PREFACE

This book has been written as a learning aid for my EFL students (English as a Foreign Language). It is
geared towards upper-intermediate and advanced students, and the first half goes over the most common
verbs, such as come, bring, put, and make, while the second half runs through the most common
prepositions, such as up, down, with, and on. I’ve grouped the phrasal verbs together to make them sink in
quicker. I’ve also included multiple images in every chapter to draw out the various shades of meaning,
and to make the words easier to memorize. Each chapter has at least one vocabulary table, one micro-text,
one short exercise, and several striking images. All answers can be found at the back of the book, and in
many questions more than one answer is possible. At the end of the book, the vocabulary is revised in a
number of exercises for antonyms and synonyms. For those of you that are hungry for extra resources, I
have a YouTube channel with almost 100 video lessons (‘Learn Phrasal Verbs’) that focus on the same
vocabulary. The playlist is here:

YouTube Lessons on Phrasal Verbs

The following abbreviations crop up page after page in this book, so while you are leafing through or
scrolling down, please remember the following:

sb = someone
sth = something
sw = somewhere

I’d like to thank Yury Khristich for doing the layout of the book. I’d also like to thank my wife for
designing the cover. And lastly, I’d like to thank Wagner ‘Otto’ Verndl, one of my students, for patiently
and painstakingly poring over the subtle details of each and every phrasal verb during our classes. These
lessons have undoubtedly made this book a great deal easier to put together.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Preface 2

CONTENTS

The Most Common Phrasal Verbs......................................................................Page 4

Do.....................19 Set....................61 Call....................95

Make.................22 Keep.................65 Hold..................98
Get....................26 Go.....................71 Lay..................101
Take..................35 Turn..................77 Bear................105

Give..................41 Bring.................81 Let...................108

Come................44 See....................85 Work...............111
Put....................52 Play...................88 Be....................114
Run...................56 Draw.................92

Phrasal Verbs and Movement...........................................................................Page 120

Up...................133 Over................210 For...................233 By....................258

Down..............150 Around / Back................236 Into.................261
In....................160 About..............218 To....................240 After................265
Out..................170 Through..........222 Of....................246 Against...........268
On...................187 With................226 Away...............250 Together.........271
Off...................200 At....................254 As....................275

Antonyms...............................................................................................................Page 279
Synonyms and Clusters......................................................................................Page 283

ANSWERS...............................................................................................................Page 294

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Contents 3

 THE MOST COMMON PHRASAL VERBS

To learn anything by heart, it’s necessary to go back over the vocabulary that you learnt at the beginning
of your studies; therefore, let’s kick off with all those phrasal verbs that you’ll hear all the time in any
English-speaking country. If you haven’t come across these words already, you are sure to stumble upon
them soon. The first table includes some very common phrasal verbs along with their opposites, and it’s
well worth remembering that the opposing part could be the verb itself (go/come, put/take), or the
preposition (on/off, out/in, up/down, together/apart), or both of these. Please note that we use the
prepositions out of and into when the phrasal verb has an object, but we just use out and in when there is
no object. Bear in mind that in some informal speech, you may hear natives using the latter version even
when there is an object.

For example

go out / come in (no object)

He went out at 10pm. He came in and shut the door.

go out of somewhere / come into somewhere. (use out of and into + object)
He went out of the shed.
He came into the dining room.

Vocabulary

get on sth / off sth enter / exit (public transport and bikes)

get in / out (into sth / out of sth) enter / exit (cars and taxis)

go out / come in (into / out of) enter / exit (building, room)

turn sth on / off switch on / off (machine)

put sth on / take sth off dress and undress (clothes)

put sth in / take sth out (into sth / out of sth) remove or add item (bag, pocket, box)

put sth together / take sth apart (dis)assemble (a model, equipment, furniture)

do sth up / undo, zip sth up / unzip, tie sth up / fasten, cover (completely)
untie, button sth up / unbutton (similar to) wrap
sth up / unwrap

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — The Most Common Phrasal Verbs 4
 Visual Phrasal Verbs

I have plugged in my computer.

He is doing up his jacket.

He took the pieces out of the box, and carefully

put the model aircraft together.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 295

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition

I got up at half past seven, put my trousers, and buttoned my shirt.

Putting my wallet and keys my jacket pocket, I came into the kitchen and switched

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — The Most Common Phrasal Verbs 5
 the kettle. My son was putting a boat with pieces of Lego while my
wife was taking bread of the toaster. Since I had overslept, I gobbled up my breakfast,
drank up my tea and dashed off to work. Getting the car, I realised I had forgotten to
put some important documents my briefcase, so I rushed back into the house and
picked them up.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 295

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with an appropriate word

in the correct verb form:

1 He a grenade out of the ammunition box and threw it at the enemy.

2 Having finished work, I went out of the building, into the car, and started the
engine.
3 I had to the wardrobe apart in order to transport it to the new house and fit it
through the front door.
4 You ought to on a coat, or you’ll freeze to death.
5 The platform was crawling with tourists, so it was extremely difficult to on the
train.
6 The children were up presents to give to the family, but musing over what
presents they might put down on their own Christmas lists.
7 up your shoelaces, tuck in your shirt, and tie back your hair; you need to look
smart for the interview.
8 off his hat, he apologised to all those who were gathered around him.

• Did you enjoy putting together models when you were growing up?
• What is the first thing you usually turn on in the mornings?
• Do you usually wrap presents up or just put them into a bag?
• What was the last thing you put into your pockets?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — The Most Common Phrasal Verbs 6
Here are some more phrasal verbs that are of the utmost importance should you ever strike up a
conversation with a native speaker.

Vocabulary

pick sth up take sth from the floor or table or any surface

look after sb take care of sb

look for sth or sb search for sth

look forward to sth be excited about a future event

call sb back return a call

find out sth discover information

take off (no object) when a plane leaves the runway

split up and break up (with sb) (similar to finish 1) end a relationship

with sb)
split up (opposite of keep together) (no object) 2) go in different directions

fall over, slip over, trip over (no object) fall to the ground (in various senses)

get on with sb have a good relationship with sb

give sth up (similar to cut sth out) stop a bad habit

cut down (on sth) reduce a bad habit

let sb down disappoint sb

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — The Most Common Phrasal Verbs 7
 Visual Phrasal Verbs

Having slipped on a banana skin, he was taken to

hospital.

He tripped over the computer cable.

Having been at each other’s throat for months,

they split up.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — The Most Common Phrasal Verbs 8
 Exercise 3 Answers on p. 295

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

I’m really looking to going skiing at the end of February. My wife and I have decided
to go without the kids as they are still too young to go skiing. Fortunately, my mum has offered to look
them for the duration of the trip. I have asked a friend whether he wouldn’t mind
dropping us off at the airport, and I am sure he won’t let us . My wife is worried that
one of us will fall on the slopes and break a bone, but I reassured her, explaining that
we will only go down the easier slopes. I am cutting on cigarettes at the moment, and I
hope that this trip will make it easier for me to give completely; it always seems easier
to stop bad habits whenever you change your routine.

Exercise 4 Answers on p. 295

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with an appropriate word

in the correct verb form:

1 Our dog got lost in the woods, and so we started to for her; the woods were
massive, so we up, thinking that we would find her quicker if we went in
different directions.
2 Can you out what time our plane off on Saturday? I need to
pass the details on to our taxi driver.
3 Nowadays, many people are aware that down on carbohydrates can immediately
lead to weight loss.
4 It was so icy in the town centre that many people were over on the pavement.
5 I have always on well with my auntie’s family; we have a lot in common and they
are rather laid-back, which makes them easy to chat to.
6 Unfortunately, he is not a very punctual person; he will often you down by not
showing up at the appointed time.
7 I’m sorry, but I can’t speak to you at the moment. Can I you back in half an hour?
8 I over a large rock that was lying on the path, and it left me screaming in agony.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — The Most Common Phrasal Verbs 9
 • Do you have to look after any other members of your family from time to time?
• Do you have any exciting plans or events that you’re looking forward to?
• Are you trying to give up or cut down on any bad habits?
• Do you sometimes let your friends down and break your promises?
• Who do you get on with best in your family?

Vocabulary

drop sb off (at sw) take sb (usually by car) to another place

throw sth away dispose of sth

get rid of sth remove or throw sth away

cut sth off (similar to rip sth off, tear sth off) remove sth by cutting, ripping, tearing
(compare cut sth out of sth)

cut sth up (similar to rip sth up, tear sth up) cut, rip, or tear into many pieces

eat out (no object) not eat at home, but eat in a restaurant

eat sth up (similar to drink sth up, gobble sth up eat all that’s on the plate
and polish sth off)

heat sth up (similar to warm sth up) make something hotter (food, house)

run out of sth, (similar to) use sth up have nothing left of sth (time, money, petrol)

turn sb (or sth) down reject sb or sth (an offer)

work sth out, figure sth out calculate or understand

break down (no object) vehicle stops working

turn up, show up (compare with roll up) (no arrive or appear (roll up is arrive unexpectedly or
object) late)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — The Most Common Phrasal Verbs 10
 Visual Phrasal Verbs

He cut the coupon out of the newspaper.

Cut off 10cm of pipe, and put this aside for later.
It will come in handy.

Unable to hold myself together, I got carried

away and ripped up the letter.

Exercise 5 Answers on p. 295

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

I get on well with most members of my family, so I wasn’t surprised when my sister, Jenny, asked if I’d
mind looking after her daughter on Friday night; and, not wanting to let her down, I said that I’d be

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — The Most Common Phrasal Verbs 11
delighted to help. At 7:30 in the evening, she turned with my niece and told me that she
would be back to pick her up at 10:30. I had run of food, so we decided to send out for
a pizza. Unfortunately, the delivery driver broke en route, so the pizza arrived late and
rather cold. As the shop hadn’t even bothered to cut the pizza , I called the manager to
make an official complaint. We tried heating a few slices in the oven, but they weren’t
so tasty; we ended up throwing most of it . We have learnt our lesson: next time we will
eat .

Exercise 6 Answers on p. 295

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with an appropriate word

in the correct verb form:

1 I thought that I had sailed through most of the test, but I couldn’t out the answer
to the last question.
2 We need to look after the environment by picking rubbish up and it away.
3 I’m looking forward to out at that incredible restaurant, splashing out on the most
expensive dish, and wolfing it all down with enthusiasm.
4 He asked her out, but she him down; she didn’t like what he did for a living.
5 Having played atrociously for the entire match, I felt as though I had the whole
team down.
6 There were several particularly violent scenes in the film where body parts were
off.
7 My lunch had already cooled down, so I decided to it up in the microwave.
8 My son called, asking for help, so I agreed to him up at 16:00. Unfortunately,
there was a traffic jam, so I ended up him off at the station at 18:00. But
down on the way back meant that I had to call out the AA (vehicle repair service).
9 I’m going to up smoking eventually, but firstly I’ll down.
10 He up late 3 days in a row, so the boss had a go at him. However, I don’t think the
boss will let him go.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — The Most Common Phrasal Verbs 12
 • Have you ever turned down a job offer? Why did you turn it down?
• How often do you eat out? Do you prefer eating out or sending out for a delivery?
• Have you ever broken down on a long journey? or run out of petrol? or been cut up?
• Do you often roll up for work or social events late? What usually holds you back?

Breezing through these exercises, you’ve no doubt been thinking that I’ve made this book too easy. So,
let’s move up a gear and look at phrasal verbs with multiple meanings; I’d like you to muse over the
following questions that focus on the same phrasal verbs we have already seen, but this time they have
completely different meanings. Please bear these multiple meanings in mind when you happen upon them
in later chapters.

Vocabulary

work out 1) do exercises at the gym

work sth out 2) figure sth out

warm up 1) do exercises before a serious match

warm sth up 2) heat sth up, make sth or sb warmer

come into sth (usually some money, or a fortune) inherit money

pick sth up 1) come down with (an infection) 2) learn a new

language 3) ‘pick up speed’ means speed up
4) start again at a point where you had stopped
pick up (where + clause) 5) go to sb’s house to take them sw

pick sb up (similar to) give sb a lift

rip sb off, mug sb off cheat sb out of money, do sb out of money, diddle
sb out of money

get cut off (no object) suddenly get disconnected during a call

turn sth down / up reduce / increase volume

pick sb up on sth, call sb out on sth correct sb’s mistake

drop off (similar to) nod off, doze off (no object) 1) fall asleep
drop sb off at sw
2) take sb sw

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — The Most Common Phrasal Verbs 13
take off, (similar to) tear off, shoot off, dash off, leave (quickly)
set off, head off

Visual Phrasal Verbs

The teacher picked me up on my grammar. (Or,

he called me out on my grammar mistake)

Clearly, they’ve picked up a nasty infection;

perhaps they’re coming down with flu?

Smiling sweetly, the guy in the coffee shop ripped

me off: he handed over 10 dollars instead of 20.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — The Most Common Phrasal Verbs 14
 Exercise 7 Answers on p. 295

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

Dashing to work, I turned the volume on my headphones to make

them louder, and ran down the road. My colleague had agreed to pick me at the corner
of the street. It was a freezing cold morning, and when I got into the car, my mate turned
the heater to warm me . I was incredibly tired, so I dropped
in the passenger seat. This was a good idea as the traffic was tailing back on the
motorway; it took me almost 2 hours to get to work.

Exercise 8 Answers on p. 296

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with an appropriate word

in the correct verb form:

1 If we off in five minutes, we will definitely get there on time.

2 That music has been belting out all night. I am going to tell them to it down.
3 I think a teacher ought to students up on their mistakes; otherwise, they won’t
improve.
4 I can’t out the answer to question 7, and I’m not sure how I ought to come at the
problem.
5 I am sure that he was trying to me off; on two different occasions, he has given
me a five-pound note instead of a ten-pound note.
6 You ought to sit by the fire to up; it is freezing at this time of year and you
haven’t wrapped yourself up for this kind of weather.
7 He into a great deal of money when his great aunt passed away.
8 We were in the middle of a conversation on Skype when we suddenly got off.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — The Most Common Phrasal Verbs 15
 • Do you always remember to warm up before you do any sport?
• What is the best way to pick up English?
• Have you ever nodded off during a class?
• When was the last time you were ripped off? What happened?
• Do you know anyone who has come into a large amount of money?
• What time do you set off for work or school?

Vocabulary

give up (no object) surrender

cut sb up dangerously drive in front of sb’s car

do sth up redecorate sth

1) wrap sth up (with sth) 1) finish sth (with sth)

2) wrap up (no object) 2) put on lots of clothes to stay warm

put on sth 1) add or increase

put sth on 2) to organize a performance or event
3) put on clothes (opposite of take off)

go on at sb about sth (similar to) to talk continuously to sb about sth (in an

waffle/ramble/bang/rabbit/harp/drone/ on at sb annoying way)
about sth

break down (no object) 1) when a person is emotionally overwhelmed

2) when a marriage or relationship stops working
break down (no object) 3) break sth into smaller pieces (often to make
easier to understand)
break sth down 4) burst into tears
5) force a door or wall to fall down
break down (no object)
break sth down

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — The Most Common Phrasal Verbs 16
 Visual Phrasal Verbs

I’d like to wrap up the meeting with an analysis

of the following data.

Having wrapped up all the presents, we put up the

decorations.

To stroll around the woods one winter morning, I

wrapped myself up in my warmest clothes.

Exercise 9 Answers on p. 296

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

When I found out that I had put another 10 kilograms, I decided it was high time I
started working and cutting on sweet food. I signed up for a one-year
subscription at my local sports centre, hoping that I would burn off lots of calories in the swimming pool,
on the badminton court, and in the gym. During my first visit, I managed to pull a muscle while working

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — The Most Common Phrasal Verbs 17
out, no doubt because I hadn’t warmed before getting on the machines. After my
second visit, which was to the swimming pool, I came home and began throwing up. I put the symptoms
down to a nasty stomach infection that I must have picked while swimming. And on the
third visit, which was to the badminton court with my best friend, I was informed that I would have to pay
extra for the badminton court. The subscription fees were incredibly expensive, so I was taken aback to
learn that I would have to fork out even more money. In the end, I gave trying to lose
weight at the sport’s centre and splashed out on a new bike.

Exercise 10 Answers on p. 296

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with an appropriate word

in the correct verb form:

1 He stopped out at the gym, and since then he has on about 20

kilos.
2 I’ll be off as soon as the boss up the meeting; I have to go to
great lengths not to off while he’s on about performance
standards.
3 One of my colleagues gave me a lift to work, but someone us up on the way
there, and we crashed into his car, so I up late again.
4 We decided to up our flat during the autumn period; we want to do our bedroom
out in a new colour.
5 I forked out £20 on it last week, and by today it had already broken; The shop definitely
me off, so I’ll be taking it back tomorrow, and I expect a full refund.
6 He into a lot of money when his great aunt passed away, so he splashed out on a
Ferrari.
7 The enemy were holed up in the mountains for 3 weeks, refusing to up.
Eventually, we came up with a way to flush them out.
8 Every time we chat on the phone, she’s either on about money,
on about her children, or on about the latest gossip.
9 He down in tears when his girlfriend said she had been cheating on him.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — The Most Common Phrasal Verbs 18
 • Do you know anyone who has a habit of droning on about the same topics?
• Why do some marriages break down so quickly?
• Are you planning to do up your flat? How exactly?
• When you want to wrap up warm, what do you usually put on?

DO Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

do sth up (compare with doll sb up, dress up, 1) zip sth up or tie sth up 2) decorate or make
spruce sb up, sex sth up, jazz sth up) more beautiful

do sb over (similar to beat sb up) hit sb many times in a fight

do without sth (similar to live without sth, go manage without having sth
without sth, get by without sth)

do sb in 1) injure 2) kill 3) tire or wear sb out (exhaust)

do away with sth (similar to get rid of sth) 1) abolish (a law) 2) kill

do sb down, put sb down, run sb down, talk sb criticize sb

down, lay into sb

be done for be doomed

be done out in be decorated in a certain style

do with sth (similar to have a bearing on sth, bear 1) have a relation to, be involved with 2) fancy
on sth) (could do with...)

do sth over (and over) do sth repeatedly

do sb out of, diddle sb out of, cheat sb out of deceive sb for financial gain
(compare with rip sb off, mug sb off, take sb in)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — DO Phrasal Verbs 19

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

The flat was looking drab, so we decided to do it

up.

Dolling herself up for the party, she wondered

how her night would pan out.

I got all spruced up for my brother’s wedding; I

even put on a Tuxedo.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 296

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

The fact that we decided to do our flat had nothing to do the barbed
comments that some friends had come out with during their last visit. The day after the visit we splashed

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — DO Phrasal Verbs 20

out on new flooring and wallpaper, doing the whole ground floor in a Victorian style. I
couldn’t possibly do my cosy fireplace, so we decided to keep it but paint over it once
again. The flooring company tried to do us of 2000 quid, but we had already figured
out that the total cost should only come to £1500; having taken the problem up with senior management,
we were quickly given a complete refund. We only have to iron out a few problems next week, and then
the renovations will be finished. No one will have the nerve to run our house again.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 296

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 People tend to dress if they are going to the theatre.

2 Most people in the modern world find it very difficult to go their phone for a few
days.
3 Having done a lot of sport this morning, I could do a large bottle of water; I am
thirsty and completely worn out.
4 I think the government ought to do with capital punishment: it doesn’t do
anybody any good.
5 Her mother is always doing her . She makes the same scathing remarks over and
over again.
6 His own brother did him of his inheritance, so now he is done .
7 This course will make you do the same phrasal verbs and
again, and I hope they eventually will sink in.
8 We did our whole house out blue, but this had nothing to do
me. It was my wife’s idea.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — DO Phrasal Verbs 21

 • When was the last time you did up your flat or home? What style or colour did you do it out in?
• On which occasions do you dress up? When was the last time you spruced or dolled yourself up?
• Can you remember the last time someone did you out of some money? How were you taken in?
• Do you think we should do away with capital punishment?
• Is there anyone among your family or friends who is prone to doing you down?
• How old were you when you learnt to do up your shoes?

MAKE Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

make for sw run towards

make up sth (a story) lie or invent

be made up of sth consist of sth

make do with sth (get by with sth) get by (manage) using something which is not
ideal

make up for sth compensate for sth

make it up to sb by doing sth compensate sb by doing sth

make out that pretend that

make sb out to be assert that sb is

make sth out manage to see or hear sth (so that you understand)

make out (no object) kiss (in US English)

make of sth (similar to think of sth) (compare with have an opinion of, consider sb/sth to be
hear of)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — MAKE Phrasal Verbs 22

make up with sb (opposite of fall out with sb) become friends with sb again, resolve a
disagreement

make off (with sth) (similar to run away with) run off with sth

make after sb (run after sb) chase

make sb into sth (compare with turn into sth) cause sb to turn into or transform into sth

make sth over (the noun ‘a makeover’ is more renovate or create a new look for sb
common)

Visual Phrasal Verbs

He bought her some flowers to make up for his

mistake. OR He tried to make it up to her with
some flowers.

Mozart and Beethoven are names that everyone

has heard of.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — MAKE Phrasal Verbs 23

 What do you make of the Royal family? Do you
think we should do away with the monarchy?

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 297

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

Having introduced himself, the journalist made that he was a solicitor representing
several members of my family. He wanted to ferret out as many details as possible in regards to my father,
who had passed away in the previous year. I wanted to see exactly what he was jotting down on his
notepad, but I couldn’t make his handwriting. He asked me what I made
the stories that had been put out in several newspapers regarding my father’s extra-
marital activities. I replied that a number of malicious family members, bearing a grudge against my
father because he had diddled them of a small fortune, had made a
number of stories in order to get their own back. The ‘solicitor’ reeled off many other personal questions
that I felt were inappropriate. In the end, I threw him out for his impertinence, but I did get in touch with
my disgruntled relatives; I made for my father’s bad deeds by cutting them in on the
inheritance that I had received.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 297

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 The bank robbers had made with thousands of pounds, but the police car was
bearing down on them.
2 I’m so sorry for throwing away that box containing all your old photos. I had no idea what was
inside. How can I make it up you?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — MAKE Phrasal Verbs 24

3 What do you make the new Prime Minister? Do you think he’ll do away with
some of the disastrous policies of the previous government and start bringing in some more
effective ones?
4 If you don’t have an ashtray, you’ll have to make do this plate. But please, don’t
stub it out on the plate. Put it out under a cold tap, then get rid of it.
5 Journalists regularly make stories in order to manipulate public perception; they
often make that they are impartial judges who pass on indisputable facts. In
reality, they churn out the same rubbish week after week.
6 Brian broke up with his girlfriend on Friday, but by Monday he had already made
with her.
7 I felt as though I would throw up, so I made the toilet.
8 I made for my mistake by splashing out on a bunch of flowers.
9 The press have been making him to be a monster, but in reality he has been doing
good deeds all his life.
10 The course is geared towards all levels and abilities, so classes are made of
students from a wide range of backgrounds.

• Do you think a lot of the news is made up? Which stories are less credible?
• If you forgot your best friend’s birthday, how would you make up for your mistake?
• Have you ever made out that you were older or younger than you are?
• Would you be able to make do with a tent if your home were unavailable for a few days?
• What do you make of your Prime Minister or President? What policies would you bring in if you
were in his place?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — MAKE Phrasal Verbs 25

GET Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

get sth across (to sb) (similar to put sth across, put communicate clearly, convey an idea
sth forward, put sth forth, set sth forth)

get round to sth (+ __ing) find the time to do an important task

get at sb (compare with hit out at sb, lash out at 1) criticize sb

sb, run at sb, come at sb = attack)
get at (no object)
get at sth 2) mean or imply
3) reach sth

get away (no object) (compare with run away) escape

get away with sth (compare with run away with) 1) escape unpunished
2) escape with sth

get back (compare with take back, hand back, give have sth returned
back)

get back at sb (compare hit back at sb, strike back take/get revenge on sb
at sb, hit out at sb, lash out at sb)

get into sth (similar to take up sth, be into sth) 1) become involved or interested in a sport or
get back into sth hobby
2) get involved one more time

get back to sb (similar to call sb back) (compare contact or respond to sb at a later time
with follow up on sth, act on sth, chase sb up)

get behind with sth (similar to fall behind with sth, When you are behind schedule with sth
be in arrears with sth)

1) get by 1) (no object) have just enough money to survive

2) get by on/with sth (similar to scrape by on sth, 2) (with object) have just enough of something to
live on sth, make do with sth) survive

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — GET Phrasal Verbs 26

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

She’s always getting at him with scathing

remarks. It really brings him down.

I can’t understand what you are getting at.

Perhaps we should meet up and discuss this face
to face.

His friends had to hold him back; otherwise, he

would have lashed out at his rival.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 297

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

Getting your ideas in a concise and clear manner is an essential life skill. If people
don’t understand what you’re getting , you’re less likely to get what you want in both

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — GET Phrasal Verbs 27

your public and private lives. It’s easier to get with your friends, your colleagues and
your family members by getting grammar. And it’s easier to get your message
to the audience when you jazz your speech up with a few rhetorical devices. While it is
true that some successful people do get with a very limited vocabulary, you should
always do your best to polish up your vocabulary and brush up your grammar.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 297

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 When I was a student, I mainly got on junk food as I couldn’t be bothered to

cook.
2 During those hard times, it was very difficult to get ; we got
with our mortgage repayments, and we had nothing set aside for a rainy day.
3 Even though the criminal was caught, he got with it in the end; I thought he was
going to be sent down for at least 5 years, but the judge let him off with a suspended sentence.
4 I don’t know when I will get to doing the washing up; I’d better crack on with
this homework before I knuckle down with the housework.
5 If he keeps getting you with snide comments, you need to stand up for yourself!
6 If you leave your name and number, I’ll get to you as soon as I’m available.
7 I took up windsurfing as a child, but then gave it up in adolescence. Recently, I have got back
it.

• Would you be able to get by on half of your current salary?

• Would you like to get back into any sports or hobbies that you enjoyed in childhood?
• When people send you an email, do you get back to them quickly?
• Have you ever got away with any minor (or major) crimes?
• Do you find it easy to get your ideas across in meetings?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — GET Phrasal Verbs 28

 Vocabulary

get on with sb 1) have a good relationship with sb

get on with sth (crack on with sth) 2) start doing sth without delay

get off on sth (compare with turn sb on) take pleasure or excitement from sth (often
sexual)

get over sth 1) recover from an illness

get over sb 2) recover from a break-up

get through (to sb) 1) contact sb

2) make sb understand sth important

get to sw arrive or reach

get up (compare with stand up, sit up) get out of bed

get up to sth, be up to sth 1) do

2) do something suspicious or naughty

get rid of sth (similar to ‘throw away’) dispose of

get out of sth, worm out of sth, wriggle out of sth, 1) avoid a responsibility in various senses
weasel out of sth 2) derive sth (benefit) from an activity
get sth out of sth

get round sb (compare with bring sb round, come 1) persuade sb by being nice to them
round, wrap sb round your little finger, talk sb
into)
get sb round (similar to call sb out) 2) ask sb to come to your house.

get round to sth (get round to + ___ing) find the time to do an important task

get on (without object) 1) get late

2) get old

get through sth (compare pull through, come manage to survive sth that was difficult
through, see sth through, win through)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — GET Phrasal Verbs 29

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

It was such a hectic day that she didn’t even get

round to doing her homework until midnight.

Somehow, he needed to butter her up. So, he tried

to get round her by splashing out on some
jewellery.

We tried to thrash the problem out while we were

eating, but we couldn’t get through to her.

Exercise 3 Answers on p. 297

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

I have always got with my sister’s family: her husband is getting a

bit, but he is still young at heart; her kids are always getting to something, but they love

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — GET Phrasal Verbs 30

mucking about with my own kids; and my sister is always going on about her colleagues, but her stories
are hilarious. I’ve been so tied up with work for the past few months that I only got to
inviting them over last weekend. Firstly, my brother-in-law tried to wriggle out of it as he was snowed
under at work, but in the end he caved in to our demands and agreed to join us. They got
our house at 19:00, and we immediately sat down to have dinner. Unfortunately, the
meal was a complete disaster as the meat had gone off, so we had to get rid it. Instead,
we sent out for a Chinese take-away, and this managed to make up for the terrible dinner.

Exercise 4 Answers on p. 297

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 I am desperate to have tomorrow off, but I don’t know how I can wriggle of it.
What kind of excuse should I make up? It’s not so easy to wrap the boss around my little finger.
2 It took me 30 minutes to get to the relevant department. I won’t be calling them
back in a hurry!
3 She’s incredibly good at getting her father. He’s such a soft touch! (He is very
easily manipulated)
4 I’ve been trying to make her understand that she should finish with him, but I can’t get
to her.
5 Look at the time! As it’s getting , we ought to set off; otherwise, we won’t be in
time for our flight.
6 To get the winter, many animals stock up on food supplies, find a safe place, and
sleep.
7 Their engagement broke down last week, and he still hasn’t got losing her.
8 He’s rather sadistic: he seems to get on hurting others.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — GET Phrasal Verbs 31

 • How long does it usually take you to get over the flu?
• When do you think you’ll get round to finishing off all of this book?
• If you wanted to take tomorrow off, how would you get round the boss? Is it easy to get out of
going to work?
• Is there anyone in your family that you don’t get on with?
• What did you use to get up to when you were little? Were you often told off?

Vocabulary

get carried away (get worked up, work yourself let an emotion take over. become emotionally
into a state/frenzy) overexcited and unable to control yourself

get round, get out (no object) when news becomes widely known

get to the bottom of, fathom out investigate so that you understand sth deeply

get in on sth, cash in on sth, be in on sth, (similar become involved or included in a deal (often for
to profit from sth, and cut sb in on a deal, financial gain)
capitalize on sth)

get sth out of sth 1) derive benefit from an activity

get out of sth 2) avoid a duty or responsibility

get sb down (similar to put sb down, bring sb make someone depressed, unhappy, exhausted,
down) etc..

1) get into/out of sth 1) enter a car or taxi

2) get on/off sth 2) enter other forms of transport

get down to sth (knuckle down to sth, buckle direct your effort and energy towards sth
down to sth)

get off, knock off (work) finish work

get mixed up with sth, fall in with sth (a bad become friends with a bad group
crowd)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — GET Phrasal Verbs 32

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

He got out of working late by sucking up to his

colleagues.

He got a lot out of his Russian classes at school;

they helped him immensely when he was living
in Moscow.

This is a most perplexing mystery; only a master

detective could possibly get to the bottom of it.

Exercise 5 Answers on p. 298

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

In the last year of university, I got mixed with a bad crowd. My new friends spent most
of their time bunking off classes and getting drunk. They weren’t interested in getting anything

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — GET Phrasal Verbs 33

 of their courses. One night, we all got carried and ended up
vandalising several buildings on campus. News soon got that we were the culprits, and
I decided to own up to my own role in these crimes. However, the dean of the university wanted to know
who else had played a part in these mindless acts of destruction, so he asked me to turn in my so-called
friends. When I refused to grass them up, I was swiftly kicked out of university. Not one of my new
friends apologised for how the situation had played out, and this really got me .

Exercise 6 Answers on p. 298

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 The price of gold shot up last week. It really got me as I had just sold off the rest
of my gold investments before the price skyrocketed. I completely missed out on the rally.
2 If you want to get on the oil price, you’ll have to buy up some shares soon.
3 Sherlock Holmes was determined to get the bottom of the mystery and to fathom
out exactly what had happened.
4 When the news got that the company would go bust, the share price plummeted.
5 We ought to get to finishing the project, or else we’ll still be working on it next
year.
6 He gets work at 18:00, so let’s meet up at 18:30.
7 When I was getting the taxi, my sleeve got stuck the door,
tearing off a couple of buttons.
8 The ferry docked at the Port of Calais, and we all had to get and go through
customs.

• What kind of investments would you like to get in on at the moment?

• Do you think you got much out of your university studies?
• What time do you get off work (or school)?
• Have you ever got mixed up with a bad crowd?
• What kind of things usually get you down?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — GET Phrasal Verbs 34

TAKE Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

take sth out of sth / put sth into sth (your withdraw sth from sth / place sth inside sth
bag/pocket)

take sth off sth / put sth on sth (the table) 1) place sth on a horizontal surface or remove sth
from the surface.
2) remove clothes or the opposite

take sth down / put sth up place on a vertical surface or remove from the
surface

take sth apart / put sth together separate into pieces or build from pieces

take sth back 1) return

2) retract
3) withdraw
take sb back (similar to bring sb back) 4) make sb nostalgic about past

take sb aside (pull sb aside) speak to sb privately (away from the group)

take sth off (fling sth off, sling sth off, throw sth 1) remove clothes
off). (opposite of put/throw/fling/sling sth on) 2) leave the ground (lift off. a plane takes off)
take off (no object) 3) leave
take sb off 4) do am impression of sb, mimic sb

take sth up (first meaning similar to get into sth) 1) start a hobby
2) fill/occupy space or time

take sth up with sb complain to sb because of sth

take after sb be similar to a relative (usually personality rather

than appearance)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — TAKE Phrasal Verbs 35

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

The meal didn’t live up to our expectations, so we

took this up with the manager.

Knowing that he would look foolish without up-

to-date information, she took him aside and filled
him in on the latest developments.

Don’t just leave all your junk lying around the

garage, taking up all that space. Find a space to
hide some of it away.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 298

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

Taking my hat and coat, I started to inspect the library around me; the room was
massive, and the bookshelves were crammed with books of all descriptions. The librarian was taking
a sign that exclaimed ‘silence’ and putting one in it’s place that said,

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — TAKE Phrasal Verbs 36

‘please turn all mobile phones and devices’. I quietly took my book
of my bag and began reading; the book was ‘Lord of the Flies’, and the front cover took me
to my teenage years, because I had already read the book at school. The cover showed
Piggy’s broken glasses, hinting at the evil murder that would soon take place. As a boy, I had enjoyed
reading this story; however, as an adult, I understood that the book contained dangerous ideas that
legitimized man’s evil impulses as unavoidable desires.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 298

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 The soup that I had for the first course was disgusting; I took this with the
manager, and they offered not to charge me for this meal.
2 I had to take my old sofa in order to get it through the door of my new house.
3 I took my boss as I wanted to say something to him in private.
4 All my old books were taking far too much space, so I decided to stash them
away in the attic.
5 He takes his father: they both work themselves into a state too quickly. They need
to learn to control their emotions.
6 When I was 14, I took windsurfing; I loved it because I loved being on the beach,
and the air was so fresh when I was surfing the waves.

• If you had more free time, what new hobbies would you like to take up?
• Do you take after any members of your family?
• Can you think of anything that takes you back to your childhood?
• When was the last time you took something up with the manager?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — TAKE Phrasal Verbs 37

 Vocabulary

take sth away 1) remove an object to another location

2) subtract (opposite of add)

take over (no object) gain control of sth from sb

take sth over from sb

take (sb) on (opposite of let sb go) 1) employ sb

take on sth (opposite of get out of sth) 2) accept a responsibility/task/duty

take sth in (similar to sink in) 1) absorb (digest information)

take sb in 2) deceive sb
3) accommodate and look after sb

take sb for (similar to mistake sb for, play sb for, perceive/believe sb to be

have sb down as)

take sb up on sth (opposite of turn sth down) accept an offer

take it out on sb sb makes you angry, but you get angry and abuse
sb else

take it out of sb (similar to wear sb out, tire sb out, exhaust sb

knacker sb out)

be taken aback be shocked or surprised

Visual Phrasal Verbs

I took him up on his offer as soon as more money

was included in the deal.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — TAKE Phrasal Verbs 38

 Trudging through mud and wading through
shallow waters took it out of them, so they
stopped to catch their breath.

When she gets angry, she tends to take it out on

her younger sister.

