Giáo án tiếng Anh 12 - Pretend /prɪˈtend/ verb

retend that something is true 
pretend /prɪˈtend/ [intransitive/transitive verb] to behave as though something is true when you know that it is 
not: ▪ We thought that he was really hurt, but he was just pretending. 
pretend (that) ▪ Bill closed his eyes, and pretended that the war was over and that he was safe at home.pretend to 
do something ▪ I pretended not to see her, and carried on walking down the street. 
pretend to be happy/ill/angry, etc. ▪ She pretended to be ill and took a day off work. 
make out /ˌmeɪk ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb] informal to pretend that a situation exists in order to deceive 
someone: make out (that) ▪ We managed to fool the ticket collector by making out we couldn’t speak English. ▪ 
Two days later Joyce phoned to ask about the check, so I had to make out I’d already mailed it. 
make something out to be ▪ They made it out to be a really interesting job, but in fact it was ridiculously boring. 
be putting it on /biː ˌpʌtɪŋ ɪt ˈɒn/ [verb phrase] spoken to pretend to be ill, upset, injured, etc., because you want 
to avoid doing something or you want people to feel sorry for you: ▪ I don’t think she’s really ill - she’s just 
putting it on because she doesn’t want to go to school. ▪ I couldn’t tell if Harvey was putting it on, or if he really 
was upset. 
be faking it /biː ˈfeɪkɪŋ ɪt/ [verb phrase] informal to pretend to be interested, ill, etc., when you are not: ▪ The kid 
is always saying he’s too sick to go to school, and his parents figure he’s faking it. ▪ I look at all the faces around 
me. Are these people really that happy? Or are they just faking it like I am? 
live a lie /ˌlɪv ə ˈlaɪ/ [verb phrase] to pretend all the time that you feel or believe something that you do not feel or 
believe: ▪ I had to leave him - I couldn’t go on living a lie. 
keep up appearances /ˌkiːp ʌp əˈpɪərənsəz/ [verb phrase] to pretend that everything in your life is still as happy 
and successful as it used to be, even though you have suffered some kind of trouble or loss: ▪ Of course, he tries 
to keep up appearances, but he lives entirely off borrowed money. ▪ She put Christmas decorations in the window 
just to keep up appearances. 
 Ngân Phương Vy ~ August 10th, 2014 PRETEND 3 
2. to pretend to be someone else 
pretend /prɪˈtend/ [transitive verb] to behave as if you are someone else and try to make other people believe this: 
pretend to be somebody ▪ We pretended to be students and got into the club for free. 
pretend (that) ▪ They got into the house by pretending they worked for the electricity company. 
make yourself out to be /ˌmeɪk jɔːʳself ˈaʊt tə biː/ [verb phrase] to pretend that you are cleverer, richer, more 
important, etc. than you really are: ▪ Richard led us around the art gallery, making himself out to be some kind of 
expert on modern art. ▪ What I don’t like about her is that she makes herself out to be something special. 
impersonate /ɪmˈpɜːʳsəneɪt/ [transitive verb] to behave as though you are someone with official power or 
someone famous, either for dishonest reasons or in order to entertain people: ▪ I got home to find him 
impersonating Elvis Presley in front of the mirror. ▪ It’s illegal to impersonate a police officer. 
do an impersonation/do an impression /duː ən ɪmˌpɜːʳsəˈneɪʃən, duː ən ɪmˈpreʃən/ [verb phrase] to speak, walk, 
or behave like someone else, in order to make people laugh: do an impersonation/do an impression of ▪ Stuart 
did a brilliant impersonation of the boss. ▪ a comedian with his own TV show, who does impressions of famous 
politicians 
role play /ˈrəʊl pleɪ/ [countable/uncountable noun] when you pretend to be someone else and behave as they 
would behave, especially as a way of learning about a situation or developing a skill: ▪ The course uses role play 
to teach you how to deal with difficult or aggressive customers. 
pose as /ˈpəʊz æz/ [verb phrase not in passive] to pretend to be someone else, especially someone in an official 
position, in order to make it easier for you to do something bad or illegal: ▪ He posed as a doctor to gain access to 
the hospital. ▪ There have been cases of thieves posing as telephone engineers to trick people into letting them into 
their homes. 
masquerade as /mæskəˈreɪd æz/ [transitive verb not in passive] to pretend that you are someone else, especially 
by dressing or behaving in the way that they do - used especially in literature and stories: ▪ He got into the 
stadium masquerading as a security guard. ▪ A journalist masquerading as a businessman approached the 
politicians, and offered them bribes. 
disguise as /dɪsˈgaɪz æz/ [transitive verb] to change your appearance, especially your clothes, so that you look like 
someone else and people cannot recognize you: ▪ He escaped across the border disguised as a priest.disguise 
yourself as ▪ Maybe you could disguise yourself as a waiter and sneak in there. 
