passive phrasal verbs 2

28. FOCUS ON: passive phrasal verbs, 2
When separable phrasal verbs are in the passive, they cannot be separated by the
object of the verb because the object of the active verb is the subject of the passive
sentence — there is no object:

active : Jim called back Mike. passive Mike was called back.

subject

object

subject


active : Jim called Mike back.







subject object




Infinitive


present tense -ing form past tense past participle

beef up
beef up & beefs up beefing up beefed up beefed up

1. beef... up p.v. When you beef up security or some other arrangement to prevent or deal
with a problem, you make this arrangement stronger.
After the terrorist attack, security was beefed up at the embassy.
The hospital decided to beef up its emergency facilities.
The coach is planning to beef the defense up.
beefed-up part.adj. After security or some other arrangement to prevent or deal with a
problem has been made stronger, it is beefed-up.
The ambassador is confident that the beefed-up security will prevent any further terrorist attacks.
break up
break up & breaks up breaking up broke up broken up
1. break... up p.v. When you break up a fight, you stop the fight.
Two students were fighting, and the teacher broke them up.
There was no way I could break up the fight between the two dogs.
2. break... up p.v. When a gathering of people separates, it breaks up. When the police tell
people who are gathered together in a crowd to separate and leave the area, the police break
the gathering up.
The meeting should break up around 3:00.
The police ordered the gang members to break it up.
The demonstration was broken up by riot police.
3. break ...up (with) p.v. When two people end a romantic relationship, they break up. When
you end a romantic relationship with another person, you break up with that person. When
other people cause a couple to break up, they break the couple up.
I was sad to hear that Jim and Nancy had broken up.
It was Jim's secretary who broke them up.
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breakup n. When two people end a romantic relationships breakup occurs. Nancy

is very upset about the breakup.
4. break... up p.v. When something breaks into smaller pieces, it breaks up. When you
break something into smaller pieces, you break it up.
The meteor broke up when it entered Earth's atmosphere.
Sally broke the cookie up before giving it to her baby.
breakup n. When something breaks into smaller pieces, a breakup takes place.
The breakup of AT&T created several smaller telephone companies.
5. break... up p.v. When something breaks up the day or some other period of time, it
interrupts that time and makes it less boring.
The bank guard likes to chat with the tellers once in a while to break up the day.
My day was broken up by a going-away party for one of my coworkers.
Infinitive


present tense -ing form past tense past participle

call back


call back & calls back callin
g back called backed called back

1. call ...back p.v. When you call someone back, you call a person on the telephone who has
called you earlier.
Janice left a message asking me to call her back.
Bob was called back by the salesman.
2. call... back p.v. When you leave a place or walk away from a person and are then asked to
return, you are called back.
/ remembered something after she walked away, and I called her back.
Mike handed his letter of resignation to his boss, but he was called back after he left the office.

call up
call up & calls up calling up called up called up
1. call ...up p.v. When you call people up, you call them on the telephone.
Nicole called me up and asked me to come to her party. Every evening
I'm called up by charities asking for money.
carry out
carry out & carries out carrying out carried out carried out
1. carry... out p.v. When you carry out a duty, task, assignment, or order, you do it.
Sean will carry your duties out while you're on vacation.
The boss was furious because his orders hadn't been carried out.
2. carry... out (of) p.v. When you carry something out of a place, you hold it in your hands and
take it from that place.
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It took four guys to carry the pool table out.
David was so drunk that we had to carry him out of the bar.
carryout n. Food that you take from a restaurant and eat in another place is carryout or
carryout food. Takeout and takeout food are the same as carryout and carryout food.
We usually take carryout food when we go to visit Aunt Kathy.
Infinitive

present tense -ing form past tense past participle

give away

give away & gives away giving away gave away given away

1. give... away p.v. When you give something away, you give it to someone without asking
for anything in return because you do not want it or because you want to help the person you
are giving it to.

