Phrasal Verbs Expressions
COMPLEMENTS give make a gift/donation How much can you give?
They always give generously to the homeless shelter.
give yield, collapse For the deadlock to be broken, something has to give.
The floor might give if we put that much weight on it.
give make a gift of, donate
indirect objectdirect object Terry gave Dan a new computer.
Spanky gave Alfalfa the high sign.
toparaphrase Terry gave a new computer to Dan.
Spanky gave the high sign to Alfalfa.
give convey physically
object She gave a little smile at the news.
indirect objectdirect object Leo gave the president a copy of the report.
She gave the boys a dirty look.
toparaphrase Leo gave a copy of the report to the president.
She gave a dirty look to the boys.
give provide
object Soy-based inks give good results.
indirect objectdirect object Give me a chance to prove myself.
This gives gays and lesbians the right to marry.
The boss gave his cousin a job.
toparaphrase The boss gave a job to his cousin.
give host
object We will give the reception in his honor.
indirect objectdirect object I gave my parents a surprise party.
We gave the seniors a graduation party.
forparaphrase I gave a surprise party for my parents.
We gave a graduation party for the seniors.
passive A graduation party was given for the seniors.
The seniors were given a graduation party.
give present
object The senator is giving a speech on TV.
70
give | gives · gave · have given
irregulargive
verb top
71 go
go | goes · went · have gone
irregulargo engage in [a sport/leisure activity]
present participle We plan to go skiing in Idaho.
They went dancing last night.
go do [something inadvisable] [used only in the negative; informal] present participle Don’t go telling everyone about it.
We won’t go running to him with all our problems.
go belong
adverb of place Coats go in the closet, not on the floor.
go be sent
toobject The proposal went by e-mail to all department heads.
go be given/sold
toobject The prize goes to the lady in the blue sweater.
The antique lamp goes to bidder No. 17.
PHRASAL VERBS go back/down/in/out/up/etc. He went back to check the furnace.
move in a specified direction Ed went out to watch the sunset.
go against oppose, be contrary to She’ll go against the incumbent in the fall election.
Dispensing birth control pills goes against his conscience.
go along with agree with The president went along with his staff on the issue.
go away end My headache went away before lunch.
go back to date back to The New Year’s Eve custom goes back to Druid times.
go back to resume It’s four in the morning—go back to sleep.
go by be known as His real name is Meredith, but he goes by Snuffy.
go down decrease The swelling has slowly gone down.
The temperature went down 18 degrees in one hour.
go down stop functioning Cable service went down at 9:36 this morning.
go for be attracted by She goes for men with beards.
go for do [an activity] Let’s go for a swim.
go for sell for [an amount] How much did the dining room set go for?
go into begin a career in Steve went into electronics, and Stuart went into medicine.
go off explode, fire The gun went off accidentally.
go off take place, happen The surprise party went off as planned.
go on be switched on All of a sudden, the lights went on.
go on happen What went on at yesterday’s meeting?
What’s going on?
go on ( ) continue ([doing]) Forrest Gump just went on running.
How long will the concert go on?
go out be extinguished The lights went out one by one.
go through examine She went through her mail during supper.
go through spend, consume We go through $5,000 a month.
Our son goes through two gallons of milk a week.
go under fail A third of all small businesses go under.
go up be built A new mall is going up on the edge of town.
go up increase The stock market has gone up 225 points.
go with This tie would go well with your blue suit.
harmonize with That paisley shirt doesn’t go with anything.
go without The prisoners went without food for nine days.
manage without
verb top
Present Present Progressive
Past Past Progressive
Present Perfect Future
Past Perfect Future Progressive
Future Perfect Past Passive
I go we go I am going we are going
you go you go you are going you are going
he/she/it goes they go he/she/it is going they are going
He goes to all their home games. I’m going now.
I went we went I was going we were going
you went you went you were going you were going
he/she/it went they went he/she/it was going they were going
We never went to Spain. The party was going very well.
… have | has gone … will go
… had gone … will be going
… will have gone
Go is never used in the passive voice. In sentences like He is gone, gone is a past participle functioning as an adjective.
COMPLEMENTS
go depart, leave Please go.
I’m going as soon as I can get packed.
The seasons come and go.
go function The engine won’t go.
go become worse, fail I think my hearing is going.
For most athletes, the knees are the first thing to go.
go be eliminated/discarded I’m afraid that Smith will have to go.
go be worded/sung The song goes like this … la la di la la, la la di da.
go travel
adverb of place to/from I’m going to Dallas tomorrow.
We are going to lunch now.
Where do they go on vacation?
go proceed, move
adverb of manner The car in the left lane is going too slow.
I’m going as fast as I can.
go extend, lead
adverb of place to/from Route 66 originally went from Chicago to Los Angeles.
Delta goes everywhere in the Southeast.
That door goes to the kitchen.
go pass
adverb of manner The evening went too quickly.
go progress
adverb of manner The meeting is going well.
How is it going?
go be, become, turn out
predicate adjective The soldiers went hungry for days.
I think the cheese has gone bad.
How many banks have gone bankrupt?
My e-mails to her have all gone unanswered.
go attend
toobject Dad went to college on the G.I. Bill.
Sidney went to Harvard Law School.
Our family goes to church on Sunday.
Let’s go to a movie tonight.
71
go | goes · went · have gone
irregulargo
Present Present Progressive
Past Past Progressive
Present Perfect Future
Past Perfect Future Progressive
Future Perfect Past Passive
I grind we grind I am grinding we are grinding
you grind you grind you are grinding you are grinding
he/she/it grinds they grind he/she/it is grinding they are grinding
Poverty grinds everyone down. They are grinding their rusty swords and spears.
I ground we ground I was grinding we were grinding
you ground you ground you were grinding you were grinding
he/she/it ground they ground he/she/it was grinding they were grinding
We ground some more coffee. I was grinding my teeth in my sleep.
… have | has ground … will grind
… had ground … will be grinding
… will have ground
I was ground we were ground you were ground you were ground he/she/it was ground they were ground
The gear teeth were ground pretty badly.
COMPLEMENTS