Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal Verbs Exercises

These exercises focus on phrasal verbs. 

What Are Phrasal Verbs?

A phrasal verb consists of:

• A verb (e.g., call, turn, look)

• A particle (e.g., up, off, into)

The particle can completely change the meaning of the verb.

For example:
✅ I called my friend. (called = telephoned)
✅ They called off the game. (called off = canceled)

Common Phrasal Verbs List

Phrasal Verbs that Start with A

• Act up – Misbehave or malfunction
  My phone is acting up again.
  
  

• Ask around – Seek information from multiple people
  I'll ask around to see who's hiring.
  
  

• Ask out – Invite someone on a date
  He asked her out to dinner.
  
  

Phrasal Verbs that Start with B

• Back down – Withdraw a claim or demand
  She refused to back down during the argument.
  
  

• Back off – Stop interfering or move away
  Please back off and let me handle this.
  
  

• Back up – Support or make a copy
  Always back up important files.
  
  

• Blow up – Explode or suddenly become angry
  She blew up when she saw the mess.
  
  

• Break down – Stop functioning or become emotional
  My car broke down yesterday.
  
  

• Break in – Enter by force or interrupt
  Burglars broke in last night.
  
  

• Break into – Enter forcibly
  Someone broke into the office.
  
  

• Break out – Start suddenly (fire, war)
  A fire broke out downtown.
  
  

• Break up – End a relationship
  They broke up last year.
  
  

• Bring about – Cause something to happen
  This policy will bring about changes.
  
  

• Bring back – Return or remind
  This song brings back memories.
  
  

• Bring down – Reduce or cause to fall
  Prices were brought down.
  
  

• Bring up – Mention something or raise a child
  She brought up an interesting point.
  
  

• Brush up – Improve skills
  I need to brush up my French.
  
  

• Bump into – Meet unexpectedly
  I bumped into her at the café.
  
  

• Burn out – Become exhausted
  He burned out from overworking.
  
  

Phrasal Verbs that Start with C

• Call off – Cancel
  They called off the event.
  
  

• Calm down – Relax
  Calm down and breathe deeply.
  
  

• Carry on – Continue
  Carry on with your work.
  
  

• Catch on – Become popular or understand
  The idea caught on quickly.
  
  

• Catch up – Reach someone ahead or discuss recent news
  Let’s catch up tomorrow.
  
  

• Check in – Register arrival
  We checked in at the hotel.
  
  

• Check out – Leave or investigate
  We must check out by 11.
  
  

• Cheer up – Become happier
  He cheered her up after the loss.
  
  

• Clean up – Tidy up
  Please clean up your room.
  
  

• Come across – Find by chance
  I came across your old photos.
  
  

• Come back – Return
  They came back from vacation.
  
  

• Come up – Occur or be mentioned
  This issue came up today.
  
  

• Come up with – Suggest or invent
  She came up with a great plan.
  
  

• Count on – Rely on
  I can always count on you.
  
  

• Cut down – Reduce
  He cut down on sugar.
  
  

• Cut off – Disconnect
  The electricity was cut off.

Phrasal Verbs that Start with D

• Do over – Repeat
  I must do my homework over.
  
  

• Dress up – Wear nice clothes
  We dressed up for dinner.
  
  

• Drop off – Leave someone/something somewhere
  I dropped her off at school.
  
  

• Drop out – Quit a course or activity
  He dropped out of college.

Phrasal Verbs that Start with E

• Eat out – Eat at a restaurant
  Let's eat out tonight.
  
  

• End up – Finally reach a situation
  We ended up at the movies.

Phrasal Verbs that Start with F

• Fall apart – Break into pieces or emotionally collapse
  Her marriage fell apart.
  
  

• Fall for – Develop feelings or be tricked
  I fell for his lies.
  
  

• Figure out – Understand or solve
  I figured out the puzzle.
  
  

• Fill in – Complete information or temporarily replace someone
  Can you fill in this form?
  
  

• Fill out – Complete a form
  Please fill out the survey.

Phrasal Verbs that Start with G

• Get along – Have a friendly relationship
  They get along well.
  
  

• Get away – Escape or go on vacation
  Let's get away this weekend.
  
  

• Get over – Recover from
  She got over her illness.
  
  

• Get rid of – Remove or discard
  I got rid of old clothes.
  
  

• Give back – Return something borrowed
  I'll give your pen back tomorrow.
  
  

• Give up – Stop trying
  Never give up on your dreams.
  
