Phrasal Verbs for English Language Learners

This is the second of two courses designed to be simple to learn English for Chinese students.

This article explains the use of phrasal verbs.

What is a phrasal verb?

multiple words that make a new meaning with a verb

  • give up
  • get on
  • take off
  • look after

Phrasal verb Examples

up

  • beat up
  • bring up
  • give up
  • grow up
  • keep it up
  • look up
  • make up
  • mess up
  • pick up
  • put up with
  • set up
  • shut up
  • show up
  • stand up
  • take up
  • tie up

out

  • check out
  • come out
  • drop out
  • eat out
  • figure out
  • find out
  • get out
  • go out
  • hang out
  • point out
  • put out
  • run out
  • sleep out
  • speak out
  • spell out
  • turn out

off

  • break off
  • call off
  • cut off
  • drop off
  • go off
  • hit it off
  • hold off
  • log off
  • put off
  • show off
  • write off

on

  • go no
  • hold on

in

  • bring in
  • check in
  • drop in
  • fill in
  • put in
  • turn in

down

  • break down
  • calm down
  • cut down
  • look down on
  • put down
  • turn down

back

  • come back
  • cut back on
  • go back
  • hold back
  • set back

away

  • give away
  • pass away

after

  • look after
  • model after
  • take after

over

  • go over
  • think over
  • do over

Exercise #1

match each phrasal verb with its correct definition.

  1. Look up
  2. Run out
  3. Turn on
  4. Break up
  5. Bring up
  6. Put off
  7. Come across
  8. Set up
  • a.To activate a device
  • b.To arrange or establish
  • c.To end a relationship
  • d.To exhaust the supply
  • e.To find unexpectedly
  • f.To mention or introduce a topic
  • g.To postpone
  • h.To search for information

Exercise #2

Listen and complete this passage

As the city lights shimmered, I unexpectedly 1 _______ a charming bookstore nestled between skyscrapers.

Engaging in conversation, the bookseller enthusiastically 2 _______ rare editions.

However, my plans to return were 3 _______ by an urgent work commitment.

Urgently needing to 4 _______ my laptop, I hastily 5 _______ the nearest café for Wi-Fi, turning it into an impromptu office.

Reflecting on the day, I was disappointed about having to 6 _______ my bookstore visit.

Despite plans being unexpectedly 7 _______, the experience was an adventure worth cherishing.

 

Exercise #3

Fill the gaps with the missing phrasal verbs

  • down
  • in
  • on
  • on
  • off
  • off
  • out
  • out
  • out
  • over
  • up
  • up
  • up
  • up
  • up

1. Take your shoes _______ before you enter the building.

2. The assignment needs to be handed ____ to the teacher next Friday.

3. My brother has stopped travelling and now he has settled ______ in Devon.

4. You must put ______ a life jacket before you get into the boat.

5. The manager is leaving next month, so this month he is handing _________ to his replacement.

6. I waited for nearly an hour, but my friend didn’t turn _______ for the meeting.

7. That’s a relief. I’ve finally sorted _____ the problem with my phone. 

8. While business was slow in the beginning, after 12 months it really took _____

9. They are short staffed in the kitchen this morning; can you please help _____?

10. I always pick ______ my daughter from school at three o’clock.

11. This is a tough question; I’m having trouble working ________ the answer.

12. I’m afraid I can’t hear you; can you speak ______ please?

13. Even though I was running very fast, I could not keep _____ with my friend.

14. Sorry. Can you please hold ______ for a few minutes? I’ll be free very soon.

15. The children didn’t run away but they stood _____ to the bully.

Bonus Exercise

Select the phrasal verbs that have a similar meaning to the words below

  • 1.calculate
  • 2.remove
  • 3.wait
  • 4.submit
  • 5.arrive
  • 6.assist
  • 7.solve
  • a)hand in
  • b)help out
  • c)hold on
  • d)sort out
  • e)take off
  • f)turn up
  • g)work out

List of Phrasal Verbs with Meanings

back up

  • to support or defend someone
  • When the class was making fun of me, only the teacher backed me up.

break down

  • to stop working, especially with machines
  • The ice cream machine at work is often breaks down.

break up

  • to finish a relationship
  • It was hard for the young man after the break up.

bring up

  • to say or mention
  • Do you have to bring up that again?

call around

  • to contact multiple people
  • Roy called around to find a nearby mechanic.

call off

  • to cancel a planned event
  • We called the party off. / We called off the party.

 calm down

  • to relax after an energetic or irritated state
  • I need a few minutes to calm down after that match.

check out

  • to examine a person or thing.
  • I’ll check the contract out.

