Meaning trap
calm down
make someone calm
To help someone else feel less upset, angry, or excited.
phrasal verbB1common
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
make someone calm
To help someone else feel less upset, angry, or excited.
calm down (become calm)
Another meaning of 'calm down' is 'become calm'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- She tried to calm her son down after he started crying.family
- In stressful situations at work, it's important to know how to calm your colleagues down.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: calm (someone) down
WrongIt took ages to calm down him.
RightIt took ages to calm him down.
With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'calm him down'.
Patterncalm (someone) down
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Calm someone down' is the everyday verb for soothing them; 'pacify' is formal.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
calm someone downthe babyhim downthe crowdher
Don't confuse it
This sense is about helping another person, not yourself.
Related
- calm down (become calm) — Another meaning of 'calm down' is 'become calm'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.