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Phrasal Verbs: Understanding and Using Them in English

Phrasal Verbs: Understanding and Using Them in English

Image by BalashMirzabey on Freepik

Phrasal verbs are a common and important aspect of the English language. They are formed by combining a verb with one or more particles (such as prepositions or adverbs) to create a new meaning. Phrasal verbs can be confusing because the meaning is often not obvious from the individual words. However, they are used frequently in everyday speech, so it’s important to become familiar with them.

If you’re learning English, you may have encountered phrasal verbs and found them difficult to understand. In this article, we’ll provide an overview of phrasal verbs and some examples to help you better understand and use them.

What are Phrasal Verbs?

Phrasal verbs are verbs that are made up of a main verb and one or more particles (such as prepositions or adverbs). The particles can change the meaning of the verb, making it more specific or adding a new dimension to the action.

For example, the verb “bring” means to carry something with you to a place, but when you add the particle “up,” the meaning changes to “raise a topic or subject for discussion.” Similarly, the verb “take” means to move something from one place to another, but when you add the particle “off,” the meaning changes to “remove or become airborne.”

Phrasal verbs can be separable or inseparable. Separable phrasal verbs can be split apart, with the object of the verb coming between the verb and the particle. For example, “I need to look the word up in the dictionary.” Inseparable phrasal verbs cannot be separated, and the object comes after the verb and particle. For example, “I need to look up the definition of the word in the dictionary.”

Examples of Phrasal Verbs

Here are some common phrasal verbs with examples:

  1. Bring up – to raise a topic or subject for discussion
    • Example: I don’t want to bring up the issue of money, but we need to discuss it.
  2. Look after – to take care of or be responsible for someone or something
    • Example: Can you look after my cat while I’m on vacation?
  3. Take off – to remove or become airborne
    • Example: The plane took off from the runway and headed for its destination.
  4. Get over – to recover from an illness or emotional setback
    • Example: It took her a long time to get over the loss of her job.
  5. Come up with – to think of or create something
    • Example: We need to come up with a plan for the project by next week.
  6. Go through – to experience or endure something difficult or challenging
    • Example: She had to go through several rounds of interviews before getting the job.
  7. Put off – to postpone or delay something
    • Example: We decided to put off the meeting until next week.
  8. Run into – to unexpectedly meet someone or something
    • Example: I ran into my old friend at the grocery store yesterday.
  9. Look up – to search for information in a reference source
    • Example: I need to look up the definition of that word in the dictionary.
  10. Break down – to stop functioning or fail
    • Example: My car broke down on the way to work this morning.

Learning and Using Phrasal Verbs

Learning phrasal verbs can be challenging, but it’s important to become familiar with them because they are used frequently in everyday speech. One way to learn phrasal verbs is to read and listen to English-language materials, such as books, articles, and movies. You can also practice using phrasal verbs in your own speech and writing.

Here are some tips for using phrasal verbs effectively:

  1. Context is key: The meaning of a phrasal verb can often depend on the context in which it is used. Pay attention to the other words in the sentence to help you understand the intended meaning.
  2. Use the correct particle: Using the wrong particle can change the meaning of the phrasal verb or make it sound unnatural. Pay attention to which particles are commonly used with each verb.
  3. Practice with different tenses: Phrasal verbs can be used in different tenses, so it’s important to practice using them in the past, present, and future.
  4. Use them appropriately: Phrasal verbs can be more informal than other verb forms, so it’s important to use them appropriately in different situations.

By practicing using phrasal verbs in different contexts, you can become more confident in your English-speaking and writing skills.

In conclusion, phrasal verbs are an important part of the English language, and understanding how to use them can greatly improve your communication skills. By familiarizing yourself with common phrasal verbs and practicing using them in different contexts, you can become a more fluent and confident English speaker. So keep on learning and practicing, and soon you’ll be using phrasal verbs like a native speaker!

