English Within Reach: 2BAC

GRAMMAR: PHRASAL VERBS (UP and DOWN)

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Phrasal verbs

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In modern English, it is very usual to place prepositions or adverbs after certain verbs so as to obtain a variety of different meanings:
give away = give to someone/anyone
give up = abandon (a habit or attempt)
look after = take care of
look for = search for, seek
look out = beware
The student need not try to decide whether the combination is verb + preposition or verb + adverb, but should consider the expression as a whole.

It is also important to learn whether the combination is transitive (i.e. requires an object) or intransitive (i.e. cannot have an object):
look for is transitive: l am looking for my passport.
look out is intransitive: Look out! This ice isn't safe!
take off can also mean 'rise from the ground' (used of aircraft). Here it is intransitive:
The plane took off at ten o 'clock.

With some expressions, however, they can be placed either at the end or immediately after the verb, i.e. before the short word. We can say:
He took off his coat or He took his coat off.
Pronoun objects are sometimes placed at the end of the expression:
l am looking for them.
But they are more often placed immediately after the verb:
He took it off.
This position is usual before the following short words: up, down, in, out, away, off and on (except when used in the expression call on = visit).
go on can be followed by either infinitive or gerund but there is a considerable difference in meaning.

account
account for (tr) == give a good reason for, explain satisfactorily (some action or expenditure):
A treasurer must account/or the money he spends.
He has behaved in the most extraordinary way; I can't account for his actions at all/I can't account for his behaving like that.
allow
allow for (tr) = make provision in advance for, take into account (usually some additional requirement, expenditure, delay etc.):
It is 800 kilometers and I drive at 100 k.p.h., so I'll be there in eight hours. ~ But you'll have to allow for delays going through towns and for stops for refueling.
Allowing for depreciation your car should be worth £2,000 this time next year.
answer
answer back (intr), answer somebody back = answer a reproof impudently:
FATHER: Why were you so late last night? you weren't in till 2a.m.
SON: You should have been asleep.
FATHER: Don't answer me back. Answer my question.
ask
ask after/for somebody = ask for news of:
I met Tom at the party; he asked after you. (asked how you were/how you were getting on)
ask for
(a) = ask to speak to:
Go to the office and ask for my secretary.
(b) = request, demand:
The men asked/or more pay and shorter hours.
ask someone in (object before in) = invite him to enter the house:
He didn't ask me in: he kept me standing at the door while he read the message.
ask someone out (object before out) = invite someone to an entertainment or to a meal (usually in a public place):
She had a lot of friends and was usually asked out in the evenings, so she seldom spent an evening at home.
back
back away (intr) = step or move back slowly (because confronted by some danger or unpleasantness):
When he took a gun out everyone backed away nervously.
back out (intr) = withdraw (from some joint action previously agreed on), discontinue or refuse to provide previously promised help or support:
He agreed to help but backed out when he found how difficult it was.
back somebody up = support morally or verbally:
The headmaster never backed up his staff, (backed them up) If a parent complained about a teacher he assumed that the teacher was in the wrong.
be
be against (tr) = be opposed to (often used with gerund):
I'm for doing nothing till the police arrive./I'm against doing anything till the police arrive.
be away (intr) = be away from home/this place for at least a night.
be back (intr) = have returned after a long or short absence:
I want to see Mrs Pitt. Is she in? ~ No. I'm afraid she's out at the moment or
No, I'm afraid she's away for the weekend. ~ When wilt she be back? ~ She'll be back in half an hour/next week.
be for (tr) = be in favor of (often used with gerund).
be in (intr) = be at home/in this building.
be in for (tr) = be about to encounter (usually something unpleasant):
Did you listen to the weather forecast? I'm afraid we're in for a bumpy/light.
If you think that the work is going to be easy you're in for a shock.
be over (intr) = be finished:
The storm is over now; we can go on.
be out (intr) = be away from home/from this building for a short time-not overnight.
be up (intr) = be out of bed:
Don't expect her to answer the doorbell at eight o 'clock on Sunday morning. She won't be up.
bear
bear out (tr) = confirm: .
This report bears out my theory, (bears my theory out/bears it out)
bear up (intr) = support bad news bravely, hide feelings of grief:
The news of her death was a great shock to him but he bore up bravely and none of us realized how much he felt it.
blow
blow out (tr) = extinguish (a flame) by blowing:
The mind blew out the candle, (blew the candle out/blew it out) blow up (tr or intr)
(a) = destroy by an explosion, explode, be destroyed:
They blew up the bridges so that the enemy couldn't follow them. (blew the bridges up/blew them up) Just as we got to the bridge it blew up.
(b) = fill with air, inflate, pump up:
The children blew up their balloons and threw them into the air. (blew the balloons up/blew them up)
boil
boil away (intr) = be boiled until all (the liquid) has evaporated:
I put the kettle on the gas ring and then went away and forgot about
it. When I returned, the water had all boiled away and the flame had
burnt a hole in the kettle.
boil over (intr) = to rise and flow over the sides of the container (used only of hot liquids):
The milk boiled over and there was a horrible smell of burning.
Break
break down figures = take a total and sub-divide it under various
headings so as to give additional information:
You say that lO.OWpeople use this library. Could you break that
down into age-groups? (say how many of these are under 25, over
50 etc.) break down a door etc. = cause to collapse by using force:
The firemen had to break down the door to get into the burning
house, (break the door down/break it down) break down (intr) = collapse, cease to function properly, owing to some fault or weakness:
(a) Used of people, it normally implies a temporary emotional collapse:
He broke down when telling me about his son's tragic death. (He was overcome by his sorrow; he wept.)
(b) It can express collapse of mental resistance-
At first he refused to admit his guilt hut when he was shown the evidence he broke down and confessed.

