Phrasal Verbs and Idioms Flashcards

Choose the phrasal verb that best completes the sentence: "After months of negotiations, the merger ___ at the last minute when the investors withdrew their support."

Answer: fell through

'Fall through' means that a plan or arrangement fails to happen, which fits a merger that collapses. 'Fall off' means to drop away or decrease, as in 'sales fell off'. 'Fall for' means to be tricked by something or to become attracted to someone. 'Fall back' means to retreat, or to rely on something as a backup when used with 'on'.

Which of the following sentences is grammatically INCORRECT?

Answer: The police said they would look it into immediately.

'Look into' (meaning investigate) is an inseparable phrasal verb, so the object must come after the particle: 'look into it'. 'Take up' is separable, so 'took it up' is correct. 'Look after' and 'come across' are inseparable, and in those sentences the object correctly follows the particle.

"The board gave the proposal a lukewarm reception, so the design team decided to go back to the drawing board." What did the design team decide to do?

Answer: Start planning again from the beginning

'Go back to the drawing board' means to start again on a plan or design because the earlier attempt failed. The team isn't giving up on the project, and they aren't reusing the same proposal. They are redesigning it from scratch.

Choose the best option: "Although she was an expert, the speaker struggled to ___ her ideas to an audience unfamiliar with the field."

Answer: put across

'Put across' means to communicate ideas clearly so that others understand them. 'Put up' means to build something or to give someone a place to stay. 'Put off' means to postpone, or to make someone dislike something. 'Put down' means to criticise someone or to write something down, and neither meaning fits '...to an audience'.

"Three weeks into the new job, Maria is still finding her feet." What does this tell us about Maria?

Answer: She is becoming more confident and familiar with her new situation

'Find your feet' means to get used to a new situation and gradually become confident in it. The idiom suggests normal adjustment and progress, not serious failure, a job search, or literal walking.

"Luckily, the rain held off until the outdoor ceremony was over." What happened to the rain?

Answer: It did not start until after the ceremony

When said of weather, 'hold off' means that something expected, such as rain or a storm, does not begin, or is delayed. The rain stayed away during the ceremony and started only afterwards. 'Luckily' supports this reading, because the ceremony stayed dry.