Phrasal Verbs about Science 1

Phrasal verbs often Be aware that many of

include another these phrasal verbs
preposition if they take also have other
an object. meanings.

Phrasal Verb Mix and Match

Connect each of the phrasal verbs below with the correct definition.

1) account for a) to reach a conclusion after a lot of consideration

2) argue out b) to use as a foundation

3) arrive at c) to explain something through evidence

4) back up d) to start to realise or possibly discover something

5) base on e) to debate something and reach a decision or conclusion

6) be on to something f) to stop following a tradition and start or join a new one

7) boil down to g) to test ideas with another person and solicit their opinion

8) botch up h) to dismiss or ignore

9) bounce off i) to provide support or evidence

10) break with j) to cause to happen, to result in something

11) bring about k) to accidently find or discover

12) brush aside l) to think about or consider something in detail

13) buy into m) to invent, discover, or propose something

14) chance upon n) to essentially be something

15) check over o) to accept or believe

16) chew over p) to test or examine something to verify if it is correct

17) come up with q) to make something (complicated) very easy to understand

18) dumb down r) to do something very badly

LET’S PLAY BINGO!

 Phrasal Verbs about Science 1

account for argue out arrive at back up base on be on to boil down to botch up bounce off
break with bring about brush aside buy into chance upon check over chew over come up with dumb down

Insert the phrasal verbs that fit best into the gaps in the sentences below.
You will need to conjugate them appropriately.

1) Scientists and engineers have been __________ ________ the question of light-speed space travel for a few
decades and many have concluded that it is impossible.

2) Modern scientists and engineers have accepted that Nikola Tesla __________ ________ _______ something
when he carried out his experiments into wireless power transfer in the late 19 th century.
3) The university has been accused of __________ ________its exams so that it has a higher pass-rate among its
students.

4) The science team at the test unit produced some wonderful theory but, unfortunately, they __________
________the reports for the results of their experiments and the funding was cancelled.

5) At first it was a bit of a mystery but the increase in winter temperatures __________ ________ the anomalies in
the data for that year.

6) He wasn’t too sure that his theory was sound so, he visited a colleague and __________ the main ideas _______
him and then asked him what he thought about it.

7) After countless experiments, the team __________ ________ the conclusion that this type of technology just
wasn’t economically practical.

8) I have never met a scientist that has __________ ________ the “flat Earth theory.”

9) Mr Spencer __________ ________the potential cooking practicalities of microwaves purely by accident.

10) The team have two competing theories as to how we could create a magnetic field in the chamber. Before they
choose which one to proceed with, they need to sit down and __________ ________which theory would be the
most practical.

11) The invention of the computer has __________ ________many resultant technological advances.

12) The experiment seems to prove that it works but we need to __________ ________ all of the data from the
results.

13) Nobody believed his theory or the results that he claimed to have produced from his experiments. However,
three independent teams reproduced the experiments and the results __________ ________ his assertions. His
theory is now widely accepted to be true.

14) A team of engineers and scientists has __________ ________ ______a way of producing fresh water from
raw sewage.

15) She tried to get funding for her AI project but her theories were __________ ________ at first. Eventually,
somebody saw the potential in her ideas and she managed to secure some funds.

16) The biggest problem in creating this machine __________ ________ ______ energy. If we can produce
enough energy, then we can get the machine to work efficiently.

17) He _________ his theories _______ a lot of speculative work by a discredited scientist from the last century.

18) Carl Gustav Jung __________ ________ the traditional Freudian school of thought and proposed that human
beings were much more spiritually than sexually motivated.
 Isaac Newton: Natural Philosopher
Insert the phrasal verbs that fit best into the gaps in the story below.
You will need to conjugate the verbs appropriately.

account for argue out arrive at back up base on be on to boil down to botch up bounce off
break with bring about brush aside buy into chance upon check over chew over come up with dumb down

