PHRASES

✅ Category 2: Phrasal Verbs with Opposite Particles

📌 These phrasal verbs use small words (particles) like "up/down", "in/out", or "on/off" that create clear opposites. They’re easier to remember when learned in pairs.

🔹 Example pairs:

• pick up / put down

• turn on / turn off

• put on / take off

• sit down / stand up

• write down / cross out

• hang up / pick up (the phone)

• switch on / switch off

• wake up / fall asleep

• go in / go out

• check in / check out

🟩 B1 Text: A Busy Morning at Work

When I got to the office, I switched on my computer and sat down at my desk. I had to write down some notes from the meeting and then cross out the ones we no longer needed. After a few emails, my phone rang. I picked it up quickly but had to hang up because another call came in. At lunch, I stood up, turned off the screen, and went out with my colleague.

🟦 B2 Text: A Day of Small Actions

Today felt like a series of small movements. I put on my coat and went out into the cold. I had to check in at the hotel before the meeting. After that, I sat down to prepare my notes, but I had to cross out a few ideas that no longer fit. When I called the client, they didn’t answer, so I hung up and sent a message instead. At the end of the day, I checked out, took off my shoes, and finally fell asleep.

✍️ Gap-Filling Exercise (10 sentences)

Fill in each blank with the correct phrasal verb.

1. I usually __________ my coat when I enter the house.

2. Please __________ the lights before you leave.

3. She __________ the wrong name, so she had to __________ it.

4. He __________ the phone without saying goodbye.

5. We need to __________ these boxes from the floor.

6. Can you __________ and join us at the table?

7. They __________ at the hotel around noon.

8. After dinner, I __________ and watched TV.

9. I couldn’t sleep, so I didn’t __________ until after midnight.

10. I forgot to __________ the oven, and it stayed hot all night.

✅ Category 4: Direction & Movement Phrasal Verbs

📌 These describe physical or metaphorical movement. They're easy to recognize because they use clear directional words: in, out, up, down, away, back, over, through.

🔹 Common examples:

• come in / go out

• go up / go down

• run away / come back

• get in / get out

• walk in / walk out

• show up / head out

• fall off / climb on

• take off / land

• break in / break out

• move in / move out

🟩 B1 Text: A New Neighbor

Yesterday someone moved in next door. I was outside when their truck showed up, and they got out with boxes. Later, they walked in with their dog. I wanted to say hello, but they had to head out quickly. I hope they come back soon so I can introduce myself.

🟦 B2 Text: A Strange Event at the Station

The train pulled in late. As I was about to get in, someone suddenly ran out of the station, chased by a guard. People started to back away as they ran through the crowd. When things calmed down, I finally got in and the train took off. I kept thinking about how quickly something normal can turn into chaos.

✍️ Gap-Filling Exercise (10 sentences)

Complete each sentence with the correct phrasal verb related to direction or movement.

1. We were watching TV when the cat suddenly __________ the window.

2. I saw him __________ of the taxi and walk toward the building.

3. She __________ just in time for the meeting.

4. They __________ of the apartment last week and left it empty.

5. Please __________ and have a seat.

6. As the plane __________, I felt nervous but excited.

7. I forgot my bag and had to __________ to get it.

8. He __________ of the concert when the lights went off.

9. She __________ from home when she was a teenager.

10. We’re planning to __________ next month if we find a good place.

🇬🇧 B2 English – Verbal Phrases in Context

✍️ Text: My Big Change

Last year, I went through a difficult time. I had just moved to a new city and didn’t get along with my flatmates. I tried to open up, but they didn’t seem interested. At first, I didn’t want to speak up, but things got worse. One of them constantly let me down, promising to clean the kitchen and then not doing it.

Eventually, I decided to come up with a plan. I joined a local book club to meet up with new people. It really helped me chill out and focus on my passions. I also took up photography, which gave me something exciting to do on weekends. Now, looking back, I’m proud I didn’t give up when things were tough.

