Lesson 109 — Phrasal Verbs

In this lesson you will use five common phrasal verbs in real sentences. A phrasal verb combines a verb with one or more words, and the meaning is usually different from the individual words.

• put = to place
• up = upward
• with = together
• put up with = to tolerate (not literal!)

• run into → person or problem | I ran into my teacher.
• come across → thing, book, site | I came across a book.
• count on → rely / trust | You can count on me.
• talk into + V-ing → persuade | I talked him into studying.
• put up with → tolerate | I can't put up with this noise.

• run into → person or problem
• come across → book, site, idea
• count on → trust
• talk into → persuade (-ing!)
• put up with → tolerate

Meaning: meet someone by chance / bump into a problem. Formula: run into + person / problem

• I ran into my teacher last week.
• I ran into an old friend at the mall.
• We ran into a problem.

Meaning: find or discover something by chance. Formula: come across + thing / place / idea

• I came across a very interesting book.
• Recently, I came across the Japanese clothing chain Uniqlo in New York.

Meaning: rely on someone or something / be sure it will happen. Formula: count on + noun/pronoun OR count on + being able to + verb

• I counted on you.
• You can count on me.
• You can count on being able to speak English if you practice enough.
• You can count on finding good food in big cities.

Meaning: persuade someone to do something. Formula: talk + someone + into + verb-ing After into, the verb must take -ing.

• I'm gonna talk you into studying harder.
• I talked her into attending her classes.
• I talked them into buying that car.
• I've been trying to talk them into doing other things.

Meaning: tolerate something you do not like. Formula: put up with + noun / pronoun / verb-ing

• I have to put up with their devices.
• I can't put up with this noise.
• She puts up with a lot of stress at work.
• I guess I just have to learn to put up with their devices.

I do a lot of business travel and it's amazing how I run into so many foreign things. Recently, I came across the Japanese clothing chain Uniqlo in New York. Almost everywhere you go now you can count on being able to find a restaurant that serves Indian, Thai, Japanese or Mexican food.

Every time my kids turn their tablets or smart phones on I worry. I'm concerned about the influence foreign games and websites will have on them. I don't particularly care for some of the values they teach but my kids are crazy about their gadgets. I've been trying to talk them into doing other things. I guess I just have to learn to put up with their devices.