Unveiling Phrasal Verbs: Everything You Need To Know

Have you ever wondered what phrasal verbs are and why they are very common in English?

You might even be using them without realizing it. That is because phrasal verbs are considered collocations in English, and native speakers use them a lot.

Phrasal verbs are an interesting part of the English language, but beware as they are not as easy as they seem.

To know more about phrasal verbs, please continue reading.

What are Phrasal Verbs?

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What are Phrasal Verbs?

A phrasal verb is a group of words (a verb plus a preposition or a verb plus an adverb) that, when combined, have a different meaning than the original verb.

Take, for example, the phrasal verb ‘put off’. It means to postpone, which is not the same as the meaning of the two words together, ‘put’ and ‘off.’

Another example would be the phrasal verb’ turn down’, which means to refuse. The meaning is entirely different from the words that were put together, ‘turn’ and ‘down.’

English language learners may have difficulty understanding these phrasal verbs because they are one of the aspects of everyday English that include multi-word units.

Only a few people with a basic understanding of them can grasp, figure out, and perceive how they work.

To assist you in overcoming any difficulties you may have with phrasal verbs, continue reading to the next section to know the different types of phrasal verbs and how they are structured.

What are the Different Types of Phrasal Verbs?

Phrasal verbs are employed in sentences in the same manner as normal verbs. In addition, we frequently utilize them in casual settings and spoken English.

Because phrasal verbs can have a variety of meanings, they can be confusing at times.

To help you understand phrasal verbs better, here are their different types and some examples:

1. Phrasal Verbs can be Categorized Depending on their Composition

a. Verb + Preposition

When the element is a preposition, the phrasal verb is prepositional since it is the head of a full prepositional phrase.

Phrasal Verbs	Meaning	Examples of Sentences
argue out	To give reasons to persuade someone to do or not do something	“The siblings argued out on who would occupy the biggest room.”
blow up	To be destroyed by a blast	“The machine blew up and injured the custodian.”
buckle down	To begin working diligently	“She is buckling down because her exams are coming.”
look after	To take care of something or someone	“I will be looking after my younger sister, who is sick.”
run into	To happen upon unintentionally or by coincidence	“My mom ran into an old friend of hers in the supermarket last week.”
stand by	To be faithful to someone in a tough situation	“The employers stood by the company even during the crisis.”
take after	To have the appearance or mannerisms of an elderly family member	“You should take after your older sister, who is smart and hardworking.”
talk bout	To use words to communicate one’s feelings, thoughts, or opinions	“They talked about the upcoming projects during the meeting.”

b. Verb + Particle

Because it does not take a compliment, the element cannot (or no longer can) be understood as a preposition when it is a particle.

Phrasal Verbs	Meaning	Examples of Sentences
bring up	To take care of a child and teach them proper manners	“She was brought up by her grandparents.”
dress down	To dress informally	“He was dressed down for the event.”
get off	To depart from a location, usually to embark on a journey	“We need to get off before sunrise to witness the parade.”
give in	To give up the struggle or the argument; concede; surrender	“She finally gave in after her parents’ incessant persuasion.”
hand over	To officially or formally give something or someone to another person	“You must hand over your passport to the officer.”
hang out	To spend some time for unstructured relaxation or chatting	“We often hang out at this place every weekend.”
run over	To knockdown and pass over the body of a person or an animal	“Our aunt’s cat was run over by a lorry yesterday.”
think over	To think about something thoroughly	“You have to think over the offer before turning it down.”

c. Verb + Particle + Preposition

A particle and a preposition are often combined in phrasal verbs.

Phrasal Verbs	Meaning	Examples of Sentences
bear down on	To approach someone or something in a hostile manner	“She looked up and saw the car bearing down on her.”
check up on	To try to figure out what someone is doing so that you can be sure they are doing what they should be doing.	“My older brother checked up on me to make sure if I was working on my project.”
go along with	To agree with someone’s point of view or to support an idea	“I knew the plan won’t work, but I still went along with it anyway.”
live up to	To be on par with something	“The show was spectacular; it lived up to our expectations.”
load up on	To amass or purchase a massive quantity of something	“She loaded up on cosmetics and perfumes on her birthday.”
looking forward to	To be glad and enthusiastic about something that is about to occur	“I am looking forward to working with my best friend.”
put up with	To accept or continue to accept a bad condition or experience or someone who acts in an unsatisfactory manner.	“She just couldn’t put up with his vices anymore.”
sit in for	To fill in for someone who would ordinarily do a specific task or attend a specific meeting.	“My teacher was absent today, so the headteacher sat in for her.”

2. Phrasal Verbs can also be Categorized Depending on their Transitivity

a. Transitive Phrasal Verbs

A transitive phrasal verb requires the presence of an object in the sentence.

