to hold on: to grasp tightly or firmly; to wait, to be patient Examples of TO HOLD ON They don’t give up and they hold on to hope that things are going to get better. He finally broke off and told her to hold on a second because Daddy was talking.

to have (time) off: to have free time, not to have to work (also: to taketime off Examples of HAVE (TIME) OFF I wish that I could have taken some time off during my day to go out on a cycle. When it comes to graduate school, you might have no choice but to take…

according to: in the order of; on the authority of Examples of ACCORDING TO Around $386 billion was spent, according to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Demand for this game was, according to ticket seller StubHub, at a record level.

to give up: to stop trying, to stop a bad habit; to surrender Examples of TO GIVE UP I wanted to give up in the last mile of the race, but I’m so glad that I finished! Getting a business or an engineering degree doesn’t mean you need to give up on your love of…

to cut off: to shorten by cutting the ends; to disconnect or stop suddenly Examples of TO CUT OFF The rude waitress tried to cut me off while I was placing my order. “I’ll need to cut off the microphone, if you don’t behave yourself,” the chairman said to the angry committee member.

to stand up: to rise from a sitting or lying position (also: to get up) Examples of STAND UP My psychologist told me that I need to learn how to stand up for myself. Lawyers need to speak clearly and to stand up straight, or the jury won’t listen to them.