Exercise 3 Answers on p. 298

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

Last week, my old boss stepped down, and I was hoping to take our department. I was
happy to take all the extra responsibilities because it meant a move up the pay scale and
a much bigger office. My paperwork had been piling up in cardboard boxes that were taking
far too much space, so a move into a bigger office sounded fantastic; however,
yesterday the CEO took me and asked what I made of Peter, a colleague of mine. He
was interested in putting Peter in charge of the department, so he wanted to know if the rest of the
department got on with him. I was so taken that I was speechless for a few seconds;
nevertheless, I managed to hold back my anger and tell him that Peter was a strong candidate and an easy-
going colleague. Today, the CEO took me once more and told me that he had changed
his mind and would like me to take ; I immediately took him on the
offer.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — TAKE Phrasal Verbs 39

 Exercise 4 Answers on p. 298

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 The smell of plasticine always takes me to my childhood; sometimes, I wish I had

never grown up.
2 While I was young, I would spend hours putting models of tanks and boats and
planes; when they were finished, I would jazz them up with a lick of paint.
3 If she got angry, she would usually take it on her younger siblings.
4 When I got home I flung my jacket and tie, threw my keys and mobile on the
table, and collapsed on the sofa; the long day had really taken it of me.
5 To learn phrasal verbs in detail, there is a large amount of vocabulary to take ;
indeed, it make take a few months to fully sink . But you won’t regret it.
6 I take my father; both of us are forthright, and we will speak out if we see good
reason to. Last week, I saw that the council had once again failed to collect the bins on time, so I
took the issue with my local MP.
7 They took the great detective a fool, and doing so was their greatest mistake. For
while he came across as an idiot, Columbo was not only a great detective but also a master tactician.
He knew that if he made out he was stupid, the culprit would be more likely to make a mistake.
8 The factory took 50 new employees last month. The managers hope to turn out
twice as many cars next year.

• Do you feel as though anyone has ever taken you for a fool?
• Have you ever been taken in by a trickster?
• Who do you tend to take your anger out on?
• When was the last time you felt taken aback?
• If you were offered a job with twice as much money and twice as many tasks, would you take
them up on the offer, or turn it down?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — TAKE Phrasal Verbs 40

GIVE Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

give sth away 1) give and not expect to get back 2) reveal a
secret

give in (no object) 1) passively surrender 2) stop resisting 3) give

give in sth (in the third meaning) document to the right place

give up (no object) 1) actively surrender 2) stop trying to complete

give up sth (in the second and third meaning) sth 3) stop a bad habit

give up on sb/sth 1) stop hoping sb will improve, or survive

2) stop trying to complete sth (with object)

give sth back 1) return

give off sth 1) emit (sound or smell)

give sth out 1) distribute

give out 2) machine stops working
give out sth 3) occasionally used in the same way as give off
(emit)

give it up for…! applaud (when a presenter introduces a performer)

give sb a ticking off (similar to tell sb off, scold sb for bad behaviour
compare with have a go at sb)

give in to sth (very similar to cave in to) yield or acquiesce to demands/emotions/desires

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — GIVE Phrasal Verbs 41

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

When we broke down on the motorway, the

engine started giving off a peculiar smell.

She gave in to temptation and wolfed down a

slice of pizza.

I reckon that the girls in the photo must be

French: their clothes and their croissants give
them away.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — GIVE Phrasal Verbs 42

 Exercise 1 Answers on p. 299

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

My children had been going on about the new theme park for months. In the end, I gave
to their demands and promised to take them out for a day. The theme park was 30 km away, and the kids
were bickering the whole way there. I had to give them a stern ticking , which quickly
shut them up. Next, the car started giving a strange smell, so I pulled over to have a
look under the bonnet. At first everything seemed OK, but when I pulled out into traffic, the engine gave
. In the end, we had to give on the idea of the theme park, and I felt
guilty for letting the kids down even though it wasn’t my fault.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 299

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 Unfortunately, she fell in with a bad crowd as a teenager. She started falling behind the other pupils,
and eventually even her teachers gave on her.
2 If the soldiers are captured, they might give our position, thereby endangering a
vast number of lives.
3 If I don’t give that library book soon, my mum will give me a ticking
. She has been going on at me to take it back for months.
4 The soldiers had been holed up for a number of weeks, and their enemies were attempting to flush
them out of their positions. They held out for about 24 days in total. In the end, they gave
on reinforcements showing up, and came out of their positions with the white flag
waving.
5 The doctor warned him to give alcohol or face serious consequences, which
included the possibility that his heart would give .
6 The teacher gave the homework for next week. She then reminded us to look
through all the phrasal verbs we had already studied and learn them by heart.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — GIVE Phrasal Verbs 43

 • Would you say that you are the kind of person that usually gives in to the demands of others?
• Which bad habits would you like to give up?
• Were you ever given a stern ticking off while you were young? What had you been up to?
• Do you think your accent gives away your nationality when you speak?
• While you were at school, did any of your teachers give up on you?

COME Phrasal Verbs

Please remember that come phrasal verbs are very similar to bring phrasal verbs, but with one important
difference: come phrasal verbs are usually intransitive (they don’t have an object) while bring phrasal
verbs are transitive (they do have an object). Here are some examples:

come about, bring sth about (happen)

come round, bring sb round (persuade or regain consciousness)
come to, bring sb to (regain consciousness)
come out in, bring sb out in (develop a rash or other symptoms)
come off, bring sth off (happen successfully)
come along, bring sb along (accompany)
come out, bring sth out (publish or launch)
come back, bring sb back (return)

Vocabulary

come about (no object) happen unexpectedly

come off (no object) (compare go down well) 1) happen as planned

(bring sth off, pull sh off)
come off better or worse 2) end up (better or worse)

come up (similar to crop up, turn up, show up) 1) arise / appear
2) soon to occur
3) the sun comes up and goes down

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — COME Phrasal Verbs 44

come across sth, come by sth (stumble on, happen 1) find sth by chance (compare with bump/run
on, happen upon, stumble upon, stumble across) into sb, run across sb = meet sb by chance)
come across as sth / sb (strike sb as, have sb down 2) appear to be, seem
as)

come along (with sb) (go along with sb) accompany (sb)

come down with sth fall ill with sth

come into sth 1) inherit

(not) come into it 2) plays (no) part in this

come out (no object) (similar to bring sth out = 1) be published

publish sth) 2) appear
3) go out socially
4) sun/stars/moon appear from behind cloud
(opposite is go in)

come out with sth (compare with blurt sth out) unexpectedly say sth spontaneously (comments,
remarks)

come up with sth (an idea/plan/suggestion) have an idea/plan/suggestion

come out in, break out in, (bring sb out in sth) when rash or sweat appears on the skin

come over to/up to (similar to approach

walk/go/run/dash/shoot/head up to)

come round (no object) (bring sb round = 1) regain consciousness

transitive) 2) be persuaded (similar to bring sb round)

come to (bring sb to) 1) regain consciousness

come to sth 2) amounts to, adds up to

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — COME Phrasal Verbs 45

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

Having tried a new washing powder, she came

out in a nasty rash. (The new washing powder
brought her out in a nasty rash)

She came down with flu, so she wrapped herself

up in blankets and heated up some delicious soup.

He came up with a great idea for his school

project.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 299

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

My niece was admitted to hospital last week as she had come with a nasty skin
infection. Her parents first noticed the infection when her face came in a rash. They

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — COME Phrasal Verbs 46

tried applying some cream, but this made the red marks come even brighter than
before. In the end, they went to the hospital and found a specialist, and one who came
as very knowledgeable in his field. He asked how the symptoms had come , but not one
of my relatives had the foggiest idea. He told them the rash could have been brought on by a new
cosmetic that my niece had been putting on her face. He handed over some new cream, but my niece
didn’t want to use any more skin creams. After some gentle persuasion she came ; and
after a few days of using the cream, the rash had faded away

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 299

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 When his great uncle died, he came a fortune, so he splashed out on a new car.
2 He’s a peculiar person that comes with the strangest things when you’d least
expect it.
3 How did last night’s fire come ?
4 The shock was so great that our protagonist passed out. But within a few seconds, he was already
coming .
5 Their success comes to their skill. Luck doesn’t come it. Talent
is what it all hinges on. And talent boils down to training.
6 We bought in lots of food, sorted out loads of games, and asked over hundreds of people, but the
party didn’t come as well as we had hoped.
7 The weatherman says that the rain will hold off and the sun will come in an hour
or two.
8 We’re going on a trip. Would you like to come ?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — COME Phrasal Verbs 47

 • Have you ever come out with something embarrassing and then regretted it?
• What was the last infection you came down with? What were your symptoms?
• How do you think you come across in meetings? What about your colleagues and boss?
• Did your last holiday come off as planned?
• At this time of year, when does the sun come up and go down?

Vocabulary

come through (compare with get through sth, pull 1) succeed in spite of difficulty
through, see sth through) 2) survive in spite of poor health

come out against sth (speak out against sth) criticize publicly

come down to sth (boil down to, hinge on) be caused by, or ultimately depends on
(compare with put sth down to sth)

come at sb, fly at sb, run at sb (similar to hit out at 1) attack

sth, lash out at sth/sb)
come at (e.g a problem) 2) approach

come down on sth, clamp down on sth, crack 1) tighten laws and punish offenders more harshly
down on sth 2) when a price is reduced
come down (no object)

come on (similar to ‘come off it’ when used in the 1) used to encourage sb
second meaning) (no object) 2) when you don’t believe sb
3) rain can come on (opposite of hold off)
4) lights/machines suddenly start working
5) make progress or improve

come up to (similar to live up to) reach the required standards

come up against, go up against, run up against, be encounter difficulties or obstacles

up against

come in for sth (similar to be in for sth) receive sth (usually blame or criticism)

come over sb when an emotion takes over and you get carried
away.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — COME Phrasal Verbs 48

come between sb something spoils the relationship between people
(separates 2 people)c

come back 1) return, happen again

come back to sb 2) remember once again
come back with sth 3) reply

come into one’s own become very successful

come off sth stop using medicine or drugs

come of sth result from sth

come under sth be subjected to sth

(come under criticism, scrutiny, pressure from)

come away with (an impression) be left with sth

Visual Phrasal Verbs

I think the authorities should come down more

heavily on those who drive under the influence of
alcohol; many of them just get a small fine.

The problem of homelessness often comes down

to a lack of affordable housing. (I put the problem
of homelessness down to a lack of affordable
housing.)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — COME Phrasal Verbs 49

 The President of the European Commission came
under criticism (came in for criticism) on account
of comments that he had made regarding Brexit.

Exercise 3 Answers on p. 299

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

The Secretary of State for Education came for severe criticism today when he asserted
on Twitter that European education standards didn’t come to British standards. Several
opposition MPs came against the minister, calling on him to step down. A Liberal
Democrat claimed that Britain would come against difficulties during future
negotiations because of these barbed comments, even suggesting that we may not get through Brexit with
a free trade agreement. The Prime Minister is expected to rein in the members of her party, coming
heavily on their irresponsible use of social media.

Exercise 4 Answers on p. 299

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 I’m really sorry! I don’t know what came me. When I saw the pickpocket creep
up on her and fish out her mobile, I got carried away and lashed out at him.
2 The police ought to come more heavily on those managers of firms that have a
poor safety record. If the firms’ health and safety procedures don’t come to the
required standard, they ought not to get away with it.
3 I broke in a rash the day after I came down the flu. So, I
popped into the chemist’s to pick up some medicine.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — COME Phrasal Verbs 50

4 You’ll probably come up a few difficulties in question three, but if you come
the problem in a rational and methodical way, you ought to be able to figure it
out.
5 The mugger, brandishing a large blade, came to the passer-by and quickly
snatched the phone out of her hands. The victim, in fear for her life, just froze up. There were
several onlookers, but no one was brave enough to make after the thief.
6 Several politicians came against the idea of a second referendum, claiming that
another vote would undermine democracy. Theresa May has ruled out a second vote under all
circumstances.
7 I can’t remember his name at the moment, but if I stop dwelling on it, I’m sure it’ll come
to me.
8 The minister has come a great deal of scrutiny since making those comments.

• What should the police in your area come down more heavily on?
• Do you think that success in life comes down to talent, luck, or effort?
• ‘A cash box contains some coins to the value of £5.25. There are twice as many 5p coins as 2p
coins, and twice as many 2p coins as 1p coins. If I asked you to work out the number of 5p’s,
2p’s, and 1p’s, how would you come at the problem?
• Have you come up against any difficulties at work recently?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — COME Phrasal Verbs 51

PUT Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

put sth on (opp. take sth off) 1) dress 2) switch sth on

put on (that) 3) pretend (make out that)

put sth across, put sth forward (similar to get convey sth (an idea)
across)

put sth down (opp. pick sth up) 1) place on surface 2) write sth down (jot down,
note down, set down)
put sb down (get sb down, bring sb down, run sb 3) criticise or insult sb
down) 4) kill an animal out of mercy

put sth away 1) put in its place (tidy up)

put sb away 2) put sb in prison

put sb up 1) accommodate sb
put sth up (opp. take sth down) 2) assemble (e.g a tent) 3) place on vertical
surface

put sth off (opp. bring sth forward) (compare with 1) postpone 2) distract 3) stop you from liking sth
put sth back, set sth back) (compare ‘go off’) 4) turn sth off

put sth out 1) extinguish a fire 2) turn off a light 3) publish /

release onto the market (similar to bring sth out,
roll sth out, come out)
put sb out 4) inconvenience sb (impose on sb)

put sb through connect

put up with sb tolerate

put sth by, put sth aside (set sth by, set sth aside, save money/time/resources for a future time
lay by, lay sth aside)

put sb down for sth (compare with write sth down) write sb’s name and what they will have (sth) on a
list

put sth down to sth (similar to come down to) explain the cause of sth

put sth behind sb let go of painful memories

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — PUT Phrasal Verbs 52

put sth together (similar to cobble sth together) assemble
(opp. take sth apart)

put sb down as sth, have sb down as sth (compare consider sb to be

strike sb as, have sb pegged as, come across as sb)

put sb up to (similar to be up to sth, get up to sth) provoke sb to do sth naughty

Visual Phrasal Verbs

I’m putting aside some money every month for

the tax man.

It took the firemen 3 hours to put out the raging

inferno.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — PUT Phrasal Verbs 53

 ‘I hope you don’t mind my showing up out of the
blue, but can you put me up for a few days? I
don’t want to put you out, of course.’

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 300

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

Many people put the problem of youth-homelessness to poverty, but many other factors
can play a part. Some adolescents come up against difficulties when their parents, angry with their
offspring for one reason or another, kick them out of the house. They may feel embarrassed to ask other
members of their family for help, as they may not want to put them . And if no one else
in the family is willing to put them , they are unlikely to find a home. Other teenagers
have parents that are hooked on narcotics or alcohol. If the parent of the child refuses to give up or cut
down, the child may be unable to put up their behaviour and thereby leave home.
Lastly, the child may have been put (and even beaten up) by other family members,
and this may be the reason they ran away from home.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 300

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 If you want to splash out on a new bike at the end of the year, you’ll have to start putting a few quid
each week.
2 I wanted to put the idea that we ought to either take on some more staff members
or put the deadline for the completion of the project.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — PUT Phrasal Verbs 54

3 Last night, there was a fire in the warehouse and the entire building burnt down. For several hours
the fireman were unable to put the blaze. They put the cause of the fire
to an electrical fault.
4 I’m going to Chester and my sister has offered to put me for a night, but I didn’t
really want to impose on her family. I feel like I’d be putting them .
5 I don’t know how you put with his behaviour; he’s always messing around and
lashing out at the other children.
6 If you don’t mind waiting, we can put you in 20 minutes. Or, you can call back in
half an hour.
7 My wife will have steak and please, put me for the fish.
8 He was throwing pieces of paper at the teacher while she was writing on the board. However, when
the teacher turned round and caught him red handed, he claimed that his friend had put him
to it. The teacher decided to punish them both.

• What kind of behaviour do you find extremely difficult to put up with?

• Did you enjoy putting together models as a child?
• If a relative asked you to put him or her up for a few days, would you agree? Or would you feel
like he or she were putting you out?
• What do you put homelessness down to?
• Do you know anyone that has been put away for a few years?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — PUT Phrasal Verbs 55

RUN Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

run after sb (drive after, go after) chase

run around run in various directions, without purpose

run around after sb (compare clean up after) do a lot of things for sb. (similar to spoil, pamper
or fuss over sb)

run away (from sb or sw) escape/go forever

run away with sb 1) secretly leave a place so you can live together
(In the second meaning, compare with get carried 2) when an emotion or your imagination takes
away, come over, work yourself up) over

run off (no object) 1) leave (once, and possibly come back) 2) do
run off (sth) some photocopies

run up to / over to sb or sw (similar to approach quickly

walk/go/come/dash/shoot/head/drive up to)

run up (a huge bill) continually spend money creating a huge bill

run back and forth run in one direction and then the opposite

Visual Phrasal Verbs

The lion ran after the zebra, closing in on its prey

with astonishing speed.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — RUN Phrasal Verbs 56

 We ran up a huge bill at the restaurant, ordering
as much food as possible because our company
was paying for everything.

Unfortunately, I got so worked-up that my anger

ran away with me; I ended up saying some things
that I regretted.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 300

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

I often dream about packing in my job. The main duties are running hundreds of
photocopies, running and forth around the office, and running after
my boss. Last week, I let my emotions run with me; I blurted out that the management
ought to consider taking on more staff members to cope with the increasing workload. Faces immediately
clouded over as no one from management really wanted to run more expenses than
were absolutely necessary.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 300

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 I cringe every time I see his parents running around him. They are bringing up a
monster!

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — RUN Phrasal Verbs 57

2 As you can see, I let my imagination run away me for this poem.
3 She ran up me, brimming with enthusiasm and grinning from ear to ear.
4 The police ran the pickpocket, but they couldn’t catch up with him.
5 He ran from home after his dad had a go at him, but came back a few days later.
6 If we keep on buying all this pricey food and drink, we are going to run a huge
bill.

• When was the last time you ate out? Did you run up a huge bill? How much did it set you back?
• Do you know any parents who run around after their children?
• Under what circumstances do your emotions run away with you?
• Did you ever run away from home in your childhood?

Vocabulary

run sb over, run sb down, knock sb over, knock sb hit sb in a car

down

to be run on to be powered by

run for/against participate in an election for a party or participate

against sb

run through sth 1) explain or read something briefly (go through)

2) spend money quickly
run sb through 3) kill sb with a sword (archaic)

run into / across sb bump into sb (meet unexpectedly)

run out of sth have nothing left of sth

run sb down, wear sb down, wear sb out, tire sb 1) exhaust sb

out
run sb down, bring sb down, get sb down, put sb 2) criticize, insult or depress sb
down
run sth down 3) to lose energy, power or strength
run-down (adjective) The adjective means 1) tired, exhausted 2) derelict
or in bad condition

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — RUN Phrasal Verbs 58

run up against sth, come up against sth, go up encounter difficulties.
against sth

run sth by/past sb (similar to sound sb out) To tell sb about sth and find out their opinion, or
get their approval

Visual Phrasal Verbs

I came up with a new sales strategy, but I had to

run it by my boss first.

The building that he lived in was in a run-down

part of town, and most of the walls were crawling
with graffiti.

By the second year of her course, she was feeling

particularly run-down; new assignments were
piling up faster than she was handing them in.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — RUN Phrasal Verbs 59

 Exercise 3 Answers on p. 300

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

Unfortunately, on the way back we ran against several obstacles. Firstly, we ran
of petrol on the motorway, so I had to run to the nearest petrol station
and buy some more. Next, I filled the tank up with petrol, but my new car runs diesel,
and this had slipped my mind when I was in the petrol station. So, when I tried to start the car, the fuel
system got clogged up with the wrong fuel. I had to call out the repair service once again. I ran
so much money just trying to sort out my car; in future, I will jump on my bike instead.

Exercise 4 Answers on p. 300

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 In the meeting, we ran all the details of next month’s project.

2 I came down with flu at the beginning of February and this left me feeling run- for
a few weeks.
3 Before you publish the book, run some of the ideas your audience to see if the
book is likely to go down well.
4 Hilary Clinton ran Donald Trump in the last US election.
5 I ran an old school mate while I was heading into town.
6 Her mother is always running her ; she needs to learn to stand up for herself.
7 I forgot to turn off the headlights so the batteries have run .
8 He came into a fortune when his uncle died, but he ran it all in a matter of
months, splashing out on all sorts of exorbitant treats, indulging himself with the finest food and
drink, and living in the lap of luxury.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — RUN Phrasal Verbs 60

 • What kind of products have you run out of? When will you stock up on them?
• Would you like to run for president? What kind of laws would you bring in?
• Do you know anyone that has run someone or something over? Have you ever been knocked
down?
• Does your car run on diesel or petrol?
• When was the last time you ran into someone unexpectedly?

SET Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

set sth aside, set sth by, put sth aside, put sth by, 1) save time, money, or resources, for the future
lay sth aside 2) place sth to one side as you will need it in a
moment

set about sth start doing sth

set sth out (lay sth out) 1) explain 2) position in order (similar to spread
sth out)
set out (no object) (same as set off) 3) leave
set out to do sth 4) start a grandiose project with the intention of
finishing it

set sth down (put sth down, jot sth down) 1) write sth down 2) put sth down (on a table)

set apart (from sth/sb) distinguish (from sb)

set sth forth (similar to put sth forth, set sth out, 1) explain or define 2) put sth across
lay sth out)
set forth (no object) 3) start a journey

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — SET Phrasal Verbs 61

set sth up (similar to put sth up) 1) install or assemble 2) make arrangements 3)
start a business
set sb up (pin sth on sb) 4) frame sb
5) matchmake
6) give sb money to start a business

set on sb, set upon sb, (run at sb, come at sb, lash attack sb
out at sb, hit out at sb)

set sth (off) against sth offset (compensated by)

set against sth be opposed to

set in (no object) (noun form is ‘onset’) start of something unpleasant (winter, disease)

set sb back 1) delay, or hinder progress (similar to hold sb

back)
2) cost
be set back 3) be further back from the road

set off (no object) 1) leave

set sth off (compare go off without object) 2) activate (bombs, alarms, fireworks)

Visual Phrasal Verbs

Being an ambitious man, he set out to reach the

very top echelon of the company.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — SET Phrasal Verbs 62

 We set about doing the washing up, brimming
with enthusiasm.

This contract sets out (or lays out, sets forth, puts
forth) all the terms and conditions of your
mortgage; please, read through it carefully.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 301

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

The following document sets all the terms and conditions of the loan. You’ll be
expected to pay it off over a series of monthly instalments, so please set a direct debit
with your bank. Should you fall behind with your repayments, the penalties for doing so are also clearly
set in the document. If you are planning to spend the loan on business equipment,
please remember that such purchases can be set against tax. What sets us
from the other short-term-loan providers is that we guarantee the lowest interest rates
on the market.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — SET Phrasal Verbs 63

 Exercise 2 Answers on p. 301

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 Creeping through the undergrowth, the soldier unwittingly tripped over a wire, setting
a bomb that blew him to smithereens.
2 Winter will be setting soon, so we ought to find shelter from the elements.
3 My last computer set me 500 quid.
4 The police tried to set the suspect by planting a gun in his pocket.
5 Her skilful use of poetic language sets her from the other members of the
debating society.
6 He set to become the best lawyer in the business, but he soon discovered that his
oratory skills weren’t up to it.
7 I set washing the dishes and tidying up as I knew my auntie was going to pop
round.
8 When I came back to the UK, I decided to set an online business so that I could
work for myself and work from home.

• How much time do you set aside for learning English?

• Which skills and qualities set you apart from your colleagues?
• Have you ever been set upon? What happened? Were you able to fend off the attackers?
• How much did your computer set you back?
• What time did you set off for work this morning?
• Are you able to clearly set forth your ideas in a meeting?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — SET Phrasal Verbs 64

KEEP Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

keep sb abreast of sth (the news) keep sb informed about (keep sb in the loop)

keep at sth (similar to work at sth) persist in doing (in order to improve or finish)

keep on ___ing (carry on, go on) continue doing sth

keep on at sb about sth (go/drone/be/rabbit/bang nag or constantly criticize sb about sth

on at sb about sth)

keep up with sth (opposite of lag behind, fall 1) stay level with 2) stay up to date 3) stay
behind) informed

keep up (with sb) 1) stay level with someone 2) maintain the effort
(keep it up!)
keep sb up 3) keep sb awake
keep sth up 4) not allow sth to decrease or lower

keep sth back (similar to hold sth back, hold out withhold information
on sb)

keep to yourself 1) avoid interaction with others

keep sth to yourself 2) avoid telling others

keep to sth, stick to sth do what you have promised or planned, or

maintain the same course of action

keep out (similar to keep away from) 1) not go in a place

keep sb out 2) stop sb from entering

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — KEEP Phrasal Verbs 65

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

Even though there’s a lot of work to plough

through, if you keep at it you will get through it.

If you keep to a healthy diet and work off some

calories in the gym, you are bound to stay in good
shape.

He was the kind of person who preferred to keep

to himself while others were chatting away.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 301

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

I enjoy reading and listening to UK and US media online; not only do they keep me of
what’s happening around the world, but they also enable me to keep with the other

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — KEEP Phrasal Verbs 66

students in my English-language classes. At the moment, news sources keep about the
recent boxing match that ended when one boxer didn’t keep his guard , so he was
knocked out in the first round. He landed up in a coma, with the doctors not knowing if he’d ever come
round. The press have been kept of the hospital, so there have been no photos in the
newspapers.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 301

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 I can let you in on a little secret, but you must keep it yourself.
2 Over the last few weeks your English has really come on. If you keep a routine of
about three hours a week, you’ll be ready for the exam.
3 The project looked like it would never be completed, but I kept it, finishing it off
at two in the morning.
4 The neighbours were having a party, and the music was blasting out till the early hours. Eventually
the party died down, but the noise had kept me for half the night.
5 My mum keeps on me about clearing up the mess in my room, so I ought to put
my stuff away first.
6 I think current geopolitical events will keep the price of oil and shore up the value
of the currency.
7 Keep a regular schedule, keep the exercises, keep
the effort, and you are sure to get through the exam. You might even sail through
it.
8 If you only just scrape through the exam, you may find it difficult to keep with
the other students on this course.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — KEEP Phrasal Verbs 67

 • How do you keep abreast of what's going on in the world?
• When you set about a difficult task, do you tend to keep at it until it's done, or give up at the first
hurdle?
• Do you manage to keep to the schedule at work, or do you often fall behind?
• Do you tend to keep secrets to yourself, or do you prefer to let others in on them?
• Who keeps on at you, and what do they keep on about?

Vocabulary

keep it together maintain composure and not get carried away

keep in with sb continue being friendly with sb (in order to gain

advantage)

keep sb from 1) prevent sb from doing sth

keep sth from sb (compare with hold sth back, 2) not to let sb know sth
hold out on sb, not let on)

keep sth down 1) be quiet (compare quieten/calm/die down)

2) prevent from increasing
3) resist urge to vomit

keep (sb) back remain at a distance

keep sb in/out make sure sb stays outside or inside

keep out of sth, stay out of sth remain uninvolved, not get mixed up in

keep ahead (of sb) remain in front (of sb)

keep sb off sth make sure sb doesn’t start a bad habit

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — KEEP Phrasal Verbs 68

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

Even though the suspect came across as

confident, the detective was certain that he was
keeping something from him. (or, ‘holding out on
him’)

When a fight breaks out, it’s always better to keep

out of it.

The neighbours were belting out music last night;

I had to bang on their door and tell them to keep
it down.

Exercise 3 Answers on p. 301

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

A fight broke out at a cafe yesterday involving two footballers and a civil servant. CCTV Footage shows
that the official was gobbling up his fry-up when the two men and their friends flooded into the cafe,

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — KEEP Phrasal Verbs 69

swearing, shouting, and acting aggressively. Their behaviour was keeping the civil servant
enjoying his meal, so he walked over to their table and politely asked them to keep the
noise . However, he should have kept of it, for the footballers’
response was brutal. They lashed out at him with punches and kicks, even throwing chairs and tables at
him. The footballers’ friends tried to keep the angry young men , but to no avail. The
victim passed out in the attack and is currently recovering in hospital. The doctors think he is likely to
pull through, though he may require a wheelchair.

Exercise 4 Answers on p. 301

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 To avoid putting on weight, it’s necessary to keep certain types of food and drink.
2 The pupil had been playing up all lesson, so his teacher decided to keep him for
the lunch break.
3 The church bells were pealing out, and they were keeping me finishing an
excellent book.
4 The detective could tell that the suspect was keeping something him; he needed
to employ a method that would drag the truth out of him.
5 If a fight breaks out, you ought to keep of it. Getting mixed up in these battles is
the worst thing you can do. If you are threatened, try to keep it and walk away.
6 He regularly drops by his auntie’s house as he is doing his best to keep with that
side of the family. He thinks that he may come into their money one day.

• Who or what keeps you from achieving your short term goals?
• Do your neighbours keep the noise down at night?
• Do you prefer to keep out of fights, or are you often dragged into them?
• What policies should the government roll out to keep unemployment down?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — KEEP Phrasal Verbs 70

GO Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

go with sb or sth 1) accompany 2) suit

go on 1) happen (intransitive)
go on, carry on, keep on 2) continue (with gerund)

go on for, carry on for (compare with drag on for) last for (+ duration)

go on at sb about sth (whine, ramble, keep, waffle, nag or constantly criticize sb about sth
rabbit, drone, harp on at sb about sth)

go ahead (with sth) proceed

go through sth, 1) experience sth painful or difficult

run through sth, go through/over sth (compare 2) examine sth briefly
with pore over sth which means examine
carefully) (also skim / leaf / flick / thumb /
browse through sth)

go through with sth proceed in spite of difficulty.

go for sb or sth 1) attack or criticize

2) aim for
3) be sold for
4) choose (compare with ‘put me down for sth)

go in for sth participate

go without sth (live without sth, do without sth) cope with not having sth
(also, compare with part with sth)

go out (compare with put the lights out, put a fire 1) socialize
out) 2) stop giving light
3) stop burning
4) leave a room / building

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — GO Phrasal Verbs 71

go off (compare with set sth off and let sth off 1) be activated; bombs, fireworks and alarms all
which are transitive) go off.
2) leave
3) happen as planned (compare with go down)
4) stop liking (opposite of warm to)
(similar to take against sb)

Visual Phrasal Verbs

We spent a long time buying food and drink in for

the party, so I am pleased that it went off exactly
as we planned.

When her parents split up, she went through a

difficult period.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — GO Phrasal Verbs 72

 She constantly goes on at him about the house
being in a mess, but he just shrugs off her
comments.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 301

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

Last night, I heard fireworks going , so I went to see what was going
. I could hear music belting out from my neighbours garden, and when I peered over the
fence, I saw they were having a bonfire party. This surprised me as it was chucking it down, and all the
guests were soaked through. The host, who was setting off fireworks, must have decided to go
with the party in spite of the rain. The party went for another 3 or 4
hours before people started to head back home.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 302

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 Moving home can be a very difficult experience to go .

2 The fire went burning for another half an hour, but eventually it went
.
3 When I was growing up, I had my hair tied back in a pony tail, and my dad would go
at me about getting my hair cut.
4 I don’t think I could go my mobile nowadays. I can’t sort anything out without it.
5 I’m not sure that we should go with this plan. There are many things that could
go wrong.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — GO Phrasal Verbs 73

6 Having run through the requirements, and having briefly run them past my superiors, I am pleased
to say we shall go with the project.
7 Your tie goes the colour of your eyes. You look good when you dress up.
8 When she got pregnant, her diet changed and she craved for new foods. However, she went
chocolate and cakes.

• What’s the most difficult experience that you have ever gone through?
• How long do the meetings at work go on for? Does it feel like they drag on?
• When was the last time you threw a party? Did it go off well??
• If I went through your CV, what kind of work experience would I see?
• How long would you be able to go without your phone?
• If you had to work abroad and not see your family for some time, would you be able to go
through with it?

Vocabulary

go down (well with sb) 1) be received by people well or badly

go down (no object) 2) decrease
go down sth 3) descend

go down for sth (send sb down for sth) 1) go to prison for (crime OR duration)
go down (in history) for sth or as sb 2) be renowned for (or as)

go by 1) pass by
2) be named
3) ‘going by’ means ‘according to’

go after sb (run after sb) chase sb

go back over sth, go back through sth, run back examine briefly once again
through sth

1) go into sw 1) enter sw
2) go into sth 2) discuss sth in detail

go back on sth (e.g your word) fail to keep a promise

go around sth (compare with skirt around) 1) physically avoid (skirt around = mentally

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — GO Phrasal Verbs 74

go around/about doing sth avoid)
go around (no object) 2) spend time doing sth unpleasant
3) spread (especially news, compare get around)

go along with sb 1) accompany sb

go along with sth (compare with play along with 2) assume for argument’s sake that a dubious idea
sth) (sth) is actually true
3) genuinely support sth (an idea)

Visual Phrasal Verbs

He was charged with burglary, and he went down

for 2 years.

Today’s date will go down in history as the first

day that women have been able to vote in an
election.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — GO Phrasal Verbs 75

 As a teenager, he went around spraying graffiti all
over the buildings by the train lines.

Exercise 3 Answers on p. 302

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

I don’t really want to go the details, but three young men went my
cousin, and one of them was armed with a knife. My cousin managed to fend them off, using his briefcase
as a make-do shield. There are often youngsters in that area who go looking for a fight,
so this event came as no surprise to me. The police actually managed to catch up with the attackers on
that same night, and it looks as though the armed attacker could go for 6 months or
even a year. Personally, I think the judge ought to send him down for even longer.

Exercise 4 Answers on p. 302

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 My name is Felix, but on YouTube I go the handle ‘PewDiePie’.

2 Jack the Ripper went in history as the world’s first serial killer.
3 If you keep going on your promises, nobody will take you seriously.
4 I thought that the food at the party went really well with the guests.
5 If you keep going over these phrasal verbs, they will start to sink in.
6 I don’t like him as he often goes boasting about how great he is. He comes across
as arrogant and stuck-up.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — GO Phrasal Verbs 76

 • When someone goes down for murder, how long should they be sent down for?
• Have you ever performed in public? Did the performance go down well?
• How often do you go back over old vocabulary?
• Do you think the price of housing in your area will go up or down soon?
• Do you go along with the theory that the universe is 15 billion years old?
• What nicknames do you go by online?
• Do you know anyone who goes around making nasty comments?

TURN Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

turn sb away 1) not allow sb to enter

turn away 2) look away

turn (sth) around, turn around (no object), spin 1) rotate in the vertical plane (compare with turn
round over)
turn sth round 2) take sth (e.g a business) that is failing and make
it successful

turn sth over (flip sth over) 1) rotate in horizontal plane

turn over sth 2) relinquish a weapon, hand it in
3) produce or manufacture (similar to turn out)
4) generate revenue via sales
5) think over (mull over, muse over, churn over)
6) deliver sb to authorities

turn sb over to (the police)

turn sth down 1) reduce volume

2) refuse an offer

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — TURN Phrasal Verbs 77

turn sth in 1) hand sth in
turn sb in (similar to dob sb in, grass sb up, inform 2) deliver sb to the police (also turn sb over to sb)
on sb, rat on sb, snitch on sb)
turn in (no object) 3) go to bed

Turn (sth) into sth (make sb into sth) transform (sth) into sth

turn on sth 1) switch on sth

2) hinge on sth or depend on sth (boil down to)
3) suddenly attack a friend or former ally.
turn on sb 4) arouse sexually

turn off sth 1) switch off sth

turn sb off 2) disgust or repel sb (especially sexually)

turn up (show up) 1) arrive or appear

turn sth up 2) increase volume
3) find sth after a long search (less common)

turn to sth 1) degenerate into sth

turn to sb 2) consult sb you trust for advice (opposite of turn
sb away)

turn out 1) end or become apparent

turn sth out (compare go out without object) 2) turn off a light
turn sth out, churn sth out, turn over 3) produce or make
turn sb out
4) eject or evict (similar to turn sb away)

turn sth back 1) return to previous state or time

turn sb back 2) repel or drive away
turn back 3) retrace steps (similar to double back)

turn against sb, turn on sb attack sb that you previously liked or supported

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — TURN Phrasal Verbs 78

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

I lost control of the steering wheel and veered off

the road, where the car turned over, lying on it’s
roof.

Whenever I come down with something, I turn to

my doctor for advice.

