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  • Phrasal Verbs and the Continuous Forms

    Today’s grammar video is about how to use phrasal verbs in the continuous forms (with -ing). In English we use present continuous to say something is happening now, at this moment. We use past continuous when a longer action in the past is interrupted by a shorter action. This week’s exercise is a good way to see if you can use the continuous tenses properly and introduces you to some new phrasal verbs.

    Watch the video and try the exercises below:

    Here is a list of the phrasal verbs to choose from: pay for, go after, look up, cheat on, point to, wrap up

    Choose the correct phrasal verb and put the verb in the correct tense in the sentences below.

    1. He is _____ ___ our dinner tonight, so I didn’t bring my wallet.

    2. The evidence in the murder case ______ __ a political motive.

    3. I am _____ __ Christmas presents today.

    4. Did he ____ __ how much plane tickets to Hawaii are?

    5.  The companies new strategy is _______  _____ markets in China and Russia.

    6. We will _____ __ the meeting around 4PM.

    7. The police are _____ ___ the lead suspect in the drug ring.

    8. You should not ____ __ an English exam.

    9. Have you already ______ ___ lunch?

    10. Everything in the article ______ __ poverty as the cause for crime.

     

    Thanks everyone!

    • Yuri Manzhos

      1. paying for
      2. point to
      3. wrapping up
      4. look up
      5. going after
      6. go after
      7. going after
      8. cheat on
      9. wrapped up
      10. point to

      • LOIEnglish

        Yuri, thanks for answering.
        Question #2: pointS to-be sure to add the ‘s’ to the verb when it is in third person (he, she, and it)
        Question #6: wrap up-it means to finish or end
        Question #9: I think ‘paid for’ is a better choice here. Wrapped up does make sense but usually it is specifically for things like meetings, negotiations, details, etc.
        Question #10. You had the same problem here as question #2. You forgot the ‘s’ at the end of point. POINTS to.

        Thanks!

    • LOIEnglish

      Rafa…you are correct you can use ‘wrap up’ in the literal meaning to cover something with paper or cloth.
      They wrapped the baby up in warm blankets before going outside.
      We are going to wrap up our Christmas presents today.
      The difference is that the preposition isn’t necessary. It means the same to say, ‘They wrapped the baby in warm blankets before going outside.’
      We are going to wrap our Christmas presents today.

    • LOIEnglish

      Rafa..good work.
      Question #3 can also be wrapping up.

    • susana gonzalez

      1. He is PAYING FOR our dinner tonight, so I didn’t bring my wallet.

      2. The evidence in the murder case POINTS TO a political motive.

      3. I am WRAPPING UP Christmas presents today.

      4. Did he LOOK UP how much plane tickets to Hawaii are?

      5. The companies new strategy is GOES AFTER markets in China and Russia.

      6. We will GO AFTER the meeting around 4PM.

      7. The police are GOING AFTER the lead suspect in the drug ring.

      8. You should not CHEAD ON an English exam.

      9. Have you already PAID FOR lunch?

      10. Everything in the article POINTS TO poverty as the cause for crime.

      • LOIEnglish

        Susana you had a problem with question #5: is GOING AFTER it is the present continuous form.