Phrasal Verbs List

Phrasal verbs are usually two-word phrases consisting of verb + adverb or verb + preposition. Think of them as you would any other English vocabulary. Study them as you come across them, rather than trying to memorize many at once. Use the list below as a reference guide when you find an expression that you don't recognize. The examples will help you understand the meanings. If you think of each phrasal verb as a separate verb with a specific meaning, you will be able to remember it more easily. Like many other verbs, phrasal verbs often have more than one meaning.

This list shows about 200 common phrasal verbs, with meanings and examples. Only the most usual meanings are given. Some phrasal verbs may have additional meanings.

Verb	Meaning	Example
ask someone out	invite on a date	Brian asked Judy out to dinner and a movie.
ask around	ask many people the same question	I asked around but nobody has seen my wallet.
add up to something	equal	Your purchases add up to $205.32.
back something up	reverse	You'll have to back up your car so that I can get out.
back someone up	support	My wife backed me up over my decision to quit my job.
blow up	explode	The racing car blew up after it crashed into the fence.
blow something up	add air	We have to blow 50 balloons up for the party.
break down	stop functioning (vehicle, machine)	Our car broke down at the side of the highway in the snowstorm.
break down	get upset	The woman broke down when the police told her that her son had died.
break something down	divide into smaller parts	Our teacher broke the final project down into three separate parts.
break in	force entry to a building	Somebody broke in last night and stole our stereo.
break into something	enter forcibly	The firemen had to break into the room to rescue the children.
break something in	wear something a few times so that it doesn't look/feel new	I need to break these shoes in before we run next week.
break in	interrupt	The TV station broke in to report the news of the president's death.
break up	end a relationship	My boyfriend and I broke up before I moved to America.
break up	start laughing (informal)	The kids just broke up as soon as the clown started talking.
break out	escape	The prisoners broke out of jail when the guards weren't looking.
break out in something	develop a skin condition	I broke out in a rash after our camping trip.
bring someone down	make unhappy	This sad music is bringing me down.
bring someone up	raise a child	My grandparents brought me up after my parents died.
bring something up	start talking about a subject	My mother walks out of the room when my father brings up sports.
bring something up	vomit	He drank so much that he brought his dinner up in the toilet.
call around	phone many different places/people	We called around but we weren't able to find the car part we needed.
call someone back	return a phone call	I called the company back but the offices were closed for the weekend.
call something off	cancel	Jason called the wedding off because he wasn't in love with his fiancé.
call on someone	ask for an answer or opinion	The professor called on me for question 1.
call on someone	visit someone	We called on you last night but you weren't home.
call someone up	phone	Give me your phone number and I will call you up when we are in town.
calm down	relax after being angry	You are still mad. You need to calm down before you drive the car.
not care for someone/something	not like (formal)	I don't care for his behaviour.
catch up	get to the same point as someone else	You'll have to run faster than that if you want to catch up with Marty.
check in	arrive and register at a hotel or airport	We will get the hotel keys when we check in.
check out	leave a hotel	You have to check out of the hotel before 11:00 AM.
check someone/something out	look at carefully, investigate	The company checks out all new employees.
check out someone/something	look at (informal)	Check out the crazy hair on that guy!
cheer up	become happier	She cheered up when she heard the good news.
cheer someone up	make happier	I brought you some flowers to cheer you up.
chip in	help	If everyone chips in we can get the kitchen painted by noon.
clean something up	tidy, clean	Please clean up your bedroom before you go outside.
come across something	find unexpectedly	I came across these old photos when I was tidying the closet.
come apart	separate	The top and bottom come apart if you pull hard enough.
come down with something	become sick	My nephew came down with chicken pox this weekend.
come forward	volunteer for a task or to give evidence	The woman came forward with her husband's finger prints.
come from somewhere	originate in	The art of origami comes from Asia.
count on someone/something	rely on	I am counting on you to make dinner while I am out.
cross something out	draw a line through	Please cross out your old address and write your new one.
cut back on something	consume less	My doctor wants me to cut back on sweets and fatty foods.
cut something down	make something fall to the ground	We had to cut the old tree in our yard down after the storm.
