Lesson 204--be after (Phrasal and no Phrasal meanings)

Be after

 

She's after the top job in Ontario.

This is a confusing phrasal verb because it has a non phrasal verb meaning, and a phrasal verb meaning. 

Non phrasal verb meaning = next, following

The letter b is after the letter a.

The credits are after the movie.

First John, then Mike.  Tom is after both of them.

Phrasal verb meaning = chasing, trying to acquire

The police are after Yannick because he stole some cigarettes.

Amanda is after a new job.

Paul is always after a good deal on cars.

Lesson 196--Hard English

 

I have a lot of sympathy for my students.  Whether they complain about it or not, English can be confusing.  Similar combinations of words often mean very different (or just a little different) things.  Here are some useful examples of that.

Working hard = the person is putting a lot of effort into something.

Maria is working hard on her essay.

Hard at work = the person is quite busy and probably should be disturbed.

Paul is hard at work and can't come to the phone.

Hardly working = the person is doing almost nothing.

Timothy is hardly working since he had the accident at work.

Hard work = this describes the work as being difficult, but not the person.

For Grace, taking care of children was hard work.  She loved it, but it was really hard work.