Come On, Go Down, Show Up ✨ Most Common Phrasal Verbs (25-27)

Hi everyone. I’m Jennifer from English with Jennifer.

Do you like inspirational quotes? You know, words that make you believe in yourself.

Inspirational quotes make you feel like you should at least try and maybe, just maybe, you’ll meet with success.

Woody Allen once said that eighty percent of success is showing up. The fact that you’re here is already a great decision, a step in the right direction.

Others aren’t studying today, and that could be seen as a lost opportunity.

Of course, sometimes your confidence or motivation to learn English might go down, but I’m here to tell you to go on. Continue and I’ll help.

So come on and let's study three of the most common phrasal verbs in English.

"Come on" is an intransitive phrasal verb. No object. We can say, "Come on!" to express three things: encouragement, urgency, or disbelief.

Come on! Meaning, "you can do it. I believe in you."

Come on! Come on! Meaning, "Let’s go. I need you to hurry."

Come on! Meaning, "That’s not possible. I don’t believe you."

"Come on" can also be an invitation to go somewhere or to move. We use “come on” + an adverb. For example, at the door, "Hi. Come on in!"

On the phone, "Come on over. Visit me."

From one level to a higher level, or on an upper floor, "Hey! Come on down here."

Come on can also mean that something starts to happen or work.

You may know that a few years ago, I visited Niagara Falls, Canada. It wasn’t my first time, but it was the first time I took my children.

It's especially beautiful at night. Different colored lights come on after dark, and the waterfalls are blue, purple, and other colors of the rainbow.

Well, lights come on quite suddenly, but other things can come on slowly, like a headache. When you feel a headache coming on, what do you do? I take medicine right away.

Now try this challenge. You’ll hear “come on” used in reference to a TV show, but the meanings are different. Can you understand the two meanings?

Thank you for coming on the show. That means, "Thank you for making an appearance. Thank you for joining me as a guest on the show."

Your favorite show will be coming on soon. In other words, "Your favorite show will start soon."

"Go down" is another intransitive phrasal verb. No object. The most common meaning is to move from one place to another.

Usually when you go down, you go south. Like lots of people from Massachusetts go down to Florida for the winter.

But it could also be a much shorter trip, like I when go down the street to visit my neighbors. (Variation: go down + the street, road, etc.)

"Going down" can also mean moving to a lower position, but unlike an elevator that goes up and down, when you talk about planes or ships going down, you’re probably describing a terrible accident.

So, if a plane goes down, it crashes. If a ship goes down, it sinks. And in the context of sports, what could going down mean?

So, in sports, "going down" refers to defeat. "We're going down" means, "We're going to lose." That’s a downward trend. Right? So, in a variety of situations, "going down" can refer to a decrease of some kind.

Customers are happy when prices go down. The police and residents are happy when crime goes down.

There are some other meanings of "go down," but they’re a bit less common.

"Show up" is the third phrasal verb in this lesson, and it’s also intransitive...usually. So, no object.

Remember the quote that I shared? "Eighty percent of success is showing up." So, "showing up" is making an appearance.

You arrive at some event. You can show up for a lesson, a meeting, or a date.

You can show up somewhere. You can show up for something.

You can show up for life. Right? If you want to do something in this life, you have to show up. You have to say, “I’m here.” And be ready to take action. “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” Some people never show up.

Things can show up as well. That means they appear or become noticeable. For example, scientists and researchers look for answers. They see what shows up in different studies.

It is possible to use “show up” with an object. These transitive meanings are less common. If you try to show somebody up, you try to look good while making them look bad. It’s about embarrassing them in some way.

Do you think you remember all the meanings? Let’s review a little.

Come on! I don’t have all day.

Boats don’t often go down, but you still need to wear a life vest.

Twenty-three guests made reservations, but only nineteen showed up.

Come on. Try again.

Who is a no-show?

A no-show is someone who didn’t show up where they were expected to be. This is a countable noun, so if two people didn’t show up at a meeting, then there were two no-shows.

What are the possible meanings of "come on"?

What are the possible meanings of "go down"?

What are the possible meanings of "show up"?

We’ll end here. Please like the video if you found the lesson useful and interesting. Remember to review phrasal verbs from the earlier lessons.

And never forget that “eighty percent of success is showing up.” So, I hope to see you again soon for another lesson.

As always, thanks for watching and happy studies!

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Why not join me on Patreon? And don't forget to subscribe on YouTube!