cheer up

  • to make someone happy, especially if they were previously sad
  • Reading always cheers me up on a rainy day.

clean up (1)

  • to be extremely successful in a venture such as business, sports, or gambling
  • Our hockey team cleaned up at the tournament and went home undefeated.

clean up (2)

  • to tidy an area
  • John cleaned the living room up.

come around

  • to stop engaging in questionable behaviour, such as consuming drugs or alcohol
  • Her boss said she had to either clean up or find a new job.

come across (1)

  • how a person appears to others
  • He does come across as an honest person.

come across (2)

  • to find unexpectedly
  • I come across some interesting facts when working online.

come between

  • to interfere with a relationship between two people
  • After more than fifty years of partnership, nothing could come between them.

come down with

  • to catch an illness
  • After travelling, She came down with a cold.

come out of

  • to happen as a consequence of another event
  • We missed a day of school, so at least some good came out of our boring class trip.

 come up

  • to arise as a topic of discussion or receive attention
  • Everyone talked about how much they enjoyed the movie, but the run time never came up in the conversation.

come up with

  • to think of an idea, especially as the first person to do so, or to produce a solution
  • Salah comes up with her best story ideas at night, so she writes them down before she forgets them.

count on

  • to rely or depend on someone or something)
  • If I’m ever making a mistake, I can count on my friends to warn me.

crack down on

  • to attack or punish someone harshly; to penalize a behaviour
  • Ever since last month’s accident, police have been cracking down on drunk driving.

dive into

  • to eagerly begin a pursuit or activity
  • I’ll dive into that new TV show later tonight.

dress up

  • to put on nice clothes
  • John dressed up for the award ceremony.

end up

  • to eventually reach some conclusion or destination
  • After thinking for a day, he ended up taking the job.

fall apart

  • to break into pieces
  • My new dress completely fell apart after just two washes.
  • to experience acute mental or emotional distress
  • He endured all kinds of harassment at work without flinching but fell apart when his cat got sick.

fill up

  • to put into a container as much as it can contain
  • Bruce filled his water bottle up to the brim. / Bruce filled up his water bottle to the brim.

find out

  • to discover or learn something
  • We didn’t find out the news until we got back from dinner..

get across

  • to successfully communicate or explain something
  • The professor spoke for hours, but they didn’t get anything across to the students.

get ahead

  • to succeed or progress
  • You’ll never get ahead at this company unless you follow the rules.

get along with

  • to be on good terms with someone
  • My dog gets along with everyone as long as they’re not a cat.

get around

  • to travel from place to place
  • In this city, it’s impossible to get around without a car.

get around to

  • to do something eventually
  • I’ll get around to that project after the playoffs.

get at

  • to reach or gain access to something
  • I can’t quite get at this itch on my back.

get away

  • to escape or depart
  • Lucy liked to go to the lake every weekend, just to get away.

get away with

  • to commit a crime or misdeed without incurring any negative consequences
  • The boss’s nephew gets away with things that none of the other employees would.

get back

  • to retrieve something
  • Rodger got his pencil back from Greta. / Rodger got back his pencil from Greta.

get back at

  • to take revenge on someone
  • Lily promised herself that she would get back at whoever had started the rumour.

get by

  • to survive or manage at a minimum level
  • When Sheila lost her job, the family got by with only their savings.

get down

  • to enjoy oneself without inhibitions, especially with music or dancing
  • Vicente may be formal at work, but he sure knows how to get down to hip-hop.

get down

  • to  discourage someone
  • Kim always gets everyone down with her stories from the hospital.

get down to

  • to begin or start something
  • Once everyone arrives, we’ll get down to picking teams.

get in on

  • to join an activity
  • After the value of Bitcoin started going up, lots of people wanted to get in on cryptocurrency.

get into

  • to discuss something thoroughly
  • I don’t want to get into our finances now; we’ll talk after our guests leave.

get out of

  • to take some benefit from a situation
  • Babysitting the Coles was a nightmare, but at least Jane got some money out of it.

get over

  • to recover from or overcome something
  • Drinking a lot of water helps in getting over an illness.

get through

  • to complete or endure an unpleasant experience
  • Alex can’t get through a morning without coffee.

get to

  • to annoy or bother someone
  • People who don’t clean up after their dogs really get to me.

get together

  • to gather socially
  • The volleyball team is getting together for dinner after practice.

give away

  • to donate something or give something for free
  • Mindy gave her prized doll collection away.

give up

  • to accept defeat, quit, or surrender
  • Clare felt like giving up every time she saw the scoreboard.

