Ex.183 Substituting phrasal verbs for other expressions

Replace the words or phrases in bold type by phrasal verbs. Some of the sentences may sound awkward as they stand.

1 Can he give a good explanation for his extraordinary behaviour?

2 He mended the tyre of his bicycle and then filled it with air.

3 They were having a violent quarrel but stopped suddenly when I came in.

4 The meeting was cancelled because of the 'flu epidemic.

5 If you refuse to perform my orders you'll be dismissed.

6 I don't think you can overtake them; they left two hours ago.

7 Sherlock Holmes was often able to solve a mystery without leaving his rooms in Baker Street.

8 I found a twenty-pound note by chance in the street. What should I do with it?

9 If my scheme had succeeded, I should have made a profit of a thousand pounds.

10 He recovered consciousness when the doctor had applied artificial respiration.

11 The road safety campaign had succeeded in reducing road deaths by 10 per cent.

12 Three thousand students are candidates for the examination every year but very few pass.

13 He tried to alight from the bus while it was still moving and was badly hurt.

14 My sister promised to sing at the concert and though she doesn't want to now, she can't free herself from the obligation.

15 They announced the names of the winning horses on the radio.

16 If cigarettes get any dearer, I shall have to abandon the habit of smoking.

17 Prices always increase; they never become less.

18 The police investigated the case very thoroughly but finally said there was no suspicion of foul play.

19 He started his journey in a great hurry.

20 He needs more exercise; he should start playing tennis.

21 It is difficult to train children well.

22 The train was delayed by fog and arrived late.

23 I waited for her for ages but she didn't come.

24 She is good at languages. She learnt Spanish without effort, in a few months.

25 It is your responsibility to make a success of your own life. (It is ... ... you etc.)

26 Anyone who was offered a chance like that would accept it with enthusiasm.

27 Don't walk on the grass.

28 He dictated so quickly that his poor secretary couldn't go as fast as he did. (couldn't... ... ... him)

29 I hit him so hard that he fell unconscious.

30 If I don't punish you this time, will you promise never to do it again?

31 She was very upset over her failure but now she is recovering from it.

32 You mustn't omit the difficult sentences; do them all.

33 She kept asking me all the difficult words instead of searching for them in a dictionary.

34 I took the children to the zoo today to compensate for the party they missed yesterday.

35 Students of English often confuse the words 'lie' and 'lay'.

36 He swore to revenge himself on me for the wrong I had done him.

 

Ex.184 Substituting phrasal verbs for other expressions

Replace the words or phrases in bold type by phrasal verbs. Some of the sentences may sound awkward as they stand.

1 If you don't allow me to enter I'll break down the door.

2 He regarded her for a moment and then said, 'She is too tall.'

3 The line was so bad when I telephoned him that I couldn't understand what he said.

4 Will you take care of the garden while I am in hospital?

5 I don't believe a word of his excuse; I'm sure he invented it.

6 He's had the best doctors available but he won't recover unless he has the will to live.

7 Be careful! The tree's going to fall!

8 Never postpone till tomorrow what you can do today.

9 I regard him as the greatest living novelist.

10 He dressed himself in uniform for the occasion.

11 He keeps hearing strange footsteps in the house, so he has hired a private detective to investigate the matter.

12 She was sitting opposite me in the bus but she pretended not to see me.

13 Whenever you are in Paris, do go and visit my sister.

14 Why was she looking so annoyed?

15 The Albert Hall was erected in memory of Queen Victoria's husband.

16 I can't offer hospitality to you all because my flat is too small.

17 Suppose you telephone the station and ask them.

18 He disparages his own garden but he likes other people to praise it.

19 She is in poor health after working for three years without a break.

20 The village is so small that we are always meeting our friends accidentally.

21 It is the first time that he has encountered any opposition.

22 Peter's leaving. Why don't you apply for his job?

23 There is something wrong with the television set; we'd better summon an electrician.

24 A man who has always led an open-air life would find it difficult to be contented in an office job.

25 I am feeling rather tired today because I stayed out of bed later than usual last night.

26 You are not allowed to offer yourself for election to Parliament if you are under eighteen, a lunatic, or a bankrupt.

27 He lost his reputation and all his money but he had good friends and they continued to support and help him.

28 The father was thoroughly dishonest and the son resembles him. He has already been in the courts for stealing.

29 He started playing golf as he thought it would help him socially.

30 I used to believe his tall stories; now he rarely succeeds in deceiving me.

31 It is silly to abandon a good job like yours, just because you don't like the coffee in the canteen.

32 They rejected her application because they preferred a man for the job.

33 The factory normally makes clocks and watches but during the last war it produced precision instruments for aeroplanes.

34 The chairman brought his speech to an end by thanking the staff for their hard work.

35 Take a pencil and paper and calculate how long it will take us to reach London from here.

36 He undertook evening work to make some extra money but at the end of the year he was completely exhausted, and had to abandon it.