phrasal verbs in essays

Phrasal verbs in academic writing

As verbs consisting of two or three separate parts, often with idiomatic meanings, phrasal verbs can be challenging for non-native speakers. and yet in everyday speech, one should be able to use phrasal verbs such as pick up , look down , put out or hold off . but how common are they in academic writing, and how are they used read on to find out..

Phrasal verbs in academic writing vs other genres

A common feature of phrasal verbs is that they are colloquial: think belt out (sing very loudly), harp on (complain repeatedly about something), pig out (eat a lot of food), etc. They can be commonly replaced by single verbs, such as:

make up => constitute put forward => propose carry out => execute Our analysis of the Corpus of Contemporary American English shows that phrasal verbs are considerably more frequent in other genres than academic writing: up to 11 times more frequent in TV and movies subtitles, and close to 10 times more frequent in blogs/webpages and fiction. Since academic writing is anything but colloquial, this isn’t surprising. But the difference is striking.

What are the top phrasal verbs in academic writing?

Despite this, phrasal verbs shouldn’t be completely avoided in academic papers. Most phrasal verbs are neutral rather than informal, and it’s sometimes more appropriate to use a phrasal verb than a single verb. For example, carry out a study is much more frequently used than do a study or perform a study . The question is which phrasal verbs should you avoid, and which should you use? The following is a list of the top 10 phrasal verbs used in academic writing, extracted from our corpus analysis. You may have seen these in papers already, and considered them in your own writing.

• Point out ('The authors pointed out that solid evidence was lacking')
• Carry out ('All procedures were carried out according to the guidance')
• Go on ('A number of initiatives have been going on to tackle the problem')
• Make up ('Total exports made up 54% of the GDP')
• Set up ('A strategy was set up to train the software for automated analysis')
• Take on ('The legislation will take on an important role in shaping policies')
• Turn out ('This turned out to be due to errors in the distribution data')
• Bring about ('There were successful attempts to bring about societal change')
• Give up ('Countries pledged to give up chemical weapons')
• Find out ('A review was done to find out factors affecting disease outcome')

On the other hand, phrasal verbs you should avoid are those that are informal, or commonly replaced by single verbs in other papers. For example in medical papers investigating the effect of physical exercise, the verb exercise is used instead of the phrasal verb work out . So you should avoid using the latter.

Difference in phrasal verb usage between academic subjects

What’s interesting is that not only does phrasal verb usage vary across genres, but also across disciplines within the genre of academic writing. Compare the top 10 phrasal verbs used in humanities vs science and technology, in decreasing frequency order:

                             Humanities             Science/Technology

                                1. Point out                   1. Carry out

                                2. Go on                        2. Point out

                                3. Take on                    3. Set up

                               4. Set up                        4. Make up

                               5. Make up                    5. Turn out

                               6. Turn out                   6. Go on

                               7. Take up                     7. Pick up

                               8. Carry out                  8. Take on

                               9. End up                      9. Find out

                              10. Open up                  10. Come up

Our COCA analysis shows that while carry out is more than twice as frequent in Sci/Tech as in Humanities, the opposite is true for point out . Of course such results are best understood in context. But it’s likely that phrases such as carry out an experiment are more common in Sci/Tech papers, and point out an argument in a Humanities paper.

Mastering phrasal verbs in academic writing

Because phrasal verbs aren’t so common in academic writing, you should think carefully before using them - but not discard them completely . Pay close attention to when and how they’re used in the papers you read. First, always make sure that they aren’t informal in style. You can check this in an online dictionary, for example.

Second, consider the single-verb alternative(s) and decide which is better to use in the context of your subject area, and specific sentence. You can see which other authors choose by searching the web or Google Scholar. See if (and how) a phrasal verb is used in other papers, and compare with the use of the single-verb alternative(s) in context.

About the author Mélodie Garnier is an Applied Linguist at Writefull .

Writefull webinars Looking for more academic writing tips? Join our free webinars hosted by Writefull's linguists!

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How to Use Phrasal Verbs Correctly

3-minute read

• 11th May 2022

Have you ever heard of phrasal verbs ? Even if you haven’t figured out what they are, you come across them all the time in written and spoken English. In fact, we’ve just used three phrasal verbs in this paragraph!

In today’s post, we’ll explain what phrasal verbs are and how to use them in your writing .

What is a Phrasal Verb?

A phrasal verb is a short phrase that functions as a verb . It consists of a verb and another word (or words) – an adverb , a preposition , or both. The meaning of a phrasal verb is different than the literal meaning of the words it’s made up of. Let’s look at the examples we used above:

Have you heard of phrasal verbs?

The verb hear means to perceive sound. But when it’s combined with the preposition of , the resulting phrasal verb hear of means to know about the existence of something.

It’s easy to figure out what they are.

To figure means to think or believe, while figure out means to gain understanding.

I came across them in a blog post.

Come means to move toward, but when linked with across , the resulting phrasal verb means to find something (or someone) by chance.

How to Use Phrasal Verbs

When you use a phrasal verb, you should treat the verb part of it just as you would if you were using it as a simple verb. In other words, you should use the form that matches the tense and the subject of the sentence. However, the other words that make up the phrasal verb always stay the same:

John often points out mistakes in my grammar.

I pointed out John’s spelling errors.

Separable and Inseparable Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs can be either separable or inseparable . The words in an inseparable phrasal verb must always stay together, but in a separable phrasal verb, you can place the object of the sentence between them. Point out is an example of a separable phrasal verb, so our above examples could be written as follows, and they would still be correct:

John often points mistakes out in my grammar.

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I pointed John’s spelling errors out.

However, when the object of the sentence is a pronoun, it must be placed directly after the verb in the phrasal verb:

There was one mistake, and John pointed it out to me. ✓

There was one mistake, and John pointed out it to me. ✗

Here are a few examples of inseparable phrasal verbs:

●  Look forward to

●  Do away with

●  Hold on to

●  Look after

●  Turn into

Unfortunately, there aren’t any rules about which phrasal verbs are separable and which ones aren’t. You will usually be able to guess by simply saying your sentence both ways and deciding what sounds right.

Don’t Forget to Proofread

English grammar can be confusing, so it’s easy to make mistakes, especially when there aren’t straightforward rules to follow.

If you’d like to have your writing checked by an expert, our proofreaders are here to help. Try us out for free by submitting a trial document today. You’ll get it back, error free, within 24 hours.

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Phrasal Verbs: Understanding and Using Them Correctly

Phrasal verbs are a crucial part of the English language, especially in informal contexts. They are made up of a verb and one or two particles that can change the meaning of the verb. For example, “pick up” means to grab or lift, which is very different from the meanings of “pick” and “up” alone.

In this article, we will explore phrasal verbs in-depth, providing definitions, examples, and tips for using them correctly. We will also discuss the differences between separable and inseparable phrasal verbs, and how to identify them. By the end of this article, readers should have a solid understanding of phrasal verbs and feel confident in using them in their daily conversations and writing.

What Are Phrasal Verbs?

Phrasal verbs are a type of compound verb that consists of a verb and one or more particles. The particles can be prepositions or adverbs , or a combination of both. When combined with a verb, the meaning of the phrasal verb is often different from the meaning of the individual words.

Phrasal verbs are commonly used in spoken and informal English. They are also used in written English, particularly in novels and other creative writing. However, their use in academic writing is generally discouraged.

Phrasal verbs are an essential part of the English language. They are used to express a wide range of meanings, from simple actions to complex ideas. For example, the phrasal verb “take off” can mean to remove something, to leave a place quickly, or to become successful.

Phrasal verbs are often idiomatic, which means that their meaning cannot be easily predicted from the meaning of the individual words. For example, the phrasal verb “look up” can mean to search for information, but it can also mean to respect or admire someone.

Types of Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are a combination of a verb and one or more particles, which can be prepositions or adverbs. They are commonly used in English and can be classified into different types based on their usage and structure. Here are the three main types of phrasal verbs:

Transitive Phrasal Verbs

Transitive phrasal verbs are those that require a direct object to complete their meaning. The direct object can come before or after the particle, depending on the context. For example, “pick up the phone” and “pick the phone up” mean the same thing. Here are some common transitive phrasal verbs:

• put up with

Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

Intransitive phrasal verbs do not require a direct object and can stand alone as a complete sentence. They are often used to describe a change in direction or movement. Here are some common intransitive phrasal verbs:

• come across

Separable and Inseparable Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs can also be classified based on whether they can be separated by other words or not. Separable phrasal verbs can be separated by an object or adverb, while inseparable phrasal verbs cannot be separated. Here are some examples of separable and inseparable phrasal verbs:

• Separable: “I will look the report over” or “I will look over the report.”
• Inseparable: “I will look into the matter.”

It’s important to note that the meaning of a phrasal verb can change depending on whether it is separable or inseparable.

List of Common Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are an essential part of the English language, and they are commonly used in both spoken and written English. Here is a list of some of the most common phrasal verbs:

Phrasal Verbs with Get

Phrasal verbs with look, phrasal verbs with take, phrasal verbs with put, phrasal verbs with up, phrasal verbs with break, phrasal verbs with turn, phrasal verbs with do, phrasal verbs with make.

These are just a few examples of the many phrasal verbs in the English language. Each phrasal verb consists of a verb and one or more particles that modify the meaning of the verb.

Using Phrasal Verbs in Context

When it comes to using phrasal verbs, context is key. As mentioned in the search results, phrasal verbs can have more than one meaning, and the meaning can change depending on the context. Here are a few tips on how to use phrasal verbs in context:

• Consider the situation: Think about the situation in which the phrasal verb is being used. Is it a formal or informal situation? Is it a conversation between friends or a business meeting? This can help you determine which phrasal verb to use and how to use it.
• Look at the surrounding words: Pay attention to the words that come before and after the phrasal verb. This can help you understand the meaning of the phrasal verb in that specific context.
• Use the correct particle: The particle in a phrasal verb can often change the meaning of the verb. Make sure to use the correct particle in the correct context. For example, “put up with” means to tolerate , while “put up” means to hang something on a wall.
• Practice: The best way to get better at using phrasal verbs in context is to practice. Read and listen to English in different contexts, and try to use phrasal verbs in your own conversations and writing.

Phrasal Verbs with Prepositions and Adverbs

Phrasal verbs are a common feature of the English language. They are formed by combining a verb with a preposition or adverb to create a new meaning. Prepositions are words like in, on, at, up, down, etc., while adverbs are words that describe verbs. When used in phrasal verbs, prepositions and adverbs can change the meaning of the verb completely.

Phrasal verbs with prepositions and adverbs are often used in everyday English. They can be separable or inseparable, depending on whether the object can be placed between the verb and the particle. Here are some examples:

• Separable phrasal verb: He turned off the lights. / He turned the lights off.
• Inseparable phrasal verb: She put on her coat. / She couldn’t put her coat on.

