Phrasal verbs

Bring up (raise)
1. She's struggling to bring up a family alone.
2. Trying to bring up a small daughter on your own is no easy task.
3. The couple adopted the child and brought him up.
4. I don't know how they manage to bring up four children.
5. I have a lot of sympathy for her; she had to bring up the children on her
own.

Help out (give assistance, aid)

1. I'd like to help you out, but I'm short of money myself at the moment.
2. She's always willing to help out.
3. Do you need anyone to help out in the shop?
4. I will help out on my father’s farm this summer.
5. He's always willing to help out when we're short of staff.

Turn on (start)
1. I pushed the button to turn on the radio.
2. I always turn on the light when I walk into the room.
3. It's cold in here - should I turn on the furnace?
4. Turn on the fire, I'm cold.
5. You should connect the hose to the tap and then turn on the water.

Bring back (return)

1. Please bring back all library books by the end of the week.
2. The photos bring back lots of good memories.
3. When can you bring back those books I lent you?
4. Listening to that song brings back happier days.
5. The movie is a fantasy about a man who is brought back (to life) from the
dead.

Put on (don)
1. She put on a pretty dress to wear to the party.
2. The prisoner was put on probation.
3. I put on a new pair of nylon socks.
 4. She put on her coat and went out.

Figure out (discover, solve)

1. How did you figure out that math problem?
2. We must figure out how to solve the problem.
3. It took me the longest time to figure out how to open the windows.
4. I didn't figure out how to do it.
5. No one could figure out how he got to be so wealthy.

More Phrasal verbs

The students handed in their assignments to the teacher.

Volunteers in Haiti are handing out food and water to earthquake victims.

If I don't understand a word, I look it up in the dictionary.

Could you pick up my prescription on your way past the chemist?

Put away any valuable or breakable objects.

I had to throw away a lot of old books that nobody wanted.

The plane will take off in twenty minutes.

Take off your clothes; they're very wet.

I'll write down the address for you.

The pupil was told off for being careless.

I need to catch up on my office work.

She felt let down when no one came to her party.

 English phrasal verbs using “out”
There are many phrasal verbs in English that use ‘out’. Here is a small selection of some of
the more common ones.

back out = decide not to do something you first intended to do: “We can’t back out of the
holiday now – we’ve already paid for it!”

break out = escape: “The prisoners managed to break out.”

bring out = make more noticeable: “The lemon brings out the taste of the strawberries.”

check out (1) = look at: “You’ve got to check out this new website – it’s really useful.”

check out (2) = investigate: “The police are checking out his story.”

cut out = eliminate: “He’s cut out all the fat from his diet and he’s a lot slimmer.”

eat out = eat in a restaurant: “Do you fancy eating out tonight?”

hand out = distribute: “The teacher handed out the English books to the students.”

fill out = complete a form: “You need to fill out all the sections on this form.”

make out = see well: “I can’t make out the name on this envelope. Is it Jones or James?”

pass out = faint: “It was so hot in the room that she passed out.”

put out = inconvenience someone: “Thanks for your offer of letting us stay. Are you sure
that we won’t be putting you out?”

stand out = be easily distinguishable: “With the way he dresses, he always manages to
stand out!”

take out = withdraw money: “I’ve taken out a lot of money from my account recently.”

work out (1) = calculate: “We’ve worked out our profit margin.”

work out (2) = get better: “Everything worked out well in the end.”

work out (3) = understand: “I really can’t work it out. Why did she leave such a well-paid
job?”
Phrasal Verbs for Romantic Relationships

Emily: Who was that guy you were talking to at the bar? It looked like he

was hitting on you.

Sarah: Yeah, we struck up a conversation, and eventually he asked me out. I gave

him my number, but I’m not sure if I’ll actually go out with him.

Emily: Oh? How come?

Sarah: He’s nice, but I just don’t feel like we have much chemistry – so I don’t want

to lead him on.

Emily: Well, don’t be too quick to judge. My last boyfriend and I didn’t hit it off right

away – I only started to fall for him after we went out a few times and I got to know

him better. We were together for 3 years.

Sarah: So why’d you split up? If you don’t mind my asking.

Emily: Not at all. We just started to drift apart – different interests, different plans

for the future. The breakup was mutual.