We didn’t get to the night club until midnight, and

by that time, the place was full; they turned us
away as there was no space for us.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — TURN Phrasal Verbs 79

 Exercise 1 Answers on p. 302

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

If I could turn the clock, I would probably go back to when I was 21 years old, just
before I had that accident and landed myself in hospital. My car had veered off the road and completely
turned so that I was upside down when the fire service arrived. I was so seriously
injured that I had to remain in hospital for 2 weeks. Word soon got around that I had been drinking before
the accident, and many of my former friends turned me. I turned at
my best friend’s doorstep once I had got over my injuries, but he simply turned me ,
refusing to even speak to me.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 302

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 If you knew that your friend was getting up to all sorts of serious crimes, would you turn him
?
2 That factory has been turning aircraft since the 1950s.
3 Don’t worry if you can’t find your keys. I am sure they will turn somewhere
when you settle down.
4 We got to the nightclub at 12:30, but we were turned . Apparently they stop letting
people in after midnight.
5 I heard a faint voice calling, but I couldn’t make out what was being said. On turning
, I saw that it was an old friend that I hadn’t bumped into in ages.
6 He usually turned his uncle if he needed help, so he asked his uncle to put him
up, and his uncle agreed. A few days later, his uncle got fed up with his bad habits, and turned him
in the middle of the night.
7 The police were rummaging through his belongings, but they didn’t turn any
incriminating evidence.
8 She had really knuckled down in order to pass the test, brushing up on all aspects of the course. The
exam turned to be really easy, so she sailed through it, passing with flying
colours.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — TURN Phrasal Verbs 80

 • What time do you usually turn in on a week-night?
• Have you ever been turned away from a bar, restaurant, or night club? Why?
• Who do you usually turn to at difficult times of your life?
• What kind of physical features do you find a turn-off and a turn-on?
• How much did your company turn over last year?
• Have you ever turned down a job offer? Why?
• If you could turn back time, what kind of things would you change in your life?
• Do you expect the voter turn-out to be high or low in the next election?
• If you knew that your friend was getting up to all sorts of serious crimes, would you turn him in?

BRING Phrasal Verbs

Please remember that come phrasal verbs are very similar to bring phrasal verbs, but with one important
difference: come phrasal verbs are usually intransitive (they don’t have an object) while bring phrasal
verbs are transitive (they do have an object). Here are some examples:

come about, bring sth about (happen)

come round, bring sb round (persuade or regain consciousness)
come to, bring sb to (regain consciousness)
come out in sth, bring sb out in sth (develop a rash or other symptoms)
come off, bring sth off (happen successfully)
come along, bring sb along (accompany)
come out, bring sth out (publish or launch)
come back, bring sb back (return)

Vocabulary

bring sb up (noun = upbringing) 1) to look after a child until adulthood

bring sth up 2) to mention
bring up (throw up, yack up) 3) vomit

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — BRING Phrasal Verbs 81

bring sb/sth round (compare with come round, 1) take sth round
which is intransitive) 2) regain consciousness
(compare with talk sb into, win sb over in third 3) persuade or convince sb
meaning)

bring sb to (synonym of bring sb round, compare regain consciousness

with come to, which is intransitive)

bring sth about (similar to bring sth on, lead to sth, cause to happen
result in sth, spark sth off, give rise to sth)

bring sth off (similar to pull sth off, carry sth off) accomplish sth difficult.

bring sth out 1) evoke

(‘come out’ is intransitive) 2) publish

bring sb out in spots/a rash (similar to come out in cause a rash or spots to appear
which is intransitive)

bring sth on (similar to bring sth about) cause sth to happen (often something bad)

bring sth in (similar to roll out) 1) introduce new legislation

2) attract (e.g new customers) compare with reel
sb in

bring sth forth 1) cause to happen (similar to bring sth on and

bring sth about)
2) create or generate

bring sth/sb down 1) topple or overthrow

2) depress (get sb down, put sb down, run sb
down)
3) reduce (go down)
4) make sb fall over (knock sb down)

bring sb/sth back 1) fetch sth

(similar to flood back, summon sth up, call sth up, 2) remember sth
stir sth up, conjure sth up in the second meaning) 3) re-enact old law
4) revive sb

bring sth forward make a meeting earlier than planned (compare

with put sth off)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — BRING Phrasal Verbs 82

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

The minister spoke out against tax avoidance,

announcing that the government was bringing in
legislation to make large companies pay the full
amount of tax.

His mother tried her best to bring him round, but

he wouldn’t listen. He takes after his father in that
they are both stubborn.

The boy’s mother was often snowed under at

work, so it was his father that brought him up.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — BRING Phrasal Verbs 83

 Exercise 1 Answers on p. 302

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

Members of parliament have been asked to mull over the consequences of bringing a
35-hour working week. During the discussion, which has been brought to Friday the
28th so as not to clash with other debates, the Liberal Democrats hope to bring MPs
from the Labour Party. However, they will need to proceed cautiously, or else several members of their
own party may turn against them. Several politicians have pointed out that such legislation would bring
massive changes, that the legislation would need to be phased in over a long period,
and that this new bill would be unlikely to get through the House of Lords. In summary, it remains
doubtful that the Liberal Democrats will be able to bring this .

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 303

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 Both my parents passed away while I was still young; my grandparents brought me
.
2 The downsizing of several large firms has sparked off a wave of redundancies, bringing
a spike in the unemployment figures.
3 He has cheered up since he started going out with her; she brings the very best in
him.
4 Conspirators attempted to blow up parliament, thereby bringing King James and
the Church of England.
5 The smell of paint always brings me to my childhood; I have been into painting
for as long as I can remember.
6 The referee decided that the player had dived, so he didn’t give a free kick, but I’m sure that the
man was brought .
7 I have already brought the idea of splashing out on a new car several times, but
she’d rather put the money aside for a second holiday; it’s going to be really difficult to bring her
.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — BRING Phrasal Verbs 84

8 Some politicians have even put forward the idea of bringing capital punishment,
but it is unlikely they will win over their peers on this issue.

• If your friend were unconscious, how would you bring him round?
• What kinds of things bring back memories of your childhood?
• Where were you brought up? Who brought you up?
• Would you like to bring back capital punishment?
• What new laws should be brought in?
• What outcomes would higher taxes bring about?
• If you had to pass an advanced English exam, would you be able to bring it off?
• If I brought out a new phrasal verb book, would you buy it?

SEE Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

see beyond sth 1) predict

2) see further than sth
not see beyond sth (usually criticism) 3) not able to focus attention sw else

see sb in, show sb in, let sb in allow sb to come in

see sth in 1) celebrate at home

see in sb 2) believe sb to have a particular quality

see into sth 1) predict the future

2) see into a room

see sb off (see sb out, show sb out, let sb out) 1) accompany a guest on his way out
(very similar to fight sb off, fend sb off, ward sb 2) defeat sb
off) 3) overpower sb

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — SEE Phrasal Verbs 85

see sb out 1) see sb off
see sth out (see sth through) 2) persist with an activity until it is complete

see over 1) look over (inspect a house, very rare)

see through sth/sb 1) look through

2) see clearly, not be deceived
see sth through (similar to get through, go 1) persist with a difficult activity until it is
through, pull through) complete
see sb through until 2) be enough for sb to last until

see to sth 1) deal with or take responsibility for sth

see to sb 2) serve sb

see about sth (similar to deal with, sort out) arrange for sth to be done

Visual Phrasal Verbs

I don’t think we have enough toilet paper to see

us through until Friday; I’ll dash down the shops
and buy some more.

He works in a care home for the elderly, and his

duties include seeing to the guests and making
sure they are comfortable.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — SEE Phrasal Verbs 86

 I need to see about having the car washed before
we head off to Greece for a holiday.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 303

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

We decided to see the New Year for a change, so we bought in loads of food and drink
and rang up everyone that we knew to invite them over for the party. We bought 20 bottles of Champagne
and 2 crates of beer, but I wasn’t sure that the beer would see us the whole night. So, I
called a couple of mates and asked them to stock up on beers on their way round to our place. During the
party, I saw all the guests, topping up their glasses and passing round the nibbles. My
wife saw the younger kids, sorting out party games, unwrapping presents and putting
on new music.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 303

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 Not only is he full of himself, but also he’s insincere. I don’t know what she sees
him. I imagine, and hope, that they’ll break up soon.
2 I’ll have to see getting the boiler repaired as it’s getting colder, and we can’t go
without the central heating in October.
3 I fell behind with a lot of coursework in my last year of university, but eventually I managed to see
it . The thought of dropping out was horrifying, and it spurred me on.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — SEE Phrasal Verbs 87

4 Scrolling up, I noticed that the email asking for my bank account details was from a strange email
address. These phishing scams are pretty easy to see , but also pretty easy to fall
for.
5 He’s convinced that she is head-over-heels in love with him. He needs to see her
lies. He can’t see anything her pretty face.
6 I saw the guests at 8 o clock and saw them at 11.

• Do you tend to see things through or give up at the first hurdle?

• What do you think your partner sees in you?
• Do you often see visitors out, or let them find their own way out?
• Do you have enough coffee to see you through until the end of the week?
• What kind of errands do you need to see to at the moment?

PLAY Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

play (up) to sth 1) exploit a strength, make the most of sth

2) behave nicely to sb because you want them to
play up to sb (suck up to sb, crawl up to sb, butter like you
sb up)

play on sth 1) exploit a weakness

play on (carry on, go on) no object 2) continue playing

play around (muck around, mess around, get up 1) misbehave

to) (similar to fool around in second meaning) 2) have an affair (cheat on sb)

play along (with sb) (go along with sb) 1) accompany music

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — PLAY Phrasal Verbs 88

 2) assume for argument’s sake that a dubious idea
is actually true

play away 1) play on opponents pitch

2) have an affair

play sth down (talk sth down, gloss over sth, make understate, pretend sth is less important than it
light of sth, downplay) (opposite of play sth up) really is

play sb off against sb make 2 people compete, often to gain an

advantage

play out (pan out, turn out) no object unfold, develop, happen

play up (no object) 1) misbehave (like play around)

2) machine stops working
3) body part aches
play sth up (opposites are talk sth down, play sth 4) talk sth up
down)

play sb for (same as take sb for, have sb pegged treat sb as sth

as, have sb down as sb)

play (around) with sth (fiddle around with sth, change or touch something, perhaps causing
mess around with sth, tamper with sth) damage

play at being sb 1) pretend to be

what is he playing at? 2) used when you think sb is behaving in a stupid
way

Visual Phrasal Verbs

His teacher is constantly telling him off as he is

always playing up.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — PLAY Phrasal Verbs 89

 My back has been playing up since I tried to pick
up those heavy boxes.

We will need to play up to our strengths, but play

on our opponent’s weaknesses.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 303

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

My football team were scheduled to play last Saturday, and we managed to see off our
opponents with a 3 – 0 win. We played their lack of height, feeding the midfield and
attack with high balls. We also played our main strength, which was our greater
stamina. Nonetheless, I’m not sure what the referee was playing ; firstly, he missed two
handballs in the penalty area. Secondly, I was clearly brought down unfairly by one of the opponents, but
the referee didn’t even pull out a yellow card. Still, we played with the referee’s
decisions, and we were delighted with the final result. However, my leg has been playing
all week, so I’m going to see about arranging a doctor’s appointment tomorrow.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — PLAY Phrasal Verbs 90

 Exercise 2 Answers on p. 303

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 The situation was incredibly hard to predict; no one could see beyond the next five minutes, so no
one knew how things would play .
2 What the hell are you playing ? If you keep playing with that
gun, it might go off by accident, seriously injuring or even killing someone.
3 I thought that he was talking absolute rubbish, so I was tempted to chime in with my own opinions,
but in the end I kept my mouth shut and played with what he claimed. It seemed a
lot more fun this way.
4 My chess opponent was playing me a fool, so I made a decisive move that alerted
him to the fact that he had already lost the game.
5 Several politicians have been playing the government’s failure to reach its targets,
arguing that these targets were unrealistic in the first place.
6 Children will always attempt to play their father off their mother; corruption
begins at a very early age.
7 She’s been playing to the boss for at least a month. I think she is going to be
rewarded with a promotion.
8 Who’s been playing around my laptop? Someone has fiddled around with it, so
all the settings are different.

• Have any of your devices been playing up?

• When you don't understand a joke, do you usually play along and laugh anyway?
• When you do sports, which strengths can you play up to?
• Which weaknesses do your opponents play on?
• How do you think the next election in your country will play out?
• When you were at school, did you used to play around in class? How?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — PLAY Phrasal Verbs 91

DRAW Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

draw on (intransitive) (similar to draw in) 1) when sth is approaching the end
draw on sth (draw upon sth, call on sth, call upon
sth, summon sth up) 2) make use of, have recourse to

draw back (from sth), pull back (from sth), step retreat, withdraw
back (from sth)

draw away from sth, pull away from sth go back from

draw sb together, pull sb together (similar to bring sth or sb together

gather together)

draw sth/sb to sth/sb (draw sth towards) Attract sth/sb to sth/sb

draw into sth, pull into sth move into a space (usually a parking space or
lane)

draw out of sth, pull out of sth move out of a space (usually a car), (pull out of
can mean withdraw from agreement or project)

draw sth off remove liquid with a siphon

draw sb in (bring sb in, reel sb in) 1) attract people sw

draw in 2) night approaches, or nights get shorter (due to
season)
draw in (breath in) 3) inhale

draw sb into sth, drag sb into sth make sb get involved in sth, but often when they
don’t want to

draw sth out, drag sth out (transitive of draw on) 1) make sth last as long as possible
draw sth out (similar bring sth out)
draw sb out 2) extract
3) make sb less shy, or more able to talk

draw sth up 1) make a list or plan

draw up (pull up) 2) when your car approaches parks outside a
residence
draw up, pull up (a chair) 3) when you take a chair

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — DRAW Phrasal Verbs 92

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

As night was drawing in (or ‘drawing on’), the

festival-goers were drawn towards the main stage.

The meeting dragged on for an extra hour. (He

drew his presentation out for an hour longer than
necessary.)

Drawing on her wealth of experience, the

psychologist managed to draw the child out of her
shell.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 303

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

The sun had already gone down, the night was drawing , and Detective O Connor was
drawing a list of suspects. Having drawn a chair, he sat down and

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — DRAW Phrasal Verbs 93

started to narrow down the list by considering their alibis. Not one of the suspects had a watertight alibi,
so he could see that this case was likely to drag for longer than expected. It seemed
likely that he would need to draw all those precious skills he had picked up over the
years. Firstly, he needed to draw a number of credible witnesses, and then he might be
able to drag the truth of one of them.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 304

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 I wish my boss wouldn’t draw the meetings for 1 hour. We could sort everything
out in 15 minutes if we wanted to.
2 The festival usually draws about 50 000 people.
3 Is that your taxi? A car has just drawn outside.
4 The proton is always drawn the electron on account of its electric charge.
5 Are you sure that he has calmed down? I don’t want to be drawn another
pointless argument.
6 He’s an incredibly shy teenager. I think he will open up if we draw him of his
shell.
7 We need to draw a rough draft of the plans, or else they will have no idea of the
schedule that we are working to.
8 Once you have drawn the excess water, you will be left with the white precipitate
of silver bromide.

• When was the last time you were drawn into an argument?
• Do your meetings tend to draw on, or are they over quickly?
• Which local festivals draw in a big crowd?
• Have you drawn up a list of Christmas presents yet?
• Can you draw on extensive experience when you have a problem at work?
• What drew you and your partner together?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — DRAW Phrasal Verbs 94

CALL Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

call on sth (draw on sth, make use of sth) 1) summon or use sth (especially a quality you
have)
call on sb (to do sth) 2) publicly demand
call on sb (knock for sb) 3) pay sb a visit

call sb out (similar to get sb round, call sb in) 1) call sb when you need urgent help
call sb out on sth (similar to pick sb up on sth)
call out sth 2) draw attention to sb’s mistake or sb’s bad
behaviour
3) shout out sth

call sb in (call sb out) 1) call sb to your house when you need help
2) demand repayment of a loan or favour
call in sth

call in on sb (compare call/drop/pop round, pay sb a visit

drop/pop by)

call by, call round (no object) pop by, drop by, drop round, pop over

call sb back ring sb back

call for sth / sb 1) demand or require

2) be required or necessary
call for sb (compare knock for sb, pick sb up) 2) go sw to get sb

call sth forth (bring sth forth) evoke or elicit, cause a reaction
call forth sth

call sth off cancel

call sb up 1) summon for military service

call sth up (stir up, conjure up, bring sb back to) 2) evoke memories or feelings
call sth up (on a screen. Compare ‘pop up’)
3) make information appear on a computer screen

call at sw stop briefly (especially trains)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — CALL Phrasal Verbs 95

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

While some are calling on Theresa May to put off

the Brexit deadline, others are calling for an
immediate withdrawal from the EU.

All trains calling at Pitsea, Laindon and Basildon

have been cancelled. The services have been
called off due to leaves on the track.

The smell of paint stirs up memories of my

childhood and calls forth emotions long forgotten.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 304

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

The smell of paint has always called memories of childhood, and I put this down to the
fact that my parents would paint our fence every summer, so the whole garden reeked of the stuff.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — CALL Phrasal Verbs 96

Yesterday, my mother called in me, wanting to call a favour; she had
been looking after the kids most evenings, so I couldn’t turn her down. She told me that her fence was in
terrible condition, and the situation called urgent action. I went straight over to her
house, grabbed the paint and brush from the shed, and applied myself in earnest. While I was finishing off
the last few panels, my mother went over all that I had done, calling me on every spot
that I had missed.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 304

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 His behaviour was totally unacceptable, so a number of MPs have called the
minister to step down.
2 The film is powerful and calls a number of intense emotions in the audience, such
as anger and fear.
3 This train calls a number of stations, including West Ham and Barking.
4 Call the main menu and click on ‘settings’.
5 Last night, she let us all in on a little secret: she’s pregnant! Such news obviously called
a celebration, so I popped to the supermarket to buy some champagne.
6 The Prime Minister has called the European Union to carefully consider the
stipulations laid out in the trade agreement.
7 The pitch was soaked through, so the referee had to call the match.
8 The survivors of the crash had to call all their strength to make it through the
harsh conditions of the freezing mountains. That they managed to hold out for so many weeks
demonstrates that courage must have won out over desperation.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — CALL Phrasal Verbs 97

 • What would you like to call on the government to do?
• When was the last time someone called you out on your mistake?
• When was the last time you called someone out for home repairs?
• What was the last thing you had to call off?
• What kind of emotions were called forth when you went on your previous holiday?
• Do you know anyone who has been called up for military service?
• What measures do you think the current economic situation calls for?

HOLD Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

hold sth up 1) rob sth (a bank)

hold up (bear up, compare with get over and pull 2) recover from illness or injury
through)
hold sb up 3) delay sb
hold sth up 4) hold sth aloft
hold up one’s end of a deal / bargain 5) stick to a deal
hold up (intransitive) 6) be corroborated or verified

hold sb back 1) hinder sb’s progress or success

hold sth back (keep sth from sb, hold out on sb, 2) keep information or an opinion secret
not let on)
hold yourself back 3) hesitate to speak or act
hold sth back 4) hide or restrain thoughts or feelings

hold forth (drone on, go on, ramble on at sb about talk at great length
sth)

hold sth in (similar to hold sth back) restrain laughter or emotions

hold sth against sb bear a grudge against sb

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — HOLD Phrasal Verbs 98

hold sb or sth off delay sth or sb

hold sb to sth demand that sb sticks to their promise

hold out on sb (hold sth back, keep sth from sb) refuse to give information

hold out (no object. for + duration) 1) survive for a period

hold out for sth 2) wait until you get what you want or get
something better

hold sth out 1) extend a body part or object

hold sth down 1) keep sth down

hold sb down (pin sb down) 2) restrain sb physically
hold down a job 3) keep your job

Visual Phrasal Verbs

The evidence won’t hold up in court, so the

suspect might be set free.

He held out in the forest for months, living on

anything that nature provided him with.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — HOLD Phrasal Verbs 99

 How is your brother holding up? I heard that he
fell off his motorbike, injuring his leg.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 304

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

The prosecution lawyer set forth the main reasons for doubting the veracity of the defendant’s assertions.
Firstly, his alibi didn’t hold ; several witnesses had seen him in the vicinity of the bank
close to the time of the robbery. Secondly, the defendant seemed to be holding something
when he was asked about the current whereabouts of his vehicle. It was certainly
suspicious that his vehicle had vanished on the same day that the robbers had held the
bank. Lastly, the prosecution argued that the defendant was a man who had been unable to hold
a job for some time; therefore, he needed the money and had very little to lose. The
defence team had been holding for an acquittal, but the prosecution won over the jury;
the defendant was sent down for 4 years.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 304

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 I heard that your brother got out of hospital last week. How is he holding ?
2 The onset of winter and the freezing cold temperatures held the next stage of
construction for 3 months, but we hope to make up for lost time in the summer months.
3 I held my arm for the bus, but the driver didn’t pull over; he just drove past me
without even looking at me.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — HOLD Phrasal Verbs 100

4 I had so much anger bottled up inside of me, but I had to hold myself and smile at
the customer while I dealt with his complaint.
5 The teacher keeps on crossing out my correct answers and marking down my work; I think he must
hold something me.
6 The match was about to start when the heavens opened, and it began to pelt down with rain. The
weather held play for another 45 minutes.
7 I almost burst out laughing when he let me in on the rumour that had been going around.
Fortunately, I managed to hold it , as I’m sure my laughter would have got on his
nerves.
8 We’ve been holding our end of the bargain, and if you don’t hold
your end, we will simply call off the whole project.

• What is currently holding you back from achieving your goals?

• How long do you think you could hold out for if you were lost in the jungle?
• Are you the kind of person who always holds up his end of the bargain?
• Are you holding out for a high mark in your next exam?
• Do you find it easy to hold back your feelings and emotions?

LAY Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

lay hold of sth obtain

lay sth by, lay sth aside, put sth by, put sth aside, 1) save sth (money, time) for the future
set sth by, set sth aside 2) put object to one side for future moment

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — LAY Phrasal Verbs 101

lay about (no object) laze around

lay sth down 1) put sth down

2) specify rules, laws and guidelines
3) sacrifice your life

lay into sb 1) beat sb up

2) tell sb off
3) criticize (hit out at sb, lash out at sb)

lay sb off make sb redundant

lay off! / leave me alone! / cut it out! used when you want sb to stop annoying you

lay sth on provide food for a special occasion

lay sth on the line risk sth

lay sth out (the layout = the arrangement) 1) arrange (in order)
lay sth out (set sth out, set sth forth) 2) explain carefully, stipulate
lay sb out 3) knock sb out

a layover (stopover) (often used as a noun) when you spend one night in another city in the
middle of a journey

be laid up be forced to stay in bed

Visual Phrasal Verbs

He laid out all his tools on the table and set about
his work.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — LAY Phrasal Verbs 102

 As soon as his opponent let down his guard, he
laid him out with a right hook. (also ‘knocked
him out’)

He laid out (set out) all the reasons why a new

approach was necessary, but he couldn’t win over
the boss.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 304

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

Having graduated from university, I set out to find gainful employment; my parents had made it very
clear that I wouldn’t be laying the house all day. They had laid a
number of ground rules which I had to abide by while living under their roof. Luckily, a local firm took
me on as a copywriter, so I was able to lay some money each month for the rent and a
little for myself. Eventually, I managed to save up enough to put down a deposit on my first flat. My
parents were happy to see I had landed on my feet, and even happier to see that I was moving out; in fact,
they laid a feast to celebrate the fact that I had bought my first home.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — LAY Phrasal Verbs 103

 Exercise 2 Answers on p. 305

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 He has been laid in bed since he came down with flu a few days ago. He’ll be
over it tomorrow or the next day.
2 The newlyweds had laid a huge buffet for the guests, so everyone was piling food
onto their plates and filling up their glasses in readiness for the toast.
3 We had a very short lay in Geneva, but then we got back on the plane and took
off.
4 The newspaper laid the footballer, pointing out that his marriage had broken
down because of his alcoholism.
5 The terms and conditions are laid in the contract, so please go through this
document carefully.
6 He’ll be laying his job the line if he doesn’t carry out the instructions of
management to the letter.
7 I have been trying to lay hold an old book that I first read as a youngster, but
which has gone out of print.
8 The factory had to lay another 50 employees, as several parts of the business are
being hived off.

• What kind of ground rules did your parents lay down when you were a youngster?
• Do you lay aside a little money every month for a rainy day?
• When was the last time you were laid up in bed? What kind of infection had you picked up?
• When was the last time you threw a party and laid on some food? Did you lay on any
entertainment?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — LAY Phrasal Verbs 104

BEAR Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

bear off sth (similar to veer off, skid off, go off) take a turning from the main road that is only at a
slight angle

bear down (similar to buckle down and knuckle apply oneself earnestly
down)

bear down on sb/sth (compare with close in on sb, move towards sb in a threatening way
home in on sb, zero in on sb, gain on sb)

bear on sth (also have a bearing on sth, pertain to) 1) be connected or relevant to
2) influence or affect

bear sth out (similar to hold up, which is corroborate or verify

intransitive)

bear up (hold up) (compare with get over sth and recover from a difficult or painful situation
man up)

bear in mind please remember

bear with sb be patient with sb

bear witness/testimony to sth (testify to, attest to) corroborate

Visual Phrasal Verbs

The evidence that they found bore out his alibi;

he has now been ruled out as a suspect.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — BEAR Phrasal Verbs 105

 The policeman was bearing down on us, so I had
no choice but to pull over.

He’s been laid up in bed since the operation, but

he’s bearing up.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 305

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

Please, bear me while I relate this story as I do tend to drone on, and bear
mind that these events happened a long time ago. The testimonies of my brothers and
sisters will bear what I have said. During childhood, I was kicked out of school for
bunking off classes. I used to head down to the park at lunch time, and then not go back for the afternoon
classes. One day, while I was messing around in the park, I suddenly caught a glimpse of the headmaster
in the corner of my eye. He was bearing on me so quickly that even running away was
not an option. I was swiftly given a good ticking off and then told that I shouldn’t bother coming into
school the next day.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — BEAR Phrasal Verbs 106

 Exercise 2 Answers on p. 305

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 There is compelling evidence that bears his alibi. Perhaps he should be released
from custody.
2 While he was running across the main road, he was run over by a jeep. He is still bearing
in hospital, but doctors expect him to make a full recovery.
3 The police could find no evidence bearing his disappearance. It was a most
perplexing mystery.
4 If you bear at the next junction, you should come up to a roundabout. Turn off at
the third exit.
5 Bear mind that the judge let him off with a suspended sentence the last time he
was in court. This time the judge will come down very heavily on the defendant.
6 Please bear us for 5 minutes while we call up your details on our computer.

• When was the last time you came down with something? How long were you bearing up?
• Recently, have you been bearing down or slacking off at work?
• How much does our genetic heritage have a bearing on our own success?
• Do you think that the evidence bears out the claim that man’s actions are responsible for an
increase in global temperatures?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — BEAR Phrasal Verbs 107

LET Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

let sb down disappoint sb

let sth down deflate or allow to descend

let up (no object) when sth bad stops (e.g weather)

let up on sb or sth (go easy on sb) when you stop being so severe or harsh with sb or
sth

let sb in on sth (compare with be in on sth, walk in allow sb to know a secret

on sth, listen in on sth, barge in on sb, muscle in
on sth)

let on (no object) (compare with let sb in on) reveal a secret

let sb out release sb

let sth out emit a sound
let sth out (similar to blurt sth out) reveal a secret

let oneself in for (compare with be in for, come in become involved in unpleasant or difficult
for) situation.

let sth off (set sth off) 1) detonate

let sb off with sth (compare with get away with 2) allow sb not to be punished, or to be punished
sth) leniently

Visual Phrasal Verbs

She didn’t know what she was letting herself in

for when she took that teaching position. Now she
knows that she’s not cut out for it.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — LET Phrasal Verbs 108

 Both her mother and her grandmother ought to let
up on her. She can’t let out a sound without them
telling her off.

Finally, the rain has let up; the sun has come out;
and I can go for a refreshing stroll around the
park.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 305

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

Last night was bonfire night, and we decided to have a party and let some fireworks.
Unfortunately, it was chucking it down at 7:00 pm, so we held off for an hour. A couple of guests who
said they would come let us as they never showed up; I think the bad weather put them
off. However, the rain let at 8:00 pm, so we all went outside to watch the display. I had
only bothered buying rockets because I can’t stand the little fireworks that fizzle out in a few seconds, not
even letting a large bang! Nonetheless, I didn’t know what I had let my guests
for when I bought these rockets. Without doubt, they were the loudest and brightest that
I had ever bought.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — LET Phrasal Verbs 109

 Exercise 2 Answers on p. 305

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 The police have been interrogating the suspect for 3 hours, attempting to wring the truth out of him,
but he still hasn’t let .
2 In the first year of his teaching career, he spent most of the working day shouting at the pupils,
coming down heavily on all forms of misbehaviour. This year he has let on his
students, realising that a soft approach can be more productive than a severe one.
3 He was accused of having stolen thousands of pounds; therefore, he was expected to go down for a
number of years. However, the judge let him with a suspended sentence.
4 The students had no idea what they were letting themselves in when they
coughed up £30 for a new text book. However, when the new vocabulary started to sink in, they
realised that they hadn’t frittered away the money on nothing.
5 I asked the pupil to hand in the essay by the end of the week, but instead he just fobbed me off with
a lame excuse. I put off the deadline for a few more days, hoping that this would give him the
chance to finish off the coursework, but he still let me .
6 She promised to let me on her secret providing that I not blurt it out to any of my
brothers and sisters.

• Have you ever broken the law? Did the authorities come down heavily on you, or did they let you
off with a lenient punishment?
• Do you enjoy letting off fireworks at festivals or parties?
• When was the last time someone close let you down? How did the situation play out?
• Who do you let in on your secrets? Why do you confide in this person?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — LET Phrasal Verbs 110

WORK Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

work sth off (a debt, calories, weight) reduce sth by doing work

work on sth improve sth by working on it

work at sth (similar to keep at sth) improve sth by constantly working at it

work together on sth collaborate on sth

work out (similar to play out, pan out, go off, 1) happen or develop in a specific way
come off) 2) do exercise in the gym
work sth out 3) figure sth out (calculate)

work sth over (polish sth up) improve the first draft of sth

work around sth (e.g a problem or difficulty) avoid a problem by using an alternative option
a workaround = a way of overcoming a problem

work through sth deal with sth gradually, step by step

work towards sth make a gradual and constant effort to achieve a

goal

work sb into a frenzy/panic/state make sb lose control of themselves by annoying

them

work sb up (get worked-up, be worked-up, similar 1) upset sb (worked-up means frustrated or upset)
to wind sb up) 2) increase sth (build sth up)
work sth up (work up the courage, work up the
appetite)

work up to sth manage to reach a goal that you are working

towards by increasing the difficulty every time
you practice it.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — WORK Phrasal Verbs 111

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

After knocking off work, they drop by the gym to

work off a few calories.

He finally worked up the courage to go down on

one knee and pop the question.

He gets so worked up whenever he gets in a car;

he needs to chill out.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 305

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

I was reading that several scientists are working the creation of a radio-optical
telescope that will be located below sea level. They have already worked exactly where

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — WORK Phrasal Verbs 112

the site will be located, and local media have reported that scientists from all over the world will be
working on the project. The telescope will be below sea level because the scientists are
trying to work the problem of interference from the world’s oceans. It has even been
suggested that the cosmic microwave background radiation could actually be a signal emitted by the
Earth’s oceans, and if this is the case, we would expect the new telescope not to detect any such signal as
it is located below sea level. Such suggestions have worked theoretical physicists a
frenzy, mainly because the detection of the cosmic background radiation was the main evidence for the
Big Bang. If the new telescope discovers that the cosmic background signal doesn’t appear below sea
level, it appears that science will have to develop a new theory for the beginning of the universe (if,
indeed, it even has a beginning).

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 306

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

1 I was working in the gym for 3 hours, and it really helped me to work
an appetite.
2 I spent 30 minutes on the exercise bike; I think I managed to work a lot of
calories.
3 If you work your pronunciation every day, singing songs and reciting poetry, it is
sure to gradually improve.
4 If you work the exercise slowly, coming at each problem patiently, you are sure to
breeze through the test.
5 The minister’s comments were certainly politically incorrect, perhaps even verging on racist and
sexist. This is why the newspapers were worked a frenzy.
6 It is very difficult to do a somersault, but if you work to it on a trampoline,
starting with a forward roll, moving on to a jump and a roll, finishing with a jump, a roll and a
landing, you will manage to do it quite quickly.
7 He gets so worked- whenever his brother winds him up; he needs to chill out and
spend more time with others.
8 He has been moaning about his job since he started, so I don’t think it’s working
well. I suppose he’ll pack it in soon.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — WORK Phrasal Verbs 113

 • Do you tend to work through tasks slowly or quickly?
• What kind of things get you worked up?
• How do you like to work up an appetite?
• Can you think of a time when you managed to work around a problem?
• How could your English be improved? What do you need to work at?

BE Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

be after sth 1) try to find sth or sb

be after sb (come after sb, run after sb) 2) chase sb

be along (no object) come along, show up, turn up appear, arrive

be away (compare go away and run away) be not at home, but somewhere far away

be out, be in 1) be outside or inside

2) be excluded or included

be cut out for not be good or strong enough for something

general (like a profession)

be up to, feel up to (plus gerund) 1) not be good or strong enough for something
specific (like going into work)
2) do sth (what have you been up to?)
be up to sth 3) do sth naughty or suspicious
be up to sth

be down with sth (come down with sth, go down to be ill with sth (a disease or flu)
with sth)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — BE Phrasal Verbs 114

be down (get sb down, bring sb down) be depressed

be in on sth (get in on sth, listen in on sth, let sb in be part of sth clandestine (a secret plan or plot)
on sth, cash in on sth, walk in on sb)

be not on (no object) be unacceptable (often morally unacceptable)

be into sth be interested in (hobbies and sports)

Visual Phrasal Verbs

The suspect looks very suspicious, and he was in

the vicinity of the shop at the time of the robbery.
I am sure he is in on it.

Most of the teeth on that saw have been worn

away. It’s definitely not up to the task at hand.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — BE Phrasal Verbs 115

 His behaviour was not on, so he was sent into the
corner to mull over what he had done.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 306

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

Yesterday, my kids asked over some of their friends for a small party. Not all of their friends came,
however, as a couple of them were with flu, so they didn’t feel to
coming along. Nonetheless, 4 friends popped round, and when they arrived, they told me they were
some bicarbonate of soda and shaving cream as they were making
‘slime’. I gave them what they wanted, even though I thought it was a strange request. After an hour or
so, I noticed that they were being incredibly quiet. Thinking that they must be to
something, I went to see what was going on. Opening the door, I couldn’t believe my
eyes: there was shaving foam all over the floor and baking soda all over the bed. I told them that the mess
was not , so they would have to tidy it up immediately.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 306

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with an appropriate word:

1 I don’t think I am cut for working in a classroom. I don’t like managing

children’s behaviour, and I don’t think I am good at it.
2 I don’t feel to going in to work tomorrow. I’ll have to call in sick.
3 What’s wrong with Jake? He’s been all week, and yesterday I walked in on him
when he was in tears.
4 I am some AA batteries. Do you know where I could find some?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — BE Phrasal Verbs 116

5 The police have been him since last November, but they don’t seem to be able to
track him down.
6 Allegations of tax evasion have been levelled against several politicians, and it looks as though their
relatives have also been on it.

• What sports were you into as a child?

• Are you cut out for the teaching profession?
• When was the last time you were down with flu?
• If you are after something in a shop, but can’t find it, do you ask the shop assistants for help?