Prepositional verbs are another type of verb that includes a preposition and an object. Unlike phrasal verbs, the object always comes after the preposition. Here are some examples:

• Prepositional verb: She listened to the radio. / He looked at the picture.

It is important to note that prepositions and adverbs can have different meanings depending on the context in which they are used. For example, the preposition “up” can mean “to increase” in the sentence “The company’s profits are up,” but can mean “to complete” in the sentence “I need to finish up my work.”

Phrasal Verbs Exercises

Exercise 1 : Choose the correct phrasal verb to complete the sentence.

• I need to _________ up early tomorrow for my flight. a) wake b) wake off c) wake up
• Can you _________ the music? It’s too loud. a) turn on b) turn up c) turn off
• I’m going to _________ my old clothes to charity. a) give out b) give up c) give away
• She _________ her keys and couldn’t find them. a) lost out b) lost off c) lost
• He always _________ his work until the last minute. a) puts off b) puts up c) puts on

Answers: 1) c, 2) c, 3) c, 4) c, 5) a

Exercise 2 : Rewrite the sentences using the phrasal verbs in brackets.

• I’m going to stop smoking. (give up)
• She’s going to start a new job next week. (take on)
• Can you please explain the concept again? (go over)
• The teacher postponed the test until next week. (put off)
• We need to clean the kitchen before the guests arrive. (tidy up)

Answers: 1) I’m going to give up smoking. 2) She’s going to take on a new job next week. 3) Can you please go over the concept again? 4) The teacher put off the test until next week. 5) We need to tidy up the kitchen before the guests arrive.

FAQs on Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs can be tricky to understand, so here are some frequently asked questions to help clarify their meaning and usage.

What are phrasal verbs?

Phrasal verbs are combinations of a verb and one or more particles, such as prepositions or adverbs. Together, they create a new meaning that is different from the individual words used. For example, “take off” means to remove clothing or to leave quickly by airplane.

Are phrasal verbs only used in informal English?

No, phrasal verbs can be used in both formal and informal English. However, they are more common in spoken and informal English than in written and formal English.

How can I tell if a phrasal verb is separable or inseparable?

A separable phrasal verb can have the particle separated from the verb and placed in a different position in the sentence. For example, “I took off my shoes” and “I took my shoes off” are both correct. In contrast, an inseparable phrasal verb cannot be separated, such as “I’m looking forward to the party.”

Are there any rules for using phrasal verbs?

There are no strict rules for using phrasal verbs, but there are some general guidelines to follow. For example, it is important to use the correct particle to convey the intended meaning. Additionally, some phrasal verbs are more common in certain contexts or regions, so it can be helpful to study them in context.

How can I learn and practice phrasal verbs?

One way to learn phrasal verbs is to study them in context, such as in news articles or TV shows. Another way is to use flashcards or quizzes to practice identifying and using phrasal verbs. Additionally, it can be helpful to use phrasal verbs in your own writing and speaking to become more comfortable with them.

Related resources:

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• business english
• comprehension
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• pronunciation

10 Phrasal Verbs for Academic Writing in English

Test your understanding of this English lesson

133 comments.

Many many thanks Adam sir

the best teacher from all of them ;)

Hi Adam, I really appreciate your efforts to improve our english skills, but phrasal verbs and idioms frowned me upon! (Is it correct?)

Maybe you frown upon phrasal verbs, but they are part of the language :)

thank you and i appreciate all teachers who are helping us learning English,and i will try to improve my speaking English as soon as possible,and i need your support always.

[67] ho my god! These is so hard phrasal verbs. :(

Keep working at it Rodolfo ;)

oh sorry one more miss previous time was

oh sorry these phrasal verbs so hard,one time previous i did 54. and now 44,will succeed,

Keep trying Mohamed. It’ll come ;)

Thank you, teacher…..!!!

Thank you Adam, excellent lesson !

Hi teacher Adam! I dont understand about follow through on and carry out if both of them means to do something, to complete something… those are the same? (the quiz number 3…I did it wrong)

They are similar, bit sometimes you need to be careful about word placement. You can carry them out, but you can’t carry out them.

Does this help?

Yes! Thank you so much, Adam! I really like your classes. You’re a great teacher! :)

Hi teacher/ A great thank to You from the Roof of the world))) Do You have a lesson for elementary level?

Than you a lot sir adam

Thanks for the informative lesson Adam How can I remember these phrasal verbs? Also I hope if you mentioned some of informal phrasal verbs to avoid using it in IELTS

The best way is to read a lot and keep a notebook of these terms and review it often.

There are many informal ones to avoid, but I’ll try to make a video about some of these.

You’re the best teacher on engVid, do you know that?

thank you so much for all your help this class help a lot

I got 56/90, the lesson is quite difficult, some question i don’t get it special account for, I will more attemp in next time, anyway thank Adam

Keep trying Nguyen. It will get easier :)

Thank you!!

100/100 I’m so happy !

Thank u Adam

So helpful! Many thanks, Adam!

Thank you sir. I want know the order of words in sentence like time,date, place, event etc

Example: There will be a meeting at 11am on 31.03.2019 at hotel in Mumbai

Hi Nageswara,

Generally, go from small to big. Time or place can be changed in order.

Hey Nageswara, You had to mention place before time.So, your sentence transforms “There will be a meeting at the hotel in Mumbai at 11 am on 31/03/2019. It small mistake in the work order.

*It small mistake of word order.

I got 5/9. Thank you very much Adam for the useful lesson. Can I use ” take into account” or “take into consideration” instead of account for?

Yes, you can:

When packing clothes for a trip overseas it is important to take the weather into consideration.

It is important to account for the weather when packing clothes for a trip overseas

The second one seems a little overly formal for the situation though.

Hope this helps.

Thank you very much Adam for your reply.

Thank you so much Adam!!!

Hi, there seems to be a mistake in the last sentence of the text, just above the video.

The sentence goes like this: And if you are taking the IELTS or the TOEFL, then these will be certainly help you get a better score in the writing section of those exams.

Shouldn’t it be either ‘… these will certainly help you…’ or ‘… these will be certainly helping you…’?

Thanks for correcting me if I’m wrong. :)

I don’t do the transcripts, but yes, it is wrong if that’s what it says. It should be “…then these will certainly help you get a better score…” or “…then these will certainly be helpful in getting you a better score…”

Good eye, by the way.

Thank you, and have a nice weekend sir! :)

thank you mister Adam it was a nice lesson i just like it

very good but I didn’t anderastand cut back on

Hi Ehabali,

To cut back on means to do less, to reduce.

Cut back on sugar means consume less sugar.

It has been made easy so that i achieved 100% marks.Adam, you are a very skilled teacher. i thank you.

i am new to these lessons . please guide me how i go to the next lesson. i expected it to come my way automatically. thanks Adam.

Welcome Zafarimalik :)

If you subscribe to the channel and choose notifications you will know when a new video comes out.

dear Adam, I wanted to subscribe and click notifications . the procedure was so complicated for me at age 77 that i gave up, but i enjoy and find your lessons useful; therefore, i am not going to give up learning. thanks for your guidance.

Very cool…

interesting lesson, Tks

Hi Adam! Thank you for all your hard work and dedication. I have a question for you. Is there any difference in meaning between: 1. WHO did you give your book TO? and WHOM did you give your book? 2. WHO did you buy that book FOR? and WHOM did you buy that book? 3. WHO did you talk WITH? and WHOM did you talk?

after watching ur questions,i have the same ones.

All the questions with WHOM need the preposition.

Technically, all of them should use WHOM, though most people don’t do this, even native speakers.

1. To WHOM did you give your book? — You is the subject. WHOM is the object of give.

For whom… With whom…

You’ve gotten my esteem!. Thanks so much Adam!. You’re awesome man!.

I’ve learned a lot in this class, I cannot really do without of english study.

very useful thank you

Congrats, very nice class

Thank you Adam I need more practice

I study English for more than 12 years , and till now I do not know speaking in English !!! what should I do Adam ?

Hi Tabarak,

Studying is not enough. You need to find people to practice with. Maybe join a class or find a group in your area that wants to improve their English.

Very useful!!

could you explain how to use verb and modifiers correctly or either any -one please once more for SAT

Not really sure what you mean here. There are many verb and modifier combinations. Which part of the SAT?

Great! Thank you very much, Adam!

Thanks everyone :)

Interesting and useful. Thank you Adam!

89. Thanks Adam.

Do you mind asking what is the basis/principle of adding the prefix “en” and “in”, et cetera? I can render the difference of the meaning and definition clearly, for example without limitation, the difference in the meaning between “folded” and “enfolded”, but I want to know the philosophy behind. – How can you explain/define a function for the complement and the complementizer and the differences between both? – What’s the basis or the principle of the ideal conjunction attempt? To mention a sample without forgetting others, like the word “refuse” I see “refusing” not “refusition”! It may cause heaviness in pronunciation, who knows! Sorry! I have a lot of questions here. Thank you! Appreciate your endeavor and work.

Hi Merelyblink,

I’d recommend a good linguistics book to answer these types of questions. You can also look for Fowler’s Modern English. It’s a classic. It might help.

Thank you very much teacher, those phrasal verbs are really helpful, I’ll keep using them in my essays.

Hi Adam, Can we use “revolve around” in a sentence in the integrated task of TOEFL like this: The reading and the lecture both “revolve around”… instead of saying: The reading and the lecture both are about … I want to know if it is informal or not.

Yes, that is a good expression and certainly formal enough :)

You are my favorite teacher here, thanks for your detailed explanations on every word. I plan to go to Canada sometime, is there any chance for me to meet you and buy you a drink? LOL

:) Thanks Zenham.

I actually live in S. Korea now.

I am preparing for bank exams in India Sir i want to improve vocubulary and phrasal verbs and idioms

Read a lot and keep a notebook for new vocab. Also, there are lots of online videos for vocab. Do a good search on this site and Youtube. You can also visit my other channel: youtube.com/writetotop where I do some vocab lessons.

Can I look into the problem to find out the solution and carry out a plan so we can follow through it?

Almost, KasiaJaa.

You can look at the problem to try to find solutions. Then, you can make a plan, carry it out, and hopefully follow through to your goal.

Hi Adam, love your teachings. I looked up for the phrasal verb – ‘account for’ in many dictionaries, but it seemed it doesn’t have the meaning of ‘consideration’. Only to find the meaning of explanation, proportion, responsibility, and destroy. Could you explain this to me? Moreover, please correct the grammar and fluency of this comment. Much obliged!

The four meanings you mention are correct, but keep in mind it all has to do with context.

NASA engineers need to account for the weather on a launch day when calculating their numbers.

It turns out this may be just an American usage: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/account%20for%20(something) #4

Hi Teacher, I can’t thank you enough for this helpful lesson. One question if you don’t mind, I think two answers of for is acceptable for question 2. Answer 1 and 4. Could you please share your comments about this.

The teacher accounted for something means gave as reason, but this is done after the fact, not before. The teacher wanted to make students read more, so he/she used candy as a bribe. Otherwise it would look like this: The teacher’s bribes accounted for her student’s rising interest in reading. (though ot a great sentence) Does this help?

