Week 4. Phrasal verbs and tricky grammar points

Sentences with collocations and phrasal verbs:

• Bring up (raise children)
  My aunt brought up four children.  
• Pick out (choose)
  Pick out the dress that you like best.  
• Talk over (discuss)
  Talk over any worries with your GP. 
• Turn on (switch on the electricity)
  Would you turn on the light? I can hardly see a thing.  
• Point out (call attention to)
  The guide took us through the city, pointing interesting sights out.  

Tricky grammar points:

• Raise/Rise
  Raise means "to make higher," "build," or "nurture and cause to grow." It is normally transitive, that is, the action is done to something or someone else.
  Rise means "to get up" or "become elevated." It is never transitive. The past tense is rose; the past participle, risen.

  Examples: They raised the barn in two days.

  The sun rises and sets every day.

• May/Can   
  Can as an auxiliary verb means "to be able to."
  May as an auxiliary verb means "to be permitted to."

  Incorrect: Can we talk?
  (Well, if you can say it, you are able to talk!)

  
  

• Between/Among 
  Between is with two people or things. Note the combination tw in a number of words meaning "two" such as two, twice, and twin.
  Among is used when discussing three or more people or things.

  Examples: She had to choose between licorice and cherry.
  

  She had to choose among licorice, cherry, and lime.

•  Where/That   
  Do not use where to replace that.
  This mistake is common with verbs like read or see.

  Incorrect: Joanna saw where the president was coming to town.
  (Unless you mean she saw the place he was coming to!)

• Like/As  
  Like is a preposition. It should be followed by an object to make a prepositional phrase.
  As is a conjunction. It should be followed by a clause containing a subject and a verb.

  Incorrect: He runs like a gazelle does.
  (Like is followed by a clause.)