Running out of things!
Alternative content
A family waiting beside their car, which has run out of petrol! Picture by Rusty Russ/flickr
Today, we are going to run out of things.
“To run out of” something is a phrasal verb. It is one of the hundreds of phrasal verbs in English, and I know you love phrasal verbs! Like most of the other English phrasal verbs, there is no easy way to remember what “to run out of” means. You just have to learn!
Of course, sometimes when we say “run out of” we mean the words literally. For example, at the end of the school day, the children run out of school. They, literally, run out of the school gates. It is freedom time – no more school, time to go home to have something to eat, time to watch television, time to go to the park to play football. The children run out of school.
But imagine this situation. Every morning at about this time I make myself a cup of coffee, and I have a biscuit with my coffee. But today, I cannot find any biscuits. The biscuit tin is empty. I have eaten all the biscuits (or my children have eaten them, perhaps.) There are no biscuits left. I have run out of biscuits.
Kevin and Joanne are going to the supermarket. Kevin is writing a shopping list, and Joanne is telling him what they need to buy. “We have run out of sugar,” says Joanne. “And we have nearly run out of eggs,” she adds, looking in the fridge, “yes, there is only one egg left. And butter, we have used up all the butter which I bought on Wednesday.”
Kevin writes “sugar, eggs, butter” on the list. But he has thought of something much more important. “Pizza,” he says. “We have no pizza left. And beer. We have run out of beer.”
At the supermarket, Kevin and Joanne push the shopping trolley along the aisles, and find all the things on their shopping list. Except the apples – there are no apples in the shop. The shop assistant says, “Sorry, we ran out of apples yesterday. There will be a new delivery this afternoon.”
At the checkout, Joanne pays for the shopping with her debit card. Then she remembers that she has run out of cash – she has no coins or banknotes in her purse. She asks the assistant at the checkout for £20 cashback – that means, the assistant adds £20 to the bill which Joanne pays with her debit card, and then gives Joanne two £10 notes.
On the way home, Kevin and Joanne stop at the DIY shop. Kevin is painting the bathroom, and he has run out of paint.
Then, disaster! Kevin returns to the car with the can of paint and tries to start the car engine. The engine will not start. “Look at the fuel gauge,” says Joanne, “the car has run out of petrol.”
So Joanne goes and sits in a cafe with a nice cup of hot chocolate and a newspaper, while Kevin walks a kilometer to the nearest petrol station. After about 30 minutes, he returns with a can of petrol. He puts the petrol in the car, and the engine starts.
“Can we stop at the Post Office on the way home”, says Joanne. “I have run out of stamps for the Christmas cards.” But it is getting late, and Joanne’s mother is coming to lunch. They have run out of time. The stamps for the Christmas cards will have to wait until tomorrow.
Share this podcast on Facebook
Categories podcasts
Tags
Comments (35)
This file has been downloaded 64387 times
28 February 2010
Hi! Today is Sunday but I need to look a new podcats. I believe that I can learn a lot with your page, it´s fantastic.
I run out of time because, now, I get out with my husband .We will go to the cinema or to the pub so, we will stay with our friends too.
Bye,that´s all for now.
4 January 2010
Happy new year to you all… Hope 2010 we can learn English a bit more here with Mr Peter's podcasts…
31 December 2009
Dear Peter,
I wish you and your family a happy New Year. Thank you for the potcasts.
Beatrice
29 December 2009
Very useful, as always. Thanx Peter.
27 December 2009
Iam brazilian I love listening your podcast, but I would like to listening more and more menaliy when you talk about phrasal verbs I love it. Happy New Year for evereybody
26 December 2009
Happy Christmas !!! And the best New Year!!!
Thanks very much!!!
I enjoy your podcast.
Loly
26 December 2009
Merry Chirstmas and happy New Year? I am waiting for you new podcast for this festival season.
25 December 2009
happy new year to you. ? hope there is no pbroblem with your healty. .. We wonder when will you reveal your new podcast… at that time last year you made podcast abour the cracks and it was really joyfull for me. ? f you han not warmed me about it I am sure I would try it to eat….
25 December 2009
Peter,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you. Since the beginning of my visit to yours it was really really nice, until now it is still fresh and very useful one for me. Thanks
One of your old student.
23 December 2009
Thank you for your very useful and interesting audio files which accompanied with full script . I wish you a mery Chrismas and happy New Year ! I am talking this message from far Viet Nam .
