Three Phrasal Verbs with 'Along'
2023-09-15
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1Sometimes, the Learning English program Ask A Teacher receives questions from learners that we are not able to answer on that program.
2The question might be more advanced, and the answer longer, than we have time for on Ask A Teacher.
3But the questions are worthy! So, in this week's Everyday Grammar, we will explore Noura's question about phrasal verbs with "along."
4Noura writes that she does not understand why we add "along" to such words as "come," "send" and "tag."
5She says that she does not see any changes to their meanings when "along" is added.
6Let's answer Noura's question about these three phrasal verbs.
7"Along" as a preposition means in a line matching the length or direction of something.
8It can also mean points on or near something.
9We drove along the coast of Maine.
10We use "along" in this sentence to say that we drove on a road that runs next to, or near, the coast.
11We saw beautiful beach houses along the drive.
12Here we use "along" to mean points.
13The beach houses are the points.
14Along as an adverb has many meanings. We can use "along" to describe the forward movement of something.
15It can also mean to be "in the company of" or "in addition to."
16When we add "along" to a verb, we get these more exact meanings.
17Phrasal verbs are groups of words made up of a verb and another short word or words.
18Together, these groups of words mean something different from what the individual words suggest.
19As a result, you can think of phrasal verbs as kinds of special expressions.
20There are many phrasal verbs in English, and often each phrasal verb can have different meanings.
21Let's try to simplify Noura's three phrasal verbs, "come along," "send along" and "tag along."
22"Come along" is our first phrasal verb.
23It means to go with or accompany someone.
24Usually that person is the one who leads the way.
25So, the person that is "coming along" is the secondary person, who is okay with someone leading them.
26Do you mind if I come along to the store with you? I just need a few things for dinner.
27Come along is a phrasal verb with other meanings, too.
28It can mean to make progress.
29Your painting is coming along nicely. It is almost done.
30And lastly, "come along" means to make an appearance.
31Blue moons come along every two or three years, usually.
32The next phrasal verb with "along" is "send along." It has two meanings.
33The first meaning is to send something additional with something else.
34My sister mailed me a gift last week and sent along a letter from my parents.
35In addition to the gift, the letter was also sent.
36"Send along" also means to dismiss. Usually, we can separate this phrasal verb for this meaning.
37The teacher sent the children along to lunch.
38"Tag along" is like "come along." It means to follow someone else, but with an added meaning that the person "tagging along" might not be so welcomed or is just following the other person.
39It has a more negative association than "come along."
40Sam's little sister always tags along when he plays outside with his friends.
41The verb "tag" by itself can mean to attach as an additional element or to follow closely.
42While both meanings share similarities to "tag along," the phrasal verb has additional meaning "tagged" on.
43Today, we looked at three phrasal verbs with the preposition "along." Phrasal verbs have their own separate meaning apart from the original verbs and preposition/adverb combination.
44"Come along" and "tag along" are similar, but "tag along" has a more negative association.
45You might want someone to come along with you, but tagging along, probably not.
46"Send along" has two meanings, to dismiss and to send something together with something else.
47Thanks for the question, Noura. We hope our exploration of come, send and tag along has cleared up some of the mystery around phrasal verbs.
48I'm Faith Pirlo.
49And I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Sometimes, the Learning English program Ask A Teacher receives questions from learners that we are not able to answer on that program. The question might be more advanced, and the answer longer, than we have time for on Ask A Teacher. 2But the questions are worthy! So, in this week's Everyday Grammar, we will explore Noura's question about phrasal verbs with "along." 3Noura writes that she does not understand why we add "along" to such words as "come," "send" and "tag." She says that she does not see any changes to their meanings when "along" is added. 4Let's answer Noura's question about these three phrasal verbs. 5Along 6"Along" as a preposition means in a line matching the length or direction of something. It can also mean points on or near something. 7We drove along the coast of Maine. 8We use "along" in this sentence to say that we drove on a road that runs next to, or near, the coast. 9We saw beautiful beach houses along the drive. 10Here we use "along" to mean points. The beach houses are the points. 11Along as an adverb has many meanings. We can use "along" to describe the forward movement of something. It can also mean to be "in the company of" or "in addition to." 12When we add "along" to a verb, we get these more exact meanings. 13What are phrasal verbs? 14Phrasal verbs are groups of words made up of a verb and another short word or words. Together, these groups of words mean something different from what the individual words suggest. As a result, you can think of phrasal verbs as kinds of special expressions. 15There are many phrasal verbs in English, and often each phrasal verb can have different meanings. 16Let's try to simplify Noura's three phrasal verbs, "come along," "send along" and "tag along." 17Come along 18"Come along" is our first phrasal verb. It means to go with or accompany someone. Usually that person is the one who leads the way. So, the person that is "coming along" is the secondary person, who is okay with someone leading them. 19Do you mind if I come along to the store with you? I just need a few things for dinner. 20Come along is a phrasal verb with other meanings, too. 21It can mean to make progress. 22Your painting is coming along nicely. It is almost done. 23And lastly, "come along" means to make an appearance. 24Blue moons come along every two or three years, usually. 25Send along 26The next phrasal verb with "along" is "send along." It has two meanings. The first meaning is to send something additional with something else. 27My sister mailed me a gift last week and sent along a letter from my parents. 28In addition to the gift, the letter was also sent. 29"Send along" also means to dismiss. Usually, we can separate this phrasal verb for this meaning. 30The teacher sent the children along to lunch. 31Tag along 32"Tag along" is like "come along." It means to follow someone else, but with an added meaning that the person "tagging along" might not be so welcomed or is just following the other person. It has a more negative association than "come along." 33Sam's little sister always tags along when he plays outside with his friends. 34The verb "tag" by itself can mean to attach as an additional element or to follow closely. While both meanings share similarities to "tag along," the phrasal verb has additional meaning "tagged" on. 35Final thoughts 36Today, we looked at three phrasal verbs with the preposition "along." Phrasal verbs have their own separate meaning apart from the original verbs and preposition/adverb combination. "Come along" and "tag along" are similar, but "tag along" has a more negative association. You might want someone to come along with you, but tagging along, probably not. "Send along" has two meanings, to dismiss and to send something together with something else. 37Thanks for the question, Noura. We hope our exploration of come, send and tag along has cleared up some of the mystery around phrasal verbs. 38I'm Faith Pirlo. 39And I'm Bryan Lynn. 40Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 41______________________________________________ 42Words in This Story 43advanced - adj. having a high level of skill or difficulty 44tag - v. to choose for a special purpose 45matching - adj. having the qualities and looking appealing together 46beach - n. an area covered with sand that is by a body of water 47accompany - v. to go somewhere with someone 48ingredient - n. one of the things used to make a food product 49negative - adj. having harmful or undesirable effects