Vocabulary

be on at sb about sth (go/drone/waffle/bang/rabbit nag or complain at sb about sth

on at sb about sth)

be (well) up on sth be well informed about sth

be onto sb be aware of sb’s true, yet hidden, motives

be out of sth (run out of sth) have nothing left of sth

be out to do sth try hard to do sth

be or have (nothing/something) to do with be (not) connected to sth

be up for sth want sth, fancy sth, be in favour of sth

be in for sth (negative consequences) can expect sth (negative) in result

be on (no object) 1) be switched on

2) be certain to go ahead (not cancelled)
be on sth 3) be on drugs or alcohol or medicine

be off (no object) 1) leave

2) food is spoilt
(call sth off is similar) 3) be cancelled
4) be switched off

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — BE Phrasal Verbs 117

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

What a gorgeous day! Is anyone else up for a

beer? I’ve cooled them down in an ice bucket.

Our clients are always on at me about late

deliveries; I just brush off all their complaints.

I wasn’t well up on medieval poetry, so I

popped to the library to swot up on this topic.

Exercise 3 Answers on p. 306

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

I’m not well on modern history, but I do enjoy reading about ancient history. In
particular, I’m books that discuss the ancient megalithic structures, their purpose, and

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — BE Phrasal Verbs 118

their construction. Some of the books claim that these ancient sites have nothing to do
the burial of the dead, as I was taught at school. Many researchers are to prove their
own theories, of course, and some are rather sensible while others are far-fetched. The most persuasive
theory for me is the idea that many of these ancient sites were observatories for watching the stars. I
think those people who put forward such ideas are something.

Exercise 4 Answers on p. 306

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with an appropriate word:

1 My dad was always at me about getting my hair cut. He couldn’t stand my long
hair.
2 Tonight’s football game is due to heavy rain. If we played, we’d have to wade
through the water; the whole pitch is water-logged.
3 I forgot to put the milk back in the fridge, so when I tried drinking it this morning, it had already
gone .
4 You’ll be for a very difficult last year if you fail your summer exams. You might
even be forced to drop out of university.
5 We’re of sugar. Who is up for popping down the shops and buying some more?
6 I’m sure the new boss is to sack me. He keeps checking up on me while I’m
working, and I get the impression that he doesn’t like me. He is a good reason to
let me go.

• Which products are you out of at the moment?

• What will you be in for if you fail your next test or exam?
• Which topics are you well up on?
• Do you think the problem of homelessness has something to do with poverty?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — BE Phrasal Verbs 119

 PHRASAL VERBS AND MOVEMENT

If you get a good grasp of the phrasal verbs that refer to movement, this will help you with a lot of other
phrasal verbs, so I have included a section only devoted to movement.

Vocabulary

go/walk/run/wander/drive etc...up to sth approach sth

go/walk/run/wander/drive etc…over to sth

fall down sth (the stairs), fall over (intransitive), all of these words pertain to falling in various
fall off sth (a surface, a bike), fall out of (a tree), ways.
trip over sth (a rock), trip sb up (make sb fall)

bend over (sth), bend down, bow down, lean forwards, bend forwards, bow

sit down, (opp. stand up) (similar to) lie down, get take a seat (sit)
down (opp. get up), drop down (opp. jump up),
kneel down

run/go after sb (similar to) catch up with sb run or go after sb means chase sb, catch up with
sb means reach after chasing sb

fall behind sb (with sth), lag behind, drop behind move to a position nearer to the back. Could be in
a race, or metaphorical, such as ‘fall behind with
your studies, fall behind with your rent’

creep up on sb, sneak up on sb 1) quietly approach from behind

(also catch up with sb, catch up on sb, if you do 2) when a process happens to you without you
notice the process happening) noticing

walk in on sb, barge in on sb, burst in on sb suddenly interrupt something private.

(compare with be in on sth, muscle in on sth,
listen in on sb, let sb in on)

double up, double over, keel over bend over because of a pain in the chest (or maybe
laughter with double over/up)

draw back (from sth), back away (from sth), move retreat physically
back (from sth), back off

double back return along the path from whence you came

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Phrasal Verbs and Movement 120
stand aside, step aside allow sb to pass by moving to one side

Visual Phrasal Verbs

The thief sneaked up on her, fishing her phone

out of her back pocket like an expert.

Keeling (doubling) over in agony, I realised I

shouldn’t have gobbled up my lunch so quickly.

The cyclist in black had been lagging behind the

other cyclists for the first half of the race; then, he
crashed into a barrier and fell off his bike.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Phrasal Verbs and Movement 121
 Exercise 1 Answers on p. 307

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

Old age has a habit of creeping on people. At first, you can’t even make out the small
grey hairs, but, in the end, your entire scalp is crawling with grey hair. You start to lag
others in terms of current affairs and modern gadgets. You find yourself doubling to
places you have already been as you have forgotten something there. You notice you need to sit
more often after small amounts of exercise. And, if you don’t take these breaks, there’s
a risk you might be keeling rather than falling .

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 307

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 When the President breezed into the room, we all aside to allow him to
down at the head of the table.
2 The kidnapper must have up on his victim, pinned him down on the floor, tied up
his arms, and then thrown him into the boot of his car.
3 The police had cordoned off the scene of the crime, and one of the police officers was ordering
passers-by to away from the police cordon.
4 Our affair had been going on for months; we chose the meeting room for a passionate kiss, but the
boss suddenly in on us and sacked us before we could even say a word in our
defence.
5 On hearing the punchline, I over in fits of laughter. Never in my life had I heard
such a funny joke.
6 He is behind the other students. He needs to buckle down, or he won’t get
through the rest of the course; he might even have to drop out and repeat the year.
7 Several policemen after the armed robber, and when they caught up with him,
there was a shoot-out.
8 When the pregnant woman got on the train, I up and pointed at my seat.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Phrasal Verbs and Movement 122
 Vocabulary

move up, move over, budge up, squash up to move sideways (usually to give sb else space)

curl up, huddle up (compare cuddle up) 1) to wrap your arms around yourself and kneel
down (often to keep warm)

stretch out, reach out, stick out, spread out extend (in various senses)
(usually 2 limbs), hold out

screw up (your face) 1) the face contorts in disgust

screw sth up 2) to make a mistake (informal)
screw paper up 3) roll paper into a ball

tense up when the muscle stiffen

go on, carry on, push on, march on, soldier on, continue (push, march and soldier mean proceed
press on under difficult circumstances)

bowl along walk quickly and energetically

hang back, hold back (compare with lag behind) remain at the back on purpose. Perhaps you are
shy or fearful.

pile into sw, flood into sw, flow into sw, stream enter in large numbers
into sw

go out, come in (tides) the tide comes in and goes out.

go in, come out (sun, moon, stars) disappear behind or appear from a cloud

Visual Phrasal Verbs

Her face screwed up in disgust as the whole room

reeked of rotten eggs.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Phrasal Verbs and Movement 123
 Every day, the tide comes in twice and goes out
twice, and it has been suggested that one day we
could run our households on this power.

Suddenly, the whole sky clouded over and the

moon went in, creating a spooky atmosphere.

Exercise 3 Answers on p. 307

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

My new cat likes to curl on a pillow on the sofa, now that we are in the winter months.
For some reason, whenever I walk past her in the garden, she will always stretch her
front legs, and I suppose it is a kind of greeting. If she is feeling particularly cheerful, she may even roll
over. However, most of the time she seems to be in a bad mood, so my son has named her ‘grumpy cat’.
If you try to stroke her, her muscles tense ; her face screws ; and she
lets out a hiss. She is happiest of all in the garden, especially when the sun has come .
She may be grumpy, but we love her all the same.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Phrasal Verbs and Movement 124
 Exercise 4 Answers on p. 307

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 Be careful! The tide is out; sometimes people are swept away by the strong
currents.
2 10 000 football supporters into the stadium, singing songs and waving flags.
3 It clouded over for a few hours, but eventually the sun out and we all popped
down the beach.
4 He up the junk mail and threw it away, not wanting to find out what was in the
envelope.
5 I out my arm, hoping that a passing car might pull over, but nobody wanted to
give me a lift.
6 She always takes up far too much space on the sofa, so I have to ask her to up.
7 When I saw the dentist pick up her drill, all the muscles in my jaw up.
8 The next few months will be very difficult as demand is low at this time of year, but we will
on and do our best.

Vocabulary

come up, go down (sun) The sun rises and sets

freeze up 1) stop moving out of fear

2) engine stops working

storm out (of + object), storm in (to + object) leave (or enter) angrily (storm off = no object)
(compare storm off and breeze in)

breeze in (into sw) (opposite of storm out of sw) enter quickly and confidently

push or pull to (no object) Push something (like a window) until it is almost
closed

throw at, throw to throw at (throw and attack), throw to (friendly

game)

run at, come at, fly at attack

flash by, fly by, dash by, whizz by go past quickly (time flashes and flies by)

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dash off, shoot off, run off, sprint off, take off, tear leave quickly
off (similar to set off)

tag along (with sb) accompany someone, though you aren’t needed

Visual Phrasal Verbs

I pushed the door to and threw on a jumper, as it

was starting to get chilly.

He threw his axe at the target. (But, we say, ‘he

threw the ball to me and I caught it’ if it is a
friendly game)

The attacker ran at his enemy, armed with a knife;

however, his opponent saw him coming and
quickly kicked the knife out of his hand.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Phrasal Verbs and Movement 126
 Exercise 5 Answers on p. 307

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

Last week, as soon as the sun came , I flung on my sports kit and dashed
to play a game of rugby. Our opponents were top of the league, but we managed to see
them off by playing up to our superior stamina and speed. I play on the wing, so when the ball is thrown
me, I have to fly the defenders, barging through their biggest players.
Our opponents were very unhappy to lose, and one of their players was even sent off for throwing the ball
the referee. The 90 minutes whizzed , as we were enjoying the game
so much. After the game, we all breezed the changing rooms, pleased with our
delightful result.

Exercise 6 Answers on p. 307

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 I dashed down the corridor, over the roller skate, and fell down the stairs, winding
up in hospital, where I remained for 3 days.
2 Jumping out of his chair, he at the intruder in a rage, his face
up, his cheeks puffed out, and his eyes bulging out.
3 Having got the promotion that she wanted, she into the office an hour after the
rest of us had piled in, and sat there grinning smugly.
4 Please, pull up a chair and the window to if you are cold. You are going to brush
up on your phrasal verbs today.
5 The tide had out; the Moon had in; the noise of the party was
trailing off, and the sound of the crickets drowned all the other noises out.
6 The thought of someone slowly creeping up on him sent shivers down his spine;
up, he was unable to turn round and face his demons. So, he just remained there on his feet, staring
into space.
7 The apple was a few centimetres from my fingers, so I out and pulled it off the
tree.

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8 The children were running around and messing about; the time by quickly for all
the kids, but for several adults the party really dragged on.

More Movement — Driving Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary

pull up, draw up (sth) arrive and stop. For example, you can pull up or
draw up outside someone’s house (in which case
you stop outside)
You can also pull up (or draw up) a chair, in which
case you move it in order to sit down

speed up, slow down (compare with ‘put your foot accelerate, decelerate
down’ meaning speed up)

pull out (onto sth) / pull in (to sth) Move into a faster (out) or slower (in) lane of
traffic

get in/out sth, get on/off sth get in/out (cars) get on/off (public transport)

bump into sth, crash into sth collide with sth

home in on sth, zero in on sth (similar to) close in home in on, zero in on (locked onto a target that
on sth, gain on sb (similar to) bear down on sb you are chasing) close in on, gain on (approach
target) bear down on (approach sb menacingly)

Flag sb down, (similar to) pull sb over a policeman asks you to stop your vehicle, or you
can flag down a taxi. If you simply ‘pull over’ it
means stop the vehicle, and it is very similar to
draw up/pull up.

Pick sb up (similar to) drop sb off pick sb up (collect sb to take them sw), drop sb off
(take sb to a destination and leave them there)

knock sb down, run sb over hit sb while driving

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pile up, build up, (compare ‘tail back + distance’) increase (especially amount of traffic or number
of cars)

Visual Phrasal Verbs

The missiles were zeroing in on their targets with

ruthless precision.

Traffic has been building up all day, and now the

M7 has a line of cars tailing back 5 km, starting at
junction 7.

A white car ran him over while he was walking

across the road last Tuesday.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — More Movement — Driving Phrasal Verbs 129
 Exercise 7 Answers on p. 308

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

Traffic is now tailing 3 km on the M25 from junction 15, because a lorry crashed
another vehicle, spilling its cargo all over the motorway. Traffic is also building
on the M6; initial reports suggested that a pedestrian may have been run
. However, now there are conflicting reports that claim several police cars closed in
a car containing 3 criminals, eventually managing to force the driver to slow
and pull in a lay-by. As soon as they got of the car,
the 3 men were taken into police custody for questioning.

Exercise 8 Answers on p. 308

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 The road police me down in the middle of the journey, so I had to get out and
show them my driving license. I also had to breathe into a breathalyser.
2 I up a chair and sat down, spreading out my legs and stretching out my arms.
3 I asked my dad whether he would mind me up at 18:00. I was worried that if he
turned up any later, he might not drop me off in time for my flight.
4 A young child was down at the traffic lights yesterday. I think they should lower
the speed limit on that road.
5 My mother waved good bye to me as I on the plane. Then, I dozed off as soon as
I sat down.
6 We ran away from the scene of the crime, but a policeman ran after us; within a few minutes, he
was already down on us.

Vocabulary

skid off (dangerous), veer off, bear off move off the main road (at a slight angle, rather
than 90 degrees)

rev up increase speed or rate, enliven, stimulate

run (be) out of sth, fill up with sth (petrol) run out of (not have any), refuel

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step on sth (brake, accelerator) put foot on brake or accelerator. ‘Put your foot
down!’ (speed up, usually, but ‘put your foot
down’ also means insist)

back up (similar to) back into reverse, reverse into

block sb in (no object) park so that another car doesn’t have enough
space to get out.

Put a car into (a gear), move up or down (a gear) change gear

coast along (usually no object) move forwards without putting your foot on the
accelerator (perhaps because of momentum or
because you are going downhill) or do the
minimum amount necessary

turn round (no object) face opposite direction

turn over (similar to roll over, flip over) when an object is upside down, or an animal is on
it’s back

Visual Phrasal Verbs

The baby learns to roll over long before he learns

to stand up.

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 The owl turned round when he heard us traipsing
through the forest.

She backed into the parking space, got out of the

car, and popped into the shops. When she came
back, she saw that someone had blocked her in.

Exercise 9 Answers on p. 308

➔ Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition:

I had a nightmare journey yesterday; firstly, I decided to pop the supermarket to stock
up on food for the kids’ party. However, when I got out of the supermarket, I saw that another driver had
blocked me . I tried to reverse my car through a small gap as I was in a hurry, but I
managed to accidentally back the car a post. Having damaged my car, I ran
of petrol on the way back home, so I was forced to double and buy a
can of petrol from the supermarket. Once I had finally filled with petrol, I put the car
into first gear and then the engine froze . In the end, I had to call out the vehicle repair
service.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — More Movement — Driving Phrasal Verbs 132
 Exercise 10 Answers on p. 308

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 I out onto the motorway. A black Mercedes overtook me, me

up as it pulled into my lane. The Mercedes sped away, but I went after him; when I was
in on him, a policeman me over and gave me a speeding fine.
2 Please, slow down! It’s raining, so you might off the road and crash into the
barrier.
3 Traffic has been up on the ring-road for the last few hours, and now the cars are
back to the intersection.
4 Driving out to the countryside would have been impossible had I not first the car
up with petrol; however, I still had to jump start the car the next morning when the engine
up.
5 I was almost out of water, so I into a car park, got out of the car, and dashed to a
shop to buy some. The shop was teeming with kids on a school trip, and by the time I got back to
my car, some idiot had me in.
6 While into his drive, he over his neighbours dog. Sadly, the
animal was in so much pain that it had to be put down.
7 At the next junction you need to off this road, go round the next roundabout, and
take the third exit.
8 Having put the car into reverse, he up several metres and down
a cyclist.

UP Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the preposition ‘up’ tend to signify one of the following: upwards
movement (get up, stand up), increase (build sth up, go up), improvement (brush up on sth, swot up on
sth), completion (wrap up, lock up), or even the creation of something new (set sth up, start sth up).

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — UP Phrasal Verbs 133

 Vocabulary

go up (compare with shoot up) increase

get up, stand up raise yourself off the ground

move up, budge up, squash up, shove up (similar A small movement in a sideways direction
to move over, shove over)

do sth up (similar to button sth up, zip sth up, tie 1) fasten
sth up, wrap sth up) 2) renovate

walk/run/drive/go/come up to sb/sth (...and over approach

to)

catch up (with sb) 1) manage to reach someone you are chasing

2) find out news from an old friend

keep up (with sb) 1) remain at the same level as someone else

2) understand sb

beef up sth strengthen

swot up on sth, read up on sth, brush up on sth revise and repeat knowledge to improve your
understanding

cheer (sb) up, perk (sb) up become happier

save sth up (set aside/by, put aside/by) put money in a safe place for a future moment

dress up (similar to spruce up, doll up, do up) dress nicely for a special occasion

sex sth up (similar to jazz sth up, spice sth up) make something sexier or more interesting,
exaggerate

run up (a bill) spend a lot so that your bill gets bigger

cough up (compare with pay out and fork out) reluctantly pay

weigh sth up carefully consider pros and cons of sth

chase sb or sth up (follow sb up on sth) 1) find out how someone is progressing with a
task
2) find out whether a task is being done

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 Visual Phrasal Verbs

We ran up a huge bill at the restaurant, but I had a

great time catching up with old friends.

We are thinking about heading to Holland this

summer, but we are still weighing up the pros and
cons of going by plane or going by ferry.

‘Move up! You take up all the space and then

keep me up each night with your snoring.’

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 308

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

For the Christmas party, our boss booked a table for 20 at a nearby Thai restaurant. I decided to
up for the event, hoping to make a good impression on some of my colleagues. The

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — UP Phrasal Verbs 135

boss me up at 7:00 as my house was on his way. He reeked of aftershave and was all
up. It took about 20 minutes for the staff to bring out all the food as we had ordered
so many dishes; nevertheless, the meal was delicious so we managed to everything up.
We must have up a huge bill, but it didn’t matter as the company had laid on all the
food and drink, so we didn’t have to up a penny.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 308

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 The price of oil has been up over the last few days, but it is expected to level out
by the end of the week.
2 It was a big party, so she herself up, putting on her best evening dress and high-
heeled shoes.
3 The military is up its presence on the eastern borders, with 5000 extra troops
flooding into the area in the next few weeks.
4 You’re up all the space on this sofa. up and let someone else sit
down.
5 I’ve been up for weeks, and finally I have enough money to splash out on a new
bike.
6 In my first year of university, I chilled out too much. By the second year I couldn’t
up with the other students on my course, and I dropped out at the end of that year.
7 We’re up the flat next week; we’ll be ripping out the old floor and putting in a
new one.
8 If I don’t up another £100, the local council will be taking me to court.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — UP Phrasal Verbs 136

 • On what occasions do you spruce or doll yourself up?
• Are you saving up for anything special at the moment?
• Do you think the government should beef up the military?
• If you are feeling down, what sort of things perk you up?
• Do you usually run up a large bill when you eat out?

Vocabulary

use sth up (similar to run out of sth) utilize something completely until it is finished

give sth up 1) stop a bad habit

give up (no object) 2) surrender

drink sth up (similar to eat up) consume sth until it is finished

book sth up reserve sth (a holiday)

end up in sth, wind up in sth, land up in sth, finish finish up in a particular situation (often a
up in sth predicament)

wrap up sth (with sth) 1) completely cover 2) finish or end sth with sth

lock up sth completely lock

stock up on sth (compare with squirrel sth away) buy a large amount of sth for the future

tidy (sth) up, clean (sth) up, clear up (similar to tidy or clean a room
put sth away)

mop sth up 1) clean floor with a mop

2) finish sth by completing last few details

set sth up 1) start a business

set sb up 2) frame someone (set sb up, pin the blame on sb)
3) install equipment so it is ready
set sth up (compare put sth up) 4) arrange a romantic evening for two friends
set sb up

take sth up 1) start a hobby

2) fill or occupy space or time

come up with sth, think sth up have an idea, plan or suggestion

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bring sb up 1) look after a child until he or she becomes an
adult
bring sth up 2) mention

turn up, show up, roll up (no object) arrive (roll up means arrive late or unexpected)

come up, crop up (no object) arise, appear

beat sb up hit sb many times, attack and injure

Visual Phrasal Verbs

The speaker suggested that we wrap up the

discussion with some questions. I brought up
funding for the project, asking whether the budget
had been taken into account.

We just need to mop up a few more details with

our accountant, and then we can set up the new
business.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — UP Phrasal Verbs 138

 She rolled up late for work again. The boss had a
go at her on the way in, and if she carries on like
this, he might get rid of her.

Exercise 3 Answers on p. 308

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

The teacher told us that we would be up the lesson with a little test, but we would have
to up the questions ourselves. Each pupil had to think of a phrasal verb, while the other
students up with yes and no questions to work out which verb it was. No one was able
to guess my phrasal verb, so my classmates up in the end. My phrasal verb was ‘
up’ which has two meanings: mention something and look after someone until they are
an adult. Lots of different verbs up in the lesson, so I think this is a good way to go
back over old material, learning it all by heart.

Exercise 4 Answers on p. 309

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 I hate it when my brother all the toilet roll up without putting out a new one for
other members of the family.
2 He has a reputation for always up late. He’ll probably be along if we hang around
for a few more minutes.
3 If we don’t up the trip soon, we’ll have to fork out a lot more. And if we all go in
on a taxi, that will also help bring down the price.
4 I’m thinking of up badminton; it’s an inexpensive way to keep in shape, and I
have a few friends that I can pit myself against.

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5 2 muggers set on him while he was walking back, and they him up so badly that
he up in hospital. I’ll drop by his ward tomorrow to him up.
6 If you didn’t like the proposed date, why didn’t you this up at the meeting? It’s
far too late to bring the date forward or put the date back.
7 The police have been trying to pin the blame on my uncle, so they him up by
planting evidence in his car.
8 I leafed through the text last night, and I thought that it was a good piece of work, although spelling
mistakes did up in a few places.

• Do you usually book up your holiday months in advance or at the last minute?
• Is it better to bring children up in the city or in the countryside?
• If you had the time and the money, what kind of business would you like to set up?
• What takes up most of the space in your lounge?
• When was the last time you landed up in a predicament?

Vocabulary

put sb up accommodate sb

put up with sth tolerate

look up to sb (opposite of look down on sb) admire and respect

grass sb up (similar to) turn sb in, turn sb over to inform on sb

the authorities, dob sb in

dry up (no object) when the source of a flow stops (e.g a river dries
up, funding dries up)

open up (to sb) 1) start being honest about your true motives or
feelings
open up (no object) 2) new opportunities arise/appear

shake sth up 1) make important changes

shake sb up 2) emotionally upset or frighten

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — UP Phrasal Verbs 140

beat sb up (similar to do sb over) hit someone many times in a fight

line up arrange sth or sb into a line or queue

clutter sth up objects fill a place in an untidy way

clog sth up block the flow of sth

pile (sth) up (build up) increase (or when a pile gets bigger)

shoot up 1) increase rapidly

shoot sth (a drug) up 2) inject (narcotics)

add up (no object) 1) make sense

2) accumulate (similar to build up)
3) add together (opposite of ‘take away’)

add up to sth 1) be equal to

2) when many factors combine to produce
particular result

clean up after sb, pick up after sb, (compare with spoil sb by cleaning up their mess
run around after sb and fuss over sb)

pick sth/sb up 1) take something from a surface.

2) give sb a lift
3) learn a new language
pick sb up on (call sb out on) 4) point out sb’s mistakes

mess sth up, muck sth up, 1) make sth dirty, untidy. spoil 2) fail or do badly

churn sth up damage surface of ground by walking or driving

Visual Phrasal Verbs

Whenever her kids clutter up the lounge with

their toys, she is always picking (cleaning) up
after her them. She should make them tidy up
their own mess.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — UP Phrasal Verbs 141

 A tractor often comes through this part of the
field, churning up all the grass. Put on your
Wellington boots before you trudge through the
mud.

We called out the plumber because bits of food

had clogged up the pipe under the sink.

Exercise 5 Answers on p. 309

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

I have always up to my older brother; he sailed through all his exams, and then he was
taken on by a prestigious company. In contrast, I up all my exams, and I wasn’t able to
hold down a job either. He never me up on my mistakes, perhaps as he didn’t want to
me up. Instead, he had always up with my behaviour without
complaint, not even going on at our mum and dad when I was clearly living off their generosity.
Eventually, my parents funding, as well as their sympathy, up; therefore, I had no
choice but to find gainful employment. Fortunately, an interesting job opportunity up,
and I was able to turn my life around.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — UP Phrasal Verbs 142

 Exercise 6 Answers on p. 309

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 I don’t mind my nephew up, but whenever he stays he up the

toilet with paper.
2 Funding for this project will soon up, so it’s important to reel in some new
investors.
3 His room is always up with clothes. Why doesn’t he put them away instead of
just throwing them on the floor?
4 Work started up a few weeks ago, and I have been snowed under ever since. I
need to up a holiday and chill out for a few weeks.
5 The accident really him up; he says he won’t get back on a motorbike ever again.
6 His wife him up; she turned him over to the authorities when she found out that
he’d been cheating on her.
7 So far, the results of the experiment don’t seem to up: on the one hand, they show
that light is a particle, but on the other hand, they show that it’s a wave.
8 The class up in the playground when the fire alarm went off.

• Which famous people do you look up to?

• Which objects clutter up your home? Do you have a place to hide away old junk?
• Do you know any parents that run around after their children?
• If a relative asked to stay, would you put them up for a night?
• If the supply of oil dries up, what will the human race use instead?
• Did you mess up any of your exams?

Vocabulary

spring up, sprout up (similar to crop up and turn suddenly appear (especially buildings, flowers and
up) trees)

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summon sth up, call sth up, stir sth up, conjure sth bring back memories
up

flare up (break out) violence, disease and war breaks out

smash sth up, break sth up smash into many pieces (compare with cut up)

stand up for sb, stick up for sb speak or act in support of sb

gang up on sb pick on sb as a group

break up 1) people end their relationship

break sth/sb up 2) prevent a fight

back sth/sb up 1) support sb

2) make a copy of sth

prop sth up, shore sth up, buoy sth up physically support a structure (but often used
metaphorically for ‘financially support’)

put sb up to sth provoke sb to do sth naughty or mischievous

get up to sth, be up to sth do sth mischievous

show sb up 1) embarrass or humiliate sb

show up (no object) 2) turn up (arrive, appear)

sell/buy sth up buy or sell all of sth

dish sth up lay food out on the table

be well up on sth be well informed about sth

wind sb up annoy or irritate

square up with sb, settle up with sb (settle up) 1) pay off a debt to sb (pay it completely)
square sth (up) with sth 2) match sth with sth, or understand how sth
agrees with sth
square up to sb when a person squares his shoulders to sb to show
he is ready for a fight

well up, mist over when eyes well up or mist over, the person is on
the verge of bursting into tears

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — UP Phrasal Verbs 144

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

Violence has flared up in the capital once again.

World leaders are calling for a ceasefire, but it
may be a while before opposing groups come to
the negotiating table.

Banks are calling for a new round of quantitative

easing, arguing that such a precaution would prop
up (shore up, buoy up) the economy.

I could hear that the kids were getting up to

something; when I went upstairs to tell them off, I
could see they were only messing around, so I let
them carry on.

Exercise 7 Answers on p. 309

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

Seeing her face one more time up memories of the first time we had met: a group of
classmates had surrounded her and were her up. It looked as though a fight were about

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — UP Phrasal Verbs 145

to up. I was outraged at what they up to, so I tried to
up for the poor girl by getting among them and up to the biggest
bully. I managed to them up before any punches were thrown, and the bullies headed
off home. She has up to me as if I were her older brother ever since that moment.

Exercise 8 Answers on p. 309

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 I took my kids out to a restaurant, and they behaved terribly, me up in front of all
my friends.
2 I think the teacher is excellent at maintaining discipline; however, he not very
well up on his subject.
3 Please, go into the dining room and lay out all the knives and forks. I will be up
your food in ten minutes.
4 The little boy owned up to throwing the piece of paper at the teacher, but he made out that his
schoolmate had him up to it.
5 I haven’t up any of this work for a long time, so I’d better sort it out tonight,
otherwise I might lose the whole lot.
6 Have you seen all the new shops which are up on the high street? We’ll have to
visit them this weekend and look around.
7 Peter loves up his brother until he breaks down in tears. And his parents just let
him get away with it, letting him off rather than telling him off. It gets on my nerves!
8 We are going to up and move out once we have found a nice overseas property.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — UP Phrasal Verbs 146

 • Have any buildings sprouted up in your town recently?
• Which subjects would you say you were well up on?
• Which things stir up memories of your childhood?
• Where do you think the next conflict will flare up?
• Do you think the economy needs shoring up at the moment? Which fiscal measures need to be
brought in?

Vocabulary

butter sb up, crawl up to sb, suck up to sb, play up flatter or praise to gain advantage
to sb

own up to sth admit

work up sth (a sweat, a thirst, an appetite) 1) increase your appetite or sweat by working
work sb up (similar to work yourself into a frenzy 2) to make sb worried, anxious or upset
or state) (especially yourself)

play up (no object) 1) machine stoops working

2) body part starts to hurt or ache
3) misbehave (compare be up to sth, get up to sth)

bear up (similar to hold up) recover from an injury

size sb or sth up judge or estimate sth, judge sb’s character

make sth up (a story) lie or invent

be made up of sth consist of

draw up, pull up 1) stop a vehicle

2) pull up a seat (take a seat)
draw sth up (make sth up) 3) make a provisional list or plan

call sb/sth up 1) make sb do military service

2) call sb
3) make information appear on a screen

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — UP Phrasal Verbs 147

hold sth up 1) rob a bank
hold up (bear up, compare with get over) 2) be healthy and strong after illness or injury
3) delay sb
hold sb up 4) hold sth aloft
hold sth up 5) stick to a deal
hold up one’s end of a deal / bargain 6) corroborate or verify
hold up (intransitive)

lay sb up force sb to stay in bed

let up when sth bad stops (e.g weather)

man up! (often used in imperative) be braver or stronger

let up on sb or sth (go easy on sb) when you stop being so severe or harsh with sb or
sth

be holed up (barricade sb in, hide away) hide in a secret and well-protected location

Visual Phrasal Verbs

Holed up in our military bunker, we had to get by

on stale food and dirty water.

The beautiful hairdresser pulled up a chair and

invited me to sit down.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — UP Phrasal Verbs 148

 Someone has been fiddling around with my
computer, and now it’s playing up. I reckon my
son might have something to do with it, but he
won’t own up to it.

Exercise 9 Answers on p. 309

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

My class is up of 30 pupils, and the majority of us are well behaved. However, there is
one boy, Simon, who regularly up, up different teachers and
up late for most lessons. He gets on everyone’s nerves; his behaviour drags out the
lesson, puts off the teacher, and holds back the whole class. Yesterday, my mobile phone went missing at
break time, and I was told that Simon had been fiddling around with my bag. Boiling over with anger, I
confronted him, but he wouldn’t up to rummaging through my belongings. Changing
my strategy, I decided to rifle through his bag while he wasn’t in the room. Unsurprisingly, I fished my
phone out straight away.

Exercise 10 Answers on p. 309

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 I get on with most of my classmates, but there are a few pupils who I can’t stand because they are
always up to the teacher.
2 Most of the evidence was circumstantial, being unlikely to up in a court of law.
3 You ought to up on your son. If you were less harsh, he would start to learn from
his own mistakes and acquire a sense of responsibility.
4 The rain has been coming down all day, so now I’m soaked through. When do you think it will
up?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — UP Phrasal Verbs 149

5 If you up the main menu, you’ll be able to find the settings icon.
6 My back has been up ever since I tried to carry that heavy suitcase down those
stairs.
7 Before breakfast, I like to up an appetite by going for a 10km run.
8 He came down with a nasty infection, and the doctor says he will be up for the
rest of the week.

• How do you like to work up an appetite?

• Have you ever been held up at an airport?
• When was the last time you were laid up in bed?
• Do you know anyone who has been called up for military service?
• Has any part of your body been playing up recently?

DOWN Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the preposition ‘down’ tend to signify one of the following: downwards
movement (trickle down, kneel down), decrease (cut down on sth, go down), depression or rejection (let
sb down, get sb down), restriction (clamp down on sth, come down on sth), or ascribing causes (put sth
down to sth, come down to sth).

Vocabulary

sit down take a seat

kneel down get on your knees

get down move your body closer to the floor

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — DOWN Phrasal Verbs 150

go down 1) decrease 2) happen 3) fall 4) go to prison (go
go down (in history) for sth and as sb down for + duration) 4) be long remembered for
sth and as sb

stand/step down (compare with the less formal resign

pack sth in, jack sth in)

settle down (calm down) 1) become comfortable in a new place or decide to

stay in a new place for a long time
2) calm down

trickle down sth, run down sth when water (tears, raindrops) moves down sth

cut down on sth reduce bad habits (reduce cigarettes, chocolate)

quieten down (also pipe down) people become less noisy

calm down (simmer down) become peaceful or relaxed

slow down opposite of speed up

cool down opposite of warm up

dumb sth or sb down (compare with water sth make something or someone easier, simpler, or
down) more stupid

die down noise or commotion gets quieter

come down with sth when someone contracts a disease or illness

wear sb down (mentally) exhaust

run-down (adjective) weak, in bad condition, tired, unhealthy (used for

people, buildings and parts of town)

beat down (rain and sun) rain or sun beats down on you when it is intense

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — DOWN Phrasal Verbs 151

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

By 2:00 am, the party had started to die down,

and those of us that were still up drank to the
health of the birthday girl.

Last year, we moved into a new house in a

different part of town. It took a while to get used
to the new area, but eventually we settled down.

The proportion of kids breezing through their

exams is increasing every year, but cynics say
that the exams have been dumbed down.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 310

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

As soon as we had saved up enough money, we decided to move into a new house. The area where we
lived was urban and -down, but we wanted to down in a rural area

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — DOWN Phrasal Verbs 152

with plenty of space for the kids to run around. It was incredibly difficult to get all of our stuff to the new
place. We were stressed out and down by the end of it. But it was worth it. The fresh air
helped me to down on a number of bad habits. And being far away from the hustle and
bustle of the city, the pace of life seemed to down.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 310

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 He down in front of me and begged for forgiveness.

2 These exams have been down so that everyone sails through the test, and the
good marks reflect well on the teachers.
3 I hope the weather down a bit. I find this stifling heat unbearable. I work up a
sweat just sitting in my chair.
4 It was down with rain, and the raindrops were down the
window.
5 When information came to light regarding the minister’s involvement in tax avoidance schemes,
even his closest allies called for him to down.
6 Every time time you get in a car, you your foot down. If you don’t slow down,
you’re going to run someone over.
7 The roar of the applause down, and the performer bent forwards to take one last
bow.
8 Shhh! This is a library; if you don’t down, you’ll be thrown out.

• Which areas are there in your city or town which are rather run-down?
• Do you think education is being dumbed down?
• What kind of things should you cut down on?
• Under what circumstances would you step down?
• Do you think you could settle down in another country? Which country would you move to?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — DOWN Phrasal Verbs 153

 Vocabulary

put sb down 1) insult

put sth down 2) opposite of pick up 3) kill an animal out of
mercy 4) write sth down

bring sb or sth down (get sb down in first sense) 1) depress 2) topple the government or authorities

get down (no object) 1) move body closer to the floor

get sb down (bring sb down) 2) depress sb

let sb/sth down 1) disappoint 2) deflate (a tyre) opposite of pump

up

turn sb/sth down refuse an offer or refuse someone’s offer

look down on sb (opposite of look up to) disrespect

break down (no object) 1) when a car stops working 2) when a person
can’t cope with difficult events in their life

shut sth down permanently close sth (e.g a business)

come/crack/clamp down on sth When the authorities take a harsher approach to

certain crimes

pin sb or sth down, (similar to hold sb down) 1) keep someone held against the floor
2) fully elucidate someone’s opinion
3) fully elucidate the cause of something

track sb down, hunt sb down attempt to find sb

narrow sth down reduce number of possibilities (e.g suspects)

wind down (no object) 1) finish gradually

wind sth down 2) shut down a business gradually

write sth down, note sth down, jot sth down, put make a note of something important
sth down, copy sth down

come down to sth, put sth down to (compare with ascribe a cause to something
boil down to sth, hinge on sth)

hand sth down 1) one generation passes sth to another generation

2) older sibling passes sth to younger siblings 3) a
judge hands down a sentence

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — DOWN Phrasal Verbs 154

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

Inflation comes down to interest rates. (I put

inflation down to the interest rates that are
decided by central banks.) (It is difficult to pin
down the cause of inflation.)

