English Vocabulary: To Nag, Tell Off, Put Up, Hold Up - PDF

To nag (To annoy som eone by continually telling o r asking them to do something) Examples: M y wife keeps nagging me to cut down on drinking. l’m sorry to nag you, but when will you come over to fix my television?...

To nag (To annoy som eone by continually telling o r asking them to do something) Examples: M y wife keeps nagging me to cut down on drinking. l’m sorry to nag you, but when will you come over to fix my television? To nag is ve ry similar to To go on at (see Page 17). To tell off (To punish som eone verbally for doing something wrong, to scold) Examples: I don’t know why you bother telling him off; he never listens. She’s bound to tell you off if you turn up late to her dinner party. A: He was to ld off in front of his girlfriend for making his father’s car filthy. B: That must have cut him down to size! To put up i. (To provide tem porary accommodation for som eone) Examples: Putting my parents up for Christmas turned out to be a lot less straightforward than we had imagined. I hope it’s not putting you out, but would you mind putting me up for the night, as I’ve been turned out of my house? ii. (To provide money to start a business o r for a business deal) Examples: Despite the size of my overdraft, the bank has agreed to put up 7 0 % of the capital. His father will give him a thousand pounds and his uncle’s company will put up the rest. He has really landed on his feet! 61  iii. (To raise, increase the price, value of something) Examples: The only way to increase our turnover is by putting up our fees. Putting up the interest rates will go down as one of the main reasons why the Government failed to get re-elected. Doing up your kitchen and bathroom is bound to put up the value of your property. N o te the expression To put up a fight w hich m eans to fail, lose o r die after trying o n e ’s best against strong opposition, e.g. I. The visiting team put up a courageous fight but they were bound to lose with only five fit players. 2. Let us remember those poor firemen who put up such a brave fight, attempting to put out this terrible fire. To put up w ith (To accept, tolerate a bad situation o r person, to cope with*) Examples: I wish they would be quiet. I can’t put up with that appalling noise any longer; it’s putting me off my homework. I’ve gone off my neighbours but I suppose I’ll have to put up with them. It is im portant not to confuse To put up with someone with To put so m e o n e up to something. The second expression m eans to make, persuade so m e o n e to d o som ething wrong, e.g. I. A: I'll get my own back on you! B: It w asn’t my idea;John put me up to it. 2. Even though he owned up to the crime, the police believe someone else put him up to it. (i.e. it w asn ’t his idea) * See Page 12. Rew arding (Worthwhile, satisfying) Examples: I thought the course was going to be a bore, but it turned out to be most rewarding. I realised that I had landed on my feet after finding this rewarding job. N o te the difference between Rew ard and Aw ard. A reward is som ething on e is given in com pensation o r paym ent for a service performed. A n award, on the other hand, is a prize on e receives for winning a com petition o r being the best at something. A ls o note that if a job is described as being financially Rewarding, it m eans it is well-paid, e.g. Even though her job is financially rewarding, she can't cope with it. 62 A hold-up, to hold up i. (An armed robbery, to com mit an armed robbery) Examples: The Christmas party at the bank was called off yesterday due to the hold-up that occurred earlier that morning. The two pensioners, who were held up in the high street, put up a brave fight. ii. (A congestion, delay, to be delayed) Examples: Radio announcement: We advise drivers to avoid using the A6 because of a two-mile-long hold-up caused by roadworks. We are dreadfully sorry that we couldn’t turn up earlier but we were held up in traffic for over an hour. 63