to throw away: to discard, to dispose of Examples of THROW AWAY We’re having leftovers tonight because George can’t bear to throw away food. I didn’t want to throw away the old suit because it might have been possible to donate it to a homeless shelter.
to wear out: to use something until it has no value or worth anymore, tomake useless through wear Examples of TO WEAR OUT I was the first one to leave the party, because I didn’t want to wear out my welcome. I had to have my shoes fixed; the hike caused me to wear out…
over and over (again): repeatedly (also: time after time, time and again) Examples of OVER AND OVER I told you, over and over, not to call me by that nickname, and you still call me by that nickname. The monkey with the miniature cymbals banged them together over and over again.
to brush up on: to review something in order to refresh one’s memory Examples of TO BRUSH UP ON The old doctor mistakenly thought he didn’t need to brush up on the procedure, and it caused more complications for the patient. Let’s brush up on our sales techniques before the holiday rush.
to pay attention (to): to look at and listen to someone while they are speaking, to concentrate Examples of PAY ATTENTION (TO) I know I need to pay attention to you when you talk, but you’re just so boring! It’s important to pay attention when your boss is explaining your mistakes.
to take turns: to alternate, to change people while doing something Examples of TAKE TURNS The well-behaved children knew how to take turns on the swing set. The skiers had to take turns going down the slope.
to turn around: to move or face in the opposite direction (S); to completelychange the condition of (S) Examples of TURN AROUND We need to turn around our terrible performance this year. The restaurant was closed and so we had to turn around and go home.
to be about to: to be at the moment of doing something, to be ready (often used with the adverb just) Examples of TO BE ABOUT TO I was just about to send you the email you requested. I am about to lock the doors and turn the lights off in the shop.
to think of: to have a (good or bad) opinion of Examples of THINK OF If you don’t see me, remember to think of me next time you visit. I’ll need to think of a good excuse for getting out of the play tomorrow night.
To figure out: to solve, to find a solution; to understand Examples of FIGURE OUT I hoped to figure out a better way to get from Chicago to St. Louis, because there was construction on my usual route. I want to be the one to figure out a solution to this impossible math problem.