EducationEnglish.Phrasal verbsCOMMUNICATION · A2–B1

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← Phrasal verbs

Lesson 71 / Equipment & search

Find the item and return it.

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

Recognize who belongs to someone, look in the bag and return the borrowed item.

After this lesson, you can

  • Use this lesson’s expressions to talk about the situation introduced above.
  • Distinguish “check through” and “look over” in context.
  • Use “belong to” 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
Nhi looks at the tag on her backpack to know who the item belongs to.
Nhi looks at the tag on her backpack to know who the item belongs to.

belong to

This backpack belongs to my friend.

Read the example again

This backpack belongs to my friend.

Who does this notebook belong to?

Read the example again

Who does this notebook belong to?

View meaning & usage

Belongs/belongs to someone

belong to someone

The subject is the item, the owner comes after "to". This is a verb that goes with a preposition, and is classified in the study group by the document.

Haven't studied yet
Nhi accidentally found an old toy in a drawer.
Nhi accidentally found an old toy in a drawer.

run across

I ran across an old toy while looking in the drawer.

Read the example again

I ran across an old toy while looking in the drawer.

We ran across a friend at the lost-and-found desk.

Read the example again

We ran across a friend at the lost-and-found desk.

View meaning & usage

Found / found by chance

run across someone / something

To meet or see unintentionally, close to the meaning “come across”. Not passing by in terms of movement; past "ran".

Haven't studied yet
Nhi returned the notebook she borrowed to her friend.
Nhi returned the notebook she borrowed to her friend.

hand back

Please hand back the notebook when you finish.

Read the example again

Please hand back the notebook when you finish.

I handed the book back to its owner.

Read the example again

I handed the book back to its owner.

View meaning & usage

Return it to the previous person

hand back somethinghand something backhand something back to someone

Emphasize giving back by hand. With the pronoun: “hand it back”, do not use “hand back it”.

Haven't studied yet
Nhi checks returned toy before using.
Nhi checks returned toy before using.

look over

Let us look over the toy before using it again.

Read the example again

Let us look over the toy before using it again.

My teacher looked the page over for mistakes.

Read the example again

My teacher looked the page over for mistakes.

View meaning & usage

See status/content check

look over somethinglook something over

Close to the meaning “check over”. The article is about looking at the condition or errors, not looking for an item in the compartments.

Cambridge Dictionary · look over

Haven't studied yet

The examples were written for this course. Usage was checked against Matt Errey’s book, pages 11, 21, 108, 61, 82. 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 look over this list before I hand it back?

    Read the example again

    Could you look over this list before I hand it back?

  2. Alex

    Yes. I will check through the names for any mistakes.

    Read the example again

    Yes. I will check through the names for any mistakes.

  3. Mai

    Thanks. That notebook belongs to the organiser.

    Read the example again

    Thanks. That notebook belongs to the organiser.

Compare the uses

check through / look over

When examining a list, you can use “check through” or “look over”. Further instructions tell you whether a quick look or a careful check is needed; the expressions are not always mutually exclusive.

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 found-property volunteer examines a list for missing entries before returning a bag to its owner.

  1. Give one suitable expression for examining the list.

    Show the answer and explanation

    She can check through the list or look it over.

    Both “check through the list” and “look it over” describe examining it; the missing entries explain why.

  2. Correct: Please hand back it to the owner.

    Show the answer and explanation

    Please hand it back to the owner.

    “It” refers to the bag returned to its owner, so say “hand it back to the owner”.

  3. Write a careful return instruction.

    Show the answer and explanation

    Check through the list before you hand the bag back.

    “Before” puts the list check ahead of returning the bag, avoiding a handover before verification.

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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