1. stand up for someone/something
   Transitive, Inseparable
   Meaning: to defend
   Example: I really appreciate it when my friends stand up for me during an argument.

Happy Martin Luther King Day!  Today is a holiday in the United States in which we honor Martin Luther King Jr., a famous civil rights activist who stood up for African Americans.

1. come down with something
   Transitive, Inseparable
   Meaning: become sick
   Example: The first time I visited South America my stomach did not react well to the water and I came down with a sickness that lasted two weeks.  I hope that doesn’t happen again!

   Did you know that New York State declared a “Public Health Emergency” due to the number of people who have come down with the flu?  There have been 18 deaths nation-wide, and 12 of them have been in New York!  All New York residents now have free access to flu shots.

1. mix something up
   Transitive/Intransitive, Separable
   Meaning: confuse two or more things
   Example: I always mix up the twins.  They are too similar!

   Many people often mix up the following words in English.  Be careful to understand the different meanings!

   Affect / Effect: “Affect” is a verb meaning to impact or influence, and “effect” is a noun.   To affect is to produce an effect.

   Farther / Further: “Farther” is the comparative form of “far” referring to physical distance (ex. How much farther do we have to travel to get to your house?).  “Further” refers to metaphorical or figurative distance (ex. Can we discuss this further tomorrow?).

   Fewer / Less: Fewer is used for countable nouns and less is used for uncountable nouns.  (ex. There are fewer students in this class than in my last class.  There is less water in my glass than in your glass.)

   Its / It’s: “Its” refers to possession (ex. The bird spread its wings).  “It’s” is a contraction meaning “it is.”

1. cross something out
   (transitive, separable)
   Meaning: draw a line through
   Example: Please cross that out and write it again.

   Sometimes in the English language, we eliminate words that are unnecessary to understand the meaning of the sentence.  This is called ellipsis.  For example, if I ask you, “Do you love TeacherDiane.com?” and you say, “Yes, I do.”  Then you know how to create an ellipsis!Try this activity: Cross out the words that are not necessary.

   ex. Do you like Italian food?  Yes, but I prefer Thai (food).
   *In this sentence, the second “food” can be removed!

1. John can play the guitar, Mary can play, too.
2. I went to the bar and I asked for a beer.
3. She is tired, and I am tired too.
4. I really like caffeinated coffee, but my husband prefers decaf coffee.
5. We haven’t forgotten, and she hasn’t forgotten either.
6. He’ll come soon but I don’t know exactly when he’ll come.
7. If you need any money, I’ve got some money.
8. Has she been running? No, she has been cycling.

1. come from somewhere
   (transitive/intransitive, inseparable)
   Meaning: originate
   Example: My blue eyes come from my dad.

   In the past, when there were no cameras, images were either sculpted or painted.  Prices charged by painters were not based on how many people were painted, but by how many limbs were to be painted.  Arms and legs are “limbs” therefore painting them would cost the buyer more.  This is where the expression “it’ll cost you an arm and a leg” comes from.  We use this expression nowadays when something is very expensive. (ex. “My phone bill costs an arm and a leg!”)

   Read about some more interesting origins: http://all-that-is-interesting.com/post/5692281236/interesting-origins-of-7-common-english-idioms

1. get up
   (Intransitive)
   Meaning: get out of bed
   Example: I got up at 6am today for no reason!

   When I was a child I used to sleep walk.  I would get up in the middle of the night and walk around the house until my parents heard me and told me to go back to bed.  In the morning I would have no recollection of anything. Once I even sleep walked in a hotel!  Have you ever sleep walked?

2. Meaning: stand (another phrasal verb: stand up)
   Example: Everyone got up when the judge entered the courtroom.

   Bob Marley says it well: “Get up!  Stand up!”

1. keep on (doing something)
   Meaning: continue doing (something)
   Example: Keep on practicing your English and you will improve!Some people say that your nose and your ears are the only parts of your body that keep on growing, as you get older.  But I have not found any evidence proving this to be true, thank goodness!

1. give something up
   (Transitive / Separable)
   Meaning: quit a habit
   Example: I am going to give up smoking…starting tomorrow.

It’s a tradition to start the New Year with some new goals or “resolutions.”

Some popular New Year’s Resolutions: Get in shape, Eat healthier (give up junk food), give up smoking, get a new job, spend more time with family,…

My new year’s resolution is to teach English to as many people as possible and to learn Spanish!  What is your New Year’s Resolution?