TED Talks Teach You About Phrasal Verbs
2020-08-07
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1TED Talk videos are popular in the United States and other countries.
2These videos explore issues in science, technology, education and other subjects.
3They can also be a useful tool for learning English.
4Today on Everyday Grammar, we will tell how TED Talks can teach you about some common phrasal verbs, including three with the word hang.
5They are hang up, hang on and hang out.
6We will also explain how you can predict the general meaning of a phrasal verb, even if you do not know its exact definition.
7But first, let's look a little more closely at phrasal verbs and how they are used.
8Phrasal verbs are groups of words that have a verb and one or more short words.
9When combined, the words have an idiomatic meaning.
10In other words, phrasal verbs have a meaning that is different from what you might expect.
11Consider the phrasal verb take out.
12It has the verb take and the word out.
13Together, they mean to remove someone or something from something else.
14For example, you can take out some money from your pocket.
15A phrasal verb can have several meanings.
16For example, take out can also mean that you get financial help, as in the statement "I want to start a business, but I don't have enough money. So, I'm taking out a loan."
17There are thousands of phrasal verbs.
18The good news is that you do not need to learn all of them.
19Your time is better spent learning the most common phrasal verbs.
20Mélodie Garnier and Norbert Schmitt are language experts.
21They made a list of the most common phrasal verbs and their most common meanings.
22Of the 150 most common phrasal verbs, three involve the verb hang.
23Hang means to connect or place something so that it is held up without support from below.
24But as you know now, phrasal verbs have different meanings than what the verb by itself suggests.
25The three most common phrasal verbs with hang are hang up, hang on and hang out.
26Even if you do not know what each of these phrasal verbs means, you will learn how to predict what they could mean.
27Let us explore each phrasal verb by listening to TED Talks.
28You will hear part of a TED Talk and have time to think about what the phrasal verb means.
29Then you will hear the answer.
30In our first example, futurist and businessman Juan Enriquez talks about gene editing tools such as CRISPR.
31While talking about the past, when a long-distance telephone call cost a lot of money, Enriquez uses our first phrasal verb: hang up.
32Because, of course, you used to get interrupted by operators who'd tell you, "Long distance calling. Do you want to hang up?" And now we think nothing of calling all over the world.
33Can you tell what Enriquez meant when he said hang up?
34Enriquez gives you an example of the most common meaning of hang up: to end or finish a phone call.
35You can tell that long distance calls must have cost a lot years ago because he said, "And now we think nothing of calling all over the world."
36In our second TED Talk, researcher Max Tegmark talks about the threats and opportunities of artificial intelligence, or AI.
37Listen to how he uses our second phrasal verb, hang on.
38We could end up in a fantastic future where everybody's better off: the poor are richer, the rich are richer, everybody is healthy and free to live out their dreams.
39Now, hang on. Do you folks want the future that's politically right or left?
40Could you tell what Tegmark meant when he used the phrasal verb hang on?
41In this case, hang on means wait for a short time. Tegmark is asking the crowd to think about what he just said.
42He makes several statements, then says "hang on," then asks a question.
43You can tell from the sound of his voice that he wants everyone to wait and think.
44In our third and final TED Talk, we hear from Luis H. Zayas, head of the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin.
45Here he explores how difficult experiences can affect a child's brain. Listen to how he uses hang out.
46Afterwards, after school, they [children] go home and they ride bikes, hang out with friends, do homework and explore the world - all the essentials for child development.
47Can you tell what Zayas meant when he said hang out?
48In this case, hang out means having fun. Terms like "ride bikes" and "with friends" and "explore the world" suggest that hanging out means having fun.
49The point of this report was to teach you two things.
50We talked about the meaning of three common phrasal verbs.
51But we also talked about how to start thinking about new phrasal verbs.
52You can use these ideas when you listen to radio broadcasts, watch films or talk to English speakers.
53Although phrasal verbs can be difficult, the learning process will be much easier if you spend your time wisely.
54I'm John Russell.
55And I'm Ashley Thompson.
