Introduction

Georgie teaches you some phrasal verbs that can be used to talk about sleep. 

Phrasal verbs mentioned

lie down
put yourself in a flat, usually horizontal position

  • He lay down on the sofa to watch some TV and ended up falling asleep.
  • The doctor asked him to lie down while she examined him.

stay up
continue to stay awake longer than you would usually

  • We stayed up late watching movies until 2am.
  • The kids wanted to stay up past their bedtime to see the fireworks.

doze/nod off
go to sleep slowly and gradually, often without intending to and often during the day

  • He dozed off during the lecture because he was so tired.
  • It doesn’t matter how interested Dad is in the film, he always nods off. 

crash out
fall asleep rapidly because you’re very tired

  • After the long hike, everyone crashed out as soon as they got back to the cabin.
  • We crashed out at a friend’s place after the party because we were too tired to drive home.

sleep through (something) 
sleep and not be woken up by a loud noise or some kind of disturbance 

  • She slept through her alarm and was consequently late for work. 
  • He slept through the thunderstorm and didn’t wake up until morning.

sleep on (something)
think about something while sleeping before making a decision

  • I’m not sure about the offer. I’ll sleep on it and give you an answer tomorrow.
  • Before making any decisions, it’s always good to sleep on it and think it over.

TOP TIPS!

  • If you see the word ‘something’, it usually means the verb requires an object.
  • If ‘something’ is in the middle of the phrasal verb, it means that it can be separated by the object (but doesn’t have to be).
  • If ‘something’ is at the end of the phrasal verb, it means it cannot be separated.
  • When a pronoun, e.g. him, her, them, is the object of a separable phrasal verb, it must go between the verb and the particle.