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Phrasal verb: pack up

Angela Boothroyd — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:34:21 +0000

1. To pack up something (or pack something up) is to collect your things together and put them into bags or boxes so that you can take or send them somewhere.

Examples of use:

a) We got to the market late – the sellers were packing up their stalls and going home.

b) Her husband packed up his possessions and moved out on Saturday.

c) On the last day of the festival people began to pack up their tents and head for home

d) The builders stopped work and packed up their tools at 3pm.

2. If a machine or piece of equipment packs up it stops working.

UK informal English.

Examples of use:

a) I'm sorry I'm late. My car packed up on the way here!

b) My washing machine has packed up again.

3. To pack up is to finish work for the day.

Informal English.

Example of use:

We pack up early on Fridays and go for a meal and a couple of drinks.

4. To pack up something is to stop doing something.

Example of use:

He packed up smoking on New Year's Eve.

infinitive	pack up
present simple	pack up and packs up
-ing form	packing up
past simple	packed up
past participle	packed up

Can you write a sentence using this phrasal verb?

Has your car ever packed up?

Image © Arian Zwegers

Phrasal verb: skive off

Angela Boothroyd — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:11:36 +0000

To skive off (something) is to not go to work or school when you should go. If you skive off lessons or work you do not attend or turn up.

Informal UK English.

Examples of use:

1. We skived off work and went surfing.

2. She phoned work and told her boss she was ill, but he knew she was skiving off.

3. He always skives off when we have maths at school.

4. We got into trouble for skiving off school.

5. Shall we skive off our English lessons today?

infinitive	skive off
present simple	skive off and skives off
-ing form	skiving off
past simple	skived off
past participle	skived off

Have you ever skived off work or school?

Can you use this phrasal verb in a sentence?

Image © Egor Pasko

Phrasal verb: bring forward

Angela Boothroyd — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:02:08 +0000

To bring forward something (or bring something forward) is to change its date or time so that it happens earlier than planned.

Examples of use:

a) They have brought their wedding forward to July.

b) Next week’s training session has been brought forward to Friday afternoon.

c) Can you bring the meeting forward a week?

d) They have brought my interview forward to tomorrow!

infinitive	bring forward
present simple	bring forward and brings forward
-ing form	bringing forward
past simple	brought forward
past participle	brought forward

Phrasal verb: run something by somebody

Angela Boothroyd — Sun, 29 May 2011 23:06:20 +0000

To run something by someone is to tell them something so that they can consider it and give their opinion.

This phrasal verb can also be run something past someone.

Examples of use:

a) Your ideas for the business are very interesting; I’ll run them by my boss.

b) I would like to run these plans by our manager.

c) The children would love to join your family on holiday – I'll run it by my wife and let you know tomorrow.

infinitive	run by
present simple	run by and runs by
-ing form	running by
past simple	ran by
past participle	run by