GO: USES AND EXPRESSIONS

Come vs go


Go usually express a movement away from the position the speaker is now; come expresses a movement towards the speaker.

Imagine you are at school. The time is 9.30 a.m.
I had to go to Jimmy´s to pick up some books; then I went to the post office before I came to school.

Sometimes the speaker is in one place but imagines that they are already in another place. When Thomas meets  Marta in Spain, he invites her to Switzerland. He says:

"Would you like to come and visit me in Bern?" (He imagines he is there and so her movement is towards him.)

We can also imagine that the listener is in a different place. Talking to Marta, Thomas says:

"I´ll come to your flat at 7.30 p.m." (She will be at home, so his movement is towards her.)

Note: It is a similar difference between bring and take:
I think I´ll take my bike to the match and Peter can bring it back here tomorrow.


Different meanings of "go"


+ When you leave a place in order to do an activity, you often express it either with go + ing noun or go (out) + for a + noun. Here are some common example:

We could go shopping.                                  She wants to go (out) for a walk.
We could go riding (on horses)                      She wants to go (out) for a drink.
They went sightseeing.                                   Let´s go (out) for a drive.
They went swimming. (also 'for a swim')        Let´s go (out) for a meal.

+ Go is followed by certain adjectives to describe a change in state (usually to a worse state) with the meaning 'become' (get is also used with some adjectives).

My brother´s hair is going grey, and my father is going bald.
The company went bankrupt last year.
He´ll go mad if you wear his jacket.
My grandmother is going deaf.


+ It is often used to describe the speed something is travelling (also do):

We were going about 80 kph when the accident happened.

+ When you want to say/ask if a road or form of transport takes you somewhere:

          Does this bus go to the National Gallery?
          I don´t thing this road goes to the station.


Expressions


I´ve never tried bungee jumping but I´d love to have a go. (= try it)
How´s it going? (How are you?) And you can use the same question if you want to know if something is easy, difficult, enjoyable, etc. For example, if you are doing an exercise in class, your teacher may ask: How´s it going? (also How are you getting on?)
It´s my go (also it´s my turn). This expression is used in games such as chess or monopoly where you move from one player to another, then back.

(From the book English Vocabulary in Use by Stuart Redman - Cambridge University Press)

GET: USES AND EXPRESSIONS


Meanings


Get is an informal word, so it is more common in spoken English than written English. It has many meanings. Here are some of the basic ones.

receive                                                         I got a letter this morning.
                                                                     You get a certificate at the end of the course.

obtain (sometimes = buy)                             She´s trying to get a new job.
                                                                     Where did you get those shoes?

become (= a change in state)                        It gets dark very early at this time of year.
                                                                    My hands are getting cold.

arrive                                                           When did you get here?
                                                                     I´ll phone you when I get home.

fetch                                                            Could you get the books from the cupboard?
                                                                     She went to get the children from school.


'Get' + past participle


We sometimes use the more informal 'get' + past participle


get married (= marry)                                 She got married in France.
get divorced (= divorce)                             They got divorced last year. (the marriage has ended officially)
get dressed (= dress)                                  I got dressed quickly and went out.
get undressed (= undress)                          He got undressed and got into bed.
get changed (= change clothes)                   When I got home I went to my room and got changed.
get lost (= lose one´s way)                           I got lost on my way to the station.


Common collocations


Get is so common with certain words (often describing a change of state) that it is a good idea to learn them as expressions:

It´s getting hot/cold/dark/light/late/better/worse/busy
I´m getting hot/cold/tired/better/worse/hungry/ready

Note: the expression getting better at something can describe an improvement in your ability to do something, e.g. I´m getting better at English/swimming; it also describes an improvement in your health, e.g. She was very ill but she´s getting better now. (different from getting worse.)


Phrasal verbs and special expressions with 'get'


I get on very well with my sister. (= I have a very good relationship with my sister)
How are you getting on?   (a) (= a general question: how´s life?)
                                        (b) (= what progress are you making, e.g. with your English?)
It´s difficult to get to know people in a foreigh country. (= meet people and make friends)
I want to get rid of all my old records. (= sell them or throw them away or give them away)
My alarm wakes me up at 7 am, but I don´t usually get up (= get out of bed) until 7.15.

from the book English Vocabulary in Use by Stuart Redman - Cambridge University Press

GIVE, KEEP, BREAK, CATCH, SEE


These common verbs have many different meanings. This unit looks at some important meanings of these verbs, and in some cases they combine with specific nouns, e.g. give someone a ring, break the law, etc. You can learn these as expressions.