give up

  • to stop consuming or doing something, often a habit
  • Mark gave chocolate up because of his headaches

go against

  • to disobey, contradict, oppose, or fight something
  • A group of students went against the school dress code yesterday and wore ripped jeans.

go ahead

  • to proceed or move forward
  • Because of the snow, we can’t go ahead with the festival.

go along with

  • to agree with or pretend to agree with
  • Even though Cedric hated weightlifting, he went along with it because his coach suggested it.

go for

  • to try to achieve something
  • Carlos trains so hard because he is going for an Olympic gold medal.

go on

  • to continue
  • The workers will go on digging until they hit a water pipe.

go over

  • to review or look at something
  • Marie went over the study guide one last time before the test.

hand in

  • to submit something, especially an assignment
  • The teacher wants us to hand in our essays by email.

help out

  • to help others in need
  • Please help out at the event, we need you.

hold back

  • to prevent someone from doing something
  • I wanted to become an architect, but my bad grades held me back.

hold on

  • to wait
  • Hold on a minute, let me get my coat.

keep up

  • to continue doing something
  • Keep this pace up and you’ll set a new record!

leave out

  • to omit something
  • Sean left the graph out of the presentation.

let down

  • to disappoint someone
  • Karen let Marc down when he arrived late.

let go of

  • to release or free something
  • Don’t let go of the rope until I’m safe.

let in

  • to allow something or someone to enter
  • Close the door or you’ll let the flies in!

let know

  • to tell someone something
  • Let me know as soon as Leslie texts back.

look after

  • to take care of someone or something
  • Thank you for looking after me when I was sick.

look up

  • to search for someone or some information
  • To find out the answer look up the meaning on the web.

look up to

  • to admire someone
  • I looked up to this YouTuber until I read about their scandal.

mix up

  • to confuse two or more things with one another
  • It’s easy to mix up Chris and Kris.

pick up (1)

  • to get, to offer a lift
  • I will pick up my wife at the shops.

pick up (2)

  • to improve
  • It is slow now but it will pick up later.

pull up

  • to retrieve or bring something nearer
  • Eugene pulled the document up on his computer.

put off (1)

  • to delay or postpone
  • I always put off my dental appointment.

put off (2)

  • to change from wanting to not wanting something
  • I was put off the meal when I saw how dirty the kitchen had become..

put on

  • to dress oneself in
  • I always put my backpack on before leaving the house.

put up with

  • to tolerate or condone something
  • Somehow Az could put up with Janice’s bad attitude.

run out (of)

  • to use all of or drain the supply of something
  • Isabella ran out of toilet paper at the worst possible time.

see to

  • to make sure something is done
  • I’ll see to watering the plants while you’re gone.

set up

  • to arrange or organize something
  • Since no one had invited me to join their study group, I set a group up myself.

settle down

  • Live a more quiet, steady life.
  • He used to party all the time but now he wants to settle down.

show off

  • to display abilities or accomplishments in order to impress others
  • Tanya didn’t need to shoot so many three-pointers; she was just showing off.

shut off

  • to turn off, especially a machine
  • Don’t forget to shut the water off after your shower.

sort out

  • to solve a problem
  • I had to sort out my life.

speak up

  • to speak louder
  • Please speak up we can’t hear you.

stand up

  • to support someone or something, or defend yourself
  • Stand up to that bully and he will go away.

take after

  • to resemble someone, especially of children about their parents
  • Li takes after his father when it comes to politics.

take off (1)

  • leave quickly
  • She took off quickly when it got dark.

take off (2)

  • become popular or successful, sometimes very quickly
  • The new cakes have taken off, everyone is buying them.

take out

  • to move something outside
  • Please take the garbage out before dinner.

think over

  • to consider something
  • When his parents suggested selling his Pokémon cards, Brave thought the idea over.

throw away

  • to dispose of something
  • Could you throw that old bread away?

top off

  • to refill something to the top; to complete something in a special or spectacular way
  • May I top your beverage off?

turn down

  • to reject or say no to someone
  • My crush turned me down after I asked them out.

turn on

  • to start
  • Turn on the lights when you arrive.

turn off

  • to stop
  • Turn off the lights before you leave.

turn up

  • to arrive
  • Good to see you turn up at last.

wait on

  • to serve someone, especially at a restaurant
  • Bill eagerly waited on the table of new customers, hoping for a big tip.

wait out

  • to wait until an even to or period is over
  • They decided to wait out the rain before going on a walk.

work out (1)

  • to solve a puzzle or problem
  • I didn’t understand but I did work out the answer eventually.

work out (2)

  • to exercise such as with weights
  • I work out at the gym twice a week.