bum
bum down (tr or intr) = destroy, or be destroyed completely by fire (used of buildings):
They burnt down the embassy, {burnt the embassy
down/burnt it down)
The hotel bumf down before help came.

*Situation**: A concert organizer is talking to a member of a band about their*
upcoming performance.
Harry, I’m sorry to bring this up again, but we might have to call off your
performance next weekend. Tickets just aren’t selling. We’ve even tried giving
some tickets away, but no one wanted them. I think your band just isn’t well
known enough in this city for people to come and watch you. Anyway, we’ll
wait for another few days before deciding for sure. I’ll keep you filled in about
everything as it happens.

MODAL VERBS

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MODAL AUXILIARIES

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GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Which verbs belong to this group?

CAN WILL SHALL MAY MUST NEED

COULD WOULD SHOULD MIGHT OUGHT TO DARE

What is their principal function?

Modal verbs are used with other verbs to express a variety of concepts, moods and attitudes (permission, obligation, etc)

What makes these verbs grammatically different from other verbs?

-Modal verbs have only one form:

I, you, he, she, it, they, we can/ must/ etc.

-They have no infinitive or imperative form.

-There can be only one modal auxiliary in each verbal group.

-They are followed by bare infinitive forms of the verbs (verbs without ‘to’):

I should go. NOT I should to go.

You can swim NOT you can to swim.

-The negative form is formed by adding NOT:

I should not go. NOT I do not should go.

-The +interrogative is formed by inverting the subject and the modal auxiliary:

Should I go……? NOT Do I should go……..?

-Modal auxiliary verbs are used in short answers:

Should I go to cinema?

Yes, you should. NOT yes, you do.

Modal auxiliaries are used in two constructions:

-Modal verb + base of the main verb to refer to a present or future context:

I should go now/ later/ tomorrow.

-Modal verb + have + past participle

of the main verb to refer to a past situation:

I should have gone yesterday.

What are the meanings and functions of each modal auxiliary?