🧾 Vocabulary & Translations

go through – a trece prin (o perioadă grea)

get along with – a se înțelege cu

open up – a se deschide (emoțional)

speak up – a spune ce gândești

let someone down – a dezamăgi pe cineva

come up with (a plan) – a găsi/oferi o idee

meet up with – a te întâlni cu

chill out – a te relaxa

take up (a hobby) – a începe un hobby

give up – a renunța

🎯 Exercises

✅ Exercise 1: Choose the Correct Expression

Complete the gaps with the correct verbal phrase:

a) I want to _______ painting. It looks fun and creative.
b) She finally decided to _______ and talk about how she felt.
c) We should _______ soon — maybe Saturday afternoon?
d) Don’t _______! Things will get better.
e) I can't believe he _______ me again. I was counting on him.

🕰️ Exercise 2: Use the Correct Tense

Use the correct form of the phrasal verb in brackets:

a) By the time I arrived, they already _______ (meet up with) the others. (Past Perfect)
b) She _______ (chill out) on the sofa when the phone rang. (Past Continuous)
c) I think I’ll _______ (take up) yoga next month. (Future Simple)
d) They _______ (go through) some serious problems recently. (Present Perfect)
e) He always _______ (get along with) new people easily. (Present Simple)

🧠 Exercise 3: Fill in the Correct Form of the Expression

• I was exhausted after the exam, so I just _______ (chill out) for the rest of the day.

• They _______ (get along with) each other much better now than they did in the beginning.

• She would have told the truth if she had felt safe enough to _______ (open up).

• We _______ (go through) so many changes since we started university — it’s been intense.

• Although he said he would help me, he completely _______ (let me down) when I needed him most.

• I finally _______ (come up with) a solution to the problem after thinking about it all night.

• If you want to make new friends, you should try to _______ (meet up with) people outside your usual group.

• I really admire how she never _______ (give up), even when things get extremely hard.

• I was too shy to _______ (speak up) during the meeting, and now I regret it.

• During the pandemic, many people _______ (take up) hobbies like baking or drawing to stay mentally healthy.

• VOCABULARY PREVIEW
  (to look down on) – to consider someone less important  
  (to take something for granted) – to assume it will always be there  
  (to be caught off guard) – to be surprised unexpectedly  
  (to sweep under the rug) – to hide or ignore a problem  
  (to come to light) – to become known or revealed  
  (to be bound to happen) – to be inevitable  
  (to give someone credit) – to acknowledge their contribution  
  (to be in charge of) – to have control or responsibility for something  
  (to fall into place) – to start to make sense or work well  
  (to draw the line) – to set a limit  
  
  **“When the Lights Went Out at the Company”**
  
  It started as one of those Mondays everyone loves to hate. The coffee machine broke down, several emails bounced back, and the manager, who was in charge of the weekly report, accidentally deleted it. Nobody said anything at first; minor disasters were often *swept under the rug* in our office.  
  
  Then, just as people began pretending to work, all the lights went out. Silence fell across the open space. For a few seconds, no one moved — we were too *caught off guard* to react. The IT department was called immediately, but no one answered. Later it was discovered that the technicians had been on a team-building trip that morning. Ironically, they had left a message saying, “Call us anytime.”  
  
  As hours passed, a sense of camaraderie appeared. Tasks that had *been postponed* for weeks were suddenly irrelevant; even the most disciplined employees *were seen chatting* near the windows. Someone suggested going home, but the HR director *drew the line*: “We stay. We work. We adapt.” Of course, “working” meant exchanging theories about who had forgotten to pay the electricity bill.  
  
  By noon, the problem *had been fixed*, and the lights flickered back on. People *cheered* as if civilization had just been restored. The manager *was given credit* for “keeping morale high,” although he had spent most of the blackout googling motivational quotes on his phone. By the end of the day, everything *fell into place* again, and the chaos of the morning *was quietly taken for granted* — as if it *had never happened*.  
  
  Still, everyone agreed: the next blackout *is bound to happen*, but next time, we’ll be ready — or at least, we’ll have better coffee.
  