3. someone who pretends to be someone else 
impostor /ɪmˈpɒstəʳǁɪmˈpɑːs-/ [countable noun] someone who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive 
people and gain something such as money or power: ▪ It was not the real Dr Frazer but an impostor. ▪ The man 
registered at a Las Vegas hotel as Dustin Hoffman, and it wasn’t until he left without paying his bill that people 
realized he was an impostor. 
charlatan /ˈʃɑːʳlətən/ [countable noun] someone who pretends to have special skills or knowledge, for example as 
a doctor or teacher, when in fact they do not: ▪ No. She isn’t a miracle worker. She isn’t even a doctor. She’s a 
complete charlatan. ▪ Some people said that he was one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived; others 
claimed he was a charlatan. 
 Ngân Phương Vy ~ August 10th, 2014 PRETEND 4 
bogus /ˈbəʊgəs/ [adjective only before noun] pretending to have a particular job or position that you do not have, 
in order to do something dishonest or illegal: ▪ The government has announced tough new measures to deal with 
bogus asylum-seekers. 
bogus official/social worker/policeman, etc. ▪ The child was taken away from her parents by a bogus social 
worker. ▪ There has been a spate of incidents where bogus officials have called on the homes of elderly people. 
4. to pretend something as a game 
pretend /prɪˈtend/ [transitive verb] to pretend something as a game, or because you enjoy it: pretend (that) ▪ I 
like to drive around in my brother’s BMW and pretend I’m a rich businessman. 
pretend to be ▪ He burst into the room with a toy gun in his hand, pretending to be a gangster. 
make believe /ˈmeɪk bɪˌliːv/ [verb phrase not in progressive] to pretend that pleasant things are happening, that 
you are someone or somewhere you want to be,, etc.: make believe (that) ▪ The two little girls used to make 
believe that they were princesses. 
make believe ▪ Right, kids. We don’t have any proper cowboy hats so you’ll have to make believe. make-
believe [uncountable noun] ▪ She’s not really a queen -- it’s only make-believe. 
play also play at British /pleɪ, ˈpleɪ æt/ [verb] if children play or play at something, they pretend to be a 
particular type of person or to do a particular thing, as a game: ▪ When I was young we played at pirates 
whenever we were on the beach. ▪ When my sister was little, she always wanted to play school.play doctors and 
nurses ▪ Did you ever play doctors and nurses when you were small? 
play happy families British /play house American pretend to be a family ▪ Come on - let’s go inside and play 
house! 
5. pretending to be friendly, sincere, etc. 
insincere /ˌɪnsɪnˈsɪəʳ◂/ [adjective] someone who is insincere says things that they do not really mean, for 
example when they praise you or say something friendly: ▪ ‘It’s so good to see you again,’ she said, with an 
insincere smile. ▪ an insincere compliment ▪ He always praised everyone, so it was difficult to tell if he was being 
insincere or not. 
hypocritical /ˌhɪpəˈkrɪtɪkəl◂/ [adjective] pretending to be morally good or to have beliefs that you do not really 
have: ▪ I think it’s a little hypocritical to get married in a church when you don’t believe in God. ▪ Politicians are 
so hypocritical - they preach about ‘family values’ while they all seem to be having affairs. 
hypocrite /ˈhɪpəkrɪt/ [] someone who pretends to have strong opinions about how people should behave, but who 
does not behave like this themselves.: ▪ My dad is such a hypocrite - he says I shouldn’t smoke, but he smokes 20 
a day. 
phoney/phony /ˈfəʊni/ [countable noun] especially American, informal someone who pretends to be good, clever, 
kind, etc. when really they are not: ▪ When I realized what a phoney he was I was devastated. ▪ I can’t stand her -- 
she’s such a phoney. 
 Ngân Phương Vy ~ August 10th, 2014 PRETEND 5 
two-faced /ˌtuː ˈfeɪst◂/ [adjective] pretending that you like someone by behaving in a friendly way towards them 
when you are with them, but behaving in an unkind way when they are not there: ▪ I’ve never met anyone so two-
faced: she’s sweet and charming to your face, and then goes and complains about you to the boss! 
false /fɔːls/ [adjective] false emotions are not real and the person is only pretending to feel them: ▪ ‘Merry 
Christmas,’ she said with false heartiness. ▪ Her face took on a look of false delight. 
mock /mɒkǁmɑːk/ [adjective only before noun] mock surprise/horror/indignation, etc. surprise, etc. that you 
pretend to feel, especially as a joke: ▪ Diana gave her cousin a look of mock horror and then disappeared through 
the door, smiling. 
in mock surprise/horror, etc. showing mock surprise, horror, etc. ▪ The grey eyes widened in mock surprise. 
‘How unusual to meet you here,’ she said sarcastically. ▪ ‘It’s not fair,’ he complained, pulling at his hair in mock 
distress. ‘I really wanted to visit your parents!’ 
6. to change your way of speaking or behaving in order to impress people 
put on /ˌpʊt ˈɒn/ [transit