EducationEnglish.Phrasal verbsCOMMUNICATION · A2–B1

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← Phrasal verbs

Lesson 48 / Nature

Observing nature.

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

Look at the transformation of butterflies, sun and light around you.

After this lesson, you can

  • Use this lesson’s expressions to talk about the situation introduced above.
  • Distinguish “light up” and “give off” in context.
  • Use “turn into” 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
Hạ observes the stages of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly in a corner of the garden.
Hạ observes the stages of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly in a corner of the garden.

turn into

A caterpillar turns into a butterfly.

Read the example again

A caterpillar turns into a butterfly.

We watched the ice turn into water.

Read the example again

We watched the ice turn into water.

View meaning & usage

Transform into something else

turn into somethingturn something into something

After “into” is what appears after the change. Can be used for natural or man-made transformations.

Haven't studied yet
Hạ and Minh watched the sunrise from the garden.
Hạ and Minh watched the sunrise from the garden.

come up

We watched the sun come up over the hills.

Read the example again

We watched the sun come up over the hills.

The moon came up while we were sitting in the garden.

Read the example again

The moon came up while we were sitting in the garden.

View meaning & usage

Rising on the horizon

the sun / moon comes up

The meaning in the lesson is the rising sun or moon; other than an issue raised.

Haven't studied yet
Hạ looks at the string of small lights that light up the corner of the garden when it's dark.
Hạ looks at the string of small lights that light up the corner of the garden when it's dark.

light up

The little lamps light up our garden at night.

Read the example again

The little lamps light up our garden at night.

The moon lit up the path.

Read the example again

The moon lit up the path.

View meaning & usage

Illuminate/brighten a place

light up somethinglight something up

Here, it's about making a place brighter. The past tense is usually “lit”; Do not use the meaning of smoking in this lesson.

Cambridge Dictionary · light up

Haven't studied yet
Hạ and Minh observed that the garden lights were turned off when the appointment time ended.
Hạ and Minh observed that the garden lights were turned off when the appointment time ended.

go out

The garden lights went out at nine.

Read the example again

The garden lights went out at nine.

The lamp went out when its battery ran out.

Read the example again

The lamp went out when its battery ran out.

View meaning & usage

The light/flame goes out

a light / fire goes out

The lamp or fire is the subject and extinguishes itself; If you want to say who turned off the light, use "turn off". Past tense “went”.

Haven't studied yet
Hạ smelled the fragrance emanating from the flowers in the garden.
Hạ smelled the fragrance emanating from the flowers in the garden.

give off

These flowers give off a lovely smell.

Read the example again

These flowers give off a lovely smell.

The little lamp gives off a warm light.

Read the example again

The little lamp gives off a warm light.

View meaning & usage

Emit smell/light/heat

give off something

Used for odors, light, heat or emitted gases. With the smell of flowers is the meaning in the illustration; past tense “gave”.

Cambridge Dictionary · give off

Haven't studied yet

The examples were written for this course. Usage was checked against Matt Errey’s book, pages 133, 27, 79, 56, 54. 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

    The lanterns light up the garden path.

    Read the example again

    The lanterns light up the garden path.

  2. Alex

    These flowers give off a lovely smell too.

    Read the example again

    These flowers give off a lovely smell too.

  3. Mai

    Let us go inside before the last light goes out.

    Read the example again

    Let us go inside before the last light goes out.

Compare the uses

light up / give off

“Light up” concerns becoming or making bright; “give off” concerns emitting light, heat, smell, or gas. Identify what is being emitted.

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

At dusk, lamps brighten a path. Nearby herbs release a strong smell; later one lamp stops shining.

  1. Describe what the lamps do to the path.

    Show the answer and explanation

    The lamps light up the path.

    The lamps make the path brighter, so they “light up the path”; the path receives the light.

  2. Complete: These herbs give ___ a strong smell.

    Show the answer and explanation

    off

    The herbs emit a smell, so use “give off a strong smell”; “off” completes the expression for emission.

  3. Report the lamp problem using go out.

    Show the answer and explanation

    One of the lamps has gone out near the gate.

    For a lamp, “has gone out” means stopped shining; the gate identifies the lamp rather than a person leaving.

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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