Hạ sizes up a backpack beside the supplies she needs to carry.
size up
She sized up the backpack before buying it.
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She sized up the backpack before buying it.
The coach sized the new players up during practice.
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The coach sized the new players up during practice.
View meaning & usage
Examine someone or something to form a judgement
size up someone or somethingsize someone or something up
This means judging qualities or suitability, rather than just measuring size. With a pronoun, say “size it up”.
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Hạ comes by a hard-to-find old book at a second-hand stall.
come by
She came by the old book at a small stall.
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She came by the old book at a small stall.
Good spare parts are hard to come by here.
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Good spare parts are hard to come by here.
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Manage to obtain something
come by somethingbe hard to come by
Here this means obtaining something, rather than visiting a place. The past form is “came by”.
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Hạ latches onto the idea of using drawings in her notes.
latch onto
She latched onto the idea of making picture notes.
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She latched onto the idea of making picture notes.
The team latched onto a simple way to save paper.
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The team latched onto a simple way to save paper.
View meaning & usage
Quickly adopt and follow an idea
latch onto something
Here this means adopting an idea and using or following it. It is not a literal latch or physical attachment to a person.
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The examples were written for this course. Usage was checked against Matt Errey’s book, pages 113, 142, 118, 24, 76. A2–B1 is the course’s intended level.
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Read the picture descriptions for more context. Similar expressions are accepted when they fit the particular scene.
Phrases
Actions in the pictures
Picture description
Hạ deliberately seeks out a librarian for help finding a bird book.
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Picture description
Hạ zeros in on a small feather among dry leaves.
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Picture description
Hạ sizes up a backpack beside the supplies she needs to carry.
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Picture description
Hạ comes by a hard-to-find old book at a second-hand stall.
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Picture description
Hạ latches onto the idea of using drawings in her notes.
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Choose a phrase to begin.
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A conversation in context
Read the conversation and find the expressions you have learned.
Mai
Let us seek out someone who has repaired this before.
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Let us seek out someone who has repaired this before.
Alex
Then we can zero in on the cause of the problem.
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Then we can zero in on the cause of the problem.
Mai
We should size up the options before buying new parts.
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We should size up the options before buying new parts.
Compare the uses
seek out / zero in on
“Seek out” means deliberately find; “zero in on” focuses attention on a particular target. A broad search and a narrow focus can be successive 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 club searches for an experienced repairer, then focuses attention on one likely cause of a fault.
Describe the deliberate search for help.
Show the answer and explanation
They seek out an experienced repairer.
The club deliberately searches for an experienced repairer, so “seek out” fits rather than an accidental encounter.
Complete: Let us zero in ___ the damaged connector.
Show the answer and explanation
on
“Zero in on the damaged connector” focuses attention on that specific part; keep “on”.
Ask the team to assess alternatives first.
Show the answer and explanation
Size up the repair options before ordering replacement parts.
“Size up the repair options” assesses alternatives before ordering parts, avoiding a premature choice.
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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