Sarah: Ah, that’s great. My last relationship was a nightmare – I hooked up with a

guy at a New Year’s party and we were together for six months – but we were

constantly fighting and making up. I don’t know how I put up with him for so long.

Emily: How did it end?

Sarah: He cheated on me – I caught him making out with his ex. He begged me

for another chance, but I know he was just trying to jerk me around – so I said no.

Emily: Ugh! Good for you.

Sarah: Heh, thanks. So how about you – are you going out with anyone at the

moment?

Emily: Oh, I’ve gone on a few dates here and there, but nothing serious. To be

honest, I’m not really interested in settling down just yet – I’m enjoying the single

life too much!

 PHRASAL VERBS LIST
Phrasal Verb Definition in Context

hit on someone demonstrate romantic / sexual interest

ask someone out invite someone for a date (a romantic encounter)

give the person false hope or expectations about

lead someone on the relationship

hit it off with have a great connection from the first moment
someone you meet the person

fall for someone fall in love with the person

split up / break up separate, end the relationship

drift apart slowly go in different directions over time

hook up with (slang) have sex with

make up reconcile after a fight

put up with
someone / tolerate a difficult, annoying, or unpleasant person
something or situation

kiss or have sex with another person

cheat on someone (who is not your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend)

make out with

someone kiss the person very passionately

jerk someone manipulate the person or use them for your own
around advantage

go out with 1) go on a date with the person once

someone 2) be in a relationship with the person

settle down be in a long-term stable relationship

Phrasal verbs questions & answers
1. Did you ask her out? Yes, we went to a French restaurant

2. what time will this class be over? It will finish at 3 o’clock

3. have you seen my book? No, but I’ll ask around

4. what will become of the old car? I think they will sell it to a museum

5. where is Bill? He’s lying down on the couch

6. is he sleeping? No, he saw some blood and passed out!

7. when is dinner? In a few minutes. Please help me clean off the table

8. Do you know where Ann’s house is? Yes, I do. I pass by it every day when I walk home from school.

9. How did you get over your cold so fast? I ate 30 oranges a day for 3 days.

10. was it easy to find the house? Yeah. The pink paint really makes it stand out!

11. what do you do at your new job? I stand on the sidewalk and hold up a sign advertising the restaurant.

12. can I borrow your car? Sure. But bring it back before 5:00, please

13. why did the car stop? Because we just ran out of gas!

14. Do you have any more DVD players? Sorry, we are all sold out

15. Do you have any pets? I had a puppy, but it ran away two weeks ago

16. is everyone back from lunch? Yes. Let’s carry on with the meeting

17. where do you want this box? Just put it down by the door, thanks

18. how much juice do you want? I’m very thirsty. Please fill up my cup.

19. Did Bob leave already? Yeah, he set out early this morning.

20. what happened to my flowers? That boy ran over them on his bike.

21. why did you buy my lunch today? I wanted to make up for being late last week.

22. where should I put my jacket? You can hang it up in the closet

23. can I borrow your bike? Yes, as long as you give it back by five o’clock

24. where are you going? I am going to Ann’s house. She is sad because her dog died, so I am going to try to cheer
her up

25. Did you find your missing dog? Yeah. He turned up last night.

26. who left the door unlocked last night? Well, we can rule out Mike. He’s out of town.

27. how did the fire start? The old gas heater blew up

28. you named your dog tweety? It’s the best I could come up with!

29. why did the dinosaurs die out? Because the weather got very cold.

30. what happened to all the trees. They burned down in the forest fire last year.

31. why are you working three jobs? I have to pay back the money I borrowed from the bank

32. have you decided what to order? I need more time to think it over.
33. why were you late for work today? A fire broke out in my apartment this morning.

34. how should I care for this plant? You have to give it water every day

35. why is your girlfriend mad at you? I burst out laughing when I saw her new hairstyle

36. hey! Where did you get that donut? They are handing out free food at the store

37. why do you look up to Tim so much? Because he is a brave, honest and humble person

38. when did you find this great article? I ran across it in yesterday’s newspaper.

