Word of the Day

Here are the answers to the test exercise.
Topic: Gardening
A: My back aches!
B: I thought gardening was supposed to be a relaxing hobby.
A: Well, it is if you only have small plants and good soil. The trouble
is that ours is like rock! You need a drill to break it. It took me two
hours to DIG OVER the vegetable patch!
B: Never mind. Iâ?Tm sure the carrots and potatoes will taste better as a
result.
A: Mm. Iâ?Tm not sure that the rose bush will do better â?" I decided to
DIG it UP and move it to a more shaded part of the garden, but I think I
might have damaged the roots. And I think I might have CUT it BACK a
bit too much as well. The tree looks a little odd as well - I LOPPED OFF
that broken branch that the kids were swinging on.
A: When you say it like that, it makes it sound like you spent the day
ruining your back AND the garden!

This week's topic is: All this week's phrasal verb use the adverb
particle 'off' with the general meaning 'start to do something'
Phrasal Verb of the Day is: start (something) off
Definition: to cause something to begin
(This phrasal verb has more than one meaning)
E.g.1. He started the conference off by welcoming the delegates.
E.g.2. The official fired his gun to start off the race.
This phrasal verb can be separated. (E.g. 1)
[V+ADV+N, V+N+ADV, V+PRON+ADV]

Phrasal Verb of the Day is: kick off
Definition: to begin a game of football (soccer)
(This phrasal verb has more than one meaning)
E.g.1. Beckham kicked off and passed the ball to Keane.
E.g.2. They scored their first goal just one minute after they kicked
off.
This phrasal verb can be separated. (E.g. 1)
[V+ADV]

Phrasal Verb of the Day is: spark (something) off
Definition: to cause something to happen, often unintentionally.
(This phrasal verb has more than one meaning)
E.g.1. Working together on the project sparked off a life-long
friendship between them.
E.g.2. The government's decision sparked off angry protests and
demonstrations.
This phrasal verb can be separated.
[V+ADV+N, V+PRON+ADV, V+N+ADV]

Phrasal Verb of the Day is: tee off
Definition: to start a game of golf by hitting the ball from the tee.
(This phrasal verb has more than one meaning)
E.g.1. You should do some practice shots before you tee off.
E.g.2. Before they teed off for the final hole, their scores were
equal.
This phrasal verb can't be separated.
[V+ADV]

cut (something) back
Definition: to remove some of the branches of a plant so that it will grow more strongly (synonym: to prune)
[V+PRON+ADV, V+N+ADV, V+ADV+N]
lop (something) off
Definition: to remove something from what it was attached to, by
cutting.
[V+N+ADV, V+ADV+N, V+PRON+ADV]

Phrasal Verb of the Day is: set off
Definition: to start a journey.
(This phrasal verb has more than one meaning)
E.g.1. If we don't set off soon, we'll be late.
E.g.2. When everyone was in the car they set off for London.
This phrasal verb can't be separated.
[V+ADV: usually + A] (A=adjunct; an adverb or prepositional phrase,
usually expressing time, place, manner or con***ion)

Use an appropriate form of the phrasal verbs below to fill the gaps.
Topic: Starting to do something (off)
1. The two golfers tossed a coin to see who would ______ ____ first.
2. It's usually the centre forward who ______ ____ in a game of
football.
3. When the Prime Minister mentioned tax increases, it ______ ____ boos
and other disapproving noises from the audience.
4. They ______ ____ at 6 a.m. but didn't arrive until 10 p.m. that
night.
5. They ______ ____ every exercise class by stretching their muscles.
start off / kick off / spark off / tee off / set off

This week's topic is: All this week's phrasal verb use the adverb
particle 'off' with the general meaning 'stop or cancel something'
Phrasal Verb of the Day is: break off
Definition: to end a relationship or agreement.
(This phrasal verb has more than one meaning)
E.g.1. When she discovered about his past, she broke off the
relationship.
E.g.2. Is she still going out with him? No - she broke it off last
week.
This phrasal verb can be separated. (E.g. 2)
[V+ADV+N, V+PRON+ADV, V+N+ADV]

Topic: All this week's phrasal verb use the adverb particle 'off' with
the general meaning 'stop or cancel something'
Phrasal Verb of the Day is: turn (something) off
Definition: to stop a machine or appliance by adjusting the controls.
(This phrasal verb has more than one meaning)
E.g.1. Don't forget to turn the lights off before you go to bed.
E.g.2. He turned the engine off and got out of the car.
This phrasal verb can be separated. (E.g. 1 & 2)
[V+N+ADV, V+PRON+ADV, V+ADV+N]