Advanced English Grammar

Phrasal verb LIVE

Below, the phrasal verb live is listed with definitions and examples. I recommend looking over the list then doing the exercise to check your knowledge with the exercise that follows.

LIVE BY = follow a particular belief or religeous system

Few people actually live by their convictions.

LIVE DOWN = forget; stop being reminded about an embarrassing situation

He'll never live down the fact that he didn't know how to spell the word 'potato.'

LIVE FOR = something extremely important to you

John lives for surfing. He goes nearly everyday.

LIVE IN = live in the place you work

My sister -in-law has a live in maid.

LIVE IT UP = have a good time; celebrate

Some people really like to live it up on the weekends.

LIVE OFF = A. survive or exist on something B. use savings

A. I could live off these things they are so good!
B. After paying for his operation he had little money to live off.

LIVE ON = A. money used for basic needs B. not forgotten

A. You lost all the money? What are we going to live on this month?
B. Though he's no longer with us, his memory will live on with all of us.

LIVE OUT = A. fulfill a desire or fantasy B. stay somehwere until you are dead

A. I was able to live out my dream of visiting to New Zealand.
B. The racehorse lived out his final days eating green grass and running free in the hills.

LIVE THROUGH = experience; survive hard times

My father-in-law lived through the German occupation during WWII.

LIVE TOGETHER = stay in same place without marrying

They lived together for two years before they got married.

LIVE UP TO = meet expectations

Most children can't live up to their parents expectations.

LIVE WITH = A. made to accept something unpleasant

He had to live with the fact that the accident he caused killed three people.

Phrasal verb LIVE Exercise

Choose from the drop down menu the preposition(s) that best complete the phrasal verbs below.

1. What will we live ___ this month? All of our money was stolen.
2. He never lived ____ the fact that he had been to jail.
3. He lived _____ the Great Depression and tells stories about it.
4. "Let's go out tonight." "Yeah, let's live ____ a little."
5. The movie lived ____ it's billing as being 'sensational.'
6. The art collector had live ____ security guards to protect his collection.
7. He had to live ____ with the knowledge that he was the last of his kind.
8. John lived ____ travelling. He was always going somewhere exotic.
9. Many Christians find it hard to live ____ the teachings of Jesus Christ.
10. Like many new couples, they lived ___ before they got married.

For more information about the phrasal verb live click on the preceding link.

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