This is often used in hospitals or nurseries. Hold on to the railing, that way you won’t fall. This verb suggests clinging to or holding something for a long time. They landed in Paris and then went on to Montpellier. This also happens when someone is telling you something and you encourage them to continue talking and say, “Go on, go on.” In this case, giving up is the best option.ĭo you remember when Celine Dion sang “My Heart Will Go On” in Titanic ? That is, my heart will continue, it won’t give up. If you’re talking about a vice, though, it’s quite the opposite. It’s not always good to surrender in life, we must continue fighting until we achieve our goals. This verb can have two interpretations: to throw in the towel or to abandon something. Have you heard? Dave has gotten over the flu. So, get over can be “to overcome a fear”, “to stop worrying about something”, or “to recover from illness”. For example, when you’re being supportive and tell a friend, “Hey, get over it. The word over suggests being above something. The little boy was carrying on, shouting and kicking all day long. We also use it to suggest a person control their animal to stop it from attacking something.Ĭall off your dog! He’s attacking my cat.Īdding on to a verb gives you a sense of continuity or permanence in time.Ĭarry on may also suggest childish behaviour. This usually happens a lot in marriages, when one spouse makes a criticism, for example:ĭo you recall that the words ON/OFF are used for light switches? When off accompanies a verb, it will give that connotation of “reject” or “turn off” to the verb that precedes it.įor example, call off means “to stop doing” or “to stop planning” something. It’s also used when someone wants to bring up an event, memory, or comment from the past. Their grandparents brought them up because their parents were always travelling. It implies accompaniment, care, and protection from the earliest stages of life. This means “to nurture”, “to raise”, or “to teach” a child. When I said I couldn’t go to her party, she blew up.

A third meaning is “to inflate” or “to fill something with air”, like a balloon. Someone’s temper can also “explode”, meaning that they become quite angry. Each one can have different meanings and uses depending on the context.īlow up means “explode”, like a bomb, for example. Little by little, you’ll realise that phrasal verbs enrich the semantics of English exponentially.

Phrasal verbs list