Unable to scrape by any longer, we are winding

down the business. We will have completely shut
down by the end of the month.

Police have been cracking down on the

lawlessness in the city centre; several rioters were
pinned down, carried away, and are now locked
up.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — DOWN Phrasal Verbs 155

 Exercise 3 Answers on p. 310

➔ Fill successful the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

Unfortunately, it looks as though our suppliers have us down again. They promised to
deliver the goods last week, but then they fobbed us off at the last minute with a lame excuse: they
claimed their driver had down with a nasty infection. However, I am certain that they
have drivers standing by that are ready to fill in for anyone that might fall ill. In my opinion, their
tardiness down to a lack of organizational skills among the management. Nonetheless,
others it down to machinery down at the factory.

Exercise 4 Answers on p. 310

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 Sherlock discovered evidence at the crime scene that enabled him to down the list
of potential suspects.
2 I always keep a notepad handy as I like to down any new ideas that I might come
up with.
3 Engineers are trying to down the cause of the power outage.
4 The authorities ought to down on the big businesses that are guilty of tax evasion.
Amazon, Facebook, and Google seem to get away with paying barely any tax.
5 I’ve been looking into my family tree recently, so I’m trying to down several
distant relatives who may be able help me.
6 Even if they offer me the job, I reckon I’ll them down.
7 The government subsidies that were shoring up the industry have now been withdrawn, and it seems
likely that several businesses will be permanently down.
8 The former government was down 6 months ago in a series of violent uprisings
that left hundreds dead.
9 The sentence down by the judge was so lenient; many journalists wrote that the
offender had virtually been exonerated.
10 He has a brother who is slightly older than he is, so we often down the clothes,
saving a lot of money in the process.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — DOWN Phrasal Verbs 156

 • What do you put your success down to?
• What kind of things should the authorities clamp down on?
• Have you ever turned down a job offer? Why?
• Have you ever broken down on a long journey?
• Did you receive clothes that were handed down to you from older siblings?

Vocabulary

pour down, come down, tip down, chuck it down rain heavily

water sth down (compare with dumb sth down) 1) make sth less offensive or powerful or detailed
2) dilute

back down (on/from sth) (compare with back out 1) stop asking for sth 2) stop insisting you will do
of sth, pull out of sth) sth

burn sth down when a building is reduced to ashes by fire

hold sth down (a job) keep a job

keep sth down control or suppress, usually the noise

play sth down (talk sth down) under-exaggerate. Make sth seem less important

shoot sth down make sth hit the ground by shooting it

simmer down (no object) (calm down) become less excited, angry, or violent

boil down to sth (similar to hinge on sth, come be the main reason for sth
down to sth)

climb down (no object) reverse your position and admit that your previous
opinion was mistaken

scroll down sth move down an internet page or computer

document

knock sth down 1) destroy sth that stands (e.g a building)

knock down sth 2) make the price cheaper
knock sb down on sth (e.g the price) 3) get a cheaper price from sb

put sb down for sth put sb’s name on a list for sth

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — DOWN Phrasal Verbs 157

go down (well or badly) (compare with come off) be enjoyed (or not) by the audience, guests, or
public
go down (in history) for sth as sth/sb
be renowned for sth as sth/sb

knuckle down, buckle down (compare with slog start working hard
away, beaver away, slave away)

Visual Phrasal Verbs

The new legislation, which was going to be rolled

out next month, has not gone down well. Several
protests outside the White House have forced the
government to back down.

Several houses caught up in the blaze burnt

down; firefighters struggled to put out the inferno
for several hours.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — DOWN Phrasal Verbs 158

 Most of the public anger boils down to the
spending cuts that were brought in last month.
Protesters hope to force the government to climb
down on these austere measures.

Exercise 5 Answers on p. 310

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

It had been down all day. With rain down the windowpane, I was
thumbing through the newspaper, my eyes darting from one article to the next. The headline that caught
my eye was ‘government accused of down new trade agreement’. The article explained
that MPs had originally set out to collect higher import taxes on goods arriving from outside the EU, but
pressure from business meant that Westminster had to down so that the rate of tax
remains largely unchanged. A number of politicians attempted to down the changes in
the agreement, pointing out that the agreement would still down in history as a turning
point in international relations.

Exercise 6 Answers on p. 310

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 down the webpage, I noticed several glaring errors that would have to be
corrected.
2 If we don’t down soon, we’re going to miss the deadline; we’ll be slaving away
on both projects next week.
3 The battle down in history as the largest tank battle since World War Two.
4 The council has refused to down on their plans to turn parts of the forest into
residential housing.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — DOWN Phrasal Verbs 159

5 Success down to effort rather than luck.
6 Once the children had down, the teacher handed out the worksheets.
7 I had to haggle with the taxi driver, and he down the price. In the end, everyone
had to chip in 10 euros, so it wasn’t too expensive.
8 If you’re going to get a take-away, me down for a quarter pounder and chips.

• How long have you held down your job?

• What’s the weather like today? Is it pouring down again, or has the sun come out?
• Do you back down quickly when you are under pressure?
• Are exams getting watered down each year?
What events from the last 5 years will go down in history, and why?

IN Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the preposition ‘in’ tend to signify one of the following: inclusion (cut sb in,
join in, rope sb in), direction (go in, pop in, breathe in), sharing (pitch in, chip in, go in on), introducing
sth new (bring in, usher in, reel in), and interruption (butt in, barge in, cut in on sb, chime in).

Vocabulary

plug sth in (opposite = unplug) electrically connect

breathe (sth) in (opposite = breathe out) take air into the lungs

colour sth in fill with colour

fill sth in (same as fill sth out!) 1) complete a form

fill in for sb (cover for sb) 2) do someone else’s job as they are
unavailable

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go/drive/run into sth/sb collide with

bump into sb, run into sb meet unexpectedly

settle in (into sw) become familiar with new surroundings

fit in (compare with blend in) (with sth) be socially compatible with other
members of group

sink in (no object) be fully understood or grasped

call in on sb, drop in on sb, pop into sw, pay sb a short visit
drop/pop by/round (no object)

go in on sth (compare with chip in £5) share the cost of sth

get in on sth (compare with cash in on get involved in a profitable activity

s,t, profit from sth)

home in on sth, close in on sth approach a target

let sb in on sth, (compare with walk in allow sb to know a secret, or something

on sb, barge in on sth, listen in on sth/sb) clandestine

dabble in sth take a slight interest in sth as an amateur

Visual Phrasal Verbs

He took my colleague aside for a private chat, but

I managed to listen in on their conversation.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — IN Phrasal Verbs 161

 Since his marriage broke down, he has taken up a
number of new hobbies. He even dabbles in
photography these days.

We decided to go in on the bill, each of us

chipping in 30 dollars.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 311

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

Some friends and I decided to sort out a surprise party for a friend. There were 10 of us that agreed to
in on the cost of laying on the food and hiring out the venue. In the end, we each
in 50 quid, and we were very happy with what we got in return; the food was delicious
and plentiful, the venue was spacious and clean, and the atmosphere was warm and cosy. Unfortunately,
someone in on the birthday boy the day before the party and him in
on our little secret, so the party came as no surprise.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — IN Phrasal Verbs 162

 Exercise 2 Answers on p. 311

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 Noticing that the police were in on them, the driver put his foot down and drove
into the fast lane; however, the police were still gaining on them.
2 I into an old mate while walking along the beach yesterday. Seeing his familiar
countenance brought back memories of my childhood.
3 Starting classes in a new school was very difficult, and he had problems in. He
ended up befriending a number of kids from his chess club, and after a few months, he had
completely settled in.
4 It always takes time and effort for new vocabulary to in, so please keep using
these words over and over again.
5 Some kids were in their pictures, while others were putting away their toys. One
or two had already finished both of these tasks, and they were sitting up with their arms crossed,
waiting to be let out.
6 If you have already tried turning it off and on again, and still the screen remains black, please check
that you have it in.
7 As an asthmatic, he has difficulty in and out when he gets nervous.
8 Please in this form; write down your full name and address.

• What was the last thing that you plugged in?

• Have you ever filled in for a colleague?
• Have you bumped into any old friends recently?
• When you go out for a meal with friends, do you usually go in on the bill?
• When was the last time you let someone in on a secret?
Are there any lucrative opportunities that you would like to get in on?

Vocabulary

usher in sth introduce a new era or epoch

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — IN Phrasal Verbs 163

bring sth in (roll sth out, phase sth in) introduce new legislation (phase in = in stages)

pitch in (similar to get stuck in) share the work

chip in (£5) (compare with go in on sth) put in money when you share the cost

join in sth, opt in (into sth) take part in sth

rope sb in (into sth) persuade new people to join in

rake in (intransitive) (compare with cash in on sth, make huge amount of money
profit from sth, capitalize on sth)

reel sb in, bring sb in attract (new customers)

do sb in 1) kill 2) tire out

box sth/sb in, fence sth in (compare block sb in) to limit sb’s activity

count sb in (opposite is count sb out) compare include sb in a plan

with rope sb in

blend in (into/with sth) (opposite of stand out, look or seem the same as surroundings
stick out) (compare with fit in)

jack sth in, pack sth in quit an activity (usually a job)

pencil sth in provisionally schedule a plan

sign in, log on enter a website

rub sth in (compare ‘rub salt into the wound’) to irritate someone by reminding them of their
failure (add insult to injury)

buy sth in buy sth in preparation for sth (e.g a party)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — IN Phrasal Verbs 164

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

Unable to finish off the project before the

deadline, I roped in several colleagues to help.
With all of us pitching in, it was easy to sort
everything out on time.

I can pencil you in for Tuesday the 6th at 12:00.

If you need to bring the meeting forward or put it
off, just call me.

Some animals blend into their environment to

avoid being gobbled up by hungry predators.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — IN Phrasal Verbs 165

 Exercise 3 Answers on p. 311

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

The 22nd century will in a new epoch of the decentralization of currency. New
legislation will be in that will do away with national currencies, leaving only
cryptocurrencies as viable payment methods. Those who bought up Bitcoin and Ethereum in the early
days will be it in. The rally will in all sorts of other investors, and
step by step everyone will be into the new payment system.

Exercise 4 Answers on p. 311

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 I will you in on the 22nd of September, but if you need to call off the lesson or
bring it forward, just write me an email and give me a heads-up.
2 Having heard about Bitcoin, he decided to in on the rally, and he put all of his
savings into it. One year later, he sold off all his cryptocurrency, in about 1
million dollars in profit.
3 The best way to in new customers is to advertise online.
4 We don’t have enough players for our football match tonight, so do you think we could
your brother in?
5 His salary hadn’t gone up for almost 7 years, so he ended up his job in.
6 If the whole family in, we’ll be able to put everything away and tidy everything
up in half an hour.
7 Whenever he loses the game of cards, his older sister loves to it in. She really
ought to have grown out of this childish behaviour by now.
8 I have always worn bright colours. I prefer not to in, but to stand out.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — IN Phrasal Verbs 166

 • Do you prefer to blend in or to stand out?
• If you needed an extra football player for your team, who would you rope in?
• What methods can businesses use to reel in new customers?
• Does everyone in your family pitch in with the housework?
• Have you ever thought about packing your job in? Why?

Vocabulary

rein sth in, rein sth back take control of sth (e.g emotions)

fall in with sb (get mixed up with sb, start hanging become friends with (a bad crowd. usually
around with sb) negative)

dob sb in, turn sb/sth in (inform on sb, grass sb up, 1) turn sb over to the authorities.
rat on sb, snitch on sb) tell the authorities about the illegal activities of sb
2) go to bed
turn in (no object)

have it in for sb bear/hold a grudge against sb

cave in to sb/sth, give in to sb/sth acquiesce or yield to demands/pressure

push in, cut in (no object) jump to the front of the queue

butt in, cut in (compare with ‘to talk over sb’) interrupt

chime in (no object) join in a conversation

come in for sth, be in for sth can expect or anticipate

set in (no object) a disease or bad weather begins (similar to the

noun ‘onset’)

let sb in allow sb to enter

factor sth in include sth, consider sth

call sb in (similar to call sb out) invite organization or person to come to you and
provide a service

weigh in on sth give your opinion on sth (controversial)

kick in (intransitive) (compare kick off with sth) when sth starts to take effect (drugs, medicine)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — IN Phrasal Verbs 167

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

The suspect caved in when the interrogators

warned him that he would be in for a lengthy
prison sentence if he carried on holding back
information.

I weighed in on the issue of late deliveries,

explaining that everything boiled down to the
unreliable suppliers we had been using.

The queue was tailing back around the street, and

it didn’t seem to be moving; I think people kept
on pushing in at the front of the queue, leaving
me standing around for hours.

Exercise 5 Answers on p. 311

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

What would you do if your cousin were picking on younger kids, beating them up, and doing them out of
money? That’s the dilemma that I came up against. He in with a bad crowd last year,

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — IN Phrasal Verbs 168

and ever since that moment he’s been getting away with murder. Last week, I decided to anonymously
him in by sending one of our teachers a video of him lashing out at some of the
younger kids. He’ll in for some severe punishment as his behaviour was cruel and
nasty. I hope that it will help him reflect on his behaviour and in some of his wild
impulses.

Exercise 6 Answers on p. 311

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 If you in all the expenses of setting up this kind of business, you’ll see that it is
far less profitable than it looks at first glance.
2 The pipes are likely to freeze up when the winter in, and then we’ll definitely
have to in a plumber.
3 When I’ve been waiting in a queue for a long time and someone in, I find it hard
rein back my anger.
4 The boss has it in for me ever since I turned up slightly late for 3 meetings in a
row.
5 He has been under her thumb since they started going out with each other, and he
in to all of her demands.
6 I usually in just before midnight, but I get up at half past seven.
7 He has a nasty habit of in whenever I open my mouth.
8 I the cat in every morning, and she always wolfs down her breakfast.

• When does the winter usually set in?

• When was the last time you had to call in a plumber or electrician? What did they patch up?
• What time do you usually turn in?
• Would you turn in a family member if he was guilty of a crime?
• Do you usually cave in to the demands of your spouse?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — IN Phrasal Verbs 169

OUT Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the preposition ‘out’ tend to signify one of the following: direction (see sb out,
show sb out, take sb out), distribution (send sth out, hand sth out, deal sth out, give sth out), completion
(wear sb out, die out, sort sb/sth out), public speech (speak out against sth, blurt sth out, come out with
sth), or exclusion (boot sb out, throw sb out, kick sb out).

Vocabulary
see or show sb out (opposite of see/show sb in) take someone to the door and say goodbye

put sth into sth / take sth out of sth (compare with place sth into a bag, box or wallet
fish sth out)

let sb out (opposite of let sb in) 1) allow sb or sth to leave

let sth out (similar to give out, cry out, blurt out, 2) make a noise
shout out)

lock sb out (opposite of lock sb in) lock the door so that sb can’t come in

cut sb out (first meaning is similar to freeze sb 1) exclude sb from a deal

out, squeeze sb out)
cut sth out 2) stop a bad habit (like give sth up)
3) cut sth from inside sth else

eat out (opposite of eat in) (compare with ‘send eat in a restaurant (not at home)
out for’ = order a delivery)

break out (of prison) 1) escape 2) when fire, disease, or war suddenly
erupts

fall out of sth fall from inside sth

walk out, run out (of sw) leave the inside of a room or building

boot sb out, kick sb out, throw sb out exclude sb from a school, university, or building

send sth out, hand sth out, give sth out, deal sth distribute in various senses
out, share sth out
(compare with farm sth out = delegate)

wear sb out, tire sb out, knacker sb out (compare completely (physically) exhaust
wear sb down = mentally exhaust)

buy sb out buy all of sb’s shares to exclude them from

ownership

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OUT Phrasal Verbs 170

bail sb out 1) financially rescue a company (or a person)
2) rescue a person from jail by paying bail

sell out of sth (also, be sold out) (compare run out 1) sell all of sth (e.g tickets) so that there is none
of sth) left
2) when a person is motivated not by principles,
but by money, they have sold out

Visual Phrasal Verbs

Doing press-ups is the best way to burn off the

calories. It will wear you out though.

As a teenager, he got bored with his classes and

started bunking off regularly. In the end, he was
kicked out of school.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OUT Phrasal Verbs 171

 When he ran out of money at university, his
parents bailed him out.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 312

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

Panic out in the markets yesterday when the government announced they would not be
out two of the oldest and most reputable city banks. The liabilities of the banks will be
out among the largest creditors. There are concerns that the economy could now seize
up as a result of the closing down of payment systems. Creditors have already begun queueing up outside
the banks, in fear of losing their savings. The CEOs of the aforementioned banks claim that the
government has them out of ongoing discussions, making it impossible for them to
offer any solutions to the crisis.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 312

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 Having been on my feet all day, I was completely out.

2 Discipline is important in the laboratory; if anyone starts mucking around during the experiment,
they will be immediately out.
3 If we out some of the work to software companies in Asia, costs will be
drastically reduced.
4 He his passport out of his pocket, and handed it over to the customs official.
5 I out the last few guests, tidied up some of the mess, and locked up all the doors
and windows.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OUT Phrasal Verbs 172

6 The thief out a scream when he fell off the fence and landed on his back.
7 I enjoy out, but I prefer out for something delicious, and then
out at home with some food and a computer game.
8 Having out of his cell, the convict now had to pit himself against three one-metre
thick, three-metre high, stone walls.

• Have you ever locked yourself out of your car or home? How did it happen? How did you get
back in?
• Have you ever thrown someone out of your house? Why?
• Do you think large banks should be bailed out with taxpayer funds?
• How often do you eat out? Which restaurant is your favourite?
• What kind of activities tire you out?
• Which musicians have sold out, in your opinion?

Vocabulary

work sth out, figure s,t out calculate

sort sth out organize in various senses

call sth out, cry out, scream out, shout out speak or scream loudly and publicly

come out with sth (ridiculous ideas, odd say or mention suddenly and unexpectedly
suggestions)

blurt sth out, let sth out (let the cat out of the bag say sth publicly that should have stayed a secret
= idiom)

speak out against sth, come out against sth publicly criticize sth
(opposite = come out in favour of)

chill out relax

zone out become catatonic

stick sth out, jut out (no object) 1) protrude

stick sth out (similar to see sth through, get 2) (informal) to get through sth unpleasant or
through sth) difficult

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OUT Phrasal Verbs 173

lay sth out (compare set sth out) 1) arrange several objects in order 2) explain

set sth out 1) arrange several objects in order 2) explain sth

3) set off (leave)
set out (no object) 4) start a grandiose project
set out to do sth (compare set about doing,
which means start mundane task)
drop out of sth (often similar to give up) (compare stop doing sth before it is finished (often
with throw sb out, kick sb out) university or a course)

drag sth out, draw sth out (compare with drag on make sth last longer than necessary
which is intransitive)

eke sth out make sth last as long as possible for economical
reasons

block sth out attempt to forget sth painful

bottom out (compare level out and flatten out, when sth (usually the price of sth) reaches the
which mean remain steady) lowest level

run out of sth (similar to use sth up) have nothing left of sth

fall out with sb (opposite of fall in with) stop being friends with sb

die out (similar to die off, but die off seems more go extinct
gradual) compare wipe sth out (eradicate)

Visual Phrasal Verbs

The President has spoken out against fake news,

singling out the New York Times for making up
stories designed to drag his reputation through the
mud.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OUT Phrasal Verbs 174

 I hate traipsing around the shops, but if I stick this
out for another hour or two, she might let me out
tonight.

Some say that the dinosaurs must have been

wiped out by a meteor collision. Others believe
that they died off gradually over millions of years

Exercise 3 Answers on p. 312

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

When I glanced through the document, I saw that it out the terms and conditions of my
mortgage, and I was quickly able to out how much interest I would have to pay back
each month. I decided to out the repayment process to the maximum term of 30 years.
Interest rates had out recently, so monthly repayments were fairly low, and they were
likely to out rather than shoot up.

Exercise 4 Answers on p. 312

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 We’ve out of ketchup, so I’ll pop down the shops and pick some up.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OUT Phrasal Verbs 175

2 out with flags draped over them, the balconies were crammed with people
celebrating the folk festival.
3 It seems likely that many species out during this era due to a cataclysmic event.
4 We used to keep the tomato ketchup bottle upside down in order to it out for a
few more days.
5 The minister has out against the misuse of public funds, and he fully intends to
bring this issue up during the next parliamentary hearing.
6 They slave away at the office during the day, but after work they enjoy out in
front of the TV.
7 Having drunk too much at the party, he out how he really felt in front of
everybody, and he undoubtedly regrets it now.
8 I out the knives and forks while my wife dished up the dinner.

• Do you just zone out in front of the TV after work, or do you chill out in another way?
• If you were a politician, which issues would you speak out against?
• Do you know anyone who tends to come out with ridiculous ideas and suggestions?
• Do you know anyone who dropped out of university? What became of them?
• How did the dinosaurs die out?

Vocabulary

peter out, fizzle out, fade out (similar to trail off, gradually stop or disappear
taper off, fade away)

dry sth out (compare with dry up, which is when a become completely dry (especially clothes)
flow stops)

wipe sth out (compare with die out and die off) completely destroy, eradicate

drown sth out make a noise that is louder than another noise

belt sth out, blast sth out a noise is loud if it blasts out

boom out (no object) a voice is loud if it booms out

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OUT Phrasal Verbs 176

peal out, ring out (no object) a bell is loud if it rings out

leap out at sth/sb become immediately obvious

thrash sth out discuss a problem in order to come to a solution

thin out (compare with die out) become fewer in number

level out, flatten out (no object) remain steady (especially a price)

lose out to sb/sth (opposite of win out over sb/sth) be less successful than opponent

iron out sth (similar to ‘smooth sth over’) to sort out some remaining difficulties/problems

single sb/sth out choose one person among many for praise or
blame

cheat sb out of sth, do sb out of, diddle sb out of deceive and financially gain from sb else

play out (no object) (similar to pan out, turn out) happen or develop

pull out (of sth) (opposite of pull in) 1) move into a faster lane of traffic 2) drop out of
(a race or competition)

act sth out, live sth out (e.g fantasies) express thoughts, feelings or desires

look out for sth, watch out for sth, listen out for be attentive for sth
sth

Visual Phrasal Verbs

I pulled the clothes out of the washing machine

and hung them up. As soon as they had dried out,
I ironed out all the creases.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OUT Phrasal Verbs 177

 We ploughed through the snow to see where the
footprints led, but they mysteriously petered out
in the middle of the forest.

The DJ was blasting out music all night; the

music didn’t die down until 5 in the morning
when the crowd started to thin out.

Exercise 5 Answers on p. 312

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

Wedding bells were out as crowds of guests flooded into the church hall, nattering
away to their spouses and children, the noise of the conversations out only by the
incessant ringing. After a few minutes the commotion out, and a young priest jumped
up to take his position behind the lectern. His voice, out to all corners of the grandiose
hall, was soft, low and enthusiastic. He out love as the most sacred of Christian virtues,
and as his voice out, the congregation were left with his poignant words ringing in their
heads.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OUT Phrasal Verbs 178

 Exercise 6 Answers on p. 312

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 She hung all the clothes up on the washing line, and one hour later they had all
out.
2 Scientists claim there is a mountain of evidence that the dinosaurs were out by a
meteorite.
3 The meeting dragged on for one more hour as we tried to out an effective
marketing strategy for the upcoming quarter.
4 I’d like to him out as the most industrious pupil in the class. No matter how
difficult the problem is, he will buckle down until he has out the answer.
5 Pundits expect the price of oil to out for at least another 2 or 3 weeks. But then
they expect the price to rally, and we could see it shoot up to 1500 dollars per ounce.
6 He out of the fight the day before the boxing match was supposed to have taken
place, so the bookmakers had to call off all the bets.
7 The restaurant was packed out with customers at 6:00, but by 7:00 the crowd had started to
out as everyone was heading down to the beach for the firework display.
8 We still have a few minor difficulties to out, but we expect to roll out the new
product by the end of this month.

• Do you like to thrash out your problems with close friends, or sort them out on your own?
• Who would you single out as the person who has influenced you the most?
• Does your voice drown out other people’s voices, or are you softly spoken?
• Do you agree that we act out our unfulfilled desires in our dreams?
• How do you think the next election will play out?

Vocabulary

be cut out for sth (similar to ‘to be/feel up to sth’, be (generally) capable of doing sth
but this is more specific)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OUT Phrasal Verbs 179

call sb out (very similar to call sb in) 1) ask person or organization to come to you and
provide a service
call sth out 2) cry out, shout out, scream out, yell out

call sb out on sth (very similar to pick sb up on criticize or point out sb’s mistake, especially a
sth) (compare with catch sb out) mistaken assertion

rub sth out, cross sth out erase or remove answer (with a cross)

bring sth out, roll sth out, (compare with come out publish or launch a product, book or film
= intransitive)

turn out (compare play out and pan out) 1) end or become apparent (it turned out that)
2) turn off a light (also put out the light)
turn sth out (go out = intransitive) 3) produce or make (churn sth out and turn over)
turn sth out 4) eject or evict (similar to turn sb away)

turn sb out

churn sth out quickly produce large amounts of something

clean sth out 1) empty sth (room) of contents

clean sb out 2) make sb lose money (empty pockets)

rent sth out let a property to a tenant

pay sth out (similar to cough sth up, fork sth out) pay unwillingly

do sth out in decorate in a certain colour or style

grow out of sth 1) become too old or mature to appreciate or use

sth
2) become too big for sth (clothes)

draw sb out of sth (of their shell = idiom), (similar extract sth from sth, (draw sb out of their shell =
to come out of sth) encourage sb not to be so shy)

snap out of sth (e.g a trance or an obsession) stop being obsessed or entranced by sth

be packed out (with sb) (compare crammed with be full of sb (e.g people)
sb, rammed with sb)

spit sth out eject sth from the mouth

pour sth out 1) pour sth from the bottle or container

pour out of sw, flood out of sw 2) large number of people leave sw

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OUT Phrasal Verbs 180

take sb out 1) take sb to a nice place (e.g restaurant)
(compare second meaning with do sb in, do away 2) kill sb
with sb, bump sb off)

pan out (no object) (compare with play out, turn happen (sometimes, happen well)
out, go off, come off)

Visual Phrasal Verbs

The crowd poured (flooded) out of the station in

huge numbers. Suddenly, the streets were packed
out with tourists.

Apple is bringing out a new iPhone in August, but

you will have to fork out (cough up) a lot of
money if you want one.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OUT Phrasal Verbs 181

 If you use a pencil, you will always be able to rub
out your mistakes.

Exercise 7 Answers on p. 312

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

As an English teacher, it is my duty to students out on their mistakes. When I first

started teaching, I picked them up on every mistake, but this strategy didn’t out as
expected; some students began to fear their own mistakes and clam up. So, to the
students out of their shells, it’s necessary to turn a blind eye to the minor errors and to focus only on the
major mistakes. Using this method, the teacher will soon be listening to his student out
loads of complex sentences with very few blunders.

Exercise 8 Answers on p. 313

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 I went to the casino last night, and they me out. I left with nothing but the shirt on
my back.
2 The kitchen was out in blue and white tiles with solid oak flooring. It must have
set the owners back at least 10 grand.
3 By the age of 15, I had out of TV programs. They all seemed hopelessly childish
and intellectually barren.
4 Every time she walks into the room, you out as if you were in some kind of
trance. You need to out of it.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OUT Phrasal Verbs 182

5 I became a proof reader for a few weeks, but I quickly realised that I wasn’t out
for the job. It was far too boring with very little contact with other people.
6 The city centre is always out with tourists at this time of year. Let’s go
somewhere else.
7 The factory still out 10000 cars every year, but they are going to cut back on staff
next month, and this will reduce their output.
8 If your answer is wrong, it out neatly and write down the correct answer next to
it.

• Have you ever rented out a residence? Do you know anyone who has?
• What aspects of your childhood have you grown out of?
• Do you prefer your teachers to call you out on every mistake? Do you pick them up on their
mistakes too?
• Are you going to do up your place soon? What colours will you do it out in?
• Do you find it easy to churn out sentences when you write an essay?

Vocabulary

break out in sth, come out in sth (spots, a rash) suddenly become riddled with the symptoms
compare ‘bring sb out in sth’ (spots, a rash) of a medical problem

thaw sth out (opposite of freeze) (compare dry sth when a frozen product defrosts, it thaws out
out)

wring sth out of sb (similar to ‘drag sth out of sb’) force or aggressively persuade someone to give
you information or money

flush sb out force an animal or enemy out of its hiding place

root sth/sb out find sth/sb which is difficult to find

ferret sth out obtain information with difficulty

bottle out (of sth), chicken out (of sth) become too scared to participate in sth

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OUT Phrasal Verbs 183

get out of sth, worm out of sth, weasel out of sth avoid a duty or responsibility
(compare with ‘keep out of sth’)

get sth out of it obtain a benefit from sth

bear sth out (similar to ‘hold up’, but transitive) corroborate

sound sb out, sound sth out test an idea on someone

come out (opposite of go in) when sun/moon/stars or even flowers appear

hold out (for + duration) survive in a difficult situation

hold out for sth hope for sth

make sth out, make out that (make sb out to be) 1) perceive (especially see or hear) 2) pretend that
(compare ‘put on that’) (pretend that sb is..)

fathom sth out (compare figure sth out and work completely understand
sth out)

put sb out 1) inconvenience sb

put sth out 2) place outside 3) turn off a light
(compare with ‘stub sth out’) 4) extinguish

Visual Phrasal Verbs

The police tried to drag the truth out of the

suspect (ferret/root out the truth), but he made out
that he knew nothing about the crime.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OUT Phrasal Verbs 184

 The enemy were holed up in the hills, but during
the night a unit of enemy soldiers attacked and
managed to flush them out.

I took the chicken out of the freezer in the

morning so that it could thaw out before dinner.

Exercise 9 Answers on p. 313

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

The detective eyed the prime suspect with cautious reservation. Out of all the witnesses that the police
had spoken to, not one piece of testimony out the alibi that this suspect had been
sticking to. It was the detective’s job to the truth out of the suspect under interrogation,
but he was failing miserably. The suspect was calm and self-composed, delighted that the police were
unable to out his precise location at the time of the murder. He had
out that he was sitting in his car, leafing through the newspaper, whereas in reality he had been inside the
victim’s house, slipping poison into his dinner.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OUT Phrasal Verbs 185

 Exercise 10 Answers on p. 313

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 Arsenal are out for a win or a draw against Chelsea, as either of these results will
see them move into the next round of the FA cup.
2 His 2-year-old child out in a rash a few weeks ago; it seems to have been some
kind of allergic reaction to the washing powder that his parents have been using.
3 She her husband out to be an expert, but in reality he knows nothing about
investment.
4 It was such a difficult test that I out of time. I couldn’t out the
answer to one of the questions on the last page.
5 The interrogator knew that he could use subtle threats in order to out the
information that he needed.
6 After a bombing campaign that dragged on for 3 months, the enemy was eventually
out of it’s defensive positions.
7 It pelted down with rain for an hour, but eventually the clouds dispersed and the sun
out.
8 His mother had asked him to wash up the plates and the cutlery, but he tried to
out of it by out that he was sick.

• Have you ever made out that you were ill in order to worm your way out of work or school?
• When was the last time you came out in a rash? What brought on these symptoms?
• Do you enjoy fathoming out maths problems and logic puzzles?
• What benefits do you expect to get out of learning English?
• Would you be able to hold out in the jungle for a few weeks? What would you feed on?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OUT Phrasal Verbs 186

ON Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the preposition ‘on’ tend to signify one of the following: continuation (drag on,
go on, carry on, bang on about sth, plough on), survival (get by on, live on, survive on), betrayal to
authorities (tell on sb, rat on sb, inform on sb, snitch on sb) dependence (rely on sth, hinge on sth, depend
on sth), understanding (cotton on to sth, catch on, latch on, be well up on sth, dawn on sb, be onto sb,
reflect on sth) and sexual excitement (turn sb on, come on to sb, get off on sth, try it on). The ‘up on
sth/sb’ group (creep up on sb, sneak up on sb) often signifies approach. The ‘down on sth’ group often
signifies restriction (clamp/crack/come down on sth). The ‘on to sth’ group often signifies attachment
(latch on to sth, hold on to sth, grab on to sth). The ‘in on sth’ group signifies something secret or
clandestine.

Vocabulary

happen (up)on sth, stumble on/upon sth, come find sth unexpectedly (by chance)
across sth, run across sth, chance upon sth
(compare with bump into sb and run into sb)

lead sb on (compare put sb up to sth) 1) lure or tempt sb to do sth wrong

2) pretend to be romantically interested in sb to
gain advantage

turn sth on 1) switch sth on

turn sb on (compare get off on sth) 2) sexually excite sb

frown on sth/sb (compare look down on sb) disapprove of sth/sb

bring sth on (similar to bring about sth) 1) cause sth to happen (often something bad)
2) used when you look forward to a future event
bring it on!

call on sth / sb 1) visit

call on sb to do sth 2) formally request that sb do sth
call on sth (very similar to draw on sth) 3) make use of sth, summon sth up

be, keep, go, bang, ramble, waffle, harp, drone, talk continuously (often in an annoying or nagging
rabbit on at sb about sth way)

keep on, carry on, go on (+ gerund) (for + time) continue

drag on (for + time) (drag sth out) continue for a long time in a boring way

play on (no object) 1) continue playing (especially football)

play on sth 2) exploit a weakness

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — ON Phrasal Verbs 187

press on, soldier on, march on (no object) keep going (in spite of difficulties and obstacles)

bear on sth, be based on sth, have a bearing on sth be connected to sth

verge on sth, border on sth be almost sth (on the edge of sth)

come/crack/clamp down on sth when authorities restrict a crime by giving harsher

punishments.

tell on sb, rat on sb, snitch on sb, grass on sb, tell authorities that sb is guilty of a crime
inform on sb (formal) (grass sb up, turn sb in)

hang on (no object) 1) wait

hang on sth, rely on sb, hinge on sth (compare 2) depend on sth
boil/come down to sth)

boil down to sth, come down to sth be the main reason or most essential part

Visual Phrasal Verbs

His mum bangs on at him about being on his

mobile all day, and he just turns the volume up to
drown out her racket.

The police are coming (cracking, clamping) down

heavily on pickpockets in the city, and several
offenders have already been sent down (put away,
locked up).

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — ON Phrasal Verbs 188

 I happened upon a four-leaf clover, which means
I am going to be lucky. Bring it on!

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 313

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

Strolling back home from work, I upon a new advert at the bus stop. ‘Be yourself’ was
the order plastered across the centre of the picture, and in the background I could make out a blurry yet
gorgeous girl wearing a mask. She was wearing very little apart from the mask, and the advert struck me
as on pornography. Clearly, it was made to on the sense of shame that
we feel of our own bodies, on us to slim down, work out, dress up, and urging us to live
out our innermost fantasies, to act out our secret desires. I on past the advert, as though
it hadn’t me on in the slightest.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 313

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 Sending personal emails is on in the company I work for.

2 The local council needs to down on the number of parents that park on the grass
verges when they are dropping their kids off.
3 If you on a second, I’ll be able to rummage through my bag and fish out the
ticket.
4 He broke off the engagement last week, and, in all honesty, I think he did the right thing. She was
him on, so I’m glad he’s finished with her.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — ON Phrasal Verbs 189

5 Whether we go to the Christmas party or not on whether we can find a babysitter
or not.
6 The meeting on for 3 hours, and I noticed that several colleagues were on the
verge of nodding off. The speaker on regardless, on about
quarterly sales and on about marketing strategies.
7 The rise in interest rates has on a wave of house repossessions, and economists
are worried it could spark off another financial crisis.
8 The lifestyle that he follows on insanity: his diet is terrible, his bad habits are
numerous, and his social life is out of control.

