dialogue 2: buzz in
Mini-dialogue 3: walk out on
Mini-dialogue 4: cuddle up
Mini-dialogue 5: squeeze in

II – Listen to the phrasal verb sentences and write them.

1. The school bus driver made sure all the passengers had buckled up before he drove off.
2. Oliver´s plans for the weekend fell through due to the blizzard.
3. Ronald is a fighter. I´m sure he´ll bounce back from his surgery in no time.
4. Jeff must have been ravenous. He chowed down on a double cheeseburger in less than two minutes.
5. The crook ratted out his accomplices to the district attorney in an attempt to avoid doing jail time.

Ref. FALE TUDO EM INGLÊS AVANÇADO – Autor: José Roberto A. Igreja / Disal Editora

José Roberto A. Igreja is the author and co-author of several ELT books, including:

600 Phrasal Verbs (with Jonathan T. Hogan)