This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 2538.
Are you working away at learning phrasal verbs?
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When it comes to learning English, we know you're studying away.
Today, we share how English speakers add away to verbs to emphasize time and focus.
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Hello, Michelle.
Hey, Aubrey.
We are recording together again.
This is so great.
Yes, Lindsay's out of town.
She will be back very soon.
But this is fun.
And I am curious, Michelle, are you a big snacker?
Do you find yourself munching away at snacks throughout the day?
Um, I don't think I normally am.
But when I'm with my kids, I do.
Um, And the worst thing that I do is I eat their food when they don't eat it.
And so that's been a very... You're a human garbage disposal.
Yes.
It's like, oh, you have some... You didn't feel like eating any of your macaroni and cheese.
I love macaroni and cheese.
I'll just eat it all for you.
I do this too.
You left the crust of your peanut butter sandwich or your toast.
I guess I'll eat it.
I just don't want it wasted.
I don't want to just throw away food.
I know.
I'm just like you, Michelle.
Yeah, but that's why I've been putting on weight, I think, because of eating my children's food.
So that's not good either.
That's really funny.
We just have to feed them healthier snacks, so we can eat their leftover snacks and still be healthy, right?
I know.
That's hard, though.
Yeah.
So but yeah, you asked me if I find myself munching away at snacks often.
And today we're going to be talking about the word away and what it does with phrasal verbs.
So this is actually the idea.
Came to me because I was reading a book with my son and someone said munching away on something.
And I thought to myself, huh, interesting.
How is that different from just saying someone was munching on something?
Yeah, interesting.
I'm excited to dive into this.
We do this a lot where we add a way.
We're going to share why and how you can do this as well.
But guys, if you love our style, definitely hit follow here.
Connection, not perfection.
You're going to hear from us.
And this is a connection skill, right?
When we're adjusting phrasal verbs to be more nuanced about our meaning.
Yes, definitely.
So that's what we're going to be talking about today.
So guys, again, hit that follow button.
But Aubrey, what does munching mean?
Yeah, this means it's kind of an informal way of saying eating casually.
So very much for snacks, right?
Not an official meal.
You wouldn't say you were munching during like a dinner where you're sitting down.
It's very casual eating.
Exactly.
So let's talk about it.
So munching away and munching.
What does the away do, Aubrey?
It makes it sound more continuous. right?
If I just say I ate some nuts, like that was probably really quick.
I ate a few and I was done.
If I was munching away at some nuts, I probably sat and ate them for a little while, maybe while I was watching a show, right?
Yeah.
So over some period of time, right?
So if I say I'm munching on some chips, right?
Or if I say I'm munching away on some chips, I'm eating the chips in both contexts.
But yeah, it's exactly what you said, Aubrey.
It's the way it sounds.
It's a little bit more conversational.
And it also sounds like I've been doing it for a while.
I'm munching on some chips.
Yeah, away just seems to add a little bit more.
What do you think?
Yeah, it does.
It makes it feel a little more continuous.
Like if we're watching an ASU football game.
I would probably say we're munching away on some snacks and had some drink right.
It's also interesting the munch on.
I'm trying to think if we say like I'm munching some snacks and usually it's munch on.
We munch on something.
Um, yeah, exactly.
So you do really need to add that on.
Even when you say munching away, I'm munching away on some chips.
Yeah, which is interesting.
We don't say I'm eating on we just say I'm eating some chips, but I'm munching on something.
Yeah, it's very conversational, very casual to talk about munching on something.
It's also not super common, at least for me.
I would much more likely say like I was nibbling on something maybe or just eating snacks.
Snacking on.
Munching.
Snacking on something, right?
I know what it means, but I don't use it very often.
What about you?
Yeah, I would say I think I'm more likely to say I'm snacking on something or just eating.
But I definitely do hear munching.
Oh, yeah.
And I might ask one of my children this if I see them eating something like what are you munching on?
Yeah, I could see it in that way as well.
Yeah.
So, yeah, just a different way for eat, but a different way to say eat.
But casually, like Aubrey said, you wouldn't say, oh, I'm munching away on my dinner, although.
I guess if you were just taking small bites and you were kind of up and around and you could say it.
But it's this idea of it's something small right.
Like small bites.
Very similar to nibbling.
Anytime I would say like I'm nibbling on this or I'm nibbling away at this, I would say munching.