cut in	interrupt	Your father cut in while I was dancing with your uncle.
cut in	pull in too closely in front of another vehicle	The bus driver got angry when that car cut in.
cut in	start operating (of an engine or electrical device)	The air conditioner cuts in when the temperature gets to 22°C.
cut something off	remove with something sharp	The doctors cut off his leg because it was severely injured.
cut something off	stop providing	The phone company cut off our phone because we didn't pay the bill.
cut someone off	take out of a will	My grandparents cut my father off when he remarried.
cut something out	remove part of something (usually with scissors and paper)	I cut this ad out of the newspaper.
do someone/something over	beat up, ransack (Br.E., informal)	He's lucky to be alive. His shop was done over by a street gang.
do something over	do again (N.Amer.)	My teacher wants me to do my essay over because she doesn't like my topic.
do away with something	discard	It's time to do away with all of these old tax records.
do something up	fasten, close	Do your coat up before you go outside. It's snowing!
dress up	wear nice clothing	It's a fancy restaurant so we have to dress up.
drop back	move back in a position/group	Andrea dropped back to third place when she fell off her bike.
drop in/by/over	come without an appointment	I might drop in/by/over for tea some time this week.
drop someone/something off	take someone/something somewhere and leave them/it there	I have to drop my sister off at work before I come over.
drop out	quit a class, school etc	I dropped out of Science because it was too difficult.
eat out	eat at a restaurant	I don't feel like cooking tonight. Let's eat out.
end up	eventually reach/do/decide	We ended up renting a movie instead of going to the theatre.
fall apart	break into pieces	My new dress fell apart in the washing machine.
fall down	fall to the ground	The picture that you hung up last night fell down this morning.
fall out	separate from an interior	The money must have fallen out of my pocket.
fall out	(of hair, teeth) become loose and unattached	His hair started to fall out when he was only 35.
figure something out	understand, find the answer	I need to figure out how to fit the piano and the bookshelf in this room.
fill something in	to write information in blanks (Br.E.)	Please fill in the form with your name, address, and phone number.
fill something out	to write information in blanks (N.Amer.)	The form must be filled out in capital letters.
fill something up	fill to the top	I always fill the water jug up when it is empty.
find out	discover	We don't know where he lives. How can we find out?
find something out	discover	We tried to keep the time of the party a secret, but Samantha found it out.
get something across/over	communicate, make understandable	I tried to get my point across/over to the judge but she wouldn't listen.
get along/on	like each other	I was surprised how well my new girlfriend and my sister got along/on.
get around	have mobility	My grandfather can get around fine in his new wheelchair.
get away	go on a vacation	We worked so hard this year that we had to get away for a week.
get away with something	do without being noticed or punished	Jason always gets away with cheating in his maths tests.
get back	return	We got back from our vacation last week.
get something back	receive something you had before	Liz finally got her Science notes back from my room-mate.
get back at someone	retaliate, take revenge	My sister got back at me for stealing her shoes. She stole my favourite hat.
get back into something	become interested in something again	I finally got back into my novel and finished it.
get on something	step onto a vehicle	We're going to freeze out here if you don't let us get on the bus.
get over something	recover from an illness, loss, difficulty	I just got over the flu and now my sister has it.
get over something	overcome a problem	The company will have to close if it can't get over the new regulations.
get round to something	finally find time to do (N.Amer.: get around to something)	I don't know when I am going to get round to writing the thank you cards.
get together	meet (usually for social reasons)	Let's get together for a BBQ this weekend.
get up	get out of bed	I got up early today to study for my exam.
get up	stand	You should get up and give the elderly man your seat.
give someone away	reveal hidden information about someone	His wife gave him away to the police.
give someone away	take the bride to the altar	My father gave me away at my wedding.
give something away	ruin a secret	My little sister gave the surprise party away by accident.
give something away	give something to someone for free	The library was giving away old books on Friday.
give something back	return a borrowed item	I have to give these skates back to Franz before his hockey game.
give in	reluctantly stop fighting or arguing	My boyfriend didn't want to go to the ballet, but he finally gave in.
give something out	give to many people (usually at no cost)	They were giving out free perfume samples at the department store.
