single verb made up of multiple words? For some, compound verbs, or phrasal verbs, are the bane of English: they complicate understanding, have various meanings and collocate with different words. Another view is that they are interesting and worth a review, if not for their meanings then for the intriguing complexity they add to the language. We tend to take the second view.
Here are some compound verbs that start with the letter A. To add to their complexity, they can have more than one meaning.
act on
To follow someone’s advice
Example: I acted on my adviser’s recommendation to sell those stocks, but I lost money.
act up
To not work properly or to behave badly
Example: That child acts up when his parents leave him with a babysitter.
answer for
To be held responsible for something or to blame for
Example: He had a lot to answer for after his bad behaviour.
answer to
To regard as the equivalent to something else
Example: The Kennedys were America’s answer to Europe’s royalty.
Also:
To be called
Example: He answered to the name of William but not Bill.
arrive at
To reach a result or decision
Example: I arrived at that conclusion after I spoke with all the people involved in the incident.
ask after
To enquire about someone
Example: John asked after you at the dinner last night.
ask out
To invite to go on a date
Example: It took him weeks to finally ask me out.
ask over
To invite someone to your house
Example: She asked him over after they went to the movies.
attend to
To deal with someone or something
Example: Can you attend to the baby? He’s crying.
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