Phrasal Verbs Using the Preposition About
Have you heard the one about the two calculators? Learn how to start telling jokes in English. Plus, learn new phrasal verbs – to bring about and to come about. I hope you enjoy today’s show :)
Transcript
Hola amigos, you are listening to the English Made Simple show, this is episode 103, one-hundred and three, numero ciento tres.
Hey there everybody, how’s tricks? What I mean to say is how are you? How’s tricks? How are you doing? It’s just a different and informal way to say: How are you doing?
How’s tricks? Cool!
Welcome to the English Made Simple show my name is Milena from www.englishmadesimple.net and I am doing very well, thank you for asking.
Today’s episode is going to be Short and Sweet and Delicious.
As some of you may already know, I would normally share some English expressions or idioms in these Short and Sweet episodes, expressions related to the content we learnt in the previous episode. That’s what would normally happen!
However, there aren’t many expressions using the word About. Well, I couldn’t think of any, but if you happen to know some expressions with the word About, let me know.
How about that? It’s a deal!
What I will share with you today instead is…well a couple of expressions and phrasal verbs that you simply must know when you are using the preposition About.
Let me start by introducing you to the One About expression. The One About.
Have you heard the one about…blah blah?
This is how we normally start telling jokes in English. Jokes bromas or chistes in Spanish.
Have you heard the one about the 2 calculators?
Meaning, have you heard the joke about the 2 calculators?
If you haven’t here it goes:
One calculator says to the other, you can count on me.
I know, it’s really bad!
Or have you heard the one about the banana?
It goes like this,
What kind of key opens a banana? A monkey! Duh!
Right let’s continue, enough about this gibberish. What was I on about? What was I on about?
A – ha! To be on about something – another expression if you will, often used as a question and most of often used in a negative context.
If we say, for example my husband wants me to do the dishes.
I say: what are you on about? I’ve already done the dishes.
I mean to say: what do you mean I haven’t done the dishes. I’ve done them. Go and look.
Don’t nag me. Goodbye!
And now amigos I would like to share with you – 2 phrasal verbs using the word About, using the preposition About. These phrasal verbs are used by native speakers on an everyday basis. Ok? They use them often!
The first one being:
To come about – two words, Come About – this means to happen or to develop.
For example: Nobody knows how this came about. Nobody knows how this happened. Nadie sabe como sucedió esto.
How did this come about? Or how did this happen?
These two questions mean the same thing.
If you want to sound fluent, I recommend you practise How did this come about?
The second phrasal verb I would like you to know is Bring About. Two words again. Bring About.
To bring about – According to Weon Inteligente or the Online Dictionary – To Bring About means to cause something to happen. To effect change, to trigger something to happen.
A quick trivia question for you amigos, listen up! What is the past tense of the verb BRING? Aaaah-a. It’s Brought. Therefore, this phrasal verb in the past tense would be Brought About. Now you know it. Cool!
Let’s use it in a sentence, hmmm let’s see. The only example I could come up with had to do with politics. Had to do with politics, I always hear Bring About Change, I always hear that in the news.
For example, I’ll give you some examples:
The demonstrators at the next G7 summit hope to bring about a political change.
Another example, I can share with you
The role of the US president Donald Trump is not to follow in Obama’s footsteps but to bring about political change in the country (hopefully for the better.) Well, we don’t really know his agenda.
Uhm….Ok, I will not state my opinion here, I am just giving you an example. Ok…?
How about we move on to the next topic? How about that?
How about?
Wow, that’s your next phrase. That’s your next phrase amigos! It’s used when you want to make a suggestion or to offer something.
For example, I can say to my husband, mi amor, how about we watch an action movie tonight?
And my husband goes, Yeah how about how about Con Air? Your favourite movie.
What?! Enough about this Con Air – It is not my favourite movie. Anything with Stephen Seagull or Nicholas Cage, you can delete. ha!
Righto, thanks for joining me in today’s short and sweet episode. I hope you found it useful and entertaining. I hope you learnt at least one new thing in today’s show.
Alrighty, it’s time to say goodbye muchachos y muchachas – you’ve been jamming with Milena. You’ve been an amazing audience, thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy day to tune in to the English Made Simple show and thank you for listening to my blabbing.
Until next time muchachos, hasta la proxima!