Phrasal verbs WEAR & WORK

Study the phrasal verbs. Lead-in.

“Oh, granny, I miss you so much…”

The letters on his granny’s headstone wore away with time.

His grief at the loss of his granny wore him down.

Mother: “Danny, again?! It’s the fourth pair of shoes this month!”

Danny’s wornout shoes wore out his mother.

Jack is depressed.

“Working off my depression by working out in the gym may work out,” he thinks.

More phrasal verbs with BE

wear away	gradually become less intensive or thinner and eventually disappear by constantly using it: The letters on the grave wore away with time.
wear down	(wear sb down) make sb less energetic, exhaust sb: The political debate eventually wore Jack down and he quit.
	gradually become less intensive, thinner or smaller by constantly using it: The tyres of your car have completely worn down. When are you going to have them changed?
wear off	gradually disappear (about feelings, emotions): Don’t worry, the sense of fatigue will soon wear off and you’ll feel better, just lie down and rest.
wear on	pass, go by (about time): As time wore on, Luke became more nostalgic and homesick.
wear out	use sth so much that it no longer can be used: Little Jinny wears out 4 pairs of shoes every season.
	make sb exhausted: You need a rest, otherwise, you’ll wear yourself out.
work at	try hard to improve sth: You always argue with your wife. You definitely need to work at your relationship.
work off	make sth go away by making efforts: She tried really hard to work off her depression, now she is happy.
	do a job to pay your debt instead of giving money: Jackie had no money to pay for her diver, so she worked it off by washing the dishes in that restaurant.
work on	on sb – try to influence sb to make them agree to do sth: She hasn’t said “yes” yet, but I am working on her.
	on sth – work hard to achieve sth: English learners find it hard to work on their pronunciation.
work out	do physical exercises: I work out in the gym 4 times a week.
	find a solution or an answer to sth: He still can’t work out how to achieve his ambitious goals, they seem unattainable.
	be a success: If plan A doesn’t work out, there’s always plan B.
	develop sth: The team worked out a fantastic plan.
work up	develop sth, make sth appear: Tracey went for a walk in the forest to work up an appetite.
	(work sb/ oneself up into sth) make sb/ oneself feel angrier, more excited, etc.: If you don’t stop worrying so much, you will work yourself up into a nervous breakdown.