If there is no object, the sentences will not be able to express the whole meaning or content of the statement.

Phrasal Verbs	Meaning	Examples of Sentences
call for	To require or merit a specific action, remark, or quality	“The manager called for a meeting to address an issue.”
fix up	To repair	“He needs to fix up the garage because of the flood.”
hold back	To refrain from doing something, usually out of fear or a desire not to exacerbate a terrible situation.	“She was brave enough this time and didn’t hold back.”
let down	To fail someone by not doing what you agreed to or were expected to do	“If you don’t want to let down your parents, you will study hard.”
pay off	To succeed	“Her hard work finally paid off now that she has been promoted.”
take off	To remove one’s or another’s garments from one’s, or another’s body	“We were advised to take off our sweater inside because it was hot in there.”
turn off	To cease the operation or flow of something using a valve, switch, or button.	“Please turn off the lights before you sleep.”
use up	To utilize the entirety of a stock or supply of something	“I have used up my cash for the trip; I need to use my credit card now.”

b. Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

Intransitive phrasal verbs do not need an object to make a statement sound complete.

They demonstrate that a statement can be understood without an object.

Phrasal Verbs	Meaning	Examples of Sentences
break down	To cease functioning because of a flaw	“She was late for the party because her car’s engine broke down.”
carry on	To continue	“They carried on with their plan after thinking about it thoroughly.”
get up	To rise from bed after a nap or sleep	“I get up at 6 every morning.”
go out	To leave one’s place to attend a social or entertainment function, usually in the evening.	“We are going out for dinner to celebrate our parents’ silver wedding anniversary.”
grow up	To advance to adulthood	“Who would have thought that he would grow up to be a fine young man?”
pass away	To die	“The old man who lived across the street passed away in his sleep.”
run away	To abandon or flee a location, person, or situation	“She is an irresponsible person for running away from the situation.”
slow down	To become less busy and more relaxed	“The doctor advised my dad to slow down because of his heart condition.”

3. Phrasal Verbs can also be Classified as Whether they are Separable or Inseparable.

a. Separable Phrasal Verbs

These phrasal verbs can have their words separated and employed in different parts of a sentence.

Phrasal verbs can be used in both joined and separated forms. Although not all transitive phrasal verbs are separable, separable phrasal verbs are always transitive.

Phrasal Verbs	Meaning	Examples of Sentences
call off	To cancel	“The couple decided to call off their wedding.” OR “The couple decided to call the wedding off.”
calm down	To reduce the agitation of someone or something	“The teacher was the only person who could calm down the noisy students.” OR “The teacher was the only person who could calm the noisy students down.”
leave out	To exclude something	“The teacher accidentally left out my name when she checked the attendance.” *OR “*The teacher accidentally left my name out when she checked the attendance.”
hand over	To officially or formally give something or someone to another person	“Your job is to hand over the flyers to passers-by.” *OR “*Your job is to hand the flyers over to passers-by.”
rule out	To eliminate the possibility of something	“They are not ruling out the possibility of identity theft.” *OR “*They are not ruling the possibility of identity theft out.”

b. Inseparable Phrasal Verbs

These phrasal verbs cannot be separated, and the verb must be used with the preposition or adverb.

Intransitive phrasal verbs can only be inseparable, but transitive phrasal verbs can be either transitive or intransitive.

Phrasal Verbs	Meaning	Examples of Sentences
end up	To arrive at an unexpected location, state, or situation	“They could end up winning with a big margin.” *NOT “*They could end winning with a big margin up.”
go over	To review	“Go over your answers before turning in your handwork.” *NOT “*Go your answers over before turning in your handwork.”
pick on	To bully or tease someone	“He always picks on someone younger than him.” *NOT “*He always picks someone on younger than him.”
run against	To compete against someone	“She is running against her friend in the election.” *NOT “*She is running her friend against in the election.”
look down on	To treat someone with a sense of superiority	“You should not look down on anybody.” *NOT “*You should not look down anybody on.”

What are the Rules Regarding Phrasal Verbs?

Phrasal verbs are employed in sentences in the same manner as normal verbs. In addition, we frequently utilize them in casual settings and spoken English.

Because phrasal verbs can have a variety of meanings, they can be confusing at times.

Here are the rules that you have to adhere to regarding phrasal verbs.

1. The meaning of phrasal verbs differs from that of the original verb.

Examples:

“I am planning to give my mom a new purse.”

Meaning: give – to provide or present with something

“Do not give up, the best is yet to come.”

Meaning: give up – to stop making an effort

2. Because they do not require an object, intransitive phrasal verbs are inseparable.

Examples:

“The Lee family comes back to this place every year.

NOT “The Lee family comes to this place back every year.”

“He showed up late for practice.”

