😔 Emotions
shut down
reach out
Withdrawal protects. Connection heals.
↓ SCROLL TO EXPLORE
shut down
To stop engaging emotionally; to become unavailable to others as a way of coping with pain or overwhelm.
💡 When things got hard, his instinct was always to shut down and deal with it alone.
INFORMAL
reach out
To contact someone for help, support, or connection — especially when you are struggling and need to break out of isolation.
💡 It took courage, but she finally reached out to an old friend she had not spoken to in years.
INFORMAL
🎯 QUIZ
Test your knowledge — read the sentence and choose the right phrasal verb. Click to answer.
QUESTION 1 OF 3
🎧 SHADOWING
Shadowing is one of the most powerful techniques for improving your English pronunciation and fluency. Listen → speak out loud → record yourself → compare.
Shadowing practice
Use your phone to record yourself repeating each sentence. Play it back and compare your pronunciation with the audio.
SHUT DOWN
1 of 6
1
Listen to the audio
2
Repeat out loud — record yourself if you can
3
Write what you heard, then click Check to compare
🎙 RECORD YOUR PRONUNCIATION
✏ FILL THE BLANKS
One exercise for each verb — type your answer and click Check.
SHUT DOWN ▶ FILL THE BLANK
After the argument, instead of talking it through, he completely — no messages, no calls, no explanation.
Hint: past tense of the phrasal verb meaning 'to stop engaging and withdraw from others'.
REACH OUT ▶ FILL THE BLANK
After three weeks of not leaving the flat, he finally picked up his phone and to his closest friend.
Hint: past tense of the phrasal verb meaning 'to contact someone for help or connection'.
📖 NARRATIVE
STORY 1 OF 2 · SHUT DOWN
shut down
After the redundancy, Leo stopped answering his phone. He told himself he needed space. He cancelled plans, ignored messages, left emails unread. He shut down — not dramatically, but thoroughly. Weeks passed. The isolation felt, at least, predictable.
👤 AUTHOR