• Which crimes do you think the local authorities ought to crack down on?
• Do you often have meetings? How long do they drag on for?
• What does success hinge on? Does it come down to luck, talent, skill, education, or something
else?
• Which bad habits do you frown on?
• Would you snitch on a relative that had committed a crime?

Vocabulary

close in on sb/sth, home in on sth/sb, zero in on approach the target that you are chasing (bear
sth/sb, move in on sth/sb, bear down on sb down on sb = menacingly approach)

cotton on (to sth), catch on (to sth), latch on (to understand clearly
sth) (compare with be onto sb)

cling on to sth, latch on to sth (grab/hold on to sth) 1) physically attach yourself to sth
latch onto sb
2) follow sb (especially when they don’t want you
latch onto sth hanging around)
3) suddenly become interested in sth

go in on sth (compare with chip in sth) share the cost of sth

listen in on sb eavesdrop (clandestine)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — ON Phrasal Verbs 190

walk in on sb, barge in on sb, burst in on sb go into a room suddenly and discover sb doing sth
clandestine

be in on sth, let sb in on sth, get in on sth be part of a clandestine plot, let sb know about a
secret, become part of the clandestine plot

pass on sth 1) transmit a message or transfer an object

2) die
pass on (no object) (same as pass away)

cheer sb on support sb (especially in sport)

egg sb on (bad) (similar to put sb up to sth) encourage sb to do sth (usually bad)

spur sb on (good)
encourage sb to do sth (usually good)

cheat on sb (similar to play away) be unfaithful to sb (have an affair)

try sth on 1) put on clothes to see if they fit

try it on with sb (come on to sb, hit on sb) 2) make sexual advances, flirt (try to chat sb up)

put sth on, throw sth on, fling sth on, sling sth on 1) dress
(opposite of take/throw/fling/sling sth off)
put on that + clause (make out that + clause) 2) pretend

hit on sb (come on to sb, make a pass at sb, chat 1) make sexual advances
sb up)
hit on the idea of sth (come up with sth) 2) suddenly have a (good) idea

Visual Phrasal Verbs

We took our new colleague through our new

software, but he doesn’t seem to have caught on.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — ON Phrasal Verbs 191

 During lunch, I walked in on them while she was
stroking his tie. I’m pretty sure that she was
trying it on with him. (hitting on him, coming on
to him, chatting him up)

The little boy is throwing paper planes at his

teacher; usually, his friends egg him on (put him
up to it) and he gets thrown out the class.

Exercise 3 Answers on p. 313

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

As a child, he’d had problems fitting in at his new school. He tried onto a few kids in
his class. They didn’t want him hanging around, and they tried to show him but he didn’t
on. He on following them around in spite of the fact that they were
on him. Having put up with their taunts for 3 months, he finally on to
the idea that he wasn’t wanted, so he gave up running around after them. It wasn’t long after this that he
found some friends who truly enjoyed his company.

Exercise 4 Answers on p. 313

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 The crowd were us on, their screams booming out from all directions.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — ON Phrasal Verbs 192

2 She didn’t on to the fact that he had been on her for the past
year. He made out that he was working late, but he had actually been meeting up with his mistress.
3 My mum has a nasty habit of in on me when I am nattering away on the phone.
4 We decided to in on some pizza, and we all had to chip in £5 to make sure there
was enough to go round.
5 My boss was mortified when I in on him while he was getting dressed.
6 I know now that he can’t be trusted because he it on with my girlfriend last week.
7 The missile was in on its target, but at the last moment it was intercepted.
8 Having been on by several of his friends, he left a drawing pin on the teacher’s
chair; giggling uncontrollably, he went back to his seat.

• Have you ever walked in on someone getting undressed?

• Does anyone try to listen in on your conversations?
• When watching films in another language, do you cotton on immediately?
• Do you fling your clothes off, chucking them on the floor, or fold them up, putting them away
nicely?

Vocabulary

pick on sb, gang up on sb bully sb, bully sb in a group

go back on sth (e.g go back on your word) fail to keep a promise

settle on sth make a final decision on sth, agree to do sth

be set on doing sth be certain and determined concerning a plan

set on sb, set upon sb (compare with run at sb, attack

come at sb)

take sth out on sb sb makes you angry, but you get angry and abuse
sb else

bear on sth be related to sth

touch on sth deal briefly with sth

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — ON Phrasal Verbs 193

creep up on sb, sneak up on sb 1) approach sb quietly and slowly
sth creeps up on you 2) sth happens gradually/slowly without you
noticing

stock up on sth (compare stockpile and buy in lots of sth because you want enough in
squirrel/hoard/hide sth away) future

walk out on sb suddenly leave partner and break up

rub off on sb acquire something (often a type of behaviour or

skill) due to regular exposure

get off on sth (be turned on by sth/sb) get excited (often sexually) by sth

take sb on 1) employ sb
take on sth (bring it on!) 2) accept a duty or task

get by on sth (live on sth, survive on sth) manage or survive with sth

fall back on sth (resort to sth) use sth as a last resort

lay sth on provide food, drink and entertainment

pin sth on sb (set sb up, frame sb) 1) frame sb, set sb up

pin hopes on sth (cling to the hope that), compare 2) hope very much about sth
be set on sth

Visual Phrasal Verbs

A group of bullies regularly gang up on him; they

seem to be set on making every school day a
living hell.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — ON Phrasal Verbs 194

 Believing that the world was hurtling towards a
nuclear catastrophe, we started stocking up on
tinned food.

The girls are always messing round when we go

for a drive, and their parents don’t even tell them
off. I do hope their behaviour doesn’t rub off on
their cousin.

Exercise 5 Answers on p. 314

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

Let’s on the subject of what forms you as a person: it’s not the big plans that you are
on doing but never get round to doing, but rather the little things that you do every day.
If you spend a little bit of time honing a skill, you will eventually master that skill. The process may be
long and arduous, on for years, but this is the price we pay for all forms of training.
Good habits can be nurtured, and they tend to off on others, them on
to achieve their own goals. Unfortunately, the same can be said for bad habits too.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — ON Phrasal Verbs 195

 Exercise 6 Answers on p. 314

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 Having on the topic of conditionals in the previous lesson, we will now go

through the topic in much greater detail.
2 Our neighbours’ child, Peter, is always so polite and friendly. He on well with my
son, and I have always hoped that Peter’s behaviour would off on Kevin.
3 Having been married for 20 years, he suddenly out on his wife and kids and was
never heard from again.
4 As a student at university, I mostly by on cheap junk food as I was far too lazy to
cook.
5 The company will on 50 extra staff members next year to cope with the rising
demand.
6 Old age has a habit of up on you; day by day the grey hairs build up, and the
wrinkles pile up, but you only notice them when it is far too late.
7 The shop keeps selling out of sugar, so we ought to up on some, next time.
8 Having been arguing about it for 15 minutes, we finally on the red-coloured car.

• When you’re angry, whom do you take it out on?

• Did any of your parents’ talents rub off on you?
• If you knew that a food shortage were imminent, what would you stock up on?
• Do you think the police regularly pin crimes on innocent people?
• Would you be able to get by on half of your current salary?

Vocabulary

get on (no object) 1) get older or later

get on (with sth) 2) progress or do
get on sth (opposite = get off sth) 3) enter (exit) public transport, mount bikes
4) have a good relationship with sb

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — ON Phrasal Verbs 196

get on with sb (compare fall out with and make up
with)

let on (no object) (compare let sb in on, let the cat reveal a secret
out of the bag = idiom)

go off on one about sth (compare keep on about rant angrily about sth
sth, go on about sth)

plough on (with sth) (compare carry on, go on, continue with boring task
march on, press on)

drag on (for some time) (drag sth out) something boring goes on too long.

draw on sth (very similar to call on sth) 1) use sth you have gradually gained, such as an
inner resource or skill (make use of, summon up)
2) breathe in smoke (from a cigarette)

wear on (no object) 1) time passes

wear on sb 2) when sth annoys or tires you, it wears on you

brush up on sth, bone up on sth, read up on revise a previous topic so that you know it inside
sth, swot up on sth out.

dawn on sb (it dawned on him that..) occur to sb

be well up on sth be well informed about sth

bear down on sb/sth (compare with close in on sb, move towards sb in a threatening way
home in on sb, zero in on sb, gain on sb)

take sb up on sth accept sb’s offer (opposite of turn sb down)

be onto sb know that sb is most likely doing sth naughty or

illegal

dwell on sth think continuously about a painful past memory

reflect on sth 1) think deeply about sth

2) give people a particular opinion about sth

bank on sth, bank on sb doing sth be certain of (sb doing sth)

cash in on sth, capitalize on sth (compare with profit from

‘rake it in’)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — ON Phrasal Verbs 197

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

When I bumped into him yesterday, it dawned on

me that he does dwell on the past too much.

Our sources tell us that we can bank on the share

price going up; if we plough our profits back into
the stock market, we’ll be raking it in.

She thought that nobody could see what she was

up to, but the store detectives were already onto
her.

Exercise 7 Answers on p. 314

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

As the night on, the party died down, the guests on coats and hats,
and the taxis pulled up outside to take them home. It on me that fewer guests than we

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — ON Phrasal Verbs 198

expected had turned up. I was on roughly 100 people coming, but there was only half
that number at the party. We had on food, drinks and entertainment, and unfortunately,
a lot of the food hadn’t even been touched. I couldn’t help feeling that a lot of people had let me down,
but I tried hard not to on this too much.

Exercise 8 Answers on p. 314

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 The weather forecast says it’s going to be sunny, but I wouldn’t on it.
2 They offered me a job, and my first instinct was to turn them down. However, having reflected on
the pros and cons, I changed my mind and them up on their offer.
3 The criminals had been lulled into a false sense of security, but in reality the police
onto them, and it was only a matter of time before they would be locked up.
4 Even though I enjoyed writing the novel, the process on for years. I had to
on my childhood experiences for inspiration.
5 I’m sorry, but I have no idea who you are discussing. I not well up on celebrity
gossip.
6 Even though the task was incredibly tedious, we had to on in order to meet the
deadline.
7 The suspect knew the whereabouts of the criminals, but the police were unable to wring this
information out of him. He refused to on.
8 Our company plans to in on this new opportunity, and we expect to be raking it in
this time next year.

• When did it dawn on you that Santa is not real?

• What kind of lucrative opportunities would you like to cash in on?
• How are you getting on with this phrasal verb course?
• Do you tend to dwell on the past, live in the moment, or pin your hopes on the future?
• When was the last time you went off on one about something? Why did you get carried away?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — ON Phrasal Verbs 199

OFF Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the preposition ‘off’ tend to signify one of the following: removal from a
surface (peel sth off, cut sth off, tear sth off, fall off sth, give sth off, get off sth, jump off sth, wipe sth
off), departure (walk off, run off, drive off, set off, head off, make off, dash off, shoot off), delay (put sth
off, hold sth off) successful accomplishment (pull sth off, carry sth off, bring sth off, go off as planned,
come off), sleep (doze off, nod off, drop off), creation of a barrier (cordon sth off, fence sth off, seal sb
off, close sth off), and slow disappearance (tail off, fall off, taper off, wear off, trail off, die off).

Vocabulary

lift off, take off (no object) rocket or plane leaves ground

kick off with sth start with sth

get off sth / get on sth 1) enter or exit public transport

2) leave surface

jump off sth (a bike, a fence, a train) jump from a surface

fall off sth fall from a surface

cut sth off (crack sth off, snap sth off, break sth 1) cut from a surface or body
off)
be/get cut off 2) get disconnected
cut sb off 3) stop providing (gas, electricity, funds)
4) isolate sb

peel sth off peel from a surface

give off sth emit a smell or gas

put sth off (compare with call sth off) 1) delay sth until later
put sb off 2) distract sb
put sb off sth 3) make sb stop liking sth

hold sth off 1) delay sth until later

2) stop sth from happening
hold sb off 3) stop sb from winning or approaching
hold off (no object) 4) rain or snow doesn’t come

fob sb off (with sth) (compare brush sb off and get rid of sb with a dodgy explanation or lame
shrug sb off ) excuse

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OFF Phrasal Verbs 200

walk off, run off, drive off, set off, head off, make leave
off, dash off, shoot off (compare sneak off and slip
off)

see sb off (see sb out) (opposite is see sb in) accompany sb to the door and say goodbye

wear off (no object) 1) feeling or emotion gradually disappears

2) effect of drug or alcohol slowly disappears

write sth off (e.g a debt) officially forgive sb’s debt

Visual Phrasal Verbs

A woman knocked at my door, asking if I’d mind

answering a few questions, so I fobbed her off
with a lame excuse.

Several hours later, the initial effects of the

alcohol have worn off, and the hangover kicks in.
Now, it’s best to gulp down lots of water to
rehydrate yourself.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OFF Phrasal Verbs 201

 We chanced upon (stumbled across, happened
upon, came across) an old mountain cottage that
was cut off from civilization.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 314

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

I had been waiting in the departure lounge for 3 hours; my flight had already been off
for one hour, and it looked as though it might be off. I was heading out to a small
village in Kamchatka, in which there was no gas or electricity. Having been working online for so many
years, I wanted to feel completely off from the outside world for a week or two. The
plane eventually off, 2 hours after it was scheduled to leave. My family had come to the
airport to me off, and it was a tearful goodbye. I felt lonely when I first got there, but
this feeling off after the first few weeks.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 314

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 When my car broke down on the motorway, the engine was off a strange smell.
2 I asked my boss whether I could knock off early on Friday, promising that I could make up for it by
working from home at the weekend, but he just me off with a lame excuse.
3 Though we were playing up to all of our strengths, our opponents were able to us
off for the first 80 minutes. But, in the last 10 minutes, we pulled ourselves together and managed to
score a goal.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OFF Phrasal Verbs 202

4 The neighbours have been belting out music all afternoon, and I have an exam tomorrow. The
racket has me off my revision. How am I supposed to swot up on spectroscopy
with all this noise?
5 If the rain off for a bit longer, we could dash down the shops and buy in some
food and drink for the party.
6 Even though I had been putting on sunblock every day, the skin on my shoulders started
off.
7 Let’s off the lesson with a test on phrasal verbs; I’m sure you will all sail through
it.
8 They off their bikes, ran over to the football pitch, and met up with all their
mates.

• Do you see off guests when they leave, or let them find their own way out?
• Would you like to live in a distant location, cut off from civilization?
• Have you ever had your gas or electricity cut off?
• When you have urgent tasks to complete, who puts you off so that they never get done?
• Have you ever fobbed your boss off with a lame excuse?

Vocabulary

bunk off sth miss sth (classes) on purpose

slack off (opposite of slave away) be lazy, not work hard enough

sneak off, slip off leave quietly

call sth off cancel sth

mug sb off, rip sb off (compare take sb in, diddle cheat sb out of money
sb out of, do sb out of, cheat sb out of)

break sth off (compare with break up with sb, and end a relationship
relationship breaks down)

doze off, nod off, drop off fall asleep

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OFF Phrasal Verbs 203

finish sth off with sth (wrap sth up with sth, wind finish sth completely (with sth)
sth up with sth)

brush sb or sth off, shrug sth off (compare with ignore sb’s comments, treat sb or sth as less
fob sb off) important than it actually is

ease off (no object) (compare ease up on sth) 1) when sth unpleasant (e.g rain) gets lighter
2) when you put in less effort or go more slowly

let off steam (compare give sth off – emit gas) relax

shake sb off 1) escape from sb who is coming after you (by

taking various different directions)
2) remove sth from surface by shaking, wiping,
shake sth off (compare wipe sth off, rub sth off, rubbing or brushing
brush sth off)

cordon sth off, fence sth off, seal sb off, close sth create a barrier around sth
off

back off, leave off, shove off stop interfering, allow sb to do sth themselves

tell sb off, give sb a ticking off berate, scold, reprimand, reproach

bump sb off (do sb in, do away with sb, take sb kill sb

out)

polish sth off eat sth up, gobble sth up

pay off (no object) 1) bear fruit (be successful)

pay sth off 2) completely pay sth (a debt)
pay sb off (same as buy sb off) 3) bribe sb

live off sth or sb (feed off sth, feed on sth, live on survive on sth or sb in a parasitic fashion
sth)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OFF Phrasal Verbs 204

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

It turned out that she had been cheating on him,

so he broke off the engagement.

Police sealed off the entire area when residents

found an old bomb. The bomb had been dropped
during the second world war, but it hadn’t gone
off.

He polished off all the food that had been laid on

by his company, for the Christmas party.

Exercise 3 Answers on p. 315

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

By the time the news got round that someone had been off on the high street in the
centre of town, the police had off the entire shopping arcade in order to collect

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OFF Phrasal Verbs 205

evidence and analyse the scene of the crime. Both ends of the street had been off with
yellow and black tape that warned ‘crime scene – do not cross!’ Out of sheer curiosity, I decided to walk
over to the police cordon and glance over at where the body of the victim still lay. I was immediately
ordered to off by a rotund policeman with an angry voice. I tried a different tactic,
asking him when the body had been found, but he just off my questions with a shrug of
the shoulders, telling me that I should read the newspaper to find out all the details.

Exercise 4 Answers on p. 315

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 His parents are worried about him; he has been off classes, and his friends say
that he is being picked on by a nasty group of kids in his class.
2 It’s been chucking it down all day, but if the rain starts to off, we’ll go ahead with
the picnic.
3 I wouldn’t go to that shop. Last time I went there, the shop assistant me off by
giving me a fiver instead of a tenner.
4 Having eaten up all his lunch, he started to feel sleepy and eventually off in his
chair.
5 This meeting has already dragged on for 3 hours. I might try to off without
anyone noticing.
6 Let’s off the lesson with an oral test to see who has really learnt all of these verbs
by heart.
7 She off the engagement last week when he owned up to having cheated on her.
8 One of my colleagues is prone to off, and if he carries on like this, the boss will
get rid of him.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OFF Phrasal Verbs 206

 • What do you do to let off steam?
• What time does the traffic start to ease off in your city?
• Do you ever doze off in the middle of the day?
• When someone puts you down with barbed comments, are you able to shrug them off?
• Are you the kind of worker that slacks off or one that knuckles down?
• Can you remember a time when someone mugged you off? What happened?

Vocabulary

trail off (trail away) when a voice gets quieter

bounce ideas off sb (sound sth/sb out, run sth test an idea by discussing it with sb
by/past sb)

fall off 1) become worse quality 2) decrease (sales)

3) fall from surface, e.g bike, wall, chair
fall off sth

level off (level out, flatten out) remain steady

tail off, trail off (especially sounds), fall off, taper decrease slowly, disappear slowly
off, peter out, fizzle out (no object)

pull sth off, carry sth off, bring sth off, (go off as carry sth out successfully, accomplish sth
planned, come off)

play sb off against sb make two people compete in order to gain some
advantage

get off work, knock off work finish work

tick sb off, cross sb off tick or cross names on a list

reel sth off say all the things on a list

sell sth off (hive sth off) sell quickly and at low price because you need
money

work sth off (compare burn sth off) reduce sth (e.g a debt, your weight) by working

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OFF Phrasal Verbs 207

go off sth (compare put sb off sth) 1) stop liking
2) stop working (the light went off)
fireworks/bombs/alarms go off 3) be activated (firework, alarm, bomb)

set sth off, let sth off (go off - intransitive) activate fireworks, bombs, alarms

sleep sth off sleep in order to sober up (sleep the alcohol off)

go off on one about sth rant about sth

die off when a group dies gradually, one by one

branch off split into 2 directions (e.g a road branches off)

let sb off give sb no punishment or a very lenient

punishment

take sb off (a take-off) do an impression of sb, mimic sb

Visual Phrasal Verbs

Some kids were setting off fireworks last night.

Car alarms were going off too, as some of the
fireworks hit the cars.

By the time he was a teenager, he had learnt how

to play his father off against his mother, and the
result was both of them fussing over him all the
time.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OFF Phrasal Verbs 208

 She wrapped up by reeling off the pros and cons
of her approach. I think her presentation went off
exactly as she had planned, and it certainly went
down well with the audience.

Exercise 5 Answers on p. 315

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

Bonfire night is my favourite festival, and I fully intend to ask over lots of friends and
off lots of fireworks. People don’t usually off work until 5, so we’ll
off at 6 o clock. I’ll put together a ‘Guy’ with the kids as that’s all part of the fun. We’ll grab some worn-
out jeans and an old shirt, stuff them with newspaper, and stick a mask on top. Early evening on the fifth
of November, we start by setting fire to the Guy on a large bonfire, and then we move on to
off the fireworks. Some of the cheaper ones fizzle out and are rather unimpressive, so I
always invite my mate Steve, who always seems to lay his hands on the most impressive rockets in town,
which always off with bang. The number of people at the party usually thins out at
about 10 pm, and I reckon I’ll be off the last of them around 11.

Exercise 6 Answers on p. 315

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 The price of aluminium off last month, but the majority of analysts expect the
price to shoot up as soon as the new legislation is rolled out.
2 One of the oldest tactics to dominate large groups is divide and rule: by splitting the opposition into
two groups, it’s possible to one side off against the other.
3 We were ideas off each other at the meeting, but nothing came of it. We still
haven’t come up with a good plan.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OFF Phrasal Verbs 209

4 The intruder tripped over the wire, and the alarm immediately off. The noise must
have him off, as nothing seems to have been stolen.
5 He was putting away a phenomenal amount of beer and wine last night, so he’s probably still
it off.
6 As he wolfed down the last mouthful of BigMac, his personal trainer kindly reminded him how
many calories were already building up in his body. He suggested that he it all off
in the gym later on.
7 The road off in two directions: to the north and to the north-east. We mulled over
which direction was best, and eventually went for the most northerly route.
8 She was nattering away on the telephone, but soon her voice off as she noticed
that a tall dark handsome man had just walked through the door.

• What time do you knock off work?

• What time does your alarm go off in the morning?
• Do you like setting off fireworks at New Year and other festivals?
• Would you be able to reel off the names of ten English cities?
• How was your last holiday? Did it go off as planned?

OVER Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the preposition ‘over’ tend to signify one of the following: falling (fall over,
slip over, trip over, knock over), rotation (turn over, flip over, roll over), deliberation (think sth over, muse
sth over, mull sth over, churn sth over, turn sth over), reading (read over, look over, go over, pore over),
and approach (walk/run/drive/dash/shoot over to sw).

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OVER Phrasal Verbs 210

 Vocabulary

slip over (usually no object) fall over due to a slippery surface

fall over (usually no object) fall to the ground

knock sth over (compare knock sth off the table) 1) knock sth/sb that is standing, so that sb/sth falls
knock sb over over
2) hit sb/sth in a car, and make them fall over

bend over, lean over, bend forwards, lean forwards bend upper body
(often without object)

trip over sth (compare trip sb up) fall over by hitting your foot against sth

run sb over (knock sb down) injure sb by hitting them in your car

roll over rotate body while lying down

turn sth over (flip sth over) 1) rotate in horizontal plane

turn over sth 2) relinquish a weapon, hand it in, give it up
3) produce or manufacture (similar to turn out)
4) generate revenue via sales
5) think over (mull over, muse over, churn over)
6) deliver sb to authorities

turn sb over to (the police)

move over, (move up, budge up, squash up, shove move a bit in one direction
up, shove over)

jump over sth jump from one side to another

boil over, spill over (often metaphorical) 1) liquid boils over the rim of saucepan while
cooking.
boil over into sth 2) violence/anger/tension boils over (into a
protest)

stop over stay in one airport/station for the night in the

middle of a journey

stay over, sleep over (at sb’s house) (a sleepover = stay for one night (at a friend’s place)
noun)

hand sth over to sb, pass sth over give (by hand)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OVER Phrasal Verbs 211

read over sth, look over sth, go over sth, pore over examine a text or document, pore over means
sth (compare go through, look through, leaf examine carefully
through, thumb through)

glance over sth look quickly over sth

think sth over (muse sth over, mull sth over, churn ponder sth, often in order to make a decision
sth over, turn sth over)

take over sth gain control of sth

Visual Phrasal Verbs

Believing that someone might be sneaking up on

her, she glanced over her shoulder.

She bent over to tie her laces up, thinking that she
might trip over them.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OVER Phrasal Verbs 212

 When her friends sleep over, they all stay up late,
fiddling around with their mobile phones.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 315

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

Looking through the newspaper, I quickly came across 3 different articles that bore on the protests that
were over in the city centre. Protestors had smashed up several government buildings,
and a police car had even been over, fortunately with no one inside, by the angry
crowds. More than 50 people had been hospitalized, and one man had even been over
by a police van. The police seem to be losing their grip on the situation, and the author of the article
warned that certain areas of the city had been over by protestors.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 315

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 It is a horrible dilemma for anyone to contemplate, and I have been it over for
many weeks.
2 My daughter will be over at her mates’ house tonight, and my son is being looked
after by his nan, so I’m asking a few friends over for a beer.
3 Can you over, please? You are taking up all the space on this seat.
4 I over on the icy pavement, breaking my leg in two places.
5 Running back home after class, I over a small rock and landed flat on my face.
6 The company over more than a billion dollars every quarter.
7 I’m really sorry for over the vase. How can I make it up to you?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OVER Phrasal Verbs 213

8 I handed over my driving license to the police officer, and he slowly over it,
making sure that all the details were correct.

• Have you ever seen someone knocked over by a car? Have you ever been in an accident when the
car has turned over?
• Do you often read over your English notes in order to brush up on old topics?
Are you mulling over any dilemmas at the moment?
• Are you a clumsy person? Do you often knock things over?

Vocabulary

go over to sb, run over to sb, walk over to sb (go approach sb or sth
up to, run up to, walk up to) and many others

win out over sb (opposite of lose out to sb) 1) beat opponent

2) when one emotion takes over another emotion,
we say it wins out over the other emotion

get over sth, be over sth (compare pull through) 1) recover from an illness
get over sb, be over sb
2) recover from a break-up

ask sb over invite sb round

smooth sth over with sb (compare with iron sth make a problem less serious by discussing it with
out) the people involved

talk over sb (compare with butt in, cut in) 1) speak loudly, and when someone else is already
talk sth over with sb (compare sound sb out, run speaking (interrupt)
sth by/past sb) 2) discuss sth with sb to get their advice or
opinion

turn sb over to sb (compare turn sb in, inform on betray sb to sb (the authorities, the police)
sb, rat on sb, snitch on sb, grass sb up)

fuss over sb (similar to clean up after sb, pick up spoil sb by helping them too much
after sb, run around after sb)

do sb over kill sb

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OVER Phrasal Verbs 214

win sb over (similar to bring sb round, come persuade sb
round, talk sb into doing sth)

gloss over sth (play sth down, talk sth down, pretend sth is less important than it actually is
make light of sth, downplay) (opposite of play sth
up)

pop over (often without object) pop by, drop by, briefly visit
drop round, call in on sb

go back over, go back through, run back through examine briefly once again

cloud over 1) become overcast

2) when faces and eyes cloud over, they suddenly
take on a negative appearance

come over sb (I don’t know what came over me. when an emotion or feeling takes over and you get
Compare with ‘get carried away’) carried away.

start over (no object) start again from scratch

Visual Phrasal Verbs

Yesterday, while the kids were messing around,

my anger won out over my self-control; my face
clouded over; and I lost my temper. I don’t know
what came over me.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OVER Phrasal Verbs 215

 Politicians have a habit of glossing over the
details, skirting around the truth, and,
occasionally, making up outrageous lies.

She has been devastated since her husband

walked out on her. I don’t think she’ll ever get
over him.

Exercise 3 Answers on p. 316

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

Parents who over their kids tend to do them a lot more harm than good. While it is
understandable that mums and dads would want to help their offspring, it’s clear that too much help can
often leave the child feeling helplessly dependent on others. Therefore, it’s important that parents bear in
mind that they are bringing up future adults rather than perpetual toddlers. We must rein in our instincts to
help, allowing our rationality to out over our emotions. If the child refuses to cooperate,
he can easily be over with rewards and encouragement. So, the next time you find
yourself running around after your kids, over these words.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OVER Phrasal Verbs 216

 Exercise 4 Answers on p. 316

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 I’m so sorry for shouting at you like that. I really don’t know what over me.
2 When I brought up the money that he owed me, his face over and he barely said
another word. He doesn’t like paying people back.
3 I’m afraid he has a nasty habit of over me whenever I start to speak.
4 Politicians have a habit of over the awkward details and skirting around the truth.
5 His own mother him over to the police when she realised that he had
over his neighbour and buried his body under the patio.
6 He fell out with his best friend, Martin; I offered to speak to Martin in the hope of
things over between them.
7 Manchester United looked as though they were struggling in the first half, but eventually they
out over their opponents.
8 back over these phrasal verbs as often as possible, and I am sure they will start to
sink in.

• Does your anger often win out over your self-control?

• Do you think it will cloud over for most of today, or will the sun come out?
• Did your parents fuss over you as a child?
• Which media outlets have a habit of glossing over the details?
• Do you like to talk dilemmas over with your partner, or do you prefer to sort them out on your
own?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OVER Phrasal Verbs 217

AROUND and ABOUT Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the prepositions ‘around’ and ‘about’ tend to signify one of the following:
laziness (laze around, lie around), aimlessness (faff around, mess around, hang around), and multiple
directions (ask around, shop around, walk around, look around). Around and about can be used
interchangeably in most of the verbs below. I have noted the ones which sound unnatural to my ears.
Also, please remember that we use ‘round’ instead of ‘around’ in many of the phrasal verbs below.

Vocabulary

ask around 1) ask many people in order to find the best

answer
ask about sth 2) ask specifically about sth

shop around (NOT about) go to many shops to find best price

snoop around sw look around a place secretly

sleep around (NOT about) sleep with many people, lead a promiscuous
lifestyle

boss sb around, push sb around constantly give sb orders

fiddle around with sth, mess around (with sth) 1) touch or fidget with sth nervously
(compare tamper with sth) 2) make small changes to sth to improve it

sit around, lie around, laze around sit or lie aimlessly, be lazy

hang around sw, (stand around sw, stick around 1) spend time in a place aimlessly (sw)
sw, wait around sw)
hang around, (similar to faff around) 2) act or move slowly (when you need to move
faster)
hang/knock around with sb 3) spend time with sb

mess around, muck around, (no object = play 1) behave in a silly way (misbehave)
around, doss around, clown around)
mess sb around, muck sb around 2) cause sb problems by acting indecisively or
unfairly.

faff around spend time doing little things instead of doing sth
important (procrastinate)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AROUND and ABOUT Phrasal Verbs 218
walk around sw, go around sw, run around sw, 1) walk to different places (e.g as a tourist)
drive around sw
walk around sth, go around sth, run around sth, 2) go around sth to avoid hitting it
drive around sth

go around doing sth (and about) 1) spend time behaving badly so that others are
annoyed
go around (no object) 2) to be enough for everyone in the group

go about sth (+ gerund compare set about + carry on or start dealing with a problem
gerund)

get around (no object) 1) be able to go to different places

2) go from place to place
get around sth (NOT about) (compare ‘a work- 3) find a way of avoiding sth (a problem)
around)
get around sb (NOT about) (compare twist/wrap 4) persuade sb to do sth, especially by being nice
sb round your little finger, bring sb round, come
round)

skirt around sth avoid talking about sth unpleasant (e.g truth)

look around sth (NOT about) look in many places

potter around/about sth (wander around) move around aimlessly without hurrying

a work-around a way to deal with an unexpected problem

run around after sb, (clean up after sb, pick up do a lot of things for sb else (spoil sb)
after sb, fuss over sb)

turn (sth) around, turn around (no object), spin 1) rotate in the vertical plane (compare with turn
(sth) round over)
turn sth round 2) take sth (e.g a business) that is failing and make
it successful

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AROUND and ABOUT Phrasal Verbs 219
 Visual Phrasal Verbs

A new boss took over last year, and she has been
fantastic. We thought that the company might
close down, but she has turned everything around.

He spends most of his working day faffing

around on Facebook. I have no idea why the
company took him on.

We have enough pizza to go round, so please

share it out. Make sure nobody misses out on a
slice!

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 316

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

As a teenager, I wasted many hours around the arcade machines on the seafront. I
remember saving up my pocket money and frittering it away in a matter of hours. As soon as I had run out

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AROUND and ABOUT Phrasal Verbs 220
of money, I’d around for coins that had been missed and were still
around in the machines. Sometimes my friends and I would around pushing and
shaking the coin-tipping machines to try to make some of the money drop out. If any of the staff ever
caught us around with the machines, we would usually be thrown out.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 316

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 I always found it particularly easy to around my father; as long as I worked hard

as a student, he would let me get away with anything.
2 The minister did his utmost to gloss over the hideous facts and around the ugly
truth.
3 When they offered me a job, I realised that this was an opportunity to my life
around.
4 The defendant was about his usual business on the day in question, and there is
nothing even remotely suspicious concerning his movements.
5 My mum always does her best to around before she buys anything, and she
always gets good discounts.
6 If we don’t set off in 10 minutes, we are going to miss the flight, so stop around
and pack your suitcases.
7 The journalist decided to around, and the first thing he did was sift through the
rubbish.
8 He’s always around his little sister, and if he has a bad day, he takes it out on her.
It’s high time his parents came down on his behaviour, but instead they just fuss over him.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AROUND and ABOUT Phrasal Verbs 221
 • If I came to your house, what kind of things would I find lying around?
• Does anyone boss you around at work?
• Where do the kids hang around in your town? Where did you used to hang around?
• Do you usually buy something when you see it, or prefer to shop around first?
• Do you tend to faff around before you head out?
• Did you used to mess/muck around in class? How?

THROUGH Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the preposition ‘through’ tend to signify one of the following: success in spite
of difficulty (pull through sth, come through sth, get through sth, go through sth, see sth through), briefly
examine (look through sth, flick through sth, thumb through sth), and crossing through an area with
difficulty (plough through sw, wade through sw, muddle through sth).

Vocabulary

go through sth, get through sh, run through sth, 1) briefly examine sth (compare with pore over
look through sth, leaf through sth, flip through sth, sth = carefully examine)
skim through sth, flick through sth, thumb through 2) pass through sth (a stage in contest) (only go
sth and get through)

take sb through sth, lead sb through sth 1) (briefly) explain the way sth works
2) lead sb through an area

muddle through sth manage to do sth even though you are no expert

think sth through (think over, mull over, muse carefully consider sth
over)

come through sth, pull through sth, live through succeed in a difficult situation
sth, put sb through sth, get through sth, go through
sth

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — THROUGH Phrasal Verbs 222

pull through (no object) survive in spite of serious injury

plough through sth 1) go through an area that is difficult to cross

(mud, snow, crowded streets)
2) go through a book, in spite of difficulty

wade through sth 1) walk through a watery area (e.g river)

2) spend a long time going through a difficult task
(especially reading)

see sth through 1) continue with sth (a task) until it’s complete
2) understand the truth about sb or sth, not to be
see through sth/sb deceived
3) to last sb until a certain time
see sb through sth (or until)

sleep through sth manage to stay asleep in spite of lots of noise

sift through sth, rummage through sth, rifle carefully examine the contents of sth (e.g a bag)
through sth, go through sth (compare turn sth
over)

comb through sth (go over, read over, pore over) carefully examine a book or document

sail through sth, breeze through sth (opposite of easily pass an exam
scrape through sth = only just pass an exam)

fall through (no object) (opposite of a plan coming when plans fail, they fall through
off)

run through sth use up sth (money or supplies) quickly

shine through (no object) When a quality, skill or talent becomes evident, it
shines through.

break through sth (the clouds) 1) when sun comes out, it might break through the
clouds
2) force yourself onto the other side of sth (e.g a
barrier)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — THROUGH Phrasal Verbs 223

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

At first, I thought he was going to bottle out of

diving off the rocks, but in the end, his courage
shone through.

