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SOME BASIC PHRASAL VERBS

Inglés Instrumental II

1. KEY VERBS
COME

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example

Come about Happen They missed the 6,00 AM
train. How did it come
about?
Come across Discover (or meet) by I am doing a research
chance project and I have come
across someone who is
making an identical study
Come along Arrive at a place Not many people bought
tickets for the concert in
advance. Instead, they came
along and bought tickets at
the door.
Come apart Separate into pieces The old book came apart in
my hands
Come around or come Become conscious again A nurse was with me when I
round came round after the
operation.
Come forward Offer help or information / The National Blood Service is
Be a volunteer anxious for more donors to
come forward
Come into Inherit She came into an enormous
house when his father died
Come off Succeed What if their plan doesn’t
come off?
Come out Disappear or become less Let your shirt soak overnight
strong (of dirt or colour on and the stain will probably
clothing / material) come out
Come out Become public after it has If this story about the Prime
been kept secret Minister comes out, he’ll
have to resign.
Come out Be given to people (of When do your exam results
results or information) come out?
Come out Leave after a period in a John is coming out of
place (of hospital / prison) hospital at the weekend. He
is completely cured now
Come to Make a decision I’ve got to come to a
decision soon
Come up agaisnt Encounter or have to deal I am trying to finish my
with project on time, but I have
had to come up against a lot
of problems
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EXERCISE

Use a phrasal verb with come to complete these sentences:

1. Why don’t you come ____ to our house for dinner on Saturday?
2. The sergeant asked for volunteers, but only three came ____
3. Just look at these old photographs. I came ___them when I was clearing out an old
cupboard.
4. We’re all going out for a pizza. Would you like to come _____?
5. I hear that Michelle has come _____ a lot of money. Her rich aunt died and left her half
a million.
6. Every time the subject of holidays comes _____, Ruth and her husband have an
argument.
7. Pauline is working on a plan to convert her farmhouse into a bed and breakfast place.
She reckons she’ll make a fortune if it comes _____
8. There has been another big crash on the freeway just south of LA. How did it come
_____?
9. Do you have any glue? The cover of my address book is coming _____ and I want to
stick it together again.
10. I spilt some orange juice on the tablecloth. Do you think it will come _____if it put it in
the washing machine?
11. The last thing I remember I was feeling very dizzy. The next thing I knew, I came
_____in hospital and a doctor was standing by my bed.
12. We were chatting at the corner when Jim Gore came _____with his girlfriend.
13. I hear Bruce’s operation was successful. When is he coming _____of the clinic?
14. Some very shocking facts have come _____about government corruption thanks to an
investigation.

GET
Phrasal Verb Meaning
Get around If news get around, a lot of
people hear it
Get at To try to suggest something
without saying it directly
Get behind If you get behind with work
or with payments, you have
not done as much work or
paid as much as you should
by a particular time
Get away Leave a place or a person,
often when the situation
makes it difficult for you to
do so
Get away with To manage to do something
bad without being punished
or criticised for it
Get by To have just enough of
something, such as money
or knowledge, so that you
can do what you need to do
Get down to To start doing something
seriously and with a lot of
effort
Get into To start enjoying something
or become enthusiastic
about it
Get on (often + with) 1. Continue doing
something,
especially work.
2. If two or more
people get on, they
like each other and
are friendly to each
other
Get over 1. To start to feel
happy or well again
after something bad
has happened to
you
2. To finish something
Get to doing something To start doing something
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Example
It didn’t take long for news
of his resignation to get
around
What are you getting at?
I must get on with my work.
I got behind because I spent
too much time on the
Internet.
A police officer grabbed him,
but he got away
They have repeatedly broken
the law and got away with it
My English isn’t very good,
but I get by
After lunch we got down to
discussing the issue of
bullying.
You feel shy when you start
your speech, but then you
get into it and it is great
I must get on with my work
It is nice to get together with
people you get on with
John is pretty upset, but he
will get over it
I have got over with my
essay
He got to thinking that it
was all his fault
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EXERCISE

Use a phrasal verb with get to complete these sentences:

1. Why don’t you get your homework _____so that we can enjoy the rest of the
weekend?
2. As soon as Sue and I met, we knew we were going to get _____well.
3. I just can’t come out with you tonight as I’ve got so _____with my work.
4. Why does Rita always get _____with arriving late? It doesn’t seem fair.
5. I hope you’ll be able to get _____from work at a reasonable time tonight.
6. A: What exactly are you getting _____?
B: Let me explain it more clearly.
7. It was so hot. After a while, I got _____thinking that I was going to faint.
8. It took us a long time to get _____such a traumatic experience.
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GO

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example

Go along with sth/sb Support an idea or agree with Whatever you say, Maggie
someone’s opinion will go along with you.
Go for Choose The judges went for my story
over all the others
Go on 1. Continue It went on raining all day.