give something up	quit a habit	I am giving up smoking as of January 1st.
give up	stop trying	My maths homework was too difficult so I gave up.
go after someone	follow someone	My brother tried to go after the thief in his car.
go after something	try to achieve something	I went after my dream and now I am a published writer.
go against someone	compete, oppose	We are going against the best soccer team in the city tonight.
go ahead	start, proceed	Please go ahead and eat before the food gets cold.
go back	return to a place	I have to go back home and get my lunch.
go out	leave home to go on a social event	We're going out for dinner tonight.
go out with someone	date	Jesse has been going out with Luke since they met last winter.
go over something	review	Please go over your answers before you submit your test.
go over	visit someone nearby	I haven't seen Tina for a long time. I think I'll go over for an hour or two.
go without something	suffer lack or deprivation	When I was young, we went without winter boots.
grow apart	stop being friends over time	My best friend and I grew apart after she changed schools.
grow back	regrow	My roses grew back this summer.
grow up	become an adult	When Jack grows up he wants to be a fireman.
grow out of something	get too big for	Elizabeth needs a new pair of shoes because she has grown out of her old ones.
grow into something	grow big enough to fit	This bike is too big for him now, but he should grow into it by next year.
hand something down	give something used to someone else	I handed my old comic books down to my little cousin.
hand something in	submit	I have to hand in my essay by Friday.
hand something out	to distribute to a group of people	We will hand out the invitations at the door.
hand something over	give (usually unwillingly)	The police asked the man to hand over his wallet and his weapons.
hang in	stay positive (N.Amer., informal)	Hang in there. I'm sure you'll find a job very soon.
hang on	wait a short time (informal)	Hang on while I grab my coat and shoes!
hang out	spend time relaxing (informal)	Instead of going to the party we are just going to hang out at my place.
hang up	end a phone call	He didn't say goodbye before he hung up.
hold someone/something back	prevent from doing/going	I had to hold my dog back because there was a cat in the park.
hold something back	hide an emotion	Jamie held back his tears at his grandfather's funeral.
hold on	wait a short time	Please hold on while I transfer you to the Sales Department.
hold onto someone/something	hold firmly using your hands or arms	Hold onto your hat because it's very windy outside.
hold someone/somethingup	rob	A man in a black mask held the bank up this morning.
keep on doing something	continue doing	Keep on stirring until the liquid comes to a boil.
keep something from someone	not tell	We kept our relationship from our parents for two years.
keep someone/something out	stop from entering	Try to keep the wet dog out of the living room.
keep something up	continue at the same rate	If you keep those results up you will get into a great college.
let someone down	fail to support or help, disappoint	I need you to be on time. Don't let me down this time.
let someone in	allow to enter	Can you let the cat in before you go to school?
look after someone/something	take care of	I have to look after my sick grandmother.
look down on someone	think less of, consider inferior	Ever since we stole that chocolate bar your dad has looked down on me.
look for someone/something	try to find	I'm looking for a red dress for the wedding.
look forward to something	be excited about the future	I'm looking forward to the Christmas break.
look into something	investigate	We are going to look into the price of snowboards today.
look out	be careful, vigilant, and take notice	Look out! That car's going to hit you!
look out for someone/something	be especially vigilant for	Don't forget to look out for snakes on the hiking trail.
look something over	check, examine	Can you look over my essay for spelling mistakes?
look something up	search and find information in a reference book or database	We can look her phone number up on the Internet.
look up to someone	have a lot of respect for	My little sister has always looked up to me.
make something up	invent, lie about something	Josie made up a story about about why we were late.
make up	forgive each other	We were angry last night, but we made up at breakfast.
make someone up	apply cosmetics to	My sisters made me up for my graduation party.
mix something up	confuse two or more things	I mixed up the twins' names again!
pass away	die	His uncle passed away last night after a long illness.
pass out	faint	It was so hot in the church that an elderly lady passed out.
pass something out	give the same thing to many people	The professor passed the textbooks out before class.
pass something up	decline (usually something good)	I passed up the job because I am afraid of change.
pay someone back	return owed money	Thanks for buying my ticket. I'll pay you back on Friday.
