There are four types of phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs can be separable or inseparable and they can take an object or not. Here is a guide to the basics of phrasal verbs.

Phrasal Verbs which Take Objects

Phrasal verbs which take objects are known as transitive phrasal verbs. These verbs can be separable or inseparable:
Separable phrasal verbs can remain together when using an object that is a noun or noun phrase.
I picked Tom up. OR I picked up Tom.
They put their friends up. OR They put up their friends.
My friends gave bowling up. OR My friends gave up bowling.
Separable phrasal verbs: pick up, put up, give up
Separable phrasal verbs MUST be separated when a pronoun is used:
We picked him up at the station. NOT We picked up him at the station.
They put them up. NOT They put up them.
She thought it up the other day. NOT She thought up it the other day.
Separable phrasal verbs: pick up, put up, think up
Inseparable phrasal verbs always remain together.

It makes no difference if a noun or pronoun is used.

We set off for the beach. / We set off for it.
They are looking after the children. / They are looking after them.
The teacher called for the answer in class. / The teacher called for it in class.
Inseparable phrasal verbs: set off, look after, call for

Phrasal Verbs which Don't Take Objects

Some phrasal verbs do not take objects. Verbs that do not take objects are also known as intransitive verbs. These phrasal verbs are ALWAYS inseparable.
The thieves got away.
The bus broke down on the way to work.
She got up early.
Intransitive phrasal verbs: get away, break down, get up
If you are not sure whether a phrasal verb is separable or inseparable, ALWAYS use a noun or nouns phrase and DO NOT separate. In this manner, you will always be correct!
Separable Phrasal Verbs: bring up, take off
They brought up their children to respect others.
She took off her jacket before she began the lesson.
The boss put off the meeting until next week.
Inseparable Phrasal Verbs: look for, set off, keep at
She was looking for her books when he arrived.
They set off for a wonderful holiday in Hawaii.
You should keep at your homework for at least an hour.

Three-word Phrasal Verbs

Some verbs are followed by two prepositions (or adverbs). These phrasal verbs are ALWAYS inseparable.
I'm looking forward to meeting John. OR I'm looking forward to meeting him.
They didn't get on with their mother. OR They didn't get on with her.
Peter came up with a great idea. OR Peter came up with it.
Three-word phrasal verbs: look forward to, get on with, come up with

Phrasal Verb Type Quiz

Check your understanding by identifying each phrasal verb as transitive or intransitive and separable or inseparable.
For example:
My friend picked me up at the airport. -> pick up: transitive, separable

We set off at six o'clock in the morning.
Tom looks forward to meeting you next week.
Unfortunately, the thieves got away.
He told me that he had given cigarettes up last year.
I got up and went to work.
Jennifer thought it up during the meeting.
I was so tired after the race I broke down.
He brought the subject up during class yesterday.
I'll look after your dogs while you're away on vacation.
She came up with a great idea.

Quiz Answers

set off: intransitive / inseparable
look forward to: transitive / inseparable
get away: intransitive / inseparable
give up: transitive / separable
get up: intransitive / inseparable
think up: transitive / separable
break down: intransitive / inseparable
bring up: transitive / separable
look after: transitive / inseparable
come up with: transitive / inseparable

Continue Learning Phrasal Verbs

This phrasal verbs reference list will get you started with short definitions of approximately 100 of the most common phrasal verbs. Teachers can use this introducing phrasal verbs lesson plan to help students become more familiar with phrasal verbs and start building phrasal verb vocabulary. Finally, there are a wide variety of phrasal verb resources on the other sites to help you learn new phrasal verbs and test your understanding with quizzes.

Phrasal Verbs

What are Phrasal Verbs? :

Phrasal verbs are verbs that are made up of two or more words. For example:

Turn on
Look forward to

turn on -> He turned on the TV.
look forward to -> I look forward to meeting you.

Why are Phrasal Verbs Important?

If you are unfamiliar with phrasal verbs, this guide to what are phrasal verbs explains everything.

Phrasal verbs are used in everyday English by native English speakers to express a wide range of ideas. Unfortunately, phrasal verbs are often ignored because students focus on only the verb. It's important to take notice of the attached prepositions to phrasal verbs when learning new vocabulary. Phrasal verbs can be literal or figurative in meaning. For example, the phrasal verb 'get into' can mean 'enter' - He got in the car - or figuratively 'accept' - He got into Harvard.

Phrase verbs are made up of a verb, plus one or more particles.

make up -> I made up the story.
get over -> She got over her illness.
put in -> I put in three hours on the project.

In two word phrasal verbs the "particle" is a preposition. In three or more word phrasal verbs the last particle is generally a preposition.

look forward to -> She looks forward to going on vacation.
get ready for -> I'm getting ready for a competition.
get on with -> Let's get on with this job.

