Draw, run, drive, throw, collect, pay
(One word - many meanings)
- Answers and comments

    1. This noise is really driving me crazy.
    2. My name's Jimmy Carter and I'm running for President.
    3. A truck comes round and collects the garbage twice a week.
    4. It's getting dark. Let's switch on the light and draw the curtains.
    5. Mr Wilson retired from his job at the school last year. Now he is running a pub with his wife.
    6. Please pay attention to everything this guy says. He's a really clever man.
    7. The soldiers drew their swords and rushed towards the enemy camp.
    8. Jenny's throwing a party for her daughter's graduation next week. Have you been invited?
    9. I need to go down to the post-office and collect a couple of packages. I'll be back soon.
Comments
    DRIVE:
    If we say drive, many people will probably think of driving a car. However, if something is continually annoying us, we can say:
    • These bosozoku (biker) gangs really drive me crazy.
    • This computer is always breaking down. It's driving me mad.
    • My job is so stressful, it's driving me to drink.
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    However, be careful about which words can collocate with drive. We don't normally say it's driving me angry.

    RUN:
    The most basic meaning of run is to move fast on foot. However, we can also use run in the sense of manage a business:
    • She started running the hotel about 10 years ago.
    • Our principal runs the school very well.

    Run (for) can mean stand as a candidate in a political election:
    • <>I heard that there are 5 candidates running for president this year.
    • I heard that Jenkins is retiring from politics, so he won't be running in the next election.

    COLLECT:
    One meaning of collect refers to hobbies like collecting stamps, foreign coins, telephone cards etc.  Collect can also mean going to a place and taking something away from it:
    • The garbage is collected every Friday morning.
    • I need to collect a couple of things from my room. Then I'll be ready to leave.

    DRAW:
    The most obvious meaning of draw is probably to draw a picture. We can also talk about drawing the curtains, or drawing the blinds. Draw can also refer to taking a weapon out of its container or some secret place:
    • He drew a sword from under his cloak.
    • The sheriff drew his gun and shot the robber in the leg.

    We can also draw conclusions:
    • This data is very interesting, but it's too early to draw any conclusions from it.

    Be careful: some students get confused about the difference between draw and write. We write a message, a letter, a report, a memo, our names. We draw a picture, a line, a circle, a map.

    PAY:
    We pay money for things. We can also pay attention to someone or something:
    • Please pay attention to the teacher.
    • I don't think you're paying attention to me.

    We can also pay someone a compliment. When somebody dies, we can visit their family to pay our last respects:
    • My English teacher paid me an unusual compliment yesterday. He actually said he enjoyed my essay. Can you believe that?
    • Mr Wilkins lived next door to our family for more than 60 years. I think we should all go to his funeral and pay our last respects.

    THROW:
    Throw often refers to things like throwing a ball or throwing a stone. However, one special collocation is throw a party. If someone gets very angry, we can also say:
    • My father threw a fit when he heard I'd damaged his golf club.
    • My little nephew threw a tantrum when I took away his ice-cream.
    (A tantrum is a short burst of excessive anger. It is often associated with children).

    Final Comment:
    In this week's lesson, we have looked at a few special uses of six very common English verbs. You will have noticed that all these verbs have at least one very well-known meaning and several not so well-known meanings and uses.
    I have not given you every meaning of these verbs, but there are many other ways these verbs can be used. Try looking some of them up in a good dictionary and, more importantly, as you read or listen to English, look out for verbs which you know, but which seem to be used in an unusual way.
    We hope you've enjoyed this week's lesson. There are plenty more one-point lessons on this site. Please click on the link below if you want to try some of them:
    Bob's Weekly One-Point Lessons: Archive

    © Robert E. Jones, 2005