More Examples

No. Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
1 Act up Behave badly or strangely The car’s engine is acting up again.
2 Add up Make sense, be logical The figures just don’t add up.
3 Ask around Inquire about, ask for information I’ll ask around and see if anyone knows.
4 Back down Yield, surrender, give in The boss finally backed down and gave us a raise.
5 Back up Support, assist My friend promised to back me up if I got into trouble.
6 Bear out Confirm, support, prove The evidence bore out his story.
7 Bear with Be patient, endure Please bear with me while I try to fix this.
8 Blow up Explode, become angry She blew up when she saw the mess.
9 Break down Fail, stop working The car broke down on the way home.
10 Break in Train, prepare The new employee needs to be broken in before he can start working.
11 Bring about Cause, create The new policies brought about a lot of changes.
12 Bring up Raise, mention I don’t want to bring up the subject again.
13 Brush up on Review, practice I need to brush up on my Spanish before the trip.
14 Burn out Exhaust, wear out She burned out from working too hard.
15 Call off Cancel, abandon The game was called off due to bad weather.
16 Calm down Relax, become less agitated He needs to calm down before he says something he’ll regret.
17 Carry on Continue, proceed We can’t carry on like this forever.
18 Catch on Understand, grasp It took him a while to catch on to the new system.
19 Check in Register, report in We need to check in at the hotel first.
20 Check out Investigate, examine We’ll have to check out the competition before we launch.
21 Clear up Tidy, clean, clarify Can you help me clear up the mess?
22 Come across Encounter, meet I came across an old friend on the way to work.
23 Come along Progress, advance How’s the project coming along?
24 Come around Visit, drop by Why don’t you come around later for coffee?
25 Come up with Invent, create, think of He came up with a brilliant idea for the business.
26 Count on Depend on, rely on You can always count on her in a crisis.
27 Cut back on Reduce, decrease We need to cut back on expenses this month.
28 Cut off Disconnect, stop The power was cut off due to non-payment.
29 Cut out Remove, eliminate She needs to cut out sugar from her diet.
30 Deal with Handle, manage, cope with I don’t know how to deal with this situation.
31 Die out Become extinct, disappear The species died out millions of years ago.
32 Do without Manage without, live without We’ll have to do without air conditioning for now.
33 Draw up Create, compose The lawyer drew up the contract for us.
34 Dress up Put on formal clothes, dress elegantly Let’s dress up for the party.
35 Drop off Deliver, leave I’ll drop off the package on my way to work.
36 End up Finish, conclude
No. Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
37 End up Finish, conclude We ended up going to the beach instead of the museum.
38 Face up to Accept, confront It’s time to face up to the truth.
39 Fall apart Disintegrate, break down The car fell apart after a few months.
40 Fall back on Rely on, resort to If all else fails, we can fall back on plan B.
41 Fall behind Lag, be late We’re falling behind schedule.
42 Fall for Believe, be deceived by He fell for the scam and lost all his money.
43 Figure out Solve, understand I’m trying to figure out how to fix the problem.
44 Fill in Complete, provide information Can you fill in the missing details?
45 Find out Discover, learn I need to find out more information before I decide.
46 Get along Have a good relationship, coexist They don’t get along very well.
47 Get away with Escape punishment, not be caught He got away with stealing the money.
48 Get back Return, come back When will you get back from your trip?
49 Get by Manage, survive We can get by with a smaller budget.
50 Get over Recover from, overcome It took her a while to get over the breakup.
51 Give in Yield, surrender, concede He finally gave in and apologized.
52 Give up Quit, surrender, abandon I don’t want to give up on my dream.
53 Go along with Agree, comply with I’ll go along with your plan for now.
54 Go back on Break a promise, retract He went back on his word and didn’t show up.
55 Go for Choose, prefer I think I’ll go for the fish instead of the steak.
56 Go over Review, examine Let’s go over the details one more time.
57 Go through Experience, undergo She went through a lot of hardship to get where she is.
58 Grow apart Drift away, become distant They grew apart after they moved to different cities.
59 Grow into Develop, mature into The plant grew into a tree over the years.
60 Hang on Wait, hold on Hang on a minute, I’ll be right back.
61 Hang up End a phone call, disconnect I accidentally hung up on her.
62 Hold back Restrain, keep from doing something He had to hold back his anger.
63 Hold on Wait, keep hold of Hold on tight, we’re going for a ride.
64 Keep up Continue, maintain We need to keep up with the competition.
65 Knock out Defeat, render unconscious He knocked out his opponent in the first round.
66 Look after Take care of, watch over Can you look after the kids for a few hours?
67 Look into Investigate, examine We need to look into this matter further.
68 Look out Be careful, watch out Look out, there’s a car coming!
69 Look up Search for, consult I’ll look up the address online.
70 Make up Invent, create, reconcile She made up a story to explain her absence.
71 Measure up Meet expectations, be adequate The new employee didn’t measure up to our standards.
72 Move on Progress,
No. Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
73 Pass away Die Her grandmother passed away last night.
74 Pass out Faint, lose consciousness He passed out from the heat.
75 Pay back Repay, return money I’ll pay you back next week.
76 Pick out Choose, select Can you help me pick out a dress for the party?
77 Point out Indicate, draw attention to She pointed out the mistake in my report.
78 Pull off Achieve, succeed He managed to pull off the impossible task.
79 Put off Postpone, delay Let’s put off the meeting until next week.
80 Put up with Tolerate, endure I can’t put up with his constant complaining.
81 Run into Encounter, meet unexpectedly I ran into my old friend at the mall.
82 Settle down Calm down, establish a permanent residence It’s time for him to settle down and start a family.
83 Show off Boast, display for attention He was showing off his new car to his friends.
84 Shut down Close, stop operating The factory was shut down due to bankruptcy.
85 Sort out Resolve, organize We need to sort out the issue before it gets worse.
86 Speak up Speak louder, express oneself clearly Can you speak up? I can’t hear you.
87 Stand by Support, be loyal to I’ll stand by you no matter what happens.
88 Stand out Be noticeable, distinguish oneself His talent really stands out among the rest.
89 Stay away from Avoid, keep away from I advise you to stay away from that neighborhood.
90 Take after Resemble, inherit traits from She takes after her mother in many ways.
91 Take back Withdraw, retract He took back his apology and said he didn’t mean it.
92 Take off Leave, depart, remove clothing The plane took off on schedule.
93 Take over Assume control, take charge The new CEO took over the company last month.
94 Talk over Discuss, consider Let’s talk over the proposal before making a decision.
95 Think over Consider, reflect on I need some time to think over my options.
96 Try on Test the fit of clothing, experiment I want to try on these shoes before buying them.
97 Turn down Reject, refuse He turned down the job offer because of the low salary.
98 Turn off Switch off, make uninterested The movie was so boring, it turned me off.
99 Turn on Switch on, excite The music turned on and everyone started dancing.
100 Work out Exercise, find a solution She works out every morning to stay fit, and she hopes the plan will work out in the end.
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