10 "STEP" Phrasal Verbs in English: step up, step down, step in...

Hi. Welcome back to www.engvid.com.

I'm Adam.

In today's lesson we're going to look at phrasal verbs using the verb "step".

Now, first of all, what you need to understand, again, phrasal verbs are verbs plus prepositions

that have different meanings.

And the verb "step" is a bit tricky because we use "step" as a noun as well, and we often

combine it with prepositions, and the preposition and noun combination can be completely different

from the verb and preposition combination.

So we're going to look...

Have to look at both of these when we look at these combinations with prepositions.

So we're going to look at: "step down", "step up", "step in", "step inside", "step around",

"step out", "step on", "step back", "step aside", "step forward".

Let's start with "down".

So, "step down".

So, before I start with any of them, what is "step"?

So a step is when you take your one foot forward.

Right?

You're taking one step.

Or if you're climbing the stairs, you take one, two, three steps, four steps, five steps.

It's one foot in front of the other.

That's the basic meaning of "step".

"Step down".

So, of course, I can step down off the table if I'm standing on a table or whatever.

There's always the literal meaning, but "step down" can also mean resign.

Okay?

Resign means quit.

So, for example, if I'm the president of the company and I think that the company is not

doing very well and everybody's very angry because the company's not doing well, they

want to get somebody new as the president in my position.

Finally I say: "Okay, you know what?

I will step down and let the new guy come in."

Now, we're going to see that again in "step aside", but "step down" basically means resign,

give up the position.

Now, if we're looking at the verb: "a step down".

If we're looking at this as a...

Sorry. As a noun, not a verb, "a step down" means a lower position, or a lower value,

or a lower rank.

Okay?

So right now I live in a five-bedroom house, it's a very big house, very, very expensive,

but my financial situation is not so good, so I had to sell that house and buy a two-bedroom

condominium.

Now, for many people a two-bedroom condominium is very nice, but for somebody who has had

a five-bedroom house, a condominium is a step down in position, in stature, etc.

Right?

So a step down means a lower level or a lower rank.

"To step down", "to resign", okay.

Now, "step up" same idea.

If we're looking at the noun, "a step up" is the opposite, it's an increase in position.

So I went from my two-bedroom condominium to a three-bedroom house.

That's a big step up in terms of social situations, social rank, depending on who you ask of course.

But "to step up", okay?

As a verb.

"To step up" means to face the challenge.

Of course, it literal means to step up.

Okay?

But to step up to the challenge means somebody has to come forward, show the courage, and

do what is needed to overcome an obstacle or to overcome a challenge.

So think about sports.

Okay?

You have your favourite team and they're in the playoffs and they're losing, so you...

All the people say: "Well, the star players, the best players need to step up."

They need to, like, show up, be courageous, face the challenge and do what is necessary

to win.

Okay?

So, "to step up".

Now, another expression we have...

This is a very common expression: "Step up to the plate".

Now, "the plate" comes from baseball.

Okay?

You... The batter comes in, there's the home plate and there's the pitcher, you step up to the

plate and you're ready to hit the ball.

Right?

So if we say somebody needs to step up to the plate that means somebody needs to face

the challenge, face the difficult situation and take care of it basically.

Okay, "step up".

Okay.

"Step in", now, again, I can step in a room.

Just one step.

I'm not moving all the way in.

I'm just taking one step, that's the literal meaning.

To...

The other meaning is to get involved.

Okay?

So I see my brother and sister, they're both fighting and they're not stopping, and I say:

"Stop, stop", and nobody's stopping so finally I have to step in, I have to get involved,

I have to separate them.

So, if somebody needs to step in they need to get involved, or they need to interfere,

or they need to stop something from happening.

They need to be part of the situation.

Now, "step inside" also means step inside, but why wouldn't somebody say: "Go inside"

or "Come inside"?

When we say "step inside" all we want to do is emphasize that movement indoor, into someplace.

Okay?

So I'm a very big boss and I say...

And you want to do business with me, and I said: "Step inside my office."

It basically means come in, but it's more emphasis.

I want to show you how big I am, how powerful I am.

"Step inside my office. Let's talk."

Right? It's a bit more emphasis, that's all it is.

Okay.

"Step around", now, let's say I'm a reporter and you're a politician, and I ask you a very

difficult question and you don't really want to answer it...

Answer it, so you step around the question.

You step around the issue, means you avoid answering it directly.

Another way we...

We sometimes hear it is "dance around".

Or you'll hear "step around" or "dance around the issue".

This is very common with politicians who don't like to answer questions directly.

In fact, they don't like direct answer...

