Mark Shimada

English Phrasal Verb Practice for “hold on” and “hold back”

In a small town, there lived a young girl named Lily. She loved adventures and had a dream of climbing the tallest mountain. Every day, she would tell herself, "Hold on to your dream [ Aférrate a tu sueño ], Lily. Someday, you'll make it to the top."

One windy day, Lily decided to practice climbing on a small hill. As she climbed, the wind grew stronger. She remembered her father's advice, "Hold on to your hat [ Sujétate el sombrero ] in the wind," and she gripped her hat tightly.

As she reached the top, Lily saw an old man trying to climb the stairs on a lighthouse. He looked frail and tired. Lily ran to help him, saying, "Hold on a moment [ Espere un momento ]. I'll help you up." He held onto the railing while she held onto him. 

The next day, Lily joined a local sports team. During practice, she noticed the coach held back [ entrenador retenía al jugador estrella ] the star player. She understood the coach. He held him back [ Lo detuvo ] to save his energy for another game. 

That evening, while having dinner with her family, Her mother asked about a broken vase. Lily’s brother looked scared. She thought he was holding back the truth [ él estaba ocultando la verdad ]. She encouraged him to be honest. Her brother couldn’t hold back the truth [ no pudo ocultar la verdad ]. He apologized that he broke the vase. His parents appreciated his honesty. 

The following week, Lily's school held a talent show. She wanted to play her guitar and sing. Her fear was holding her back [ miedo la estaba frenando ]. Her best friend noticed her hesitation. He said, "Don't let fear hold you back [ No dejes que el miedo te detenga ]. You're a great musician." Encouraged by her friend's words, Lily decided to perform.

On the day of the performance, while waiting backstage, Lily felt nervous. She held back her tears [ Ella contuvo sus lágrimas ], took a deep breath, and stepped onto the stage. As she played her guitar and sang, the audience listened in awe. She was a hit!

After the show, her music teacher said, "You have real talent. Hold on to your musical dream [ Aférrate a tu sueño musical ]." Lily felt good about her performance. She knew she would hold on to her dream [ se aferraría a su sueño ].

A few months later, Lily and her sports team faced a challenging match. The score was tied, and time was running out. "Hold on to the hope [ Aférrate a la esperanza ], team. We can win this!" she shouted. In the last few minutes, they scored the winning goal. Their team had held on to their hope [ había mantenido su esperanza ] and succeeded.


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