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hi everybody my name is Alisha welcome
back to know your verbs in this episode
we're going to talk about the verb cut
let's get started
so the basic definition of the verb to
cut is to make something smaller or to
open something using a sharp tool like a
knife or scissors or something else kind
of pointy let's look at the conjugations
of this verb present tense cut cuts past
tense cut past participle tense cut
progressive tense cutting
okay so now let's take a look at some
additional meanings of this verb the
first additional meaning is to make
something smaller to make something
smaller but this can mean like
conceptually or it can refer to the
amount of something not only the size of
something examples the company had to
cut costs
you should probably cut your hair so in
both of these we're seeing examples of
things that became smaller in the first
sentence the company had to cut costs so
to cut costs means to decrease costs to
reduce costs to make the cost smaller so
we say cut costs in the second sentence
it's about hair so we just say to cut
hair this cave in this case yes we're
talking about something pointy like a
sharp tool that's fine but we're making
hair smaller so we say to cut hair the
second additional meaning for the verb
to cut is to remove something to remove
something from something else so
examples of this I cut some mistakes
from the radio show she's cutting the
damaged parts out of the fabric so in
both of these sentences you'll see we
use the verb cut with from or out of in
the first example sentence I cut some
mistakes from the radio show means in
the radio show the original radio show
there were some mistakes
I cut the mistake so I removed the
mistakes from the radio show so we use
from or we can use out of both are fine
as in the second example sentence she
cut the damaged parts out of the fabric
so in that sentence we see out of
instead we could say she's cutting the
damaged parts from the fabric both are
okay it just means we're removing the
damaged parts in that case so we're
moving something from something else
okay let's go to the third meaning for
the verb the third meaning is to stop
something or to cause something to stop
examples can you cut the engine
oh no they cut the power so here stop
we're not physically cutting something
and we're not removing anything here
here we're talking about like cutting
maybe energy source or we're talking
about
like an action if you could imagine that
so stopping inaction causing something
to stop in the first example sentence
it's an engine cut the engine means stop
the engine or make the engine stop in
other words in the second example
sentence oh no they cut the power means
oh no they stopped the power or they
turned off the power
maybe it's the electrical company power
means electricity so they turned off the
electricity but we usually say cut the
power we can use this for computers for
machines anything that can start and
stop really cut something
the fourth meaning for this verb is to
move across or through a place examples
of this
let's cut across the soccer field can we
cut through the tunnel so here we see
cut with a cross and cut through so we
use cut across when we're talking about
moving physically like across an open
area so we could say cut across the
street cut across the field cut across
the road maybe but with through we're
going into something we're going inside
something so cut through the tunnel for
example or cut through the house or cut
through the shopping mall so entering
something to come out the other side
through so we can use across and through
so those are some common examples of
expressions we use with cut in this way
meaning to go across something okay
let's move on to some variations for
this room the first variation for this
herb is to be cut out for something to
be cut out for something means to be
suited for something this is an
expression we commonly use in the
negative form actually let's look at
some examples I'm not cut out for the
pace of this work he's not cut out for
life in the city so as you can see we
use this with not in many cases so in
the first example I'm not cut out for
the pace of this work means I'm not
suited to the pace of this work it's not
a good match for me and my personality
my lifestyle for example in the second
example sentence he's not cut out for
life in the city it means life in the
city does not suit him it doesn't match
him very well so to not be cut out for
something is probably more common than
to be cut out for something the second
variation is to cut somebody off to cut
somebody off means to interrupt someone
or to stop them from doing an activity
we often use this with like driving with
drinking also in speaking yeah so
driving drinking and speaking are common
situations where we use this in speaking
we use it when we interrupt someone so
examples the bartender cut off the noisy
couple in the restaurant somebody cut me
off on the highway one more example too
is when we're talking about money
especially with parents and children
here's an example
his parents are going to cut him off
when he turns 35 so in all of these
we're seeing cut off but actually each
of these presents a different use in the
first example it's a bartender so the
sentence was the bartender cut off the
noisy couple cut off here we have we
know it means interrupts but the key
actually to the meaning is bartender
here bartender as the subject suggests
that the couple are drinking in the
restaurant so to cut off some people at
a bar means to stop serving drinks to
stop serving alcoholic drinks so when a
bartender or restaurant staff cuts off
someone who is drinking it means they
stop serving that
or those people alcoholic drinks so
that's one meaning of to cut someone off
in the second example sentence somebody
cut me off on the highway this is very
very common in driving when you and your
you are driving along in your car I'll
put this this in your car okay so you're
driving along in your car but quickly
somebody else comes near you and drives
in front of you very quickly like kind
of interrupting you maybe you have to
touch your brakes or you have to stop or
you have to move something something
that surprises you so we say this motion
this activity when driving is cutting
someone off so it's like you're causing
an interruption in in the drivers
activity so there's some interruption
that happens this other car disrupts
your activity or interrupts your
activity so we say this person car B cut
me off on the highway in the third
example it's about money
his parents say they're going to cut him
off when he turns 35 this is an
expression that means they're going to
cut him off financially in other words
when he turns 35 his parents are going
to stop giving him money so there are a
few expressions here that we have to
really think about the situation to
understand what is being stopped is it
drinks is it like driving is it money we
can also use it when speaking if someone
interrupts you when speaking you can say
don't cut me off like I'm trying to talk
the next variation for this verb is to
cut to the chase
to cut to the chase this is an
expression which means to explain the
main point of something to explain the
main idea of something examples hurry up
and cut to the chase
he won't cut to the chase and explain
what he wants so quite simply cut to the
chase means to explain the main idea so
in the first example sentence hurry up
and cut to the chase means hurry up and
explain the thing you want to say so if
someone is saying many many different
things but won't say the main point you
can use this expression hurry up and cut
to the chase in the second example
sentence he won't cut to the chase and
explain what he wants means again he's
saying a lot of different things but he
won't just say the thing he does want to
say or the thing
to say so we can say cut to the chase to
make a request of him so those are a few
maybe new ways to use the verb cuts I
hope you found something new or
interesting here of course if you have
any questions or comments or want to try
making a sentence with this verb please
feel free to do so in the comment
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this episode of know your verbs and
we'll see you again soon bye Mike yeah I
went like this I said can we cut through
the tunnel
classy lady okay so I cut this is my
cutting motion Oh
sounds good no sorry I should have
prefaced that with a little bit of
purpose
[Music]
you