Cụm động từ · Phần 6: up và down (Phrasal verbs with up / down)

Trình độ B1 · Động từ · 3 câu mini quiz · bài kiểm tra 45 câu

up và down thường đối nhau về hướng: put up ⇄ take down, pick up ⇄ put down, stand up ⇄ sit down, turn up ⇄ turn down. down còn có thể nghĩa là “đổ xuống, phá đi” (knock down, cut down, burn down) hoặc “giảm bớt” (slow down, calm down, cut down on). Cuối bài là những cụm down có nghĩa riêng: break down, close down, let somebody down, turn down, write down.

Cụm động từ với up và down

up ⇄ down: hướng lên và hướng xuống

put something up (lên tường…) ⇄ take something down (từ tường xuống): I put a picture up on the wall. ⇄ I didn’t like the picture, so I took it down. pick something up ⇄ put something down: There was a letter on the floor. I picked it up and looked at it. ⇄ I stopped writing and put down my pen. stand up ⇄ sit down / bend down / lie down: Alan stood up and walked out. ⇄ I bent down to tie my shoelace. turn something up ⇄ turn something down: I can’t hear the TV. Can you turn it up a bit? ⇄ The oven is too hot. Turn it down to 150 degrees.

• I put a picture up on the wall. / I took it down. — Tôi treo bức tranh lên tường. / Tôi gỡ nó xuống.
• I bent down to tie my shoelace. — Tôi cúi xuống buộc dây giày.
• I can’t hear the TV. Can you turn it up? — Tôi không nghe rõ TV. Bạn vặn to lên được không?

knock down, cut down, blow down; burn down

knock down a building / blow something down / cut something down = phá, thổi đổ, chặt đổ: Some old houses were knocked down to make way for the new shopping centre. Why did you cut down the tree in your garden? be knocked down (by a car etc.) = bị xe đâm ngã: A man was knocked down by a car and taken to hospital. burn down = bị lửa thiêu rụi: They were able to put out the fire before the house burnt down.

• Some old houses were knocked down. — Mấy căn nhà cũ bị phá bỏ.
• Why did you cut down the tree in your garden? — Sao bạn chặt cây trong vườn?
• A man was knocked down by a car. — Một người đàn ông bị xe đâm ngã.

down = giảm bớt: slow down, calm down, cut down on

slow down = đi chậm lại: You’re driving too fast. Slow down. calm (somebody) down = bình tĩnh lại, làm ai bình tĩnh: Calm down. There’s no point in getting angry. cut down (on something) = ăn, uống hay làm gì ít đi: I’m trying to cut down on coffee. I drink too much of it.

• You’re driving too fast. Slow down. — Bạn lái nhanh quá. Chạy chậm lại.
• Calm down. There’s no point in getting angry. — Bình tĩnh đi. Tức giận cũng chẳng ích gì.
• I’m trying to cut down on coffee. — Tôi đang cố giảm cà phê.

Các cụm down khác: break, close, let, turn, write

break down = ngừng hoạt động (máy, xe, quan hệ…): The car broke down and I had to phone for help. Their marriage broke down after only a few months. close down / shut down = ngừng kinh doanh: There used to be a shop at the end of the street. It closed down a few years ago. let somebody down = làm ai thất vọng vì không làm điều họ mong: You can always rely on Paul. He’ll never let you down. turn somebody / something down = từ chối đơn xin, lời đề nghị: I applied for several jobs, but I was turned down for all of them. Rachel was offered the job, but she decided to turn it down. write something down = ghi ra giấy vì có thể cần sau này: I can’t remember Ben’s address. I wrote it down, but I can’t find it.

• Their marriage broke down after only a few months. — Cuộc hôn nhân đổ vỡ chỉ sau vài tháng.
• He’ll never let you down. — Anh ấy sẽ không bao giờ làm bạn thất vọng.
• I was turned down for all of them. — Tôi bị từ chối ở tất cả chỗ đó.
• I wrote it down, but I can’t find it. — Tôi đã ghi lại nhưng không tìm thấy.

Lưu ý

• Mẹo: turn down có hai nghĩa — vặn nhỏ (turn the music down) và từ chối (turn an offer down). Đại từ chen giữa: take it down, let me down, write it down.