pay for something	be punished for doing something bad	That bully will pay for being mean to my little brother.
pick something out	choose	I picked out three sweaters for you to try on.
point someone/something out	indicate with your finger	I'll point my boyfriend out when he runs by.
put something down	put what you are holding on a surface or floor	You can put the groceries down on the kitchen counter.
put someone down	insult, make someone feel stupid	The students put the substitute teacher down because his pants were too short.
put something off	postpone	We are putting off our trip until January because of the hurricane.
put something out	extinguish	The neighbours put the fire out before the firemen arrived.
put something together	assemble	I have to put the crib together before the baby arrives.
put up with someone/something	tolerate	I don't think I can put up with three small children in the car.
put something on	put clothing/accessories on your body	Don't forget to put on your new earrings for the party.
run into someone/something	meet unexpectedly	I ran into an old school-friend at the mall.
run over someone/something	drive a vehicle over a person or thing	I accidentally ran over your bicycle in the driveway.
run over/through something	rehearse, review	Let's run over/through these lines one more time before the show.
run away	leave unexpectedly, escape	The child ran away from home and has been missing for three days.
run out	have none left	We ran out of shampoo so I had to wash my hair with soap.
send something back	return (usually by mail)	My letter got sent back to me because I used the wrong stamp.
set something up	arrange, organize	Our boss set a meeting up with the president of the company.
set someone up	trick, trap	The police set up the car thief by using a hidden camera.
shop around	compare prices	I want to shop around a little before I decide on these boots.
show off	act extra special for people watching (usually boastfully)	He always shows off on his skateboard
sleep over	stay somewhere for the night (informal)	You should sleep over tonight if the weather is too bad to drive home.
sort something out	organize, resolve a problem	We need to sort the bills out before the first of the month.
stick to something	continue doing something, limit yourself to one particular thing	You will lose weight if you stick to the diet.
switch something off	stop the energy flow, turn off	The light's too bright. Could you switch it off.
switch something on	start the energy flow, turn on	We heard the news as soon as we switched on the car radio.
take after someone	resemble a family member	I take after my mother. We are both impatient.
take something apart	purposely break into pieces	He took the car brakes apart and found the problem.
take something back	return an item	I have to take our new TV back because it doesn't work.
take off	start to fly	My plane takes off in five minutes.
take something off	remove something (usually clothing)	Take off your socks and shoes and come in the lake!
take something out	remove from a place or thing	Can you take the garbage out to the street for me?
take someone out	pay for someone to go somewhere with you	My grandparents took us out for dinner and a movie.
tear something up	rip into pieces	I tore up my ex-boyfriend's letters and gave them back to him.
think back	remember (often + to, sometimes + on)	When I think back on my youth, I wish I had studied harder.
think something over	consider	I'll have to think this job offer over before I make my final decision.
throw something away	dispose of	We threw our old furniture away when we won the lottery.
turn something down	decrease the volume or strength (heat, light etc)	Please turn the TV down while the guests are here.
turn something down	refuse	I turned the job down because I don't want to move.
turn something off	stop the energy flow, switch off	Your mother wants you to turn the TV off and come for dinner.
turn something on	start the energy, switch on	It's too dark in here. Let's turn some lights on.
turn something up	increase the volume or strength (heat, light etc)	Can you turn the music up? This is my favourite song.
turn up	appear suddenly	Our cat turned up after we put posters up all over the neighbourhood.
try something on	sample clothing	I'm going to try these jeans on, but I don't think they will fit.
try something out	test	I am going to try this new brand of detergent out.
use something up	finish the supply	The kids used all of the toothpaste up so we need to buy some more.
wake up	stop sleeping	We have to wake up early for work on Monday.
warm someone/something up	increase the temperature	You can warm your feet up in front of the fireplace.
warm up	prepare body for exercise	I always warm up by doing sit-ups before I go for a run.
wear off	fade away	Most of my make-up wore off before I got to the party.
work out	exercise	I work out at the gym three times a week.
work out	be successful	Our plan worked out fine.
work something out	make a calculation	We have to work out the total cost before we buy the house.

