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Phrasal Verbs to Help You With Technology
The lesson includes a video program, an audio program
explaining this grammar topic, the script for the audio
program, a words in this story section,
and other important information. |
Video Program
Watch the video program explaining this grammar topic.
Then listen to the audio program explaining this grammar topic. |
Audio Program
Listen to the audio program explaining this grammar
topic. Then read the following written information. |
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30 Phrasal Verbs to Help You
With Technology |
Welcome back to Everyday Grammar from VOA Learning
English.
This is our third episode on phrasal verbs. As you know,
a phrasal verb is a phrase with two or more words: a
verb and a preposition or adverb, or both.
Today we look at very current phrasal verbs: ones used
with technology. The digital age has created many new
words and phrases in English.
The world of technology is fast-changing, and it has
broken many traditions. It is natural that the language
of computers would also change and be informal.
Not only is the language of technology full of phrasal
verbs, it is also full of new nouns. Many of those nouns
grew out of phrasal verbs, as you will learn in this
episode.
Getting started
Let’s go back to 1969, when the first verb sent over the
Internet was a phrasal verb: log in. To log in is to
enter a code, key or password to gain access to the
computer’s abilities. We have been logging in ever since
then. Sometimes we say we have to sign in to a web page.
Like now, we started a computer by hooking up wire
cables and then powering it up or turning it on. Some
computers took a long time to boot up, or get ready to
run programs.
Now, we do not have to wait as long. To install new
applications on the computer, users run a set up
program. Then we click on the icon, or image, for a
program to run it.
After opening a program, you choose commands from a
menu. These menus are stored in a pull down or drop down
bar near the top of the screen.
A click of the mouse – the hand-held device that guides
the cursor around the computer screen – shows more
commands on the bar. That bar is often called the
navigation bar or nav bar.
This leads us to our first noun from a phrasal verb,
pulldown. When we give instructions to a friend about
using a web page, we can say, “Look in the nav bar for
the pulldown and choose a command.”
Another verb that describes up-and-down movement on the
screen is scroll up or scroll down. A wheel on the mouse
allows you to scroll up or scroll down to read a web
page. We can click on an arrow to move to the next
screen, too.
Storage and other problems
Installing upgrades can sometimes damage files. So,
users should always back up their files. That is, copy
files and folders to another location, like an external
disk drive. A user who stores many large files will soon
run out of room on the computer, so keeping files on an
extra hard drive is a good idea.
This phrasal verb became a noun, too. Experts tell us,
“Put your backups in a safe place.”
My parents used to print out their emails because they
wanted to keep a permanent copy, and here is another new
noun: a printout.
The phrasal verb print out is a separable phrasal verb,
like the ones we talked about in a previous episode.
That means you can put a pronoun between the verb and
preposition, as in “Let me print it out for you.”
Even when we use passwords, criminals have learned to
enter a computer or a network without permission. They
are hacking into the network. Hacking can make computer
systems go down, or stop working.
A disaster could happen if the hacker wiped out, or
erased, all the information on a computer system. That
is why you back up your system.
Annoying advertising
Internet advertisements, or ads, pop up on the screen
over a web page. This created a new noun from the
phrasal verb, popup. People said they needed a tool to
block those annoying ads, so the “popup blocker” was
born. This feature is part of the browser software.
Speaking of browsers, another phrasal verb that became a
noun is plug in. You know that you can plug a wire into
the wall. Now, we add small programs to perform specific
tasks in the computer, and call them plugins.
Companies often will ask for your email address. They
create a large list of users from their email addresses.
When we sign up to use a website, we key in our name and
email address.
The organization running an online service usually asks
us to opt in, or choose to receive email messages.
Usually those messages are asking us to buy products.
There are so many of these emails now that many people
try to filter out all messages from advertisers –
otherwise known as spam.
Getting off the grid
If you think that the Internet is full of too many
advertisements, and your email is nothing but spam, just
click on the menu to shut down and turn off your devices
for the day. Get off what we called “the information
superhighway” and take a walk outside. Wait! There is
one final phrasal verb to describe that: go offline.
For Learning English Everyday Grammar, I’m Jill Robbins.
And I’m John Russell.
Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this story for Learning English. |
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Words in This Story |
-
preposition – grammar.
a word or group of words that is used with a noun,
pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, location,
or time, or to introduce an object
- adverb
– grammar. a word that
describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a
sentence and that is often used to show time,
manner, place, or degree
- informal
– adj. (of language)
relaxed in tone; not suited for serious or official
speech and writing
- cable
– n. a group of wires,
glass fibers, etc., covered in plastic or rubber and
used to carry electricity or electrical signal
- upgrade
– n. an occurrence in
which one thing is replaced by something better,
newer, more valuable, etc.
- browser
– n. a computer program
that is used to find and look at information on the
Internet
- specific
– adj. having a
particular function or effect
- opt
– v. to choose to do or
be involved in something
- filter
– v. to remove
(something unwanted) by using a filter
- spam
– n. e-mail that is not
wanted or e-mail that is sent to large numbers of
people and that consists mostly of advertising
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Additional Information |
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Here is a list of the phrasal verbs in this story: |
| Phrasal Verbs for
Technology and Computers |
| Phrasal Verb |
Meanings |
Example |
log in
sign in
sign-in |
v. connect to a computer using
a username and password
n. page or act of registering permission to use
a program |
To begin, log in to your
desktop system. |
| hook up |
to connect wires from machines
to a power source or other machines |
Would you please help me hook
up the Internet cable? |
power up
turn on |
provide power to a machine |
Press the red button to power
up your tablet. |
boot up
start up |
begin running a computer system |
Wait a second, my computer is
booting up. |
| set up |
v. to install a new computer
program or assemble a computer system
n. the process of adding information using a
computer program |
This application took a long
time to set up. |
pull down
pulldown |
v. choose from a menu of
options in a computer application extending down
from the action bar like a window blind
n. a menu of options |
Look for the file menu and pull
down to “Save As…” |
| click on |
move a mouse over an item and
press to select |
Click on the start menu to
begin. |
scroll up
scroll down |
to move slowly to the top or
bottom of a text |
The news story was so long I
had to scroll down a lot to read it all. |
| run out of |
exhaust a supply of something |
You will run out of disk space
if you save copies of all your emails. |
back up
backup |
v. make an extra copy of a file
n. an extra copy of a file |
Be sure you back up your files
before you change systems. |
print out
printout |
v. send an electronic document
to a printer
n. a printed document |
I have to print out the
directions before I leave home. |
| hack into |
enter a computer or network
illegally |
Someone hacked into my bank and
stole millions of dollars. |
| go down |
stop operating properly |
I cannot send any emails
because the server went down. |
| wipe out |
completely erase or delete
files |
Before you donate your
computer, be sure you wipe out the hard drive. |
pop up
popup |
v. to appear suddenly
n. an advertisement that appears suddenly on a
computer screen |
If you do not want to see the
ads, turn on your pop up blocker. |
plug in
plug-in |
v. insert a cord into an outlet
or port
n. an addition to a software program that
performs a certain task |
Plug in your laptop over there. |
| sign up |
register with a service |
She signed up for an online
dating service. |
| key in |
type or enter characters using
a keyboard |
It takes too much time to key
in that long password. |
| opt in / out |
choose to receive advertising
or messages |
The company asked me to opt in
to get special offers by email. |
| filter out |
remove unwanted email messages |
Can we filter out all the spam
on this account? |
turn off
shut down
power down |
end a session on the computer
by closing an application or removing power |
I’m tired, so I’m going to shut
down the computer for today. |
| go online/offline |
to use the Internet / not use
the Internet |
I will send you that
information as soon as I can go online. |
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Now it’s your turn. Does your language borrow English
phrasal verbs for computer terms? Do you know any new
expressions to talk about our digital life? Write about
them in the Facebook Comments Section below. |
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Source: Voice of America |
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Grammar Tips |
Can You Catch These Native Speaker Mistakes?
(Beginner - Listening)
An audio lesson to
help with your understanding of common mistakes. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program. |
Commonly Confused Words: Part One
(Beginner - Listening,
reading)
A video lesson to
help with your understanding of commonly confused
words.
The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page. |
Commonly Confused Words: Part One
(Beginner - Listening)
An audio lesson to
help with your understanding of commonly confused
words. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program. |
Commonly Confused Words: Part Two
(Beginner - Listening,
reading)
A video lesson to
help with your understanding of commonly confused
words.
The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page. |
Commonly Confused Words: Part Two
(Beginner - Listening)
An audio lesson to
help with your understanding of commonly confused
words. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program. |
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