Fred and Betty: Is this the End?

Episode 1: Betty's Angry


Betty: Fred, I found out about you and that other girl. How could you do this to me?!

Has Fred really got another lady? Surely not!!!

Click to play: Listen to BETTY

________________________________________________________________

FIND OUT ABOUT

Meaning: if you find out about something, you discover a fact or information that you did not know before, often because someone was keeping it secret.

Grammar: This phrasal verb needs an object. You can not separate the verb from its particles.

He found out about the theft - RIGHT
He found out about it - RIGHT

He found the theft out about - WRONG
He found it out about - WRONG
He found out the theft about - WRONG
He found out it about - WRONG

Example sentence: Jonathan didn't find out about the missing money until the police wrote to him.
________________________________________________________________

Synonyms: discover, catch on to, detect, unearth
________________________________________________________________

Episode 2: Not Guilty!

Fred: Betty, you've got to believe me! I would never cheat on you Betty!

Does Betty believe Fred?

Go to episode 3 to find out!

Click to play: Listen to BETTY
________________________________________________________________

CHEAT ON

Meaning: if you cheat on somebody, (your husband, wife, boyfriend or girlfriend) you secretly have a sexual or romantic relationship with someone else.

Grammar: This phrasal verb must have an object. You can not separate the verb from its particle.

He cheated on his wife - RIGHT
He cheated on her - RIGHT

He cheated her on - WRONG
He cheated his wife on - WRONG

Example sentence: Juliet finally decided to divorce her husband when she caught him cheating on her with their next-door neighbour.
________________________________________________________________

Synonyms: betray, be unfaithful to, do the dirty on, mess around, two-time
________________________________________________________________

Episode 3: How Betty Knows


Betty: I know all about your other lady Fred! Your friend Martin told on you!

Click to play: Listen to BETTY
________________________________________________________________

TELL ON

Meaning: if you tell on somebody, you give information about someone, usually about something bad that they have said or done, to a person in authority (like a teacher, boss or parent), knowing that this will probably result in punishment.

Grammar: This phrasal verb must have an object. You can not separate the verb from its particle.

He told on his sister - RIGHT
He told on her - RIGHT

He told her on - WRONG
He told his sister on - WRONG

Example sentence: When I was a child I used to steal apples from the tree in the neighbour's garden but my brother told on me and my father grounded me for a month.
________________________________________________________________

Synonyms: inform (on), grass (on), sneak (on)
________________________________________________________________

Episode 4: Who's the Liar?

Fred: Don't listen to Martin, Betty! It's not true! He's making it up!

Click to play: Listen to BETTY
________________________________________________________________

MAKE UP

Meaning: if you make something up, you invent an untrue story or explanation, often in order to hide the truth.

Grammar: This phrasal verb must have an object. The object can go between the verb and particle, or after the particle. If you want to use a pronoun, it must go between the verb and particle.

She made up an excuse - RIGHT
She made an excuse up - RIGHT
She made it up - RIGHT

She made up it - WRONG

Example sentence: Charlie didn't want to admit that he hadn't done his homework, so he made up a story about leaving it on the bus.

________________________________________________________________

Synonyms: invent, devise, concoct, fabricate, cook up, manufacture, come up with
________________________________________________________________

Episode 5: Busted!

Betty: I caught you out myself Fred! I saw you with that other girl!

Click to play: Listen to BETTY

________________________________________________________________

 CATCH OUT

Meaning: if you catch somebody out, you find evidence to show that they have secretly been doing something wrong or bad.

Grammar: This phrasal verb must have an object. The object can go between the verb and particle, or after the particle. If you want to use a pronoun, it must go between the verb and particle.

I caught my son out - RIGHT
I caught him out - RIGHT
I caught out my son - RIGHT

I caught out him - WRONG

Example sentence: George had successfully cheated in quite a few exams, but the examiner finally caught him out when some notes fell out of his sleeve and onto the floor.
________________________________________________________________

Synonyms: discover, expose, reveal, uncover, find out, bust
________________________________________________________________

Episode 6: Fred's Story

Fred: I was just looking after her, Betty. I gave her a hug because she was upset, that's all!

Click to play: Listen to BETTY

________________________________________________________________

LOOK AFTER

Meaning: if you look after something or someone, you take care of them and make sure they have what they need.

Grammar: This phrasal verb must have an object. You can not separate the verb from its particle.

She looked after the baby - RIGHT
She looked after it - RIGHT

She looked the baby after - WRONG
She looked it after - WRONG

Example sentence: I can't come to the cinema tonight - my sister's ill, so I'm going to stay at home and look after her.
________________________________________________________________

Synonyms: take care of, tend (to)
________________________________________________________________

Episode 7: What Betty Saw

Betty: It was a hug which turned into a kiss Fred! I SAW YOU!!!

