Phrasal verbs are an essential part of the English language, enriching everyday conversations and written communication. Mastering phrasal verbs can significantly improve your understanding and fluency in English.
This article provides a comprehensive guide to 100 of the most frequently used phrasal verbs, complete with definitions, examples, and practice exercises. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced learner, this guide will help you confidently use phrasal verbs in various contexts.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- What are Phrasal Verbs?
- Structural Breakdown
- Types of Phrasal Verbs
- Examples of Common Phrasal Verbs
- Usage Rules
- Common Mistakes
- Practice Exercises
- Advanced Topics
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
What are Phrasal Verbs?
A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and one or two particles (prepositions or adverbs). The particle changes the meaning of the original verb, often creating a new meaning that is not immediately obvious.
Phrasal verbs are commonly used in spoken and informal written English. Understanding them is crucial for effective communication.
Phrasal verbs can be classified based on their transitivity (whether they take a direct object) and separability (whether the verb and particle can be separated by the object). These characteristics affect how the phrasal verb is used in a sentence.
Classification of Phrasal Verbs
- Transitive Phrasal Verbs: Require a direct object.
- Intransitive Phrasal Verbs: Do not require a direct object.
- Separable Phrasal Verbs: The verb and particle can be separated by the object.
- Inseparable Phrasal Verbs: The verb and particle cannot be separated by the object.
Function of Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs add nuance and specificity to the English language. They often convey meanings that single-word verbs cannot express as effectively.
They are frequently used in everyday conversations, informal writing, and idiomatic expressions.
Contexts of Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs appear in various contexts, including:
- Everyday conversation: “Let’s hang out later.”
- Business writing: “We need to figure out a solution.”
- Academic writing: (Less common, but can appear) “The research points to a new direction.”
- Literature: “He looked back on his life with regret.”
Structural Breakdown
The structure of a phrasal verb consists of a verb and one or two particles. These particles can be prepositions or adverbs, and they significantly alter the meaning of the base verb.
Understanding this structure is key to correctly using and interpreting phrasal verbs.
The basic structure is: Verb + Particle (Adverb/Preposition). For example, in “look up,” “look” is the verb and “up” is the particle.
Elements of a Phrasal Verb
- Verb: The main action word (e.g., get, take, put).
- Particle: An adverb or preposition that modifies the verb’s meaning (e.g., up, down, on, off, in, out).
Patterns of Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs follow specific patterns depending on their transitivity and separability.
- Transitive Separable: Verb + Object + Particle (e.g., “pick the kids up” or “pick up the kids”)
- Transitive Inseparable: Verb + Particle + Object (e.g., “look after the children”)
- Intransitive: Verb + Particle (e.g., “show up”)
Types of Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs can be categorized based on their transitivity and separability. These categories help determine how the phrasal verb functions within a sentence.
Transitive Phrasal Verbs
Transitive phrasal verbs require a direct object to complete their meaning. The object receives the action of the verb.
Example: “She turned down the job offer.” (The job offer is the direct object.)
Intransitive Phrasal Verbs
Intransitive phrasal verbs do not require a direct object. The action of the verb is complete without an object.
Example: “The plane took off on time.” (There is no direct object.)
Separable Phrasal Verbs
Separable phrasal verbs allow the object to be placed between the verb and the particle. However, if the object is a pronoun, it must be placed between the verb and the particle.
Example: “He turned the light off.” or “He turned off the light.” But, “He turned it off.” (Correct) vs. “He turned off it.” (Incorrect)
Inseparable Phrasal Verbs
Inseparable phrasal verbs do not allow the object to be placed between the verb and the particle. The verb and particle must remain together.
Example: “She looked after the children.” (Correct) vs. “She looked the children after.” (Incorrect)
Examples of Common Phrasal Verbs
Here are 100 common phrasal verbs categorized for easier understanding. Each example includes the meaning and a sentence demonstrating its use.
Phrasal Verbs Starting with ‘A’
The following table provides examples of phrasal verbs starting with the letter ‘A’, including their meanings and example sentences.
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Act up | Behave badly or malfunction | The children started to act up after being inside all day. |
| Add up | Make sense; be logical | His story doesn’t add up; I think he’s lying. |
| Agree with | To have the same opinion | I agree with you on that point. |
| Answer back | Reply rudely to someone in authority | Don’t answer back to your mother! |
| Ask after | Inquire about someone’s health or well-being | She asked after you when I saw her last week. |
| Ask around | Ask many people the same question | I’ll ask around to see if anyone knows the answer. |
| Attend to | Deal with; take care of | The nurse attended to the patient’s needs. |
Phrasal Verbs Starting with ‘B’
The following table provides examples of phrasal verbs starting with the letter ‘B’, including their meanings and example sentences.
