8- crowd around, stand back

Hi there! How are you all doing? This is Lesson 8 of Jennifer’s Phrasal Verb Challenge. Let’s learn two new phrasal verbs. Have you ever noticed that when there’s trouble or some kind of emergency, people tend to stop what they’re doing and crowd around?

They want to get a closer look and see what the matter is. If medics come to the scene, they have to ask people to stand back and give them room to work. “To crowd” around means to gather in one place or to move to that place in large numbers.

This phrasal verb can be used with or without an object. Often we crowd around someone. For example, family and friends may crowd around you to sing happy birthday and congratulate you.

“To stand back” is just the opposite. You’re standing at a short distance. You’re giving someone or something some room. “Stand back” doesn’t take an object. “Stand back” is different from “back away from.” Because when you stand back, you’re not fully avoiding something. You’re not leaving the place.

When you stand back, you’re putting just enough distance between you and the object. Consider these examples. Why else might people crowd around someone? Here’s a second question for practice. How do the police handle crowd control at a large public event? How do they get people to stand back and not crowd around?

Share your answers in the comments. I’ll offer corrections as time allows. Okay, that’s all for now.