This old furniture isn't worth very much, so I think I'll just give it away.
He made nearly a billion dollars, but after he retired he gave most of his money away.
2. give... away p.v. When you give a secret away, you accidentally reveal that
secret.
/ haven't seen that movie yet, so don't give away the ending.
You can trust me with the secret. I haven't given it away,
3. give... away p.v. When you give yourself away, you accidentally reveal something secret
about yourself. When something gives you away, it accidentally reveals something secret
about you.
Mark tried to keep his affair a secret, but he was given away by his credit card bills.
Toad claimed he didn't care about Sally anymore, but he gave himself away when he asked who she
had gone to the party with.
giveaway n. A giveaway is a statement or action that reveals secret information.
/ knew I was going to be fired from my job when everyone stopped talking to me — that was the
giveaway.
mess up
mess up & messes up messing up messed up messed up
1. mess... up p.v. [informal] When you mess up a place, you make it dirty or
disorganized.
Jim made spaghetti sauce, and he really messed up the kitchen.
You kids can play in the living room, but don't mess it up.
messed up part.adj. After you mess up a place, it is messed up.
It looks like Timmy was the last one in the bathroom — it's really messed up.
2. mess... up p.v. [informal] When you mess up a situation, you create problems.
When you mess up a plan or arrangement, you interfere with it and prevent it from happening as
planned. Mess up is similar to screw up.
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Everything was perfect until you messed it up.
Our honeymoon was messed up by the airline strike.
messed up part.adj. When you interfere with a plan or arrangement and prevent it from

happening as planned, it is messed up. Messed up is similar to screwed up.
Bob changed my plan, and now it's totally messed up.
Infinitive


present tense -ing form past tense past participle

stand up
stand up & stands up standing up stood up stood up

1. stand up p.v. When you stand up, you change from a sitting position to a standing
position. Get up is similar to stand up.
Everyone stands up when the judge enters the courtroom.
When the students are sleepy, the teacher makes them stand up.
2. stand... up p.v. [informal] When you stand people up, you do not arrive at their house
as you have promised or at a social event or meeting where you are expected.
Heather had a date with Jim last Saturday night, but she was stood up.
The senator was scheduled to speak at our meeting, but he stood us up.
EXERCISE 28a — Complete the sentences with phrasal verbs from this section. Be
sure the phrasal verbs are in the correct tense.
1. If you ________ ________ a long airplane flight into two or three shorter flights, it isn't as boring.
2. My workroom was clean and neat, but my brother did some work and he ________ it ________.
3. It's going to be a surprise party, so don't ________ it ________.
4. The neighborhood council asked the police to ________ ________ their patrols in high crime
neighborhoods.
5. I haven't talked to Sam in a long time. I think I'll _______ him _______ tonight.
6. The general expects his orders to be ________________ immediately.
7. In some countries, students always _______ _______ when they speak in class.
8. The huge iceberg ________ ________ when it drifted into warmer water.
9. Breaking my leg sure ________ my ski trip ________.

10. Janice didn't come to my house last night as she promised. She _____ me _____.
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11. Timmy and his friend were fighting, and Timmy's mother ________ the fight ________.
12. These boxes are really heavy. Can you help me _____ them _____ of the house?
13. After the rally ended, the crowd quickly ________ ________ and went home.
14. I'm too busy to talk on the phone now. Can you ________ me ________ later?
15. Bob claimed to have an excellent education, but he was ________ ________ by his poor
grammar.
16. Mark is very upset. His girlfriend just________________with him.
17. Jim told the Girl Scouts that he didn't want to buy any cookies, but as they walked away he
changed his mind and ________ them ________.
18. Instead of charging for the software program, the company decided to ________ it ________
free.
EXERCISE 28b — Write three sentences using the objects in parentheses. Be
sure to put the objects in the right place.
1. The White House beefed up. (security, it)
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
2. The police are breaking up. (the protest, it)
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
3. A trained technician ought to carry our. (the experiment, it)
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
4. The foundation gave away. (the money, it)
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________
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5. Susie always messes up. (the bathroom, it)
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
6. Todd stood up. (Heather, her)
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
EXERCISE 28c — Write answers to the questions using phrasal verbs and
participle adjectives from this section. Make all the phrasal verbs passive.
1. Dr. Wood will do the test of the new drug. What will happen to the test?
2. The statue was smashed by thieves. What happened to the gold statue?
3. The children made the house dirty and disorganized. What happened to the house?
4. In Question 3, how would you describe the house?
5. Mike's friend promised to come to his house, but he didn't. What happened to Mike?
6. Karen called Sarah, but Sarah was at school. Sarah didn't call Karen later. What didn't happen to Karen?
7. A supermarket chain gave the food to charity and didn't receive any money for it. What happened
to the food?
8. The palace is making security stronger. What is happening to security at the palace?
9. In Question 8, how would you describe the security now?
10. The personnel manager will call all the candidates for the job. What will happen to all the
candidates for the job?
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EXERCISE 28d, Review — Complete the sentences with these phrasal verbs from
previous sections. Be sure the phrasal verbs are in the correct tense. To check
their meanings, review the section number given after each one.
back up, 11 fix up, 15 rip up, 17 tear down, 8

