CALM DOWN (relax / become less upset)

1. You need to relax before the interview.

2. She became less upset after talking to her friend.

3. Take a deep breath and relax for a minute.

FIGURE OUT (solve / understand)

1. We need to solve this problem quickly.

2. I don’t understand what he meant.

3. She finally solved the mystery alone.

DEAL WITH (handle / manage)

1. He manages stress very well.

2. I can’t handle so many responsibilities right now.

3. Teachers manage difficult students every day.

GIVE UP (quit / stop trying)

1. Don’t stop trying so easily.

2. She quit learning French after two months.

3. He wanted to stop trying, but his family supported him.

KEEP UP (stay at the same level / continue successfully)

1. It’s difficult to stay at the same level as everyone else.

2. She continues successfully despite the pressure.

3. I can’t stay at the same speed as my classmates.

WORK OUT (exercise / end successfully)

1. I exercise every morning before work.

2. Everything ended successfully in the end.

3. They hope the situation ends successfully.

HANG OUT (spend time together)

1. We usually spend time together on weekends.

2. Teenagers love spending time together at the mall.

3. I want to spend time together with my friends tonight.

CATCH UP (reach the same point / reconnect)

1. I need to reconnect with an old friend.

2. She studied hard to reach the same point as the class.

3. Let’s reconnect sometime next week.

SHOW UP (arrive / appear)

1. He arrived late to the meeting.

2. Nobody appeared at the party.

3. She always arrives early for class.

MESS UP (make a mistake / ruin)

1. I made a mistake during the presentation.

2. Don’t ruin the surprise.

3. He made a mistake on the exam.

COME UP WITH (create / think of)

1. She created a brilliant idea for the project.

2. Can you think of a better solution?

3. They created a new marketing strategy.

CARRY ON (continue / keep going)

1. Please continue with your story.

2. She kept going despite the difficulties.

3. We continued working after lunch.

CUT BACK ON (reduce / use less)

1. I need to reduce my sugar intake.

2. She is using less social media now.

3. We should reduce unnecessary expenses.

TURN DOWN (reject / refuse)

1. He refused the job offer.

2. She rejected the invitation politely.

3. Why did you refuse that opportunity?

WORK ON (improve / focus effort on)

1. I want to improve my pronunciation.

2. She is focusing effort on her communication skills.

3. They are trying to improve customer service.