No other British scientist can be said to be as influential as Isaac Newton. For many, he is seen as the
first truly modern scientist and his three laws of motion eventually ___________ ________ other theories,
such as fluid mechanics and aerodynamics which in turn led to flight and the invention of aircraft.
While a student at Cambridge University, he was encouraged by his tutor to look at the more
modern mathematicians of the day. He was a fan of the German mathematician, Johannes Kepler, and read
everything he wrote ___________ ________ Kepler’s mathematical theories pretty much completely. He
used Kepler’s laws of planetary motion to ___________ ________ tidal movements in the seas and oceans
of the planet. Unfortunately, the Great Plague spread through Cambridge, killing many and causing its
university to close. As such, Newton was forced to flee to his childhood home in Lincolnshire.
Notwithstanding, this was to be his most productive period.
While at the family home, he studied and wrote extensively. He also started to experiment and
decided that observation and note-taking were far more useful than just reading other people’s theories.
After extensive work, he ___________ ________ _______ the theory of universal gravitation. There is a
rumour that he ___________ ________ his conclusions after he was hit on the head by an apple that had
fallen from a tree. However, he did not ___________ ________ this theory by accident but had been
studying the theories of other physicists from Europe and conducting multiple experiments. Essentially, his
theories of motion ___________ ________ ______ the idea that all actions have an opposite reaction.
Eventually, he consolidated his theories into a large book which he entitled The Philosophiae Naturalis
Principia Mathematica. This book took him nearly 20 years to pen and is still considered to be one of the
most important books on science ever to be written.
He was very interested in light and developed several ideas about optics which led him to try and
develop a much more powerful telescope. After he ___________ ________ several different, unsuccessful
versions, he discovered that by using mirrors instead of lenses, he could build a much better telescope than
had previously been built. This was one of the most significant scientific and technological breakthroughs of
the day, and it brought him straight to the attention of the Royal Society.
The Royal Society was (and still is) a group of elite scientists that likes nothing better than to sit
down with other like-minded individuals and ___________ ideas ________ each other. The Royal Society
liked to ___________ ________ absolutely everything which Newton found rather irritating as he hated it
when people criticised his work. He was a perfectionist and would ___________ ________his theories and
calculations again and again until his was certain they were truly correct. As such, he was very certain that
his theories were correct and disliked them being questioned. In fact, he was deeply offended by it and he
eventually kept away from the society for a period of two years despite being asked continuously to return.
His theories and ideas were way too complex for many people at the time and sometimes the
university would try and ___________ ________his essays into something much more understandable for
the students. A lot of his theories were later ___________ ________in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
by scientists such as Einstein who could see just how right Newton was. In fact, Einstein __________ his own
theory of relativity _________ much of Newton’s work. Einstein knew that Newton ___________ ________
________something with his three laws of motion. It is often said that Newton “wrote the book” on modern
physics.
Although he is seen as the world’s first modern scientist, Newton was a devoutly religious man but
he ___________ ________the Anglican Church because of theological differences. He was also obsessed
with biblical chronology and really believed that it was possible to date the world accurately by reading the
bible carefully and ___________ ________many different possible theories connected to Holy Scriptures.
However, many modern scientists and scholars prefer to ________ this ________ and focus on his other,
less fanciful pursuits. Perhaps he was also the world’s first “eccentric scientist.”
 Newton Holiday Debate

Read the memo below and then read your personality card. After that, attend the
meeting and debate what the board should do next regarding the issue at hand.
Each person should spend at least 1 minute stating their opinion and a further 5
minutes debating what should be done once everybody has had their say. A vote
must be taken at the end of the meeting.

Fill in the gaps in the sentences below with the most appropriate prepositions.
Sometimes more than one answer is possible.

Memo
To: Cabinate ministers
From: The Prime Minister’s Office
Date: 14/10/19
Re: Isaac Newton Day

Dear colleagues,

As you all know ______ our previous meetings, there is a lot ______ pressure coming from
different areas ______ our culture ______ devote a particular day as a public holiday ______ the
scientist, Isaac Newton. As such, there are moves afoot to mark January the 4th as Isaac Newton day.
However, we cannot move ______ with this unless there is unanimous support ______ this ______
everybody in the government.
If the decision reached favours a public holiday, we may also need ______ ask ourselves the
following questions:

a) How do we, as a country, celebrate Isaac Newton, the man?

b) Is the holiday ______ be obligatory?
c) Could the holiday only be applied ______ certain sectors ______ the economy?
d) How can the education system capitalise ______ this holiday?

I look ______ to hearing your views ______the next meeting and trust that a frank and useful
exchange ______ opinions can bear fruit.

