Choose the word that best expresses the meaning of the phrasal verb “talk down to”.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → patronise
A phrasal verb is a verb joined with a small word such as up, out or together. The two words together have a new meaning.
Talk down to means to speak to someone as if they are less clever or less important than you. Its closest meaning is patronise. Example: A good teacher never talks down to the slower students.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) patronise (answer) | to treat someone as if they are less clever than you (same as talk down to) | Please do not patronise me. I can fill in this form myself. |
| (2) persuade | to make someone agree to do something by giving reasons | Meena persuaded her father to let her join the science camp. |
| (3) scold | to speak angrily to someone because they have done something wrong | Dadi scolded us for coming home late. |
| (4) soothe | to make someone calm when they are upset or in pain | The nurse soothed the crying child with a song. |