carry away
SeparableThe object can go before or after the particle — but a pronoun MUST go in the middle: “clean it up”, never “clean up it”.
How to say it
Stress the particle, not the verb: carry AWAY. Saying “CARRY away” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.
A glide appears. Two vowels meet, so American English slips a /j/ between them: “carry away” → “carry-yaway”. You do not insert it deliberately — it falls out of not stopping between the words.
What it means
To become so excited or emotional that you lose control — almost always as 'get carried away'.
- “Sorry, I got a bit carried away and bought three of them.”
- “Don't get carried away — it's only the first round.”
Similar: overdo it