Vy and two friends engage in a club singing activity.
engage in
The children engage in music activities after class.
Read the example again
The children engage in music activities after class.
Our club engages in community projects.
Read the example again
Our club engages in community projects.
View meaning & usage
Take part in an activity
engage in something
A relatively formal way to say take part, often followed by an activity noun. It does not mean get engaged to marry.
Haven't studied yet
Vy starts off the rehearsal with a short song.
start off
We started off with a short song.
Read the example again
We started off with a short song.
She started the lesson off with a question.
Read the example again
She started the lesson off with a question.
View meaning & usage
Begin an activity in a particular way
start off with somethingstart something off with something
Use “with” to name the first activity. Here it is the beginning of a rehearsal, not starting a business as with “start up”.
Haven't studied yet
Vy and her friends gradually wind down the rehearsal.
wind down
We wound down the rehearsal with a quiet song.
Read the example again
We wound down the rehearsal with a quiet song.
The club is winding down its activities for the holiday.
Read the example again
The club is winding down its activities for the holiday.
View meaning & usage
Reduce activity gradually towards an end
wind downwind something down
Emphasises slowing or reducing activity before stopping. It can also describe relaxing. The past form of “wind” is “wound”.
Haven't studied yet
The examples were written for this course. Usage was checked against Matt Errey’s book, pages 98, 35, 40, 121, 139. A2–B1 is the course’s intended level.
Recall it · Use it
One step forward every day
Practice completed!
Your browser could not save your play history. Results from this session may be lost when you close the page.
Sentences using suggestions are counted as needing more practice. Review schedule based on each phrase's meaning.
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.
Phrases
Actions in the pictures
Picture description
Vy polishes up a familiar song by practising it again.
The picture could not load. Try loading it again before matching.
Picture description
Vy devotes a planned block of time to singing practice.
The picture could not load. Try loading it again before matching.
Picture description
Vy and two friends engage in a club singing activity.
The picture could not load. Try loading it again before matching.
Picture description
Vy starts off the rehearsal with a short song.
The picture could not load. Try loading it again before matching.
Picture description
Vy and her friends gradually wind down the rehearsal.
The picture could not load. Try loading it again before matching.
Choose a phrase to begin.
Your browser could not save your play history. Results from this session may be lost when you close the page.
A conversation in context
Read the conversation and find the expressions you have learned.
Mai
We need to polish up the opening scene.
Read the example again
We need to polish up the opening scene.
Alex
How much time can we devote to rehearsing it?
Read the example again
How much time can we devote to rehearsing it?
Mai
Half an hour, then we should wind down before going home.
Read the example again
Half an hour, then we should wind down before going home.
Compare the uses
polish up / devote to
“Polish up” improves an existing skill or work; “devote to” occurs when giving time or effort to something. They concern improvement and the resources given to 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 choir already knows a song but needs to improve it. The group can give twenty minutes to rehearsing.
Describe improving the existing performance.
Show the answer and explanation
They need to polish up the song.
The choir already knows the song, so “polish up” improves its performance rather than teaches it from scratch.
Complete: We can devote twenty minutes ___ rehearsing.
Show the answer and explanation
to
“Devote twenty minutes to rehearsing” allocates that time to practice; prepositional “to” takes “rehearsing”.
Write a plan for ending the session gently.
Show the answer and explanation
We will polish up the song, then wind down before leaving.
“Polish up… then wind down” puts focused improvement before a gentler end to the session.
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.
