Phrasal verbs and context

Neil
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute Vocabulary. I’m Neil…

Catherine
And I’m Catherine. In this programme we’re looking at multi-word verbs like move in, move on, move out and get on , and we call these phrasal verbs . And prepositions like in, on, or out can completely change the meaning of phrasal verbs…

Neil …so we’ll be looking at these verbs in sentences to help us understand their meanings.

Catherine
Let’s start by listening to Robin. He’s having problems with his housemate, Pete. And here’s a question for you while you listen. Why is Robin unhappy with Pete?

INSERT Robin Pete moved in three months ago. We got on well at first - we were friends - but now it’s terrible. He’s so messy! And he keeps disturbing me when I’m trying to get on with my college work. It’s really time for us to move on - we can’t be friends anymore. I’m going to ask him to move out and live somewhere else, but he gets on with my family - my brother really likes him - so it’ll be difficult.

Neil OK. So we asked you: why is Robin unhappy with Pete?

Catherine
It’s because Pete is messy and keeps disturbing him. What do you think of that, Neil?

Neil Well, I’m not surprised then. They were friends at first. Here’s what Robin said:

INSERT 1 CLIP 1
We got on well at first - we were friends…

Catherine
Right. So, here, get on means have a good relationship . And we can work out the meaning of get on by listening to what Robin said next. He said: we were friends .

Neil
What about Pete’s relationship with Robin’s family?

INSERT 1 CLIP 2 …he gets on with my family - my brother really likes him…

Catherine So Pete and Robin’s family have a good relationship. And to add an object to the verb get on, we use the preposition with .

Neil That’s right. We can say: Pete and Robin’s family get on . And we can also say: Pete gets on with Robin’s family.

Catherine We can. Now listen to get on in this clip.

INSERT 1 CLIP 3 …and he keeps disturbing me when I’m trying to get on with my college work.

Neil
This time, get on with isn’t about a relationship.

Catherine
No, it isn’t. In this one, get on with means do , or continue doing , something.

Neil But Robin can’t get on with it because Pete keeps disturbing him. Pete stops Robin finishing his work. And to understand what get on with means in each of these contexts, we have to pay attention to the words around each verb phrase.

Catherine We do. So, get on with usually means have a good relationship when the sentence around it is talking about people.

Neil
Get on with is usually about finishing something if we’re talking about work, studies or a project.

IDENT
6 Minute Vocabulary, from BBC Learning English.

Neil
And we’re talking about phrasal verbs . We’ve looked at get on and get on with to talk about relationships.

Catherine My brother and sister don’t get on , but I get on with both of them.

Neil Oh, lucky you.

Catherine I know.

Neil And get on with when we’re talking about work.

Catherine I’m getting on with my work, Neil.

Neil
Good! And we work out which meaning is which by listening to the context. Let’s get on with the programme and take a look at some phrasal verbs with move . Here ‘s a clip.

INSERT CLIP 3 Pete moved in three months ago … It’s really time for us to move on … I’m going to ask him to move out and live somewhere else …

Catherine So we had move in , move on and move out .

Neil Move in means start to live in a place . If you want to say who you’re starting to live with, use with , like this:

Catherine
Pete moved in with Robin six months ago.

Neil To say the place that someone started living, use into instead of in .

Catherine
Pete moved into Robin ‘s house six months ago.

Neil
Now, move out is the opposite. It’s when you stop living somewhere and go to live somewhere new. So it describes a change.

Catherine
It does. And move on also describes a change, but not just about housing: move on has a sense of progressing to something different. So, Robin is going to end his friendship with Pete, Neil.

Neil
Well that’s certainly a change. And now we must move on too: It’s quiz time! Number one. I’m getting on with my school project. Is getting on with here about a) a relationship or b) finishing something?

Catherine And it’s b). It’s about finishing something - a school project. Number two. I’m not very happy with my job. I’ll have to a) move in, b) move out, or c) move on.

Neil And it’s c) move on . It’s about changing to something new. Last one. I’ve just found a new flat. I’m a) moving in or b) moving on next week.

Catherine
And it’s a) moving in . That’s what we say about starting to live somewhere.

Neil
And that’s the end of the quiz.

Catherine
But before we go, here’s that top tip for learning vocabulary. When you see or hear a phrasal verb, pay close attention to all the words in the sentence. Write the sentence down if you can. That will help you learn and remember the meaning.

Neil That’s a good tip. There’s more about this at bbclearningenglish.com. Join us again soon for more 6 Minute Vocabulary.

Both Bye!