The phrasal verbs name after and call after both mean to give somebody or something the same name as somebody else or something. For example, a lot of boys are named after or called after their fathers. Many parents also choose to name or call their children after a loved one or a late family member.
There are also many monuments, landmarks and places that are named or called after public figures, for example:
- The Washington Monument is called after George Washington.
- Colombia is named after Christopher Columbus.
- Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland is called after Queen Victoria.
However, the phrasal verb call after can also have another meaning. When you call after somebody, it can also mean that you yell or shout after somebody. For example, imagine a situation where you say goodbye to a friend but as you walk away, you realise that you forgot to give your friend her umbrella back. You can see your friend in the distance so you call after her, you shout her name and you hope that she can hear you.
Here are some more examples:
- Once the woman realised she still had her friend’s umbrella, she called after her friend to return the umbrella.
- While in the supermarket, a sales assistant noticed that a customer had dropped his wallet. The customer was walking towards the exit when the sales assistant called after him to give him his wallet back.
- The student’s mother called after him to give him his lunch box as he had left it in the car.