Warmest regards

The Prime Minister

 Phrasal Verbs about Science 1
account for argue out arrive at back up base on be on to boil down to botch up break through
break with bring about brush aside buy into chance upon check over chew over come up with dumb down

Insert the phrasal verbs that fit best into the gaps in the story below.
You will need to conjugate the verbs appropriately.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

IN PAIRS CREATE A GAP-FILL EXERCISE FOR THE 18 PHRASAL

VERBS IN THE BOX AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE.
 Newton Holiday Debate – Personality Cards
You are a senior cabinate minister for
work and pensions. You think that there
are enough holidays in the UK and
adding more will just encourage laziness
and low productivity. Besides, you
believe that if there is to be an extra
holiday for a British cultural icon, it
should be for somebody such as
Shakespeare.
You are a senior cabinate minister for the
Ministry of Education. You think that
Newton is overrated as a scientist. As far
as you are concerned, there were many
more talented people around in the UK at
the time that did work which was just as
important but didn’t get any of the
attention. Your ancestor, Robert Hooke,
developed theories on optics which
Newton stole and claimed as his own.
You are a senior cabinate minister for
the Treasury. In your opinion, there are
too many public holidays in the UK and
adding more will just encourage laziness
and low productivity which will impact
the economy negatively. Besides, you
believe that if there is to be an extra
holiday for a British cultural icon, it
should be for somebody such as Winston
Churchill.
You are a junior cabinate minister for the
Treasury. You think that another public
holiday is a good idea but you believe it
should be for somebody different. You
think that Adam Smith, the Scottish
economist, should be celebrated in the UK
for his theories on the economy. As far as
you are concerned, all the benefits of
modern free market economies are all
thanks to Smith and his ideas.
CHOOSE ONE OF THE PERSONALITY CARDS ABOVE AND THEN USE THIS AS
YOUR MOTIVATION DURING THE ROLE-PLAY.
You are a junior cabinate minister in the
Treasury. You think that one of the main
reasons for the recent slowdown of
productivity in the British economy is due to
a lack of public holidays and increasing work-
hours for the average British worker. You
have just studied various countries
throughout the world and have noticed that
countries with the most holidays have the
best productivity.
You are a junior cabinate minister for
Work and Pensions. You think there should
be more public holidays that celebrate
scientific or cultural icons, such as
Shakespeare. At the moment, nearly all
public holidays are for religious figures.
You think this is old-fashioned and needs
to be changed. You also think that more
holidays increases productivity in the
workplace.
You are a senior cabinate minister for
The Ministry for Universities and
Science. You think a public holiday for
Newton is a wonderful idea. You also
think that there should be another
holiday for John Logie Baird, the inventor
of the television. To your mind, this man
invented modern culture and modern
communication.
You are a senior cabinate minister for
the Home Office. You think that there
are not enough holidays in the UK and
the citizens are overworked and
underpaid. As far as you can see, this is
not healthy. Poverty is rising as is work-
related stress. Another holiday would
help the atmosphere in the country and
reduce tension among the poor.
 Phrasal Verbs: Bingo Game
Cut out and place the definition slips in a cup or envelope. Cut out the bingo cards and give to the students. Take a definition
slip from the cup one at a time and read the definition. Students tick off the corresponding phrasal verbs. Once a student has
crossed out 5 words on a card they shout “bingo” and the round starts again with fresh cards. Repeat the process 3 times.

Definition Slips
account for = argue out = arrive at = back up = base on =
to explain something to debate something to reach a conclusion after to provide support or to use as a foundation
and reach a decision a lot of consideration evidence
through evidence
or conclusion
be on to = boil down to = botch up = bounce off = break with =
to start to realise or possibly to essentially be to do something very to test ideas with to stop following a
discover something something badly another person and tradition and start or
solicit their opinion join a new one
bring about = brush aside = buy into = chance upon = check over =
to cause to happen, to to dismiss or ignore to accept or believe to accidently find or to test or examine
result in something discover something to verify if it
is correct
chew over = come up with = dumb down =
to think about or consider to invent, discover, or to make something
something in detail propose something (complicated) very easy to
understand

Bingo Cards Bingo Cards

be on to brush aside
account for argue out bring about
arrive at
argue out check over
back up base on
boil down to back up
be on to account for bounce off
boil down to
account for chew over
botch up bounce off
break with back up
bounce off bring about
botch up
break with
come up with dumb down
brush aside argue out
brush aside dumb down
bring about base on
be on to
brush aside
base on bounce off
boil down to be on to
chance upon bring about
check over chew over base on
buy into bounce off buy into
arrive at chance upon
break with boil down to
boil down to arrive at back up
chance upon arrive at come up with
buy into botch up
botch up buy into
come up with break with argue out
check over bring about chance upon
chance upon dumb down
buy into chew over
come up with dumb down account for
chew over botch up break with
check over brush aside
 Answers

Phrasal Verb Mix and Match

1) account for a) to reach a conclusion after a lot of consideration

2) argue out b) to use as a foundation

3) arrive at c) to explain something through evidence

4) back up d) to start to realise or possibly discover something

5) base on e) to debate something and reach a decision or conclusion

6) be on to something f) to stop following a tradition and start or join a new one