Give


I´ll give you a ring this evening. (= phone you this evening)
Could you give me a hand? (= help me)
Please give my regards to Paul. (= please say "hello" to him from me) or If you see Paul, please give him my regards.


Keep


The coat will keep you dry; the gloves will keep your hands warm. (= the coat/gloves will help you to stay dry/warm) (keep + noun/pronoun + adjective)
I keep losing my glasses. I keep getting backache. (= I lose my glasses / get backache again and again) (keep + ing)
Please keep in touch. (= don´t forget to stay in contact, eg. phone or write to me sometimes)
The school keeps a record (= clear written information) of the number of times that students are absent.


Break


He broke the world record again. (= created a new record, e.g. He ran the 100 metres in 9.85 seconds, which is 0.1 seconds faster than anyone else)
Most people break the law at some point in their life. (= do something wrong/against the law)
In my first lesson with a new class, I usually do something to break the ice. (= to make people feel more relaxed when they first meet strangers)


Catch


We can catch a bus down the road. (= take a bus/travel by bus)
How did you catch that cold? (= get that cold/virus)
Catch the ball and throw it to James.


See


A: This part of the picture doesn´t look right compared with the other part.
B: Yes, I see what you mean. (= I understand what you are saying)

A: Do you think we need to hire a car?
B: I don´t know. I´ll see (= I´ll ask and find out) what the others say.

I don´t/can´t see the point of practising six hours a day. (= I don´t understand the reason for practising six hours a day)

(from the book English Vocabulary in Use by Stuart Redman - Cambridge University Press)

MAKE, DO, HAVE, TAKE


There are many common expressions with these verbs, and often they are different in other languages, so you need to learn them.


Things we make


a mistake                              He made a few mistakes in the exam.
a meal (prepare, cook)         I had to make my own dinner last night.
money (become rich)            He made a lot of money when he worked in America.
friends                                  It´s not always easy to make friends in a foreign country.
a decision                             We must make a decision before 6 pm;
a noise                                 I can´t work when the children make a lot of noise.
progress (U)                        Her English is good now; she has made a lot of progress.


Things we do


homework (U)                          I forgot to do my English homework last night.
the housework (U)                    My mother does all the housework in our house.
(study) subjects                        Did you do English at school?
a course                                   I did a one-week course in word processing.
the shopping (buy food)            I always do the shopping at the weekend.
research (U)                             He´s doing research in physics at Rome University.
(someone) a favour                   Can you do me a favour and lend me some coffee?
something/anything/nothing         I didn´t do anything last night. That boy has done nothing all day.
                                                 She must have done something to him. He´s very angry.


Things we have


a rest                                        They had a long rest after the game.
food and drink                          I had steak but Paul just had a cup of tea.
a drink                                      Let´s have a drink before dinner.
a bath/a shower                        I always have a bath when I get up.
a party                                     I´m having a party for my birthday.
a baby                                     Mary is having a baby next month.
a (nice/great/terrible) time         We had a very nice time in Switzerland last year.


Things we take


an exam (also "do an exam")      I´m going to take four exams next month.
a photo                                     She took lots of photos on holiday.
a decision (also "make")            I´m not very good at taking decisions.
a shower (also "have")              I´m just going to take a shower before lunch.
a bus/train/plane/taxi                 We were late, so we took a taxi to the airport.

NOTE: Notice the use of be + adjective in these expressions:

She was lucky.               I´m hungry.                 I´m thirsty.


(From English Vocabulary in Use by Stuart Redman - Cambridge University Press)

PREPOSITION + NOUN


Common patterns


There are many expressions formed by a preposition + noun, and sometimes a preposition is used with a particular meaning in a number of expressions, so they are very common.

A book by Stephen King, a film by Steven Spielberg, a song by Elton John.
You can go for a walk, for a drive, for a run, for a swim
You can go in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening (but at night)
You can travel by car, by plane, by bus, by coach, by train, by taxi (but on foot)
I heard it on the radio; I saw it on TV; I spoke to her on the phone (but I read it in the newspaper, in a magazine)
The man in the dark suit; the woman in the red dress.


