COMMON PHRASAL VERBS

Separable Phrasal Verbs

The object may come after the following phrasal verbs or it may separate the
two parts: You have to do this paint job over. You have to do over this paint
job.
When the object of the following phrasal verbs is a pronoun, the two parts of
the phrasal verb must be separated:
You have to do it over.
Verb Meaning Example
The terrorists tried to blow up the
blow up explode
railroad station.
My mother brought up that little
bring up mention a topic
matter of my prison record again.
It isn't easy to bring up children
bring up raise children
nowadays.
They called off this afternoon's
call off cancel
meeting
do over repeat a job Do this homework over.
Fill out this application form and
fill out complete a form
mail it in.
She filled up the grocery cart with
fill up fill to capacity
free food.
My sister found out that her
find out discover husband had been planning a
surprise party for her.
give something
The filling station was giving away
give away to someone else
free gas.
for free
My brother borrowed my car. I have
give back return an object a feeling he's not about to give it
back.
submit
The students handed in their papers
hand in something
and left the room.
(assignment)
put something
She hung up the phone before she
hang up on hook or
hung up her clothes.
receiver
 I hate to hold up the meeting, but I
hold up delay
have to go to the bathroom.
Three masked gunmen held up the
hold up (2) rob
Security Bank this afternoon.
You left out the part about the police
leave out omit
chase down Asylum Avenue.
The lawyers looked over the papers
carefully before questioning the
look over examine, check
witness. (They looked them over
carefully.)
You've misspelled this word again.
look up search in a list
You'd better look it up.
She knew she was in trouble, so she
invent a story or
make up made up a story about going to the
lie
movies with her friends.
He was so far away, we really
hear,
make out couldn't make out what he was
understand
saying.
There were three men in the line-up.
pick out choose She picked out the guy she thought
had stolen her purse.
lift something
The crane picked up the entire
pick up off something
house. (Watch them pick it up.)
else
As we drove through Paris,
point out call attention to Francoise pointed out the major
historical sites.
We put away money for our
put away save or store retirement. She put away the cereal
boxes.
We asked the boss to put off the
put off postpone meeting until tomorrow. (Please put
it off for another day.)
put clothing on I put on a sweater and a jacket. (I
put on
the body put them on quickly.)
The firefighters put out the house
put out extinguish fire before it could spread. (They put
it out quickly.)
 I read over the homework, but
read over peruse
couldn't make any sense of it.
My wife set up the living room
to arrange,
set up exactly the way she wanted it. She
begin
set it up.
make a written These are your instructions. Write
take down
note them down before you forget.
It was so hot that I had to take off
take off remove clothing
my shirt.
We have serious problems here.
talk over discuss
Let's talk them over like adults.
That's a lot of money! Don't just
throw away discard
throw it away.
put clothing on She tried on fifteen dresses before
try on
to see if it fits she found one she liked.
I tried out four cars before I could
try out test
find one that pleased me.
Your radio is driving me crazy!
turn down lower volume
Please turn it down.
He applied for a promotion twice
turn down (2) reject this year, but he was turned down
both times.
Grandpa couldn't hear, so he turned
turn up raise the volume
up his hearing aid.
switch off We turned off the lights before
turn off
electricity anyone could see us.
It was a disgusting movie. It really
turn off (2) repulse
turned me off.
switch on the Turn on the CD player so we can
turn on
electricity dance.
The gang members used up all the
exhaust, use
use up money and went out to rob some
completely
more banks.

Inseparable Phrasal Verbs (Transitive)

With the following phrasal verbs, the lexical part of the verb (the part of the
phrasal verb that carries the "verb-meaning") cannot be separated from the
prepositions (or other parts) that accompany it: "Who will look after my estate
when I'm gone?"
Verb Meanin Example
g
ask to
call on recite The teacher called on students in the back row.
in class
call on The old minister continued to call on his sick
visit
(2) parishioners.
recover
from
get sicknes I got over the flu, but I don't know if I'll ever get over
over s or my broken heart.
disappo
intment
The students went over the material before the exam.
go over review
They should have gone over it twice.
go use up;
They country went through most of its coal reserves in
throug consum
one year. Did he go through all his money already?
h e
look take My mother promised to look after my dog while I was
after care of gone.
look investig The police will look into the possibilities of
into ate embezzlement.
run find by
I ran across my old roommate at the college reunion.
across chance
run
meet Carlos ran into his English professor in the hallway.
into
take resembl
My second son seems to take after his mother.
after e
wait on serve It seemed strange to see my old boss wait on tables.