7) boil down to g) to test ideas with another person and solicit their opinion

8) botch up h) to dismiss or ignore

9) bounce off i) to provide support or evidence

10) break with j) to cause to happen, to result in something

11) bring about k) to accidently find or discover

12) brush aside l) to think about or consider something in detail

13) buy into m) to invent, discover, or propose something

14) chance upon n) to essentially be something

15) check over o) to accept or believe

16) chew over p) to test or examine something to verify if it is correct

17) come up with q) to make something (complicated) very easy to understand

18) dumb down r) to do something very badly

Answers
1) = c)
2) = d)
3) = a)
4) = i)
5) = b)
6) = d)
7) = n)
8) =r)
9) = g)
10) = f)
11) = j)
12) = h)
13) = o)
14) = k)
15 = p)
16) = l)
17) = m)
18) = q)
 Answers

1) Scientists and engineers have been chewing over the question of light-speed space travel for a few decades and
many have concluded that it is impossible.

2) Modern scientists and engineers have accepted that Nikola Tesla was on to something when he carried out his
experiments into wireless power transfer in the late 19 th century.

3) The university has been accused of dumbing down its exams so that it has a higher pass-rate among its students.

4) The science team at the test unit produced some wonderful theory but, unfortunately, they botched up the
reports for the results of their experiments and the funding was cancelled.

5) At first it was a bit of a mystery but the increase in winter temperatures accounts for the anomalies in the data
for that year.

6) He wasn’t too sure that his theory was sound so, he visited a colleague and bounced the main ideas off him and
then asked him what he thought about it.

7) After countless experiments, the team arrived at the conclusion that this type of technology just wasn’t
economically practical.

8) I have never met a scientist that has bought into the “flat Earth theory.”

9) MR Spencer chanced upon the potential cooking practicalities of microwaves purely by accident.

10) The team have two competing theories as to how we could create a magnetic field in the chamber. Before they
choose which one to proceed with, they need to sit down and argue out which theory would be the most practical.

11) The invention of the computer has brought about many resultant technological advances.

12) The experiment seems to prove that it works but we need to check over all of the data from the results.

13) Nobody believed his theory or the results that he claimed to have produced from his experiments. However,
three independent teams reproduced the experiments and the results backed up his assertions. His theory is now
widely accepted to be true.

14) A team of engineers and scientists has come up with a way of producing fresh water from raw sewage.

15) She tried to get funding for her AI project but her theories were brushed aside at first. Eventually, somebody
saw the potential in her ideas and she managed to secure some funds.

16) The biggest problem in creating this machine boils down to energy. If we can produce enough energy, then we
can get the machine to work.

17) He based his theories on a lot of speculative work by a discredited scientist from the last century.

18) Carl Gustav Jung broke with the traditional Freudian school of thought and proposed that human beings were
much more spiritually than sexually motivated.
 Answers

No other British scientist can be said to be as influential as Isaac Newton. For many, he is
seen as the first truly modern scientist and his three laws of motion eventually brought about other
theories, such as fluid mechanics and aerodynamics which in turn led to flight and the invention of
aircraft.
While a student at Cambridge University, he was encouraged by his tutor to look at the more
modern mathematicians of the day. He was a fan of the German mathematician, Johannes Kepler,
and read everything he wrote buying into Kepler’s mathematical theories pretty much completely.
He used Kepler’s laws of planetary motion to account for tidal movements in the seas and oceans of
the planet. Unfortunately, the Great Plague spread through Cambridge, killing many and causing its
university to close. As such, Newton was forced to flee to his childhood home in Lincolnshire.
Notwithstanding, this was to be his most productive period.
While at the family home, he studied and wrote extensively. He also started to experiment
and decided that observation and note-taking were far more useful than just reading other people’s
theories. After extensive work, he came up with the theory of universal gravitation. There is a
rumour that he arrived at his conclusions after he was hit on the head by an apple that had fallen
from a tree. However, he did not chance upon this theory by accident but had been studying the
theories of other physicists from Europe and conducting multiple experiments. Essentially, his
theories of motion boil down to the idea that all actions have an opposite reaction. Eventually, he
consolidated his theories into a large book which he entitled The Philosophiae Naturalis Principia
Mathematica. This book took him nearly 20 years to pen and is still considered to be one of the most
important books on science ever to be written.
He was very interested in light and developed several ideas about optics which led him to try
and develop a much more powerful telescope. After he botched up several different, unsuccessful
versions, he discovered that by using mirrors instead of lenses, he could build a much better
telescope than had previously been built. This was one of the most significant scientific and
technological breakthroughs of the day, and it brought him to the attention of the Royal Society.
The Royal Society was (and still is) a group of elite scientists that likes nothing better than to
sit down with other like-minded individuals and bounce ideas off each other. The Royal Society liked
to argue out everything which Newton found rather irritating as he hated it when people criticised
his work. He was a perfectionist and would check over his theories and calculations again and again
until his was certain they were truly correct. As such, he was very certain that his theories were
correct and disliked them being questioned. In fact, he was deeply offended by it and he eventually
kept away from the society for a period of two years despite being asked continuously to return.
His theories and ideas were way too complex for many people at the time and sometimes the
university would try and dumb down his essays into something much more understandable for the
students. A lot of his theories were later backed up in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by
scientists such as Einstein who could see just how right Newton was. In fact, Einstein based his own
theory of relativity on much of Newton’s work. Einstein knew that Newton was on to something with
his three laws of motion. It is often said that Newton “wrote the book” on modern physics.
Although he is seen as the world’s first modern scientist, Newton was a devoutly religious
man but he broke with the Anglican Church because of theological differences. He was also obsessed
with biblical chronology and really believed that it was possible to date the world accurately by
reading the bible carefully and chewing over many different possible theories connected to Holy
Scriptures. However, many modern scientists and scholars prefer to brush this aside and focus on his
other, less fanciful pursuits. Perhaps he was also the world’s first “eccentric scientist.”
 Answers