I appreciate your help.

Hi sir, I’m new here. and at the first attempt that I did on the quiz I got 56, but after I read all phrasal verbs carefully in second time I got 89. Sir I will set in the TOEFL exam in November.

Please guide me sir I have to level up my English skills in four sections: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

Thanks and best wishes for You dear Adam

Thank you, Adam, for your help it is helpful taking this lesson and quizes

Thank you Adam.

Many Thanks.

I definetely can say that I understand what you say completely. We are on same channel sir. Thank you for your great efforts to teach us english.

thanks for the great quiz

Thank you, Adam.

Many thanks with your help.

Adam sir,Thanks for your lesson.It’s really helpful.

hello ADAM, how are you ? hope you are in good health and perfect times really you’re an excellent teacher

thank you Adam!

Hi Adam I have my IELTS exam in couple of weeks. I have a question is there any email where I can send my writing answers so that you can tell my mistakes.

I got 78, thank you prof. Adam.

for the start, I don’t think it was that bad.

hurrah! Got 9 out of 9 before watching video.

Thank you Mr. Adam.

Got 8/9…

Excellent, thank you

Thank you Adam! Just one question:

Do “Frown upon” and “Frown on” mean the same?

Thanks again!

got 9 out of 9, really impresses me thanks adam for taught us new vocabulaty

hi adam, I enjoyed watching your tutorial,it helps a lot .thanks

Thank you sir. Adam. I am very grateful.

Hi Adam I appreciate your lessons in phrasal verbs and love them very much!!

thank you Adam you’re my favorite one

Hi Adam, your teaching is really practical, thank you.

Wonderful lesson.

8 correct out of 9. Thanks a lot for the comprehensible and useful lesson, dear Adam. Greetings from Germany.

thank you for knowledgeable video ,Iam improving my English in lockdown .

9/9! Thank you, Adam, for your straight-forward lessons. You are very easy to follow. Keep on with the good job!

Adam, I couldn´t do without your english lessons.

Adam, I found this lesson most difficult to know exactly. It’s because I tried to solve the given quiz but I scored 7 correct out of 9. This was my third time attempt. So I need more concentration to learn English and I was compelled to go through again. Anyway, thanks a lot for your hard working.

thank you!could you recommend some references for the phrasal verb?

oh i think this is easy but no D:

Hi Adam , i am really enjoying your lessons , i can easily understand your language its very clear that able to hear every single word , unlike some other native speakers. thanks a lot Sir. regards, Yasser Zunaim

[freun] ? are you Australian?

carry out a resarch but look into rates :( 8/9

Hi….I’d like to brush my speaking up. Is there anyone else who is interested in speaking to me on a regular basis? My whatsapp number is +8801812788727. Thank you. Rasho.

7/9! The phrasal verbs are my weakest part! I can’t remember these things.

9/9 How exciting!

I have a confusion in 3rd question. Does follow through on sound correct to you? Although I knew follow through is right option, yet I didn’t chose it because it was followed by on. Kindly clear my confusion Adam :) Besides it, I am a big fan of your Pedagogy from Pakistan :)

Thank you, Adam. Good lesson and explanation. I scored perfect on the quiz. I take into account of reading the sentence more than once, to see which choice will make sense.

Very helpful.

Wow, I’ve got a perfect score! Thanks Sir Adam

Adam thank you. Very educative.

Amazing lesson Adam,grettings from Venezuela

Thank you. I got 6 of 9.

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• B1-B2 grammar

Phrasal verbs

Do you know how to use verbs in phrases like pick the kids up , turn the music down and look after my cat ? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how phrasal verbs are used.

This is the form. Please can you fill it in ? Why are you bringing that argument up now? Police are looking into connections between the two crimes. We need to come up with a solution.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Separable and non-separable multi-word verbs: Grammar test 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

Phrasal verbs are very common in English, especially in more informal contexts. They are made up of a verb and a particle or, sometimes, two particles. The particle often changes the meaning of the verb.

I called Jen to see how she was. ( call = to telephone) They've called off the meeting. ( call off = to cancel)

In terms of word order, there are two main types of phrasal verb: separable and inseparable. 

With separable phrasal verbs, the verb and particle can be apart or together.

They've called the meeting off . OR They've called off the meeting.

However, separable phrasal verbs must be separated when you use a personal pronoun. 

The meeting? They've called it off .

Here are some common separable phrasal verbs:

I didn't want to bring the situation up at the meeting. ( bring up = start talking about a particular subject) Please can you fill this form in ? ( fill in = write information in a form or document) I'll pick you up from the station at 8 p.m. ( pick up = collect someone in a car or other vehicle to take them somewhere) She turned the job down because she didn't want to move to Glasgow. ( turn down = to not accept an offer)

Non-separable

Some phrasal verbs cannot be separated. 

Who looks after the baby when you're at work?

Even when there is a personal pronoun, the verb and particle remain together.

Who looks after her when you're at work?

Here are some common non-separable phrasal verbs:

I came across your email when I was clearing my inbox. ( come across = to find something by chance) The caterpillar turned into a beautiful butterfly. ( turn into = become) It was quite a major operation. It took months to get over it and feel normal again. ( get over = recover from something) We are aware of the problem and we are looking into it. ( look into = investigate)

Some multi-word verbs are inseparable simply because they don't take an object.

I get up at 7 a.m.

With two particles

Phrasal verbs with two particles are also inseparable. Even if you use a personal pronoun, you put it after the particles.

Who came up with that idea? ( come up with = think of an idea or plan) Let's get rid of these old magazines to make more space. ( get rid of = remove or become free of something that you don't want) I didn't really get on with my stepbrother when I was a teenager. ( get on with = like and be friendly towards someone) Can you hear that noise all the time? I don't know how you put up with it. ( put up with = tolerate something difficult or annoying) The concert's on Friday. I'm really looking forward to it. ( look forward to = be happy and excited about something that is going to happen)

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Separable and non-separable multi-word verbs: Grammar test 2

Language level

This is not a criticism or anything like that (I love all the work you share with everyone), but it's really difficult to find a rule that cannot be, well, bent, if not broken. Here's a sentence you can find in the Cambridge dictionary, with the verb and the two particles separated:

I'll be glad to get these exams over with.

Kind regards.

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Hello Rob23,

You're not wrong! The explanation on this page is an introduction to the topic of phrasal verbs. It doesn't cover everything and doesn't explain all the details, which are quite complex, because it would be too much information for people at the B1 or B2 level. But since you ask, I'll explain this particular case a bit more even though in the end it's still an example of a 'bent' rule.

'to get over with' is a phrasal-prepositional verb. Such verbs can be broken down as verb + particle + preposition. Most of these verbs are inseparable, i.e. the objects of most phrasal-prepositional verbs come after the preposition.

But there are a number of phrasal-prepositional verbs (including 'to get over with') that also allow the object after the verb.

And so that's why the sentence you found is correct. I don't think it would ever be wrong or awkward for you to always put the object after the preposition, though, so in terms of your own speaking and writing, just follow the rule and you'll be fine!

Best wishes, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Hello! May I ask you something? The thing that I want to ask is easy to understand but complicated to write. So, I will give an example. 'Suck something into something' is a phrasal verb meaning to cause someone or something to gradually become involved in an unpleasant situation or harmful activity. I got that definition from the dictionary. But why the same group of words (suck sth into sth) is not a phrasal verb in the following sentence: The spaceship was sucked into a blackhole. Is it because its meaning is different from the one I wrote above? It is literally sucked into sth, not involved in an unpleasant situation. So is that possible to use the same group of words both as a phrasal verb and not in different sentences? Could you please give another example? (What I mean is for example we know X+into is a phrasal verb which means A. If it means B in another sentence, can we still count it as a phrasal verb or not?) Thanks in advance!

Hi Melis_06,

What you said is right. A phrasal verb is normally understood as having a meaning that comes from not just the verb but also the particle, so the verb does not normally have its original and literal meaning. In the spaceship example, it is literally and physically sucked into the black hole, so this is simply a verb with a preposition. But if you say, e.g.,  the company was sucked into debt , it's not a physical action but a figurative one, which is why the dictionary that you checked considered it a phrasal verb. 

One more example is  look forward to .

• I looked forward to the boy sitting in front of me . (literal meaning of "looked"; not a phrasal verb)
• I look forward to hearing from you again . (phrasal verb)

Another example is  bring up . Here, "up" is an adverb in the phrasal verb rather than a preposition.

• I'll bring the kids up to the third floor . (literal meaning of "bring"; not a phrasal verb)
• They brought their kids up to be very polite . ("brought up" meaning "educated"; phrasal verb)

So, yes - the same group of words can be a phrasal verb or a prepositional verb in different sentences, depending on its meaning.

Hope that helps.

LearnEnglish team

I have one more question about this sentence: I really don't to get involved in this argument, but I can feel myself being sucked into it. How do we form the first part in this sentence? 'I really don't to get involved in...' Why do we use this form? Could you please give another example? By the way, thank you for the previous answer! It is really helpful, you are the best!

Hello Melis_06,

The clause 'I really don't to get involved in this argument' is not grammatically correct.

I imagine that the word 'want' was left out by mistake; in other words, I imagine that intended sentence is 'I really don't want to get involved in this argument'.

If you found this sentence in a publication, it's most likely a misprint.

Does that make sense?

I also thought like that, thank you for your answer! I found this sentence from Cambridge Online Dictionary. That was actually why I thought it had to be correct. Thanks again!

Hello sir, I have a question may be lot of people notice but it gave me headache.

The question is that particle means both prepositions and adverbs. Then why I am seeing above the word adverbial participle, in which the preposition is also treated like adverbial participle. That's why? Are they modifying the verb in phrasal verb, that's why it is treated like adverb?

I'm afraid I don't see the phrase 'adverbial participle' anywhere on this page. Could you please tell me where you see it?

All the best, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Sorry at that time, I was a little anxious, so I was confused with the page. Sir, I saw it on the Cambridgedictionary site. The below text I copied from the Cambridgedictionary site. Please help me, sir, why they mixed preposition with adverbial particles? Why did they emerge prepositions in adverbial participle.

"Phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs have two parts: a main verb and an adverb particle.

The most common adverb particles used to form phrasal verbs are around, at, away, down, in, off, on, out, over, round, up:

bring in go around look up put away take off ."

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Overview of Two-Part (Phrasal) Verbs (Idioms)

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Many verbs in English are followed by an adverb or a preposition (also called a particle), and these two-part verbs, also called phrasal verbs, are different from verbs with helpers. The particle that follows the verb changes the meaning of the phrasal verb in idiomatic ways:

The hill dropped off near the river

While doing his homework, he dropped off.

Would you drop this off at the post office?

After two laps, the runner dropped out.

Some particles can be separated from the verb so that a noun or pronoun can be inserted, and some particles can't be separated from the verb. In addition, some phrases are intransitive, meaning they cannot take a direct object.

