Friday, August 1, 2025

 

Unit 6: Come (Key Verbs)


This unit focuses on phrasal verbs formed with "come," specifically those expressing ideas of movement, change of state, and various other meanings.


Meanings of "Come":


1. Expressing an Idea of Movement or Change of State:

  • come off: Happen successfully or as planned.

    • Example: "I was planning to arrange a surprise holiday for her birthday, but I'm not sure it's going to come off."

  • come about: Happened, especially something which is not planned.

    • Example: "I've had to organise the school fair again this year - I'm not quite sure how that came about."

  • come up: Be mentioned or discussed, happen unexpectedly (usually a problem or difficult situation), or become available.

    • Examples: "Only if the subject comes up in conversation.", "then something came up and we had to deal with it straightaway.", "I don't know if a place on the council is going to come up for a while yet."

2. Other Meanings of "Come":

  • come up against: Encountered or had to deal with (a difficult situation).

    • Example: "I am doing a research project for my degree on the psychology of ageing, but I've come up against a few problems."

  • came across: Discovered (or met) by chance.

    • Example: "I came across someone who's done an almost identical study."

  • come to: Make (a decision about something).

    • Example: "so I've got to come to a decision."

  • come down to: Depend mostly on or be influenced most by.

    • Example: "I guess in the end my decision will come down to what my professor recommends."


Exercises:


6.1 Complete these sentences with a particle from the meanings above:

  1. Do you have any glue? The cover of my address book is coming _________________ and I want to stick it together again.

  2. I spilt some orange juice on the tablecloth. Do you think it will come _________________ if I put it in the washing machine?

  3. The last thing I remember was feeling very dizzy. The next thing I knew, I came _________________ in hospital and a doctor was standing by my bed.

  4. The government is going to release a report on traffic congestion. I wonder when it's coming _________________.


  5. We were just chatting at the corner when Jim Gore came _________________ with his girlfriend.


  6. I hear Bruce's operation was successful. When is he coming __________________ of the clinic?


  7. Some very shocking facts have come _________________ about government corruption, thanks to an investigation by a national newspaper.


6.2 Use a phrasal verb from the opposite page to complete these dialogues:


  1. Anne: We lost everybody's e-mail address to start all over again. Ken: Really? How did th_________________? Anne: Oh, it was some co_____________________.


  2. Rick: David keeps saying he's going to sail around the world. Ivan: Huh! Do you think it will ever _________________? Rick: Probably not. He's such a drea___________________.

  3. Brian: We'll let you know what Fran: When do you think you'll _________________? Brian: Probably at the meeting.

  4. Olga: I thought you were coming to the dinner party last night. Ulla: Yes, I was intending to, but right at the last minute something _________________. Olga: e.

6.3 Rewrite the underlined words in these horoscopes, using phrasal verbs with "come":

  • SCORPIO: You may have to deal with a few problems at work today;, but...

  • TAURUS: You will meet someone by chance who...

Here are more examples and common uses of the phrasal verb "come off":

"Come off" can have several meanings depending on the context:

  • To happen as planned; to succeed:

    • "The surprise party didn't quite come off because someone accidentally told her about it."

    • "We had hoped the peace talks would come off, but they failed."

    • "I thought the presentation came off really well."

  • To be removed or detached from something:

    • "The handle came off the mug when I picked it up."

    • "This stain just won't come off the carpet, no matter how hard I scrub."

    • "Does this label come off easily?"

  • To stop taking medicine, drugs, or a habit:

    • "He's trying to come off sleeping pills."

    • "It can be difficult to come off certain medications."

  • To give a particular impression; to seem or appear (often followed by 'as' or 'like'):

    • "He sometimes comes off as arrogant, but he's actually very shy."

    • "Her joke didn't come off well; it offended some people."

    • "The movie comes off as a bit pretentious."

  • To finish in a particular condition after a fight, argument, or contest (often with 'better/worse/badly/well'):

    • "In the debate, she came off much better than her opponent."

    • "Despite their efforts, the smaller team came off worse in the match."

  • To have recently finished a period of time when something very successful or very difficult happened (mainly US English):

    • "The company is coming off one of its most profitable years ever."

    • "He's coming off a difficult period in his personal life."



Here are the completed sentences for Exercise 6.1, using particles based on the meanings of the "come" phrasal verbs provided in Unit 6:

  1. Do you have any glue? The cover of my address book is coming off and I want to stick it together again.

  2. I spilt some orange juice on the tablecloth. Do you think it will come off if I put it in the washing machine?

  3. The last thing I remember was feeling very dizzy. The next thing I knew, I came to in hospital and a doctor was standing by my bed.

  4. The government is going to release a report on traffic congestion. I wonder when it's coming up.

  5. We were just chatting at the corner when Jim Gore came across with his girlfriend.

  6. I hear Bruce's operation was successful. When is he coming ____out______________ of the clinic? (Based on the provided definitions of 'come' phrasal verbs in Unit 6, there isn't a direct fit for "coming out of the clinic.")

  7. Some very shocking facts have come up about government corruption, thanks to an investigation by a national newspaper.

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