Phrasal verbs with 'go'

The following are some of the more common phrasal verbs with 'go' and example sentences.

Go On
1. to continue.
He was just too tired to go on with the race.

2. to happen
It's a mystery what goes on in that building.

Go Over
1. to review
Students, please take out your books so that we can go over yesterday's lesson.

2. to extend beyond the expected point
The meeting went over by 20 minutes.

Go through with
1. to complete something difficult or unplanned
Sheila is afraid to make the change, but she has vowed to go through with it.

Go together
1. to be an appropriate pair or set
Meat and potatoes go together very well.

Pronunciation of 'cui' and 'qu'

This post is particularly for my Spanish speaking friends who seem to have a bit of difficulty with the 'cui' & 'qu' pronunciation.

cui is always pronounced as the Spanish 'qu' as in quien.
ex. biscuit or circuit


qui & que is always pronounced as the Spanish 'cue' as in cuerpo.
ex. equipment or question


qua is always pronounced as the Spanish 'cua' as in cuadro
ex. quality


Also, in the following words, the 'u' is not pronounced:
building
buy
colleague
guard
guide
guy

US vs. British words: Transportation

US..............................................British

driving
freeway/expressway ........................ highway
truck............................................lorry
hood ........................................... bonnet
trunk .......................................... boot
windshield .................................... windscreen
red-light ...................................... traffic light

walking
sidewalk ....................................... pavement
crosswalk ...................................... zebra crossing

flying
airplane .........................................aeroplane
carryon ..........................................hand luggage
luggage cart ....................................trolley
overhead bin ...................................overhead locker

Tongue-twister pronunciation

Tongue-twisters are a great way to work on pronunciation. So here are a couple you can practice with.


Betty bought bitter butter and better butter.
The bitter butter made the better butter bitter,
But the better butter made the bitter butter better



Sally sells seashells by the sea shore.

Silent letters

The following words all have letter(s) which are not pronounced. The silent letter(s) is in parenthesis.


aisle (s) [pronounced like I'll or isle]
answer (w)
caught (g)
climbing (b)
colonel (lo)
could )l)
daughter (g)
debt (b)
half (l)
island (s)
knife (k)
knight (k)
plumber (b)
receipt (p)
sign (g)

US vs. British words: clothing

US..........................................British

sneakers .................................. trainers
sweater ................................... jumper
drawers/underwear ..................... pants
pants/slacks...............................trousers
vest ........................................ waistcoat
sweatsuit ................................. track suit
bath robe ................................. dressing gown
zipper........................................zip

Casual greetings

These are some alternatives to the tried-and-true 'How are you?'. But remember that they are not used in formal/business settings.

How are things?
How’s it going?
How ya' doin'?
What’s happening?
How’s it hanging?
What’s up?
Hey dog!

US vs. British words: Jobs

US..............................................British

judge...........................................magistrate
mailman.......................................postman
lawyer..........................................solicitor
realtor..........................................estate agent
garbage collecter.............................dustman
cop..............................................warden = policeman
principal.......................................headmaster/head-teacher
longshoreman.................................docker

résumé.........................................CV (curriculum vitae)
raise.............................................pay rise
fired/layed-off..............................made redundant
breakroom....................................canteen

US vs. British words: Foods

US..............................................British

candy...........................................sweet
cookies.........................................biscuits
French fries...................................chips
chips............................................crisps
zucchini........................................courgette
eggplant.......................................aubergine
stove...........................................cooker
take-out.......................................takeaway

Phrasal verbs with 'make'

There are many common phrasal verbs made with the verb make. Here are some of the more common and how and when to use them.

Make Up
1. to reestablish relations after an argument or disagreement. informal
Juan and Jürgen made up after their terrible fight yesterday and are now friends again.

2. to create with words. neutral
My son likes to make up rap songs.

Make Out
1. to result or finish. informal
I made out very well in the stock market with a 100% return on my initial investment.

2. to see something or someone with some difficulty. neutral
It was so dark I couldn't make out who was approaching.

Make Off
1. to steal. informal
Thieves made off with 3 invaluable paintings from the Prado Museum.

Get + adjective

The verb get is one of the English language's most versatile. It is used in countless phrasal verbs and colloquial expressions. But also because of its regular use with all types of adjectives to mean become.

For example:
It’s getting cold. = The weather is turning cold.
We’re all getting old. = We are growing older.
The party got boring. = The party became boring.
The job will get finished tomorrow. = The job will be completed tomorrow.

In these examples we were able to replace verbs such as to turn, to grow and to complete with get + adjective. This could be very helpful if you are not certain of a specific verb but know the adjective. And this construction is frequently used in conversational English.

Why English 'Joint'

I chose the word 'joint' for the title because the various meanings of the word describe the different aspects of the blog. If you are not familiar with the word, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary gives the following definitions:

adj.: common to two or more.

noun 1: the point of contact between two bones of an animal skeleton with the parts that surround or support it 2: a place where two things or parts are connected.

verb: to unite by or provide with a joint.

I wanted to create a site where those looking to take their English skills to a higher level could connect with native speakers. A place where you can learn the everyday usage of expressions 'common to two or more'. And a place where you could learn ways to connect the skeletal bare bones or various pieces of your English learning to make it more fluid.

But mostly I chose the term due to a usage the dictionary does not give. In the USA we use the word joint to refer to a interesting or cool place to hang out (spend time). And I hope this site will be that for you.