| get * across + | cause to be understood | It’s difficult to get humor across in another language. |
| get ahead | make progress | I can’t get ahead even though I work two jobs. |
| get ahead of + | surpass | You need to work overtime in order to get ahead of schedule. |
| get along | have a good relationship | Do you and your sister get along? |
| get along with + | have a good relationship | Giovanna doesn’t get along with her two brothers. |
| get around + | avoid someone or something | Some people get around paying taxes by hiring a good accountant. |
| get around | go many places | It’s easy to get around town with public transportation. |
| get away | escape | The bank robbers got away. |
| get away with + | do something against the rules or illegal and not get caught or punished | My sister gets away with everything! |
| get by | survive without having the things you need or want | I lost my job, so I am having a hard time getting by this year. |
| get by on + | survive with minimal resources | It’s nearly impossible to get by on making minimum wage. |
| get by with + | manage with | You don’t need a computer. You can get by with the typewriter. |
| get down to + | get serious about a topic | Enough small talk. Let’s get down to business. |
| get in + | enter ( a car, a small boat) | Get in the front seat. You will have more leg room. |
| get in | enter | Get in. I will give you a ride to school |
| get * off + | send (a package) | I finally got my sister’s birthday present off yesterday. |
| get * off | remove ( a spider from your shirt) | Can you get this spider off my shirt? |
| get off + | leave (a bus, plane, train, boat) | We need to get off the bus at the next stop. |
| get off | leave | It’s dangerous to sit on the roof. Get off! |
| get off | idiomatic phrase – How does he justify saying that?! | Where does he get off saying that?! |
| get * on | put on (clothes) | You should get your jacket on because it’s going to be cold. |
| get on | enter (a bus, train), mount (a horse, a bike) | The train is leaving. Quick, get on! |
| get on + | enter (a bus, train), mount ( a horse, a bike) | Get on my bike and I will give you a ride home. |
| get on | have a good relationship | Natasha doesn’t get on with her co-workers. |
| get on with + | have a good relationship | Do you get on with your neighbors? |
| get on with + | continue an activity | Now that the police have left, let’s get on with the party! |
| get out of + | exit (a small boat, car, an enclosed area) | I fell into the water when I tried to get out of the canoe. |
| get over + | recover (a cold, a disease, an ex-boyfriend/ex-girlfriend) | Jennifer still hasn’t gotten over her breakup with Peter. |
| get through + | complete | We will never get through all of these boxes by 9:00 PM. |
| get through + | penetrate | We need a stronger drill to get through this wall. |
| get through | penetrate | The door was jammed, so we couldn’t get through. |
| get through (with) + | finish | Have you gotten through with your homework yet? |
| get through to + | make contact | It’s hard to get through to Janet because her telephone line is always busy. |
| get * up | cause someone to rise (from a sitting position or a lying position) | Ahmed got Abdul up at 5:30 in the morning by turning the music up really loud. |
| get up | rise (from sitting position or a bed) | What time did you get up this morning? |
| give * away + | give something without asking for anything in exchange | Why did Nancy give all of her furniture away? |
| give * away + | betray (a secret) | We are having a surprise party for Susan next Saturday, so don’t give our surprise away by acting suspicious. |
| give * back + | return something you borrowed | When are you going to give that book back to your teacher? |
| give in | stop trying | Never give in! You can do it! |
| give off + | release (a smell, light) | That white flower gives off a beautiful smell. |
| give * out + | distribute | I earn extra money by giving out brochures on the street. |
| give out | become very tired (inf.) | I hope this car doesn’t give out in the middle of the desert. |
| give * up + | surrender something | The police told the thief to give his gun up. |
| give up | surrender | Never give up learning English! |
| go away | leave | I yelled at the dogs to make them go away. |
| go back | return | When are you going back to your house? |
| go by + | go past, go close to, visit quickly | We go by the coffee shop everyday. |
| go back on + | not keep (one’s word, a promise) | Don’t trust him. He always goes back on his promises. |
| go down | decrease | The cost of flight tickets is going down. |
| go for + | try to achieve | Our team is going for the gold medal in the Olympics. |
| go for | idiomatic phrase – I am craving pepperoni pizza. | I could go for pepperoni pizza. |
| go in for + | participate ( inf.) | Are you going to go in for soccer this year at school? |
| go into + | discuss in detail | I really don’t want to go into that now. |
| go off | explode | The bomb could go off at any moment. |
| go off | begin, start (used with signals, alarms, warning sounds) | The alarm clock went off at 6:00 AM. |
| go off | stop (said of a machine) | The DVD player goes off automatically if you are not using it. |
| go off | become angry | Maria went off last night after I told her about losing her bike. |
| go on | continue | Please, go on. Don’t let me interrupt you. |
| go on | happen | This place is a mess! What went on here last night? |
| go on with + | continue ( a plan, a conversation) | I think we should go on with the meeting and stop wasting time. |
| go out | stop burning ( a fire) | The fire went out after three days. |
| go out | take part in social activities (usually at night) | They love to go out every Saturday night. |
| go over + | review | Do you usually go over your notes before class? |
| go over | be well received, succeed | That didn’t go over well. |
| go through + | examine in detail, study carefully | I need to have my lawyer go through this contract before I sign it. |
| go through + | endure; experience challenges, difficulties or traumas | She has gone through so much in her life. |
| go through with + | continue or proceed despite difficulties or fears | I have decided to go through with the operation. |
| go with + | match (clothing) | That shirt doesn’t go with those pants. |
| go with + | accompany a person | I am going with Alejandro to the party. |
| go with + | have a boyfriend/girlfriend | I am going with Yuri. |
| go without + | abstain from something you want or need | A person can go without water for three days. |
| grow under | go out of business | The restaurant went under after it lost its liquor license. |
| grow up | mature | Your brother needs to grow up and start thinking about his future. |
