HOME

PHRASAL VERBS

[INFORMAL]

NEXT

2A. Good & Bad Behaviour____The world we live in____[Latinate]

Rewrite the text, using PHRASAL VERBS to replace the underlined words:

It is natural for parents to take care of their own children. They take great trouble to feed and clothe them and are over-anxious to give them a good start in life. Most children take advantage of their parents. Some get into a lot of trouble and have to be taught to behave better.

However, we cannot pretend that adults are good. We only have to follow the news to be reminded of all the violence and corruption in the world. We hear about countries which are trying to prove superior to neighbouring states by attacking them and sometimes they succeed in obtaining control of them. We read about boxers who fell their opponents with brutal punches causing them to fall in front of an audience of excited spectators. We cry when a pet cat is painlessly killed, but when a woman is murdered by a jealous husband, it is just another news story.

Our politicians attack each other in Parliament. They think we are tricked by their promises, but few of us are deceived. They pretend to be public servants, but they repress us with their laws and cheat us of our hard earned income. No politician is going to sacrifice their life for you or me. They would rather betray the country's secrets. That's why we mimic them on television. They do not mind this, but any real protest or rebellion would soon be suppressed.


Take great trouble

put oneself out

Suppress

put down

Be over anxious (to help)

fall over oneself

Repress

keep down

Take care of

look after

Sacrifice

lay down (life)

Behave better

turn over a new leaf

Betray

give away

Murder

do in

Cheat of

do out of

Kill painlessly

put down

Cheat

do someone down

Attack

go for

Deceive

take in

Attack

lay into

Be tricked by

fall for

Attack

turn on

Pretend

make out

Cause to fall

lay out

Pretend to be

pass (oneself) off as

Fell

cut down

Mimic

take off

Prove superior to

get the better of

Take advantage of

put upon

Obtain control of

take over