In this lesson, we will focus on eight phrasal verbs which are extremely common in English when we talk about phones and technology. Phrasal verbs need to be learned in phrases. We have included real-life examples so that it is easier for you to fix in your mind how they are used.

Try to understand phrasal verbs, but also use them in your own speaking and writing. 

Whenever you are reading anything in English, make notes of any phrasal verbs you find and write them down in complete phrases or sentences. 


PULL SOMETHING OUT | PULL SOMETHING OUT OF SOMETHING 
to take something out of somewhere by pulling 

Examples: 

• My hands are dirty. Can you please pull my phone out of this pocket and call Jessica? 
• She wasn't sure how to find the store so she pulled her phone out of her handbag and found the address on the map.  

PICK UP | PICK SOMETHING UP 
to answer a phone 
to receive an electronic signal (radio) 

Examples: 

• I couldn't pick up my phone because I was carrying too many shopping bags and I was on my way home. 
• You can pick up hundreds of stations 24 hours a day. 

CUT SOMEBODY <-> OFF 
to interrupt somebody who is speaking on the telephone by breaking the connection 

Example: 

• We were cut off in the middle of the call. 
• Sorry we were cut off. I took the lift and lost signal. 

PUT SOMEBODY/SOMETHING THROUGH TO SOMEBODY 
If you put a person or call through, you connect someone to the person they want to speak to on the telephone. 

Examples: 

• Can you put me through to the HR department, please? 
• Could you put me through to the manager, please? 

GET THROUGH 
to make contact with somebody by telephone

Examples: 

• I was trying to call you this morning but I couldn't get through - the line was engaged. 
• I finally got through to my mother after getting three busy signals. 
• After calling twice, I finally got through, but they told me they didn't have the book in stock. 
• Her colleagues tried to reach her on her mobile but they didn't manage to get through to her. 
• I couldn't get a signal on my cell phone while travelling so no one could get through to me for a few hours. 

HANG UP - HUNG UP - HUNG UP 
to end a telephone conversation by putting the telephone receiver down or switching the telephone off 

Examples: 

• I received a phone call from an unknown number so I hung up on it. 
• I called my Internet service provider to report a problem, but after saying he would check and call me back, he hung up on me without saying goodbye. 
• If you receive any unwanted calls, you can hang up or silent the call. 

PLUG INTO | PLUG SOMETHING INTO SOMETHING 
to connect a computer to a computer system 
to connect a piece of equipment to an electricity supply or to another piece of equipment 
​​
Examples: 

• All our computers are plugged into the main network. 
• When you buy a printer, you need to install it. To do that, you need to plug your printer into your computer using a USB cable. Make sure that the printer is close enough so that the cable can easily reach your computer. 

TOP UP 
to increase the amount of something (e.g. money) to the level you want or need 

Examples: 

• ​I need to top up my mobile phone. (= pay more money so you can make more calls) 
• I'm using a prepaid mobile service so when I need to recharge, I top up my credit over the phone or via text. 

Exercise 

Complete the sentences with a phrasal verb from the list below. Use the correct form of the verb: 
pull out, cut off (x2), get through (x2), hang up (x4), put through, plug into, top up (x2), pick up (x2) 
​

1. Sorry, I have to .................... now. I need to buy a train ticket. 
2. I was .................... for not paying my phone bill. 
3. It's rude to .................... the phone without saying goodbye.  
4. Every time I try to get through to my friend, his phone goes to voicemail. 
5. I .................... my phone and took a few pictures while I was travelling by taxi. 
6. Please hold the line, I'm .................... you .................... 
7. Your printer must be .................... a power source. 
8. My mobile is pay-as-you-go so I have to .................... my credit from time to time. 
9. Let me speak to her before you .................... 
10. Hi again. Sorry we were .................... I was calling you to ask you about tomorrow's meeting. 
11. I tried calling you several times this morning but I couldn't .................... 
12. Sorry, I couldn't call earlier. I forgot to .................... my credit. 
13. I called them on the landline but nobody .................... 
14. My friend .................... the phone without saying goodbye. 
15. We were able to .................... radio stations from far away. 

