EducationEnglish.Phrasal verbsCOMMUNICATION · A2–B1

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← Phrasal verbs

Lesson 28 / Movement

Exercise and rest.

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

Warm up, practice and change positions during an exercise session.

After this lesson, you can

  • Use this lesson’s expressions to talk about the situation introduced above.
  • Distinguish “warm up” and “cool down” in context.
  • Use “work out” 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
Nam ran lightly to warm up before practicing.
Nam ran lightly to warm up before practicing.

warm up

The players warm up before every game.

Read the example again

The players warm up before every game.

We warmed up by walking and stretching.

Read the example again

We warmed up by walking and stretching.

View meaning & usage

Warm up before an activity

warm upwarm up before somethingwarm up by doing something

The meaning of sport is to prepare the body for exercise; different from reheating food.

Cambridge Dictionary · warm up

Haven't studied yet
Nam exercises with two light dumbbells.
Nam exercises with two light dumbbells.

work out

I work out at the gym twice a week.

Read the example again

I work out at the gym twice a week.

Do you prefer to work out at home or outside?

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Do you prefer to work out at home or outside?

View meaning & usage

Exercise

work outwork out at a gym

The meaning in the lesson is exercise; has no object and is different from calculating costs.

Haven't studied yet
After running, Nam walked lightly and relaxed to calm his body.
After running, Nam walked lightly and relaxed to calm his body.

cool down

We walked slowly to cool down after the run.

Read the example again

We walked slowly to cool down after the run.

He rested in the shade to cool down.

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He rested in the shade to cool down.

View meaning & usage

Cool down / soothe after exercise

cool downcool down after something

In this situation, the body cools down or cools down after activity. Phrases are also used with hot food.

Cambridge Dictionary · cool down

Haven't studied yet
Nam sat down on the bench after practicing.
Nam sat down on the bench after practicing.

sit down

Sit down for a minute while I get some water.

Read the example again

Sit down for a minute while I get some water.

We sat down on the bench after the game.

Read the example again

We sat down on the bench after the game.

View meaning & usage

Move into a sitting position

sit downsit down on a chair / bench

This describes the movement into a seated position. The past form of “sit” is “sat”.

Cambridge Dictionary · sit down

Haven't studied yet
Nam stood up from a chair to begin the activity.
Nam stood up from a chair to begin the activity.

stand up

Stand up when you are ready to start.

Read the example again

Stand up when you are ready to start.

He stood up and joined the group.

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He stood up and joined the group.

View meaning & usage

Move from sitting to an upright position on your feet

stand up

This describes rising from a seat. The past form of “stand” is “stood”.

Cambridge Dictionary · stand up

Haven't studied yet

The examples were written for this course. Usage was checked against Matt Errey’s book, pages 137, 140, 28, 118, 121. 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

    Shall we warm up before the main exercises?

    Read the example again

    Shall we warm up before the main exercises?

  2. Alex

    Yes. After we work out, let us cool down slowly.

    Read the example again

    Yes. After we work out, let us cool down slowly.

  3. Mai

    Then we can sit down and rest for a moment.

    Read the example again

    Then we can sit down and rest for a moment.

Compare the uses

warm up / cool down

In exercise, “warm up” prepares you with gentle movement before harder activity; “cool down” follows it with gentler movement. They belong at different 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 dance class is about to begin. The instructor also plans gentle movements after the hardest exercises.

  1. What preparation should happen first?

    Show the answer and explanation

    The dancers should warm up before the harder exercises.

    Before strenuous exercise the dancers need to warm up, unlike cooling down at the end.

  2. Complete: After the session, we need to cool ___.

    Show the answer and explanation

    down

    “After the session” places the action at the end, so “cool down” describes the gentle finishing activity.

  3. Write a reminder about both ends of the session.

    Show the answer and explanation

    Warm up before dancing and cool down afterwards.

    “Before” and “afterwards” place warming up and cooling down at opposite ends of 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.

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