Three-Word Phrasal Verbs (Transitive)

With the following phrasal verbs, you will find three parts: "My brother
dropped out of school before he could graduate."
Verb Meanin Example
g
interru
break pt (a I was talking to Mom on the phone when the operator
in on convers broke in on our call.
ation)
catch keep After our month-long trip, it was time to catch up with
up with abreast the neighbors and the news around town.
examin
check e, The boys promised to check up on the condition of the
up on investig summer house from time to time.
ate
to
contrib
come ute After years of giving nothing, the old parishioner was
up with (sugges able to come up with a thousand-dollar donation.
tion,
money)
cut curtail
We tried to cut down on the money we were spending
down (expens
on entertainment.
on es)
drop leave I hope none of my students drop out of school this
out of school semester.
have a
get good
I found it very hard to get along with my brother when
along relation
we were young.
with ship
with
get
escape Janik cheated on the exam and then tried to get away
away
blame with it.
with
get rid elimina The citizens tried to get rid of their corrupt mayor in
of te the recent election.
get
throug finish When will you ever get through with that program?
h with
keep up maintai It's hard to keep up with the Joneses when you lose
with n pace your job!
 with
anticip
look ate
I always look forward to the beginning of a new
forwar with
semester.
d to pleasur
e
look
It's typical of a jingoistic country that the citizens look
down despise
down on their geographical neighbors.
on
visit
look in We were going to look in on my brother-in-law, but he
(someb
on wasn't home.
ody)
be
look careful, Good instructors will look out for early signs of failure
out for anticip in their students
ate
look up
respect First-graders really look up to their teachers.
to
make Make sure of the student's identity before you let him
verify
sure of into the classroom.
put up The teacher had to put up with a great deal of
tolerate
with nonsense from the new students.
run out exhaust The runners ran out of energy before the end of the
of supply race.
be
take My oldest sister took care of us younger children after
respons
care of Mom died.
ible for
answer
talk The star player talked back to the coach and was
impolit
back to thrown off the team.
ely
think I often think back on my childhood with great
recall
back on pleasure.
walk abando Her husband walked out on her and their three
out on n children.

Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

The following phrasal verbs are not followed by an object: "Once you leave
home, you can never really go back again."
Verb Meanin Example
g
stop
break That old Jeep had a tendency to break down just when
functio
down I needed it the most.
ning
become
catch Popular songs seem to catch on in California first and
popula
on then spread eastward.
r
return
come Father promised that we would never come back to
to a
back this horrible place.
place
They tried to come in through the back door, but it was
come in enter
locked.
regain
He was hit on the head very hard, but after several
come to conscio
minutes, he started to come to again.
usness
come The children promised to come over, but they never
to visit
over do.
visit
without We used to just drop by, but they were never home, so
drop by
appoint we stopped doing that.
ment
dine in
a When we visited Paris, we loved eating out in the
eat out
restaur sidewalk cafes.
ant
Uncle Heine didn't have much money, but he always
get by survive seemed to get by without borrowing money from
relatives.
Grandmother tried to get up, but the couch was too
get up arise
low, and she couldn't make it on her own.
return
It's hard to imagine that we will ever go back to
go back to a
Lithuania.
place
continu He would finish one Dickens novel and then just go on
go on
e to the next.
go on The cops heard all the noise and stopped to see what
happen
(2) was going on.
grow get
Charles grew up to be a lot like his father.
up older
remain
keep at a The judge warned the stalker to keep away from his
away distanc victim's home.
e
keep on continu
(with e with He tried to keep on singing long after his voice was
gerund the ruined.
) same
lose
pass conscio He had drunk too much; he passed out on the sidewalk
out usness, outside the bar.
faint
demons
show trate Whenever he sat down at the piano, we knew he was
off haughti going to show off.
ly
show Day after day, Efrain showed up for class twenty
arrive
up minutes late.
arouse
wake
from I woke up when the rooster crowed.
up
sleep