Good morning, everyone! In our last session, we delved into the fascinating world of phrasal verbs using "make" with particles like "up," "for," and "out." Today, we're going to solidify that understanding by working through some exercises. This will not only test your comprehension but also highlight common pitfalls and nuances.


Part 1: Identifying Meanings from Context


Let's begin by putting our knowledge to the test. I'm going to read out some comments made by different people. Your task, mentally or on paper, is to identify which meaning of our phrasal verbs applies.

Here are the comments:

  • Drew: "I can’t make out what she’s saying, can you?"

  • Melanie: "I just can’t make him out at all, can you?"

  • Paul: "I treated her a bit insensitively at the party so I gave her a present to make up for it."

  • Jane: "I made up a story about losing my wallet, so he paid the drinks bill for me."

  • Peter: "I loved the trip. The beautiful scenery made up for the awful roads."

Now, let's consider the questions:

  1. Who invented something that was not true?

    • Listen again to the comments. Who fabricated a story or an excuse?

    • Pause for thought...

    • The answer is Jane. Jane said, "I made up a story about losing my wallet." This directly aligns with "make up" meaning to invent something that is not true, often to deceive.

  2. Who said something good had made a bad experience less bad?

    • Think about who described a positive aspect compensating for a negative one.

    • Pause for thought...

    • That would be Peter. He stated, "The beautiful scenery made up for the awful roads." Here, "made up for" means that the good scenery compensated for or balanced out the bad experience of the roads.

  3. Who has difficulty hearing something?

    • Consider the person struggling with auditory perception.

    • Pause for thought...

    • The correct person is Drew. Drew said, "I can’t make out what she’s saying." This use of "make out" refers to being able to perceive something, in this case, sound, with difficulty.

  4. Who wanted to restore a damaged relationship?

    • Look for the individual trying to compensate for a past wrong.

    • Pause for thought...

    • This is Paul. Paul mentioned, "I gave her a present to make up for it" after admitting he treated her insensitively. "Make up for" here means to do something good to compensate for having done something bad to someone.

  5. Who can’t understand someone’s behaviour?

    • Finally, who is struggling to comprehend another person's actions or personality?

    • Pause for thought...

    • The answer is Melanie. Melanie exclaimed, "I just can’t make him out at all." This use of "make out" means to understand why someone behaves as they do.

Excellent work! This exercise helps us to distinguish between the various meanings of these phrasal verbs in context.


Part 2: Correcting Phrasal Verb Mistakes


Now, let's move on to identifying and correcting common mistakes. Phrasal verbs can be tricky, especially with particle choice and word order. Let's look at some sentences with errors and correct them.

  1. Original: "As soon as we had checked in at the hotel, we made straight at the beach."

    • What's wrong with "at"? Remember our discussion about movement towards a destination.

    • Correction: "As soon as we had checked in at the hotel, we made straight for the beach."

    • Explanation: "Made for" is the correct phrasal verb to indicate moving in the direction of a place. "At" suggests location, not direction of movement.

  2. Original: "She made out some story about the bus being late, but I’m sure she just overslept."

    • Think about the meaning: inventing something. Which particle should follow "make"?

    • Correction: "She made up some story about the bus being late, but I’m sure she just overslept."

    • Explanation: To invent a story or an excuse, the correct phrasal verb is "make up," not "make out."

  3. Original: "Why the camera was not working properly could not be made out by anybody."

    • This sentence uses "make out" in the passive voice. Recall our specific note about this usage.

    • Correction: This sentence, while grammatically formed, is typically avoided. We learned that "make out" (meaning to perceive or understand something with difficulty) is not usually used in the passive.

    • Better phrasing: "Nobody could make out why the camera was not working properly." or "Nobody could figure out why the camera was not working properly."

  4. Original: "Harry is very good at making over stories for the children; they love his tales."

    • Similar to Jane's example, what does Harry do with stories?

    • Correction: "Harry is very good at making up stories for the children; they love his tales."

    • Explanation: "Making up" stories means to invent them. "Make over" has a different meaning, usually related to transforming something's appearance.

  5. Original: "Can you make what that white thing on the horizon is out?"

    • This involves word order with a separable phrasal verb. Where should "out" go when the object is a long phrase?

    • Correction: "Can you make out what that white thing on the horizon is?"

    • Explanation: When the object of a separable phrasal verb like "make out" (meaning to perceive visually) is a long clause, the particle usually comes immediately after the verb, not at the very end of the clause.

  6. Original: "The report is made of three sections up."

    • This sentence describes composition. What is the full phrasal verb for this? And what about the word order?

    • Correction: "The report is made up of three sections."

    • Explanation: The complete phrasal verb for describing what something consists of is "made up of." The particles "up" and "of" must follow "made," and they are not separable in this structure.


Concluding Thoughts: The Journey of Phrasal Verbs


These exercises demonstrate that truly mastering phrasal verbs goes beyond just memorizing definitions. It involves understanding their specific contexts, common grammatical structures, and even typical usage patterns (like the avoidance of passive voice with certain "make out" meanings).

I encourage you to continue exploring. English is rich with phrasal verbs, and "make" is just one of many verbs that combine with particles to create new meanings. A good dictionary, especially one that focuses on phrasal verbs, will be an invaluable tool. Look up other phrasal verbs with "make" such as "make do," "make over," or "make off with," and try to use them in your own sentences. The more you encounter and practice them, the more naturally they will become a part of your vocabulary.

Thank you!