There are four types of phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs can be separable or inseparable and they can take an object or not. Here is a guide to the basics of phrasal verbs. This guide to phrasal verb grammar goes into all the details.

Phrasal Verb Reference Materials:

There are so many phrasal verbs. The Cambridge Phrasal Verb dictionary is 432 pages long! Luckily, not all of these phrasal verbs need to be committed to memory. This sheet provides a list of the most common phrasal verbs in English and is a good place to start.

Phrasal verbs with 'to get' are some of the most common phrasal verbs. There are also certain common prepositions used to build phrasal verbs:

Learning Phrasal Verbs in Context:

Phrasal verbs can also be learned in context by relating synonyms to the new phrasal verbs you learn. Here is a series of exercises that provides listening examples from which you match the phrasal verb to its definition or synonym.

This series of exercises helps you build your basic phrasal verb vocabulary

Building Your Phrasal Verb Vocabulary – 1
Choose the correct definition for the phrasal verbs in the second list from the first list.

Once you have matched up all the definitions with the phrasal verbs, check your answers.

recover from
discover
escape
wait
think of a solution
inherit characteristic
arrive
connect on the phone
reduce
make sense
continue doing something
care for
search
postpone

find out _____
get on with _____
hold on _____
get away _____
take after _____
cut down _____
look after _____
come up with _____
add up _____
put through _____
look for _____
get over _____
turn up _____
put off _____

Quiz - 1 - ANSWERS

find out discover
get on with continue doing something
hold on wait
get away escape
take after inherit characteristic
cut down reduce
look after care for
come up with think of a solution
add up make sense
put through connect on the phone
look for search
get over recover from
turn up arrive
put off postpone

Phrasal Verb Fill the Gap Quiz -

Use the correct phrasal verb you have learned to complete the phrase. Once you have decided on a phrasal verb, check your answers.

find out
get on with
hold on
get away
take after
cut down
look after
come up with
add up
put through
look for
get over
turn up
put off

Have you _____ if you won the competition yet?
I need to _____ from work and take a holiday.
She still hasn't _____ the death of her cat.
My daughter is a great cook, she really _____ her mother.

Could you _____ a moment while I see if Peter is in his office?
Extension 286? I'll _____.
She promised to _____ her cigarette smoking to five a day.
He spent the entire night thinking and in the end _____ a brilliant idea.
I'm afraid your story is not believable. It just doesn't _____.
My sister _____ my cats while I was away on vacation.
We're not ready yet, we are going to have to _____ the meeting until next week.
I'm _____ Tom's address. Do you know it?
Mary _____ thirty minutes late for the party.
I'm tired of waiting for Jack. Can we _____ our work?

Fill the Gap - Quiz - ANSWERS

Have you found out if you won the competition yet?
I need to get away from work and take a holiday.
She still hasn't gotten over the death of her cat.
My daughter is a great cook, she really takes after her mother.
Could you hold on a moment while I see if Peter is in his office?
Extension 286? I'll put you through.
She promised to cut down her cigarette smoking to five a day.
He spent the entire night thinking and in the end came up with a brilliant idea.

I'm afraid your story is not believable. It just doesn't add up.
My sister looked after my cats while I was away on vacation.
We're not ready yet, we are going to have to put off the meeting until next week.
I'm looking for Tom's address. Do you know it?
Mary turned up thirty minutes late for the party.
I'm tired of waiting for Jack. Can we get on with our work?

Building Your Phrasal Verb Vocabulary - 2

This series of exercises helps you build your basic phrasal verb vocabulary. If you are unfamiliar with phrasal verbs, this guide to what are phrasal verbs explains everything. Teachers can use this introducing phrasal verbs lesson plan to help students become more familiar with phrasal verbs and start building phrasal verb vocabulary. Finally, there are a wide variety of phrasal verb resources on the site to help you learn new phrasal verbs and test your understanding with quizzes.

Choose the correct definition for the phrasal verbs in the second list from the first list.Once you have matched up all the definitions with the phrasal verbs, check your answers on finishing.

stop doing something

leave (on a journey)
apologize or regret having said something
invent a story
tolerate
deny
review
separate
begin a new activity
become angry
employ
finish
criticize
find by chance

come across _____
blow up _____
make up _____
run out _____
tell off _____
break up _____
give up _____
take up _____
turn down _____
set off _____
take back _____
take on _____
put up with _____
go over _____

Quiz - 2 - ANSWERS

come across find by chance
blow up become angry
make up invent a story
run out finish
tell off criticize
break up separate
give up stop doing something
take up begin a new activity
turn down deny
set off leave (on a journey)
take back apologize or regret having said something
take on employ
put up with tolerate
go over review

Phrasal Verbs Used in Sentences

come across
blow up
make up
run out
tell off
break up
give up
take up
turn down
set off
take back
take on
put up with
go over

Use the correct phrasal verb you have learned to complete the phrase. Once you have decided on a phrasal verb, check your answer in the following,

If you really want to lose weight, you need to _____ eating desserts.
Let's _____ the grammar one more time before the test.
I was _____ an old sweater when I came across this photograph of my high school class.

