Self-Sabotage Terminology

verb A word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence. In this case, 'do in' is a phrasal verb meaning to exhaust or defeat someone.

adverb A word that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb. In this case, 'in' is an adverb that adds emphasis to the verb 'do'.

preposition A word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence. In this case, 'in' is a preposition that indicates the direction or result of the action.

• Can you please explain what you need to do in this project?
• Hey, what do I need to do in this assignment?
• What's the deal with what I gotta do in this task?
• She had to do in her pride and ask for help.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

verb a word that describes an action, state, or occurrence

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun

adverb a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb

pronoun a word that can function by itself as a noun phrase and that refers either to the participants in the discourse or to someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

article a word that is used with a noun to specify grammatical definiteness of the noun

• By constantly taking on more responsibilities than you can handle, you are essentially making a rod for your own back.
• If you keep saying yes to everything, you're just making a rod for your own back.
• Stop trying to please everyone all the time or you'll end up making a rod for your own back.
• Ignoring your health and well-being to focus solely on work is like making a rod for your own back in the long run.