Correct: She added up the total on her calculator. Correct: She added it up on her calculator.

Correct: She always gets around the rules. Incorrect: She always gets the rules around (This construction makes no sense in English.)

Correct: After I explained the math problem, she began to catch on . Incorrect: She began to catch on the math problem. (catch on cannot take a direct object in this meaning.) Correct: She began to catch on to the math problem. (the word to makes the math problem an indirect object, which is acceptable in this meaning.)

Unfortunately, there is usually no indicator whether an idiomatic phrase is separable, inseparable, or intransitive. In most cases the phrases must simply be memorized. Below is a partial list of each kind of phrase.

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210+ Most Common English Phrasal Verbs [with Definitions, Examples and Audio]

Phrasal verbs are when we combine a verb with a preposition of another grammatical element, and end up with a completely new meaning.

They’re used constantly by native speakers in spoken and written English, which makes them important to know.

In this English phrasal verbs list, we’ll show you 210+ of the most common phrasal verbs , with audio and example sentences included.

Afterwards, you’ll find a complete lesson on what phrasal verbs are, how to form them and how to learn them effectively.

Before we jump into the list, here’s a quick video explanation: 

The Most Common English Phrasal Verbs

Separable, transitive phrasal verbs, inseparable, transitive phrasal verbs, inseparable, intransitive phrasal verbs, more useful english phrasal verbs, what is a phrasal verb, types of phrasal verbs .

• Transitive 

Intransitive

Inseparable, how to use phrasal verbs, conjugation, and one more thing....

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

To start off, we’ll be going over the top English phrasal verbs that you’ll hear in everyday situations. You can get a taster with this video, which features 15 useful English phrasal verbs (plus example sentences):  

Here’s a more detailed list of common English phrasal verbs, but right before the list, there’s two things you need to know about phrasal verbs in English:

• They can be separable or inseparable
• They can be transitive or intransitive (like all verbs in English)

I’ll go over these concepts more just after these handy lists!

1. Pay back — To give someone back money that you owe

Thanks for getting me lunch when I forgot my wallet at home! I’ll pay you back tomorrow.

2. Give out (1) — To hand out or distribute something

He has a lot of contacts because he gives out his business card to everyone he meets.

3. Look up — To check the meaning of something

If you don’t know the meaning of a word, you should look it up in the dictionary.

4. Give up — To stop trying, surrender

After two weeks of trying to build my own table, I gave up and just bought one.

5. Give away — To hand things out for free

When Linda’s cat had kittens, she gave them all away to good homes.

6. Hold back — To stop yourself from doing or saying something

Amy has a great voice, but whenever she’s singing in public, she feels shy and holds back .

7. Drop off — To take someone or something somewhere and leave them/it there

Can you drop me off at the grocery store on your way home?

8. Work (something) out — To come up with a solution or a compromise

Don’t worry, I’m sure we can work something out so that everyone is happy.

9. Drop in — To visit someone without making an appointment

Drop in to my office anytime.

10. Check out — To see or try something out to learn more about it

Check out my new car!

11. Take out (1) — To remove something, like from a pocket or a bag

The children sat at their desks and took out their pens and paper.

12. Take out (2) — To take someone on a date

He took her out to the most expensive restaurant in the city.

13. Turn on / Turn off — To switch a machine or light on or off

Turn off the light, I’m trying to sleep!

14. Cheer on — To support someone through words of encouragement

Even though Samantha was in last place, her brother cheered her on through the entire race.

15. Fill in (for someone) — To do someone else’s job temporarily

Can you fill in for me while I’m on vacation?

16. Put out (1) — To extinguish a fire.

The firefighters managed to put out the fire before it spread to other houses.

17. Put out (2) — To irritate someone by asking them for a favor

I’d ask you to make me dinner but I don’t want to put you out .

18. Put on — To get your clothes or makeup on

Every morning she puts on her dress, lipstick, shoes and hat—in that order.

19. Take off (1) — To remove clothing

She was very happy when she finally got home and took off her shoes. They had been hurting her feet all day!

20. Fill out — To complete a form by providing required information

Please fill out the application form and submit it by Friday.

21. Cheer up — To show support to someone who seems sad or to try to make someone happier

Andrew was having a bad day, so his girlfriend cheered him up by taking him out for ice cream.

22. Cut off — To interrupt or stop something

His father is rich but he cut him off without any money of his own.

23. Cut (it) out — To stop it

Hey , cut it out ! I was watching that movie, so stop changing the channel!

24. Call off — To cancel something

We had to call off the picnic because of the rain.

25. Bring up — To mention something

Mark was sick and had to miss the party, so please don’t bring it up , I don’t want him to feel bad for missing it.

26. Bring on — To cause something to happen, usually something negative

His lung cancer was brought on by years of smoking.

27. Bring it on! — To accept a challenge with confidence

You want to have a race? Bring it on ! I can beat you!

28. Call on (1) — To visit someone

I’ll call on you this evening to see how you’re feeling.

29. Warm up to — To start liking someone or something more as you spend more time with them

The new puppy was scared of my husband when we first got him, but he warmed up to him pretty quickly.

30. Come across — To meet or find by chance

I was cleaning the attic and I came across my high school uniform. Can you believe it still fits?

31. Get back at — To get revenge on someone

Her ex-husband took her house so she got back at him by taking his dogs.

32. Go out with — To go on a date with someone

Sarah was so happy when Peter finally asked her to go out with him!

33. Log in — To sign in to your account on a website or computer

Don’t forget to log in to your account to learn English better and faster.

34. Pay for — To give someone money for a particular purpose

She used her credit card to  pay for the hotel reservation. 

35. Pay for — To suffer because of something you did.

He’ll pay for all the problems he caused me by being late today!

36. Fall for (someone) — To fall in love with someone

He fell for her the moment he saw her.

37. Cut in — To interrupt a conversation or activity

The teacher cut him in and asked him to explain the answer to the class.

38. Call on (2) — To use someone’s or something’s knowledge

I may need to call on the university’s excellent professors in order to answer your question.

39. Come up (with something) — To think of an idea

I came up with this idea for a TV show about a woman living with her best friend and daughter. I call it ‘Two and a Half Women.’

40. Drop out — To quit or stop participating in something

She was a straight-A student, but she dropped out of college to pursue her dream of becoming an artist.

41. Log out / Log off — To sign out of your account

You should always log out of your accounts when you use a public computer.

42. Look out — To watch out for something

Look out , there’s a baseball coming your way!

43. Come up (1) — To bring up a topic

I wanted to tell her that I got a new job but the chance never came up .

44. Come up (2) — When something happens unexpectedly

I was going to meet my friends for dinner, but something came up so I had to cancel.

45. Come in — To enter

‘ Come in , the door is open!’ said the grandmother to the wolf.

46. Come forward — To volunteer information about something, like a crime

The police are encouraging people to come forward with any information about the kidnapped girl.

47. Check in — To register at a hotel for a stay

We haven’t checked in at the hotel yet.

I was in the neighborhood, so I decided to drop in on my sister and see how she was doing.

48. End up — To eventually be in a particular place or situation

After driving around for hours, we finally ended up at the beach.

49. Fall apart — To stop working or break into pieces

The old chair fell apart when I sat on it.

50. Fall down — To collapse or fall to the ground

The little girl tripped and fell down the stairs.

51. Fall off — To decline in quality or quantity

Sales fell off during the holiday season.

52. Give out (2) — To break down or stop working

The city had to rebuild the bridge completely because it was about to give out and fall down.

53. Go ahead — To go in front of someone, or to give permission

You can go ahead and start the meeting without me.

54. Grow up — To tell someone to stop acting childish

Some people tell Steve he needs to grow up , but he loves acting like a child.

55. Grow apart — To get distant from someone, like a friend

When my friend moved to a different country, I tried to stay close with her, but we slowly grew apart .

56. Hang on — To keep something

When everyone else was getting fired, Paul managed to hang on to his job.

57. Hang out — To spend time with someone, casually

My friends and I used to hang out in the park after school.

58. Hang up — To end a phone call, especially if before the other person is ready

I was in the middle of a sentence, and he hung up on me! How rude.

59. Hold on (1) — To hold something tightly

You’d better hold on to your hat; it’s windy out there!

60. Hold on (2) — To ask someone to wait for a moment

Hold on , I’ll be right back. 

61. Give in — To surrender, especially in a fight or argument

Ben’s mother gave in and let him stay out late with his friends.

62. Take off (2) — To leave for a journey

The plane will  take off in a few minutes. 

63. Turn around — To move so you’re facing the opposite direction

Sally was about to get on the plane, but she turned around when someone called her name.

64. Turn up — When something that was lost is found unexpectedly

Anything I lose usually turns up under the couch. It’s my cat’s favorite hiding place.

65. Work out — To exercise

I try to work out every morning, by repeatedly lifting a heavy donut to my mouth.

As you’ve probably figured out from the lists above, a phrasal verb is a phrase that’s made up of a verb and another word or two—usually a preposition but sometimes an adverb . The same verb can be used in several phrasal verbs, such as give in, give away  and  give up, but the meaning will be different. 

There are also phrasal verbs that you’re more likely to say with friends ( hang out ,  cut it out ), while others are pretty common at work emails and meetings:  

To understand phrasal verbs, it’s important to know what verbs , prepositions and adverbs are.

• A verb is an action word. It describes something happening (e.g. hearing, seeing ), a state of being (e.g. to live, to sleep ) or an action being done (e.g. to read, to sing ).
• A preposition  describes the relationship between two words. For example, the bees are above the table or under the table, but not inside the table (hopefully). Prepositions mainly deal with location or direction (e.g. on, through, around) and time (e.g. “by” or “around” a certain time).
• An adverb is a word that describes a verb. For example, you can run quickly or slowly  and arrive to class early or late .

You put these words together to form phrasal verbs. 

It’s easier than you think. For example, you probably already know the phrase “come on”—that’s a phrasal verb!

The word “come,” on its own, means to move towards something. Together with the preposition “on,” though, the phrase “come on” becomes a phrase of encouragement.

If the idea of phrasal verbs still takes some getting used to, you can pick them up more naturally by watching English movies , TV clips  or online videos and then trying to notice the phrasal verbs that come up. English shows make great material for this because they often use everyday language.

Sometimes it can be tricky to do on your own, though. As an English learning resource, FluentU makes this more approachable. 

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

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Phrasal verbs are such an important part of English that you’ll hear them everywhere!

As mentioned above, phrasal verbs can be either transitive or intransitive and separable or inseparable. 

Transitive  

Transitive phrasal verbs have a direct object (a thing or person that’s being acted on).

For example, let’s take the phrasal verb “put on”:

She’ll put on some makeup before stepping on stage.

In this sentence, “some makeup” is the direct object. You can’t say “she’ll put on before stepping on stage” because with transitive verbs, there needs to be a direct object—what exactly is she putting on? 

