Phrasal verbs are phrases that show actions. They are commonly used in spoken English and informal texts. But how can you tell the difference between call in, call out, and call up?
A phrasal verb is a phrase or expression made of a verb plus another word or two words. In this article, we are going to see how three different phrasal verbs that have the common word “call” have completely different meanings.
“Call in”
1). To communicate by telephone (frequently a television or radio station to give your view, or at the workplace)
Example: Call in to tell us about your comical pets, and you could win $1000!
Example: Jack called into work sick today.
2) To ask someone to come and carry out a job
Example: We had to call in the doctor as all the grandma is not feeling well.
3) To visit someone
Example: Can you call in on mother on your way home and make sure she is at home?
4) To ask a person, especially a professional, to come to check
Example: We had to call in the plumber when there was no water in our house.
5) To ask someone to enter a room
Example: My boss called me into his office yesterday to give me a notice because I came to work late twice this week.
“Call out”
There are two ways to use “call out”
• Expose someone
Example: He called out his boss for inappropriate behavior.
• Say something out loud
Example: She called out for help after she dropped the coffee pot
Examples
1) To shout or speak vociferously to get someone’s consideration
Example: I called out his name, but he couldn’t hear me over the music.
2) To ask someone to come and carry out a job
Example: We had to call out the fumigators to deal with the mice and cockroaches.
3) To challenge or condemn someone
Example: She called out his actions, and he expressed regret.
If I think you’ve done something wide of the mark, I’ll call you out
4) Order or request help
Example: They called out the fire services when they saw the high flames.
“Call up”
What’s the difference between call and call up to mean make a phone call to? Is the latter any more casual than the former, or is it mostly a regional thing?
Examples
1) To telephone somebody
Example: As soon as I heard the news, I called up my stockbroker and told him to sell the share.
Example: I called up Tom a day before as we hadn’t talked in months.
2) To be summoned for military service
Example: I was called up when I was only 16!
3) To bring back memories
Example: That melody calls up winter in the Lake District.
4) To use magic to try and make the spirit of a dead person appear
Example: One Halloween we heard to call up the ghost of my sister!
5) To make information in a computer pop up on the screen
Example: If you want to call up the report, we can go through it mutually.
6) Select someone to play on a team
Example: He was called up to play for Peru in the World Cup.
So what now?
Now it’s time to put this into practice! Keep in mind that phrasal verbs are meant to be used to in casual conversations, never formal. For this reason, I would recommend creating your own examples and say them out loud. You could even create a scenario where you use all three in one conversation. By doing this, you will be combining several skills into one exercise that will enhance your fluency in English.
Good luck!
Your teacher,
Dawn
