Nam steps down as captain and hands the armband to a teammate.
step down
He stepped down as team captain.
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He stepped down as team captain.
She will step down from the committee next month.
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She will step down from the committee next month.
View meaning & usage
Leave a leadership position
step downstep down as someonestep down from a position
The focus is leaving a position, not necessarily the whole group. The -ing form is “stepping”; it is not about walking down steps.
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Nam returns to passing practice after a break.
return to
We returned to passing practice after the break.
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We returned to passing practice after the break.
They returned to their old classroom in September.
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They returned to their old classroom in September.
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Go back to an earlier place or activity
return to somethingreturn to doing something
After “to”, use a place or an -ing activity. “Return” already means go back, so “back” is usually unnecessary.
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Nam phases in a new warm-up routine, one session first, then two, then three.
phase in
We are phasing in the new warm-up routine.
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We are phasing in the new warm-up routine.
The school phased the new timetable in over a month.
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The school phased the new timetable in over a month.
View meaning & usage
Introduce something gradually in stages
phase in somethingphase something in
Introduce it in stages rather than all at once. The opposite is “phase out”, meaning remove gradually.
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The examples were written for this course. Usage was checked against Matt Errey’s book, pages 10, 12, 122, 107, 96. A2–B1 is the course’s intended level.
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Read the picture descriptions for more context. Similar expressions are accepted when they fit the particular scene.
Phrases
Actions in the pictures
Picture description
Nam backs out of a trip he had previously agreed to join.
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Picture description
Nam bows out of a contest and wishes the remaining contestant well.
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Picture description
Nam steps down as captain and hands the armband to a teammate.
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Picture description
Nam returns to passing practice after a break.
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Picture description
Nam phases in a new warm-up routine, one session first, then two, then three.
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Choose a phrase to begin.
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A conversation in context
Read the conversation and find the expressions you have learned.
Mai
I may have to back out of organising the show.
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I may have to back out of organising the show.
Alex
If you bow out, who could return to the team and help?
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If you bow out, who could return to the team and help?
Mai
Let us ask before we phase in the new timetable.
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Let us ask before we phase in the new timetable.
Compare the uses
back out of / bow out
“Back out of” withdraws from something previously agreed; “bow out” means withdraw, often politely. Their uses can overlap, but their following patterns differ.
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 previously accepted an organising role but can no longer do it. Another person offers a polite withdrawal from the contest.
Give one expression for withdrawing from the agreed role.
Show the answer and explanation
She may back out of the organising role.
She accepted the organising role before withdrawing, so “back out of” concerns an existing commitment.
Complete: He decided to bow ___ of the contest.
Show the answer and explanation
out
“Bow out of the contest” withdraws from the competition; “out” combines with “of” before the activity.
Write a considerate withdrawal message.
Show the answer and explanation
I need to bow out, but I will help find someone to take my place.
The message withdraws with “bow out” and offers help finding a replacement to reduce the impact on others.
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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