Mây’s enthusiasm for gardening rubs off on two friends, who join in eagerly.
rub off
Her enthusiasm rubbed off on her friends.
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Her enthusiasm rubbed off on her friends.
His patience is rubbing off on the whole group.
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His patience is rubbing off on the whole group.
View meaning & usage
Pass a quality or attitude to others
something rubs offsomething rubs off on someone
Often used when others adopt an attitude or habit. Keep “on” before the person influenced; write “rubbing”.
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The group involves Mây in a gardening project by giving her a shared task.
involve in
The group involved her in the gardening project.
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The group involved her in the gardening project.
We should involve new members in the planning.
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We should involve new members in the planning.
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Include someone in an activity
involve someone in somethingbe involved in something
Put the participant between “involve” and “in”. They take part rather than merely being told about the activity.
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Mây ropes a friend in to help decorate the classroom.
rope in
She roped a friend in to help with the decorations.
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She roped a friend in to help with the decorations.
Can we rope in a few more helpers?
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Can we rope in a few more helpers?
View meaning & usage
Persuade someone to help or take part
rope someone inrope in someonerope someone in to do something
Informal, sometimes suggesting the person had not originally planned to join. No actual rope or force is involved.
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The examples were written for this course. Usage was checked against Matt Errey’s book, pages 95, 106, 108, 67, 107. A2–B1 is the course’s intended level.
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Phrases
Actions in the pictures
Picture description
Mây and a friend patch up their friendship after a misunderstanding.
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Picture description
Mây and two friends rally round a classmate who must rest at home.
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Picture description
Mây’s enthusiasm for gardening rubs off on two friends, who join in eagerly.
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Picture description
The group involves Mây in a gardening project by giving her a shared task.
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Picture description
Mây ropes a friend in to help decorate the classroom.
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A conversation in context
Read the conversation and find the expressions you have learned.
Mai
I want to patch up our friendship after the argument.
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I want to patch up our friendship after the argument.
Alex
The others will rally round if you need help.
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The others will rally round if you need help.
Mai
Perhaps their patience will rub off on both of us.
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Perhaps their patience will rub off on both of us.
Compare the uses
patch up / rally round
“Patch up” a relationship repairs it after conflict; “rally round” means gather to support someone in difficulty. Reconciliation and collective support are related but different.
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
Two teammates have argued. They want to repair their relationship, while other friends offer collective support.
Describe repairing the relationship.
Show the answer and explanation
They want to patch up their relationship.
After the argument, “patch up their relationship” repairs the relationship without pretending there was no conflict.
Replace “the disagreement” with “it”: Patch up the disagreement.
Show the answer and explanation
Patch it up.
“It” replaces the disagreement being resolved and goes between “patch” and “up”: “patch it up”.
Write a request for support from the group.
Show the answer and explanation
Could you rally round while we try to sort this out?
“Rally round” asks the group for support while the pair resolves the misunderstanding, rather than asks it to take sides.
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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