Here are some other transitive phrasal verbs:

We’re already indoors, take off your hat. 

This is really tough, but the team’s confident that they can work out a solution. 

I’m ready for this challenge, bring it on !

On the other hand, intransitive phrasal verbs don’t have a direct object. You can just use them in a sentence as is:

          When I’ve had a really good nap, it’s hard to get up !

          My friends want to hang out at this interesting café that just opened.

Separable phrasal verbs are phrasal verbs that can be split up, with a word or phrase in the middle:

Since you weren’t at the party yesterday, I’ll fill you in on the funny things that happened.

He had to take his jacket off  because he was sweating. 

One thing to remember is that separable phrasal verbs are always transitive—it’s the direct object that gets inserted into the middle of the phrase.

Usually, if the direct object is a noun, the word order is a bit more flexible. You can place it either inside the phrasal verb or simply add it afterwards: 

I’m going to turn my phone off because there’s no signal here in the mountains. 

I’m going to turn off my phone because there’s no signal here in the mountains.

There’s an exception to this, though. If the direct object is a pronoun (me, you, he, she, it, them), it would have to be inserted into the phrasal verb:

Correct: We brought a gift to cheer her up .

Incorrect: We brought a gift to cheer up her. 

With inseparable phrasal verbs, you can’t break them up! If there’s a direct object, it has to come after the phrasal verb, even if it’s a pronoun:

Correct: Can you stay nearby so we can call on you if an emergency happens? 

Incorrect: Can you stay nearby so we can call you on if an emergency happens? 

Inseparable phrasal verbs can be either transitive or intransitive:

She came across her old school photos and felt surprised about how different she looked back then. (Transitive)

As a teenager, he was excited to grow up and live in his own apartment. (Intransitive)

The catch is that there’s no definite way to tell whether a phrasal verb is separable or inseparable, so if you encounter a new phrasal verb, you’ll have to observe how it’s used! 

Phrasal verbs are used just like verbs—you can use them anywhere they make sense.

First, you have to remember if a phrasal verb is separable or inseparable.

Inseparable verbs need to have the verb and preposition said together, like in the phrase fall down.

For separable verbs, though, you can also separate the verb and the preposition by putting other words in between them—both ways are correct. For example:

T urn off the TV

Turn the TV off

The verb part of the phrase should be changed depending on the tense and subject of the sentence . For example, take out can transform like this:

He  took out  his water bottle from his bag.  (Past tense)

She  takes out  the trash every Thursday. (Present tense)

They often take out their dog for a walk in the park. (Present tense)

I’ll take out the boxes from the storage room tomorrow. (Future tense)

Here’s another example (call off) :

They called off the meeting due to a scheduling conflict. (Past tense)

We’re calling off our plans to go hiking because it might rain. (Present continuous tense)

She will call off the event if not enough people RSVP. (Future tense)

How many of these English phrasal verbs did you already know? Phrasal verbs are everywhere! Don’t be afraid of how many there are—just start with a few at a time and soon you’ll be an expert.

If you like learning English through movies and online media, you should also check out FluentU. FluentU lets you learn English from popular talk shows, catchy music videos and funny commercials , as you can see here:

If you want to watch it, the FluentU app has probably got it.

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• Knowledge Base
• Phrasal Verbs | List, Definition, Examples & Tips

Phrasal Verbs | List, Definition, Examples & Tips

Published on 20 October 2022 by Shane Bryson . Revised on 23 May 2023.

A phrasal verb combines two or more words to describe a specific action. Phrasal verbs can be difficult to get right, as their meaning usually has nothing to do with the definitions of the component words.

This means that   phrasal verbs must be treated   as distinct pieces of vocabulary. You have to learn them as a single unit of meaning, just like you would learn any single word.

Phrasal verbs are very common in everyday speech, but in academic writing, it’s best to replace them with one-word alternatives where possible.

47 phrasal verbs and one-word alternatives

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Table of contents

What is a phrasal verb, when to use phrasal verbs, separating phrasal verbs.

A verb (e.g., ‘It goes ‘) becomes a phrasal verb with the addition of one preposition (e.g., ‘The light goes out ‘) or more (e.g., ‘She goes out with him’). Each additional preposition completely changes the meaning of the verb.

It is very important to remember that a phrasal verb should be considered one unit of meaning, just like a distinct verb. In the above examples, the phrasal verb ‘goes out’ is as different from the verb ‘goes’ as the verb ‘goes’ is different from the verb ‘stays’.

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Although the best choice is usually to avoid phrasal verbs, they are so common that finding adequate replacements every time will be difficult. Change them when you can, and when you  ‘run out’ of ideas for rephrasing, ‘cheer up’, ‘believe in’ yourself, and ‘write down’ your phrasal verbs conscientiously.

Phrasal verbs do have their uses, after all. For example, they convey a casual tone, and while this is not usually desirable in academic writing , the best academic writers can vary their tone at will.

Accordingly, you should think of phrasal verbs as a stylistic option, even though you will often be best advised to eliminate them rather than add them.

Some phrasal verbs can be separated by intervening words, while others have to stay together in the sentence. There is no rule to tell whether a phrasal verb can be separated, so you have to learn by memory and practice – one good reason to avoid them when you can.

One helpful pointer, though, is that phrasal verbs that can be separated must be separated when their object is a pronoun (e.g., it , her , them).

Example: Separable

• Call the meeting off .
• Call off the meeting.

Note that if a phrasal verb is separable, it  must  be separated when its object is a pronoun (e.g., it , her , them).

• Call it off .
• Call off it.

Example: Inseparable

• The message didn’t come across well.
• The message didn’t come well across .

Example: Must be separated

Some phrasal verbs always have to be separated, but this is comparatively rare.

• Oscar will take Sven up on the offer.
• Oscar will take up Sven on the offer.

Sources for this article

We strongly encourage students to use sources in their work. You can cite our article (APA Style) or take a deep dive into the articles below.

Bryson, S. (2023, May 23). Phrasal Verbs | List, Definition, Examples & Tips. Scribbr. Retrieved 22 April 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/verb/phrasal-verb/

Aarts, B. (2011).  Oxford modern English grammar . Oxford University Press.

Butterfield, J. (Ed.). (2015).  Fowler’s dictionary of modern English usage  (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Garner, B. A. (2016).  Garner’s modern English usage (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.

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Shane Bryson

Shane finished his master's degree in English literature in 2013 and has been working as a writing tutor and editor since 2009. He began proofreading and editing essays with Scribbr in early summer, 2014.

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About Words – Cambridge Dictionary blog

Commenting on developments in the English language

They carried out an experiment: phrasal verbs in formal writing

If you only learn one phrasal verb to use in formal writing, my recommendation would be carry out . This is extremely common and sounds much more impressive than ‘do’:

Scientists have carried out experiments/tests/research on …

We have carried out  a thorough review of …

Other simple verbs could also be replaced in formal writing:

The railways brought about huge change. (= caused)

The discovery came about by chance. (= happened)

Unusually cold weather accounted for the rise in fuel use.  (= explained)

It is usual to begin an essay or report with an introduction explaining its purpose and structure. For example:

This report consists of three main parts.

The essay focuses on Mahler’s early life and expands on / builds on previous work by …

The final section is devoted to a discussion of …

In academic writing, it is usually necessary to refer to other sources:

As Brown points out …

Smith puts forward the theory that …

Her letters allude to the fact that …

This poem was originally attributed to Shakespeare.

It is also common to talk about the evidence you have to support the conclusions of your writing:

These results bear out earlier findings.

All the evidence points towards human error.

These recommendations are based on the results of extensive research.

Their team arrived at the same conclusions.

You may also wish to describe methods of research:

The questionnaires were followed up with interviews.

We had to factor in the effect of other treatments.

Eventually, the age range was narrowed down .

All the experiments were subjected to strict controls.

The team was then able to dispense with paper records.

The new procedures were phased in gradually.

So to sum up , don’t rule out phrasal verbs in formal writing, as there are many which can contribute to an authoritative style and result in admiration from your readers!

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32 thoughts on “ They carried out an experiment: phrasal verbs in formal writing ”

You make a good point about phrasal verbs being acceptable in formal English as well. As an EFL teacher I usually teach the formal/informal distinction, and try to motivate my students: “if you want to learn conversational English, you need to learn to use phrasal verbs, or else you might sound like a robot.” In the future I will qualify myself: “but sometimes robots use phrasal verbs too!” 😉 By the way, thanks for your posts. I’ve subscribed to the newsletter for a few years now, and it has been useful to me in teaching.

Thanks – really good to know it’s useful for teachers as well as students!

Very interesting topic.. Thank you

As an English learner I find this article very helpful. I have been told that I should avoid the use of phrasal verbs in formal writing, and I had never pay attention to the fact they are indeed used in it. It would be great to find a dictionary that shows a word and its equivalent to phrasal verb.

the online macmillan dictionary was the best for all sorts of phrasal verbs. Unfortunately they took down their site last year 🙁

thanks some useful verbs here

also i was wondering if some of the verbs here are not prepostional verbs? (e.g. consists of, focus on etc) and not phrasal verbs, where we take the a definition of phrasal verbs as something that changes the usual meaning of the verb?

Hi Mura: The article does say ‘and other multi-word verbs’, but the question of what exactly a phrasal verb is is very complicated (and I speak as someone who has written several books about them!). I don’t think it’s possible to have an exact definition because there are always examples on the borders about which people won’t agree. My own view is that from the point of view of learning English, if a verb must be followed by a preposition or an adverb, then it’s best to think of it as a multi-word phrase and learn it in that way.

I do agree with you Mura, since there are some features that differentiate phrasal verbs from prepositional ones like when the verb and the particle are inseparable as in ”got off the bus” it’s considered a phrasal verb not a prepositional one. In fact, it’s quite helpful to know the differences if you work as a translator and I’d recommend to you reading Farser’s article “An examination of the verb-particle construction in English” if you’re interested in.

oh nice thanks for that ref lumiere rouge 🙂 questions of terminology aside a major issue with learning multi-word verbs is meaning and the multiple meanings possible for such verbs

Thanks for your interesting comment, Lumiere Rouge. I guess it’s really a question of audience – my point isn’t that there isn’t a distinction, but that in a blog like this, that aims to provide some simple tips on vocabulary and grammar to students, it may be more confusing than illuminating to try to make the difference (and especially to do it every time phrasal verbs/prepositional verbs are mentioned!). I am a teacher as well as a writer, and I know for sure that most intermediate students don’t understand the term ‘prepositional verb’. To be honest, if they can use ‘consist of’ correctly, I’m very happy! 🙂

I love to read your blog every time. I learn a lot , specially to modern terms in English language. I attended a Canadian University and have a B.A. in English Literature and a M.I.L.Sc. However I spent my whole professional life as a Medical Librarian. 41 years. In a Pediatric Hospital in Mexico. I must say, that when I did a postgraduate on that discipline, no one emphasized the importance of a proper formal language when writing scientific papers. Fortunately I was very lucky to have a good formal education. I spent a lot of time on my job pointing out to the medical staff about this matter. I am glad you are mentioning it to readers.

