Today let’s take a look at how we can use around (and round) with verbs and get a whole new meaning.
1. Ask around
When we ask around, this means that we ask different people about something. We can use it to finish our sentence:
If I don’t know something, I can just ask around and find out the answer.
2. Come around
Come around is often used to say wake up after losing consciousness or being in a coma.
Luckily, the patient survived, but it took him 2 hours to wake up.
The second meaning of come around would be change someone’s mind and start to agree with something that you find hard to accept.
3. Keep around
When you keep something around you keep it close to you so you could use it.
4. Poke around
When people poke around, it means that they’re searching for something or investigating.
This phrasal verb has more of a negative meaning.
For example, you wouldn’t want someone poking around in your personal life (Or would you?)
5. Run around
You can say that you’re running around when you’re busy and have a lot of things you need to do.
6. Round up
Last but not least, let’s look at round up using an example.
Quite often, when we look at the price for something, we can see that it costs, say, €9.99. In our mind, however, we often round it up to €10.
I know you didn’t come here for the long lecture, so how about we find a use for these phrasal verbs with this short activity?
There’s a saying which goes “what goes around comes around”.
Have you ever had a situation when you felt like you deserved what had happened to you?
Let us know in the comments section and see you next week! 🙂