Phrasal Verb Fun

put over
I used to hate econometrics until the new teacher, Mrs Gladiola, arrived.
She puts it over so well. I can understand it now.
To put something over means to put some information, some valuable
teaching,
over
an imaginary table. 'To put something over well' means 'to
successfully communicate it'.
Put across
has the same meaning. Compare this with
get across
and
get
over
.
Separable two-word verb
Be careful.
There is also an expression.
George put one over on you.
He fooled you. He made a fool of you. He lied and you believed it. Ha ha
ha, more fool you!

---

Fixed expression.
put through
Through means 'outside, then inside, then outside again'. Light comes
through the window. It is outside the window, then (for a picosecond) it is
inside the glass, and then it is outside the glass again. Trains go from
England to France through a tunnel.
Like
put across
and
put forward
, it is information that is moved. We
imagine a cable or a phone line as a pipe. Electricity or information goes
through
the cable.
In the old days when you phoned somebody in a company you had to
go
through
the switchboard. You had to speak to the lady and persuade her
to connect you to the person you wanted. When that happened she would
say, 'Putting you through.'
When this had happened you had
got through
. You had got through to the
person you wanted.
Separable two-word verb
. Be careful.
put up
When good friends of yours come to stay for a long weekend, you don't
send them off to a hotel. That is no way to keep your friends. No, you put
up
a temporary bed - maybe a camp bed. By extension, we say that you
put up your friends for the weekend.
It means 'to provide free accommodation'
Separable two-word verb
Be careful.
put up with
Kate's husband is so rude and abusive all the time. I don't how she puts
up with it.
Put something
up
on your shoulder means to carry it, to accept
responsibility for it, to tolerate it. It is a burden, but you shoulder it. You
put up with it.
No, I don't like paying my mortgage every month. But what can you do? I
put up with it.
Three-word verb
No problem.

---

put upon
Upon is an older version of on. (Look at it. Originally it was up on.) You
put something on something else.
Sometimes his boss puts a great load upon poor Maurice's shoulders.
He feels like a victim. He feels very put upon.
Nearly always we use this verb in the passive.
rule
(rule, ruled, ruled)
There are two meanings of rule. One is that what the traditional king does,
what the boss does. Although in modern monarchies, it is a little more
subtle. The king or queen reigns, but parliament rules. But for today, let's
the say the king rules.
The other ruler is a device with straight edges that we all know for making
straight lines on paper. You rule a straight line with it.
rule out
When you rule (because you are the ruler), you can rule something out.
You can exclude it. It is
out
of here. Or ...
With your ruler on the desk you can draw a line through some words. You
rule them out, which is the same as
crossing them out
.
You choose.
Separable two-word verb
Be careful.
run
(run, ran, run)
How you move fast without technology.
It can also mean 'flow'. A river runs.
A third meaning is when we run something. We make it flow, as it were. A
manager runs a company, or a shop, or a factory. Civil servants run the
country, perhaps.
run across

---

When you run across somebody, you collide with them by accident,
usually not literally. Expressed more politely, you meet that person by
chance. run into has the same meaning.
I ran across Mr Sebastian today in the supermarket. He looked very
happy because someone bought his house at last.
Run into
means exactly the same.
Inseparable two-word verb
No problem.
run away
When you run away, you run
away
from somewhere, usually quickly. This
is because there is something horrible there. People who run away from
situations too easily are never respected.
Two-word verb without an object
No problem.
run down
In the old days, most clocks ran by mechanisms - called clockwork - that
needed winding up. If you were too lazy or forgetful to wind the clock up,
it ran
down
. By extension, if somebody looks like he is tired and a little ill,
we say that he, too, is run down.
Usually we use this verb in the passive. No problem.