This lesson covers 30 C2 phrasal verbs on Communication & Conversation. 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.
bombard sb with sth
to direct a lot of something [e.g. questions, letters] at one person
The journalist bombarded the minister with difficult questions.
go along with sth/sb
to agree with someone’s idea or opinion
The committee agreed to go along with the revised proposal.
lead into sth
if a subject you are talking about or a discussion leads into another subject or discussion, it is the reason why you start talking about the second subject or start the second discussion
The host used a short story to lead into the debate.
settle on sth
to agree on something
The group finally settled on a name for the project.
reel off sth or reel sth off
to say a long list of things quickly and without stopping
He reeled off a list of reasons without pausing.
talk round sb or talk sb round
to convince somebody to agree to your idea or opinion through a long discussion
The manager talked the reluctant client round to the new idea.
clam up
informal to become silent or to refuse to speak about something, usually because you are shy or afraid
When asked about the mistake, he clammed up.
go easy on sb
to treat someone in a gentle way, especially when you want to be or should be more severe
Please go easy on her; she is new to public speaking.
bring up sth or bring sth up
to start to talk about something
She brought up the budget issue near the end of the meeting.
come round to
to agree with somebody else’s idea or opinion after a long time thinking about it or discussing it
After hearing the evidence, he came round to their point of view.
witter on
British informal to talk for a long time about unimportant things
He wittered on about the same minor problem all afternoon.
expand on sth
to give more details about something you have said or written
Could you expand on what you mean by “better service”?
shout out (sth) or shout (sth) out
to suddenly shout something in a loud voice, especially to get someone’s attention
Someone shouted out the answer from the back row.
yell out (sth) or yell (sth) out
to suddenly shout something in a loud voice, especially to get someone’s attention
The coach yelled out the instructions so that everyone could hear.
gloss over sth
to avoid discussing something, or to discuss something without talking about the details in order to make it seem unimportant
The report glossed over the most serious complaints.
drive at sth
to imply or suggest something without saying it directly
What exactly are you driving at with that question?
cut in (on) (sth)
to interrupt what someone is saying by saying something yourself
Sorry to cut in, but could I clarify one point?
keep back sth or keep sth back
to not tell someone everything you know about a situation or an event that has happened
She kept back the most sensitive information until later.
engage sb in conversation
if you engage someone in conversation, you try to start a conversation with them
The host engaged the new guest in conversation.
be floating about/around
if you say something is floating around, you mean that you have seen it somewhere but you do not know exactly where it is
Rumours about the new policy were floating around the office.
explain away sth or explain sth away
to give a reason for something bad happening which makes other people think that it is not so bad or that it is not your fault
He tried to explain away the contradiction in his statement.
come to (an agreement)
to agree on something after discussion
The two sides came to an agreement after several meetings.
cry out (sth) or cry (sth) out
to suddenly shout something in a loud voice, especially to get someone’s attention
The child cried out for help when she lost sight of her parent.
bat around sth or bat sth around
to talk about a plan or idea and to discuss different ways of dealing with it
The team batted around several ideas before choosing a campaign.
dry up
to stop speaking when you are acting or making a speech, especially because you suddenly forget what to say next
After a few minutes, the conversation dried up.
dwell on sth
to think or talk about a particular subject for too long
The speaker dwelt on the same point for too long.
talk sb out of sth
to persuade someone not to do something
Her friend talked her out of sending the angry message.
drag sth out of sb
to make someone tell you something that they do not want to tell you
The interviewer gently dragged the full story out of the witness.
boom out (sth)
to speak in a loud voice, or to make a loud noise
The announcer boomed out the names of the winners.
scream out (sth) or scream (sth) out
to suddenly shout something in a loud voice, especially to get someone’s attention
The crowd screamed out when the results were announced.