MODAL VERB	FUNCTION	PRESENT/ FUTURE CONTEXT
CAN + BASE	INTELLECTUAL ABILITY	He can speak three languages.
	PHYSICAL ABILITY	The athletes can run the mile in under four minutes.
	POSSIBILITY= be able to / in position to / be possible to	I can lend you some money if you haven’t enough. Can you attend the conference next week? It can be very cold in winter.
	PERMISSION= be allowed to	Daddy says we can go swimming. Can I go to the birthday party?
	ABILITY TO PERCIEVE= with hear, smell, feel, taste, see)	I can smell something burning. Can you see anyone in the garden?
CAN’T + BASE	PHYSICAL/ INTELECTUAL INABILITY (=be unable to/ not be able to / not know how to)	Women can’t run as fast as men. He can’t remember all the irregular verbs. I can’t swim.
	IMPOSSIBILITY	I can’t buy a new car this year. He can’t come to the meeting.
	DEDUCTION	It can’t be true. They can’t be home yet; it is only four o’clock.
	INTERDICTION/ PROHIBITION= not be allowed to	You can’t borrow more than three books at a time. People can’t smoke inside the cinema. You were not allowed to use the swimming pool yesterday. She has never been allowed to travel alone.
CAN’T + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE	IMPROBABILITY IN A PAST CONTEXT	He can’t have taken his father car. He doesn’t know how to drive. They can’t have given him the result. They haven’t finished marking the exam papers.
COULD + BASE	ABILITY IN THE PAST	When I was young, I could swim for hours. But now I can’t. When he lived in France, he could speak French very well. (But he can’tnow.) To refer to a specific action in the past, be able to or managed toreplace could: He was able to mend the garage door alone. They managed to get a good seat for the show.
	POSSIBILITY (present and future)	It’s late, but the shop could still beopen. Look at the clouds. It could rain later on. That noise could be the neighbor’s motorbike.
	SUGGESTION (present and future)	If you miss the train, you could get a taxi. We need a ladder. We could ask the neighbor to lend us his.
	A POLITE REQUEST (present context)	Could you open the door for me, please? Could I borrow your newspaper?
	ABILITY TO PERCIEVE (past context) with see, smell, taste, hear)	We could hear them coming down the road. I could smell the lunch cooking.
	REPOROACH (present context) =expressing disapproval	You could do better than this, you know.
COULDN’T + BASE	INABILITY IN THE PAST	I couldn’t walk until I was a year old. We couldn’t visit our grandfather when we were young. He lived too far away.
	INABILITY ON A SPECIFIC OCCASION IN THE PAST	He couldn’t remember my address. She couldn’t mend the lamp.
	A SUGGESTION (present or future context)	If you need a ladder, couldn’t you borrow your neighbor’s? Couldn’t you repair the chair instead of throwing it away?
	INABILITY TO PRECIEVE (past context)	It was so dark that we couldn’t seeanything. I couldn’t taste the lemon in the cake. Could you?
COULD + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE	POSSIBILITY (in past context)	I could have finished the exercises if I had had more time. She’s lucky to be alive. She could have killed herself.
COULD + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE	REPROACH AND REGRET (past context)	She could have told us she wasn’t coming! (Why didn’t she?). You could have made more effort! (Why didn’t you?)
EXERCISE
SHALL + BASE	AN OFFER= would you like me/ us to... .?	Shall I get you another cup of tea? Shall we do the shopping for you?
SHALL + BASE	A SUGGESTION= I suggest….	Shall we invite our neighbor in for a drink? Let’s invite our neighbors in for a drink, shall we? Shall we try and get tickets for the cup Final? Let’s try and get tickets for the Cup Final, shall we?
