Search results for 'tag:Phrasal verbs tag:Interviews' matching tags 'Phrasal verbs' and 'Interviews'

Re: coming across/running into a black cat

Hoa Thai — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 11:22:35 GMT

Hi,

Regarding unexpectedness, I find come across and run into do have some similarity. Both can be used with either something or somebody. For examples:

1a. I came across an old building.

1b. I came across an old diary in her desk

1c. I came across this problem.

1d. I ran into some trouble.

1e. He ran into criticism after remarks he made in a television interview.

2a. I had come across so many foreigners who have told me tales of the wonders of their own land.

2b. I've never come across anyone quite like her before.

2c. I came across / ran into a herd of sheep.

2d. I came across / ran into an old friend of mine.

In short, I'm still at loss for the exact rules that dictate the difference between the two phrasal verbs. Nevertheless, I sense that people don't use run into with either someone they meet the first time or insentient (physical) objects.

By the way, somehow I feel come across does not fit well with either 1d or 1e, but I cannot explain why.

Re: Where to find daily conVerSation

Tanit — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 16:13:00 GMT

Hi K.,

I spent a whole year in the UK, doing a postgraduate course. To make things worse, I chose to go to Wales because Cardiff Uni is at the cutting edge in my field. Have you ever heard somebody speaking with a Welsh accent? For the first two months there, I only wanted to cry... In spite of my excellent performances during tests and exams (I had taken the FCE, the CAE and the TOEFL), I could understand very little outside the Uni
You know, most teachers' accents were pretty standard and easy... something like BBC's anchors, and my classmates were mostly international students, each with their own accent (we were a funny bunch!). I simply became accustomed to them... Welsh English (there was a girl who had a nice Swansea accent), Scottish English, Cornish English, Virginia English (AmE), Indian English, but also French-English, Chinese-English, Pakistan-English, Greek-English and lot more! Oh, I really miss them!
However, cashiers in supermarkers and kids playing in the parks were too hard for me... real English, lots of phrasal verbs I had never heard before, lots of contractions, and intonation quite different from the one I am used to!!!
Funnily, for a piece of coursework I had to interview six people. I was quite discouraged when I had to do the write-ups of the interviews (I remember you posted in the thread I created, "Spoken English").

Anyway, what I wanted to say is: formal education (all of the four skills) has helped me a lot to deal with University tasks, or with "formal" situations; it was not of (great) use, though, when it came to "real", daily life. I had often to guess, but people were usually kind, and when I made it clear I hadn't understood, they would repeat slowlier what they had just said, or rephrase it.

I confuse myself when i try to use phrasal verbs in conversation!!

David Little — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 07:09:29 GMT

Greetings to you buddies
Whenever I catch in a conversation with my friends I would try to use phrasal verbs unconciously,but wrongly at times as well..For example I would use use phrasal verb like this:

(Just before his interview) Hey Sam let me know how it turns down.( instead of "how it turns out").
Just because of this I have started to avoid phrasal verbs in my speech,which really has made my speech even more plain and with out color.How can I get rid of this problem friends?
Thank you.

Re: get it together

Clive — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 05:01:17 GMT

Hi,

get together (START) phrasal verb INFORMAL
to start a romantic relationship:
She got together with Paul two years ago.
They finally get it together right at the end of the film.

Please explain the highlighed group of words. [Particularly, I am confused with the use of the pronoun "it' between get togethe]

Both of these expressions are rather idiomatic, and often can be used with very similar meanings. Here are a couple of comments on differences.

Get together - This focuses on people coming physically close to each other.

It can obvioulsy be used in a romantic way. However, we can also say things like 'I'm going to get together with Tom and Fred for a drink this evening'. It means we are going to meet each other, then sit and drink and talk.

Get it together - This tends to focuses on things that are not so physical, like a relationship, an attitude, a skill.

eg I am answering questions in an interview. My answers are poor. I think 'OK, I have 10 minutes left. If I get it (my ideas, my confidence, my attention) together, I can still be successful in this interview'.

eg The baseball team is playing poorly. The manager says to them, 'You guys need to get it (your skill) together right now'.

eg Tom and Mary encounter many problems and difficulties while trying to develop a romantic relationship. But they finally get it (their relationship, their love) together, and achieve happiness.

Best wishes, Clive