The noun”report” should have been preceded by the article ‘a’ in the sentence ‘It is usual to begin “an” essay or ‘a’ report …

Hi Kalyan – actually it’s fine to omit the second article after the ‘or’, though it’s not wrong to add it either!

Thanks! I wonder how to know how to identify which phrasal verb can be used as a formal word when using online cambridge dictionary.

Hi Mario: in the online dictionary, look for labels like ‘formal’ or ‘informal’ – any words that don’t have a label are fine in general speech and writing.

Reblogged this on shukrimahmoodmohamed .

it is really very helpful.everybody shul go thru it.

Hi A note for anyone who writes for Cambridge. I really enjoy reading your contributions but I wish that you would change your keyboard over the English rather than American. I teach English and then tell the students if there is a word that they are using in American. I have to run a spell checker and reset the grammar in the texts!

Hi Paul, I don’t think we intentionally favour American spelling or grammar over British – are there any particular words or constructions that you have in mind?

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A great post with most useful phrasal verbs

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Dear Ms. Walter, This is a tremendously helpful list, but I’m wondering, then, how I can help my (ESL graduate) students differentiate between formal and informal phrasal verbs. Clearly “eliminate” is preferable to “get rid of,” and “go up/down” should be replaced with rise/increase/drop/decrease. Is there a good resource you could point me to? Many thanks, Eric Grunwald, egrunwal@mit.,edu

This is a tricky one – all good learners’ dictionaries, such as the one on this site, will have a label when something is markedly formal or informal. The problem is that there are a lot in the middle, and I’m afraid I don’t know of a resource that would have enough gradations of formality to be able to say that ‘increase’ is more formal than ‘go up’. Sorry not to be able to help.

Thank you, that is helpful, actually, as I had basically come to the same conclusion and am trying to figure out how to present that fact to my students. It’s pushing me to incorporate corpus-searching more into the course, which I’ve wanted to do anyway, and maybe “When still in doubt, go with a one-word verb.”

Thanks again, Eric

Around half of these aren’t phrasal verbs (they are just verbs that happen to have dependent prepositions), but still it is an excellent article. Thank you

Yes, they’re what I refer to as ‘multi-word verbs’ in the introduction, but I find it’s simplest for students not to make the distinction.

That’s a good point, I suppose it depends on what way you look at it! I like students to make the distinction so that they won’t think the ‘multi-word verbs’ they know are informal. All roads lead to Rome 🙂

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Breakout English

The 120 most useful phrasal verbs list

Phrasal verbs are one of the love to hate them areas of the English language, but love them or hate them, they are a vital area to understand before taking an exam, hence this list of phrasal verbs. As you progress through levels of exams, especially Cambridge exams, you’ll notice phrasal verbs coming up more and more often. At A2 you’ll see useful phrasal verbs such as wake up , by B1 you will start to see common phrasal verbs like find out , when you get to B2 you’ll be expected to know less frequent phrasal verbs such as call off , and in C1 you’ll be expected to not only understand, but to use a wide variety of essential phrasal verbs with ease. With our comprehensive phrasal verbs list below, you’ll find the 120 most useful ones which every B2 or C1 student should know.

What are phrasal verbs?

Phrasal verbs, for those who may be unfamiliar, are multi-word verbs that consist of a base verb and one or more particles, which together create a new meaning. They are a unique and essential aspect of the English language and are widely used in both casual conversation and writing.

From a grammatical perspective, phrasal verbs can function as either transitive or intransitive verbs, depending on the meaning they convey. Transitive phrasal verbs require an object, while intransitive phrasal verbs do not. For example, “take off” is a transitive phrasal verb that requires an object, as in “take off your shoes.” On the other hand, “wake up” is an intransitive phrasal verb, as in “I woke up early this morning.” There is no direct object connected to the verb “wake up” .

Phrasal verbs can also have different meanings depending on the context in which they are used. This is because the particles that make up phrasal verbs can change the meaning of the base verb. For example, “look up” can mean to search for information, as in “I’m going to look up the meaning of that word.” However, “look up” can also mean to raise your eyes or head, as in “She looked up at the sky.”

It’s worth mentioning that some phrasal verbs can consist of two particles, adding even more complexity to the meaning they convey. These double-particle phrasal verbs can be challenging to understand and use correctly, but with practice, they can greatly enhance your language skills. For example, the phrasal verb “look up to” means to admire or respect someone, as in “I look up to my father for his wisdom and kindness.” The two particles work together to create a new meaning that is distinct from the meanings of the individual words.

So, why is it important to learn phrasal verbs? Including phrasal verbs in your conversations and writing can greatly enhance your language skills and make you sound more confident and fluent in English. It’s a fantastic way to showcase your mastery of the language and leave a lasting impression on others.

How to use the phrasal verbs list in the classroom

Here are a few simple, but effective, activities to use with phrasal verbs in the classroom:

• Phrasal verb pictionary – The fact that phrasal verbs are delexicalised makes them perfect for pictionary. Students will have to stretch their imaginations to draw the words separately or together. *Working in a socially distant or online classroom? No problem, use mini-whiteboards or online whiteboards to keep this essential classroom game alive.
• Phrasal verb taboo – Everyone’s favourite, taboo works amazingly with phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs often have a Latinate synonym or a phrase that explains the meaning. These synonyms come in handy when you later need phrasal verbs for an exam.
• Make your own transformations – Think of the solution sentence that uses a phrasal verb, then think of a synonymous sentence. Using the preposition as the key word, would you be able to recreate the key word transformation using the phrasal verb?
• Story time – Think of a story from your life and write it out using as many phrasal verbs as possible. Then test phrasal verb knowledge by cutting them out of the story and seeing if you can recreate it.
• True or false – Write 5 sentences about yourself using the phrasal verbs list. Can others guess what is true and what is false?

But how are phrasal verbs connect to English exams? In Cambridge exams, you’re likely to see them come up in the Use of English paper. Here are 10 key word transformation questions using phrasal verbs . Just because phrasal verbs get you down, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pick up your game.

Phrasal verbs list

Here’s our 120 most useful phrasal verbs list. These verbs have come from years of exams, classes, course books and students who have struggled with this language. The list of phrasal verbs is also available on Quizlet to use as self-study or to practise in class.

PHRASAL VERBS QUIZLET CARDS

Tim’s Free Lesson Plans has designed a useful Quizlet set with this list of phrasal verbs with missing prepositions. Check it out here!

If you can use all of these verbs, consider yourself an expert. Here’s the list of phrasal verbs in a downloadable pdf.

List of phrasal verbs

• back down – stop demanding something
• break down – stop working
• break up – to end; to separate (a marriage / a relationship / etc.)
• bring up (a child) – raise (a child)
• bump into – to meet someone unexpectedly
• call for – demand / request
• call off – cancel (an event)
• carry on – continue
• catch on – to become popular (an idea or a style); to understand
• cheer up – make happier
• come across – find by chance
• come into (money) – inherit
• come round – come to your house
• come up with (an idea) – think of and suggest an idea
• come up – be mentioned, arise or appear (in class / an exam / a meeting)
• count on – to rely on
• cut down on – reduce the amount you consume
• cut off – separate / isolate / interrupt
• cut out – stop doing / eating something
• do up – fasten, button up clothes; repair, redecorate or modernize a building or room
• dress up – put on different clothes in order to disguise yourself
• drop by – to visit informally or unexpectedly
• drop off – to take something (or someone) to a place and leave it there
• drop out – stop taking part in (a competition, a university, etc.)
• end up – an end result of something planned or unplanned
• fall for (someone) – fall in love with
• fall out with (someone) – argue and stop being friendly with someone
• find out – discover
• follow up – find out more about something; take further action
• get along with (someone) – have a good relationship with
• get away (for the weekend) – go away for a period of time for a break
• get away with – not be punished for doing something
• get by – manage to survive / live
• get on with (someone) – have a good relationship with
• get on with (something) – start or continue doing something (especially work)
• get over (someone) – recover after the end of a relationship with someone
• get over (something) – recover from
• get together – meet (usually for social reasons)
• get rid of – eliminate
• give away (secrets) – reveal
• give back – return
• give in (homework) – submit
• give in (to someone’s requests) – agree to something you do not want to
• give off (a smell) – produce and send into the air
• give out (information) – announce or broadcast information
• give out – distribute to a group of people
• give up – to stop trying to do something (often because it is too difficult)
• go along with – support an idea or agree with someone’s opinion
• go off – explode; become bad (food)
• go on – to continue
• go out with – have a romantic relationship with someone
• go through with – complete a promise or plan
• grow apart – get distant from someone, like a friend
• grow up – slowly become an adult
• hand in – submit school work, submit documentation
• hand out – to distribute to a group of people, usually free
• hang around – to wait or spend time somewhere, doing nothing
• hang out – spend time relaxing (informal)
• hang up – to hang clothes or an object on a hook or line; to end a phone call
• head for – go towards
• hold back – prevent someone from making progress
• hurry up – do something more quickly
• keep on – to continue
• let down – disappoint
• let off – give someone a lighter punishment than they expected (or not punish at all)
• look after – take care of
• look down on – feel superior to
• look for – try to find
• look forward to – feel happy about something that is going to happen
• look into – investigate
• look up – find information about (e.g. a word in a dictionary)
• look up to – admire and respect
• make up for – compensate for
• make up with (someone) – become friends again
• make up (something) – invent (stories, excuses)
• move on – change to a different job, activity or place
• move out – stop living in a house or flat
• pass out – lose consciousness
• pay back – return money
• pay for – purchase
• pay off – finish paying for something; have a positive result from hard work
• pick up – meet / collect someone (e.g. at the station / from school)
• point out – to draw attention to something or someone
• put away – put something back in the correct place
• put off – postpone
• put on (an event/a show) – organize an event
• put on (clothes /make up) – place something on your body
• put on (weight) – increase (weight)
• put out – extinguish (e.g. fire)
• put up (for the night) – accommodate
• put up (your hand) – lift into the air
• put up with – tolerate
• rip off – charge someone too much for something
• run into – meet by accident
• run out of – use up (e.g. money, petrol, time)
• set off – start a journey
• set up – establish / start (e.g. a company)
• show off – try to impress people by telling or showing them what you are capable of
• shut down – to close
• sort out – arrange or order by classes or categories; find a solution
• stand for – to represent
• stand out – be easy to see because of being different
• take after (someone) – resemble a member of your family in appearance, behaviour or character
• take off (something) – to remove from a surface or your body (clothes)
• take off – leave the ground (e.g. a plane)
• take on – attempt something new; employ
• take over – take control of
• take to – start to like, especially after only a short time
• take up – start doing (a hobby)
• tell off – speak angrily to someone who has done something wrong
• throw away – get rid of something you do not need any more
• turn back – return towards the place you started from
• turn down – reject or refuse
• turn into – to transform
• turn off – to disconnect (e.g. a computer)
• turn on – to connect (e.g. the TV)
• turn up – arrive, usually unexpectedly, early or late
• use up – finish a supply of something
• wear out – to use something until it becomes unusable
• work out – think about and find a solution; do exercise

2 thoughts on “The 120 most useful phrasal verbs list”

excellent post

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Can I use phrasal verbs in formal writing?

