Fast Track to Fluency 

Lesson 11: Act like

Alternative to the phrasal verb: to behave

Example 1:

• Why is John acting like a 5-year-old? You can’t always have what you want.
• Why is John behaving like a 5-year-old? You can’t always have what you want.

Example 2:

• Stop acting like an idiot! I don’t want to be around you when you act like this.
• Stop behaving like an idiot! I don’t want to be around you when you act like this.

 

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Lesson 12: Back Up – separable (1st meaning)

Alternative: to make a copy (of data or information)

Example 1:

• Luckily the company backed the computer system up every night because they lost all their data after the fire.
• Luckily the company backed up the computer system every night because they lost all their data after the fire.
• Luckily the company made a secure copy of their computer system every night because they lost all their data after the fire.

Example 2:

• The computer technician reminds every customer to back up their data regularly.
• The computer technician reminds every customer to make a copy of their data regularly.

 

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Lesson 13: Back Up – separable (2 nd meaning)

Alternative: confirm (something)

Example 1:

• Ask John about the story, he will back me up.
• Ask John about the story, he will confirm it.

Example 2:

• Amy backed up Curtis’s story even though nobody believed it was true.
• Amy confirmed Curtis’s story even though nobody believed it was true.

 

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Lesson 14: Back Up – separable (3rd and 4th meaning)

Alternative: to reverse (a vehicle) / to move backward (people)

Example 1:

• Every day I back up the car from the driveway.
• Every day I back the car up from the driveway.
• Every day I reverse the car from the driveway.

Example 2:

• The customer accidentally backed up into the waitress and spilled the drinks.
• The customer accidentally moved backward into the waitress and spilled the drinks.

 

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Lesson 15: Own up to

Alternative: to confess

Example 1:

• I wish you would own up to the crime you committed.
• I wish you would confess the crime you committed.

Example 2:

• After months of pretending she would have time to meet, she owned up to the fact that she didn’t really like him.
• After months of pretending she would have time to meet, she confessed to the fact that she didn’t really like him.

 

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