Answers:
1; hang up; 2. cut off; 3. hang up; 4. get through; 5. pulled out; 6. putting ... through; 7. plugged into; 
​8. top up; 9. hang up; 10. cut off; 11. get through; 12. top up; 13. picked up; 14. hung up; 15. pick up; 


​Click below to read some of our IELTS related lessons:
Causes and Effects of Migration from Rural Ares to Cities 
IELTS: Advantages and Disadvantages of Using the Internet  
Social Media Addiction: Causes, Effects and Possible Solutions 

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Other lessons: 
Business English: Working in an office  
Business English: How to Talk about Your Job Responsibilities
English Lesson: Jobs and Skills 
Collocations with Job (Part 1) 
Collocations with Job (Part 2) 
Commonly Used Phrases in Spoken English 


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Get access to 97+ Part 2 topics given between January and November 2019. Click here. 


Nowadays, there seems to be one common problem among kids and young adults and this is called social media addiction. Social networking sites look so appealing to youngsters that they spend roughly two hours per day scrolling through digital news feed, photos and videos. They try to keep up with their friends mostly online and it seems hard for them to put all their digital devices aside. 

Let's look at some main causes of social media addiction and its negative effects on people's lives. We will also give some possible solutions to this problem at the end of the lesson. 

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SHORT NOTES (More info below.) 


Causes 

• socialising on the Internet 
• the excitement of receiving notifications from social media 

Negative effects 

• fear of missing out (FOMO) 
• isolation and lower self-esteem 
• online harassment 
• insomnia 

Possible solutions 

• limited screen time 
• attending real-life events (People should attend more real-life events.) 
• social interactions face to face 

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​
Causes 

• The most important cause of this problem is the excitement of receiving notifications when someone 'likes' and 'shares' what you posted on social media. People tend to feel good and excited about being liked online.  
• Youngsters are raised in a society where the Internet is such an important aspect of socialising. Children look at the Internet as an extension of their current social life. This is the main reason why they are so much dependent on their cell phones as a means of communication. Social networking sites like Facebook, for example, are a popular way for people to keep in touch with their friends. 

​

Negative effects 

• People's social interactions tend to happen online instead of in the physical world and at the end of the day they feel isolated. As a result, they have lower self-esteem and feel dissatisfied with their self-worth. 
• The fear of missing out results in people constantly checking their accounts for any updates and looking at others' profiles for hours. This is an actual social anxiety from the fear that you are missing a potential connection, event or opportunity. 
• Consuming too much digital technology and using social networking could lead to childhood development problems. Children are constantly distracted by their digital devices and this leads to short attention spans. 
• Addiction to social networking can distract students from their studies. As a result, students may feel guilty about not being able to control themselves and they may feel frustrated with falling behind academically. 
• When people engage with their phones or something external, they stop thinking about their dreams and feelings. Nowadays, kids are constantly engaged with technology and the Internet, and they don't reflect on other people and are unable to empathise with others. 
• People miss the chance of developing real-life skills such as social engagement, talking to people face to face, gaining competence, and so on. 
• Because people are spending many hours a day online, they are using their creativity less. 
• Many youngsters may suffer from insomnia due to staying up late so that they can be online. As a result, not getting enough sleep may lead to anxiety and poor performance at school. Too much time online affects not only students' grades, but their health as well. 
• A lot of adults have experienced online harassment. As a result, victims may suffer from stress and that may lead to a decline in mental health. 

Possible solutions 

• Parents need to ensure that their children have adequate social interactions face to face. 
• Schools and parents need to teach children human interaction and to encourage them to make human connections. This can be achieved by playing games in real life and taking place in contests as well as other engaging activities. 
• Screen time should be limited as much as possible so that children and teenagers can spend more time with their family and real-life friends. 
• Schools and universities should establish a strict policy on cell phone use. 
• The important thing for parents is to maintain communication with their children to remind them how precious they are. 

