Second Nature Online English

Free Online English Vocabulary Lessons for ESL/EFL Students

 

Menu

Home

Idioms

Phrasal Verbs

Useful Expressions

Confusing Words

Canada/Festivals

Articles

Links

Online Resources

About Me

Phrasal Verbs

Unit 2.3 - "In" meaning "Being Involved"

  • Guess the meanings of the phrasal verbs from context:

     

    1. I don't know what to do.  Let's call in John - he's the expert.

    2. Can you fill in for me for a couple of hours while I'm at the dentist's?

    3. Last week I have put in over 60 hours of work.

    4. Let's join in the football game - it's fun!

    5. He's going in for the Bar Exam next month and is a bit nervous.

     

    All these phrasal verbs have the meaning of "being involved".  See Explanations ê

     

  • Explanations:

 

Call in

(separable)

To ask someone to come to help in a difficult situation 
>>The FBI was called in to conduct a fresh inquiry. 
>>The police called him in for questioning.

Fill in

(inseparable)

To do someone else's work for them because they cannot or will not do it themselves 
>>Janet filled in while her boss was away on holiday.

Put in

(inseparable)

To spend a lot of time or effort doing something 
>>Many charities rely on volunteers who put in hours of unpaid work.

Join in

(inseparable)

To get involved in an activity with other people 
>>She watches the other kids playing but she never joins in.

Go in for

(inseparable)

To compete in a competition, or to do an exam 
>>Are you going in for the TOEIC exam this month?

 

  • Exercise:

     

    • Complete the following conversation:

       

      • Sam: How are you these days?

      • Jim:  Very busy.

      • Sam: Yeah?  With what?

      • Jim:  Well, first, I have to for my partner because he is away.  Last week, I 15 hours of overtime work!

      • Sam: Wow! 

      • Jim:  Yeah!  To make things worse, our computer system broke down and we had to two technicians to fix it.  They also 2 days of work to get everything fixed.

      • Sam:  It sounds chaotic!

      • Jim:  Not only that, I'm planning to the 15K race next month, so I am training very hard every day.

      • Sam:  Oh?  I didn't know that you are into running races.

      • Jim:  I am!  It's fun.  Why don't you ?

<Back to Module 2    Go to Unit 2.4>

Sitemap | Online English Blog (for EFL students)
Last Update: 2005-11-24.  Copyright © 2005 Second Nature Online English. All Rights Reserved.

 

English Lessons Provided by a TESOL Online Teacher

Learn English Online!