Phrasal Verbs with Down 1

If you 'lie down' you go for a rest on a bed or a sofa.

• You look exhausted. Lie down for a while.

• I lie down for ten minutes after lunch every day.

If you 'slow down', you go less quickly than before.

• As I have got older, I seem to have slowed down and to be able to get through less work.

• Production has slowed down compared with last year.

If you 'calm down', you stop being angry or excited.

• He got very angry at first but laughed about it when he had calmed down a bit.

• You need to calm down. You are much too emotional.

If someone or something needs to 'cool down', they are too hot.

• I am going to take a shower to cool myself down a bit.

• The coffee is too hot to drink. Let it cool down a bit.

If you 'cut down' something, it can mean that you reduce the number.

• We need to cut down our workforce by 500 people.

• You should cut down the number of cigarettes you smoke.

If an argument 'falls down', it is very weak.

• Your argument falls down when you look at the inflation rate.

• The argument falls down when you take costs into account.

If you 'mark down' a price, you reduce it.

• The shirts have been marked down by 50%.

• Prices have been marked down by 10% across the board.

If things 'quieten down' , they become less noisy.

• I am not going to speak until you all quieten down a bit.

• It was very hectic earlier but things have quietened down now.

If you 'tear something down', you pull it with force from a wall or a notice board.

• He tore down the poster that the union had put up.

• Somebody has torn down the safety notice I put up.

If you 'tone down' something, you make it less extreme.

• You need to tone down the language in your letter. It is too hostile.

• We need to tone down the colors on the website. They are too bright.

Emotions Phrasal Verbs

If something 'gets you down', it makes you feel unhappy.

• This uncertainty is beginning to get me down.

• The way everybody keeps complaining really gets me down

If somebody or something makes you feel upset or unhappy, they 'get to' you. This is an informal expression.

• The way he whistles all the time when we are working really gets to me.

• The heat is really getting to me. We need air conditioning.

If something makes you very unhappy, it 'tears you apart'.

• It tears me apart to know that I lost that job because of my own stupidity.

• It would tear me apart if something I said made you leave.

If you are 'put out', you are annoyed.

• I was really put out when he turned down the job.

• He seemed a bit put out that we hadn't invited him to speak.

If you 'cheer up', you start to feel happier.

• Cheer up. Things are not so bad.

• I bought a new Ipod to cheer myself up.

If you 'perk up', you suddenly become happier, cheerful or more energetic. It is also possible to 'perk someone up'.

• Your visit really made him perk up.

• He was being miserable but he perked up when Mary arrived.

If you 'brighten up', you suddenly look or feel happier.

• She brightened up when she heard the good news.

• You need to brighten up. Your long face is putting off the customers.

If you 'liven up', you become more energetic or cheerful. You can also 'liven up' a place, event or person.

• You need to liven up a bit. You're so miserable it is making everybody feel unhappy.

• We need to liven up the party. Everyone looks miserable.

If you 'calm down', you stop feeling angry, upset or excited. It's also possible to 'calm someone down'.

• You need to calm down a bit. You're too excited.

• Calm down. Let me explain.

If you have had an experience that has made you feel unhappy, you need to 'get over' it.

• It took me a year to get over being made redundant.

• You need to get over your disappointment and move on with your life.

If you are feeling sad or unhappy, you can force yourself out of this mood – you can 'snap out of it'. This is an informal expression.

• You need to snap out of this mood and do something positive.

• I hope he snaps out of this soon.

If you have been acting emotionally and unreasonably because you are upset or angry, you need to 'pull yourself together' and act reasonably.

• Pull yourself together and stop this stupid mood.

• I need some time alone to pull myself together.

If you are so excited about something that you behave in a silly or hasty way, you are 'carried away' by the idea.

• I got carried away reading my book and didn't get any sleep.

• We mustn't get carried away with our enthusiasm. We must exercise reasonable judgment.

If you 'freak out', you start behaving in a very strange or violent way. This is an informal expression. You can also 'freak someone out'.

• I freaked out when I saw my boyfriend kissing another girl.

• It freaked me out to discover that the woman I was talking to was really a man.

If you 'flip out', you start to behave in a very excited or strange way. This is informal and mainly American.

• He flipped out when they wouldn't let him on the flight because he was too late.

• The children flipped out when they met Mickey Mouse.