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B1Moving House

Declutter with 'Throw Out' Before Moving

Phrasal Verb: throw out |Grammar: Present Perfect

Objective

Students will learn how to use the phrasal verb 'throw out' in the present perfect tense to talk about decluttering before moving house.

Article

Moving to a new house can be exciting but also stressful. One important task is to declutter your old home. Many people have thrown out old clothes, broken furniture, and unused items to make packing easier. I have thrown out several boxes of old books that I no longer need. My family has also thrown out expired food from the kitchen. By throwing out things we do not want, we have made more space and reduced the weight of our boxes. So far, we have thrown out more than half of our belongings. This process has helped us feel ready and organised for the move.

Grammar Explanation

Meaning

'Throw out' means to get rid of something by putting it in the rubbish or trash because it is no longer useful.

Grammar Note

The present perfect tense is used to describe actions that happened at an unspecified time before now. It is formed with 'have/has' + past participle. For example, 'I have thrown out old clothes.'

Usage Tips

  • Use the present perfect to talk about actions related to the recent past with relevance now.
  • Remember 'throw out' is separable: 'throw out the old books' or 'throw them out.'
  • Use 'have' with I/you/we/they and 'has' with he/she/it in present perfect.

Examples

We have thrown out all the broken furniture before moving.

Talking about furniture discarded recently.

She has thrown out clothes she no longer wears.

Talking about clothes discarded by a female.

They have thrown out old magazines to save space.

Talking about discarded magazines.

I have thrown out expired food from the kitchen.

Talking about getting rid of old food.

My parents have thrown out many boxes of junk.

Talking about parents discarding things.

Dialogue

Context: Two friends talking about decluttering before moving house.

A:
Have you thrown out all the old stuff in your house yet?
B:
Yes, I have thrown out a lot of things this week.
A:
That must make packing easier.
B:
Definitely. I have also thrown out some broken appliances.
A:
Good idea! I have thrown out old clothes and books too.
B:
It feels great to have less to carry!

Vocabulary

Declutter
To remove unnecessary items to make a space neat
Example: We decluttered the living room before moving.
Synonym: tidy up
Expired
No longer valid or fresh, especially food or medicine
Example: Check for expired food before packing.
Synonym: out of date
Appliance
A device or machine used in the home, like a fridge
Example: We threw out broken appliances.
Synonym: device
Junk
Old or worthless items that are no longer useful
Example: They threw out a lot of junk during the move.
Synonym: rubbish
Packing
Putting belongings into boxes for moving
Example: Packing is easier after throwing out things.
Synonym: boxing
Furniture
Large movable objects in a house, like chairs and tables
Example: We have thrown out broken furniture.
Synonym: furnishings
Organise
To arrange things in a neat and efficient way
Example: We organised our belongings before moving.
Synonym: arrange
Belongings
Personal possessions or items someone owns
Example: We packed all our belongings carefully.
Synonym: possessions
Box
A container used to store or carry items
Example: We packed clothes into boxes.
Synonym: container
Load
The amount of weight carried or transported
Example: Throwing out junk reduces the load of boxes.
Synonym: burden

Tips

  • Start decluttering early to avoid last-minute stress.
  • Use present perfect when the exact time is not important or unknown.
  • Don't confuse 'throw out' with 'throw up' which means to vomit.

Summary

In this lesson, you learned how to use the phrasal verb 'throw out' in the present perfect tense to talk about getting rid of things before moving house. You also practised vocabulary related to decluttering and packing. Remember to use 'have/has thrown out' to describe recent actions with relevance to now.

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