Fixed expressions


Sometimes it is difficult to know why a particular preposition is used, and you must learn these as fixed expressions.

I took his pen by mistake.
I did all the work by myself. (but on my own)
The shoes are made by hand.
The workers are on strike.
I met them by chance.
The children are on holiday.
He broke the plate by accident.
He broke the plate on purpose.
There are two million out of work.
There are at least fifty people at the party.


In time or on time?


Sometimes two prepositions can be used with the same noun, but the meaning is different.

Lessons begin at 8.30 and I always arrive on time. (= at 8.30)
Lessons begin at 8.30 and I always get there in time. (= before 8.30; I´m not late)

In the end we went home. (= finally, after a long period)
At the end of the book they get married.

The two men are in business. (= they are businessmen)
The two men are in Germany on business. (= they are there for work and not for a holiday.)

I´ll see you in a moment. (= very soon)
I can´t speak to you at the moment. (= right now)

(From the book English Vocabulary in Use by Stuart Redman - Cambridge University Press)

ZERO AFFIXATION


What is zero affixation?


Many words in English can funtion as a noun and verb, or noun and adjective, or verb and adjective, with no change in the form. The meaning is not always the same, but this unit looks at examples where the words do have the same meaning.


What´s the answer? (noun)
Answer the question. (verb)

I must clean my room. (verb)
It´s a clean room. (adjective)

I don´t like the cold. (noun)
I don´t like cold weather. (adjective)

I didn´t reply to the letter. (verb)
I wrote a reply to the letter. (noun)

Other examples: ache (v, n), damage (v, n), dry (v, adj)




Noun and verb


You may know these words in one form but not the other:
smile, laughm increase, dream, smell, taste, rain, queue, brake, diet, guess, ring, push, murder, stay, drink, rest, look, cost, wait. 




Which verb?


When you use these words as nouns, you need to choose the correct verb to use with it.

Verb                                                              Noun


We stayed in Paris for a short time.                We had a short stay in Paris.
We rested for a while.                                   We had a short rest.
She braked quickly.                                       She put on the brakes quickly.
He needs to diet.                                           He needs to go on a diet.
I´m going to ring him.                                     I´m going to give him a ring.
I looked in the paper.                                    I had a look in the paper.
He pushed me.                                             He gave me a push.
I dreamt about you last night.                        I had a dream about you last night.

(From the book English Vocabulary in Use by Stuart Redman - Cambridge University Press)

ADJECTIVE SUFFIXES


Suffixes change word class, e.g. from verb to noun or noun to adjective, but they can also change meaning.


Noun or verb + suffix


Noun or verb                              Suffix               Adjectives


danger, fame                                -ous                  dangerous, famous
music, politics                              - al                    musical, political
industry, economics                                              industrial, economical
cloud, fog, sun, dirt                      - y                    cloudy, foggy, sunny, dirty
attract, create                               - ive                  attractive, creative

Note:  Sometimes there is a spelling change. Here are common examples:
double the consonant: sun/sunny; fog/foggy
leave out the final "e": create/creative; fame/famous
leave out the final "s" before "-al": politics/political; economics/economical
change "y" to "i" before "-al": industry/industrial




-able


This suffix (also -ible in some words) is used to form many adjectives from nouns or verbs:

enjoyable, comfortable, knowledgeable, suitable


Quite often, -able (and -ible) has the meaning "can be done". For example, something that is washable "can be washed". Other examples include:

drinkable, comprehensible, reliable


Words ending -able quite often express the opposite meaning by adding the prefix un-


undrinkable, unreliable, unbreakable, unsuitable, uncomfortable


Words ending -ible add the prefix in-


incomprehensible, inflexible, inedible




-ful and -less


The suffix -ful often means "full of" + the meaning of the adjective: careful, helpful, painful, useful, thoughtful.


The suffix -less means "without" + the meaning of the adjective: careless, painless, useless, thoughtless, jobless, homeless


Note:  You can see that -ful and -less are often used with the same words to form opposites. This is not always true.


(From the book English Vocabulary in Use - by Stuart Redman - Cambridge University Press