39. where are you going? I’m going to drop off my rollerblades at Sue’s house. She’s going to use them tomorrow

40. what are you writing? I’m writing an essay that I have to hand in to my teacher tomorrow

41. how did your team do? They fell behind in the second half and lost the game

42. do you want a hamburger? Yes, I do, but please leave out the pickles.

10 English Phrasal Verbs with PUT

#1 – PUT AWAY
= place an object in its proper location

Here are your clean clothes – please put them away.

(put them in the closet, in the dresser, etc.)

#2 – PUT BACK
= return an object to the location where it came from.
The opposite of “take something out”

After you’re done using the dictionary, put it back.

(put it in the bookshelf, in the location from which you originally took it)
 #3 – PUT DOWN
1. To write on a piece of paper (sometimes we just say “put” without “down”)

 I’m making a shopping list. I already put down bread, cheese, and butter –

what else do we need to get?
2. To criticize and humiliate

 Every time I try to add something to the conversation, my

brother puts me down by saying my opinions are stupid.
3. To kill an animal that is sick, old, suffering, or dangerous

 When our cat got cancer, we decided to put her down.

#4 – PUT FORTH / PUT FORWARD

= to offer an idea, plan, or proposal for consideration

I’d like to put forward a suggestion or two.

#5 – PUT OFF

1. To delay doing something, procrastinate

 I’ve been putting off this assignment for the past week; I just can’t seem to get
started!
2. Make a bad impression, make somebody repulsed or disgusted

 She seemed unfriendly. Her attitude really put me off.

#6 – PUT ON
 1. Start wearing or using (clothing, accessories, makeup)

 She put on her boots and got ready to go out in the rain.

2. Produce a show or performance

 The local theater company is putting on “Romeo and Juliet.”

3. (slang) Trick or deceive someone

 You won the lottery?! No way… you’re putting me on, right?

(another similar expression is “You’re kidding”)

#7 – PUT OUT

1. Extinguish (a fire or cigarette)

 The firefighters quickly put out the fire in the apartment building.

2. Publish (usually a regular or frequent publication)

 The organization puts out a monthly newsletter.

3. Inconvenience someone

 Is it OK if I arrive early? I don’t want to put you out in any way.

#8 – PUT THROUGH
= transfer or connect somebody on the telephone

The customer service representative couldn’t help me, so he put me through to a manager.

 #9 – PUT SOMEBODY UP
1. Give somebody a place to stay at your home

 Don’t worry about finding a hotel – I can put you up for a few days.

2. If you put somebody up to something, it means you encourage or persuade the person to
do something
 My son is normally very well-behaved, but his friends put him up to playing a
prank on the teacher.

#10 – PUT UP WITH

= tolerate; accept an annoying situation or behavior

I can’t put up with all the noise in the dormitory – I need a quieter place to study.

18 Phrasal Verbs with “Take”

TAKE AFTER SOMEBODY
Have a similar appearance or personality (especially a relative)
 She takes after her mother – they have the same green eyes
and curly brown hair.
 John is such a funny person. He takes after his grandfather,
who was a comedian.

TAKE SOMETHING APART

Separate something into parts
 The technician is taking apart the TV so that he can fix it.

TAKE SOMETHING BACK

1) Return something to a store:
 The jeans I bought were too small, so I took them back and
exchanged them for a larger size.
2) Admit that something you said was wrong:
 I’m sorry I said you were stupid. I take it back.

TAKE SOMETHING DOWN

1) Separate a structure into parts
 After the circus was over, the workers took down the big
tents.
2) Write information on paper
 She took down my address and phone number and said she’d
call me later.

TAKE SOMEBODY IN
To let somebody stay in your house
 My friend lost his job and his apartment, so I took him in for
a month.

TAKE SOMETHING IN
1) Receive and understand information
 The instructor spoke so fast that I couldn’t take in all the
information.
2) Make clothing smaller so that it fits you
 I love this dress, but it’s a little too loose. Could you take it
in an inch?

TAKE OFF
1) An airplane leaving the ground and going up into the air
 What time does the plane take off?
2) Become successful or popular very fast
 In the last few years, social media sites have taken off all
over the world.
3) Leave a place suddenly (informal)
 He was at the party for about 15 minutes, and then he took
off.

