Phrasal Verbs

Respuesta correcta: D) off

• A) on'Turn on' switches a light to the on state, which is the opposite of what the speaker asks.
• B) up'Turn up' raises a volume or a heat setting, and it does not switch a light off.
• C) over'Turn over' means to rotate something or hand it to someone else, and it does not fit a light.
• D) off'Turn off' is the phrasal verb that switches a light to the off state, which is what the film requires.

Respuesta correcta: D) to postpone

• A) to dressDressing is expressed with 'put on', a different phrasal verb that adds clothing to the body.
• B) to acceptAccepting something uses 'take on' or 'accept', and 'put' here points to a physical action or a delay.
• C) to pretendPretending to be something is 'put on', so that sense belongs to a different particle of the same verb.
• D) to postpone'Put off' is the phrasal verb that means to postpone, so an event moves to a later time.

Respuesta correcta: C) She looked up the number in the directory.

• A) She looked the ladder up and climbed.'Up' is a preposition of direction with the verb 'look', so it cannot take 'ladder' as an object.
• B) She looked up after the number in the directory.'Look after' means to take care of somebody, and it cannot carry the sense of searching for information.
• C) She looked up the number in the directory.'Look up' with a noun object means to search for that information, and a phone number fits that sense.
• D) She looked the number after in the directory.'After' belongs to 'look after', and with 'look' it would mean to watch somebody, not to search.

Respuesta correcta: A) to board

• A) to board'Get on' means to board or mount a vehicle, and a bus is exactly that kind of vehicle.
• B) to continueContinuing is 'carry on' or 'keep on', and neither verb describes mounting a bus.
• C) to agreeAgreement is 'agree with' or 'get on with', and a bus cannot be agreed with in this sentence.
• D) to hurryHurrying is 'hurry up' or 'get a move on', so this reading does not match the sentence.

Respuesta correcta: C) look after

• A) look out'Look out' is a warning about danger, and it would not fit a child who needs care.
• B) look for'Look for' means to search for something, and the sentence is about looking after a person.
• C) look after'Look after' means to take care of someone, and a six-year-old brother is the exact case.
• D) look up'Look up' means to search for information or to raise the eyes, and neither sense fits caring for a child.

Respuesta correcta: A) take off

• A) take off'Take off' is the phrasal verb for removing something worn, and shoes are worn, so it fits the notice.
• B) take down'Take down' means to remove a notice or a curtain from a high place, and it does not apply to footwear.
• C) take out'Take out' means to extract something from a container or a place, and it does not describe removing a shoe.
• D) take over'Take over' means to take control of a situation, and it says nothing about shoes.

Respuesta correcta: A) We put off the meeting until Friday.

• A) We put off the meeting until Friday.'Put off' means to postpone, so delaying the meeting until Friday is the correct use.
• B) We put on the meeting until Friday.'Put on' means to dress or to present something, and it cannot postpone an event.
• C) We put out the meeting until Friday.'Put out' means to extinguish something or to publish text, and it does not mean to postpone.
• D) We put up the meeting until Friday.'Put up' means to raise something or to display a notice, and it does not express a delay.

Respuesta correcta: D) to meet

• A) to collideA collision is also possible with 'run into', but the object here is a person, so the sense is an encounter.
• B) to escapeEscaping is 'get out of' or 'escape from', and neither verb is used with 'run'.
• C) to departDeparting is 'run away from' or 'set off', and the sentence describes a meeting rather than a leaving.
• D) to meet'Run into' informally means to meet someone by chance, which is what happened at the market.

Respuesta correcta: D) to reduce

• A) to rejectRejecting is 'turn down' as well, but with a device object the verb means to reduce a level, not to refuse.
• B) to acceptAccepting is 'accept' or 'take on', and it is the opposite of the refusal sense of this verb.
• C) to rotateRotating is 'turn over' or 'rotate', and it says nothing about reducing a level.
• D) to reduce'Turn down' reduces volume, heat or brightness, which is the sense used with a device.

Respuesta correcta: D) call off

• A) call on'Call on' means to visit somebody briefly or to ask them to contribute, and it does not cancel a meeting.
• B) call out'Call out' means to shout or to summon somebody loudly, and it would not fit a cancellation.
• C) call in'Call in' means to telephone the place where one works, and it says nothing about cancelling a meeting.
• D) call off'Call off' means to cancel a planned event, and an illness is a typical reason for cancelling a meeting.