VOCABULARY

• appealing - attractive or interesting | OPP. unappealing 
• youngster - a young person or a child 
• put something <-> aside (phrasal verb) - to ignore or forget something 
• means of communication - computer, cell phone, newspaper, magazine, television, radio, etc. 
• be / keep in touch with somebody / something 
• result in something (phrasal verb) - to make something happen 
• self-esteem - a feeling of being happy with your own character and abilities 
• high/low self-esteem 
• self-worth (Synonym: self-esteem) - a feeling of confidence in yourself that you are a good and useful person 
• engaged with something 
• empathise (with somebody / something) - to understand another person’s feelings and experiences, especially because you have been in a similar situation 
• stay up (late) (phrasal verb) - to go to bed later than usual
• have/establish/maintain communication 
• precious - loved or valued very much 

Click below to read some of our IELTS related lessons: 
Discourse Markers for IELTS Speaking and Everyday English 
Causes and Effects of Migration from Rural Areas to Cities 
IELTS Speaking Test: Means of Transport 
IELTS Speaking Test: Arriving Early and Being Patient 
IELTS Speaking Test: Places That Tourists Visit and Being a Tourist 
IELTS: Advantages and Disadvantages of Using the Internet 


Other lessons: 
City Life - Going out 
Cities - Talk about your area 
Cities - Advantages and Disadvantages of Urban Life 
Countryside - Advantages and Disadvantages of Rural Life 


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Get access to 97+ Part 2 topics given between January and November 2019. Click here. 

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Let's talk about Internet access and its advantages and disadvantages. 

This lesson will help you expand your vocabulary as well as prepare for the IELTS Speaking and Writing test. Take notes of new phrases and brainstorm some other ideas how people can benefit from using the Internet and possible disadvantages of that. 

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ADVANTAGES 

• One of the main advantages of using the Internet is being able to look for information online. Most people nowadays have Internet access and they can easily do an Internet search to find the type of information they need for their job or studies. 
• Students can benefit enormously from taking online courses and e-learning in general. Online education is easily accessible to people of all ages and cultural background. The Internet is changing the way people learn because its users have access to a variety of online sources of information such as e-books, blogs, video and audio lessons, and so much more. 
• The Internet can be of benefit to people in many different ways. For example, they can buy books, clothes and food online, book their holidays online, pay their bills, and so on. Not only is this convenient, but it also saves a lot of time. 
• Other benefits of the Internet for most people are that they can send unlimited amounts of emails and files as attachments. 
• The Internet has enabled us to interact with others through instant messaging, Internet forums, and social networking. All that can be of benefit to people to some extent. It is easy to be in touch with the people you care about, especially when you live some distance away. 

VOCABULARY

• search/look for information 
• have Internet access | have access to the Internet 
• do an Internet search - look for information on the Internet 
• Internet users 
• ​be of benefit to someone/something 
• accessible to somebody (Example: The course is accessible to students all around the world.) 
• to enable somebody to do something - to make it possible for somebody to do something
• distance away (= quite far away) 
• spend time doing something (spend time surfing the net = navigating around the Internet) 

DISADVANTAGES 

• One main disadvantage of using the Internet is that people can spend too much time surfing the net in search of the information they need. It is easy for people to lose track of time when they go online, and besides that there are plenty of distractions such as links to other pages or advertisements.  
• The drawback of e-learning is that it is not the same as learning in the classroom. As a result, e-learners may miss a 'live' teacher as well as face-to-face interaction with other students. Similarly, e-books don't feel the same as real books, and that's why some people prefer to read paperback books instead. 
• The Internet can be really convenient when it comes to shopping online, but one disadvantage is that people don't actually see the product until it's delivered to their home and they might find it different from what their expect. That's quite a common problem, especially for clothing, but I guess for other things as well. 
• One main drawback of the Internet is that you get much spam. As it is not relevant to you, it requires you to get rid of it regularly, which means deleting emails day after day. It can be quite annoying for most people. 
• There are a number of drawbacks to Internet use. For example, there is a high risk of fraud online because criminals try to get access to people's personal data. Apart from that, there are other threats online such as viruses, phishing, and so on. 