Prepositions Short List

A short list of 70 common English prepositions

Here is a list of 70 of the more common one-word prepositions. Many of these prepositions have more than one meaning. Please refer to a dictionary for precise meaning and usage.

aboard
about
above
across
after
against
along
amid
among
anti
around
as
at

before
behind
below
beneath
beside
besides
between
beyond
but
by

concerning
considering

despite
down
during

except
excepting
excluding

following
for
from

in
inside
into

minus

near

of
off
on
onto
opposite
outside
over

past
per
plus

regarding
round

save
since

than
through
to
toward
towards

under
underneath
unlike
until
up
upon

versus
via

with
within
without

Prepositions beginning with A

One-word prepositions

aboard

We went aboard the boat.
Is there a doctor aboard the plane?

about

What do you think about Mary?
Let's talk about something different.
I've just read a book about President Kennedy.
The lion was pacing about its cage.

above

We are flying above the clouds.
We live in the hills, 1,000 metres above sea-level.
It's only two degrees above freezing point. [+2ºC]
Who came above you in the test results?

across

We drove across the desert.
The dog ran across the road.
There is a bridge across the river.
She lives in the house across the street. It's nearly opposite mine.

after (also conjunction)

We had lunch [1pm] after the meeting [11am].
Let's meet the day after tomorrow.

against

Did you vote for or against the suggestion?
He put his bicycle against the wall.

along

We walked along the beach for two miles.
There are trees along the road.
The toilet is along the corridor.

alongside

Their boat came alongside our boat.
Team A worked alongside Team B during construction.

amid | amidst (poetic)

I couldn't hear her amid the noise.
We were lost amidst the trees.

among | amongst (mainly British English)

Is there a doctor among us?
There were secret police among the crowd.
I was amongst strangers. I didn't know anyone.

anti

He seems to be anti my idea.
Some people are anti everything.

around

We walked around the town for an hour.
They all sat around the camp fire.
There is a big fence around the house.
He was born around 1570.
Let's meet around 7pm.

as (also conjunction)

He is working as a waiter.
The risk is as nothing compared to the profit.
Ram is as tall as Anthony.

astride

She sat astride the horse.

He is at school.
We first met at a party.
Let's start the meeting at 9 o'clock.
He started work at 17 (years of age).
We are aiming at sales of $1,000,000.

atop (poetic)

The church is situated atop a hill.

Complex prepositions

according to

According to John, Mary was late. I believe John.

ahead of

Anthony is ahead of Rachel in the race. He'll win.
We have a long day ahead of us. Let's get going!

à la (from French)

It's a TV show à la CNN. Same style, similar content.

along with

Do you want some pork along with the chicken?

apart from

Nobody objected apart from you, so we did it.

as for

As for Matt, he will arrive later.

aside from

I have another car aside from this one. Both are red.

as per

We must work strictly as per the law.

as to

As to your behaviour, I think you were wrong.

as well as

You should telephone as well as write, just to be sure.

away from
The cat ran away from the dog and escaped.

