Phrasal Verbs

Unit 4.1 - "Down" meaning "Decreasing" or "Reducing"

Guess the meanings of the phrasal verbs from context:
1. The government should do something to bring down the oil price.
2. The little kid was so upset that I couldn't calm him down.
3. After going on a diet for 3 months, her weight finally came down.
4. The government raised interest rate to cool down the real estate market.
5. The school has cut down the number of students in each class to 20.
6. Public interests in the new Prime Minister have died down.
7. The government should do something to keep inflation down.
8. The baby is sleeping so please keep the noise down.
9. We have narrowed the list of job applicants down to three.
10. He was trying hard to play down the financial difficulties of his company.
11. The sports center is scaling down children's programs because it is short of money.
12. Slow down, I can't keep up with you.
All these phrasal verbs have the meaning of "decreasing" or "reducing" (in amount, rate, prices, etc.). See Explanations ê
Explanations:

Bring down (separable)	To reduce the amount, rate, or level of something >>The government is trying to *bring down* inflation. >>Her doctor gave her some medicine to *bring* her blood pressure down.
Calm down (separable)	To stop feeling upset, or excited >>Calm down. There's no point worrying about it now. >>She was so annoyed - it took me half an hour to *calm* her *down*.
Come down (inseparable)	To become lower (for prices etc.) >>Property prices have *come down* dramatically over the last few months. >>Strawberries usually *come down* (= get cheaper) at this time of year.
Cool down (separable)	To slow or stop the development of something >>Higher tax should *cool down* the stock market.
Cut down (separable)	To reduce the amount or number of something >>They've cut her hours *down* at work so she doesn't have much money. >>This article is too long, you have to cut it *down*.
Die down (inseparable)	[For sound, wind, emotions, etc.] To gradually becomes less strong until it stops >>When the applause had *died down* he started to speak. >>Eventually the fuss will *die down* and everything will return to normal.
Keep down (separable)	To stop the number, level, or size of something from increasing >>I have to exercise to keep my weight *down. [For music, voice] To stop it from becoming too loud* >>*Keep* your voice *down, would you? >>Could you keep* the noise *down*? I'm trying to sleep.
Narrow down (separable)	To make something [e.g. list, choice, option] smaller and clearer by removing the things that are less important >>The police department attempted to *narrow down* the list of suspects. >>The committee had *narrowed* the choices *down* to two.
Play down (separable)	To try to make people believe that something is not very important >>The police tried to *play down* the seriousness of the incident.
Scale down (separable)	To make something [e.g. project, production, budget] smaller >>Many countries have *scaled down* their armed forces after the war.
Slow down (separate)	To become slower, or to make something or someone slower >>I was carrying some heavy bags so that *slowed* me *down. >>It seems likely that the economy will slow down* over the next twelve months.

Exercises:
- Complete the following sentences using a suitable phrasal verb:
  - You need to a bit or you'll be stressed out!
  - Can you the noise? I'm trying to study.
  - House prices have quite a bit so we decided to buy our first house.
  - The excitement of being a journalist has finally after 3 months on the job.
  - He is trying to his weight from 80 kg to 70 kg.
- Complete the following conversation:
  - Bill: John! ! Why are you so mad?
  - John: My boss has my hours to half!
  - Bill: Oh dear! Why?
  - John: Well, he tried to it by saying that he had to costs , and so he wanted to his projects. But I have a feeling that actually he's his business.
  - Bill: That's too bad. Are you going to look for another job then?
  - John: Yes. Actually I'm going for a job interview next week. The company told me that there were 50 applicants, but they them to two, so I have a 50% chance of getting the job.
  - Bill: That's great! Well, good luck!

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