Look Jack, I've _____ your bad behaviour long enough!
There is just too much work to be done. We'll have to _____ some new employees.
You don't think I believe that ridiculous story you _____, do you?
I think you need to _____ a new hobby to help you relax.
When the father saw what had happened he _____ and shouted at his son.
I had to _____ her request for a loan. Her credit was just not good enough.
We _____ at six in the morning on our drive to the Grand Canyon.
Jack and Linda _____ last week. They just weren't happy together.
We'd better stop soon. Otherwise, we'll _____ of gas.
I want you to _____ every bad word you've said about my brother.
Unfortunately, I had to _____ Bob because of his poor performance recently.

Used in Sentences - ANSWERS

If you really want to lose weight, you need to give up eating desserts.
Let's go over the grammar one more time before the test.
I was looking for an old sweater when I came across this photograph of my high school class.
Look Jack, I've put up with your bad behaviour long enough!
There is just too much work to be done. We'll have to take on some new employees.
You don't think I believe that ridiculous story you made up, do you?

I think you need to take up a new hobby to help you relax.
When the father saw what had happened he blew up and shouted at his son.
I had to turn down her request for a loan. Her credit was just not good enough.
We set off at six in the morning on our drive to the Grand Canyon.
Jack and Linda broke up last week. They just weren't happy together.
We'd better stop soon. Otherwise, we'll run out of gas.
I want you to take back every bad word you've said about my brother.
Unfortunately, I had to tell off Bob because of his poor performance recently.

15 New Phrasal Verbs Gap Fill Exercises

Phrasal verbs are a challenge for any student. This exercise will help you learn a number of phrasal verbs in context, as well as learn common synonyms for these phrasal verbs which will help you understand their meaning. Remember that phrasal verbs can be separable or inseparable. In this exercise, all the phrasal verbs have been kept together. This is a trick I like to suggest: Separable phrasal verbs can be separated if you use a proper noun, they MUST be separated if you use a pronoun. By using a proper noun and not separating the phrasal verb from its particle, you will always be correct! Let's begin the exercise:

Use each of the following phrasal verbs once to fill in the blanks.

went for
work out
gone after
hold on
figure out
taken on
take up
looked forward to
dropped in
passed on
get over
come into
found out

Tom's life took a turn for the better the day he _____________ had _____________ a huge fortune! It seems his uncle had been struggling for months to _____________ a serious illness. Unfortunately, the cure didn't _____________ and he _____________ to a better place. Oh well, that's life! Tom had _____________ on his uncle from time to time. He always _____________ his visits. He had hoped that his uncle would _____________ a new hobby to help keep him interested in life. After a while, Tom was _____________ as a manger in a company in a different city, so he had had to _____________ a way to keep in touch with his uncle. He would call from time to time, and his uncle's wife would tell him to _____________ as she got his uncle on the phone. Tom really wanted to be closer to his uncle, but he had _____________ this new job with everything he had, so he really needed to work this situation out. Unfortunately, he never got the chance. His uncle _____________ the big reward in the sky after a long and happy life.

Match the synonym to the phrasal verb

Synonyms
reduce
see in the distance
start a new activity
make someone happy
pursue
endure someone
leave on a journey
recover from
discover
choose
inherit
Phrasal Verbs
put up with
cheer up
cut down on
find out
go after
get over
come into
go for
make out
set off

ANSWERS

Here are the answers to both activities.
Gap Fill Reading Answers
found out
come into
get over
work out
passed on
dropped in
looked forward to
take up
taken on
figure out
hold on
gone after
went for
Phrasal Verb Matching Exercise Answers
put up with           endure someone
cheer up           make someone happy
cut down on           reduce
find out           discover
go after           pursue
get over           recover from
come into           inherit
go for               choose
make out           see in the distance
set off               leave on a journey
For more information on learning phrasal verbs, make sure to study the difference between separable and inseparable phrasal verbs. Once you understand the grammar of phrasal verbs, explore the phrasal verb resources on different sites to learn new phrasal verbs and get lots of practice on a wide range of phrasal verbs. Finally, start using phrasal verbs in your conversations as often as you can. In the beginning, you may make a few mistakes. However, as with everything in English, your usage will rapidly improve and soon you will be fluent in phrasal verbs!

Finally, I highly recommend using a phrasal verb dictionary. Teachers can also use various lessons plans on phrasal verbs. Happy Teaching!!!

Ushas'

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Thursday, 18 August 2016

What are Phrasal Verbs?