Learn 30 phrasal verbs in 30 days!

Jumpstart your vocabulary in 2017.

Today is Day 13 and we're studying phrasal verbs with “break”.

This topic is so big I’ve had to break it into two videos.

Today is Day 2.

I hope this video will help you have a breakthrough with phrasal verbs.

Let’s get started.

Break off means to separate:

break off a piece of chocolate.

Part of my tooth broke off in a skiing accident.

To break off can also mean to end a relationship:

My mom thinks I should break it off with Doug.

Break out can mean to start suddenly:

a fire broke out in the kitchen.

The war broke out right after he graduated.

She broke out in song at the party.

And, if you’ll remember, break in means to enter illegally.

Break out means to exit illegally, like jail.

I don’t know how they did it, but two men broke out of jail.

It can also mean to serve something:

It’s almost midnight, let’s break out the champagne!

We also use this phrase with skin irritations and acne.

Of course I broke out right before my wedding.

Or, we can use it with in: break out in.

I broke out in a cold sweat before my speech.

I was really nervous about it.

We use break through for having a success,

and we use it a lot as a noun,

one word with no space,

breakthrough.

He believes he’s close to a big breakthrough with his research.

We also use break through with barriers:

when playing Red Rover, you have to break through the other team’s line.

Break up: now this one is sad.

This is when a relationship ends.

Joe and I broke up last week.

Or, I think I’m going to break up with Sam.

We also use this with cell phones all the time: if the connection isn’t good,

if you keep not hearing parts of what the other person is saying, you might say, “

“What? You’re breaking up.”

It can also mean to separate in general:

Let’s break up into small groups to discuss the play.

You have to break up the bread for this recipe.

If you break with something, that means you reject something, like a tradition.

We’re going to break with tradition this year and stay home for the holidays.

Break away,

break down,

break in,

break off,

break out,

break through,

break up,

and break with.

That’s a lot of phrasal verbs.

‘Break’ begins with the BR consonant cluster.

Your tongue can be in position for the R,

Rr

as you start the B.

The position for the R is:

front of tongue pulled back and up.

Rr,

lips flare.

Rr, Rr, Rr

Some language groups mix this up with the L,

bl, bl

where the tongue tip is here at the roof of the mouth,

ll,

Rr,

we want the tip pulled back and up

Br-.

Break.

Then we have the AY as in SAY diphthong.

Ay

For this, the jaw drops more for the beginning of the sound,

and less for the end of the sound.

Ayy.

Brea.

At the end, keep your tongue tip down,

but arch the front part of the tongue towards the front of the roof of the mouth.

Ayy,

Brea-k.

And to end, a K sound.

Back of the tongue lifts up and touches the soft palate, then pulls away.

Kk

Break.

Break.

The word sounds just like this word, brake.

They're homophones.

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