Questions, so they just step around the question and talk about something completely different.

"Step out", that basically means go out.

Okay?

So I'm at the office and I say to my co-worker: "I'm just going to step out for a minute."

Basically just go out for a short time and then I'm coming back.

Okay?

"Step out" can also...

We also have an expression: "Step out of... Step out of line".

What does "step out of line" mean?

Means basically not following the rules, not doing what everybody else is doing.

So if you step out of line, means you did something wrong or you're doing something

too independent and the people around you might not be too happy.

Those people around you are all in line and you're stepping out of that line and doing

your own thing.

You're not following the rules.

Okay?

"Step out".

So, "step on".

Again, you can step on something.

If there's a bug and you don't like it, you just step on it and it's dead, no problem.

But you can also step on something.

So, if you step on something, means you're applying pressure.

You're applying pressure or you're increasing whatever the situation is. Right?

So, this person is not doing his work so I tell the manager...

I'm the big boss of the company, this is a worker, I say to the manager:

"Step on him. Get him to work harder."

Okay? Just apply more pressure.

Now, you can step on someone's toes.

If you step on someone's toes, a little bit you're offending them.

Okay?

So I'm the new guy in the office, and I...

Everybody has been there a long time, everybody has their way of doing things.

I'm the new manager.

So for the first few weeks I don't want to step on anyone's toes.

I'm not going to tell people what to do.

I'm just going to watch how they work, take notes, and slowly start making the changes

that I want to make.

Because if I go right away:

"Okay, you need to do this differently, you need to do this differently",

I will just be stepping on their toes.

They will feel offended like I'm walking all over their toes, and it's a little bit painful

and not so comfortable.

Now, "step on the gas".

"Step on the gas" means, again, increase the pressure.

Or if you're thinking about a car, there's the gas pedal, "step on the gas" means go faster.

Okay.

And more common expression: "Step on it".

"Come on, step on it. We have to go.

Hurry.

Hurry. Let's go, let's go."

Or: "Step on it."

A very common expression when you want someone to hurry up.

Okay.

"Step back", so there's "step back", "step forward", which we're going to talk about

in a second.

That's the literal meaning.

But sometimes you want to just step back, where you have a certain situation.

You're not really sure you understand a situation, you want to get a better idea of what's going

on, so you just step back, you get a broader perspective, you get a different view.

Okay?

So if you take a step back you can have a different view, and then you can come back

and take care of it.

Now, another way to say...

To talk about "step back", when you're making progress.

If you're making progress you're going forward.

Right? You're progressing.

But sometimes there's a little problem and then you have a step back.

So sometimes you'll hear the expression: "One step forward, two steps back."

It means you're having a very difficult time progressing with whatever the situation is.

If you're a scientists and...

Scientist and you're trying to discover the cure for cancer...

Okay?

So you found something really, really good, a new chemical or a new pill that can really

help, so you apply it, but then you realize that the side effect of this chemical is that

the person gets a different disease, a worse disease.

Okay?

So yeah, you've gone forward a little bit, but you've actually gone back twice as much

because you have a bigger problem to deal with now.

Okay?

"Step aside".

So, step aside, step aside.

So, literal means move to the side.

But "step aside..."

Remember I said "step down" to resign?

"Step aside" is similar.

It doesn't necessarily mean resign, but it means get out of the way.

So, again, you can get out of the way so somebody can pass or you can get out of the way so

somebody can take your spot.

So, for example, in the elections you have two people running for the same party.

Near the end of the primary season, near the end of the campaign there's one candidate

or one nominee who's clearly ahead.

So instead of fighting each other and not fighting the other party's person, you...

One... The leader will say to the other person:

"You know, just step aside, let me have it, and we can fight the real enemy, not each other."

So, "step aside", make way, get out of the way.

"Step forward".

So, again, I can step forward, I can step back.

But "step forward" also means to volunteer or to admit, or to take responsibility, depending

how you're looking at it.

So, for example, anybody who's interested in helping out the poor kids in this country,

please step forward.

Basically make yourself known that you want to volunteer, you want to help.

Or: "Okay, I know one of you created all this mess and one of you is the cause of all this

problem.

Will the guilty party please step forward?"

It means admit that you did it.

Here's a line of people all accused, I want the one person who is responsible to take

responsibility, to step forward and say:

"It was me. I did it."

Okay?

So: "Step forward."

So, there we go.

Sorry, I forgot about "step back", so you can also use that as a noun.

It's: "a step back" meaning the same, like the opposite of progress.

Okay, sorry.

So, there we go.

If you have any questions about any of these phrasal verbs,

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