Education: Phrasal verbs with Georgie

Did you know that I'm really into photography?

Well, you should take it up as a hobby, then.

Actually, I'd like to take up a

beginner's photography course first so that I can read up on it.

Yeah. That might help you to brush up on the skills

you already have too.

Hello! This is Georgie from BBC

Learning English and in this video,

We are learning some phrasal verbs related to

education and learning. Why don't we take a look

at those first sentences?

To 'be into' something

means 'to have an interest in something'.

This person (not me)

is into photography.

Personally, I'm into languages.

This verb cannot be separated.

If you 'take something up',

it means you start participating in an activity. In our first interaction

we see the verb used for both a hobby and a course.

This verb can be separated.

'Read up on something' means t'o learn about something

through reading'. This person wants to learn a bit about photography theory

before spending alot of time taking photos.

This verb cannot be separated.

'Brush up on something' means 'to improve

the skills that you already have that might have become

a little bit rusty. If you're learning English

you might want to brush up

on your listening skills, for example.

This cannot be separated.

Hey! What are your plans today?

Do you want to go to the park?

Sorry, I can't.

I'm working on a photography project.

If I go to the park,

I'll fall behind! Don't worry!

You can catch up quickly.

Come on... I can't.

I have to hand the project in on Wednesday -

that's in two days!

OK, fine.

See you next weekend, then.

'work on' something means 'to put effort and concentration

into doing something'. You can work on a project, work

on a video script, work on your maths homework

etcetera. This verb cannot be separated.

If you 'fall behind' it means that you are progressing more slowly

than others doing the same activity.

This person is worried she

will fall behind her classmates, that others will complete the work

faster than her. 'Catch up'

means 'to spend extra time doing something'

you didn't do earlier.

If you fall behind, you

often have to work harder in order to catch up.

And finally, when you finish a project,

you 'hand it in' to the person or the people who need to see it.

This can be separated. Now,

if you're really into phrasal verbs,

like most people are,

Why not work on writing

a few sentences using the verbs

we've just learnt - or check out the worksheet on our website.

See you next time.