Click to play: Listen to BETTY

________________________________________________________________

TURN INTO

Meaning: If something turns into something, it becomes something different.

Grammar: This phrasal verb must have an object. You can not separate the verb from its particle. The object is not usually a pronoun.

The water turned into ice - RIGHT
The water turned into it - RIGHT (this is rare)

The water turned ice into - WRONG
The water turned it into - WRONG

 Example sentence: I'm scared of him. When he drinks too much beer he turns into a crazy madman.
________________________________________________________________

Synonyms: become, change (into) transform (into), evolve (into), develop (into), metamorphosise (into)
________________________________________________________________

Episode 8: Desperate Fred

Fred: Please Betty, don't hang up! You know I love
you Betty!

Click to play: Listen to BETTY

________________________________________________________________

 HANG UP

Meaning: If you hang up, you end a telephone call by breaking the connection between yourself and the person you are speaking to.

Grammar: This phrasal verb does not usually have an object (except telephone or phone). You can separate the verb from its particle, but not if the object is a pronoun.

She hung up - RIGHT
She hung up the telephone - RIGHT (this is rare)
She hung the phone up - RIGHT (this is rare)

She hung up it - WRONG

Example sentence: How rude - I was in the middle of telling her a story and she just hung up!
________________________________________________________________

Synonyms: ring off
________________________________________________________________

Episode 9: Betty Breaks It Off

Betty: Face up to it Fred. This time, IT'S OVER!!!

Click to play: Listen to BETTY

________________________________________________________________

FACE UP TO

Meaning: If you face up to something, you accept the existence of a difficult situation.

Grammar: This phrasal verb must have an object. You can not separate the verb from its particles.

She faced up to the problem - RIGHT
She faced up to it - RIGHT

She faced the problem up to - WRONG
She faced it up to - WRONG
She faced up the problem to - WRONG
She faced up it to - WRONG
She faced up to - WRONG

 Example sentence: Jane, it's time to face up to your son's behavioural problems and get him the help he needs.
________________________________________________________________

 Synonyms: confront, accept, deal with, take on, take on board, tackle, come to terms with, stop hiding from
________________________________________________________________


Episode 10: Fred Begs

Betty: Come on Betty, I've said sorry a million times. Won't you take me back?

Click to play: Listen to BETTY

________________________________________________________________

TAKE BACK

Meaning: If you re-start a romantic relationship that you had previously decided to end because of a problem in the relationship, you take somebody back.

Grammar: This phrasal verb needs an object. If the object is a pronoun, you always separate the verb from its particle. If it is a noun, you can either separate the verb from its particle or use it after the whole phrasal verb.

She took her husband back - RIGHT
She took him back - RIGHT
She took back her husband - RIGHT

She took back him - WRONG

Example sentence: Pauline had accepted that her husband was occasionally unfaithful, but when he became violent, she threw him out and refused to take him back.
_______________________________________________________________

Synonyms: get back together with, make up with
________________________________________________________________


Episode 11: Betty's Had Enough

Betty: No Fred, it's over. I've given up on you.

Click to play: Listen to BETTY

________________________________________________________________

GIVE UP ON

Meaning: If you give up on someone or something, you stop trying to achieve something, usually because you have tried and failed in the past, or because it is too difficult.

Grammar: This phrasal verb needs an object. You can not separate the verb from its particles.

I gave up on algebra - RIGHT
I gave up on it - RIGHT

I gave algebra up on - WRONG
I gave it up on - WRONG
I gave up algebra on - WRONG
I gave up it on - WRONG

Example sentence: I have asked him so many times to arrive on time, but he is still at least 30 minutes late every morning. I give up on him!
________________________________________________________________

Synonyms: reach the end of the line with
________________________________________________________________


Episode 12: Fred Works It Out?


Narrator: Episode 12: Fred works it out? Betty has dumped Fred. She caught him with another woman. But why won't she take him back?

Fred: In that case, Betty, there's only one explanation. You're going out with another man!

Narrator: Fred, you're an idiot. You just don't get it, do you? Well that's all from Fred and Betty for this series, but come back soon for lots more phrasal verbs with Face up to Phrasals from BBC Learning English dot com.

Click to play: Listen to BETTY

________________________________________________________________

GO OUT WITH

Meaning: If you go out with someone, you have a romantic relationship with them.

Grammar: This phrasal verb needs an object. You can not separate the verb from its particles.

She's going out with Mark - RIGHT
She's going out with him - RIGHT

She's going out Mark with - WRONG
She's going out him with - WRONG
She's going him out with - WRONG
She's going Mark out with - WRONG

Example sentence: She went out with Mark for 18 months before he asked her to marry him.
________________________________________________________________

Synonyms: date, see, be involved with, have a relationship with
________________________________________________________________