EducationEnglish.Phrasal verbsCOMMUNICATION · A2–B1

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← Phrasal verbs

Lesson 105 / Visiting & caring

Caring for small visitors.

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

Check on visitors, call for support and prepare what guests need.

After this lesson, you can

  • Use this lesson’s expressions to talk about the situation introduced above.
  • Distinguish “look in on” and “send for” in context.
  • Use “have over” 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
Mây briefly looks in on a sleeping younger cousin.
Mây briefly looks in on a sleeping younger cousin.

look in on

She looked in on her cousin to make sure he was asleep.

Read the example again

She looked in on her cousin to make sure he was asleep.

Could you look in on the cat while I am away?

Read the example again

Could you look in on the cat while I am away?

View meaning & usage

Visit briefly to check that someone or something is all right

look in on someone or something

Usually a brief check rather than staring at something. Keep both “in on” before the person or thing checked.

Cambridge Dictionary · look in on

Haven't studied yet
Mây sends for Minh to help assemble a small stool.
Mây sends for Minh to help assemble a small stool.

send for

She sent for Minh when she needed help with the stool.

Read the example again

She sent for Minh when she needed help with the stool.

The manager sent for the missing documents.

Read the example again

The manager sent for the missing documents.

View meaning & usage

Ask for someone or something to be brought or to come

send for someone or something

Put the person or thing needed after “for”. Compare “send out for food”, meaning order delivery. The past form of “send” is “sent”.

Cambridge Dictionary · send for

Haven't studied yet
Mây has a friend over at home, with a shared activity ready on the table.
Mây has a friend over at home, with a shared activity ready on the table.

have over

We are having a friend over this afternoon.

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We are having a friend over this afternoon.

They had their neighbours over for tea.

Read the example again

They had their neighbours over for tea.

View meaning & usage

Have someone visit your home

have someone overhave someone over for something

Put the guest between “have” and “over”. This describes hosting someone at home, rather than meeting just anywhere.

Haven't studied yet
Mây prepares low tables with drawing materials to cater to younger children.
Mây prepares low tables with drawing materials to cater to younger children.

cater to

The play corner caters to younger children.

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The play corner caters to younger children.

This library caters to readers of different ages.

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This library caters to readers of different ages.

View meaning & usage

Meet the needs of a particular group

cater to someonecater to someone’s needs

This is not limited to supplying food. It can describe services, spaces or materials suited to a group.

Haven't studied yet
Mây and Minh provide for a newly adopted cat with food, water and a bed.
Mây and Minh provide for a newly adopted cat with food, water and a bed.

provide for

They provide for the cat with food and a warm bed.

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They provide for the cat with food and a warm bed.

Her job helps her provide for her family.

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Her job helps her provide for her family.

View meaning & usage

Supply what someone needs to live

provide for someone

Emphasises meeting living needs or offering material support. Compare “provide someone with something” for a particular item supplied.

Haven't studied yet

The examples were written for this course. Usage was checked against Matt Errey’s book, pages 81, 113, 62, 20, 99. 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

    I will look in on our neighbour after work.

    Read the example again

    I will look in on our neighbour after work.

  2. Alex

    Call me if you need to send for someone to help.

    Read the example again

    Call me if you need to send for someone to help.

  3. Mai

    Thanks. We should provide for the visitors arriving later too.

    Read the example again

    Thanks. We should provide for the visitors arriving later too.

Compare the uses

look in on / send for

“Look in on” means make a short visit to check on someone; “send for” means request someone’s presence. The direction of the visit differs.

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 volunteer briefly visits an elderly neighbour. The neighbour asks her to request help from a qualified repairer.

  1. Describe the short checking visit.

    Show the answer and explanation

    The volunteer looks in on her neighbour.

    The volunteer makes a short checking visit, so she “looks in on her neighbour”.

  2. Complete: We should send ___ someone who can repair the heater.

    Show the answer and explanation

    for

    “Send for someone” requests a qualified person’s attendance; “for” introduces the person needed.

  3. Write a message offering the right kind of help.

    Show the answer and explanation

    I will look in on you and help you send for a repairer.

    The promise offers a visit and help summoning a repairer, without claiming the skills to repair the heater.

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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