TAKE SOMETHING OFF

1) Remove a piece of clothing from your body
 I always take off my shoes as soon as I get home.
2) Not go to work for a period of time
 Jamie took three days off to go skiing in the mountains

TAKE SOMETHING ON
Accept some work or responsibility
 Do you have time to take on a new project?

TAKE SOMEBODY ON
1) Hire or employ somebody
 The company has taken on three new staff members.
2) Fight or compete against somebody
 In tonight’s boxing match, Antonio will take on an
undefeated boxer from Argentina.
 TAKE SOMEBODY OUT
Go with somebody to a restaurant or movie and pay for their food or
ticket
 I’m taking my girlfriend out to dinner on our anniversary.

TAKE SOMETHING OUT

Remove something from a place
 I took the letter out of the envelope.

TAKE SOMETHING OUT ON SOMEBODY

Treat an innocent person badly because you are tired or angry
about something else
 Hey, I know you had a terrible day at work – but don’t take it
out on me!

TAKE OVER SOMETHING

Take control
 Germany took over several other countries during World War
II.
TAKE SOMEBODY THROUGH SOMETHING
Explain something to somebody in detail
 Let me take you through the procedure for operating this
machine. First, you need to…

TAKE UP SOMETHING
1) Fill space or time
 These books are taking up all the space in my room.
 Last month an urgent project took up all my spare time.
2) Start doing something regularly
 I’ve recently taken up yoga.

TAKE SOMEBODY UP ON SOMETHING

Accept an offer or invitation
 “When you travel to China, you’re welcome to stay at my
house.”
“Really? I might take you up on that!”

TAKE SOMETHING UP WITH SOMEBODY

Complain to someone about a problem
 If you don’t like the way I do my job, take it up with my
manager.
 10 Common English Phrasal Verbs with COME
#1 – Come Across
= find something by accident

When I was cleaning my room, I came across my middle-school diaries.

#2 – Come Along
= accompany someone when going somewhere

We’re going to get ice cream. Want to come along?

#3 – Come Back
= return

He’s still hoping his ex-girlfriend will come back to him, even after all these
years.

#4 – Come Off
= when something becomes separated or unstuck from another thing

The paint is starting to come off the wall in the kitchen.

#5 – Come On!
The phrasal verb come on has multiple uses, but when used as an
exclamation, it can be encouragement for someone to do something, or it can
mean something like “Stop being ridiculous!”

“I don’t want to dance. I’m no good at it; everyone will laugh at me.”

“Oh, come on! Nobody here cares whether or not you can dance.”

#6 – Come Out
= appear or leave the inside of a place

It’s cloudy right now, but the sun should come out later.

My little brother is hiding under the covers and doesn’t want to come out.

#7 – Come Over
= come to someone’s house

If you come over tomorrow after school, I’ll help you with your homework.
#8 – Come Through
= produce or deliver a result

I thought my favorite basketball team would lose the game, but the offense
came through and scored 15 points in the last five minutes.

#9 – Come Up
= appear. Often used for when a task/responsibility appears unexpectedly, or
when a topic appears in a discussion.

I’m sorry I missed your birthday party. Something came up at the last minute,
and I couldn’t go.

I thought someone would mention the policy change, but it didn’t come up
during the meeting.

#10 – Come Up With

= create or invent something

Every time I ask him to do something, he always comes up with a list of

excuses for why he can’t do it.

12 Phrasal Verbs with RUN

Run After

To chase or pursue
I ran after the bus, but it didn’t stop for me.

Run Around

1. To run around an area

When I was a kid, I used to run around the neighborhood with my friends.
The kids are running around the neighborhood.

2. To be very busy doing many things

Sorry I haven’t had the chance to call you this week – I’ve been running
around between work, school, and soccer practice.

Note: There is also a noun, “runaround.” To “give someone the runaround”

means to give them excuses and bad explanations so that they do not get
the information or make the progress that they want.

Run Away

1. To run away from somebody who is chasing you, or in the opposite

direction from something.
Everyone ran away from the explosion.

The dog is running away from the boy.

2. When a child or teenager leaves home because of problems with the

family.
She ran away from home when she was just 15.

Run For

Try to be elected to a political or leadership position.

Mark is running for state senator.

Run Into

Run into someone = Meet someone unexpectedly.