2. Happen There is a police car outside

the shop. Do you know
what’s going on?
Go out Stop giving light Suddenly the lights went out
Go round / around 1. If something such an He caught a flu virus that’s
illness or a piece of been going around
news is going around,
people are giving or
telling it to each
other.
2. To be enough so that In some classrooms there
everyone can have aren’t even enough books for
one or some everyone to go round.

Go through 1. Experience an Amelia has been going

unpleasant or through a difficult time at
difficult situation work

2. Examine something I went through some books to

very carefully get ideas for my essay.
Go without Live without something that He went without sleeping for
you need or would like to three days.
have

EXERCISE

Use a phrasal verb with go to complete these sentences

1. One by one, the street lights went _____, leaving us in total darkness.
2. ‘I see you like Western music’
‘Yes, I have recently gone _____it’
3. There’s a lot of gossip about you going _____
4. What a fascinating story. Do go _____!
5. Mark was sure that he had picked up his key, but when he went _____his pockets, he
couldn’t find it anywhere.
6. ‘Did you know that camels can go _____water for thirty days?
7. What a lot of people! Do you think there will be enough food to go _____?
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8. This is a very complex computer program. You might need to go _____the instructions
again before you get the hang of it.
9. My father went _____difficult times in his life.
10. She had to go ____years of very hard study before she qualified.
11. Life in Africa was not as comfortable as it was in our hometown, and there were many
things she had to go _____ which the rest of us think of as necessities in our daily lives.
12. She has been going _____telling everyone I want to marry her.
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LOOK

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example

Look after sb/ sth Take care of someone or Looking after three children
something by doing what is is really hard work
needed to keep someone or
something well or in good
condition.
Look ahead Think about what will Looking ahead, I think the
happen in the future and company needs to develop
plan for those events some new services
Look around Try to find something you We have started looking
want (e.g. a job) by asking around for a house in
different people or by Manchester
looking in different places
Look at 1. To direct your eyes He turned and looked at her
towards someone or
something so that
you can see them
2. To think about a We are looking carefully at
situation or subject all the options
carefully, especially
in order to make a
decision
3. To read something Would you like me to have a
quickly look at your essay before
you hand it in?
Look down on sb/ sth Think that somebody or She is a very elitist woman.
something is less important She has always looked down
than you, or that something on poor people.
is not good enough quality
for you to use
Look forward to Feel pleased or excited I am really looking forwards
about something that is to meeting you this summer
going to happen
Look into To try to discover the facts I wrote a letter of complaint,
about something such as a and the airline has promised
problem or a crime to look into the matter
Look out for sb / sth 1. To look carefully at We were told to look out for
people or things a blue van
around in order to
try to find a
particular person or
thing.
2. To take care of I am the oldest, and I always
someone and make look out for my younger
sure that they are sisters
treated well
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Look up To try to find a particular I didn’t know what

piece of information by ‘loquacious’ meant and had
looking in a book or on a list, to look it up in a dictionary
or by using a computer
Look up to sb Respect and admire He is a role model for other
somebody players to look up to

EXERCISE

Complete these sentences with a suitable particle

1. I am really looking _____to seeing my cousins again next week.

2. She’s looking _____for a new English course. She is not satisfied with the one
she is following at the moment.
3. She loves looking _____children, so she has decided to train as a nanny.
4. We have to look _____to the time when our child will be old enough to go to
university.
5. Lord Muck is a terrible snob. He looks ______on most other people.
6. I didn’t have time to read the newspaper yesterday. I only looked _____it very
quickly.
7. You should look _____the new words in a dictionary.
8. Detectives are looking ______the murder.
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MAKE

Phrasal verb Meaning Example

Make for Go in the direction of He picked up his umbrella
somewhere and made for the door
Make out 1. Be able to see or I can’t make out what she is
hear something with saying, can you?
difficulty
2. Understand why I just can’t make him out at
someone /sth all, can you?
behaves as they do

Make up something
1. Be composed of The report is made up of
three sections
2. Invent something (a They made up a little poem
story or a game) and wrote it in the card

3. Say or write He made up some excuse

something that is about the dog eating his
not true in order to homework
deceive

Make it up for sth Provide something good in The wonderful food in the
order to make a bad restaurant made it up for
situation better the rather uncomfortable
seats
Make it up to sb Do something good for I forgot Teresa’s birthday
someone whom you have yesterday so I’ll have to take
done something bad to in her somewhere nice to
the past, or to someone who make it up to her.
has done something good for
you

EXERCISE

Correct the mistakes with the phrasal verbs in these sentences.

