Kick Back | Fill Up | Straighten Out | Cover For | Go Under

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Exercise 1

Vocabulary

kick back

Phrasal Verb

kɪk bæk

to spend time relaxing

I don't have anything special planned for tonight; I just want to kick back and watch a movie.

fill up

Phrasal Verb

fɪl ʌp

to fill something completely

We're getting low on gas, so let's fill up the car.

I filled up the gas tank.

straighten out

Phrasal Verb

ˈstreɪtən aʊt

to deal with a difficult situation or a problem; to solve a problem

She's trying to straighten out the problems with the network.

He has many problems to straighten out with the engine.

He stopped by her office to try to straighten out the misunderstanding.

Until the misunderstanding is straightened out, it's probably wise to refer all inquiries to the public relations office.

cover for

Phrasal Verb

ˈkʌvər fɔr

to do somebody's work while they are away

I will cover for her today because she’s feeling under the weather.

go under

Phrasal Verb

goʊ ˈʌndər

(of a business) to go bankrupt

When his business went under, he was forced to move back in with his parents.

Exercise 2

Dialogue Practice

Read the dialogue aloud with your tutor.

David is surprised to see that Andrei is still in the office.
	David Why are you still in the office? You should've gone home hours ago!
	Andrei I'm just trying to finish something. I'll stay here for another hour or two.
	David You can't keep working like that, you'll wear yourself out! Seriously! You need to take some time off and just kick back, to stop thinking about work, at least for a few days. When was the last time you took some time off?
	Andrei I took that Friday off a few months back when I had to go back to my hometown...
	David That doesn't count! That was something that you had to do. Why don't you take a few days off, fill up the tank and just go out of town for a while? I'll cover for you.
	Andrei I don't know... The timing doesn't seem right, there are some things that need to be straightened out first.
	David There are always things to be straightened out! Trust me, the company will not go under if you're not around for a few days!
	Andrei Okay, okay, I'll think about it...

Exercise 3

Article

Read the passage aloud with your tutor.

A New Beginning

Two weeks ago, I found out that the company I was working for was going to go under and nobody seemed to know how to straighten out the situation. Everyone started panicking and the atmosphere at work was very depressing. I asked a co-worker to cover for me, filled up the tank of my car and decided to just kick back and go on a short road trip to the countryside. It felt really good to leave all the problems behind and get away from all the stress. A few days later, I returned from the trip full of energy and enthusiasm; I was ready for a fresh start.

Exercise 4

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the correct phrasal verbs to complete the dialogue.

Ms. Jackson and Ms. Sato are talking about their boss, Mr. Taylor.
	Ellen Jackson Were you there when Mr. Taylor made the official announcement?
	Lisa Sato About the company (1)? No, I wasn't there. I took a day off, Stacy was (2) me. Were you there?
	Ellen Jackson Yes. It was so sad. He had tears in his eyes.
	Lisa Sato I can imagine. This company was his whole life. I was certain he would find a way to (3) everything.
	Ellen Jackson Yes, me too. Well, I guess it is time for him to (4) and retire. I mean, he still has enough money to enjoy the rest of his life.
	Lisa Sato You are right.