1. have something sorted
2. try something out
3. let somebody down
4. get on with something
5. to pop out
6. talk somebody out of something
7. to dash in/out/off etc.
1. Have something sorted
Definition: To successfully organize something or fix a problem.
Active: I need to have the birthday gifts sorted before the weekend so I don't have to rush.
Passive: The faulty television was returned to the electronics shop, and the manager had the replacement sorted immediately.
2. Try something out
Definition: To test something to see if it works or if you like it.
Active: You should try this new camera out in the store before you spend your money on it.
Passive: The new video game console can be tried out by customers in the entertainment section.
3. Let somebody down
Definition: To disappoint someone by not doing what you promised.
Active: The online clothing store really let us down when our package arrived three weeks late.
Passive: I felt like I was let down by the famous brand because the expensive jacket tore after just one day.
4. Get on with something
Definition: To continue doing a task, usually after a delay or interruption.
Active: After he bought his groceries at the market, he needed to get on with cooking dinner.
Passive: Once the items were paid for at the till, they finally got on with the rest of their weekend chores.
5. To pop out
Definition: To leave your house or office for a very short time.
Active: She is going to pop out to the local bakery to buy a fresh cake for the party.
Passive: I need to pop out to the supermarket right now because the last bottle of milk has been drunk.
6. Talk somebody out of something
Definition: To persuade someone not to do something.
Active: My best friend talked me out of buying that expensive designer bag because it was too small.
Passive: He was talked out of getting the uncomfortable winter boots by the helpful shop assistant.
7. To dash in/out/off/over
Definition: To go somewhere very quickly, usually because you are in a hurry.
Active: We will just dash into the chemist's to grab some headache pills before it closes.
Passive: The car was parked right outside the boutique so she could dash in for a quick look at the sale.
"I've got it all sorted," Professor Gibberne cried out, grabbing my hand. "It’s turned out better than I ever expected. Come over to my house and see for yourself."
"You’ve actually managed to create a substance that can speed up the human body?" I asked, astonished.
"Absolutely!" he shouted enthusiastically. "It’s spectacular. We need to go right now."
"And does it make you go twice as fast?"
"Much faster! Honestly, it scares me a little. You must try it out. It’s the most extraordinary substance on earth."
He grabbed my arm and dragged me up the hill at such a pace that I was practically jogging. It was one of those boiling hot, cloudless days that Folkestone is famous for, and I was absolutely exhausted.
"I'm not walking too fast, am I?" he asked, hardly slowing down at all.
"You must have taken some of this potion," I answered, struggling to catch my breath.
"Not at all," he replied. "I tried it out last night, but the effects have completely worn off by now. The main thing is to test it out properly together."
We hurried into his study, both dripping with sweat. "There it is," he said, pointing to a small green bottle on his desk. "Unless you’ve changed your mind?"
I am a cautious man by nature, and only adventurous in theory. I was certainly frightened, but I didn't want to let him down. "Right, let's get on with it," I said, taking a seat. "How do we take the mixture?"
"Just mix it with water," Gibberne explained, pouring out two doses. "Now, bear in mind, as soon as you take it, you must shut your eyes tight. If you don't, you might suffer a dreadful shock to the retina*. Keep them closed until I tell you to open them."
"Understood," I nodded.
"Furthermore, you must keep perfectly still. Don't wave your arms about. You’ll be moving thousands of times faster than usual, so if you hit anything, you'll end up injuring yourself severely. Everything else in the world will appear to have virtually come to a stop. It’s a very peculiar sensation."
He filled up our glasses with a splash of water.
"To the New Accelerator," I proposed.
"Cheers," he replied. We drank the peculiar liquid, and I immediately closed my eyes.
Almost instantly, Gibberne told me to wake up. I opened my eyes. He was standing exactly where he had been, but his glass was empty.
"Well?" I asked, feeling slightly disappointed. "I don't feel any different. Has it gone wrong?"
"Listen carefully," he suggested. "What can you make out?"
"Everything is completely silent," I realised.
"Look at the window," he said.
I glanced at the curtains. They were completely frozen solid but raised as though they had been waving in the breeze.. "That’s bizarre," I muttered.
"Watch this," he said, opening his hand and letting go of his glass. I blinked, fully expecting it to crash on the floor. Instead, it just hung there in mid-air.
"Gravity* hasn't caught up with it yet," Gibberne remarked. "We're moving so fast that it hasn't even fallen even a millimetre." He calmly reached down, pulled the glass through the air, and placed it gently on the desk.
I stood up. I felt marvellously light and energetic. I realised my heart was racing away, beating a thousand times a second, but it wasn't uncomfortable at all.
"How long will these effects last?" I wondered aloud.
"I'm not entirely sure," he admitted. "Last time, it wore off rather suddenly. Fancy popping out for a stroll?"
"Won't people notice us?"
" Not a chance ! We’ll be completely invisible to them. Let's go out through the window."
Stepping outside was the oddest experience that has ever happened to me. We wandered down to the promenade*, fascinated by the unmoving traffic. A horse-pulled carriage was frozen in time, the driver’s whip* held still in the air. People were like statues in mid-step. A man was frozen in the middle of taking off his hat; a woman stared endlessly at the horizon. We even spotted a bee hanging in the air, its wings barely moving at the speed of a remarkably lazy snail.
"It’s absolutely boiling out here," I complained, wiping sweat from my forehead.
"Let's carry on," Gibberne insisted.
We strolled among the crowds, feeling a tremendous sense of superiority. We had essentially stepped outside of time. Everything I had thought and done since swallowing the liquid had happened in no time at all for everyone else.
Suddenly, Gibberne stopped. "There's my neighbour's annoying little dog!" he called out. Before I could talk him out of it, he dashed over and picked up the frozen animal. It looked like a wooden toy.
"Gibberne, put it down!" I warned him. "If you run around like that, your clothes will burn! The friction* of the air is causing too much heat. That's why we're so hot!"
Gibberne stared at me. "Are you serious?"
"Yes! We're moving like meteorites! And look—I think the effects of the liquid is starting to wear off. That man over there is definitely moving his handkerchief!"
Gibberne looked hard, finally noticing the slight movement. "By Jove, you're absolutely right! I can feel a strange sensation in my body. We’d better get out of sight, quickly!"
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