VOCABULARY

• in search of something - looking for something 
• lose track - to no longer know what is happening 
• go online - use the Internet 
• drawback (of/to something) / (drawback of/to doing something) - a disadvantage or problem that makes something a less attractive idea (drawback of e-learning | drawback of learning online) 
• a paperback book/edition 
• day after day (Idiom) - each day repeatedly (used especially when something is boring or annoying) 

Exercise 

Complete the sentences by writing the correct preposition (from, to, over, of) in each gap. 

1. People of all ages can benefit ............... using the Internet. 
2. One of the advantages ............... shopping online is that it it cost effective. 
3. Let's talk about the benefits ............... e-learning. 
4. For an e-learner, it is a significant advantage ............... have a reliable Internet connection. 
5. Being able to work at your own pace is one of the main advantages ............... online education. 
6. People can benefit a lot ............... e-learning, and there are obvious advantages ............... online study. 
7. Learning with a teacher has many advantages ............... self-study. 
8. There are several drawbacks ............... online shopping. 
9. Since technology has become a major part of our daily life, the Internet can be of benefit ............... anyone interested in learning online. 
10. One disadvantage ............... young people using the Internet is the number of websites which contain offensive materials. 

​

Answers: 
1. from; 2. of; 3. of; 4. to; 5. of; 6. from, to; 7. over; 8. to; 9. to; 10. of 


Click below to read some of our IELTS related lessons: 
Discourse Markers for IELTS Speaking and Everyday English 
Causes and Effects of Migration from Rural Areas to Cities 
IELTS Speaking Test: Means of Transport 
IELTS Speaking Test: Arriving Early and Being Patient 
IELTS Speaking Test: Places That Tourists Visit and Being a Tourist 


Other lessons: 
City Life - Going out 
Cities - Talk about your area 
Cities - Advantages and Disadvantages of Urban Life 
Countryside - Advantages and Disadvantages of Rural Life 


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In this lesson, we will focus on English for describing festivals, more specifically, New Year. 

Let's look at how people in Sydney, London and New York City celebrate the New Year. There is a list of useful vocabulary below each text and example sentences to help you remember the words. 


New Year in Sydney 

People in Sydney welcome the new year with spectacular fireworks at Sydney Harbour. They can watch the fireworks from various public viewing areas. Some of the vantage points are free of charge while others require you to get a ticket.

In Sydney, they have a special event programme which starts with a pre-show entertainment at 6 p.m. This includes aerial and water displays. At 9 p.m. there is 'Family fireworks' for families with younger children. After that, it's the Harbour of Light Parade with illuminated vessels gliding across the water. Finally, at midnight, there's a fireworks display which lasts for about 15 minutes. 

New Year's Eve in Sydney is considered to be one of the best celebrations in the world and that's a special event for many tourists who have it on their bucket list and travel long distances to be there. 
​

VOCABULARY 

• to watch the fireworks 
• public viewing areas 
• vantage point BrE /ˈvɑːntɪdʒ pɔɪnt/ ​- a position from which you watch something 
• display - a show for people to watch 
• New Year's Eve - 31 December, especially the evening of that day 
• spectacular New Year's Eve fireworks  

Examples: 

• The fireworks display is held every year on New Year's Eve. 
• People tend to line up much in advance waiting for the arrival of the new year. 
• We took great photos from our vantage point. 
• I was on the east side of Sydney Harbour Bridge. 
• We got excellent views of the harbour and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. 
• It was a night to remember. 