I planned on whisking my wife away on a

romantic cruise; however, these plans fell through
when I failed to talk the boss into giving me the
time off.

Initially, I couldn’t fathom out how to complete

the task. But, after slogging away for a few hours,
I managed to muddle my way through it.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 316

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

through my magazine, I stumbled upon a tragic story about a group of young students
that had got lost in the jungle; their route had them through a dangerous area that was

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — THROUGH Phrasal Verbs 224

famous for armed gangs, dangerous animals, and treacherous mountains. Firstly, they
through a river that was crawling with snakes and piranhas. One person was bitten by an adder, so the
group decided to put up their tents and light up a fire, hoping that someone would see their smoke and
come to rescue them. They only had enough food supplies to them through the week, so
their prospects were bleak. By the time they had through all the food supplies, two
members of the group decided to through the jungle in a last ditch attempt to find
civilization. Their courage and determination paid off; having been on foot for 2 weeks, living on the
berries and fruit that the jungle provided, they finally ran into a farmer that fed them and drove them back
to a nearby town. While these two members survived, none of their friends managed to
through this ordeal.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 316

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 Please doctor, level with me. Do you think he’ll through, or should I prepare
myself for the worst?
2 I’ve been through the junk in the garage, but I still can’t find my angle grinder. I
think I might have put it away in the shed, so I’ll go and check there.
3 It is when we are through the most difficult moments in our life that our courage
through.
4 The rain was pelting down and thunder was booming out, but I right through the
storm.
5 He was thinking of dropping out of university, but it’s his final year. I convinced him that it would
be wiser to the rest of his course through.
6 We had already booked up the hotel and the flight, but unfortunately the embassy turned down our
visa applications, so our plans through at the last minute.
7 We are receiving reports that a lorry has through pedestrians and vehicles in the
centre of the city, and police are treating the incident as a terrorist attack.
8 Hopefully, I’ll be able to my way through the next exercise, even though I am bad
at algebra. I’ll try to come at each problem in a methodical way.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — THROUGH Phrasal Verbs 225

 • Did you sail through your school exams or scrape through them?
• Do you tend to sleep through your alarm clock?
• Tell me some of the most frightening or stressful experiences that you've gone through.
• When you are in a stressful situation, which one of your positive qualities shines through?
• Can you take me through some of the daily duties of your work?
• Have you ever waded through something? Under what circumstances?
• When was the last time you had to rummage through your rubbish? And why?

WITH Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the preposition ‘with’ tend to signify one of the following: toleration (put up
with sth, live with sth), moving or touching sth (play with sth, fiddle with sth, tamper with sth, play
around with sth), social relations (get on with sb, make out with sb, hook up with sb, fall out with sb), and
abundance (be crawling with sth, be teeming with sth, be swarming with sth, be riddled with sth)

Vocabulary

side with sb (opp. = side against sb) take sb’s side, support sb

go along with sth 1) accompany

(compare with play along with = even more 2) assume for argument’s sake that a dubious idea
dubious that idea is true) is actually true
3) genuinely support an idea

take sth up with sb complain (to sb) about sth

make do with sth (settle for sth) use what is available, even though it is not ideal

live with sth 1) tolerate sth unpleasant that you can’t change
2) If sth lives with you, you keep remembering it
live with sb (usually a bad deed)
3) have respect for oneself (usually after a bad
live with oneself deed)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — WITH Phrasal Verbs 226

put up with sth tolerate, bear

cope with sth, deal with sth manage with sth

keep up with sth / sb 1) remain at same speed or level of progress

2) (not) understand sb
(not) keep up with sb 3) continue to learn and stay well informed
keep up with sth (e.g current affairs) (keep abreast
of sth)

have it out with sb (similar to have a go at sb, go talk to sb about a problem that has made you
on at sb) angry

get on/along with sb have a good relationship with sb

get on with sth start or continue doing sth (work)

go with sth match sth, suit sth

get off with sb (UK), make out with sb (US) passionately kiss

can/could do with sth fancy, want sth

come up with sth (ideas, plans, suggestions) have an idea

Visual Phrasal Verbs

Sipping at my coffee, I like to keep up with

what’s going on in the world

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — WITH Phrasal Verbs 227

 Alex would never forget how badly he had treated
his mother; the sin would live with him for the
rest of his life.

I’ve been putting the ironing off for hours. Rather

than just faff around, I ought to get on with it.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 317

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

Last year, my wife up with the idea of taking the kids on their first skiing trip. We
booked up our trip for February, sorting out our accommodation near one of the ski lifts. The room turned
out to be large and clean, which was great. However, the deafening noise of the roadworks was very
difficult to up with. Also, there were no duvets on the beds, so we had to
do with the blankets, which were rather thin and cold. Lastly, the ski school had kids
that already knew how to ski, but our kids were complete beginners, so they found it hard to
up with the rest of the group. In spite of all these difficulties, we did have a great time.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 317

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 Could anyone with a cup of tea? I can put the kettle on.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — WITH Phrasal Verbs 228

2 I don’t know how these warmongers can with themselves when they have so
much innocent blood on their hands.
3 If you are in any way dissatisfied with our service, please this up with a member
of staff and they will carefully deal with your complaint.
4 Wow, you look really spruced up, and your jacket well with your shoes.
5 I was disgusted at how long it took the waiter to bring out the second course, so I decided to
it out with the manager.
6 There wasn’t an extra bed for the kids in the room, so they had to do with the
sofa.
7 I with the government rather than with the rebels; it seems to me that the rebel
stands for violence and crime, while the government stands for law and order.
8 I couldn’t up with what he was saying as the noise of the traffic kept on drowning
him out.

Vocabulary

hook up with sb 1) meet (socially or at work)

hook sb up with sb 2) arrange for sb to meet sb, (business or romance)

get it over with (no object!) get sth unpleasant finished

get away with sth (compare let sb off with) escape unpunished

make off with sth (run away with sth) escape with

fall out with sb / make up with sb (opposites) break off a friendly relationship, reaffirm a
friendly relationship

part with sth (live without, go without, do live without sth (often sth very precious)
without)

finish with sb (break/split up with sb) 1) dump sb, end relationship

finish with sth 2) stop using or needing sth

do away with sb 1) kill sb

do away with sth 2) abolish sth (e.g a law)

can/could do with sth fancy, want sth

come up with sth (ideas, plans, suggestions) have an idea

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — WITH Phrasal Verbs 229

come out with sth (weird remarks, rude say sth sudden, unexpected or strange
comments, hilarious jokes)

come away with sth (an impression) be left with sth (e.g an impression or feeling)

square sth with sb 1) get permission to do sth from sb

square sth with sth 2) If one opinion or explanation squares with
another, they both seem reasonable or logical

brim with sth be full of sth (usually enthusiasm, excitement)

be crawling with sth, be teeming with sth, packed be full of (often in an unpleasant way)
with sth, be swarming with sth, be riddled with
sth (disease, holes), (compare cluttered up with
sth)

tamper with sth fiddle with sth (with evil intentions)

toy with sth, (play with sth, fiddle with sth, fiddle 1) keep moving or touching sth (often nervously)
around with sth, play around with sth, mess
around with sth) 2) consider an idea but not too seriously
toy with sth (an idea) 3) pretend to love sb when actually you don’t
toy with sb (similar to lead sb on)

Visual Phrasal Verbs

It wasn’t until I peered at the combination lock

that I noticed someone had been tampering with
my luggage.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — WITH Phrasal Verbs 230

 Hopefully, I’ll be able to pick you up in my dad’s
new car. I just need to square it with him first.

We all doubled over in stitches; he comes out

with the funniest comments.

Exercise 3 Answers on p. 317

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

I had been with the idea of whisking my girlfriend away on a romantic weekend for
ages. She loves beach holidays, so I set some money aside for an expensive trip to the Bahamas. I
couldn’t possibly with my new laptop, so I decided to bring that along with me. We
were standing at the check-in desk, being asked if anyone might have with our luggage,
when it dawned on me that I hadn’t put the laptop into the suitcase. This was really irritating as I wouldn’t
be able to up with colleagues and get some work done in my free time. As a result, I
was miserable throughout the entire trip, and my girlfriend had decided to with me by
the end of it.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — WITH Phrasal Verbs 231

 Exercise 4 Answers on p. 317

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 He has been incredibly cruel to her; I don’t know how he with himself. He has
been with her feelings all along.
2 Some people say we should away with capital punishment, and I agree. A death
sentence allows the criminal to the punishment over with sooner rather than later.
A life sentence is much harder to live with.
3 Excuse me, have you with that magazine? You have? Thanks. I’d like to thumb
through it.
4 This temperature is unbearable. I’m breaking out in a sweat. I could really with a
cold beer.
5 If your boss doesn’t respond to your complaints, you’ll just have to it out with
him at the end of the day.
6 He had a habit of gibbering incoherently, so it was difficult to up with him.
7 That class is absolutely out of control. I don’t know how you up with them; they
come out with such rude remarks.
8 I didn’t have any tent or sleeping bag, so I made with a small bush and a bed of
leaves.

• Which of your possessions would be impossible to part with?

• What could you do with, right now?
• Do you find it difficult to put up with the cold weather?
• Which laws would you like to do away with?
• If your salary went down by 10%, would you have it out with the boss?
• Which party do you side with in the upcoming election?
• Would you be able to live with yourself if you were doing a downright immoral though highly
paid job?
• Could you make do with a tent if there were no other accommodation for the next month?
• Who do you get on with most in your family?
• What's the best idea you have ever come up with?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — WITH Phrasal Verbs 232

FOR Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the preposition ‘for’ tend to signify one of the following: wrongly believing or
accepting sth (take sb for, pass for sb, settle for sth), supporting sb or sth (stand up for sb, stand for sth,
root for sb), and acting in place of sb (cover for sb, stand in for sb, fill in for sb).

Vocabulary

stick up for sb / stand up for sb defend sb or sth that is being criticised / attacked

stand for sth 1) If a letter or symbol stands for sth, then that is
what it represents
stand for sth (put up with sth) 2) tolerate or accept
3) support sth (an idea)

call for sth 1) publicly demand sth

call for sth 2) make sth necessary (demand sth)
call for sb, knock for sb 3) knock on sb’s door

cry out for sth make sh absolutely necessary or vital

pass for sb/sth (compare pass oneself off as sb) be (wrongly) accepted as some type of person or
thing

take sb for sth, mistake sb for sth, play sb for sth (wrongly) believe sb to be a certain type of person
or thing

settle for sth (make do with sth) accept sb or sth even though it’s not ideal

feel for sb feel sympathy for sb

fall for sth (a trick, a lie) compare be taken in be deceived by a trick or a lie.

make for sw run towards sw

stand in for sb, fill in for sb, cover for sb do sb’s job as they are unable to

be in for sth (compare come in for sth) can expect or anticipate sth (negative)

vote for sb elect sb

root for sb (cheer for sb) support sb

be for sth/sb (opp. be against sth/sb) be in favour of sb

account for sth explain

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — FOR Phrasal Verbs 233

vouch for sb / s,t guarantee the reliability of sb or quality of sth

speak for sb (speak out for sb) speak on behalf of sb (publicly speak on behalf of
sb)

make up for sth compensate for sth bad

send out for sth order a delivery (e.g of take away food)

sign up for sth register for sth

fish for sth (e.g compliments) indirectly try to receive sth

Visual Phrasal Verbs

They got dressed up for the party. I think they

will definitely pass for a group of zombies.

Please, put us down for the penthouse apartment,

but we’ll settle for something smaller if the
penthouse is unavailable.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — FOR Phrasal Verbs 234

 The Prime Minister’s time in office had been a
complete disaster. The whole of Westminster was
crying out for a change in leadership.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 317

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

I wanted to find a new job, but I didn’t want to pack in my job at the restaurant without having something
else lined up. So, I asked a colleague to in for me while I went to an interview at a
different restaurant. I had also asked the same colleague to for me as a reference on my
application form. My boss had me over for promotion more than once, so it was high
time that I up for myself. He was me for a fool, but I knew I was
worth more to him than he was to me. If you allow people like that to push you around, you’ll
in for more work and less money.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 317

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 I always for my home team whenever I watch the FA Cup. If my team haven’t got
through the qualifying stages, I cheer for West Ham.
2 You’ll in for some bad marks if you don’t buckle down and read up on all those
topics that will come up in the exam.
3 I think I for all my colleagues when I say that you are the best boss we have ever
had.
4 There were no public toilets around, so I had to for a bush that was situated where
the road branched off in 2 directions.
5 It’s well-known that the initials CIA for Central Intelligence Agency.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — FOR Phrasal Verbs 235

6 I didn’t want to steal the loaf of bread, but desperate times for desperate
measures.
7 The building in the run-down part of town was out for refurbishment.
8 If you keep working on your accent, you might even be able to for an
Englishman.
9 I was sent an email supposedly from PayPal, but it was actually a phishing scam. Fortunately, I
didn’t for it.
10 The suspect can’t for his whereabouts on the night of the murder. I think he is
keeping vital information from us.

• Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?

• Have you ever stood in for (filled in for) any of your colleagues?
• Do you think you'll be in for a pay rise next year?
• Who did you vote for in the last election?
• If someone put you down in public, would you stand for it?
• Who could and would vouch for your good character?
• What actions do you think the current conflict in the Middle East calls for?
• I forgot a few phrasal verbs in this lesson. How can I make up for my mistake?

BACK Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the preposition ‘back’ tend to signify one of the following: delaying or
hindering progress (hold sb back, set sb back), returning (call sb back, go back, take sth back, bring sth
back, double back) and withdrawing (step back, draw back, pull back, back out of sw)

Vocabulary

call sb back return a call

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — BACK Phrasal Verbs 236

take sth back 1) retract
(bring sth back) 2) return
take sb back, bring sb back 3) remind (of distant past)

give sth back (hand sth back) return sth to sb

bring sth back 1) return

2) re-enact a law (compare with bring sth in)
3) remind
bring sb back (stir up, conjure up, summon up, 4) revive
call up)

set sth back (often used as noun ‘a setback’) 1) delay, hinder

set sb back
2) cost

hold sth back 1) delay, hinder sb

hold sb back 2) stop, contain, restrain sb
hold sth back 3) restrain sth (tears, feelings, emotions)

go back on sth break a promise

talk back, answer back (no object) cheekily reply

step back, stand back, pull back, draw back, get withdraw
back (no object)

think back (to sth) think about the past (recall)

look back (on sth) 1) look behind you

2) reminisce

double back go back in the same direction

bounce back (no object) recover

claw sth back to get back money you have already spent

cut back (on sth) reduce

get back to sw, go back to sw return

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — BACK Phrasal Verbs 237

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

The old photos took me back to my childhood.

Looking back on it, I see that this was a time
when I needed very little to be happy.

I doubled back to the park because I couldn’t find

my keys; I must have dropped them on the way.

I have splashed out a lot on the business this year,

so I hope I’ll be able to claw some back in tax
relief.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 318

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

Last night, I had the strangest dream, which me back to my childhood. I dreamt that my
childhood cat, Tammy, was still alive, but she was very sick. I took her to the vet, and, having examined

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — BACK Phrasal Verbs 238

Tammy, he told me that she would never back and that she would need to be put down.
He offered to do this with a lethal injection, but then he pointed out that this would me
back £500. I couldn’t afford to fork out such a large amount of money, so I was relieved when the vet said
that I could put the cat out of its misery myself. He advised me to simply hit the cat with a large rock,
explaining that this would kill it instantly; however, when I tried to do this, the cat looked in so much
agony that I burst into tears, unable to back my sorrow. I tried hitting it over and over
again, in order to put an end to its suffering, but each and every blow made the cat look more helpless and
made me feel more guilty. When I finally woke up, I had broken out in a sweat and could feel nothing but
remorse. back, I think my feelings for the cat represented powerful contradictory
emotions.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 318

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 The police had cordoned off the whole area, instructing all bystanders to back.
2 Self-employed people try to back some of the money they have spent on their
business by taking their expenses away from their profits.
3 On hearing the joke, I couldn’t back my laughter, even though I knew that it
would offend someone.
4 He stubbornly refused to it back, and it was only after 3 hours of trying to win
him over that he eventually backed down.
5 When I back on my childhood, I realise that I was very lucky to have been
brought up by my uncle and aunt.
6 The project suffered from a number of backs. In the end, the investors backed out
of the deal, afraid that they would lose even more money.
7 When I tried to fish my wallet out of my pocket, I couldn’t find it, so I back to
see if I had dropped it on the way to work.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — BACK Phrasal Verbs 239

 • What kinds of things bring back memories of your childhood?
• When was the last time you had to double back? Why?
• How much did your last purchase set you back?
• When was the last time that you had to take back your words? Why?
• How long does it take you to bounce back after a bout of flu?

TO Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the preposition ‘to’ tend to signify one of the following: bad behaviour (get up
to sth, be up to sth, put sb up to sth), approach (come / run / go / walk / drive / cuddle / cosy up to sth OR
over to sth), cause (come down to sth, boil down to sth, put sth down to sth), and regaining consciousness
(bring sb to, come to). The ‘up to’ group tends to signify being good or strong enough (be/feel up to sth,
live up to sth, face up to sth, come up to sth).

Vocabulary

get up to sth, be up to sth 1) behave badly

2) do (What have you been up to?)

put sb up to sth provoke sb to do sth naughty

look up to sb 1) admire sb
look up to sth 2) look upwards

look forward to sth be excited about sth (in future)

make it up to sb for sth (compare make up for sth) compensate sb for sth (a kind of wrongdoing)

put it to sb that (formal) 1) explain to sb that sth may be the case

put sth to sb 2) submit sth to sb for consideration

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — TO Phrasal Verbs 240

see to sth/sb (compare see about sth) 1) deal with or take responsibility for sb or sth
2) get sth dealt with (sort sth out)
get sth seen to 3) make sure sth is done in a particular way
see to it that...

stick to sth, keep to sth (an arrangement, the fulfil your obligation or promise
schedule, a promise)

take to sth 1) master a new skill

2) begin a new hobby
take to sb (warm to sb, opp.= go off sb) 3) start liking sb quickly

turn to sb (compare confide in sb) 1) consult for advice

turn to sth 2) turn (head, car) in the direction of
3) turn into sth (informal)

cling to sth 1) hold sth tightly

cling to the hope that (pin your hopes on sth) 2) refuse to stop hoping or believing in sth

Visual Phrasal Verbs

My cousin took to windsurfing very quickly. I’m

clinging to the hope that I will find it just as easy
to master.

I put it to you, your honour, that the defendant is

unable to account for his whereabouts on the
night in question because he was at the scene of
the crime, murdering the innocent victim.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — TO Phrasal Verbs 241

 I will see to it that they both do their homework
carefully and that they both stick to the classroom
rules.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 318

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

Having been on holiday for 2 weeks, I came back home to discover that my teenage kids had been
up to all sorts of mischief in my absence. Firstly, I saw that they hadn’t
to our agreement of never setting foot in my home office; there were signs that
someone had been rifling through my stuff. I showed them the evidence that bore out my theory of an
intruder, and I it to them that the intruder must have been a resident of the house. Jack
up to having rummaged through my stuff, but he claimed John had
him up to it. John denied all knowledge of the affair, but I’m sure he was also involved, and I will
to it that neither of them gets away with it.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 318

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 When I come up against insurmountable difficulties, I to my auntie for advice.

2 I’ve always up to my older brother; he has a talent for bringing out the best in all
those around him.
3 You told me that you caught up with him on the High Street yesterday. What has he
up to? I haven’t seen him for ages.
4 I’m forward to travelling to Japan for the winter period.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — TO Phrasal Verbs 242

5 My parents are going away for a couple of weeks, and I will have to to their cat
while they are away.
6 My dad used to take me windsurfing while I was a boy, and I to it like a fish to
water.
7 I’m really sorry for breaking your mobile. How can I it up to you?
8 I’ll need to get my mobile to as it’s been playing up for the last few weeks.

• What did you get up to last weekend?

• What's the next date you are looking forward to, and why?
• Which celebrities do you look up to?
• Who do you turn to for advice?
• Do you tend to stick to your promises, or do you often go back on your word?
• If you broke my favourite vase, how would you make it up to me?

Vocabulary

come on to sb (hit on sb, chat sb up) try to seduce sb

face up to (responsibilities) be strong enough to face sth

live up to (expectations) be as good as (you expected)

come up to (the required standard) be as good as the required standard

stand up to (bullies) be strong enough to face an enemy

drink to sb make a toast to sb’s health

walk/drive/go/come over to AND up to (also approach (in various senses)

cuddle up to sb, cosy up to sb)

come down to sth, put sth down to sth (boil down be the cause of (X comes down to Y. I put X down
to sth, hinge on sth, depend on sth) to Y)

bring sb to, come to (no object) (make sb) regain consciousness

cater to sb/sth (also cater for sb/sth) provide what is needed by sb or sth

come to sth be equal to sth

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — TO Phrasal Verbs 243

get around (round) to sth (often gerund) find time to do sth

get back to sb (compare call sb back) 1) respond to sb,

get back to sw 2) return sw

get to sw reach sw
get to sb (similar to get at sb) upset sb

get through to sb 1) make sb (who is reluctant) understand

2) connect to sb (by phone)

talk down to sb (compare put sb down, do sb talk to sb as though they are inferior
down)

Visual Phrasal Verbs

Our last holiday didn’t live up to our

expectations, and I put this down to the weather.

I spend all day faffing around on Facebook, but it

means that I never get round to finishing off my
errands.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — TO Phrasal Verbs 244

 I cater to her every whim, yet she always talks
down to me. She comes across as spoilt and
arrogant.

Exercise 3 Answers on p. 318

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

Recently, we went on a trip to the beautiful village of Rye, and it certainly up to its
reputation as the most historical town in England. We to the village by train, and I came
with my wife and kids, which meant that the total cost of the tickets to 50 pounds. We
stayed in a beautiful old cottage, which certainly up to our high standards. There were
thousands of other tourists dressed up in the clothes of the 1940s, and I this down to a
classic car festival that was going on that weekend. Unfortunately, we didn’t round to
going to the local castle, but this was because there were so many other things to do.

Exercise 4 Answers on p. 318

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 When the patient finally to, he could see that he was lying on a bed in a room
with white walls. He could also make out what looked like a window.
2 No matter how much she down to you, you mustn’t let her to
you. You need to put on a brave face and soldier on.
3 I think that all youngsters should start paying rent when they are 18. It makes them
up to their obligations as adults.
4 Whether we decide to come or not will down to the total cost of the trip.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — TO Phrasal Verbs 245

5 And so, let’s raise our glasses and to the bride and groom, who have a happy
future lying ahead.
6 If you don’t up to those bullies, they will walk all over you; surely, you don’t
want to be picked on for the rest of your life.
7 I have tried to explain to my sister that she is wasting her money, but she just won’t listen. I don’t
know how to through to her.
8 I’m afraid I don’t know how to answer that question. I will have to swot up on this topic at
home, and then I will back to you with an answer.

• Does it get to you when people don't stick to their deadlines?

• What do you put the problem of homelessness down to?
• At what age did you face up to your responsibilities?
• When do you think you'll get round to finishing your homework?
• If your friend passed out, how would you bring him to?
• What is the best way to stand up to a bully?
• Did your last holiday live up to your expectations? Did the hotel come up to the required
standard?
• What does the issue of corruption boil down to? How can we sort this problem out?

OF Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the preposition ‘of’ tend to signify one of the following: avoidance (get out of
sth, weasel out of sth, worm out of sth, wriggle out of sth), smell (smack of sth, reek of sth, stink of sth)
result (become of sth, come of sth), and extraction (wring sth out of sb, drag sth out of sb)

Vocabulary

get rid of sth, dispose of sth throw sth away

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OF Phrasal Verbs 246

let go of sth/sb release sth (from hand)

become of sth/sb happen to sth/sb

come of sth result from sth

consist of sth (be made up of sth) be composed of sth

make of sth (think of sth) (usually a question) have an opinion of sth

smack of sth, reek of sth, stink of sth smell (badly) of

snap out of sth (e.g a trance) (compare ‘pull get out of a bad mood, obsession or trance
yourself together’)

talk sb out of sth (opposite talk sb into) dissuade sb

wriggle out of sth, get out of sth, weasel out of avoid sth (a task or duty)
sth, worm out of sth

wring sth out of sb, drag sth out of sb extract sth (the truth, information) from sb

speak of sth demonstrate sth

drop out of sth (similar to pull out of sth, back out leave a course before it finishes (‘pull out of’ is
of sth) usually withdraw from an agreement)

know of sth (hear of) be aware of sth

grow out of sth 1) become too old or mature to appreciate or use

sth
2) become too big for sth (clothes)

Visual Phrasal Verbs

What will become of the EU in your opinion? Do

you think it will break up?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OF Phrasal Verbs 247

 Rumours are going around that large businesses
were buying off politicians. The whole affair
smacks of corruption, and I’m sure no good will
come of it.

She wanted to worm her way out of the meeting,

so she went to the boss’s office to see if she could
wrap him round her little finger.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 319

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

What do you of the latest headline claiming that, thanks to a scientific breakthrough,
maternity clinics will be offering parents the chance to choose the sex of their unborn child? A powerful
cocktail of hormones primarily up of either oestrogen or testosterone will be injected
into the developing foetus, thereby triggering male or female characteristics. But what will
of all this? What will of the approximate one-to-one ratio of male to
female humans? The fact that scientists can now produce this kind of technology of
their incredible skill, but the fact that society chooses to allow this kind of technology
of our infantile morality. We turn a blind eye to the potentially dire consequences so that a few adults can
choose their baby as if he or she were a packet of grapes at Tesco.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OF Phrasal Verbs 248

 Exercise 2 Answers on p. 319

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 We managed to talk them into signing the contract last month, but then they tried to
out of it last week.
2 The fact that he always remembers to say please and thank-you of his good
manners and fine upbringing.
3 I used to love playing computer games, but when I started university, I quickly
out of it.
4 It looks as though the minister gave several profitable contracts to a business that his son-in-law
owned; the whole affairs of corruption.
5 When my son told me that he wanted to out of university, I tried to
him out of it. But in the end, I gave in.
6 Ever since she sent you that text, you’ve been walking around in a love-sick daze.
out of it!
7 I filled in about 30 application forms and sent them off, but nothing of it. I didn’t
get a single reply.
8 If she is sent down for 2 years, what will of her children? Do you think a family
member will take them in?

• How could you wriggle out of going to work tomorrow?

• Do your manners speak of your good upbringing?
• Have you grown out of cartoons, or do you still enjoy them?
• Do you think that the entire election campaign smacked of corruption?
• If we halted all attempts to limit CO2 emissions, what would come of this?
• What do you make of your current President or Prime Minister?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — OF Phrasal Verbs 249

AWAY Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the preposition ‘away’ tend to signify one of the following: moving away from
(back away, go away, run away, steal away), removing (whisk sb away, spirit sth away), becoming smaller
or weaker (wither away, waste away, wear away, fade away) erosion (chip away at sth, eat away at sth,
whittle away at), disposal (give sth away, throw sth away, chuck sth away), and squander (fritter sth away,
while sth away).

Vocabulary

pass away (compare with pass out = lose die

consciousness)

do away with sth/sb 1) abolish

2) kill (informal)

put sb away (for sth) (send sb down for sth) 1) be put in prison (for sth, for + period of time)
put sth away 2) consume great quantities of sth (alcohol)

back away (from sth) (back off with no object) reverse away (from sth)

run/scurry/go/come/slip/creep away (from sth) move away (from sth)

whisk sb away (whisk sb off to sw) take sb on a trip (often romantic)

spirit sb/sth away remove sb or sth without anyone noticing

steal away (slip away, creep away) leave without anyone noticing

get away with sth escape unpunished (or with lenient punishment)

give sb away 1) father gives the bride away at a wedding

2) donate (e.g to charity or to a friend)
3) reveal or indicate

chuck sth away, throw sth away, toss sth away dispose of sth, get rid of sth

turn sb away refuse to let sb in (enter)

explain sth away (compare with shrug sth off, dismiss sth as unimportant (often to avoid blame)
brush sth off)

fritter sth away (money, free time) waste sth (often money or time)

while sth away (while the hours away) waste time pleasantly

chat away chat for a long time frivolously

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AWAY Phrasal Verbs 250

tear oneself away from sth remove oneself from sth that you are firmly
attached to

get carried away (no object) get overenthusiastic or overexcited

slave away (no object) work hard

shy away from sth avoid sth

squirrel sth away, (compare with hide sth away, stash/hoard sth, hide sth for later use
lock sth away)

chip away at sth, eat away at sth, pick away at sth, erode sth, gradually reduce amount of sth
whittle away at sth

wither away (flowers), waste away, wear away, become weaker, smaller and then disappear
fade away (no object)

scare sb away, frighten sb away frighten sth so that it leaves

trail away when a voice gets quieter (see trail off)

Visual Phrasal Verbs

Nobody has watered those flowers, so they have

withered away. It’s high time we chucked them
away.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AWAY Phrasal Verbs 251

 The action of the waves on the beach ate away at
the land until the road fell into the sea.

The thief managed to spirit away the laptop, and

then scurry away without anyone noticing.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 319

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

away on the next chapter of the book, yawning, tired of staring into the screen, I was
suddenly brought to my senses by the noise of the cat flap. Looking down, I expected to see my own cat,
but to my astonishment a large black cat crept into the room, miaowing softly. I had to
this cat away, because this was the very cat that had been slipping into my shed at night, eating up all the
food that I had left out for my own cat, then away with a full stomach. My poor cat
would start to away if I didn’t get rid of this thief. So, I put a few drops of water on my
hand, took aim, and fired the smallest amount of water at the cheeky intruder. She quickly
away.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AWAY Phrasal Verbs 252

 Exercise 2 Answers on p. 319

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 Those flowers will start to away if you don’t water them a little more often.
2 The scarecrow is supposed to the birds away, but the birds seem to have cottoned
on to the fact that the scarecrow is made of straw.
3 He is a hard-working chap who never away from an extra hour of hard labour at
the end of the day.
4 When he’s in the middle of that computer game, he just can’t himself away from
the screen.
5 He likes to away his Sunday afternoon in front of the TV with his family.
6 I’ve been away my small coins because I’m taking the kids to the penny arcade
on Saturday.
7 Her husband has her away on a romantic cruise in the Mediterranean.
8 The defendant’s lawyer tried to the evidence away, pointing out that the police
may have contaminated these items with fibres from the suspect’s clothes.

• When you are bored on a rainy Sunday, how do you like to while away the hours?
• Have you ever whisked off your partner for a romantic weekend? Where did you go?
• What kind of expenses chip away at your finances?
• Do you think we should do away with any laws? Which ones?
• If one of your friends asked you to put them up for a few months, would you turn them away?
• Do you tend to shy away from your responsibilities?
• If you knew that the Earth was doomed to catastrophe, what would you start to squirrel away?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AWAY Phrasal Verbs 253

AT Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the preposition ‘at’ tend to signify one of the following: attacking (have a go at
sb, come at sb, lash out at sb), watching (look at sth, glare at sth, gaze at sth, peek at sth, peer at sth, stare
at sth), or aiming (aim at sth, fire at sth, shoot at sth). It is worth remembering that ‘at’ phrasal verbs are
usually NON SEPARABLE. The object often goes after the preposition ‘at’ and rarely goes before it.

Vocabulary

scream at sb, shout at sb, yell at sb speak loudly and angrily to sb

have a go at sb verbally attack sb (tell sb off or put sb down)

come at sb, run at sb, fly at sb, hit out at sb, lash attack
out at sb

come at sth (a problem) approach a problem in a specific way

get back at sb take revenge on sb

throw (sth) at sb, kick (sth) at sb (compare with throw or kick or aim or fire sth at sb in order to
throw to sb, kick to sb) hurt them

aim (sth) at sb, fire at sb, shoot at sb aim or shoot towards sb (to kill them)

drive at sth, get at sth mean. e.g I can’t see what you’re driving/getting
at

look at sth watch

glance at sth look at sth quickly

peek at sth look at sth without being noticed

peer at sth look at sth carefully or with difficulty

stare at sb, glare at sb look at sth angrily

leer at sb look at sb with sexual interest

gaze at sb look at sb lovingly or with admiration

chip away at sth, eat away at sth, pick away at sth erode

peck at sth (eat) (opposite of wolf down) eat sth unenthusiastically and slowly
sip at drink sth in small amounts

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AT Phrasal Verbs 254

talk at sb talk to sb but without letting them comment, or
without taking an interest in their comments

clutch at, grab at (e.g straws) try sth desperate or hopeless to overcome
obstacles or challenges

play at 1) pretend to be
what is he playing at? 2) used when you think sb is behaving in a stupid
way

work at sth (very similar to keep at sth) try hard to develop a skill or talent

keep at sth, stick at sth continue doing sth in order to master it

get at sth 1) mean (see drive at)

get at sb 2) upset sb, criticize sb
get at sth 3) reach sw (with arm) that is hard to reach
4) threaten sb to force them to obey (rare)
get at sb

keep on at sb about sth, go on at sb about sth, continually talk to sb about sth in a nagging or
drone on at sb about sth etc... annoying way.

Visual Phrasal Verbs

What the hell are they driving at? I can’t figure

out what any of this means.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AT Phrasal Verbs 255

 The driver in front keeps on cutting me up. What
on earth is he playing at?

I’m going to finish with this guy: he just talks at

me, and he doesn’t even cotton on to the fact that
I’m not listening.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 319

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

at the latest headlines on physbrg, I came across an article about Phobos, which is a
moon of Mars. I quickly scanned through the article to find out what the author was at.
The main idea was that the massive grooves on the surface of Phobos may have been caused by gigantic
boulders that rolled across its surface. Having been thrown up by a huge meteorite, these boulders rolled
around the entire circumference of the moon, away at the rock and dust, carving out the
grooves that we gaze at through our telescopes. However, at the grooves, I couldn’t
help but feel that the scientists were at straws with their hypothesis. If the grooves had
been caused by such boulders, we would expect to see the grooves stretching out radially from the impact
crater. So, the evidence doesn’t bear out their conclusion, and I suspect they will have to
at the problem from a different angle.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AT Phrasal Verbs 256

 Exercise 2 Answers on p. 320

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 The minister has come in for a lot of criticism recently, but she has nonetheless
out at her opponents with a fiery article in today’s newspaper.
2 I always hide the chocolate away at the back of the cupboard so that the kids can’t
at it: they aren’t tall enough.
3 He loves the sound of his own voice and rarely listens to what others have to say. He tends to
at people rather than talk to people.
4 Not being able to figure out the answer to question 5, I at the exam paper lying on
my neighbour’s desk, trying to make out what she had written.
5 He doesn’t have a very big appetite: he tends to at his food rather than wolf it
down.
6 The builders were at all the pretty girls and shouting out lewd remarks.
7 His writing skills have improved in leaps and bounds, and if he at it, he is sure to
sail through his exams.
8 She out at the attacker with teeth and nails, biting and scratching like a savage
beast.

• Are you prone to pecking at your food or to wolfing it down?

• Has anyone ever come at you with a weapon? Did you stand up for yourself?
• What sort of things chip away at your finances?
• When was the last time your boss or parents had a go at you?
• What does your partner or mum or brother keep on at you about?
• Did you used to throw stuff at your teacher when you were at school?
• Do you know anyone who has a tendency to talk at others?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AT Phrasal Verbs 257

BY Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the preposition ‘by’ tend to signify one of the following: briefly visiting (drop
by, stop by, pop by), or conforming and supporting (stick by sth, stand by sb, abide by sth, swear by sth)

Vocabulary

drop by (sw), stop by (sw), pop by (sw) (call in on visit briefly

sb, pop round sw, drop round sw)

swear by sth completely trust or support sth (a method or

technique)

stick by sb remain loyal to sb

abide by sth (e.g rules) obey, conform to, adhere to sth

stand by (for sth) 1) await further instructions for sth

stand by sb 2) remain loyal to (stick by sb)
stand by sth 3) support

come by 1) visit briefly (pop round)

come by sth (stumble on sth, happen upon sth) 2) come across sth, run across sth, chance upon
sth

go by sth 1) go past sth

go by the name of 2) be called sth
go by sth (going by = according to) 3) be guided by sth

pass by, slip by, fly by, whizz by (remember: go by unnoticed (time slips by or opportunities
passer-by, bystander, onlooker) pass by)

run sth by sb (compare sound sb out) test sth (e.g an idea) on sb

get by (on sth), scrape by (on sth), live on sth survive (on sth)

set sth by, put sth by, set sth aside, put sth aside save (time or money) for the future

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — BY Phrasal Verbs 258

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

Putting by £100 every week is a good idea if you

want to save up some money to do up the kitchen.