Prepositions beginning with B

One-word prepositions

bar

Everyone came bar Angela.
He is the best bar none.

barring

Barring rain, we'll play tennis tomorrow.

before (also conjunction)

We had lunch [1pm] before the meeting [3pm].
We met the day before yesterday.
She was before me in the queue.
I would rather die before doing that.

behind

There is a police car behind us. It's following us.
We have a garden behind our house.
The child was hiding behind the tree.
I am behind your project. I will support it.
Vonica finished behind Shirley in the race.
She is behind the other children in her class.

below

Much of Holland is below sea-level.
There is a family in the flat below us.
The temperature is 5 degrees below freezing point. [-5ºC]
I came below Vonica in the test.
You can buy it if it's below $50.

beneath

Our garage is beneath our house.
The tunnel runs beneath the sea.
Laurence is beneath the General Manager.
It was beneath his dignity to do that.

beside

The river runs beside our house.
James was sitting beside Miriam.

besides

What shall we have besides coffee?

between

Tara was sitting between Ram and Ati.
Between you and me, I think she's crazy.
I can meet you between 1pm and 2pm.

beyond

Can you see someone in the distance, beyond that house?
This is too difficult. It's beyond me.
The meeting continued beyond midnight.

but (also conjunction)

Everyone came but Andrea.

We came by car.
Fireworks were invented by the Chinese.
He was shot by a professional killer.
It happened by accident.
He lost the race by five seconds.
The room is 10 metres by 6 metres.
We must finish by Tuesday.
We were sitting by the window.
By my calculation he must be 73.

Complex prepositions

because of

We can't play tennis because of the rain.

but for

It's your fault! But for you, I'd have been on time.

by means of

You open a door by means of its handle.

Prepositions beginning with C

One-word prepositions

circa

He died circa 1270.

concerning

Your teacher talked to me concerning your homework.
I have some questions concerning your decision.

considering

Considering the poor quality, I think the price is too high.
I think I must be going, considering the time.

counting

There were four people, or five counting the baby.
That makes $70, not counting the tax.

cum

I have a study-cum-bedroom.
She is a kind of secretary-cum-receptionist.

Complex prepositions

close to

My car is close to your car. About two cars away.

contrary to

Contrary to expectations, the euro fell in value.

Prepositions beginning with D

One-word prepositions

despite

We went swimming despite the cold water.
He passed the test despite being ill.

down

They ran down the hill.
The post office is down the road.
They have had many wars down the years.

during

He fell asleep during the meeting.
I want to go swimming during the weekend.
I was bored during the whole film.

Complex prepositions

depending on

We'll play tennis tomorrow, depending on the rain.

due to

The cancellation was due to the rain. There was no other reason.

Prepositions beginning with E

One-word prepositions

except

You can have any colour except blue. There is no more blue.
They all came except Stephen. He didn't want to come.

excepting

I can eat anything excepting pork. It makes me sick.
Excepting Jo, everyone was present. No-one knew where Jo was.

excluding

It costs $70, excluding $10 for delivery. (Total = $80.)
We open every day excluding Christmas Day. On Christmas Day we have a holiday.

Complex prepositions

except for

Everyone was present, except for Mary. She stayed at home.

Prepositions Beginning with F

One-word prepositions

following

We had coffee following lunch.
He couldn't work following his illness.

for (also conjunction)

This is for you.
Do you want to go for a walk?
You use a corkscrew for opening bottles.
Cigarettes are bad for you.
I'm saving for a new car.
Is this the road for Rome?
They passed me over for John.
Is this the train for Cambridge?
I bought it for $10.
We worked for three hours.
Keep walking for two kilometres.

from

Where do you come from?
This letter is from my wife.
I bought this car from Henry.
They prevented me from entering.
My car is different from yours.
We worked from Monday to Wednesday.
Paper is made from wood.
It can cost anything from $5 to $15.
The police took my driving licence from me.
He died from overwork.

Complex prepositions

forward of

He was sitting forward of me in the plane. I could just see the back of his head.

further to

Further to your letter, I have spoken to Mr Brown.

Prepositions beginning with G

One-word prepositions

given

He is in very good health, given his age. He's at least 95.
Given the time, you ought to leave now.

gone (mainly British English)

It's certainly gone 11 o'clock. It must be 11.30.
He's gone 50. He must be nearly 60 years old.