SHOULD + BASE	ADVISE/ DESIRABILITY (present or future context)	You should try to understand his point of view. He is too fat. He should lose weight.
SHOULD + BASE	PROBABILITY (future context	They have trained hard for the match. They should win. She has had good marks all the year. She should pass the exam.
OUGHT TO + BASE	DESIRABILITY/ MORAL OBLIGATION (present or future context)	He ought to apologize for what he said. She ought to visit her sick grandmother.
	PROBABILITY	He left early this morning, so he ought to be there by now. Monica Seles ought to beat the unknown English girl in tomorrow’s match.
SHOULDN’T / OUGHTN’T TO + BASE	ADVICE / UNDESIRABILITY (present context)	Parents shouldn’t/ oughtn’t to lettheir children watch TV all day. He shouldn’t/ oughtn’t to be so cruel to the cat.
SHOULDN’T / OUGHTN’T TO + BASE	PROBABILITY	I don’t know where he is, but he shouldn’t be far away. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding his house.
HAD BETTER (NOT) + BASE	ADVICE / UNDESIRABILITY (present or future context)	You had better leave now if you want to catch the early bus. You’d better not to forget your umbrella. It’s going to rain again.
SHOULD / OUGHT TO + HAVE + PAST PARTICPLE	A PAST OBLIGATTION THAT WAS NOT FULFILLED / REGRET	I should / ought to have apologizedto them. But I didn’t. We should / ought to have gone to the meeting. But we didn’t.
SHOULD / OUGHT TO + HAVE + PAST PARTICPLE	DISAPPROVAL / REPROACH (PAST CONTEXT)	You should/ ought to have offeredher something to drink. (Why didn’t you? You should/ ought to have told us you were coming. Why didn’t you?
SHOULDN’T / OUGHTN’T TO + HAVE+ PAST PARTICIPLE	DISAPPROVAL/ REPROACH/ REGRET (past context)	You shouldn’t have been so cruel to the cat. (but he was). You oughtn’t to have been so cruel to the cat. (but he was). They shouldn’t have left the gate open. (Why did you?) They oughtn’t to have left the gate open. (Why did you?) I shouldn’t have said that. (But I did) I oughtn’t to have said that. (But I did)
SHOULDN’T / OUGHTN’T TO + HAVE+ PAST PARTICIPLE	PROBABILITY	I expect they have already arrived. It shouldn’t have taken long to get there.
EXERCISE
WILL + BASE	STRONG PROBABILITY/ ASSUMPTION (present or future context).	The phone rings. “That’ll be Jan. She said she’d phone this evening.” I’m going to ask the secretary. She will know where the manager is
	OFFER	Will you have a cup of coffee? Will you help yourself to another cake?
	REQUEST /INVITATION	Will you lend me your book, please? Lend me you book, will you? Will you come to the theatre with me tomorrow?
	DETERMINATION	I will never go to that restaurant again! We will go, whether our parents like or not!
	PROMISE	I’ll give it back to you tomorrow. (I promise) Don’t worry. I will help you.
WON’T + BASE	STRONG PROBABILITY (present or future	It’s no use phoning Mary now. She won’t be home from work yet. Don’t buy Tom that shirt. He won’t wear it.
	REFUSAL	I won’t marry that awful man! He won’t do anything for me.
	PROMISE	I won’t be rude to you again. (I promise) We won’t get into any more mischief.
WOULD + BASE	REQUEST	Would you lend me your pen, please? Lend me your pen, would you? Would you open the door, please? Open the door, would you?
	DETERMINATION	We tried to stop him, but he would go there. (He insisted on going) I told her the peach wasn’t ripe, but she would eat it.
	HABIT OR REPEATED ACTION (past context)	When he was a child, he would often stand on the bridge and watch the trains go by. Her grandfather would often take her to the cinema when she was young.
WOULDN’T + BASE	REFUSAL (past context)	I invited her to the party, but she wouldn’t come. I wanted to have a ride on his motorbike, but he wouldn’t let me.
WOULD + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE

