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 29 / Parcels

Sending and receiving items.

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

Check, hand over and pack the items to be sent.

After this lesson, you can

  • Use this lesson’s expressions to talk about the situation introduced above.
  • Distinguish “check over” and “hand over” in context.
  • Use “send back” 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
Duy looked carefully at a parcel he had just received to check its condition.
Duy looked carefully at a parcel he had just received to check its condition.

check over

Check over the parcel before you sign for it.

Read the example again

Check over the parcel before you sign for it.

I checked the bicycle over before buying it.

Read the example again

I checked the bicycle over before buying it.

View meaning & usage

Check everything carefully

check over somethingcheck something over

Emphasizes careful examination of an object or document to find problems.

Cambridge Dictionary · check over

Haven't studied yet
Duy handed over a box to the delivery staff.
Duy handed over a box to the delivery staff.

hand over

Please hand over the package to the courier.

Read the example again

Please hand over the package to the courier.

I handed the documents over to the new manager.

Read the example again

I handed the documents over to the new manager.

View meaning & usage

Hand over / give to someone else

hand over somethinghand something over to someone

Emphasis on transferring things or control to others; different from submitting work in "hand in".

Cambridge Dictionary · hand over

Haven't studied yet
Duy sent the damaged item back to the post office counter.
Duy sent the damaged item back to the post office counter.

send back

The item was broken, so I sent it back.

Read the example again

The item was broken, so I sent it back.

Can we send back the wrong size and get a replacement?

Read the example again

Can we send back the wrong size and get a replacement?

View meaning & usage

Send it back

send back somethingsend something back

Different from self-delivery in "take back": "send back" emphasizes sending via person or shipping service.

Haven't studied yet
Duy used colored paper to wrap a birthday gift.
Duy used colored paper to wrap a birthday gift.

wrap up

I need to wrap up this gift before the party.

Read the example again

I need to wrap up this gift before the party.

We wrapped the books up to protect them.

Read the example again

We wrapped the books up to protect them.

View meaning & usage

Wrap with paper/wrapping material

wrap up somethingwrap something up

The meaning in the lesson is to wrap or wrap things; different from the end of the meeting.

Haven't studied yet
Duy delivered a parcel at the delivery counter.
Duy delivered a parcel at the delivery counter.

drop off

I will drop off the parcel on my way to work.

Read the example again

I will drop off the parcel on my way to work.

Could you drop these books off at the library?

Read the example again

Could you drop these books off at the library?

View meaning & usage

Bring items to be delivered at one location

drop off somethingdrop something off at a place

Here, we bring the goods to be delivered; different from getting a person off the bus, but the same pattern is used.

Haven't studied yet

The examples were written for this course. Usage was checked against Matt Errey’s book, pages 21, 61, 113, 140, 38. 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

    Could you check over this parcel before I wrap it up?

    Read the example again

    Could you check over this parcel before I wrap it up?

  2. Alex

    The address is right. Who will hand it over to the courier?

    Read the example again

    The address is right. Who will hand it over to the courier?

  3. Mai

    I will drop it off at the collection point.

    Read the example again

    I will drop it off at the collection point.

Compare the uses

check over / hand over

“Check over” means examine for problems; “hand over” means give to another person. Checking an item before handing it over separates the two stages.

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 must inspect a donated camera, package it, and give it to a repair specialist.

  1. Which step checks for damage?

    Show the answer and explanation

    Check over the camera before packaging it.

    The camera must be inspected for damage before packing, so “check over” is the relevant step.

  2. Correct: Hand over it to the repair specialist.

    Show the answer and explanation

    Hand it over to the repair specialist.

    “It” replaces the camera being transferred, so say “hand it over to the repair specialist”.

  3. Write the final delivery instruction.

    Show the answer and explanation

    Wrap up the camera carefully and drop it off at the workshop.

    “Wrap up” protects the camera with packaging; “drop off at the workshop” delivers and leaves it for repair.

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