1TED Talk videos are popular in the United States and other countries. These videos explore issues in science, technology, education and other subjects. They can also be a useful tool for learning English. 2Today on Everyday Grammar, we will tell how TED Talks can teach you about some common phrasal verbs, including three with the word hang. They are hang up, hang on and hang out. 3We will also explain how you can predict the general meaning of a phrasal verb, even if you do not know its exact definition. 4But first, let's look a little more closely at phrasal verbs and how they are used. 5What are phrasal verbs? 6Phrasal verbs are groups of words that have a verb and one or more short words. When combined, the words have an idiomatic meaning. In other words, phrasal verbs have a meaning that is different from what you might expect. 7Consider the phrasal verb take out. It has the verb take and the word out. Together, they mean to remove someone or something from something else. For example, you can take out some money from your pocket. 8A phrasal verb can have several meanings. For example, take out can also mean that you get financial help, as in the statement "I want to start a business, but I don't have enough money. So, I'm taking out a loan." 9There are thousands of phrasal verbs. The good news is that you do not need to learn all of them. 10Your time is better spent learning the most common phrasal verbs. 11Mélodie Garnier and Norbert Schmitt are language experts. They made a list of the most common phrasal verbs and their most common meanings. 12Of the 150 most common phrasal verbs, three involve the verb hang. Hang means to connect or place something so that it is held up without support from below. But as you know now, phrasal verbs have different meanings than what the verb by itself suggests. 13The three most common phrasal verbs with hang are hang up, hang on and hang out. 14Even if you do not know what each of these phrasal verbs means, you will learn how to predict what they could mean. 15Let us explore each phrasal verb by listening to TED Talks. You will hear part of a TED Talk and have time to think about what the phrasal verb means. Then you will hear the answer. 16#1 Hang up 17In our first example, futurist and businessman Juan Enriquez talks about gene editing tools such as CRISPR. While talking about the past, when a long-distance telephone call cost a lot of money, Enriquez uses our first phrasal verb: hang up. 18Because, of course, you used to get interrupted by operators who'd tell you, "Long distance calling. Do you want to hang up?" And now we think nothing of calling all over the world. 19Can you tell what Enriquez meant when he said hang up? 20Enriquez gives you an example of the most common meaning of hang up: to end or finish a phone call. You can tell that long distance calls must have cost a lot years ago because he said, "And now we think nothing of calling all over the world." 21#2 Hang on 22In our second TED Talk, researcher Max Tegmark talks about the threats and opportunities of artificial intelligence, or AI. Listen to how he uses our second phrasal verb, hang on. 23We could end up in a fantastic future where everybody's better off: the poor are richer, the rich are richer, everybody is healthy and free to live out their dreams. Now, hang on. Do you folks want the future that's politically right or left? 24Could you tell what Tegmark meant when he used the phrasal verb hang on? 25In this case, hang on means wait for a short time. Tegmark is asking the crowd to think about what he just said. He makes several statements, then says "hang on," then asks a question. You can tell from the sound of his voice that he wants everyone to wait and think. 26#3 Hang out 27In our third and final TED Talk, we hear from Luis H. Zayas, head of the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin. Here he explores how difficult experiences can affect a child's brain. Listen to how he uses hang out. 28Afterwards, after school, they [children] go home and they ride bikes, hang out with friends, do homework and explore the world - all the essentials for child development. 29Can you tell what Zayas meant when he said hang out? 30In this case, hang out means having fun. Terms like "ride bikes" and "with friends" and "explore the world" suggest that hanging out means having fun. 31Closing thoughts 32The point of this report was to teach you two things. We talked about the meaning of three common phrasal verbs. But we also talked about how to start thinking about new phrasal verbs. 33You can use these ideas when you listen to radio broadcasts, watch films or talk to English speakers. Although phrasal verbs can be difficult, the learning process will be much easier if you spend your time wisely. 34I'm John Russell. 35And I'm Ashley Thompson. 36John Russell wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 37_____________________________________________________________ 38Words in This Story 39pocket - n. an area in clothing used for carrying small objects 40interrupt - v. to ask questions or say things while another person is speaking; to do or say something that causes someone to stop speaking 41opportunity - n. a chance to do something 42artificial intelligence - n. a computer systems able to perform work that normally requires human intelligence 43fantastic - adj. extremely good 44bike - n. short for bicycle a vehicle powered by two wheels 45essential - n. something that is important or necessary