Skip to content


Categories

Mark Twain quotes:

The elastic heart of youth cannot be compressed into one constrained shape long at a time. — Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

 

get in touch with someone

Posted in Category/Categories: Email, Idioms, Telephoning, Writing.

to get in touch with someone
Similar verb phrases:to contact someone, to call or write to someone
Meaning:this is self-explanatory, it means to make contact with a person, as the similar phrases above indicate
Example:
  • Can you get in touch with our supplier?
Using “get”:Again, as mentioned in my previous entry, “get” is a verb with many meanings and uses, and again, this meaning of “get” is “to arrive”. In this case, to “arrive” where you have contact with or could “touch” someone. though of course here it is figurative.
Examples:
  • I’ll get in touch with them later.
  • If you have any problems, please get in touch with our help desk.
  • Please fill out the form, submit it, and we’ll get in touch with you.

get back to someone

Posted in Category/Categories: Email, Telephoning, Words.

to get back to someone
Similar verb phrases:to contact someone again, to follow up on something, to return a call
Meaning:the phrase means to contact someone you are talking to or who wrote to you with a question
Examples:
  • We’ll get back to you as soon as we have an answer.
  • I’ll get back to you after the meeting.
Using “get”:“Get” is a verb with many meanings and uses. One meaning of “get” is “arrive”.
So we can say that the phrase “to get back to someone” means “to arrive back” or “to return to” somewhere. “Somewhere” can have the abstract meaning of “here in this conversation.” That is a short explanation of how the verb “get” is being used in the phrase “to get back to someone.”
Examples:
  • When did you get to work?
  • I got home late last night.
  • The shipment got here on time.

Just for fun, some of you may remember or know the song by The Beatles called Get Back. The meaning in the lyrics is both geographical, to return to where you came from, as well as abstract, to return to your former state of being.
Here is a Wikipedia entry on the song →.
And, for further fun, here is a youtube video of The Beatles performing Get Back on the rooftop of Apple Studios in London in the film Let it Be.

for the time being

Posted in Category/Categories: Discussions. Tagged with .

for the time being
Similar verb phrases:for a while, for a period of time
Meaning:a temporary state, from now into the future; a limited time frame
Example:You can use this desk for the time being.
Example:We will be working in this room for the time being.
A further example from current events:
  • “Car manufacturer Opel can, for the time being, realize its drastic job reduction …” (Linguee.com → )

It’s a pity - alternatives

Posted in Category/Categories: Email, Words.

In some cases when you have to express disappointment, for example if a supplier cannot deliver to you on time, the typical phrase “it’s a pity” is too informal. Two alternatives are to start the sentence with:

  • It’s regrettable
  • It’s unfortunate

An example:
“It’s unfortunate that you won’t be able to deliver these parts as planned.”

This of course conveys a sense of seriousness, more so than ‘it’s a pity”.

I have created an online exercise for you to practice the above. I have also included a review of some phrasal verbs. Please take a few minutes to do the exercise and I will correct it for you, if there are any corrections necessary.

https://languageskills.wufoo.com/forms/scrambled-sentences-and-phrasals/

Also, if you would like to receive further such online exercises, sign up for my newsletter →

be interested in something

Posted in Category/Categories: Phrasal verbs, Social. Tagged with .

to be interested in something
Similar verb phrases:to be curious about, to be attracted to a theme, to want to learn more about…
Example:He has been interested in climbing for years.
Example:She is interested in grammar.
A further example from current events:
  • “Meanwhile at least 30 British cities are known to be interested in such a scheme along with others in Europe.” (Linguee.com → )

turn to someone or something

Posted in Category/Categories: Phrasal verbs.

to turn to someone or something
Similar verb:to get help, to change
Example:In the end, we turned to an outside consultant for assistance.
A further example from current events:

The second example above is quoted from the CNN article (see link) on bicycling: the sense of the phrase is that more people are changing from cars to bicycles in larger cities.

You can also turn to someone else for help with a problem or task.