Monthly Archives: January 2013

Phrasal verb: Come down with

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  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.

 

 

 

 

Phrasal verb: mix up

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  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.”