Many phrasal verbs have a twin noun that looks almost the same. "I'll pick it up" is an action. "The pickup is at six" is a thing. In this episode: • The verb: stress the particle • Keep the pronoun weak • The noun: stress the first part • Spelling clues and meaning • Invented scene: a busy saturday • Practice • Self-check questions with answers Key phrases from this episode: pick it UP — lift it, or collect someone (neutral) check IN — arrive and register at a hotel or a doctor's office (neutral) work OUT — exercise (casual) set it UP — prepare it, like a table or a new phone (neutral) clean UP — make a place tidy (neutral) drop it OFF — take it somewhere and leave it (casual) take it OUT — remove it, or carry it outside (neutral) sign UP — put your name on a list (neutral) Can you pick me UP at five? — come and get me Let's clean UP before Grandma comes. — tidy the house I work OUT in the morning. — I exercise pick it UP (pih-kih-DUP) — the T in "it" becomes a quick, soft D put them AWAY (puh-dem-uh-WAY) — "them" often sounds like "em" Could you take it OUT for me? — the trash, for example a PICKup — a time or place to collect someone or something the CHECK-in — the place or time to register my WORKout — my exercise session the SETup — the way something is arranged TAKEout — food you buy and eat at home LEFTovers — food left after a meal a DROP-off — a place or time to leave someone or something the CLEANup — the job of making a place tidy a SIGN-up sheet — a paper where people write their names the BACKup — an extra copy, or a second plan School PICKup is at three. — collecting children Season 2 · Real American English: the complete spoken course for learners worldwide — accent, everyday grammar, prepositions, articles, phrasal verbs, idioms, slang and real conversations at home. Listen, repeat out loud, then take the 52-question quiz. Audio voiced with AI from an original script by Dr. Rashmi R Nair.