  ---
  
  FOCUS POINTS
  1️⃣ Identify the verbs in **active** and **passive** voice.  
  2️⃣ Highlight 5 idioms or expressions and explain their meaning in your own words.  
  3️⃣ Retell the story in 5 sentences using **only passive structures**.  
  4️⃣ Create 3 sentences of your own using the new expressions.  
  5️⃣ Discuss: Why do people often “sweep things under the rug” at work?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

VOCABULARY PREVIEW  
(to go viral) – to become extremely popular online  
(to scroll endlessly) – to keep reading or viewing without stopping  
(to be under pressure) – to feel stress or tension  
(to be flooded with) – to receive or experience too many of something  
(to be taken out of context) – to be misunderstood because only part is seen or heard  
(to speak one’s mind) – to express one’s opinion openly  
(to draw attention to) – to make people notice something  
(to keep up appearances) – to maintain a certain image, often unrealistically  
(to stir up) – to cause or provoke emotions or trouble  
(to come to terms with) – to accept or understand something difficult  

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THE TEXT  
**“The Algorithm of Approval”**

It used to be simple. People met, spoke, argued, laughed, and left the conversation with something genuine to think about.  
Now, most conversations *are held* in silence — typed, edited, and filtered through tiny glowing screens. Words *are chosen carefully*, not for their truth but for their potential to be liked. A comment *is liked*, a reply *is shared*, and a thought *is forgotten* before the next notification appears.

For a while, I believed that social media had made people more expressive. Everyone suddenly had an opinion. But soon, it became clear that most opinions *were borrowed* — half-digested from podcasts, headlines, and motivational posts. Authenticity, once admired, *is now manufactured* in studios with perfect lighting and rented smiles.  

Every morning, millions of users *wake up to be observed*. Their breakfast *is photographed*, their steps *are counted*, and their emotions *are tracked* for better advertising precision. The phrase “you are what you eat” *has been replaced* by “you are what you post.”  

An acquaintance of mine recently confessed that he spends two hours editing a single post. “I just want it to look natural,” he said without irony. His life online *is presented* as spontaneous, though every detail *has been adjusted*. He once posted a picture of himself reading a book. Later, he admitted he hadn’t opened it yet because the cover “worked better in the photo.”  

Of course, some people *try to resist*. A few brave souls *speak their minds* and post unfiltered thoughts. They *are praised* briefly, then *criticized* passionately. Within days, their words *are taken out of context*, *stirring up* debates that nobody remembers a week later. The noise always wins. Silence is rarely trending.  

I recently read a study suggesting that constant exposure to “perfect lives” *is linked* to anxiety and loneliness. Ironically, the study itself *was shared* thousands of times on the very platforms it warned against. The comments below it were full of smiling emojis and short phrases like “So true!” — digital applause for a truth nobody wanted to practice.  

There’s also the quiet fatigue of pretending to care. Tragedies *are shared*, protests *are reposted*, and compassion *is measured* in likes. Once the emotional performance ends, people *go back* to their playlists and coffee, certain that awareness *has been raised* simply because something *has been posted*.  

Still, not everything is hollow. Sometimes a photo *is shared* that really means something, or a story *is told* that moves people beyond the screen. Connection, however fragile, still *finds its way through* the algorithms. But such moments are rare and easily drowned. The system *rewards* speed, not sincerity.  

When I asked a friend why she never takes a break from social media, she smiled and said, “If I disappear, people might forget me.” It was a casual comment, yet it stayed with me.  
Perhaps we have built a world where existing quietly *isn’t enough* — we must be seen, quantified, and approved.  

Until then, the scrolling continues. And in the endless motion of the thumb, the illusion of meaning *is maintained* — efficiently, profitably, and almost beautifully.

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TASKS  
1️⃣ Identify 10 verbs in the **active voice** and 10 in the **passive voice**.  
2️⃣ Choose 5 expressions from the vocabulary and explain them in your own words.  
3️⃣ Rephrase one paragraph using **only active** structures, and another using **only passive** ones.  
4️⃣ Discussion: Do you think visibility has replaced authenticity? Why?  
5️⃣ Write a short paragraph describing your own online habits using at least 3 expressions from the text.

 

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