NOT “He showed late up for practice.”

3. Some transitive phrasal verbs are separable, whereas others are inseparable.

Separable

“He gave away his money to the charity.”

OR “He gave his money away to the charity.”

“The president called off the meeting.”

OR “The president called the meeting off.”

Inseparable:

“My grandmother looks after me when I am sick.”

NOT “My grandmother looks me after when I am sick.”

“You need to get on the bus, and it’s leaving.”

NOT “You need to get the bus on; it’s leaving.”

4. Phrasal verbs with three words are inseparable.

Examples:

“She can’t put up with his bad behavior anymore.”

NOT “She can’t put up his bad behavior with anymore.”

“The children look up to their parents as role models.”

NOT “The children look up to their parents as role models.”

“He came up with a brilliant idea.”

NOT “He came up with a brilliant idea with.”

Which Phrasal Verbs Can Be Used in Academic English?

Although phrasal verbs are prevalent in spoken English, they are frequently considered too informal for academic writing.

Additionally, phrasal verbs often have several meanings. Your goal is to produce a clear and concise paper in plain English.

Thus, you must distinguish which phrasal verbs are appropriate for general English and which are more fit for academic English.

Phrasal Verbs for General English

Phrasal verbs used in everyday English are more conversational and informal than those used in academic contexts.

The following list contains the twenty most commonly used phrasal verbs in social situations, especially among friends or on the street.

Phrasal Verbs	Meaning
add up	To make sense
broke up	To end a relationship
bring up	bring forth a topic for debate or consideration
call off	To cancel
calm down	To reduce the agitation of someone or something
eat out	To eat at a restaurant rather than at home
find out	To learn or discover
get long	To have a welcoming and friendly relationship with
get over	To recoup from an illness or a shocking or traumatic situation
give up	To give up the struggle or the argument; concede; surrender
hang out	To spend some time for unstructured relaxation or chatting
look after	To take care of someone or something
look forward to	To be excited about something
pass out	To lose consciousness
put off	To postpone something
put up with	To accept or continue to accept a bad condition or experience or someone who acts in an unsatisfactory manner
turn up	To be discovered after being lost, especially by chance
turn down	To reject whatever has been presented or proposed
wake up	To stop sleeping
watch out	To be alert

Phrasal Verbs for Academic English

Many academic English textbooks and tutors may advise you to avoid using phrasal verbs altogether.

While it is a fact that you should be extremely cautious when using such words in your assignments, these structures should not be avoided entirely.

Most phrasal verbs used in this context are more formal and lack idiomaticity. The twenty most common phrasal verbs in academic writing are listed below.

Phrasal Verbs	Meaning
account for	To provide an explanation or justification for
adhere to	To follow a set of guidelines, values, or convictions
base on	To use an idea or facts
carry out	To conduct something
come across	To be understood
come up with	To produce anything, especially when forced or challenged
consist of	To be made up of
disapprove of	To withhold permission to
discuss by	To talk about something
embark on	To begin doing something new
fall apart	To be in a poor state
figure out	To find or determine a solution to a problem
follow through	To accomplish something, one has started
get across	To be clearly communicated
hand over	To officially or formally give something or someone to another person
look into	To examine something
point out	To emphasize
put forward	To suggest someone as a good candidate for a job or a position
resort to	To use or do something because there are no alternative options available
subject to	To cause or force to undergo

Avoiding Phrasal Verbs in Academic Writing

Finally, how can English language learners learn to avoid phrasal verbs, which are highly frequent in conversation and informal English but should not be used in academic writing?

The short answer to this difficulty is that the easiest way to avoid phrasal verbs that you have already mastered is to look up and use a synonym for these words in your academic presentations and writing.

Using a one-word synonym for the phrasal verb you have chosen (if one exists) is the most preferred and academic alternative, as seen in the instances below:

Phrasal Verbs	Single-Word Synonym
bring about	cause
come out	publish
cut down	reduce
fall apart	disintegrate
find out	discover
get along	communicate
hand out	distribute
leave out	omit
look at	investigate
pick out	select
pick up	resume
put off	reschedule
put up with	tolerate
stamp out	eradicate

Why Do Phrasal Verbs Matter?

As an English learner, mastering phrasal verbs is one of the most challenging tasks you will face.

But is it really worth the effort and time to study phrasal verbs?

Without a doubt, YES.

Phrasal verbs are crucial because English people frequently use phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs will make it much easier for you to express yourself.

You just need to set reasonable goals rather than being overwhelmed by an unending array of phrasal verbs. It is impossible to comprehend all of them at once because there are so many!

The good news is that learning phrasal verbs is entirely achievable, and once you have done so, we guarantee you will agree that the effort was well worth it.

Additional Reading — ENGLISH GRAMMAR