Lesson 1

Get in/get on.... get out of/get off…put on…take off… call up… turn on… turn off…
Right away… pick up… sooner or later… get up… at first
.
To get in/to get on: to enter or to board a vehicle
To get in is used for cars; to get on is used for all other forms of transportation.
Ø It’s easiest to get in the car from the driver’s side. The door on the other side doesn’t work well.
Ø I always get on the bus to work at 34th street.
.
To get out of/to get off: to leave or to descend from a vehicle.
To get out of is used for cars; to get off is used for all other forms of transportation.
Ø Why don’t we stop and get out of the car for a while?
Ø Helen got off the train at the 42nd Street terminal.
.
To put on: to place on oneself (usually said of clothes) (S)*
Ø Mary put on her coat and left the room.
Ø Put your hat on before you leave the house.
.
To take off: to remove (usually said of clothes) (S)
Ø John took off his jacket as he entered the office.
Ø Take your sweater off. The room is very warm.
.
To call up: to telephone (also: to give someone a call) (S)
To call can be used instead of to call up, as in the first example below.
Ø I forgot to call up Mr. Jones yesterday. I’d better call him now.
Ø Call me up tomorrow, Jane. We’ll arrange a time to have lunch together.
Ø I promise to give you a call as soon as I arrive in New York.
.
To turn on: to start or cause to function (also to switch on) (S)
Ø Please turn on the light; it’s too dark in here.
Ø Do you know who turned the air conditioning on?
.
To turn off: to cause to stop de functioning (also: to switch off, to shut off) (S)
Turn on and turn off, as well as their related forms, are used for things that flow, such as electricity, water, gas, etc.
Ø Please turn off the light when you leave the room.
Ø Are you really listening to the radio, or should I turn it off?
.
*The symbol (S) indicates that an idiom is separable – that a noun or noun phrase may be placed between the verb and the special preposition (called a particle). In these cases, examples of both separable and inseparable forms are given.
.
Right away: very soon; immediately (also: at once)
Ø Dad says that dinner will be ready right away, so we’d better wash our hands and set the table.
Ø Tell Will to come to my office right away. I must see him immediately.
Ø Stop playing that loud music at once!
.
To pick up: to lift from the floor, table, etc., with one’s fingers (S)
Ø Harry picked up the newspaper that was on the front doorstep.
Ø Could you pick your toy up before someone falls over it?
.
Sooner or later: eventually, after a period of time
Ø If you study English seriously, sooner or later you’ll become fluent.
Ø I’m too tired to do my homework now; I’m sure I’ll do it sooner or later.
.
To get up: to arise, to rise from a bed, to make someone arise (S)
For the last definition a noun phrase must separate the verb and particle.
Ø Carla gets up at seven o’clock every morning.
Ø At what time should we get the children up tomorrow?
.
At first: in the beginning, originally
Ø At first English was difficult for him, but later he made great progress.
Ø I thought at first that it was Sheila calling, but then I realized that it was Betty.
.
E X E R C I S E S
.
Choose the appropriate idiomatic expression to substitute for the italicized word or words in each sentence below.
.
1. His alarm clock is always set for six o’clock. He arises at the same time every
day.
a. turns off
b. gets up
c. puts on
.
2. She telephoned her friend to tell him about the meeting. They decided to drive
there together.
a. turned on
b. took off
c. called up
.
3. It’s 4 P.M. now, and this important letter must be mailed today. Can you take it to
the post office immediately?
a. at first
b. right away
c. sooner of later
.
4. Be sure to switch off the light before you leave the house.
a. to turn off
b. to take off
c. to get off
.
5. Pat placed her new hat on her head while looking in the mirror.
a. picked up
b. put on
c. gets on
.
6. Remove your jacket and sit down for a few minutes.
a. Turn on
b. Get on
c. Take off
.
7. I want to stay unmarried for a while, but I hope to get married eventually.
a. sooner or later
b. right away
c. at first
.
8. In the beginning I thought that it was Bob who was in the car.
a. To get on
b. At once
c. At first
.
9. He boarded the bus at Broadway and 79th Street.
a. got off
b. got on
c. picked up
.
10. John took the pencil with his fingers and began to write a note.
a. turned on
b. got off
c. picked up
.
Fill in each blank with the appropriate form of an idiomatic expression from this unit
.
Jean’s alarm clock makes a loud ringing noise. She________________ the alarm clock immediately after it rings each morning. However, she doesn’t rise from bed
____________________ . She waits a few minutes before she______________.
Jean enjoys lying in bed for a while, but _______________ she gets up. Then she
________________ the bedroom light and goes to her closet. She____________
her pajamas and ________________ her work clothes.