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Back down | Withdraw from an argument or position | He finally backed down after realizing he was wrong. |
| Back up | Support; reverse a vehicle | Can you back up your car a little? |
| Bear with | Be patient | Please bear with me while I try to fix this problem. |
| Blow up | Explode; become angry | The bomb blew up without warning. |
| Break down | Stop working; become emotionally upset | My car broke down on the highway. |
| Break into | Enter a place illegally, especially by force | Someone broke into our house last night. |
| Bring about | Cause to happen | The new policy brought about significant changes. |
| Bring up | Raise a child; introduce a topic | She brought up her children single-handedly. |
| Brush up (on) | Improve knowledge of something | I need to brush up on my Spanish before my trip. |
| Burn out | Become exhausted from overwork | He burned out after working long hours for months. |
Phrasal Verbs Starting with ‘C’
The following table provides examples of phrasal verbs starting with the letter ‘C’, including their meanings and example sentences.
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Call off | Cancel | They had to call off the meeting due to the snowstorm. |
| Call on | Visit someone; ask someone to speak | I’ll call on you later this week. |
| Carry on | Continue | Please carry on with your work while I’m gone. |
| Catch up | Reach the same point as others; exchange news | I need to catch up on my reading. |
| Check in | Register at a hotel or airport | We need to check in at the hotel before going out. |
| Check out | Leave a hotel; investigate | Don’t forget to check out before noon. |
| Cheer up | Become happier | Cheer up! Things will get better. |
| Chip in | Contribute to something | Everyone chipped in to buy her a gift. |
| Come across | Find something unexpectedly | I came across an old photo album in the attic. |
| Come along | Accompany; make progress | Do you want to come along to the party? |
Phrasal Verbs Starting with ‘D’
The following table provides examples of phrasal verbs starting with the letter ‘D’, including their meanings and example sentences.
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Deal with | Handle; manage | I can deal with this problem myself. |
| Die down | Become less strong or intense | The storm eventually died down. |
| Do without | Manage without | We’ll have to do without sugar for a while. |
| Dress up | Wear formal clothes | We should dress up for the wedding. |
| Drop in | Visit informally | Feel free to drop in anytime. |
| Drop out | Quit a course or activity | He dropped out of college after the first semester. |
| Dream up | Invent or imagine something | She dreamed up a brilliant plan. |
Phrasal Verbs Starting with ‘E’ to ‘G’
The following table provides examples of phrasal verbs starting with the letters ‘E’ to ‘G’, including their meanings and example sentences.
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| End up | Arrive somewhere unexpectedly | We ended up staying at a small hotel by the beach. |
| Fall apart | Disintegrate; emotionally collapse | The old book started to fall apart. |
| Fall behind | Fail to keep up | I’m falling behind in my studies. |
| Figure out | Understand; solve | I need to figure out how to fix this. |
| Fill in | Complete a form; substitute for someone | Please fill in this application form. |
| Find out | Discover | I want to find out what happened. |
| Get along (with) | Have a good relationship | I get along well with my colleagues. |
| Get away (with) | Escape punishment | He got away with cheating on the test. |
| Get back (to) | Return; respond later | I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. |
| Get over | Recover from | It took me a while to get over the flu. |
| Give in | Surrender; agree reluctantly | She finally gave in and let him have his way. |
| Give up | Stop trying | Don’t give up on your dreams. |
| Go ahead | Start; proceed | Go ahead and start without me. |
| Go back | Return | I need to go back to the store to buy milk. |
| Go on | Continue; happen | The show must go on. |
Phrasal Verbs Starting with ‘H’ to ‘L’
The following table provides examples of phrasal verbs starting with the letters ‘H’ to ‘L’, including their meanings and example sentences.
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Hand in | Submit | Please hand in your assignments by Friday. |
| Hang out | Spend time relaxing | We like to hang out at the park. |
| Hold on | Wait | Hold on a minute, I’ll be right back. |
| Keep on | Continue | Keep on trying, you’ll get there eventually. |
| Knock out | Make someone unconscious | The boxer knocked out his opponent in the first round. |
| Lay off | Dismiss from employment | The company had to lay off several employees. |
| Let down | Disappoint | I don’t want to let you down. |
| Look after | Take care of | Can you look after my cat while I’m away? |
| Look down on | Consider someone inferior | She looks down on people who are less educated. |
| Look for | Search for | I’m looking for my keys. |
| Look forward to | Anticipate with pleasure | I’m looking forward to the weekend. |
| Look into | Investigate | I’ll look into the matter and get back to you. |
| Look up | Search for information | I need to look up the meaning of this word. |
| Look up to | Respect | I look up to my grandfather. |
Phrasal Verbs Starting with ‘M’ to ‘R’
The following table provides examples of phrasal verbs starting with the letters ‘M’ to ‘R’, including their meanings and example sentences.
