Practice Phrasal Verbs (练习短语动词) 03/01/2026
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Let's dive into these phrasal verbs and expressions with clear definitions, examples, a short story, and a lively dialogue to bring them to life.
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📘 Definitions & Example Sentences
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Phrase |
Definition |
Example
Sentence |
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pick up |
To learn or
acquire something casually or quickly |
She picked up
Spanish while traveling through Mexico. |
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catch on |
To begin to
understand or realize something |
It took him a
while, but he finally caught on to the joke. |
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grapple with |
To struggle to
understand or deal with something difficult |
She's grappling
with the loss of her job and what to do next. |
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goes in |
To be invested
or applied (often effort, time, or resources) |
A lot of work
goes in to making these handmade shoes. |
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break a
topic down |
To divide a
complex subject into simpler parts |
Let’s break
this topic down into three main ideas. |
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piece it all
together |
To assemble or
understand something by connecting parts |
After reading
all the clues, he finally pieced it all together. |
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keep up |
To maintain
pace or stay informed |
I can’t keep up
with all the new tech trends! |
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cottons on |
To begin to
understand or realize something (British informal) |
She finally
cottoned on to the fact that they were teasing her. |
✨ Short Story: “The Puzzle of the Past”
Maya had always been curious about her grandmother’s mysterious past. One day, while cleaning the attic, she picked up an old journal wrapped in silk. As she flipped through the pages, she began to piece it all together — coded messages, faded photographs, and letters written in a language she barely understood.
Determined to uncover the truth, Maya grappled with the cryptic entries. She broke each topic down, translating one phrase at a time. Slowly, she caught on to the pattern: her grandmother had been part of a secret resistance during the war.
The more she read, the more she realized how much effort went in to preserving these memories. Maya struggled to keep up with the emotional weight of the revelations, but eventually, she cottoned on to the deeper meaning — her grandmother had left this puzzle for her to solve, not just to remember, but to carry forward.
🎭 Dialogue: “The Study Group”
Alex: Hey, did you pick up anything from Professor Lang’s lecture today?
Jamie: Sort of. I caught on to the main idea, but some of the theories were tough.
Alex: Same here. I’m still grappling with that part about quantum entanglement.
Jamie: Yeah, me too. Let’s break the topic down together. Maybe we’ll understand it better.
Alex: Good idea. I didn’t realize how much work goes in to understanding this stuff!
Jamie: Right? I’ve been trying to piece it all together from the notes and the textbook.
Alex: I just hope I can keep up. Everyone else seems to get it faster.
Jamie: Don’t worry. You usually cotton on quicker than you think.
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