VOA日常语法2023--Three Phrasal Verbs with 'Along'

Three Phrasal Verbs with 'Along'

Sometimes, the Learning¹ English program Ask A Teacher receives questions from learners that we are not able to answer on that program. The question might be more advanced, and the answer longer, than we have time for on Ask A Teacher.

But the questions are worthy²! So, in this week's Everyday Grammar, we will explore Noura's question about phrasal verbs with "along."

Noura writes that she does not understand why we add "along" to such words as "come," "send" and "tag³." She says that she does not see any changes to their meanings when "along" is added.

Let's answer Noura's question about these three phrasal verbs.

Along

"Along" as a preposition⁴ means in a line matching the length or direction of something. It can also mean points on or near something.

We drove along the coast of Maine.

We use "along" in this sentence to say that we drove on a road that runs next to, or near, the coast.

We saw beautiful beach houses along the drive.

Here we use "along" to mean points. The beach houses are the points.

Along as an adverb has many meanings. We can use "along" to describe the forward movement of something. It can also mean to be "in the company of" or "in addition to."

When we add "along" to a verb, we get these more exact meanings.

What are phrasal verbs?

Phrasal verbs are groups of words made up of a verb and another short word or words. Together, these groups of words mean something different from what the individual words suggest. As a result, you can think of phrasal verbs as kinds of special expressions.

There are many phrasal verbs in English, and often each phrasal verb can have different meanings.

Let's try to simplify Noura's three phrasal verbs, "come along," "send along" and "tag along."

Come along

"Come along" is our first phrasal verb. It means to go with or accompany someone. Usually that person is the one who leads the way. So, the person that is "coming along" is the secondary⁵ person, who is okay with someone leading them.

Do you mind if I come along to the store with you? I just need a few things for dinner.

Come along is a phrasal verb with other meanings, too.

It can mean to make progress.

Your painting is coming along nicely. It is almost done.

And lastly, "come along" means to make an appearance.

Blue moons come along every two or three years, usually.

Send along

The next phrasal verb with "along" is "send along." It has two meanings. The first meaning is to send something additional⁶ with something else.

My sister mailed me a gift last week and sent along a letter from my parents.

In addition to the gift, the letter was also sent.

"Send along" also means to dismiss⁷. Usually, we can separate this phrasal verb for this meaning.

The teacher sent the children along to lunch.

Tag along

"Tag along" is like "come along." It means to follow someone else, but with an added meaning that the person "tagging along" might not be so welcomed or is just following the other person. It has a more negative association⁸ than "come along."

Sam's little sister always tags⁹ along when he plays outside with his friends.

The verb "tag" by itself can mean to attach as an additional element or to follow closely¹⁰. While both meanings share similarities to "tag along," the phrasal verb has additional meaning "tagged" on.

Final thoughts

Today, we looked at three phrasal verbs with the preposition "along." Phrasal verbs have their own separate meaning apart from the original verbs and preposition/adverb combination¹¹. "Come along" and "tag along" are similar, but "tag along" has a more negative association. You might want someone to come along with you, but tagging along, probably not. "Send along" has two meanings, to dismiss and to send something together with something else.

Thanks for the question, Noura. We hope our exploration of come, send and tag along has cleared up some of the mystery around phrasal verbs.

Words in This Story

advanced – adj. having a high level of skill or difficulty

tag – v. to choose for a special purpose

matching – adj. having the qualities and looking appealing together

beach – n. an area covered with sand that is by a body of water

accompany – v. to go somewhere with someone

ingredient¹² – n. one of the things used to make a food product

negative – adj. having harmful or undesirable effects

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

3 tag   

n.标签，附属物，名称，谚语；vt.附以签条，尾随，添饰，指责，连接；vi.紧随，尾随

参考例句：

• Please tag your baggage.请在你的行李上贴上标签了。
• The clerk attached a price tag to each article.店员给每一件商品系上标价签。

4 preposition   

n.介词

参考例句：

• You should cancel this preposition in the sentence.你应该删去句子中的这个介词。
• We use different preposition to talk about time,days,months and seasons.我们用不动的介词来谈论时间，日，月和季节等。

5 secondary   

adj.中级的，中等的，次要的；n.次要位置，副手

参考例句：

• It's a question of secondary importance.这是个次要的问题。
• Secondary school means junior school and high school.中学是指初中和高中。

6 additional   

adj.添加的，额外的，另外的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
• I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。

7 dismiss   

v.解雇，开除；把（某人）打发走；解散

参考例句：

• The committee has decided to dismiss him.委员会已决定辞退他。
• Please dismiss all doubts about it. 请打消对此事的一切顾虑。

8 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

9 tags   

n.[计算机]标记( tag的名词复数 )；附加语（为加强语气，如 Yes, I do 一句中的 I do）；名言；污块毛

参考例句：

• He put name tags on all his shirts. 他给自己所有的衬衣都缝上了标有姓名的签条。
• The old scholar's writing is always full of tags. 那位老学者的文章里总是有很多名言警句。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 closely   

adv.紧密地；严密地，密切地

参考例句：

• We shall follow closely the development of the situation.我们将密切注意形势的发展。
• The two companies are closely tied up with each other.这两家公司之间有密切联系。

11 combination   

n.组合，合并，联合；

参考例句：

• He carried on the business in combination with his friends.他与朋友们合伙做生意。
• The materials can be used singly or in combination.这些材料可以单独使用也可以混合用。

12 ingredient   

n.（烹饪）等的材料，原料，成分，因素

参考例句：

• The basic ingredient of this meal is rice.这一餐的主要原料是大米。
• Trust is a key ingredient.信任是关键要素。