1. As soon as we had checked in at the hotel, we made straight at the beach.

2. She made out some story about the bus being late, but I’m sure she just
overslept.
3. Why the camera was not working properly could not be made out by anybody.
4. Harry is very good at making over stories for the children; they love his tales.
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PUT

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example

Put back Change the date or time of Could we put our meeting
an event so that it happens back till next week?
later than planned
Put forward / put back Make a watch or clock show We are now coming in to
an earlier / later time land at Mexico City. You may
want to put your watches
forward
Put in Fixing new equipment or a We spent yesterday putting in
new system in the correct a new washing machine
place
Put off 1. Tell someone you I am sorry to have to put you
can’t see them or do off again, but I am just too
something for them busy to see you today
till a later time

2. Decide or arrange to They had to put the wedding

do something at a off because the bride’s
later time mother had an accident.
Put on Make a device work by Could you put the air
pressing a switch conditioning on, please? It’s
so hot in here
Put sb on to/onto sth/sb You tell them about Jan put me onto a great
something or someone that hairdresser in the centre of
could help them, often the town
something or someone they
did not know about before
Put out 1. Making a light stop Would you mind putting that
shining by pressing a light out? It is shining directly
switch onto my computer screen

2. You are annoyed, He has cheated me. I feel so

because of put out!
something that
someone has done or
said to you
Put up Building a structure I see they are putting up a
new block of flats near the
park
Put up with sb / sth You accept unpleasant I will not put up with your
behaviour or an unpleasant behaviour any longer
situation, even though you
don’t like it.
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EXERCISE

Complete the text using the appropriate particles

‘I don’t know how Harry puts_____with his boss. He works so hard but his
boss even gets him to put the lights _____for him when it starts to get
dark, and it’s always Harry who has to put _____the new computer
equipment. His boss never thinks twice about putting him_____when they
have arranged a meeting. I know Harry feels put_____but he never
complains. We should really do what we can to put him_____some better
Jobs’.
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TAKE

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example

Take after To look or behave like an
older relative
Take apart Separate something into its
different parts
Take aside If you take somebody aside,
you separate someone from
a group of people so that you
can speak to them privately
Take away Subtract a first number from
a second number
Take back 1. To return something
to the person or
organization that you
bought or borrowed
it from
She takes after his
grandfather
Rod loves taking clocks apart,
but he never manages to put
them together again
My boss took me aside at the
Christmas party and told me
he was going to give me a
promotion in the New Year
If you take 11 away from 33,
you are left with 22
When you go into town to
take back your library books
could you also take these
trousers back to the shop for
me? They are too small.

2. Admit that I shouldn’t have called you

something that you lazy. I take it back
said was wrong
Take in 1. Look at something He showed us a photo of his
carefully noticing all house, but I was so tired that
the details I didn’t really take it in.

2. To trick somebody Don’t be taken in by their

into believing promises
something that is not
true
Take off Subtract a particular amount The shop assistant took off
from a total ten per cent because the ítem
was damaged.
Take out Subscribe to or register for She has taken out a year’s
something officially membership at a local sports
club
Take to Start to do something often She has taken to going to the
swimming pool every lunch
hour.
Take (up) on Accept some work or I can’t take on any more work
responsibility at the moment
To be taken up with To be very busy doing/ She was completely taken up
discussing/ thinking about with her own worries
something
Take it out of you Said of something that Playing tennis in this heat
requires a lot of effort and really takes it out of you
makes you feel really tired
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EXERCISE

Use a phrasal verb from above to complete these dialogues

1. ROY: I find it very offensive that you called Clare an idiot.

KIM: Ok, Ok. Sorry. I shouldn’t have said it. I___________________

2. MATT: Fiona seems really keen on her tennis these days.

CLARE: Yes, she’s really _________________. She is so ___________________.

3. JIM: I tried to clean the inside of my computer and I’ve put all the bits back but
I have two bits left over.
LEN: Well, I am not surprised! I warned you not to ___________________in the
first place.

4. BRIAN: I get so bored since I retired from my job.

MIRIAM: Well, why don’t you ___________________golf?

5. ALI: What’s the figure here, $30?

PAUL: It is what you get when you
___________________$15___________________from $45.

6. JOHN: You look exhausted these days.

TERRY: Yes, teaching 28 hours a week really ___________________me.

7. MARK: Geoffrey left very suddenly, didn’t he?

KERSTY: Yes, he just ___________________without even saying goodbye.