to take by surprise: to surprise, to amaze, to astonish Examples of TO TAKE BY SURPRISE The offer of a high-paying position with another company took me by surprise. The president’s announcement that the university was in financial trouble didn’t take anyone by surprise.

to take a trip: to go on a journey, to travel Examples of TAKE A TRIP Never having been there before, he decided on a whim to take a trip to New Orleans. When Steven lost his job, he wasn’t able to take a trip because he didn’t have the money.

to hand in: to submit or deliver something that is due Examples of TO HAND IN All the sale people hand their weekly reports in on Friday. Every student has to hand in an original composition each week of the semester.

to cheer up: to make happier, to feel less sad Examples of TO CHEER UP We all tried to cheer up the little boy when he stared to cry. After the death of Deanne’s husband, it was difficult to cheer her up at all.

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 make clear: to clarify, to explain Examples of TO MAKE CLEAR I want to make clear to you that we won’t start construction until we’re paid in full. You need to make clear to your customers that they’ll regret not buying the extended warranty.