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Moving On - Phrasel Verbs
When preparing most kinds of fruit or vegetables, we cut off the outside part and cut up the inside part.

Moving On - Phrasel Verbs

Build ESL Medium confidence with everyday English for progress, change, and next steps, using natural phrases that fit real conversations at home, school, and work.

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Fascinating Fact:

“Get on” can mean continue, or have a good relationship, depending on the context. That’s why the sentence around it matters.

In ESL Medium, learners practise natural English for handling change, continuing after a problem, and talking about what happens next. This topic helps build confidence with everyday phrases used when people move forward in life, work, and conversation.

  • Progress: Moving forward or improving step by step.
  • Transition: A change from one stage, place, or situation to another.
  • Everyday phrase: A common expression used in normal spoken or written English.
What does moving on mean in everyday English?

In everyday English, moving on means continuing with life after a change, problem, or ending, and focusing on the next step instead of staying stuck in the past.

How do English speakers talk about making progress?

English speakers often talk about making progress with phrases such as “I’m getting there”, “Things are improving”, or “We’re moving forward now”.

Why are everyday phrases about change useful in ESL?

Everyday phrases about change are useful in ESL because they help learners understand real conversations and speak more naturally about plans, feelings, setbacks, and new beginnings.

1 .
Choose the best answer to fill the gap/s and make clear accurate English.
When preparing most kinds of fruit or vegetables, we ... ... the outside part and ... ... the inside part.
... cut away ... / ... cut out ...
... cut off ... / ... cut up ...
... cut back ... / ... cut on ...
... cut along ... / ... cut through ...
Answer 2 is best here, though Answer 1 might describe an even earlier stage (cutting the skin of the fruit away/off, before cutting out the centre from what remains).
2 .
Choose the best answer to fill the gap/s and make clear accurate English.
'Having tried it for a little while, I think smoking is a disgusting habit. I'm going to ... ... tobacco, and ... ... the smart lighter that my so-called friend gave me for my last birthday.'
... give up ... / ... give off ...
... give away ... / ... give away ...
... give out ... / ... give in ...
... give up ... / ... give back ...
People might 'give in' by stopping their resistance to something ('I give in; you're going to have to tell me the answer instead of me trying to guess'); and they might 'give things away' (e.g. here, passing on their remaining tobacco to somebody else).
One product may be 'given away' (free of charge) with something else, e.g. a bar of chocolate with a tankful of car fuel; the bride at a wedding is formally 'given away' by her father or another family member. And we can also 'give away a secret' ('It was a bit of a giveaway that she'd agreed to marry him, when we could see that great big ring on her finger').
Plenty to think about here!
3 .
Choose the best answer to fill the gap/s and make clear accurate English.
Once we have ... ... the new cupboard in the bathroom, we can ... ... all those old medicines again.
... put out ... / ... put through ...
... put up ... / ... put in ...
... put up ... / ... put away ...
... put off ... / ... put back ...
All the 'put' expressions here exist in English ~ you might find it interesting to check them ~ but only the pair at Answer 3 makes full sense.
4 .
Choose the best answer to fill the gap/s and make clear accurate English.
'While we're talking ... ... plans for next week, maybe we could talk ... ... the details for the day our guests arrive.'
... about ... / ... through ...
... on ... / ... over ...
... round ... / ... with ...
... of... / ... round ...
We talk (or speak) 'about' a topic, and may then 'talk through' the details more closely (probably in a logical order, such as the time sequence of what will be happening).
5 .
Choose the best answer to fill the gap/s and make clear accurate English.
A science teacher may well ask her students to ... ... the results of an experiment, and ... ... the whole experiment afterwards as homework.
... write in ... / ... write off ...
... write down ... / ... write up ...
... write on ... / ... write about ...
... write along ... / ... write back ...
We write things down (like to record, on paper and for future reference, a telephone number that someone's just told us) ; we write up an account of something afterwards, like a policeman writing up a report of what has just happened. We may talk about a 'writeup' when we are looking online, in a paper or magazine to see what the critics thought about a show or film that we might be thinking to go and watch for ourselves.
We can 'write off' in the sense of sending a letter away to ask about something, or register an interest ('I've written off for more details about the holiday'); a badly damaged car will be 'written off', in the sense that is 'beyond economic repair', i.e. it would be unreasonable to pay more to mend it than the vehicle is actually worth.
6 .
Choose the best answer to fill the gap/s and make clear accurate English.
She ... ... the car and ... ... the lights.
... got off ... / ... turned up ...
... got out of ... / ... switched off ...
... got of ... / ... switched down ...
... got down of ... / ... turned out ...
In spoken English one 'gets out of' something (this can also mean avoiding responsibility: 'I got out of having to pay'). Apart from the use of 'get', some non-native speakers might feel that we needed a Reflexive element in the phrase ('Get yourself out of that situation' is possible).
We can meanwhile 'switch off' or 'turn off', or even 'turn out' the lights.
7 .
Choose the best answer to fill the gap/s and make clear accurate English.
Luckily for almost everyone, the heating did not ... ... before the school ... ... for the Christmas holidays.
... break out ... / ... broke away ...
... break down ... / ... broke out ...
... break apart ... / ... broke off ...
... break down ... / ... broke up ...
A machine may 'break down'; a school or college may 'break up' when its term ends and the people disperse for their holidays. 'Break up' can also mean that something comes apart, like a shipwreck; but clearly it does not carry quite that meaning here!
A couple (of adult people; or indeed, a family) may 'break up' ( = move apart ) if their relationship breaks down.
8 .
Choose the best answer to fill the gap/s and make clear accurate English.
'If you are ... ... a good quality used car, you will be ... ... paying over £10,000.'
... looking at ... / ... looking at ...
... looking for ... / ... looking at ...
... looking for ... / ... looking for ...
... looking at ... / ... looking for ...
We 'look for' a thing when we are actively searching; we may 'look at' it once we have found it. We use 'looking at' in the sense that someone is facing a challenge or difficulty, like an expensive price or a long stay in prison ('If you shoot a police officer, you would be looking at a long time in jail.')
9 .
Choose the best answer to fill the gap/s and make clear accurate English.
People in a very early cinema started ... ... , when the film showed them moving images of a train ... ... a station.
... running away ... / ... coming into ...
... running out ... / ... coming at ...
... running off ... / ... coming to ...
... running back ... / ... coming in ...
Any of the other Answers would have made some sense, suggesting that the audience were moving back from the screen as fast as they could; but only Answer 1 is right for the second part, 'coming into ... ' a place.
10 .
Choose the best answer to fill the gap/s and make clear accurate English.
When you return the hire car to the airport, the two most important things to remember are:
... ... the fuel tank, and ... ... the details on the return form!
... fill in ... / ... fill out ...
... fill up ... / ... fill back ...
... fill up ... / ... fill in ...
... fill in ... / ... fill up ...
'Fill up ... / ... fill out' is also possible, but usually we 'fill in' a form.
Many of these other suggested phrases exist and do other jobs in English, except 'fill back' which we don't think has any sensible meaning.
Author:  Ian Miles (Linguist, ESL and RE Quiz Writer & Tutor)

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