Falling out · People and relationships
call someone out
challenge bad behaviour
To tell someone openly that their behaviour is wrong or unacceptable.
This vs that
I called him out for lying.
I pointed out that he was mistaken.
Hear it in real life
Did you say anything when he made that joke?
Yes, I called him out and told him it wasn't funny.
She called him out for taking credit for someone else's work.
Which sounds natural?
Psst — which one would you actually say?
Call someone out is the usual conversational way to describe confronting bad behaviour.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: I called out him for lying.
Say: I called him out for lying.
Put the object between call and out.
Say it together
Whole chunks natives use with it.
call someone out for ___
She called him out for interrupting everyone.
I called the company out for hiding the extra charges.
Phrases to borrow
More for talking about falling out.
have words with ___
I had words with him about the noise.
take something personally
Try not to take his criticism personally.
Falling out words
People and relationships · Falling out: the words around “call someone out”.
More connectionsMore falling out words8
Compare it
Where this one sits next to the phrases it gets mixed up with.
Your turn: say it out loud
I called him out on it.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
call someone out
challenge bad behaviour
“She called him out for taking credit for someone else's work.”
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