EducationEnglish.Phrasal verbsCOMMUNICATION · A2–B1

English lessons and practice games are intended for people aged 13 and over.

Enable JavaScript to listen, practice and save progress. The lesson content can still be read below.

← Phrasal verbs

Lesson 22 / Correction

Repair working angle.

5 phrases · 12 minutes · Look, listen and try.

Arrange components, disassemble, and spend time repairing things.

After this lesson, you can

  • Use this lesson’s expressions to talk about the situation introduced above.
  • Distinguish “put together” and “take apart” in context.
  • Use “sort out” in a sentence connected to your own situation.
Practice and check your answers →

Match words to pictures →Play What is She/He doing? →

A randomly assigned, fixed male or female synthetic voice for each phrase or sentence · Slow playback at 0.7× preserves pitch.

Phrase 1 / 5Understand context
Minh sorted screws and tools into small boxes.
Minh sorted screws and tools into small boxes.

sort out

I need to sort out these screws before we start.

Read the example again

I need to sort out these screws before we start.

He sorted the tools out and put them in separate boxes.

Read the example again

He sorted the tools out and put them in separate boxes.

View meaning & usage

Classify / arrange orderly

sort out somethingsort something out

The meaning in the lesson is to classify or make a pile of things orderly.

Haven't studied yet
Minh assembled wooden panels into a shelf.
Minh assembled wooden panels into a shelf.

put together

Can you help me put together this shelf?

Read the example again

Can you help me put together this shelf?

We put the desk together in an hour.

Read the example again

We put the desk together in an hour.

View meaning & usage

Join/assemble the parts

put together somethingput something together

The individual parts are combined into a complete object or product.

Cambridge Dictionary · put together

Haven't studied yet
Minh disassembles a chair into separate parts.
Minh disassembles a chair into separate parts.

take apart

We must take the chair apart before moving it.

Read the example again

We must take the chair apart before moving it.

I took apart the old lamp to see how it worked.

Read the example again

I took apart the old lamp to see how it worked.

View meaning & usage

Disassemble into parts

take apart somethingtake something apart

The antonym in the assembly situation is “put together”. The past tense of “take” is “took”.

Cambridge Dictionary · take apart

Haven't studied yet
Minh repainted and repaired an old table.
Minh repainted and repaired an old table.

fix up

We are fixing up an old desk for my room.

Read the example again

We are fixing up an old desk for my room.

The chair looks much better after he fixed it up.

Read the example again

The chair looks much better after he fixed it up.

View meaning & usage

Repair / make better

fix up somethingfix something up

Usually repairing or improving an old object, room or house.

Haven't studied yet
Minh marked a session in his calendar to fix his working angle.
Minh marked a session in his calendar to fix his working angle.

set aside

I set aside Saturday morning to repair the desk.

Read the example again

I set aside Saturday morning to repair the desk.

We should set aside some money for new tools.

Read the example again

We should set aside some money for new tools.

View meaning & usage

Dedicate time/resources

set aside somethingset something asideset aside time / money for something

You set aside time or money for one purpose instead of using it immediately for something else.

Haven't studied yet

The examples were written for this course. Usage was checked against Matt Errey’s book, pages 119, 103, 127, 46, 114. A2–B1 is the course’s intended level.

OBSERVE · UNDERSTAND · MATCH

Match phrases to pictures

Drag a wire from the dot beside a phrase to the dot beside its matching picture. You can also tap a phrase, then a picture. Drag again to change a pair before checking.

Read the picture descriptions for more context. Similar expressions are accepted when they fit the particular scene.

A conversation in context

Read the conversation and find the expressions you have learned.

  1. Mai

    We need to take this chair apart before moving it.

    Read the example again

    We need to take this chair apart before moving it.

  2. Alex

    Will it be difficult to put it together again?

    Read the example again

    Will it be difficult to put it together again?

  3. Mai

    Not if we set aside the screws in a labelled box.

    Read the example again

    Not if we set aside the screws in a labelled box.

Compare the uses

put together / take apart

“Put together” joins the parts; “take apart” separates them. With pronouns, say “put it together” and “take it apart”.

Practice and check your answers

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 situation to apply what you have learned

A flat-pack desk must pass through a narrow door. It is too wide while assembled.

  1. What should happen before moving it?

    Show the answer and explanation

    Take the desk apart before moving it.

    The assembled desk is wider than the doorway, so “take apart” dismantles it before moving.

  2. Replace “the desk” with “it”: Put the desk together again.

    Show the answer and explanation

    Put it together again.

    “It” replaces the desk and goes between “put” and “together”; “again” signals reassembly.

  3. Tell a helper how to protect the small parts.

    Show the answer and explanation

    Set aside the screws so we can put the desk together later.

    “Set aside the screws” keeps the screws for reassembling the desk, rather than discarding them.

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.

Progress is saved on the device. Sign in with Google to save with the same account and continue on another device.

SYNC YOUR PROGRESS

Save progress

Sign in with Google to sync learning progress and game scores across devices. You can continue without signing in, with your progress saved in this browser.

Sign in with Google