English lessons and practice games are intended for people aged 13 and over.
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Lesson 15 / Money
5 phrases · 12 minutes · Look, listen and try.
Set aside money, compare prices and check the total cost before deciding.
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A randomly assigned, fixed male or female synthetic voice for each phrase or sentence · Slow playback at 0.7× preserves pitch.
I am saving up for a new bicycle.
I am saving up for a new bicycle.
We saved up all year for this trip.
We saved up all year for this trip.
Emphasize gradual accumulation over time to achieve goals.
Cambridge Dictionary · save up
We need to cut back on expensive lunches.
We need to cut back on expensive lunches.
I cut back on taxi rides to save money.
I cut back on taxi rides to save money.
In the lesson, it means reducing an expense or usage level; after the phrase requires a noun or -ing form.
Cambridge Dictionary · cut back on
Shop around before you buy a new phone.
Shop around before you buy a new phone.
I shopped around and found a cheaper ticket.
I shopped around and found a cheaper ticket.
It's not just shopping; The purpose is usually to compare prices or conditions.
These three bills add up to fifty dollars.
These three bills add up to fifty dollars.
Our weekly expenses add up to more than we expected.
Our weekly expenses add up to more than we expected.
After "to" is the total number. Different from “it does not add up” which means it is not reasonable.
Please give back the money you borrowed.
Please give back the money you borrowed.
I will give your wallet back when we meet.
I will give your wallet back when we meet.
Can be used with money or objects. Pronoun in the middle: “give it back”.
The examples were written for this course. Usage was checked against Matt Errey’s book, pages 112, 31, 116, 6, 53. A2–B1 is the course’s intended level.
One step forward every day
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OBSERVE · UNDERSTAND · MATCH
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Read the picture descriptions for more context. Similar expressions are accepted when they fit the particular scene.
Linh put a few more coins in her piggy bank to save for an item.
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Linh chose to buy just one cup of coffee instead of multiple cups to reduce costs.
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Linh looked at the same type of shoes in two stores before choosing to buy.
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Linh added up the items on the bill using a calculator to find the total amount.
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Linh returned the money she borrowed to her friend.
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Choose a phrase to begin.
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Read the conversation and find the expressions you have learned.
I am saving up for a bicycle.
I am saving up for a bicycle.
You could cut back on takeaway lunches and shop around for a good price.
You could cut back on takeaway lunches and shop around for a good price.
Good idea. Small costs add up to quite a lot each month.
Good idea. Small costs add up to quite a lot each month.
“Save up” concerns accumulating money for a goal; “cut back on” concerns reducing spending or use. Reducing spending may help you save, but the expressions describe different actions.
Try answering before revealing the suggested answer. This practice is not scored.
The answers below are models. Other answers can also work if they preserve the facts, meaning and structure requested in the task.
A student keeps coins for a telescope and reduces bus trips by walking. Three prices need comparing before purchase.
Which expression describes collecting the money gradually?
She is saving up for a telescope.
Putting coins aside gradually for a telescope is “saving up for”; “for” introduces the purchase goal.
Complete: She cuts back ___ bus travel.
on
“Cut back on bus travel” means reduce bus journeys; keep “on” before the activity being reduced.
Advise her to compare prices first.
Shop around before spending the money you have saved up.
“Shop around” means compare sellers before spending the savings, rather than accept the first price.
The usage comparisons are checked against the Cambridge Dictionary entries linked beside the compared expressions. The additional conversations and exercises are written for this course.
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