Phrasal Verbs with BACK: “back up”, “back off”, “back out”…

Hi Pjapnghiem,

Nico explained it well. Space, in this example, means a contained area. So you need to back into (inside of) it.

Hi Frank,

Where have you seen it previously?

I’ll get on it Dmytro ;)

Thanks :)

Hi Cryman,

Space, in this example, means a contained area. So you need to back into (inside of) it.

You’re the second to mention this Hector. When did you see it before? It was new for me.

Hi Fahdbensalman,

I’m afraid Alex is right. There are many parts of the language that simply require memorization.

That being said, these prepositions are often interchangeable, meaning you shouldn’t make an embarrassing mistake if you used them that way.

Come and sit by/next to/beside me.– all of these would express the same meaning. Near would be a little strange as it still leaves some space between you and the other person.

I will only add some nuances:
next to–in a sequence
beside–to the side
by– wherever there is space close to
near– not far

hope this helps a little.

Good luck Fcicerre :)

Hi Abdelle,

I do test-prep courses only. I’m not sure about the other teachers though. You can write a comment on their videos as well.

Good luck.

Hi Sophie,

“Imagine you were a farmer; what would you do?”

(although, many native speakers would use ‘are’ and it has become acceptable.)

To the south means ‘south of’. In the South (capital S) means in the area that is known as the South.

Although, you can say in the southern regions.

Hi Deedo,

Space, in this example, means a contained area. So you need to back into (inside of) it.

:)

You’re right, Rena. :)

Hi Leonie,

Yes, phrasal verbs are part of all levels of spoken and written English. They are not slang (though, of course, some are).

Hi Chau,

They are like vocabulary; the more you use them, the more you’ll remember.

Hi Sharait,

I probably won’t make another lesson about this topic as there are so many others, but you can ask me questions about things you didn’t understand here. :)

Hi Yoshius,

Think of back in as the action (how), and back into as the direction (where).

How will you get the car into the garage? I will back in (i.e. not drive forward but backward).

Where will you park the car? I will back it into the garage (where will I put it?)

Does this help?

Hi Chanbbsoqq,

A brown-eyed girl (hyphen)

From 10 – 2 (en dash)

Bob–that was the killer’s name–was found at last. (em dash)

There are 2 types of dash, but a hyphen is used to connect two words to make one, while a dash shows a span, or is used to interrupt the writing.

Hi Jorge,

Please keep in mind that these lessons are meant to be quick looks at a topic. There are also examples in the quiz. We can’t write a whole book chapter for each lesson. However, if there is something you don’t understand, you can always ask here.

It is :)

Hi Katrin,

It can mean I will start to do it one hour later, OR it will take me one hour to complete it. The meaning depends on the context.

I will do my homework in an hour and then we can go.

I’ll just rest a bit now, and I’ll do my homework in an hour.

Hi Nyirka,

These are called compound nouns. When all the nouns are necessary, the last one is usually acts as the noun and the preceding ones act as adjectives. To use the hyphen, you need a compound adjective :https://www.engvid.com/learn-english-punctuation-hyphens-compound-adjectives/

Technically, compound nouns can be long, but this should be avoided if possible.

I’ll see what I can do Chetanverma

I’ll get on it Vipin :)

Hi Maria,

Sorry, I don’t know Spanish and I don’t have access to your gmail account. Can you email the site?

Good idea Soso. I’ll see what I can do for you :)

Technically, the subject takes the verb and in these examples, ‘there’ is not the subject. old man and hares is the compound subject taking the verb are.

an old man and hares are in the boat
hares and an old man are in the boat
one table, two chairs and a divan are in my room.

It might sound strange to use there are one table…, but it’s actually correct.

That being said, good writing usually avoids starting sentences with there is /are anyway.

Does this help?

HI Katrin,

‘help’ is the only verb that does require its following infinitive to use ‘to’. If you add the ‘to’, it’s ok, but you don’t need to. I hope this helps you (to) understand. :)

Hi Jose,

These are called parts of speech. Google search this term and you will find lots of stuff online. :)

Gambatte Bellamari :)

Hi Ayuvirgo,

No, it’s ok. It’s very British :)

In American English you’ll likely hear “pick up the trash/garbage” :)

Which one(s) David? I generally keep it in line, but sometimes one slips through ;)

No such thing as a stupid question Anna.
Yes, both use them ,and for the most part they are the same, but sometimes there are different ones for each. Australians also have some of their own. I can’t recall any at this moment, but I’ll get back to you on that ;)