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Make up | Invent; reconcile | She made up an excuse for being late. |
| Move in | Start living in a new home | They’re moving in next week. |
| Pass away | Die (euphemism) | Her grandmother passed away peacefully in her sleep. |
| Pass out | Faint | He passed out from the heat. |
| Pick up | Collect; learn | Can you pick up the kids from school? |
| Point out | Indicate; draw attention to | He pointed out the mistake in my report. |
| Put off | Postpone | We had to put off the meeting until next week. |
| Put on | Wear; gain weight | She put on her coat and went outside. |
| Put out | Extinguish; inconvenience | Please put out your cigarette. |
| Put up with | Tolerate | I can’t put up with his behavior anymore. |
| Run into | Meet someone unexpectedly | I ran into an old friend at the grocery store. |
| Run out (of) | Have no more of something | We ran out of milk this morning. |
Phrasal Verbs Starting with ‘S’ to ‘Z’
The following table provides examples of phrasal verbs starting with the letters ‘S’ to ‘Z’, including their meanings and example sentences.
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Set off | Begin a journey | We set off early in the morning. |
| Set up | Arrange; establish | They set up a new business. |
| Show off | Brag; display proudly | He likes to show off his new car. |
| Show up | Arrive | He didn’t show up to the meeting. |
| Shut down | Close; stop operating | The factory had to shut down due to the recession. |
| Sort out | Resolve; organize | We need to sort out these documents. |
| Stand for | Represent; tolerate | What does “UN” stand for? |
| Take after | Resemble | She takes after her mother. |
| Take off | Remove; depart | Please take off your shoes. |
| Take on | Accept responsibility | I can’t take on any more work right now. |
| Take out | Remove; escort someone | He took out the trash. |
| Think over | Consider | I need to think over your proposal. |
| Throw away | Discard | Don’t throw away that newspaper. |
| Turn down | Reject | She turned down his offer. |
| Turn into | Transform | The caterpillar turned into a butterfly. |
| Turn off | Switch off | Please turn off the lights when you leave. |
| Turn on | Switch on | Turn on the TV. |
| Turn up | Increase volume; arrive | Can you turn up the volume? |
| Use up | Consume completely | We used up all the milk. |
| Wake up | Stop sleeping | I wake up at 7 a.m. every day. |
| Watch out | Be careful | Watch out! There’s a car coming. |
| Work out | Exercise; find a solution | I work out at the gym three times a week. |
Usage Rules
Using phrasal verbs correctly requires understanding their transitivity, separability, and idiomatic meanings. Pay attention to these rules to avoid common errors.
Transitivity Rules
Transitive phrasal verbs must have a direct object. Intransitive phrasal verbs cannot have a direct object.
Using the wrong type can lead to grammatical errors.
Correct: She picked up the book. (Transitive)
Correct: The sun came out. (Intransitive)
Separability Rules
Separable phrasal verbs allow the object to be placed between the verb and the particle. However, pronouns must always be placed between the verb and the particle.
Correct: He turned the light off. (Separable)
Correct: He turned off the light. (Separable)
Correct: He turned it off. (Pronoun)
Incorrect: He turned off it.
Exceptions and Special Cases
Some phrasal verbs have multiple meanings, and their separability can vary depending on the context. Always consider the specific meaning when determining how to use a phrasal verb.
Example: “Look up” can mean “search for information” (separable) or “respect” (inseparable).
Common Mistakes
Many learners make common mistakes when using phrasal verbs. Understanding these errors can help you avoid them.
Incorrect Separation
Separating inseparable phrasal verbs is a common mistake. Always keep inseparable phrasal verbs together.
Incorrect: She looked the children after.
Correct: She looked after the children.
Using the Wrong Preposition
Using the wrong particle (preposition or adverb) can completely change the meaning of the phrasal verb.
Incorrect: I’m looking at my keys.
Correct: I’m looking for my keys. (Meaning: searching for)
Literal Interpretation
Trying to understand phrasal verbs literally can lead to confusion. Remember that the meaning of the phrasal verb is often different from the individual words.
Incorrect: Assuming “give up” means to physically hand something upwards.
Correct: “Give up” means to stop trying.
Practice Exercises
Test your understanding of phrasal verbs with these practice exercises. Choose the correct phrasal verb to complete each sentence.