Memo
To: Cabinate ministers
From: The Prime Minister’s Office
Date: 14/10/19
Re: Isaac Newton Day

Dear colleagues,

As you all know from our previous meetings, there is a lot of pressure coming from different
areas of our culture to devote a particular day as a public holiday to/for the scientist, Isaac Newton.
As such, there are moves afoot to mark January the 4th as Isaac Newton day. However, we cannot
move ahead/forward with this unless there is unanimous support for this from everybody in the
government.
If the decision reached favours a public holiday, we may also need to ask ourselves the
following questions:

a) How do we, as a country, celebrate Isaac Newton, the man?

b) Is the holiday to be obligatory?
c) Could the holiday only be applied to certain sectors in the economy?
d) How can the education system capitalise on this holiday?

I look forward to hearing your views during/in the next meeting and trust that a frank and
useful exchange of opinions can bear fruit.

Warmest regards

The Prime Minister

Bingo Cards
boil down to chew over
come up with
argue out check over

be on to back up
dumb down
account for chew over

break with arrive at

botch up
come up with dumb down

brush aside dumb down

be on to
check over account for

chance upon dumb down

base on
check over buy into

chew over boil down to

back up
dumb down come up with

dumb down be on to
chew over
bring about chance upon

back up chance upon

buy into
dumb down break with
Science FCE Practice Reading and Use of English
Part 4
For these questions complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence,
using the word given.
Do not change the word given. You must use between TWO and FIVE words, INCLUDING the word given.
Here is an example (0).
Example:
0 His doctor advised him to stop smoking.
UP
His doctor told him ________________________________cigarettes.
The gap can be filled with the words “to give/pack up,” so you write:

Example: 0 TO GIVE/PACK UP
Write only the missing words IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.

1 The mop was invented by Manuel Jalón Corominas.

CAME
Manuel Jalón Corominas____________________________________ mop.

2 After several experiments, they still had no explanation for the anomalies.
FOR
The anomalies were never fully__________________________________________ the experiments.

3 Many changes in society and the economy resulted from the industrial revolution.
ABOUT
The industrial revolution __________________________________ changes to our lives.

4 “I need to think about this before I decide,” he said.

CHEW
He told me that he wanted to __________________________________ before making a decision.

5 His concerns and anxieties about the project were completely ignored by the council.
ASIDE
The council ____________________________________ his concerns about the project.

6 It is money that is causing all of the problems.

BOIL
The problems all ________________________________ money.
 Answers

1 The mop was invented by Manuel Jalón Corominas.

CAME
Manuel Jalón Corominas CAME UP WITH THE mop.

2 After several experiments, they still had no explanation for the anomalies.
FOR
The anomalies were never fully ACCOUNTED FOR BY the experiments.

3 Many changes in society and the economy resulted from the industrial revolution.
ABOUT
The industrial revolution BROUGHT ABOUT MANY changes to our lives.

4 “I need to think about this before I decide,” he said.

CHEW
He told me that he wanted to CHEW IT OVER before making a decision.

5 His concerns and anxieties about the project were completely ignored by the council.
ASIDE
The council BRUSHED ASIDE his concerns about the project.

6 It is money that is causing all of the problems.

BOIL
The problems all BOIL DOWN TO money.