  

• Go ahead – Proceed
  Go ahead without me.
  
  

• Go on – Continue or happen
  Please go on speaking.
  
  

• Go over – Review
  Let's go over your essay.
  
  

• Grow up – Become an adult
  I grew up in Canada.

Phrasal Verbs that Start with H

• Hang out – Spend time socially
  We often hang out at the park.
  
  

• Hang up – End a phone call
  He hung up suddenly.
  
  

• Hold on – Wait
  Hold on a second.
  
  

• Hold up – Delay or rob
  Traffic held us up.

Phrasal Verbs that Start with K

• Keep up – Maintain a pace
  You must keep up with the class.

Phrasal Verbs that Start with L

• Let down – Disappoint
  She never lets me down.
  
  

• Look after – Care for
  She looks after her brother.
  
  

• Look forward to – Anticipate happily
  I'm looking forward to vacation.
  
  

• Look up – Find information
  I'll look up that word.

Phrasal Verbs that Start with M

• Make up – Invent or reconcile
  They made up after arguing.
  
  

• Mess up – Make a mistake
  I messed up on the test.

Phrasal Verbs that Start with P

• Pass away – Die (formal)
  Her grandmother passed away.
  
  

• Pass out – Faint or distribute
  He passed out from heat.
  
  

• Pick up – Collect, lift, or learn
  I'll pick you up at 7.
  
  

• Pick out – Select
  
  

• Point out – Indicate
  She pointed out an error.
  
  

• Put away – Store properly
  Put away your books.
  
  

• Put off – Postpone
  Don't put off your studies.
  
  

• Put up with – Tolerate
  I can't put up with noise.

Phrasal Verbs that Start with R

• Run into – Meet unexpectedly
  I ran into my teacher.
  
  

• Run out – Use completely
  We ran out of milk.
  
  

• Run away – Escape
  
  

• Run out of – Use completely

Phrasal Verbs that Start with S

• Set up – Organize or establish
  Let's set up the meeting.
  
  

• Show off – Display boastfully
  He showed off his skills.
  
  

• Show up – Arrive
  She didn't show up on time.
  
  

• Stand out – Be noticeable
  Her talent stood out.
  
  

• Settle down – Calm down, become stable

Phrasal Verbs that Start with T

• Take after – Resemble
  She takes after her mother.
  
  

• Take off – Remove or depart
  The plane took off late.
  
  

• Take up – Begin a hobby
  He took up gardening.
  
  

• Take after – Resemble
  He takes after his mom.
  
  

• Turn down – Reject or reduce volume
  She turned down the job.
  
  

• Turn off – Deactivate something
  Turn off the lights.
  
  

• Turn on – Activate something
  Turn on the TV.
  
  

• Turn up – Appear or increase volume
  He turned up unexpectedly.

Phrasal Verbs that Start with W

• Wake up – Stop sleeping
  I wake up at 7.
  
  

• Watch out – Be careful
  Watch out for cars!
  
  

• Work on – Improve or repair
  He's working on his car.
  
  

• Work out – Exercise or solve
  We worked out at the gym.
  
  

• Write down – Record something
  Write down your address.

Types of Phrasal Verbs

1. Separable Phrasal Verbs

Some phrasal verbs can be separated by an object.

✅ She turned down the offer.
✅ She turned the offer down.

But if the object is a pronoun (it, them, him, her, etc.), the verb must be separated.

✅ She turned it down.
❌ She turned down it. (incorrect)

2. Non-Separable Phrasal Verbs

Some phrasal verbs cannot be separated. The verb and particle must stay together.

✅ Who looks after the dog?
❌ Who looks the dog after? (incorrect)

3. Phrasal Verbs with Two Particles (Inseparable)

Some phrasal verbs have two particles and are always inseparable.

✅ I came up with a new idea.
❌ I came a new idea up with. (incorrect)

FAQ about Phrasal Verbs

What is a phrasal verb?

A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and a particle (preposition or adverb) that creates a new meaning.

How do I know if a phrasal verb is separable or not?

You need to learn them individually. A good way is to check a dictionary or use examples in context.

Can I use phrasal verbs in formal writing?

Phrasal verbs are mostly informal. In formal writing, try to use single-word verbs instead (e.g., "cancel" instead of "call off").

How can I remember phrasal verbs?

Practice with sentences, use them in conversations, and learn them in groups with similar meanings.

Why do native speakers use so many phrasal verbs?

Phrasal verbs make speech sound more natural and conversational. Learning them will help you sound more fluent.