Phrasal Verb Fun

be for, be in for, be on for, be up for
One of the commonest meanings of
for
is a purpose. It is the reason why
you do something.
Imagine an old-fashioned union meeting where democracy was always
with a show of hands. There were only two possible positions for
industrial action. You were
for
it, or you were
against
it. You were in
favour of the strike or not. That means, you wanted it or you did not.
Like music, language has variations on a theme. There is usually more
than one way to express yourself.
I'm in for it, means I'm
in
the group of people who are for this action.
For example, we are a band of thieves. Shall we rob the big bank next
Friday when it has the most cash? Yes, we decide, we are in for it.
We could also say, Yes we're on for it. The robbery is
on
. It has not been
called off
.
Yes, we might say, we're up for it. This has the suggestion that we have
the courage to say yes.
BE FOR is an
Inseparable two-word verb
No problem.
BE IN FOR, BE ON FOR, BE UP FOR are
three-word verbs
. No problems, either.
be into
Julian hated the idea of studying Canadian interest-rate policy, but he
gradually
got into
it, and now he has become an expert.
Now he is into it.
Quite recent, I think. If something is very very interesting, if it takes all
your attention, you have the feeling that you are inside it, that it is all
around you. To be into an idea or an interest, or to get into it, is to be
absorbed by it, to be fascinated by it.
Notice something strange about this verb. Into, except here, always
shows movement. We can go into a room, or we can get into a car.
These are movements. They take time.
Then we are in the room or the car. And we could stay there forever.

---

To BE INTO is only used as an enthusiasm, never as a physical fact.
Inseparable two-word verb
No problem.
be off
The Baron was a terrible shot. He was always off the target. He never hit
a grouse all day.
This milk's off! (It's not right. It smells bad. It
has gone off
)
We often use
off
to mean being away from the target, or the intention.
Mr Hendricks wanted to be a millionaire before he was thirty. He was off
by four years.
(He had to wait until he was thirty-four.)
The show is off. It has been cancelled. (It has been
called off
.)
________
We sometimes say
off
for 'away from here'.
To be off, as in 'I'm off now!' (I'm going away now)
This is the same as 'I'm
going off
now!'
'I'm
setting off
now!' is very similar, but has the suggestion of a longer
journey. You might say this if you were leaving to start a new job in
another country.
And 'Be off with you!' is what we say to a child when we want them to go
away.
Two-word verb without an object
No problem.
be over
(1) 'I'll be over in the morning' means almost exactly the same as 'I'll be
round in the morning' but it is slightly more business-like. It sounds as
though the speaker is on business. The image is that I will have
succeeded in getting over all the obstacles in the street on the way to
your office.
(2) 'It's all over now, Baby Blue,' sang Bob Dylan. It's all finished. It will
never happen again. This
over
means complete, finished, the end.
Two-word verb without an object
No problem.