Shopping

Shopping English is short and fast, and almost all of it is phrasal.

pick out — to choose or select an item.

"Let's pick out swimsuits for next summer." "Can you help me pick out a gift for my mom?"

give in — to stop resisting and agree, usually after being pressured.

"After avoiding sugar for days, Tom finally gave in and ate a candy bar." "The salesman was so persuasive that Wendy gave in and bought the dress."

sell out — when every one of an item has been sold and none is left.

"Do you have any more tomatoes?" — "Sorry, we're sold out." "The concert tickets sold out in ten minutes."

try on — to put clothes or shoes on to see whether they fit. try out — to test something to see whether you like it.

"Before we buy these pants, let's try them on to see if they're comfortable." "I really like this bike — can I try it out?"

check out — to pay for your items and finish shopping, at the till or online.

"We've been shopping for hours — we should check out before the lines get too long." "Add it to your cart and check out when you're ready."

Note that this is a different check out from the travel lesson, where it meant leaving a hotel and settling the bill. Same words, different situation — and the situation is what tells you which.

help out — to assist someone, to give them a hand.

"Those bags look heavy — let me help you out with some of those." "Could you help out at the store this weekend?"

pop in — to visit somewhere quickly and briefly, usually without planning it.

"Since we're so close, let's pop in for a minute and say hi." "I'll pop in to the shop on my way home for some milk."

Where the object goes. pick out, try on, try out and help out split: pick it out, try them on, help you out. The rest — give in, sell out, check out, pop in — usually take no direct object at all.