​
New Year in London 

Before 2014 people could attend London New Year's Eve fireworks display for free, but it has been ticketed ever since. If you miss the chance to buy a ticket, you can watch the event live on television. Even if you can't get a ticket for New Year's Eve fireworks, don't get your plans fizzle out. There are still loads of other ways to celebrate the beginning of the new year. For example, you can see London light up at midnight from the river on a New Year's Eve fireworks cruise or you can watch the fireworks at a restaurant with an amazing view. You can welcome the new year at a party or in a club. There are various New Year's Eve parties in London and lots of things to do on New Year's Day.  

Central London is typically busy at this time of year, so people need to plan ahead how they are going to get around and what kind of public transport they are going to use. 

People can start off the new year with a New Year's Day Parade which takes place in central London. You can go shopping to pick up some bargains in the January sales or tick off some of London top attractions. 


VOCABULARY 

• miss the chance 
• to fizzle out (phrasal verb) (informal) - to gradually become less successful and end in a disappointing way 
• to get around - to move from place to place 
• to light up (phrasal verb) - to become or to make something become bright with light or colour 
• to take place - to happen, especially after previously being organised 

​Examples: 

• The NYE tickets have been sold out, but don't let your plans fizzle out. 
• There's a special London New Year's Eve playlist. 
• The night sky was lit up with fireworks. 

New Year in New York City 

As you may probably know, NYC's biggest celebration takes place in Times Square. Interestingly, this special event first began in 1904 with a fireworks display set off from the roof of the New York Times Building at midnight. 

Nowadays, revellers start arriving in Times Square late in the afternoon at about 3 p.m. They gather in separate viewing sections. When one section fills up, people are directed by police to the next one. The celebration begins at 6 p.m. with the lighting and raising of the New Year's Eve Ball. It is located on the roof of One Times Square and is referred as the ball drop. There are hours of live entertainment, including performances by famous singers, confetti release and colourful pyrotechnic effects atop One Times Square. The Ball leads the final sixty-second countdown to the New Year. 

At the stroke of midnight, the lights on the New Year's Eve Ball are turned off and a sign shows up greeting people for the New Year. There is confetti release throughout Times Square accompanied by colourful fireworks which last for about 15 minutes. 


VOCABULARY 

• reveller (US English reveler) - a person who is having fun in a noisy way, usually with a group of other people and often after drinking alcohol 
• New Year's Eve Ball | Times Square Ball | the ball drop 
• One Times Square | The New York Times Building | The New York Times Tower 
• confetti release and colourful pyrotechnic effects 
• atop (preposition) - on top of, at the top of 

Examples: 

• The ball drops at midnight on December 31st.  
• Lots of people gather in Times Square to watch the crystal ball drop and ring in the new year. 

English Collocations with YEAR 

last | past 

Examples: 

• I didn't improve my English as much as I wanted last year, but I will do my best this year. 
• We travelled a lot over the past year. 

coming | future 

Examples: 

• People have high hopes for the coming year. 
• I want to have a higher salary in future years. 

all year long | all year round | early/late in the year | a time of year 

Examples: 

• I've been waiting for this moment all year long. | I've been waiting for Christmas all year long. 
• The museum is open all year round. 
• I have a few business trips early in the year. 
• Shops are usually crowded at this time of year. | It's usually cold at this time of year. 

​
Answer the following questions in the comment section below! 

TASK: 

1. How did you spend New Year's Eve? 
2. Do you usually reflect back on the year at the end of December or move on to the next year? 
3. Did you make New Year's Resolutions? 

Other lessons: 
English Conversation: Travel opinions  
English Conversation: Travel experience  
English Conversation: Travelling in Europe and Asia  
Commonly Used Phrases in Spoken English  

​
Some of our IELTS lessons: 
Discourse Markers for IELTS Speaking and Everyday English  
IELTS Speaking Test: Places That Tourists Visit and Being a Tourist (We give answers to six questions from Part 3 of the speaking test.) 


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