Prepositions beginning with I

One-word prepositions

Monkeys live in the jungle.
John is the man with his hand in his pocket.
I live in an apartment.
She lives in Bangkok.
Tara was born in 1977.
Trains were invented in the nineteenth century.
I'll come back in two weeks.
Let's meet in the morning.
There are 60 seconds in a minute.

including

The price is $70 including $10 for delivery. (Total = $70.)
There were four of us, including the baby.

inside

It was dark inside the tunnel.
My modem is inside my computer. It's an internal modem.

into

John went into that shop.
If you heat ice it turns into water.
We cut the cake into ten pieces.
Five into ten makes two.

Complex prepositions

in addition to

There were two people in addition to me. So that made three of us.

in between

He is in between the two opinions. He wants to compromise.

in case of

You can phone me in case of need. Day or night.

in face of

He reacts bravely in face of danger.

in favour of

I am not in favour of your idea. It won't work.

in front of

You can park your car in front of my house.
I couldn't see the film because the woman in front of me was wearing a big hat.

in lieu of

I don't have any dollars. Can I pay euro in lieu of dollars?

in spite of

We went swimming in spite of the cold water.

instead of

We don't have any tea. Would you like coffee instead of tea?

in view of

In view of your illness, we will wait for a week.

Prepositions beginning with L

One-word prepositions

less

10 less 3 = 7.

like

She is like her sister.
She sings like a bird.
It's not like John to complain.
Do it like this.
I feel like swimming.
It looks like rain.
I want something cold, like iced-coffee.

Prepositions beginning with M

One-word prepositions

minus

10 minus 3 = 7.
The temperature is minus 30 degrees centigrade.

Prepositions beginning with N

One-word prepositions

near

The school is near the post office.
It's 20 December. We are very near Christmas Day.

notwithstanding

Notwithstanding the low price, I don't want it.
They went swimming, notwithstanding the rain.
They went swimming, the rain notwithstanding.

Complex prepositions

near to

There is a restaurant near to my office. Just two minutes away.

next to

The school is next to the bank. Between the hotel and the bank.

Summary of Punctuation Marks

Click on the link for each punctuation mark to find out more.

Punctuation Mark	Name	Example
	full stop or period	I like English.
	comma	I speak English, French and Thai.
	semi-colon	I don't often go swimming; I prefer to play tennis.
	colon	You have two choices: finish the work today or lose the contract.
	hyphen	This is a rather out-of-date book.
	dash	In each town—London, Paris and Rome—we stayed in youth hostels.
	question mark	Where is Shangri-La?
	exclamation mark exclamation point (AmE)	"Help!" she cried. "I'm drowning!"
	slash, forward slash or oblique	Please press your browser's Refresh/Reload button.
	backslash	C:\Users\Files\jse.doc
	double quotation marks	"I love you," she said.
	single quotation marks	'I love you,' she said.
	apostrophe	This is John's car.
	underline	Have you read War and Peace?
	underscore	bin_lad@cia.gov
	round brackets	I went to Bangkok (my favourite city) and stayed there for two weeks.
	square brackets	The newspaper reported that the hostages [most of them French] had been released.
	ellipsis mark	One happy customer wrote: "This is the best program...that I have ever seen."

Countable Nouns

Countable nouns are easy to recognize. They are things that we can count. For example: "pen". We can count pens. We can have one, two, three or more pens. Here are some more countable nouns:

dog, cat, animal, man, person
bottle, box, litre
coin, note, dollar
cup, plate, fork
table, chair, suitcase, bag

Countable nouns can be singular or plural:

My dog is playing.
My dogs are hungry.

We can use the indefinite article a/an with countable nouns:

A dog is an animal.

When a countable noun is singular, we must use a word like a/the/my/this with it:

I want an orange. (not I want orange.)
Where is my bottle? (not Where is bottle?)

