Phrasal Verbs (练习短语动词) 11/10/2025
1️⃣ Come out against
Definition: Publicly state that you oppose something.
Example:
“The local community has come out against the plan to cut down the old trees.”
2️⃣ Stick by
Definition: Remain loyal to or support someone even in hard times.
Example:
“Even when the company went bankrupt, Maria stuck by her boss and helped rebuild it.”
3️⃣ Side with
Definition: Support or take the same position as a person or group in a dispute.
Example:
“During the debate, most students sided with the teacher’s view.”
4️⃣ Cave in
Definition: Give in to pressure or demands; stop resisting.
Example:
“After hours of negotiations, the manager finally caved in and agreed to the pay raise.”
5️⃣ Defer to
Definition: Accept someone else’s opinion or decision out of respect or because they know more.
Example:
“I’ll defer to the expert on this topic since she has years of experience.”
6️⃣ Go with
Definition: Choose or decide in favor of something or someone.
Example:
“We’ll go with the blue logo instead of the red one for our new campaign.”
7️⃣ Leaning increasingly towards
Definition: Gradually starting to prefer or favor something.
Example:
“She’s leaning increasingly towards studying law instead of medicine.”
8️⃣ Cross over
Definition: Move from one side or group to another, often changing opinions or roles.
Example:
“The singer crossed over from country music to pop and became a global star.”
9️⃣ Stand for
Definition: Represent or support a principle, belief, or value.
Example:
“Our organization stands for equality and justice.”
🔟 Siding against
Definition: Supporting the opposite side or position in a dispute.
Example:
“Many of his friends were surprised he was siding against the new policy.”
1️⃣1️⃣ Egg on
Definition: Encourage someone (often to do something risky or bad).
Example:
“The boys kept egging him on to jump into the freezing water.”
1️⃣2️⃣ Cheered on
Definition: Shout encouragement or support for someone.
Example:
“The crowd cheered on the runners as they reached the final lap.”
1️⃣3️⃣ Swears by
Definition: Strongly believes something works well.
Example:
“My grandmother swears by ginger tea to cure a sore throat.”
1️⃣4️⃣ Would not hear of
Definition: Completely refuse to allow or consider something.
Example:
“I offered to pay for dinner but she would not hear of it.”
1️⃣5️⃣ Buoyed up
Definition: Made to feel more cheerful, confident, or hopeful.
Example:
“He was buoyed up by the good news about his promotion.”
1️⃣6️⃣ Stuck up for
Definition: Defended or supported someone who is being criticized or treated unfairly.
Example:
“During the argument, she stuck up for her colleague when everyone else was blaming him.”
😊 Let’s make both a short story and then a dialogue that naturally uses many of those phrasal verbs so you can see how they work in real-life contexts.
📝 Short Story Using the Phrasal Verbs
When the city council proposed to demolish the old library, most residents came out against the plan. Among them was Emma, who always stood for protecting cultural heritage.
Her best friend James, however, was leaning increasingly towards supporting the demolition because he thought a new building would be safer. This difference of opinion created tension between them.
Even though they disagreed, Emma still stuck by James in other projects. But she was shocked when he sided with the developers during a town hall meeting. People in the room began cheering on Emma as she passionately defended the old library.
The developers tried to pressure Emma to stop, but she wouldn’t cave in. “I’ll defer to the historians before making any decision,” she said firmly. James, meanwhile, felt buoyed up by the support he was getting from the younger residents.
Finally, seeing how strongly Emma felt, James decided to cross over to her side. “I can’t let them push you around anymore,” he said. The audience, once divided, now cheered on both of them as they worked together to save the library.
💬 Dialogue Using the Phrasal Verbs
Emma: I can’t believe you sided with the developers tonight.
James: I’m sorry, Emma. I was leaning increasingly towards their plan, but seeing your speech changed my mind.
Emma: I’m glad you’ve crossed over. We need more people to stand for the library.
James: They tried to get me to cave in, but I told them I’d defer to the community first.
Emma: Good. Don’t let them push you around. The crowd really cheered you on when you said that.
James: Yeah, it buoyed me up a lot. You’re right — I should have stuck up for you from the beginning.
Emma: It’s okay. We’re on the same side now. Let’s show everyone what this town really stands for.
Another example of some of these phrases can be found in my post in June. Practice Phrasal Verbs (练习短语动词)
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