This lesson covers 35 C2 phrasal verbs on Arts, Media, Literature & Culture. At Proficiency you must distinguish particles that change meaning subtly and match register across formal and informal contexts. Complete the runner, then use the glossary below to consolidate each verb. Detailed explanations appear in Review mode once you finish the set.
belt out sth or belt sth out
informal to sing or to play a musical instrument very loudly
The lead singer belted out the finale to a packed theatre.
burst out sth
if you burst out laughing or crying, you suddenly start to laugh or cry
The actor burst out laughing when he missed his cue.
take down sth or take sth down
to write something, especially something that someone says
The journalist took down the singer’s comments during the interview.
drone on
to talk for a long time in a very boring way
The narrator droned on for so long that the audience lost interest.
sound out sb/sth or sound sb/sth out
to talk to someone in order to discover what they think about an idea or plan
The producer sounded out the audience about a possible sequel.
have on sth or have sth on
if you have an electrical device [e.g. television, radio, iron] on, it is operating so that you can use it
The artists had the radio on while they prepared the gallery.
ferret out sth or ferret sth out
to find something after searching for it
The archivist ferreted out an early draft of the screenplay.
pick up (sth) or pick (sth) up
to start something again [e.g. story, relationship] from the point where you had stopped
After the interval, the actor picked up the story where she had left off.
warm up sb or warm sb up
to make a group of people who are going to watch a performance start to enjoy themselves by entertaining them for a short time before the performance
The comedian warmed up the audience before the live recording.
drown out sth or drown sth out
if a loud noise drowns out another noise, it prevents it from being heard
The crowd’s cheers drowned out the actor’s first line.
make up your mind
to make a decision about something
The curator could not make up her mind about the final display.
dumb down sth or dumb sth down
to make something [e.g. textbook, curriculum] simpler and easier to understand
The editor refused to dumb down the history programme.
conjure up sth or conjure sth up
to make something [e.g. picture, image, memory] appear in someone’s mind
The soundtrack conjured up memories of childhood holidays.
set off sth or set sth off
to make something look attractive, usually by providing a very different colour
The bright sign set off the dark entrance beautifully.
head off sth or head sth off
to prevent a difficult or unpleasant situation from happening
The producer headed off criticism by releasing the full trailer.
write out sth or write sth out
to write (or rewrite) in full
The student wrote out the quotation in full for the essay.
warm-up n
when a performer makes a group of people who are going to watch a performance start to enjoy themselves by entertaining them for a short time before the performance
The host’s warm-up entertained the guests before the demonstration.
write up sth or write sth up
to write something on paper or on a computer in a complete or final form, often using notes you have made
The critic wrote up a review based on her notes after the premiere.
shut out sth or shut sth out
to prevent a sound or light from being heard or seen
Heavy curtains shut out the light during the video projection.
turn out sth
to produce something, especially in large quantities
The studio turns out several short films every year.
take-off n
an imitation of someone, usually intended to be funny
The café’s vegetarian burger was a take-off on a classic meat dish.
walk-on adj
a walk-on part in a play is a very small part with no words for the actor to speak
The athlete accepted a walk-on role in the opening ceremony’s theatre show.
show in sb or show sb in
to lead a visitor into a room where they have arranged to meet or wait for someone
The assistant showed the critic in to meet the director.
whip up sth
to try to make people feel strongly about something
The tabloid tried to whip up public anger about the film.
keep down sth or keep sth down
if you keep the noise of something [e.g. music, voice] down, you stop it from becoming too loud
The sound engineer kept down the music during rehearsals.
listen out for sth
to make an effort to hear a noise which you are expecting
Fans listened out for the new song on the radio.
bang down sth or bang sth down
to put something down with force, often because you are angry
Frustrated by the final cut, the director banged down the script on the table.
blow up sth or blow sth up
to make something seem much worse or much better than it really is
The media blew up a minor mistake into a major controversy.
carry off sth or carry sth off
to succeed in doing or achieving something difficult
The presenter carried off the difficult role with confidence.
root out sth/sb or root sth/sb out
informal to search and find something or someone that is difficult to find
The researcher rooted out a forgotten review from the newspaper archive.
worm sth out of sb
to manage to get information from someone which they are trying to keep secret
The reporter finally wormed the release date out of the studio executive.
turn down sth or turn sth down
to reduce the amount of sound or heat that is produced by a device [e.g. television, radio, oven]
Please turn down the volume while the actors are rehearsing.
blast out (sth) or blast (sth) out
to produce a lot of noise, especially loud music
The cinema blasted out the trailer before the film began.
get on to/onto sth
to be elected as a member of an organisation
The singer got onto the committee that selects new talent.
pick up sth or pick sth up
to learn interesting or useful information [e.g. idea, tip, gossip] from someone or something
I picked up an interesting fact about the artist from the exhibition guide.