When a countable noun is plural, we can use it alone:

I like oranges.
Bottles can break.

We can use some and any with countable nouns:

I've got some dollars.
Have you got any pens?

We can use a few and many with countable nouns:

I've got a few dollars.
I haven't got many pens.

Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns are substances, concepts etc that we cannot divide into separate elements. We cannot "count" them. For example, we cannot count "milk". We can count "bottles of milk" or "litres of milk", but we cannot count "milk" itself. Here are some more uncountable nouns:

music, art, love, happiness
advice, information, news
furniture, luggage
rice, sugar, butter, water
electricity, gas, power
money, currency

We usually treat uncountable nouns as singular. We use a singular verb. For example:

This news is very important.
Your luggage looks heavy.

We do not usually use the indefinite article a/an with uncountable nouns. We cannot say "an information" or "a music". But we can say a something of:

a piece of news
a bottle of water
a grain of rice

We can use some and any with uncountable nouns:

I've got some money.
Have you got any rice?

We can use a little and much with uncountable nouns:

I've got a little money.
I haven't got much rice.

Uncountable nouns are also called "mass nouns".

Here are some more examples of countable and uncountable nouns:

Countable	Uncountable
dollar	money
song	music
suitcase	luggage
table	furniture
battery	electricity
bottle	wine
report	information
tip	advice
journey	travel
job	work
view	scenery

Nouns that can be Countable and Uncountable

Sometimes, the same noun can be countable and uncountable, often with a change of meaning.

Countable		Uncountable
There are two hairs in my coffee!	hair	I don't have much hair.
There are two lights in our bedroom.	light	Close the curtain. There's too much light!
Shhhhh! I thought I heard a noise. There are so many different noises in the city.	noise	It's difficult to work when there is too much noise.
Have you got a paper to read? (newspaper) Hand me those student papers.	paper	I want to draw a picture. Have you got some paper?
Our house has seven rooms.	room	Is there room for me to sit here?
We had a great time at the party. How many times have I told you no?	time	Have you got time for a coffee?
Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's greatest works.	work	I have no money. I need work!

Simple Present

FORM

[VERB] + s/es in third person

Examples:

You speak English.
Do you speak English?
You do not speak English.

Complete List of Simple Present Forms

USE 1 Repeated Actions

Use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is repeated or usual. The action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens. It can also be something a person often forgets or usually does not do.

Examples:

I play tennis.
She does not play tennis.
Does he play tennis?
The train leaves every morning at 8 AM.
The train does not leave at 9 AM.
When does the train usually leave?
She always forgets her purse.
He never forgets his wallet.
Every twelve months, the Earth circles the Sun.
Does the Sun circle the Earth?

USE 2 Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Present can also indicate the speaker believes that a fact was true before, is true now, and will be true in the future. It is not important if the speaker is correct about the fact. It is also used to make generalizations about people or things.

Examples:

Cats like milk.
Birds do not like milk.
Do pigs like milk?
California is in America.
California is not in the United Kingdom.
Windows are made of glass.
Windows are not made of wood.
New York is a small city. It is not important that this fact is untrue.

USE 3 Scheduled Events in the Near Future

Speakers occasionally use Simple Present to talk about scheduled events in the near future. This is most commonly done when talking about public transportation, but it can be used with other scheduled events as well.

Examples:

The train leaves tonight at 6 PM.
The bus does not arrive at 11 AM, it arrives at 11 PM.
When do we board the plane?
The party starts at 8 o'clock.
When does class begin tomorrow?

USE 4 Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)

Speakers sometimes use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is happening or is not happening now. This can only be done with Non-Continuous Verbs and certain Mixed Verbs.

Examples:

I am here now.
She is not here now.
He needs help right now.
He does not need help now.
He has his passport in his hand.
Do you have your passport with you?

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

You only speak English.
Do you only speak English?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

Once a week, Tom cleans the car. Active
Once a week, the car is cleaned by Tom. Passive

Simple Present