Fill-in-the-Blanks
Complete the following sentences with the correct phrasal verb from the list provided.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1. I need to ______ my Spanish before my trip to Spain. (brush up on / give up) | brush up on |
| 2. The meeting was ______ due to the weather. (called off / carried on) | called off |
| 3. She ______ her mother in many ways. (takes after / looks up to) | takes after |
| 4. We ______ milk, so I need to go to the store. (ran out of / came across) | ran out of |
| 5. He ______ from the pressure of his job. (burned out / cheered up) | burned out |
| 6. I ______ an old friend at the library today. (ran into / looked after) | ran into |
| 7. Please ______ the lights when you leave the room. (turn off / turn on) | turn off |
| 8. Don’t ______! Everything will be alright. (give up / look down on) | give up |
| 9. The company had to ______ several employees due to financial difficulties. (lay off / call off) | lay off |
| 10. I’m really ______ seeing you again. (looking forward to / looking up to) | looking forward to |
Rewrite the Sentences
Rewrite the following sentences using a phrasal verb with a similar meaning.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1. The bomb exploded. (Use: blow up) | The bomb blew up. |
| 2. She rejected his proposal. (Use: turn down) | She turned down his proposal. |
| 3. I need to investigate this issue. (Use: look into) | I need to look into this issue. |
| 4. They postponed the event. (Use: put off) | They put off the event. |
| 5. He resembles his father. (Use: take after) | He takes after his father. |
| 6. The car stopped working. (Use: break down) | The car broke down. |
| 7. We will continue the project. (Use: carry on) | We will carry on the project. |
| 8. She is taking care of her grandmother. (Use: look after) | She is looking after her grandmother. |
| 9. He invented a story. (Use: make up) | He made up a story. |
| 10. Please submit your assignments. (Use: hand in) | Please hand in your assignments. |
Multiple Choice
Choose the correct phrasal verb in the following sentences.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1. I couldn’t ______ what he was saying. (figure in / figure out / figure on) | figure out |
| 2. She had to ______ the meeting because she was ill. (call in / call for / call off) | call off |
| 3. The fire eventually ______. (died off / died down / died out) | died down |
| 4. He ______ all his money on gambling. (used in / used up / used on) | used up |
| 5. Please ______ your shoes before entering the house. (take off / take on / take up) | take off |
| 6. They are going to ______ a new business. (set in / set up / set on) | set up |
| 7. I often ______ my old friends. (run into / run after / run over) | run into |
| 8. We have ______ sugar. (run out of / run into / run on) | run out of |
| 9. He is always ______ his wealth. (showing in / showing off / showing up) | showing off |
| 10. What does this acronym ______? (stand for / stand in / stand by) | stand for |
Advanced Topics
For advanced learners, understanding the nuances of phrasal verbs can further enhance your English proficiency. Explore the following advanced topics.
Multi-Word Verbs
Some phrasal verbs consist of three words (verb + adverb + preposition), such as “look forward to.” These are typically inseparable and followed by a noun or gerund (-ing form of a verb).
Example: “I’m looking forward to seeing you.”
Idiomatic Meanings
Many phrasal verbs have idiomatic meanings that are not obvious from the individual words. Learning these idiomatic meanings requires memorization and contextual understanding.
Example: “Kick the bucket” means “to die.”
Regional Variations
Some phrasal verbs are more common in certain regions or dialects of English. Be aware of these regional variations to avoid misunderstandings.
Example: The phrasal verb “do up” (to renovate) is more common in British English.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions about phrasal verbs.
- What is the difference between a phrasal verb and a prepositional verb?
A phrasal verb consists of a
verb and a particle (adverb or preposition) where the combination creates a new meaning (e.g., “look up”). A prepositional verb consists of a verb and a preposition that modifies the verb but does not necessarily create a new meaning; the preposition connects the verb to its object (e.g., “listen to”). - How can I improve my understanding of phrasal verbs?
Practice regularly, read widely, and pay attention to how native speakers use phrasal verbs in context. Use flashcards or apps to memorize common phrasal verbs and their meanings.
- Are phrasal verbs formal or informal?
Phrasal verbs are generally considered informal and are more common in spoken English and informal writing. In formal writing, it’s often better to use a single-word verb with a similar meaning.
- Can the meaning of a phrasal verb be guessed from its individual words?
Sometimes, but often the meaning is idiomatic and not directly related to the individual words. It’s best to learn the meanings of phrasal verbs as distinct units.
- Is it necessary to learn all phrasal verbs?
No, focus on learning the most common and frequently used phrasal verbs first. Gradually expand your knowledge as you become more comfortable with them.
Conclusion
Mastering phrasal verbs is a crucial step in achieving fluency in English. By understanding their structure, types, and usage rules, you can confidently incorporate them into your everyday communication.
Use this guide as a reference and continue practicing to enhance your understanding and usage of phrasal verbs. Happy learning!