What are Phrasal Verbs?

Basically, a phrasal verb is when you have

Verb + preposition

For example,

walk out of the room

walk away from the cookie jar
speak up, I can’t hear you

Prepositions give you the place, time or direction of the

action and can include:

in
on
under
over
out
to
from
away 

In some grammar books you will see a phrasal verb described

as

Verb + adverb particle

For example,

walk out of the meeting

 switch off the light

Basically the adverb particles are the same as prepositions (in,

on, under, out, to…), but serve a slightly different function.
Adverb particle tells you how you do the action.

In reality it doesn’t much matter what you call them, so long as

you can understand the meaning and use them in your
conversation.

Also note, sometimes a phrasal verb may have one

preposition (or particle) but sometimes has two.

I need to cut down the tree (one

preposition)

= chop the tree so it falls down

I need to cut down on my smoking (two

prepositions)

= reduce how much I smoke

Phrasal Verbs can be Idiomatic
Phrasal verbs are challenging  fun because they are often
idiomatic! 

So the meaning of the phrase is not the same as the individual

words. For example,

Put off the meeting = postpone the meeting

Speak down to someone = to speak to someone like they are

stupid, immature.

Now you might be thinking,

Keith, does that mean I can only use them

in speaking?

Not at all, many are also used in writing.

However, how do you know which are used in writing and

which are used in speaking?

Simple, by learning them in context!

So, if you see a word written, you know it can be used in

writing, if you hear it spoken, you know it can be used in
speaking.
Different Types of Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs are complicated really interesting because
of the word order!

Some are separable, meaning you if the verb has an object,

that object (or thing) can go between the verb and preposition.
It may also go after the preposition. For example,

To look  up = to find the meaning of a word in a dictionary 

I look a word up
 I look up a word

If you choose to use ‘it’, instead of the object, you must put it
between the verb and preposition.

I look it up

Some  phrasal verbs are inseparable (like you and your dog,

cat, partner; you don’t like being apart!).

So, you must always put the object at the end, after the
preposition. For example,

Take after = resemble or look like a parent

I take after my father

I take after him

How do you know if a phrasal verb is separable or

inseparable?
I’m afraid there are no rules.

English is so frustrating  much fun!

You have to learn them by heart,

One by one

How lovely!

Pronunciation Tips
Phrasal verbs are tricky so exciting because they give you
the chance to show off your control of pronunciation.

Notice, most phrasal verbs will be linked because many verbs

end in a consonant sound and many prepositions start with a
vowel sound. For instance,

Sit_up

Speak_up

Notice how the linking works with different forms and tenses:
 I like to look_up new words

He looks_up words

She looked_it up

Phrasal Verbs in IELTS Speaking Part

1
Topic: Work and Study

1.Knuckle down = to start focussing on your work/study.

(Inseparable)

I work as a teacher and we’ve got exams

coming soon, so we all need to knuckle
down.

I study law, and I have exams soon, so I

need to knuckle down.
Part 1 question: Can you ____?

2.To get (a) round to = to do something you have intended to

do, but not had time. (Inseparable)

Can you cook?

I would love learn how to cook, but I just

have’t got round to it. I’ve been too busy.

Can you paint?

I like painting, but I cannot do it very well.

I’ve just never got round to taking
classes.

Hobbies

3.to while away = to spend time in a relaxed

way. (Separable.)

I love to while away the afternoon

watching movies
 I love to while the evening away reading
a good book

4.To brush up on = to improve a skill you haven’t practice for

some time. (Inseparable)

I love playing the guitar, but I need

to brush up on it because I haven’t
played for several months.
IELTS Speaking Part 2
Describe a thing

5.To stumble upon = to find something by chance.

(Inseparable)

I’d like to tell you about a great book that

I stumbled upon recently

I’d like to tell you about a great _____

(film, restaurant, photo, painting…)  that
I stumbled upon recently

Describe a time when

6.To bump into = to meet someone by chance / accident.

(Inseparable)

Recently I bumped into an old friend and

______
7.To turn out = to happen in a certain way. (Inseparable)

It was a difficult time, but in the end

everything turned out just fine.

In the end, it all turned out well.

IELTS Speaking Part 3

How will ____ change in the future ?

8. To bank on = to expect and hope something will happen.

(Inseparable) 

I am banking on the COVID situation

getting better next year.

Many governments are banking on the

economy improving in the future
9. To be in for = to be about to have or
experience. (Inseparable)

We are in for a few surprises next year. 

Many real shops are in for a hard time

next year, as more people choose to shop
online.

10. To pan out = to result or develop in a certain

way. (Inseparable)

I think things will get better, but we will

have to see how things pan out

I think our goal of getting everyone

vaccinated this year, isn’t going to pan
out

11. To run up against = to face problems or difficult

situations. (Inseparable) 
 I think we are going to run up against a
lot of problems 

We are going to run up against more

crime in the future

What do you think of…?

12.To mull over = to think about something carefully

. (Separable)

I’ve been mulling over this a lot recently

and I think…
 I was mulling this over recently and I
think…

13. Figure out = to find the solution. (Separable)

It’s complicated and I don’t think it’s easy

to figure out a solution

This is a tricky problem and it will take

time to figure a good solution out

Do you agree that the government should_____?

14. Get on with = to start, or continue, doing something.

(Inseparable)

The government talks about reducing the

crime rate, but they just need to get on
with it.

15.To buckle down = to start working hard. (Inseparable)

 It’s time the government buckled
down and found a solution

Why Phrasal Verbs are Important

Some phrasal verbs are only used in speaking and they are an
extremely common feature of natural, native speaker like
spoken English.

For example, you may write

‘I like to spend time with my friends’

But when speaking, it is more natural to say,

‘I like to hang out with my friends’

What’s more many of them are idiomatic, and the successful

use of less common idiomatic vocabulary is a key feature of a
and 7 or above in the IELTS Speaking Test. 

So, you need to build up a base of basic ones, and if possible,

some less common ones.
This will not only help you stand out in IELTS, but you need
them to understand native speakers and to be able to
interact naturally with them.