Entry posted by romeo · October 20, 2019

How confident do you feel about using English phrasal verbs correctly?

If you’re a non-native English speaker, the prospect of mastering the use of these frustrating, but very common and very useful, parts of language might fill you with dread! I know English language learners often worry about learning how to use them correctly.

But if you’re a native English speaker, there’s a good chance you use them many times a day without giving them a second thought. And although they’re very familiar to you, it’s possible you might not even know what these much-used parts of language are called.

Here’s a very brief explanation and reminder if you need one…

What is a phrasal verb?

Phrasal verbs are also sometimes called multi-word verbs. They’re used just like other verbs and are a combination of a verb, such as ‘talk’ or ‘run’, plus one or two particles (an adverb or a preposition), that results in a new word or unit of meaning.

Examples of common phrasal verbs:

Phrasal verbs are particularly common in normal conversation. Using phrasal verbs in your informal speech makes it sound more natural, and if you’re a non-native English speaker, using them makes your speech much more like that of a native English speaker.

But what about phrasal verbs in writing?

Phrasal verbs are also very common in informal writing where the style of the writing is similar to a spoken conversation. In informal writing you’re writing very much as you speak and, according to the context, your writing may include slang, idioms, colloquial expressions, abbreviations, contractions, and of course, many phrasal verbs.

Because of their frequent occurrence in informal speech and writing, it’s not unreasonable to think that phrasal verbs are always informal. You may have read that phrasal verbs should be avoided in formal writing, and that the single verb equivalents should be used instead. While to some extent that’s true, the reality is more complicated.

Phrasal verbs in formal writing

There are many phrasal verbs that can and also should be used in formal writing. You will often see them used in many quite formal and formal texts such as business letters, academic writing, scientific papers, technical papers, legal documents, news reports, and official government documents.

Before we move on to examples of phrasal verbs that are useful and appropriate for formal writing, let’s look at language register for a moment...

‘Register’ is the term we use to refer to different varieties or styles of speaking and writing, and also the degree or level of formality with which we speak or write. Degree of formality is on a sliding scale rather than in distinct categories, and although phrasal verbs are often thought of as an informal part of language, most of them are neutral, and some are in fact rather formal.

Some phrasal verbs are definitely informal, for example:

• beaver away – work hard for a long time
• belt out - sing or play a musical instrument very loudly
• harp on – talk non-stop about something in a boring or annoying way
• pig out - eat a lot of or too much food

In your formal writing, you should of course avoid phrasal verbs that are at the informal end of register, and steer clear of slang phrasal verbs, and those that would be considered by many to be offensive. A good phrasal verb dictionary will tell you which phrasal verbs are informal, slang, or offensive.

It's true that very often, single verbs are more formal and therefore are more appropriate for formal writing than their phrasal verb equivalents. Some examples of these are:

Single verb/Phrasal Verb

• constitute/make up
• calculate/work out
• cause/bring about
• discover/find out
• discuss/talk about
• emerge/come out
• eradicate/stamp out
• increase/go up
• maintain/keep up
• organize/set up
• propose/put forward
• select/pick out

However, most phrasal verbs are neutral, neither informal or formal, and in general there’s no reason to specify they shouldn’t be used in formal writing. In fact, in some cases it’s more appropriate to use a phrasal verb in place of a single verb. For example, the phrasal verb ‘carry out’:

“Researchers carried out a survey into …” sounds much better for formal writing than

“Researchers did a survey into …”

At the other end of the formality register, there are phrasal verbs that are so formal they’re only used in very formal or serious speech or writing. If you were to use them in informal writing they would very strange and out of place.

Examples of formal phrasal verbs

• appertain to
• disabuse of
• emanate from/to
• depart from
• enlarge on/upon
• enter on/upon
• offend against
• provide against

As always with writing, context is everything – remember to use the language most appropriate to your audience. Your university, organization, etc. will most probably have a guide to the language you should use for formal writing, including their preferences for using phrasal verbs or their single verb equivalents.

• Often, single verbs are more formal than phrasal verbs and therefore can be more appropriate for formal writing than their phrasal verb equivalents.
• Nevertheless, phrasal verbs are very common in formal writing.
• Offensive, slang, and informal phrasal verbs are not appropriate for formal writing.
• Most phrasal verbs are neutral and therefore, in general, there’s no reason to specify they shouldn’t be used in formal writing.
• Some phrasal verbs are so formal they’re only used in very formal or serious writing.
• Yes, you can use phrasal verbs in formal writing, as long as you choose those that are the most suitable for your context or audience.

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Which phrasal verbs can be used in academic English?

This is the third and final chapter about Phrasal Verbs . To complete this reader, read each chapter carefully and then unlock and complete our materials to check your understanding.   

– Provide the most common phrasal verbs and their types

– Divide phrasal verbs into general and academic categories

– Discuss how to avoid phrasal verbs in academic writing

Chapter 1: What are English phrasal verbs?

Chapter 2: What are the different types of phrasal verb?

Chapter 3: Which phrasal verbs can be used in academic English?

Before you begin reading...

• video and audio texts
• knowledge checks and quizzes
• skills practices, tasks and assignments

This final chapter on phrasal verbs provides detailed lists of the most common constructions that may be used in both general and academic English.

1. General English Phrasal Verbs

The phrasal verbs which are used in general English tend to be more idiomatic   and less formal than their academic counterparts. Very common in speech, particularly between friends or out on the street, the following list provides you with the twenty most-used phrasal verbs, indicating also the variables of transitivity and separability that were discussed in Chapter 2.

Remember when using the following lists that ‘I’ = intransitive (that the phrase cannot take an object ), ‘T’ = transitive (the phrase takes an object) and S = separable (the object may come between the verb  and the particle). 

2. Academic English Phrasal Verbs

Many textbooks and tutors of academic English may warn students against using phrasal verbs at all, and while it is true that academics must be very cautious about using such words in their assignments , these constructions should not be avoided altogether. Although not nearly as commonly found in academic texts as in speech, phrasal verbs still reportedly appear in academic writing every 1,250 words. Generally, however, the type of phrasal verbs that are used in this context are more formal ones that lack in idiomaticity.

One reason that phrasal verbs may be less common in academic contexts is because, as we highlighted in Chapters 1 and 2, these constructions can sometimes have unclear meanings – and academic writing is about being as unambiguous as possible. Notice how the ten common academic phrasal verbs we’ve listed below are almost all transitive and inseparable and have fairly low levels of idiomaticity.

3. Avoiding Phrasal Verbs

Finally, if phrasal verbs are very common in speech and informal English but shouldn’t be commonly used in academic writing, then how can students learn to avoid them? The quick answer to this problem is to say that the best method for avoiding phrasal verbs that you’ve already learned is to instead investigate and use a synonym  for these words in your academic performances and writing. The most recommended and academic option is to use a one-word synonym for the particular phrasal verb you’ve selected (if one exists), such as in the examples below:

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Phrasal verbs are perhaps the best-known example of the difference between formal and informal English. Phrasal verbs are never used in academic writing, yet phrasal verbs seem to be everywhere in spoken English. Without them, our students’ spoken English can appear too formal. Our students need phrasal verbs to make their spoken English more natural and conversational. Yet, for our students, the number of phrasal verbs and the rules around phrasal verbs can make learning them intimidating.

Do I pick up , pick on , pick at , or pick over ? Do I pick it up or pick up it? Phrasal verbs can be overwhelming; however, they are governed by a few basic rules.

• For example: He drove the car . He drove what? The car.
• For example: She ran this morning .
• For example: He never turns off the lights or He never turns the lights off .

However, if the direct object is a pronoun, it must come between the verb and particle.

• Incorrect: He never turns off them . Correct: He never turns them off .
• Correct: We need to check out of the hotel . Incorrect: We need to check the hotel out of .
• For example: I decided to sign up for the school play .

In this month’s Teacher’s Corner, we will check out the world of phrasal verbs by practicing them in specific contexts. Each week will provide students a chance to play with and practice phrasal verbs through inductive learning. In inductive learning, students are provided an example and from that example learn rules, definitions, or meanings. After students have practiced using the phrasal verbs and learned the rules through working with specific examples of phrasal verbs, they will begin to understand the rules of phrasal verbs. For this month’s Teacher’s Corner, it is recommended to let students practice first and then at the end of the month provide them with the rules listed above. You may be surprised at how much of the rules students pick up through inductive learning!

Each activity this month provides students a context to learn the meanings of specific phrasal verbs and opportunities to practice these phrasal verbs in the same context.

Week 1 – Phrasal Verb Quiz Game

Week 2 – Planning a Party

Week 3 – House Party

Week 4 – Vacation Travel

Week one kicks off the month with a quiz game on phrasal verbs. Week two encourages students to plan the perfect party with their classmates. In week three, students learn phrasal verbs while cleaning up after a party. Finally, this month’s Teacher’s Corner concludes with students taking some time off and planning a relaxing vacation.

For more on phrasal verbs check out: The Lighter Side Train of Thought

For more on recognizing noun position check out: Nouns on the Job Market: An Approach for Recognizing Noun Position

For more on inductive learning check out: Discovering Grammar with Consciousness-Raising Tasks

Table of Contents

Low-Intermediate to Advanced

Language Focus

Speaking, reading (primary focus); listening (secondary focus) 

Students will increase their understanding of phrasal verbs through phrasal verb activities.

• Teacher: whiteboard/chalkboard, markers or chalk, a timing device, computer and projector.
• Students: pencils or pens, notebooks or writing paper.

Preparation

This week’s Teacher’s Corner uses a popular quiz-game format to review phrasal verbs. In a Phrasal Verb Matching Game, there are five categories with each category having five questions or clues.

• Read through all the materials carefully.
• The phrasal verbs used in the PowerPoint are focused on commonly used verbs: take, come, look, get, and bring. However, the Phrasal Verb Match Up cards and the PowerPoint can be changed to reflect other phrasal verbs that you may have taught in class.
• Read through the PowerPoint Phrasal Verb Matching Game – Answer Key in Appendix 1 to review all the clues. In the PowerPoint, each clue has a definition for the phrasal verb and an example sentence. The students must correctly fill in the blank of the sentence. For example: To begin or start a new hobby. I have decided to _____ the guitar and maybe start a band!
• In the example above, the student needs to fill in the blank with take up . If they use the correct phrasal verbs, they earn the points for that clue.
• Print out the Phrasal Verb Match Up cards in Appendix 2. Make one copy for each team of students. Cut the Phrasal Verb Match Up cards so that each word is on its own slip of paper. Each team of students should receive a total of 25 slips of paper.

