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Unit 139 · Phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs 3 out

Study

A

out = not burning, not shining

go out

›

Suddenly all the lights in the building went out.

put out a fire / a cigarette / a light

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I put the fire out with a fire extinguisher.

turn out a light

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I turned the lights out before leaving.

blow out a candle

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We don’t need the candle. You can blow it out.

B

work out = do physical exercises

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Rachel works out at the gym three times a week.

work out = develop, progress

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Good luck for the future. I hope everything works out well for you.

›

A: Why did James leave the company? B: Things didn’t work out. (= things didn’t work out well)

work out (for calculations):

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The total bill for three people is £97.35. That works out at £32.45 each.

work (something) out = calculate

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345 × 76? I need a calculator. I can’t work it out in my head.

work out or figure out = understand, think about a problem and find an answer

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Investigators are trying to work out what caused the accident.

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Investigators are trying to figure out what caused the accident.

C

carry out an order / an experiment / a survey / an investigation / a plan etc.

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Soldiers are expected to carry out orders.

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An investigation into the accident will be carried out.

find out that/what/when (etc.) … , find out about … = get information about

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The police never found out who committed the crime.

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I just found out that it’s Helen’s birthday today.

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I checked a few websites to find out about hotels in the town.

give/hand things out = give to each person

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At the end of the lecture, the speaker gave out information sheets to the audience.

point something out (to somebody) = draw attention to it

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As we drove through the city, the tour guide pointed out all the sights.

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I didn’t realise I’d made a mistake until somebody pointed it out to me.

run out (of something)

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We ran out of petrol on the motorway. (= we used all our petrol)

sort something out = find a solution to, put in order

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There are a few problems we need to sort out.

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All these papers are mixed up. I’ll have to sort them out.

turn out to be … / turn out good/nice etc. / turn out that …

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Nobody believed Paul at first, but he turned out to be right. (= it became clear in the end that he was right)

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The weather wasn’t so good in the morning, but it turned out nice later.

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I thought they knew each other, but it turned out that they’d never met.

try out a machine, a system, a new idea etc. = test it to see if it is OK

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The company is trying out some new software at the moment.

→ Phrasal verbs 1 (Introduction) ➜ Unit 137 · More verbs + out ➜ Unit 138

Exercises (4)

0/4 exercises checked
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139.1

Which words can go together? Choose from the list.

a candlea firea lighta new productan ordera problem
  1. 1
    turn out example
  2. 2
    blow out
  3. 3
    carry out
  4. 4
    put out
  5. 5
    try out
  6. 6
    sort out
139.2

Complete the sentences using a verb + out.

  1. 1
    The company is a new computer system at the moment.example
  2. 2
    Steve is very fit. He does a lot of sport and regularly.
  3. 3
    The road will be closed for two days while building work is .
  4. 4
    We didn’t manage to discuss everything at the meeting. We of time.
  5. 5
    You have to the problem yourself. I can’t do it for you.
  6. 6
    I need to what happened exactly. It’s not clear at the moment.
  7. 7
    The new drug will be on a small group of patients.
  8. 8
    I thought the two books were the same until someone the difference.
  9. 9
    They got married a few years ago, but it didn’t and they separated.
  10. 10
    There was a power cut and all the lights .
  11. 11
    We thought she was American at first, but she to be Swedish.
  12. 12
    Sometimes it cheaper to eat in a restaurant than to cook at home.
  13. 13
    How did you about the project? Did somebody tell you?
  14. 14
    It took firefighters two hours to the fire.
  15. 15
    I can’t how the water is getting into the house.
139.3

For each picture, complete the sentence using a verb + out.

  1. 1
    They’ve of petrol.example
  2. 2
    The man with the beard is leaflets.
  3. 3
    The weather has .
  4. 4
    Sally and Kim are at the gym.
  5. 5
    Joe has water.
  6. 6
    Lisa is trying to how .
139.4

Complete the sentences. Each time use a verb + out.

  1. 1
    a: Was the fire serious?
    B: No, we were able to .example
  2. 2
    a: This recipe looks interesting.
    B: Yes, let’s .
  3. 3
    a: How much money do I owe you exactly?
    B: Just a moment. I’ll have to .
  4. 4
    a: What happened about your problem with your bank?
    B: It’s OK now. I went to see them and we .
  5. 5
    a: You’ve written the wrong date on this form.
    B: Oh, so I have. Thanks for .