I ran into my English teacher at the shopping mall.

Run into a problem = Encounter a problem.

I ran into a few problems when I tried to install the computer program, so I
had to call a technician.

Run into a brick wall = Encounter an obstacle that is difficult or impossible

to overcome.
The peace negotiations ran into a brick wall when both leaders refused to
compromise.

Run Off

To make photocopies.
Can you run off 200 copies of this report?

Run off with (someone) = When a married person abandons their

husband or wife and stays together with a new lover.
The actor left his wife and three kids and ran off with a 20-year-old model.
Run On

Be powered by
Electric cars run on electricity, not gas.

Run Out Of

Have none left

We ran out of beer at the party, so we had to go buy some more.

The car ran out of gas

Run Over

1. To hit with a vehicle (car, train, truck)

She’s upset because she ran over a cat while driving home from work.

2. Take more time than planned

The meeting ran over 20 minutes, so I was late for my next appointment

Run Through

1. Explain quickly
Let me run through the schedule for the tour.

2. Quickly practice or rehearse a play, performance, song, or presentation.

I’d like to run through the presentation one more time to make sure
everything’s perfect.
Run Up

1. Run to somebody or something

As soon as I come home from work, my kids run up to me and hug me.

2. Spend a lot of money on credit

My parents ran up a debt of $10,000 on their credit cards.

Run With

Spend time with people (normally bad)

My son’s been running with a bad crowd – his friends like to cut class.
(cut class = not go to class)

SOME COMMON PHRASAL VERBS WITH ON

      
PHRASAL MEANING EXAMPLE
VERB

CALL ON To visit (a person).     I really should call on my

grandmother more often.

CARRY ON 1. To continue or     I'll be gone for some days, but I

proceed as before. hope you will carry on while I   
am out. 

2. To take baggage on     You may only carry on a small

an plane, rather than bag on the plane.
check it.

GET ON 1. To board or mount      Please, get on the bus.

a vehicle. 
     To get on in life, you need to
2. To progress, work hard.
advance.

HOLD ON 1. To grasp or grip      Hold on tightly to the railing.

firmly.
     "Can I talk to Ms Smith?"  "Hold
2. To wait (also on on. I'll see if she is here".
phone), to maintain
position.

KEEP ON To persist or      Don't give up, keep on trying.

continue. 

LOOK To regard or treat as      It is wrong to look down

DOWN ON inferior. on people less fortunate than         
yourself.

MOVE ON 1. To leave      After spending a night at the

somewhere for hotel, they decided to move on.
another place.
     You need to forget about the
2. To start dealing with past and move on.
something else.

PUT ON 1. To place a garment,      Joan put on her new cotton

jewellery, etc. on part dress.
of one's body.

2. To increase in body      He has given up his diet and put

 weight. on 5 kilos.

SWITCH To power up a device,      Please, switch/turn on the

ON/ to cause to start lights. I can't see what I am   
TURN ON operating. reading.

TRY ON To test for fit (clothes).      I tried the dress onand decided

I didn't like it.

SOME COMMON PHRASAL VERBS WITH OFF

     
PHRASAL MEANING EXAMPLE
VERB

CALL OFF To postpone or cancel     We had to call of the meeting

something. because the client was ill.

GO OFF 1. To explode or fire.      The gun went off at the

beginning of the race.
2. To begin making noise.
    The alarm clock will go off at
6 a.m.
MAKE OFF To leave quickly.     The robbers made off with
two million dollars.
PAY OFF To yield good results,     My hard work haspaid off, I
succeed. got very good marks in my exams.

PUT OFF To avoid, delay,     We put off the picnic until

postpone. tomorrow because it was raining.

SEE OFF To say goodbye to      He came to the airport

someone. to see me off.

SHOW OFF To brag about one's      John likes to show off how
abilities or much he knows about music.
accomplishments.

TAKE OFF 1. To remove clothes, to      I can't wait to get home, take

get undressed. off my clothes and have a hot   
bath.   

2. To become airborne (a      The plane is going to take

bird/plane). off from runway 3.

TURN OFF/ To power down, to stop a      Please, turn/switch off the

SWITCH device. lights. I want to go to sleep.
OFF