Note on the PowerPoint: the PowerPoint works by clicking on the points in each box on the first slide. Clicking on the points will take you to the slide with the question for those points. Each question slide has a purple arrow at the bottom left. Click this arrow to return to the first slide.

Part 1: Phrasal Verb Jeopardy

• Begin the class activity by having the students form small groups. Each group should be between three to four students. These groups will work as a team to answer the clues and earn points.
• Decide which team will go first.
• The team to go first can choose the category at the top of the PowerPoint and then choose the points they would like to attempt.
• For every clue, all the teams may attempt to answer. The team which raises a hand first is given the chance to answer first. If they are correct, they earn the points. If they are incorrect, another team may try to answer the question.
• The team that successfully answers a clue is allowed to choose the next clue.
• For added difficulty, teams can lose points. If a team answers a clue incorrectly, they lose that many points from their overall score.

Part 2: Phrasal Verb Match Up

• Provide the teams with the Phrasal Verb Match Up cards and instruct the teams to create phrasal verbs with the cards. Give the students 5-10 minutes to complete the activity depending on level.

Note: The words the students are working with are the same as those in the PowerPoint game played in Part 1.

• For example, with the phrasal verb take off students can write down the verb remove .
• The goal in this part of the activity is for the students to think critically about each of the phrasal verbs. Even though they are writing definitions, these definitions may be incorrect. At this stage of the lesson, that is acceptable. Other teams may rely on their memory of the material covered in the game in Part 1, and this is acceptable as well.
• Students may use the phrasal verbs incorrectly in their sentences during this part of the exercise. However, later in the exercise they will be able to correct their sentences. The goal at this step is for students to inductively learn the meanings of the phrasal verbs. In an inductive learning approach, students use examples to guess and come to learn the rules of grammar or word meanings.
• During this stage of the activity, differences in meanings of the phrasal verbs will appear between teams. Let them work through these differences with each other to learn from each other and also engage in speaking practice.
• This review portion of the activity can be completed with the game PowerPoint used earlier in the class.

Learn more about the phrasal verbs used in this activity and other phrasal verbs on the American English Facebook page !

Appendix 1: PowerPoint Jeopardy – Answer Key

Appendix 2: Phrasal Verb Match Up

Appendix 3: Phrasal Verb Match Up – Answer Key

Intermediate to Advanced

Speaking, listening (primary focus); reading (secondary focus).

Students will practice phrasal verbs related to life experiences and planning a party.

• Teacher: whiteboard/chalkboard, markers or chalk, printer and copier.
• Students: pencils or pens, notebooks or writing paper

This week’s Teacher’s Corner provides students opportunity to practice using phrasal verbs related to life experiences and planning a party.

• This phrasal verb activity begins with a warm up activity to provide students with more structured practice using phrasal verbs. However, more advanced classes can skip Part 1 depending on class time.
• Print copies of the Find Someone Who cards in Appendix 1. Each student will need a card.
• Print copies of the Party Planning sheet in Appendix 2. During that part of the activity, students will be in groups of three to four students. Each group of students will need one Party Planning sheet.
• Have a copy of the Party Planning Answer Key in Appendix 3 to check answers with the students.
• Appendix 4 contains additional materials on phrasal verbs that can be printed out and shared with the class.

Part 1 – Warm Up: Find Someone Who…

1.     Provide each student one of the Find Someone Who cards in Appendix 1.

2.     Have the students read through the ten items on the card and answer any vocabulary questions they may have.

3.     Next, instruct the students to form questions they can ask their classmates on a sheet of paper.

a.     For example: Find someone who always wakes up on time can be changed to the question: Do you always wake up on time?

i.     Note: More advanced classes can skip this step of the activity, so that students have to think up the questions while doing the activity for added challenge.

4.     When students have finished creating questions for each of the find someone who statements, have the students stand up and move around the classroom. Students should ask their classmates the questions they have written. Once a student finds someone who answers the question positively, that student should write that person’s name in the blank.

5.     The warm up continues until the students have filled in as many blanks as they can.

a.     Note: Depending on your class, not all the blanks may be filled in as students may not match the statements.

6.     End the activity by having the students return to their seats and share with the class what they discovered about their classmates.

Part 2 – Planning a Party

• Begin this part of the activity by asking students to form small groups of three to four students per group.
• Have the groups decide which student will be the organizer for the group. The organizer will have the Party Planning sheet in Appendix 2.
• Next, have the group work together to put the phrasal verbs at the bottom of the Party Planning sheet into the correct blanks in the questions. Each phrasal verb will be used once.
• Once the groups have placed the phrasal verbs in the questions, review them as a class. Students should correct any mistakes and ask any questions they have.
• After the phrasal verbs have been reviewed, have the groups start a discussion around the questions and organize a party. The student with the Party Planning sheet should ask the questions and the rest of the students should respond. The organizer should write down the group’s answers on the Party Planning sheet underneath each question.
• If your class has studied Reported Speech , the groups can present their party ideas using reported speech. For example: I said we should stay up late, but the group said we should have the party early.

Optional Activity:

If time permits have the students act out a party in class. Students should stand up and walk around the class like they would at an actual party. The questions they created in the Find Someone Who warm up are great questions to ‘break the ice’ or get to know someone new!

Appendix 1: Find Someone Who

Appendix 2: Party Planning

Appendix 3: Party Planning Answer Key

Speaking, listening (primary focus); writing (secondary focus)

Students will practice using phrasal verbs through a dialogue practice and a speaking activity.

• Teacher: whiteboard/chalkboard, markers or chalk, computer with speakers, printer  

This week’s Teacher’s Corner is divided into three parts: a listening dialogue, a review activity, and a speaking activity. The listening dialogue will provide students vocabulary and sentence structure that they can use in the speaking activity. Before using the activity in class:

• Print out the Listening Activity worksheet in Appendix 1. Make enough copies so that each student in class has a worksheet.
• Print out (or have a digital copy of) the House Party worksheet answer key in Appendix 1 to check answers with the students.
• If you do not have a computer to play the audio, you can read the dialogue to students. The listening transcript is in Appendix 4.
• Print out the House Party worksheet in Appendix 3. Make enough copies so that each student in class has a worksheet.

Part 1 – Listening Activity

1.     Give each student a copy of the Listening Activity worksheet in Appendix 1.

2.     Next, read the directions with the students. The students will listen to the audio and fill in the blanks with the words they hear.

3.     Play the audio and have students fill in the blanks on the worksheet.

• For lower-level classes you may want to play the audio twice.

4.     Review the answers as a group. Have the students check their answers, or they can change papers with a partner and check their partner’s answers.

5.     Play the audio again so students can follow along with the corrected answers on their worksheets.

Part 2 – Phrasal Verbs Charades

1.     Review the phrasal verbs used in the listening activity by playing charades.

• Note : Charades is a guessing game. In charades, one student silently acts out a word or phrase and the rest of the class must guess the word of phrase.

2.     Act out one of the sentences from the listening activity and have the students guess which sentence is it is.

3.     Have students come to the front of the class and act out another sentence from the listening activity.

• For more competitive classes, award points to students who are the first to guess correctly. The student with the most points at the end wins.

Part 3 – House Party!

1.     Begin this part of the activity by having the students create their own sentences on a sheet of paper. Encourage the students to use the pattern used in the listening activity:

• (phrasal verb)  the  (noun)  in/at/on the (location).
• For example: Clean up the pizza boxes in the living room!

2.     Next, give each student a copy of the House Party! worksheet in Appendix 3. Read the directions on the worksheet as a class.

3.     Have the students form pairs. Each pair will have student A and student B.

• Note : This activity will be done in two rounds. During the first round, student A will read his/her sentences and student B will write them down on his/her worksheet. Then the pairs will switch roles.

4.     Next, have student A start a dialogue with student B. Encourage the students to use stress and intonation like they heard in the dialogue. Student A needs to instruct student B on how to clean up the house. Student B should write down on the worksheet the instructions he/she hears from student A.

5.     After they have finished sharing sentences and taking notes, have the students switch roles. Student B will now call student A and give instructions.

Optional Activities

• If time permits, have the pairs come to the front of the class and act out their dialogue.
• Another optional activity is charades. Now that students have had a chance to work with the phrasal verbs, have individual students come to the front of the class and act out the sentences they wrote for the House Party! activity.

High-Intermediate to Advanced

Speaking, listening (primary focus); writing, reading (secondary focus).

Students will practice using reported speech through a vacation-planning activity.

• Teacher: whiteboard/chalkboard, markers or chalk.

In this week’s Teacher’s Corner, students will practice phrasal verbs through a vacation-planning activity.

• Read through all the materials carefully before starting the activity.
• Print a copy of the Vacation Flyer in Appendix 1 for each pair or small group of students.
• Print a copy of the Travel Phrasal Verbs card in Appendix 2. A card can be printed for each group or one can be printed and put on the chalkboard/whiteboard for the whole class.

Part 1 – In-Class Practice

1.     Begin the activity by having the students form pairs or small groups.

2.     Inform the students that today you will be discussing vacations.

3.     Next, give each pair or small group of students the Vacation Flyer in Appendix 1.

4.     Give the students time to read the flyer and ask any vocabulary questions they may have.

5.     Next, have the students discuss what they would like to do during the beach vacation shown on the flyer.

a.     Encourage the students to be creative and think of more activities than just those shown on the flyer.

6.     Have the students list the things they want to do on their beach vacation and things they need to do on their vacation.

a.     For example:

• Give the students time to work on the list. Be sure to circulate among the students and check their work. Encourage them to include write complete sentences, or at least use a verb and a noun in their ideas. Later, students will replace these verbs with phrasal verbs.
• Next, have the class come back together as a group and share the vacation ideas they brainstormed. List these ideas on the board in a format similar to the table in step 6.
• Give each group the Phrasal Verbs Travel Card in Appendix 2 or place a copy of the card on the board. Review the phrasal verbs on the card and brainstorm other possible phrasal verbs with the students.
• For example:

i.     Note: Not every verb can be replaced with a phrasal verb.

11.  Encourage the students to be creative and think of more things they may want to do, or need to do, during their vacation. For example:

a.     We should dress up and take pictures at the beach.

b.     We must ask a friend to drop us off at the airport and pick us up when we come home.

c.     It is sunny at the beach, so we should put on sunscreen so we don’t get burned!

12.  Once students have some phrasal verbs to work with, have them write a short speech they can present to the class describing their beach vacation.

d.     Once all the pairs/small groups have presented, have the class vote on each presentation:

i.     Which pair/small group is the most practical and planned the best vacation?

ii.     Which pair/small group will have the most fun on their vacation?

Optional Activity

If time permits, have the students form new pairs/small groups based on the type of vacation they would like to take. For example: an adventure vacation in the mountains, a big-city vacation, a quiet vacation at the beach. Then have them create a new vacation plan that fits the type of vacation they would like to take.

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