Vocabulary Phrasal Verbs Get Along | Back Out | Go For | Find Out

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

get along

Phrasal Verb

gɛt əˈlɔːŋ

to have a friendly relationship with someone

I don't get along with my co-workers, so I feel quite isolated at work.

My son and daughter usually get along with each other, but they sometimes fight.

back out

Phrasal Verb

bæk aʊt

to withdraw from something

They decided to back out of the contest because they didn’t have time to prepare.

go for

Phrasal Verb

goʊ fɔr

to try to achieve something

They ended up in debt as a result of going for quick money.

find out

Phrasal Verb

faɪnd aʊt

to discover or learn new information

My colleague just found out that he has been fired.

I just found out that I am pregnant.

How did you find out that our business would move to another location?

Did you ever find out what was wrong with the copy machine?

wear down

Phrasal Verb

wɛr daʊn

to gradually make someone physically weaker, tired or less determined about something

At first, Charles didn't want to tell me the truth, but little by little, I wore him down.

Exercise 2

Dialogue Practice

Read the dialogue aloud with your teacher.

Sarah and Liam bump into each other in the school hallway.
Sarah	Hey, Liam! You want to go to the movies after school? Stacy, John and Stan are coming as well.
Liam	I can't, I'm grounded.
Sarah	Why? What did you do this time?
Liam	I got into a fight with my brother. When Mom found out, she grounded us.
Sarah	You two should get along better. Why did you get into a fight in the first place?
Liam	We started arguing about who's stronger. So we organized a small contest to test our strength, we were moving some furniture around and things like that. And we kept going for more difficult tasks.
Sarah	And you couldn't decide who won?
Liam	Kind of. It was wearing us both down, but I was winning. Then, my brother suddenly decided to back out and said he had something else to do. And I didn't want to let him go before we decided who won. So, we started a fight.
Sarah	You two should really stop fighting over stupid things like that.
Liam	Yeah, I know.

Exercise 3

Article

Read the passage aloud with your teacher.

Can't Back out Now

Liam and his brother usually get along well. The only problem is, they are too competitive with one another. So, one day they were home alone, and they started arguing about who's stronger, so they decided to organize a contest. They kept going for more difficult challenges and they had both started to feel worn down. At one point, Liam's brother said that he was backing out but Liam wouldn't let him, so they started to fight and they both earned a few bruises. When their mother came back home and found out what happened, she was furious and they both ended up being grounded for a month.

Exercise 4

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the correct phrasal verbs to complete the dialogue.

James and Camille are talking about James' work.
Camille	How's work, James?
James	Well, not so good, to tell the truth. All the stress is (1). I was offered a supervisor position, but now I'm thinking of (2) of the offer.
Camille	What? Why? I thought you were (3) the supervisor position. What happened?
James	I was, but that was before I (4) that a co-worker of mine had also applied for the position. He is a really nice guy, and he has a family. We (5) really well.
Camille	Well, I don't think you should say no, just to let someone else get the position. I’m sure he won't blame you if you accept it. You worked hard for it.
James	Yeah, I know, but it's not just that. I'm not even sure that I want the job. I think it might be too stressful.
Camille	Well, that's a different thing, then. Just try to take your time and figure out what you really want.