Yeah.
So let's go through some other verbs that we could add away to and see what it does.
So the first one is study, right?
To study away.
So Aubrey, if you hear she's been studying every day or she's been studying away every day, I mean here we said every day.
So we are talking about a period of time with both.
But
Here the away kind of, it's about being really absorbed in something, I would say.
Exactly.
The way I would use this most is if I see my daughter studying in her room and then I say to someone like she's just studying away in there.
And that would indicate she had been doing it for a while.
She's really absorbed in it.
If I say, yep, she's studying away.
Or chatting is another one you could use this with.
So the girls are still chatting.
Should we call them over?
Or the girls are still chatting away.
Should we call them over?
Yeah, it's this idea.
It's a little bit more of an emphasis on the fact that they're focused, they're absorbed in it, spending a lot of time.
Yep, exactly.
Right.
If I just say the girls are still chatting, it could have just been a few minutes.
But if I say the girls are still chatting away, I would think that was like hours, like they had been in there talking for quite some time.
If I add away, you're emphasizing how long it has been and the focus as well, how absorbed they are in the activity.
Yes.
And also pay attention to how Aubrey said that, right?
The girls are still chatting, but the girls are still chatting away.
It's said in this kind of unique intonation.
Yeah.
And for the study too, she's still studying away.
We go up on the away and that's how we emphasize how long it's been.
Yes.
Yep.
And we might do the same if we say like, she's been studying for hours.
We also would emphasize that time.
She's been studying for days for this exam.
Right.
Good, good point.
So we are going to get into a couple different ways that we would add away um, right after we take a little break.
Okay.
Okay, Aubrey, so let's get into a couple more.
So what is the first one?
So work away, for example, you might say, Oh, don't bother him.
He's working.
Or you might say, don't bother him, he's working away.
And I would usually add where they are.
Like if I were saying this about my husband, I'd probably say like, he's working away in there.
Sort of like emphasizing where they've been and how long they've been there.
Interesting.
Yeah, that is interesting.
Um so, um and again, kind of with the studying.
I would more likely say it if I like some.
I know someone's been working and I check and it's like wow, he's still working away, sort of to emphasize that they're still absorbed in it longer than you would expect, even.
Yeah, definitely.
Yeah.
And then there's also read, right?
You could add it to read.
So read away.
I can't believe it.
He's been reading all afternoon.
Or I can't believe it.
He's been reading away all afternoon.
So you know, what this reminds me of is that we also will say like reading away the afternoon, which means like, like wasting away the afternoon, right.
You're right.
I'd say this to my kids.
You're reading away the afternoon.
You're not doing anything else.
You're wasting time.
Right?
Although are they do they do they read away the afternoon?
I have a daughter who reads so much.
She like, yes, it's kind of awesome.
I was this way as well.
But I'm like Hey, you've got some chores you need to get done and you're just reading away the afternoon.
That's interesting because there are definitely worse things she could be doing.
Yes, yes, exactly.
Yeah, my son is just recently you know he's seven and I finally got him into like really wanting to read.
And it's been like one of the greatest joys of my life.
It's been kind of my parenting win because for a while he wasn't that interested.
And then all of a sudden it was Judy Blume.
She did it.
Oh, I love Judy Blume.
I love that so much.
But this is really interesting because it's crazy how the article changes that, right?
If we say she's been reading away all afternoon, that just means like she's doing it a lot.
She's really absorbed in it.
And then if the article changes to she's reading away the afternoon.
You're reading away the afternoon.
That's when you're saying you're wasting time.
There are other things you should be doing.
Yeah.
So, I mean, Aubrey, is there anything that you are doing away right now?
Hmm.
I kind of love this thought of like, what am I doing to like waste away an afternoon?
Like, I will do this.
I'll read away an afternoon if I get really absorbed in a book, or if I'm watching a show.
But yeah, then maybe my kids would come in and be like, Oh, mom's just reading away again.
Yeah.
She was here two hours ago, and she's still here reading her book.
Right, right.
And just to give you another idea of an expression you might hear, you could add up a storm, right?
He's been studying up a storm.
He's been chatting up a storm.
You've reading up a storm, right?
That's just another if you don't want to say away.
It could also be with up a storm.
I use this a lot to emphasize how long someone's doing something.
But it's interesting.
It has a positive connotation, right?