WOULDN’T + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE

MAY (NOT) + BASE	PERMISSION	May I borrow your ruler? You may come in now.
	PROHIBITION	Students may not take reference books out of the library. Learners may not use the swimming pool after 7 p.m.
	POSSIBILITY/ UNCERTAINTY (present or future context)	I’m not sure what to do on Sunday. I may go to the country. He doesn’t know where his wife is. She may be in the garden. You may or you may not be right.
MAY + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE	POSSIBILITY (deduction about the past)	Betty didn’t come to our party yesterday. She may have forgotten about it. She may not have arrived home from work early enough. She may have had something urgent to do. (We don’t know the reason yet.)
MIGHT + BASE	UNCERTAINTY (present or future context)	I might go to the country on Sunday. (But I doubt it) She might be in the garden. but I doubt it)
	RISK	Don’t touch that dog. It might biteyou! Don’t stay too long. You might missthe last train.
	REPROACH	You might ask me when you want to borrow the car! You might tell me when you know you’re going to be late!
MIGHT + HAVE+PAST PARTICIPLE	UNCERTAINTY (past context)	He might have arrived by now, but I doubt it. She might have phoned earlier, but I doubt it.
	POSSIBILITY IN THE PAST WHICH DIDN’T MATERIALIZE	He was lucky to escape unharmed. He might have killed himself. He might have won, but he didn’t play as well as usual.
	REPROACH	You might at least have told me you were leaving! You might have asked him what he wanted for his birthday instead of wasting your money on that awful tie!
EXERCISE
MUST + BASE	OBLIGATION/ NECESSITY (=have to)	Candidates must obtain an average mark of 10/20 to pass. You must write your name clearly. Must I finish this exercise now?
	CERTAINTY/ DEDUCTION (present context)	The phone is ringing. It must beSusan. She usually phones at this time. You must be tired after such a long journey!
	Have to replaces must in other tenses	I will have to go to the doctor’s if I don’t feel better tomorrow. I’ve had to buy a new watch. Somebody stole my other one. He’d (would) have to borrow money from his parents if he didn’t have enough.
MUSTN’T + BASE	PROHIBITION/ INTERDICTION (=not be allowed to/ be forbidden to) (present and future context)	You mustn’t drive on the right-hand side of the road in England. You mustn’t park your car in a no-parking zone.
MUSTN’T + BASE	Not be allowed to replace mustn’t in other tenses	They weren’t allowed to park in front of the theatre. You won’t be allowed to visit him until he’s better.
NEEDN’T + BASE	ABSENCE OF OBLIGATION OR NECESSITY (present or future context)	You needn’t attend this meeting if you don’t want to. We needn’t take our coats. It isn’t cold. Must we finish the work today? Yes, you must OR No, you needn’t. Need we finish the work today? Yes, you must OR No, you needn’t.
NEEDN’T + BASE	Doesn’t/ don’t have to may be used in place of needn’t	You don’t have to attend this meeting if you don’t want to. He doesn’t have to work in the evening if he doesn’t want to.
EXERCISE
MUST+ HAVE+ PAST PARTICIPLE	PROBABILITY / DEDUCTION (past context)	He must have been very tired after his long journey yesterday. They must have finished by now; it’s midnight!
MUST+ HAVE+ PAST PARTICIPLE	Had to + base is used to denote obligation in the past	He must have gone to the doctors. (I’m almost certain he has gone to the doctor’s). He had to go to the doctor’s. (He went to the doctor’s because he was ill- it was necessary). She must have paid a lot of money for this vase. (It looks expensive, so I suppose she paid a lot for it). She had to pay a lot of money for this vase. (It was, in fact, expensive, so she paid a lot for it).
NEEDN’T + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE	ACTIONS PEROFRMED UNNECESSARILY IN THE PAST	The train was late, so he needn’t have run to the station this morning. (But he did). We have got plenty of milk. She needn’t have bought this bottle. (But she did).
	Didn’t need to denote an action that wasn’t performed because it wasn’t necessary.	He had some cash, so he needn’t have gone to the bank. (But he did). He had some cash, so he didn’t need to go to the bank. (And he didn’t go). I have solved the problem, so I needn’t have bothered you. (But I did). I have solved the problem, so I didn’t need to bother you. (And I didn’t).
DARE + BASE	= HAVE THE COURAGE TO It is used mainly in the interrogative and negative forms	I daren’t dive from this board. It is too high! He daren’t disobey his father. Dare we borrow the care without permission? How dare he speak to me like that? No one dare ask what really happened. (The verb is affirmative, but the implication is negative.)