22 December 2009
Yes, effectively I found "save the target as…", and it seems to work, thank you very much
22 December 2009
Amy : do you see the link "Get MP3…" at the bottom of the podcast? If you right click on the link, your browser should give you an option to download and save the file. In Firefox, the option is "Save Link as…". I don't know what it is in Internet Explorer, but it is similar.
22 December 2009
Hello!
I also really enjoy your poscasts, I think they're easy to understand, the subjects are very attractive, and I really like your english! It is a very good way for me to train and to improve. I only have a little problem: I can't download any podcast…! Could you please help me?
Thank you
22 December 2009
I have listened your podcasts from 2 years ago, and it's being very helpful for improving my English vocabulary and pronunciation. I realy enjoy the subjects you choose and I intend to have my mp3 player with the most up-to-date podcast of "Listen to English".
I wish you a merry Christmas
Pedro, Lisbon
22 December 2009
I have listened your podcasts from 2 years ago, and it's being very helpful for improving my English vocabulary and pronunciation. I realy enjoy the subjects you choose and I intend to have my mp3 player with the most up-to-date podcast of "Listen to English".
I wish you a merry Christmas
Pedro, Lisbon
21 December 2009
Your articles are excellent.I like the british accent.
I am learning English with your audio files and transcripts.Thank you very much for publishing free audios.
from Cusco -peru i wish you a very merry chritmas
hooray for the united kimdong¡¡¡¡
20 December 2009
Thank alot!
19 December 2009
that is really good to listen the WE run out of something. it helped me to understood very much.
a grammer and how to used tence. thank!!!!!! very much.
18 December 2009
Thanks alots
i am old student but i am still v bad in english
but your articles is v good but my grammars is v bad
18 December 2009
it is very easy to understand and learn. it is so interesting. i love it very much.Thank you!!!
15 December 2009
after i m read and hear twice very usefull to me and give me improve lestening, tank you very much
11 December 2009
thank you very much! it it nice to listen english so clearly
9 December 2009
thanks for you very much
9 December 2009
Thank you very much … we will never run out of learning new phrasal verbs …( or something like that )and we don't like to run out of English podcast…
Congratulations,
9 December 2009
excellent, thank you very much, I didn't know the expression run out of, now I will going to sleep a little more intelligent.
9 December 2009
Here in São Paulo, Brazil, we're running out of good traffic flow. The river is dirty and overflowing, ridiculous situation. Yesterday, people who lives or work in the Capital got 5~6 hours stuck on the traffic jam because of the rain. I think that taking care of rivers should be an global obligation (prohibiting the big companies of throuwing their residues on it) . The situation of Tietê and Pinheiros Rivers aren't the same as the Thames was when it was polluted, but are as well biologically dead on most of its extension, I think we need a task force to clean our rivers as well, I'd be pleased on seeing Dolphins and some fishes on Tietê and Pinheiros. There are not just Tietê and Pinheiros, there're many polluted rivers that should be cleaned here, "Faria Timbó" on Rio and others. But… I have hope that one day our corrupt politicians will be deceased, Brazilians would say that I live on utopian World, but fellows please don't say that, we need to have faith rsrsrs. Well, once again thanks for the beautiful work Mr Carter.
9 December 2009
sir peter you're the one good pronociation and hi topic
9 December 2009
Thanks for your article, It is very useful for me.
Thanks
8 December 2009
I'am writing from Santos/Brazil.
Congratulations for your english's class. It´s so cool.
thank you so much.
Waldir Lopes
8 December 2009
We are English students from Morelia Michoacan, Mexico, we are learning English from your podcats.
Congratulations for your website, maybe we can get in touch because we want still learning from you, we love your way of farewell, "good bye".
8 December 2009
We are English students from Morelia Michoacan, Mexico, we are learning English from your podcats.
Congratulations for your website, maybe we can get in touch because we want still learning from you, we love your way of farewell, "good bye".
7 December 2009
I discovered your website recently.Now I wait for your new podcasts impatiently.I like them very much.You talk about interesting things in a nice way.You measure every word for us and we can understand them very well.Not only the meaning literally especially the sense of the funny.Thank you very much and congratulations!!!!
Ana
7 December 2009
this year has almost run out of days, Christmas is coming
your way to teach is very funny :D
7 December 2009
Hacene : you can say "we ran out of luck".
7 December 2009
If we're waiting some Good results, for exmple, Footbal Match Score, and then the result was not sutissfied, can we say that "we run out of success or chance"!!!???.........Thanks