Respuesta correcta: C) hand in

• A) hand out'Hand out' means to distribute something to others, and it reverses the direction of the action.
• B) hand over'Hand over' means to transfer control or possession, which is not what a student does with an essay.
• C) hand in'Hand in' is the phrasal verb for submitting work, and the teacher's request gives the deadline.
• D) hand back'Hand back' means to return something that was borrowed, and the teacher wants new work rather than a return.

Respuesta correcta: B) to stop trying

• A) to hand overHanding something over is 'give' on its own or 'hand over', and it does not mean to stop trying.
• B) to stop trying'Give up' means to abandon an attempt, which is the sense of stopping before finishing.
• C) to explainExplaining is 'give an account of' or 'explain', and it is not the meaning of this verb.
• D) to repeatRepeating is 'say again' or 'repeat', and it does not express abandoning an effort.

Respuesta correcta: B) to

• A) at'Look forward' is followed by the preposition 'to', and 'at' belongs to the separate phrase 'look at'.
• B) toThe expression 'look forward' takes the preposition 'to' before its noun, so 'to the summer holidays' is the standard form.
• C) for'For' introduces a duration or a reason, and the fixed expression 'look forward' does not take it.
• D) on'On' marks a surface or a day, and it cannot follow 'look forward' in this expression.

Respuesta correcta: D) put off

• A) put up'Put up' means to raise something or to display a notice, and it does not postpone an event.
• B) put out'Put out' means to extinguish a fire or to publish text, and it is not about delaying a meeting.
• C) put through'Put through' means to connect a call or to make someone endure something, and it does not move a meeting.
• D) put off'Put off' means to postpone, so it is the verb that moves a meeting to a later time.

Respuesta correcta: D) get through

• A) carry on'Carry on' means to continue, and there was no ongoing call to continue in this situation.
• B) hold on'Hold on' means to wait, and the problem here is a call that could not be made.
• C) get on'Get on' means to board or to manage, and it does not describe making a telephone call.
• D) get through'Get through' means to complete a call or reach a destination, and a dead battery prevents it.

Respuesta correcta: A) My aunt looks after my cat while we travel.

• A) My aunt looks after my cat while we travel.'Look after' means to take care of somebody or something, and a pet is exactly what is being cared for.
• B) My aunt looks for my cat while we travel.'Look for' means to search for something, and a neighbour caring for a pet does not search for it.
• C) My aunt looks up my cat while we travel.'Look up' means to search for information, and it does not describe looking after a living animal.
• D) My aunt looks into my cat while we travel.'Look into' means to investigate a matter, and that sense does not apply to caring for a pet.

Respuesta correcta: A) pass on

• A) pass on'Pass on' means to give a message to somebody else, which is what relaying a request requires.
• B) pass away'Pass away' is the polite verb used when somebody dies, and it has nothing to do with a request.
• C) pass out'Pass out' means to lose consciousness or to distribute something, and neither sense relays a message.
• D) pass by'Pass by' means to go past a place, and it does not mean to deliver a message to a person.

Respuesta correcta: C) to find by chance

• A) to crossCrossing is 'cross' on its own or 'walk across', and it does not describe finding a book by chance.
• B) to climbClimbing is 'climb up' or 'climb over', and the sentence is about discovering a book, not scaling anything.
• C) to find by chance'Come across' informally means to find something by chance, which is how the book was discovered.
• D) to avoidAvoiding is 'stay away from' or 'avoid', and the student found the book rather than dodging it.

Respuesta correcta: B) turn down

• A) turn up'Turn up' raises a volume, and the classmate wants the opposite effect because the music is too loud.
• B) turn down'Turn down' reduces a level such as volume, which is exactly what a too-loud song requires.
• C) turn off'Turn off' switches the device off entirely, and the request is only to lower the level, not to silence it.
• D) turn in'Turn in' means to hand something in, and it says nothing about the volume of a device.

Respuesta correcta: C) ran out of

• A) ran away'Run away' means to escape or to leave quickly, and it says nothing about a supply being used up.
• B) ran over'Run over' means to drive across something or to strike it with a vehicle, and it does not fit a shopping sentence.
• C) ran out of'Run out of' means to use up a supply completely, and buying milk shows the supply is finished.
• D) ran into'Run into' means to meet somebody by chance or to collide, and neither sense explains going to buy milk.