If I wanted to say someone was doing something too much, I wouldn't use up a storm.
I feel like it's when I think it's a good thing that they're doing it that much.
Would you agree?
Like they're chatting up a storm.
I'm not saying I think it's bad.
I think it's a good thing.
Right.
But I also want to say I've been munching up a storm.
For some reason, that one doesn't.
That's true.
I think because it has this positive connotation.
It's like something that you're doing a lot and it's a good thing, either reading or studying, or working hard at something.
Or even like cooking, I hear it a lot.
I've heard like cooking up a storm, getting ready for Thanksgiving, right?
Yeah.
Right.
But because it's not great to be munching snacks all the time, we wouldn't say she's munching up a storm, because there's this implied positive connotation about it.
Interesting.
Yeah.
So a lot to think about here.
Should we do a role play, Aubrey?
Yeah, let's do it.
Michelle and I are friends who run into each other here.
So it'll be fun.
I'll start us off.
Hi, Michelle.
Hi, Aubrey.
What's new?
Still studying away for the LSATs.
Yes, it's consuming my life.
I can't wait till it's over.
What about you?
Oh, i've just been working away.
Same old, same old.
How's dan?
Is he still into cooking?
Oh, he's been cooking up a storm.
He's gotten really good, Amazing.
Oh, these were these are all perfect.
This is really how we would use it.
I feel like this felt really natural.
Yeah.
And again, we didn't use all of them here, but we wanted to give you a little bit of a taste.
So I said, Hi, Aubrey, what's new?
Still studying away for the LSATs?
What are the LSATs, Aubrey?
Yeah, this is the exam you take before law school.
I studied for the LSAT section.
I told you this, Michelle.
I told Lindsay I studied for the LSATs, never ended up doing law school, partially because I couldn't get the score I needed on the LSATs.
It's such a difficult exam.
And by then I had kids, so I didn't have time to study away like I would have needed to.
Yeah.
So I said, are you still studying away for the LSAT?
So it's you're absorbed in it's taking a lot of time.
Exactly.
You would only ask this if I had already shared with you.
I'm spending so much time studying for the LSAT and be like still studying away.
Yep, exactly.
And then you said, you know, I said, it's been consuming my life.
And you said, Oh, I've just been working away. same old, same old.
So this, um, it's interesting.
This does imply time.
Like I'm working a lot and I'm also, you know, absorbed in it working hard.
Um, but kind of, we use this too.
I'm just working away meaning like, um that same old, same old, like I'm just sticking with the regular work routine.
Yeah.
It is a little bit different, isn't it?
Um, interesting.
And then you said, how's Dan?
Is he still into cooking?
And I said, oh, he's been cooking up a storm.
He's gotten really good.
So you can see, yeah, it is this positive connotation here.
He's gotten really good.
He's cooking up a storm.
I'm probably benefiting from it.
Totally.
Right.
And you could say cooking away here, exact same meaning, cooking up a storm.
I mean, he's doing it a lot.
And yeah, that positive connotation.
And interesting, because away could be a negative, like munching away is not super positive.
Like, I'm still eating these snacks over here.
Right.
So it could, it's kind of neutral.
It depends on the context.
Whereas it is really good point, Aubrey.
I didn't even think about that thing.
But storm is generally positive.
Very interesting.
Yeah.
Oh, this is a great episode.
We also want to make sure you don't miss episode 2525.
What are you saving up for?
That was another great one with some interesting phrasal verbs.
So scroll up if you missed it.
Absolutely.
All right, Aubrey.
I mean, takeaway for today.
Yeah, we've talked a whole lot about how you can add the word away onto certain verbs and it just really emphasizes the meaning, talks about being absorbed in something, talks about time and what it can mean.
So um, this is definitely one you want to think about.
Like, where can you add this in your life?
Um kind of prepare, are you something away?
Um, are you doing something where you could actually add the word away to it and make it a little bit?
Um, more emphatic, a little bit stronger?
Yes,
And notice this as you're listening to podcasts, watching TV shows, you're going to hear it used.
It's very common.
You might have it's one of those things you probably just didn't really notice it much before.
Yeah.
Now that we've highlighted, you're going to hear it everywhere, probably.
All right, Aubrey.
Well, this was so much fun.
Thanks for hanging out with me today.
And I'll see you next time.
Awesome.
Thanks, Michelle.
See you next time.
All right.
Bye.
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