16
Time A
How time passes Diana
The sales conference will be coming around1 soon. We’d better start hurrying those sales reports along2.
Paul
I can’t believe that the conference is coming up3 again already. This last year seems to have slipped away4!
Diana
I know! There’s an awful lot to do leading up to5 the conference, especially as it’s going to be held in our branch this year.
Paul
Oh well, at least it breaks things up6 and makes life a bit more interesting, I suppose.
Diana
It hasn’t been that bad a year, surely. There was all the excitement over the new marketing campaign.
Paul
Oh, that completely passed me by7. It didn’t really affect me in my department.
Diana
OK, Paul. Time’s getting on8 a bit now. I need to head home. Let’s talk about what we need to do tomorrow.
1
6 (of a regular event) happening at its usual time makes a period of time more interesting by making someone do something more quickly, being different from what you are doing for making something happen more quickly the rest of the time 3 7 will be happening soon went unnoticed 4 8 passed very quickly (mainly British and Australian informal) it’s 5 preparing in the period before an event begins getting late 2
B
Spending time Right, I’m not going to spin this out1. I just have one thing to say. You only have two weeks now till the exams start and you’re going to have to pull your socks up2 if you want to pass. We’re going to set aside3 the next fortnight just for revision. In other words, we’re going to free up4 some time by cancelling all non-exam lessons like sport. All school sports matches will be held over5 until the exams are finished. We felt that would be better than trying to fit revision in6 around sport commitments. The sports staff agree that putting back7 these matches won’t cause any major problems, but we mustn’t set schedules back8 by more than two weeks or we won’t be able to fit in all the matches before the end of term. So now, put everything else out of your minds and concentrate on your revision. No more frittering time away9 – get down to some serious work. 1
5
2
6
make something continue for longer than necessary make an effort to improve, an idiom using a phrasal verb (see Unit 8 for more) 3 use time for one purpose and no other purpose 4 make time or money available for a particular use by not using it another way
delayed and arranged for a later date do it between other activities 7 causing something to happen later than it should happen 8 make something happen more slowly, or make something happen later than it should 9 wasting time by using it for unimportant things
Tip The following verbs can be used about money as well as time – free up and fritter away. 36
English Phrasal Verbs in Use Advanced
