Cause and effect
A. Verbs with off
A number of phrasal verbs associated with cause and effect have the particle off.
The terrorists set the bomb off in the middle of the rush hour. [caused an explosion]
We accidentally set off the burglar alarm when we came into the house. [made the alarm ring]
The scandal set off a series of events which caused the collapse of the government and a general election. [caused a series of events or a lot of activity, often without intending to do so]
You shouldn't have mentioned flying saucers. You've set him off now. He'll talk for hours.
[made him start to talk about something he often talks about]
The ending of the play really set her off. I didn't know whether she was laughing or crying.
[made her start to laugh or try]
The crisis sparked off a bitter civil war. [caused something to suddenly happen or exist]
The Prime Minister’s speech triggered off violent protests in cities up and down the country. [make something suddenly begin, often a difficult or violent situation]
B. Other cause and effect verbs
Read these spoken extracts.
— The new airport has brought about a lot of changes on this island. [made something happen]
— I don’t know what lies behind Mr Wild’s attack on me [is the real reason for]. Maybe he’s trying to pay me back for something I said about him [do something unpleasant to me because I have done something unpleasant to him]. Or maybe he’s just stirring things up [causing arguments or bad feeling between people, usually on purpose].
— This photograph brings back memories of when we lived in Scotland, when I was a child [makes me remember or think about something from the past].
— The doctors still haven’t ruled out the possibility that he might have cancer [decided that something is impossible].
— I think most problems teenagers experience spring from a feeling of insecurity [are caused by].
ChangeA. Up meaning more or better
When up is used in a phrasal verb with an idea of change, it often adds an idea of becoming
more or better.
The number of students getting good marks in their exams is going up. [increasing]
I was afraid no-one would come to my lecture, but the room is filling up nicely now.
[becoming fuller]
Things were bad last week but the situation is looking up now. [improving]
Business was down at the beginning of the year, but is picking up now. [improving after a
bad period]
Would you like me to heat up the rice or will you have it cold? [make warmer]
Simon's been ignoring the situation for ages - it's time he woke up to what's happening.
[became more aware of a situation or problem]
B. Other phrasal verbs relating to change
When I look back over the last year I see an awful lot of changes in my life. For instance at work, there has been an almost total changeover if staff in the office [n.: a change of using or having one thing to using or having another (from change over)]. Then during the year we have phased out [gradually stopped using] all the old computers and phased in [gradually started using] a completely new system of office administration. I wasn’t sure how things would pan out at first and there were a few problems to begin with [develop or happen]. However, the arguments about the new system blew over quite quickly [became less important and were then forgotten].
At the beginning of the year, my girlfriend left me and it took me a while to get over that [begin to feel better after an experience that has made you unhappy]. But everything’s fine with my personal life too now. Best of all, of course, is the fact that I’ve managed to give up smoking this year [stop a habit or stop doing or having something unhealthy]. I didn’t feel too good for the first few weeks but that’s all worn off now [gradually disappeared]. I stuck with my new regime and now I feel fitter than I have for ages [did as I had planned and did not change to something else (informal)].
Starting and finishingA. Starting
If you set about smth/doing smth then you start doing smth that uses a lot of time of time or energy – The kitchen looked as if it hadn’t been cleaned or tidied for months but Jessica set about making it look as good as new.
If you set out then you start a journey – We set out at 7 a.m. and didn’t return until after dark.
If you start off or start out then you begin life, existence or a profession in a particular way – Yvonne started out as a model but soon realized that it was not the career for her.
Note that the noun the outset, from the verb to set out, means the beginning, e.g. – There were problems from the outset and things became progressively worse.
B. Finishing
Joe called off [decided to stop the activity that has already started] the building work his team was doing on the new company offices because he had heard that the company was going bankrupt. He knew the money was going to dry up [end or stop coming], so he was not prepared to continue. Most of the team immediately broke off [stopped or interrupted] what they were doing but some of them first finished off [completed the last part of what they were doing] the task they were working on. Joe himself quickly polished off [finished something quickly and easily] the last of his paperwork and then packed up too [collected his things together, usually after finishing doing something].
Suzanna is trying to give up [stop doing or having something] smoking. At first she cut down [reduced the amount or number] to five rather than fifteen a day, but she is finding it very hard. She says that a cigarette helps her to wind down [gradually relax after something that has made you feel tired or worried] after a hard day at work. She hopes her determination won’t fizzle out [gradually end or disappear, usually in a disappointing way] after a few weeks as she is very anxious not to give up [stop doing something before you have completed it, usually because it is too difficult] this new regime.
TASK: WRITE A PAGE OF A DIARY OF ANY PERSON YOU CAN THINK OF, USIN THE PHRASAL VERBS ABOVE. REMEMBER TO WRITE NO MORE/LESS THAN 250 WORDS.
If you set about smth/doing smth then you start doing smth that uses a lot of time of time or energy – The kitchen looked as if it hadn’t been cleaned or tidied for months but Jessica set about making it look as good as new.
If you set out then you start a journey – We set out at 7 a.m. and didn’t return until after dark.
If you start off or start out then you begin life, existence or a profession in a particular way – Yvonne started out as a model but soon realized that it was not the career for her.
Note that the noun the outset, from the verb to set out, means the beginning, e.g. – There were problems from the outset and things became progressively worse.
B. Finishing
Joe called off [decided to stop the activity that has already started] the building work his team was doing on the new company offices because he had heard that the company was going bankrupt. He knew the money was going to dry up [end or stop coming], so he was not prepared to continue. Most of the team immediately broke off [stopped or interrupted] what they were doing but some of them first finished off [completed the last part of what they were doing] the task they were working on. Joe himself quickly polished off [finished something quickly and easily] the last of his paperwork and then packed up too [collected his things together, usually after finishing doing something].
Suzanna is trying to give up [stop doing or having something] smoking. At first she cut down [reduced the amount or number] to five rather than fifteen a day, but she is finding it very hard. She says that a cigarette helps her to wind down [gradually relax after something that has made you feel tired or worried] after a hard day at work. She hopes her determination won’t fizzle out [gradually end or disappear, usually in a disappointing way] after a few weeks as she is very anxious not to give up [stop doing something before you have completed it, usually because it is too difficult] this new regime.
TASK: WRITE A PAGE OF A DIARY OF ANY PERSON YOU CAN THINK OF, USIN THE PHRASAL VERBS ABOVE. REMEMBER TO WRITE NO MORE/LESS THAN 250 WORDS.