blow away, 15 hand out, 10 stick up, 14 track down, 13

cut off, 11 hold up, 7 take in, 7 use up, 14

drop off, 11 lay off, 10 take out, 11 wake up, 11

1. The hard disk is ________ ________ by the computer operator every day.
2. The old buildings are being ________ ________ to make room for a new office building.
3. The isn't any paper in the copier. Someone ________ it ________.
4. Last night I was ________ ________ by a loud noise.
5. I can't believe I was naive enough to be ________ ________ by him.
6. The library book I wanted had already been ________________.
7. Something amazing happened yesterday. You are going to be ________ _______ when I tell you
about it.
8. After the old house had been ________ ________, it looked a lot better.
9. Many employees are really worried that they're going to be ________ ________.
10. I was talking to my brother on the phone when I was suddenly ______ ______.
11. My shirt was ________ ________ when I fell off my bicycle.
12. The entire building is ________ ________ by these four steel beams.
13. The pamphlets will be ________ ________ in train stations and airports.
14. The liquor store was________________again last night.
15. The film was________________at the photo lab.
16. The escaped prisoner was easily ________ ________ by the FBI agents.
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29. FOCUS ON: phrasal verbs and might, may,
and can
Possibility: may and might
Both may and might are used to express a medium level of possibility. When may and
might are used to express possibility in the present or future, their meaning is the same,
but may has a slightly more formal sound. Might is slightly more common in everyday

American English:
Nancy might
drop in tonight. Nancy may
drop in tonight.
The speaker believes that the possibility that Nancy will drop in and the possibility that
she will not drop in are approximately equal.
Requests: may and might
Both may and might are used to make requests. May has a formal sound, and is less
common than might. Can is the most common in American English:
most common: Can
I drop in tonight?
formal: May
I drop in tonight? very rare:
Might
I drop in tonight?
Permission: may and can
May and can are also used to give permission. In this case, may is much more formal
and is much less common than can. Might is not used for this purpose:
You can
drop in after dinner. You may
drop in after dinner.
Infinitive


present tense -ing form past tense past^tidple

ask for


ask for & asks for askin

g for asked for asked for

1. ask... for p.v. When you ask for something, you tell someone that you want it.
We asked the waiter for some more coffee.
My wife might ask for more vacation time instead of a raise.
2. ask for p.v. When you say that people are asking for something or asking for it, you mean that
they are doing or saying something that is likely to result in punishment or a negative consequence.
I'm warning you — if you keep doing that, you're asking for trouble.
You're asking for it! Don't say that again.
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Infinitive

present tense -ing form past tense past participle

come apart

come apart & comes apart coming apart came apart come apart

1. come apart p.v. When something comes apart, the parts separate because it is old or in
bad condition or because the parts were not strongly connected to each other.
This toy airplane is such a piece of junk that it came apart in my hand.
Be careful with this old book. It's coming apart.
drop in
drop in & drops in dropping in dropped in dropped In
l^drop in (on) p.v. When you drop in on people, you visit them unexpectedly.
If you're ever in my neighborhood drop in.
Sally dropped in on Marsha last night.
flip out
flip out & flips out flipping out flipped out flipped out
1. flip out p.v. [informal] When you flip out, you become very upset or very angry.

Bob flipped out when the city doubled his property taxes.
Keep your hands off Jim's computer — he'll flip out if you screw it up.
look out
look out & looks out looking out looked out looked out
1. look out (for) p.v. When you look out or look out for something, you remain alert for
someone or something that is dangerous or important. When you tell people to look out, you
are warning them of possible danger. Look out is the same as watch out.
Look out for bears when you camp in the mountains.
There's a lot of ice on the road, so look out.
lockout n. A lockout is someone who looks out for someone or something that is
dangerous or important.
The burglars had lockouts on every corner to warn them if the police came.
luck out
luck out & lucks out lucking out lucked out lucked out
1. luck out p.v. [informal] When you luck out, something good happens to you or you avoid
something bad happening to you.
Todd lucked out when he found that lottery ticket on the ground; it was a $ 1 million winner.
I missed my flight, and the plane crashed. I guess I lucked out.
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