EducationEnglish.Phrasal verbsCOMMUNICATION · A2–B1

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← Phrasal verbs

Lesson 32 / Creativity

Craft time.

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

Tear the paper, tie the string and continue making the craft you chose.

After this lesson, you can

  • Use this lesson’s expressions to talk about the situation introduced above.
  • Distinguish “tear up” and “roll up” in context.
  • Use “turn 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
Khoa tore colored paper into small pieces to make pictures.
Khoa tore colored paper into small pieces to make pictures.

tear up

Tear up the old paper for our collage.

Read the example again

Tear up the old paper for our collage.

I tore the paper up into small pieces.

Read the example again

I tore the paper up into small pieces.

View meaning & usage

Tear into small pieces

tear up somethingtear something up

The past tense of “tear” is “tore”. Here it means tearing an object, not cutting it with scissors.

Cambridge Dictionary · tear up

Haven't studied yet
Khoa turned the paper over to see the other side.
Khoa turned the paper over to see the other side.

turn over

Turn over the paper to see the picture on the back.

Read the example again

Turn over the paper to see the picture on the back.

We turned the cards over before starting the game.

Read the example again

We turned the cards over before starting the game.

View meaning & usage

Flip to the other side

turn over somethingturn something over

The meaning in the lesson is to change the side you are on to the other side.

Haven't studied yet
Khoa tied a string around a small package as a gift.
Khoa tied a string around a small package as a gift.

tie up

Tie up the little bag with this ribbon.

Read the example again

Tie up the little bag with this ribbon.

I tied the strings up to keep the beads together.

Read the example again

I tied the strings up to keep the beads together.

View meaning & usage

Tie with string/knot

tie up somethingtie something up

In the lesson, it is tied with string; different from being busy, not having time.

Haven't studied yet
Khoa rolls a poster into a tube.
Khoa rolls a poster into a tube.

roll up

Roll up the poster so it fits in the tube.

Read the example again

Roll up the poster so it fits in the tube.

I rolled the paper up and put it in my bag.

Read the example again

I rolled the paper up and put it in my bag.

View meaning & usage

Wind a flexible material into a round or tube shape

roll up somethingroll something up

This can describe making a tube from paper or turning back the ends of sleeves.

Cambridge Dictionary · roll up

Haven't studied yet
Khoa continued to make the chosen paper boat even though he encountered a difficult step.
Khoa continued to make the chosen paper boat even though he encountered a difficult step.

stick with

I will stick with this design until I finish it.

Read the example again

I will stick with this design until I finish it.

The blue paper looks good. Let us stick with it.

Read the example again

The blue paper looks good. Let us stick with it.

View meaning & usage

Continue with the given selection

stick with someone / something

The lesson is to keep the choice, not to glue the material with glue. The past is “stuck”.

Haven't studied yet

The examples were written for this course. Usage was checked against Matt Errey’s book, pages 130, 134, 131, 107, 123. 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

    Should I tear up this old sheet?

    Read the example again

    Should I tear up this old sheet?

  2. Alex

    Yes, but roll up the new poster so it stays safe.

    Read the example again

    Yes, but roll up the new poster so it stays safe.

  3. Mai

    I will tie it up loosely with this ribbon.

    Read the example again

    I will tie it up loosely with this ribbon.

Compare the uses

tear up / roll up

“Tear up” makes torn pieces; “roll up” winds paper or another flexible material. Rolling can keep the item intact, while tearing breaks it.

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 craft leader has a damaged paper draft and an intact banner that must be stored without tearing.

  1. What can be done to the unwanted draft?

    Show the answer and explanation

    Tear up the damaged draft.

    “Tear up” disposes of the damaged, unwanted draft; this instruction does not apply to the reusable banner.

  2. Correct: Roll up it before carrying it outside.

    Show the answer and explanation

    Roll it up before carrying it outside.

    “It” refers to the banner and must go between “roll” and “up”: “roll it up”.

  3. Explain why the banner needs different treatment.

    Show the answer and explanation

    Roll up the banner rather than tearing it, so we can use it again.

    Rolling the banner preserves it for reuse, whereas tearing it defeats the storage purpose.

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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