I came by a beautiful gold watch in the market. It

set me back £150, but I think it was worth every
penny.

Time slips by much faster than we think, but most

of us fritter our lives away, faffing around with
things that aren’t even important.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 320

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

Ben, one of my friends, decided to lose weight using a low-carbohydrate diet. He has been
by all the rules that the diet recommends sticking to, and I’m sure that if he keeps at it,

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — BY Phrasal Verbs 259

he will shed all the weight. I by his place yesterday, and he was looking much thinner.
He by this diet as he has tried out lots of other ones, but they were totally useless. He
has been by on meat mostly, because on this diet fats and protein are allowed, but
carbohydrates are frowned upon. I might this diet by my doctor and see what he thinks;
perhaps, it could work for me too.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 320

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 He earns very little money as a part-time worker; I really don’t know how he manages to
by on that salary.
2 Unfortunately, time has a tendency to by imperceptibly; one day, you look into
the mirror and see an old man staring back at you.
3 I had a few alternative ideas for how we could turn the business round, but I decided to
them by my boss first, and see what he made of them.
4 Some people by a vegetarian diet, while others by a meat only
diet. Personally, I get on both.
5 I would by that 2015 commemorative coin, as there were very few minted, so
they are very difficult to by. I’m sure it will cost a fortune one day,
6 by what the weather forecast said, we’ll get soaked through if we choose to have
the picnic today.
7 I offered to put my nephew up for a few days, but he doesn’t by my rules.
8 She was very loyal to her husband, and she by him in spite of the smear campaign
that was going on in the press.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — BY Phrasal Verbs 260

 • If you earned half of your current salary, would you be able to get by?
• How often do you swing by a friend's house?
• Do you abide by laws which you disagree with?
• How much have you set by for your retirement?
• Do you stand by the policies of your current government?
• When you size someone up, do you go by their appearance or by their words?

INTO Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the preposition ‘into’ tend to signify one of the following: collision (plough into
sth, crash into sth, bash into sth), entry (break into sw, burst into sw) and investment (tap into sth, buy into
sth, plough sth into sth). It is worth remembering that ‘into’ phrasal verbs are usually NON SEPARABLE.
The object often goes after the preposition ‘into’ and rarely goes before it. Lastly, please bear in mind that
‘out of’ is the opposite of ‘into’ (e.g talk sb into sth and talk sb out of sth).

Vocabulary

break into sw 1) enter a room

break into sth (a sweat, a song, a run) 2) start (sweating, singing..)

burst into sw (burst into tears, burst into flames, suddenly enter a room
BUT burst out laughing)

bump into sb, run into sb meet sb by chance (compare come across sth,
come by sth = find sth by chance)

buy into sth 1) invest in sth

2) believe sh

dig into sth (delve into sth) 1) research sth

2) start eating sth

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — INTO Phrasal Verbs 261

dip into sth 1) spend sth (e.g savings)
2) read a bit of sth
dip sth into sth 3) put sth into sth (e.g water)

enter into sth 1) start sth (e.g an agreement)

(not) enter into it, come into it 2) be relevant, plays (no) part in this

eat into sth (eat away at sth, chip away at sth) erode (free time, savings)

get into sth, be into sth (compare get mixed/caught become or be involved in sth
up in sth = negative)

grow into sth become accustomed to sth with age

lay into sb, rip into sb, tear into sb (lash out at sb, attack someone (usually verbally, maybe tell sb
hit out at sb) off or put sb down)

squeeze into sth, slip into sth put sth on

tap into sth exploit a resource

talk sb into sth (opposite of talk sb out of sth) persuade sb to do sth

go into sth/sb walk into sb/sth, collide with sb or sth

plough into sth, crash into sth, bash into sth 1) violently collide with sth or sb
plough sth (profits) into sth
2) invest sth in sth

bore into sb/sth (drill into sth) 1) when eyes bore into you they stare at you
2) drill into sth

Visual Phrasal Verbs

We plan on tapping into the large supply of

skilled workers in that area. And, if the flow of
workers dries up, we can always farm out some
of the work to other companies.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — INTO Phrasal Verbs 262

 We weren’t just lucky. We thrashed our opponents
and won the cup because we played up to our
strengths. Luck didn’t come into it.

If I dip into some savings, I’ll be able to splash

out on a new car.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 320

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

Yesterday, I into an old schoolmate in the centre of town. It was great to catch up with
him and find out what had been going on in his life. He told me he had into a local
business, raking in huge amounts of money in the process. He was thinking of the
profits into a new property which he would rent out to someone. He wanted to into the
rental market because there was good money to be made. He tried to me into doing
something similar, but I’m not sure that I want to into my savings.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 320

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 Yesterday, a large lorry into pedestrians on Blackfriar’s Bridge, running over

more than 10 people, sending dozens to hospital, and killing 1 civilian.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — INTO Phrasal Verbs 263

2 I’m going to into something more comfortable, and then lie down by the fire with
a nice glass of wine.
3 My older sister into me when she heard that I still hadn’t paid off the money that I
had borrowed from Mum and Dad.
4 I think they should put aside his older brother’s clothes as the younger brother will soon
into them.
5 The two countries have into a trade agreement, and both parties are expected to
profit handsomely from the deal.
6 The government into the feeling of resentment that was rife among the younger
generation. Aimless and frustrated, the young were vulnerable to the crafty strategies of those in
power.
7 into the room, the police quickly apprehended all four suspects, pinned them
down, and disarmed them.
8 On Sunday, I’ll into that phrasal verb book and brush up on some of the phrasal
verbs with ‘get’.

• When you were young, did you often get into trouble?
• Which expenses tend to eat into your savings?
• When was the last time you burst into tears? Why?
• Do you buy into the claims of global warming?
• How could you tap into new sources of income?
• Can I talk you into spending 20 minutes learning new phrasal verbs every night?
• When was the last time you broke into a sweat? Why?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — INTO Phrasal Verbs 264

AFTER Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the preposition ‘after’ tend to signify one of the following: doing things for sb
else (run around after sb, pick up after sb), chasing (run after sb, come after sb, go after sb, make after sb)
and similarity (model after sth, take after sb). It is worth remembering that ‘after’ phrasal verbs are
usually NON SEPARABLE. The object often goes after the preposition ‘after’ and rarely goes before it.

Vocabulary

ask after sb, enquire after sb enquire about health, progress or whereabouts
(ask for news)

run around after sb (fuss over sb is similar) spend time doing things for sb while they idle
away and laze around

pick up after sb, tidy up after sb, clean up after sb tidy up sb else’s mess

model after sth, model on sth, base on sth be made following the model of sth

take after sb be similar to a relative (especially personality)

name after sb be named in honour of

look after sb (take care of sb) protect and nourish (e.g children)

run after sth or sb, make after sth or sb chase

(compare catch up with sb, also close/home/zero
in on sb or sth)

come after sb, go after sb, 1) succeed

get after sb (rare) 2) chase

hanker after sth (yearn for sth, long for sth) really want, especially when object is
unobtainable

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AFTER Phrasal Verbs 265

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

Henry VIII came after Henry VII and before

Elizabeth I.

She hankers after his attention, gazing at him

while he gets on with his work.

She takes after her father in that they both love

dressing up.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AFTER Phrasal Verbs 266

 Exercise 1 Answers on p. 320

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

We had decided to our first child after my sister, Wendy, as the latter had passed away a
few years earlier, and we wanted to honour her memory. Being cheerful and carefree, my daughter
after her mother, for I have always been of a more morose disposition, prone to fits of
depression. My wife took time off work for the first couple of years after the birth, in order to
after the baby, but Wendy after her mother’s attention when this
period came to an end. She had to make do with the nanny we took on, but for months she would
after her mother, clutching at her dress as she set off for work. I think my wife had
fussed over the child, running around after her rather than encouraging her to learn to do things for
herself.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 321

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 My dad called yesterday, and he was after my brother, who had been in hospital
for a few days. I told my dad that he was bearing up.
2 The police after the back robbers, but the alarm went off, a cage rolled down, and
the police were completely sealed in, unable to escape from the bank.
3 I can never remember which member of the royal family after Queen Elizabeth
the first.
4 The country’s legal system is after Anglo-Saxon law rather than Roman law.
5 I wish she wouldn’t around after her husband so much. He idles away in front of
the TV while she cooks, cleans, and after the kids.
6 Recently, a system of fines has been brought in to encourage dog-owners to up
after their dogs.
7 It is a classic case of unrequited love: he after her, but she won’t even return his
gaze.
8 She looks like her father, but she after her mother: both of them
are downright rude.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AFTER Phrasal Verbs 267

 • Do you look after anyone in your family? Who looked after you during childhood?
• Who do you take after? Were you named after any family members?
• Do you run around after your kids, or do you make them tidy up their own stuff?
• If someone managed to snatch something from your bag, would you go after them?
• Do you hanker after anything or anyone?

AGAINST Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the preposition ‘against’ tend to signify opposition (come out against sth, speak
out against sth, be against sth, stand against sth).

Vocabulary

come up against sth, run up against sth (problems, encounter problems/difficulties

difficulties and obstacles)

go up against sb play against sb in a competition

come out against sth, speak out against sth publicly oppose sth
(compare hit out at sb, lash out at sb = criticize)

stand against sb or sth be against

stand for sth (opposite)

side against sb or sth (opposite = side with sb) be against sb

safeguard against sth take precautions against sth

play sb off against sb gain advantage by making two sides compete

have sth against sb, hold sth against sb bear a grudge against sb

pit sb against sb make two parties fight

count against sb make sb more likely to fail or lose

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AGAINST Phrasal Verbs 268

turn against sb (turn on sb = synonym) attack a former ally or friend

level sth (allegations) against sb, level sth at sb accuse sb of wrongdoing

go against sth (rules, principles) 1) violate sth

go against sb 2) be unfavourable to
go against sth (instincts) 3) contradicts
go against sth 4) oppose

take against sb (opposite of warm to sb) Start disliking or opposing sb

Visual Phrasal Verbs

Some dogs turn against (turn on) their owners,

biting the hand that feeds them.

I take these vitamins to safeguard against colds in

winter.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AGAINST Phrasal Verbs 269

 The civil war has pit brother against brother; it
has now been dragging on for 5 years, and there
is no end in sight.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 321

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

Theresa May has out against her critics, arguing that a deal of some sort must be
negotiated with Europe. She claims that if we were to break away from Europe with no deal, this could
possibly spark off a financial crisis. Many MPs from the Conservative party have already
against Theresa May, calling the deal a capitulation to the EU. Several politicians have
even allegations of bribery and corruption against their Prime Minister, calling for her
to stand down. Whatever happens, it is clear that the question of Brexit has one half the
country against the other, even dividing families and friends.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 321

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 The idea that the rich are happier than the poor against all my experience with
these two groups.
2 Children will often their mother off against their father in order to gain
advantages.
3 This medicine is supposed to against colds and flu.
4 She is well qualified for the job, but her lack of experience will against her in the
interview.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AGAINST Phrasal Verbs 270

5 We up against several problems while trying to implement the new automatic
payment system.
6 Manchester will up against Chelsea in the next round of the cup on condition that
Chelsea manages to knock out West Ham tomorrow.
7 His face clouds over whenever I walk into the room; he must something against
me, but I’m not sure what it is.
8 There have been serious allegations against the politician, and the police have
already started digging into these claims.

• What kind of difficulties have you come up against while learning English?
• Do you stand for or against the right to bear arms?
• Who do you hold a grudge against?
• Do you take any medicine to safeguard against flu?
• Have any allegations been levelled against your government or head of state?

TOGETHER Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the preposition ‘together’ tend to signify one of the following: gathering in one
place (come together, stay together, flock together), assembling something (throw sth together, knock sth
together, cobble sth together), or maintaining emotional composure (hold yourself together, pull yourself
together, keep it together). Lastly, please bear in mind that ‘together’ is the opposite of ‘apart’ (e.g put sth
together and take sth apart)

Vocabulary

come together (no object) (opposite is come apart, unite as one group, ally as one group
fall apart)
stay together, keep together (opposite of split up) stay in one group

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — TOGETHER Phrasal Verbs 271

flock together, crowd together, herd together (no a group gathers in one place
object)

bring sb together, draw sb together make sb gather in one place

marshal sb together, gather sb or sth together, get arrange people to come together in one place
sb or sth together (round sb up)

get together (no object) meet

hold yourself together, pull yourself together, keep maintain emotional composure (hold back your
it together (similar to man up = be braver) emotions, choke back the tears, don’t get carried
away)

throw sth together, knock sth together, knock sth assemble quickly
up

patch sth together, patch sth up repair quickly

stand together remain allies

stick together remain friends, stay close to each other so you can
help each other

glue sth together attach sth with glue

scrape sth together, rake sth together collect small amounts (especially money) from
various sources with difficulty.

piece sth together reconstruct an event (sth) based on evidence

lump sth together treat 2 different things as though they were the
same

lash sth together join two pieces of rope

fit sth together, join sth together, go together (no combine pieces which join
object)

put sth together (opposite of take sth apart) assemble

cobble sth together
assemble with minimal time or resources

club together (no object) (compare go in on sth, pay for sth as a group by splitting the cost
and chip in)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — TOGETHER Phrasal Verbs 272

 Visual Phrasal Verbs

The tears were trickling down his cheeks, so I

told him to pull himself together! There’s no
point bawling your eyes out.

We lashed together some bamboo with some

rope, cobbling together a small raft in just a few
hours.

My daughter took up karate last week. I was

surprised to see that all the kids were lumped
together in one class, regardless of how long
they’d been doing it.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 321

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

To celebrate the New Year, I tried to together a few mates that would come with me to
St Petersburg. It was difficult for some of my mates to together enough cash for the

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — TOGETHER Phrasal Verbs 273

trip; therefore, we decided to together so that we could afford a big flat in the city
centre. This ended up being far cheaper than going to a hotel. The flat wasn’t in very good condition:
some of the beds were broken and the dining-room table was wobbly. But, we managed to
together the broken parts of one of the beds, so this wasn’t a problem. We all wanted to
see different sites in the city, and so we agreed to split up during the day. However, in the evenings we
together and found some delicious restaurants.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 321

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 Sherlock Holmes was trying to together the events that led to the young
engineer’s mutilated hand.
2 all the branches together with a piece of rope, Robinson Crusoe was able to build
a raft.
3 Tortoises and turtles are completely different animals, yet they are often together
because of their numerous similarities.
4 I thought that he would be able to himself together at the funeral, but I was
wrong; he got carried away and burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably as the coffin was lowered
into the ground.
5 I tried to together enough money for a trip to Thailand, but I had to back out in
the end as I hadn’t saved up enough.
6 When the new wardrobe from IKEA arrived, I started it together straight away as
I know the kids always love playing around with the empty cardboard boxes.
7 Four of us have a birthday at roughly the same time of year, so this always us all
together for a party.
8 Don’t just sit there feeling sorry for yourself. You’ve got to yourself together and
find a job.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — TOGETHER Phrasal Verbs 274

 • Did you enjoy putting together models as a child?
• Which events tend to draw your family together? How often do you get together?
• Do you think all children should be lumped together in one class, regardless of ability?
• When was the last time you had to club together to buy something? What were you going in on?
How much did you each chip in?
• Are you able to hold it together when you are under pressure, or do you often get carried away?

AS Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include the preposition ‘as’ tend to signify how people seem in terms of personality
(have sb down as sth, come across as sb, strike sb as sth, have sb pegged as sth) or in terms of appearance
(disguise sb as, pass as sb, pass sb off as sb)

Vocabulary

disguise sb (oneself) as sb make sb (oneself) look like sb (appearance)

pass as sb (pass for sb, mistake sb for sb) manage to look like sb else (appearance)

pass sb/sth off as sth (similar to disguise sb as) falsely represent sb as sth (appearance)

come across as sth or sb appear to be sth (personality)

strike sb as sth appear to sb to be sth (personality)

have sb down as sth, put sb down as sth, mark sb believe sb to be sth or sb (personality)
down as sth, have sb pegged as sth, peg sb as sth
(take sb for sb)

look on sb as sth consider sb to be sth or sb

hold sb up as sth believe sb to be the ideal example of sth or sb

double up as sth have an alternative function or use

save sth as save a document on computer

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AS Phrasal Verbs 275

go as far as, go so far as (+ noun or + to plus reach an unexpected extent
infinitive)

Visual Phrasal Verbs

My brother holds her up as a paragon of virtue,

but she strikes me as a dark horse with a few
skeletons in the closet.

The sofa doubles up as a bed. Just pull out the

bottom drawer if you want to put the bed
together.

The burglar passed himself off as a policeman in

order to get into the house and snoop around.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AS Phrasal Verbs 276

 Exercise 1 Answers on p. 322

➔ Fill in the gaps with the verb in the correct form:

One of my favourite stories during childhood was Billy Budd. In this story, Billy Budd is
up as a shining example of a morally good man and a perfect sailor. In contrast, we
meet the antagonist, Claggart, who on all his fellow sailors as bad men. Claggart is one
of the senior officers, and he across as nasty, violent, and cunning; he even
so far as to make a very sick man work, in spite of the captain’s orders to the contrary,
and this ultimately results in the man’s death. Jenkins, one of Billy’s shipmates, has Claggart
as a murderer after this event, so he plots to get his own back; however, when Jenkins
attempts to creep up on Claggart with a knife, he is apprehended by Billy, who immediately realises
Jenkins’ purpose. He struggles with the would-be assassin, disarming him swiftly, saving Claggart from
an untimely demise.

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 322

➔ Fill in the blank spaces with the verb in the correct form:

1 Our bedroom up as my wife’s office: she works from home.

2 The thief managed to himself off as an employee from the bank. Once he was
inside, he broke into the main vault, gathered together the most expensive items, and slipped away
without a trace.
3 I the document as ‘Phrasal Verbs Book’, but when I tried to call it up on the
screen, a lot of what I had written seemed to have gone missing.
4 Even though she is actually 35, she could easily as a 21-year-old; she loves
working out and staying in shape.
5 I him down as an utter fool, but I soon learnt how wrong I was.
6 People on him as a wonderful philanthropist and a human-rights defender, but all
I see is a smug narcissist.
7 I thought he across as an authority on the matter during his presentation. He put
his ideas across very well, and the audience quickly warmed to him.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AS Phrasal Verbs 277

8 I wouldn’t as far as to say that the pupil is lazy, but he certainly needs to find
some more motivation for this subject.

• Who do you hold up as a shining example of a virtuous man?

• Who do you have down as a striking example of an immoral man?
• Have you ever disguised yourself as someone else?
• Were you able to pass yourself off as an adult while you were still 16?
• Does your bedroom double up as your office?
• Would you go so far as to say that all politicians are corrupt?

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — AS Phrasal Verbs 278

 ANTONYMS

Go back over some phrasal verbs that you have already come across by memorizing their antonyms.
These words should ring a bell as all of them have already cropped up in this book. Some are complete
opposites, and some less so. Please fill in the gaps.

Exercise 1 Answers on p. 323

I do my best to in the crowd when He always wears such bright colours that he
I don’t want to be noticed. out like a sore thumb wherever he
goes.

We out of petrol in the middle of We up with petrol before we set off

the journey

Manchester United out to Chelsea Chelsea out over their rivals,

in the FA Cup Manchester United

Dad offered to me up from the Dad offered to me off at the station

station

I my wallet out of my pocket I my wallet (back) in my pocket

He off his clothes and collapsed on Having slept through his alarm, he
the bed on his suit and rushed off to work

I’d like to out for all those victims I feel I ought to out against the
affected by the tragedy widespread idea that euthanasia is a good thing

The car up as it was turning the If you don’t down, you might have
bend, and the driver lost control, veering off the an accident
road

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Antonyms 279

The boss down on anyone who I up to the ancient Greeks as the
regularly takes a day off masters of grammar

Exercise 2 Answers on p. 323

Would you like to out or stay in, Shall we go out and have a meal or
tonight? in?

I usually up until about 01:00am I prefer to in early at 10:30

We’ll need to the deadline off a Let’s the deadline forward so that
few weeks we finish earlier

The boxer out his opponent in the The doctor used smelling salts to
final round the boxer round

I tried to him out of his trip to the I managed to him into coming to
plastic surgeon, but he wouldn’t listen the party

As a child, I loved together models We’ll need to apart the furniture

of tanks and aeroplanes before we move out

The newspaper says that the tide will The tide will start in at 16:36 and it
out at 10:30am tomorrow will be full-tide by 18:00

It started to cloud over and the sun The sun will out in a few minutes
in. and you’ll feel much warmer

The sun up at around 6:30 The sun will down at 16:30

You shouldn’t take on too much at work; you will If I manage to get out of the jobs that my boss
get out gave me, I’ll be able to out.

We have decided to on 10 new We’ll have to go of 10 new

employees employees

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Antonyms 280

 Exercise 3 Answers on p. 324

You should them up on their job You should their job offer down
offer

I up with him in the end; it was We argued about money, and in the end we fell
silly to argue with each other.

When I realised how mean and selfish he was, I I to him as soon as I found out how
off him much we had in common

He through all his exams I only just managed to through my

exams.

Let’s together or else we may get Let’s up so that we find our

lost missing friend quicker

The rain will on in the next hour If the rain off for an hour, we
won’t get soaked

This pupil finds it easy to up with That pupil always behind the
the others others

I usually to my auntie for advice I went to a night club but they me

away

He’s very modest, so he always He’s boastful, so he always up his

down his achievements successes

I need to up by the radiator I need to down by the window

Someone has down my tyres Now, I need to the tyres up

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Antonyms 281

 Exercise 4 Answers on p. 324

We can him in for the holiday We can him out for the holiday

Is that the doorbell? Go to the He’s leaving now. Go to him

guest in out/off

He himself in the toilet I myself out of my own house

The BBC out against Brexit The voters out in favour of Brexit
The young against Brexit The old for Brexit
They with the E.U We against the E.U
They against Brexit We for Brexit

He out with his best friend He in with a bad crowd (got mixed
up with)

My clothes were through (really I my clothes out on the radiator

wet)

He’s been off all week, zoning out He’s been away all week, so he’s
in front of the TV worn-out

He was at his food He was down his food very

quickly

That old sofa is apart You need to together the sofa-bed

She into the office without a care She out of the office with a face
in the world like thunder

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Antonyms 282

 SYNONYMS AND CLUSTERS

I find phrasal verbs easier to memorize when they are put into different groups of similar meanings. I
hope these sentences bring back some of those phrasal verbs that won’t sink in. Please fill in the gaps:

Decorate or make more beautiful Answers on p. 325

As soon as we moved into the new place, we decided to it up.

I myself up for the party. I wanted to look my best.
She herself up, hoping that she would end up meeting someone at the club.
I only up for formal events, such as weddings.

Persuasion Answers on p. 325

He me over with a bribe of £1000.

He me into playing on the football team, but then my wife me out of
it.
If he doesn’t take you up on the offer, I will try to him round.
I’ll up to my boss. Hopefully, he’ll round.
I will try to round the boss tonight. Hopefully, I’ll him round my
little finger.

A breakdown in relations Answers on p. 325

After only 6 months, they off their marriage.

Their engagement down after a succession of rows in public.
They up soon after she found out that he had been away.
He out on her when he found out she had been on him.
Having walked in on her boyfriend in another girl’s arms, she with him.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Synonyms and Clusters 283

 Losing and regaining consciousness Answers on p. 325

He was in such excruciating agony that he out for a few minutes. However, the
paramedics were able to him round/to with some smelling salts.
The boxer out his opponent after only 30 seconds in the ring.
Having been on his feet all day, he out during the wedding ceremony, but he
round/to a few seconds later.

Sexual Excitement Answers on p. 325

He on to her while they were chatting at the bar, but he came out with some sleazy lines
that she found a real -off.
He has on all the women in the department, but his advances are always rejected.
The perpetrator of these awful crimes clearly off on both frightening and humiliating
his victims; he needs to feel the anguish of the victim in order to get on.
He thought that she was in love with him, but she was actually just him on

Hold on to sth Answers on p. 325

We on to the edge of our seats as our driver lost control of the wheels and skidded
across the motorway.
As I fell backwards, I waved my arms around, at the smaller twigs; however, these just
snapped off in my hands. It was quite a big drop, and I ended up in hospital.
The parasites on to their victim, and then feed off the blood.

Reporting sb to authorities Answers on p. 298

He his associate over to the police as soon as they put a bit of pressure on him.
When one of his classmates threw a paper plane at the teacher, he immediately on the
pupil.
The police paid him £1000 on condition that he in all of his criminals associates.
In the end, his colleague on them, and they were all put away for a long time.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Synonyms and Clusters 284

Having been up by his best mate, he was sent down for 5 years.

Find sth or sb by chance Answers on p. 325

I upon a beautiful gold watch at the market.

When he the old photos, tears started trickling down his cheeks.
As soon as we turned the corner, we into 2 of my old teachers.

Continuation Answers on p. 325

I thought that our player had been deliberately brought down by their defender, but the referee told us to
on.
The meeting was incredibly tedious and, what’s more, it on for hours.
In spite of the teacher telling the kids to keep it down, the class on screaming and
shouting.
We ought to on despite the awful weather, otherwise we won’t get back until very late.
The professors at university would often on at us for hours about all sorts of utter
nonsense.
I found it so tedious to write the essay, but I on and got it done by midnight.

Appearing Answers on p. 325

Not only did he up 15 minutes late, but he also sneaked off early too.
I am sure they will in the next few minutes. Let’ s be patient.
I have noticed lots of new firms up all over the city.
If any problems should up while you are answering the questions, put up your hand and
I will come over.

Depression and rejection Answers on p. 326

He is constantly having a go at me. It really me down.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Synonyms and Clusters 285

People who go around others down are often those who can’t put up with jokes aimed
at themselves.
I’m going to have to down their offer: it is far too low.
We arranged to meet up at seven o clock, but once again he me down.

Cause and effect Answers on p. 326

I most of the delays in our shipments down to our unreliable suppliers.

The delays that we have experienced down to our unreliable suppliers.
Everything on our unreliable suppliers.
The new law is bound to have lasting consequences. What do you think will of it?

Resigning and redundancy Answers on p. 326

The minister was forced to down when the news broke out in the papers.
Having slaved away for weeks without any raise in salary, I decided to in the job.
The management are forced to make cutbacks, so several departments will be downsized, and around 20
employees will be off.

Getting sick Answers on p. 326

He down with an awful stomach infection and started up all over the
place.
I up a nasty infection when I had a holiday in the tropics. But, I over
it a few weeks later.
I out in a sweat regularly whenever I have a fever.
That new washing powder has me out in a rash. (I out in a rash after
using that powder)

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Synonyms and Clusters 286

 Noise gets quieter Answers on p. 326

I wish the neighbours would the noise down. Their music keeps me up all night. I
might go and tell them to it down.
If those kids don’t down, I’m going to go upstairs and tell them off.
The noise of the party down at around 03:00 am.
His voice off when he saw the hideous apparition creeping up on her.

Clandestine Answers on p. 326

I could you in on a little secret, but you must promise to keep it to yourself.
At first, we thought that it was only the manager that was responsible for the fraud, but then we found out
that a few of his deputies in on it too.
He can be so nosey; he has a nasty habit of in on other people’s conversations.
Our enemies in on us while we were discussing the secret plot.
A rival gang has been attempting to in on some of their business.

Going to people and places for a short time Answers on p. 326

I in on my Mum on the way back from work, and picked up some of my stuff that was
cluttering up her garage.
We into the supermarket on the way home, to pick up some bread.
We’ll by (or round) in 15 minutes.

Introducing sth new Answers on p. 326

The cheaper air fares in a new period of overseas tourism

The government will be out the new legislation next week.
The new system will be in over a period of six months.
In spite of several setbacks, the new laws will be in next year.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Synonyms and Clusters 287

 Spending money Answers on p. 326

As the kids had sailed through their exams, we decided to out on a skiing trip.
Nobody likes having to out large amounts of money to the tax man.
Having off all my debts, I was now able to start some money up for
the future.
The total cost of the work would to £16000, so we started some
money aside in advance.

Sharing work or cost Answers on p. 326

If we all in £5, we’ll be able to in on a pizza.

Let’s all together, and then we can share out a pizza.
OK, so it looks like a massive job, but if we all in, we’ll sort it out in no time.
We might need to in a few more volunteers to get this project finished on time.

Publicly declare Answers on p. 326

The suspect had been holding out on them, but eventually he out the truth.
He out with some really odd suggestions sometimes.
Several high-profile celebrities have out against the new laws that will be brought in
next month.
The dire situation for actions, not words.

Removal from a surface Answers on p. 326

The kids had been bouncing around all day, but eventually they off the trampoline.
He off the ladder while he was painting the wall.
The lion his whole arm off during the attack.
I off the skin and handed the orange over.
The engine was off a peculiar smell, so we pulled over and had a look under the bonnet.

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 Sorting out your schedule Answers on p. 327

I don’t think I will be available on Monday, so can we the lesson off for a week?
I will you in for Monday the 16th of January, but if you can’t make it just email me and
we’ll it off.
We could the last meeting forward a few days, and then we will have time to iron out
any remaining difficulties.

Eating and drinking Answers on p. 327

I splashed out on the most expensive meal on the menu, and it up in seconds.
You really ought to slow down when you drink alcohol: you those beers down far too
quickly.
Look at how fast he down his dinner.
He doesn’t seem to have any appetite; he just sits there at his food.
There were a number of cakes left on the plate, but I them all off.

Ignoring people and things Answers on p. 327

Journalists and politicians are notorious for over the details and
around the truth.
The minister has come in for a lot of criticism this week, but he has off the comments
in the media, claiming that they are politically motivated.
Whenever anyone knocks on my door, asking for money, I them off with a lame
excuse.
She made up lame excuses to away the missing money.

Happening according to plan Answers on p. 327

We had laid on lots of food and drink, and, fortunately, the party off exactly as we had
planned. It certainly down well with all the guests.

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We were under a lot of pressure to finish the project before the deadline, and I didn’t think we’d be able to
it off.
They set up a new business, but things didn’t out as well as they had hoped.

Studying Answers on p. 327

I really ought to up on my algebra, and then I will through the test.

I’ll barely through the test if I don’t over those formulae.
If you regularly over the phrasal verbs, they are bound to in.

Feelings and emotions Answers on p. 327

I don’t know why he got so away. He seemed to himself into an

angry frenzy, losing control of himself.
In the last poem, he let his imagination away with him, so I found it hard to understand
what he was getting at.
I’m not sure what over me, but suddenly I found myself screaming at the top of my
voice. I think I had been up a lot of anger, and I had to finally let it all out.

Be good enough or strong enough Answers on p. 327

He is already 18, so he is certainly old enough to up to his responsibilities.

Unfortunately, the hotel didn’t up to our expectations; the main problem was that the
level of service didn’t up to the required standard.
You really ought to up to those bullies; if you don’t, they will push you around for
years.
I didn’t up to going into work, so I called in and explained that I had come down with
flu.

Leave without anyone noticing Answers on p. 327

We out of the meeting while no one was looking.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Synonyms and Clusters 290

We away while everyone’s backs were turned.
The thief must have away the painting between one and two o clock.

Ways of looking Answers on p. 327

The builders and whistled at the pretty girls, shouting out lewd comments as they
passed by.
He at his girlfriend with an adoring expression on his face.
When they found out that I was responsible for the mess, they both at me.
Using the microscope, I at the small insect on the glass slide.
He at me for a few seconds, then turned around and left.
Having stashed away a piece of paper with the answers, I at them while no one was
looking.

Attack Answers on p. 327

The soldier a grenade at the enemy.

The mugger at me with a knife, so I turned round and ran away.
He threatened to his dog on me if I didn’t get off his property.
out at my attacker with teeth and nails, I managed to get out of his grip.

Come together Answers on p. 327

My family and other relatives together every Christmas for a big party.
Christmas is a time that together the whole family.
I had to together 50 people for the Christmas party.
I’m not sure I’ll be able to up 50 people for the party.

Combine Answers on p. 327

The pieces of this puzzle don’t together.

My son has spent the whole day together one of his toys.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Synonyms and Clusters 291

I managed to together a high voltage supply with some old electronics that were lying
around.
We the pieces of wood together in order to make a raft.

Appear to be or believe sb to be Answers on p. 328

He managed to himself off as over 18 even though he is only 15.

I have always him down as an idiot, but now I see that I was wrong.
Don’t me for a fool, or you will regret it.
He across as cold and aloof, but he is actually just shy and untalkative.
He me as meticulous and professional, and his team on him as a good
boss.
His colleagues him up as a saint, but I know better.

Respond to sb or sth at a later time Answers on p. 328

I’m afraid I can’t speak now, so I’ll have to back to you at a later time.
We have up on their complaints, and we have found that the grievances were well
warranted.
We need to on these complaints, or else our business will suffer.
We also need to up our suppliers, and find out why deliveries have been held up.

Survive on sth Answers on p. 328

As students, we by on loans from the bank and part-time jobs.

When we realised we could do with a smaller house, we decided to sell up and move
out.
The herbivore on plants, while the carnivore on other animals.
He the generosity of others.

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 Deception Answers on p. 328

He out that he was a very wealthy man, but the truth was very different. However,
everyone for it.
You all thought that I was upset, but I was actually it on.
We were all in by the lies that were going round in the newspapers.
Unfortunately, he was out of his fortune by his relatives.
The taxi driver me off by taking a much longer route.

Loud noises Answers on p. 328

The wedding bells were out and the crowds were gathering together to throw confetti
over the bride and groom.
I couldn’t hear what he was saying because the noise of the road works out his voice.
The sound of the radio was always out during lunchtime.
He had a deep voice which would out whenever he gave a speech.

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 ANSWERS

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 294

MOST COMMON
3 Nowadays, many people are aware that cutting down on
carbohydrates can immediately lead to weight loss.

PHRASAL VERBS 4 It was so icy in the town centre that many people were
slipping over on the pavement.
5 I have always got on well with my auntie’s family; we have a
lot in common and they are rather laid-back, which makes
them easy to chat to.
Exercise 1 from p. 5 6 Unfortunately, he is not a very punctual person; he will often
let you down by not showing up at the appointed time.
I got up at half past seven, put on my trousers, and buttoned up
7 I’m sorry, but I can’t speak to you at the moment. Can I call
my shirt. Putting my wallet and keys into my jacket pocket, I
came into the kitchen and switched on the kettle. My son was you back in half an hour?
8 I tripped over a large rock that was lying on the path, and it
putting together a boat with pieces of Lego while my wife was
taking bread out of the toaster. Since I had overslept, I gobbled up left me screaming in agony.
my breakfast, drank up my tea and dashed off to work. Getting
into the car, I realised I had forgotten to put some important Exercise 5 from p. 11
documents in my briefcase, so I rushed back into the house and
picked them up. I get on well with most members of my family, so I wasn’t
surprised when my sister, Jenny, asked if I’d mind looking after
her daughter on Friday night; and, not wanting to let her down, I
Exercise 2 from p. 6 said that I’d be delighted to help. At 7:30 in the evening, she
turned up with my niece and told me that she would be back to
1 He took a grenade out of the ammunition box and threw it at
pick her up at 10:30. I had run out of food, so we decided to send
the enemy.
out for a pizza. Unfortunately, the delivery driver broke down en
2 Having finished work, I went out of the building, got into the
route, so the pizza arrived late and rather cold. As the shop hadn’t
car, and started the engine.
even bothered to cut the pizza up, I called the manager to make an
3 I had to take the wardrobe apart in order to transport it to the
official complaint. We tried heating a few slices up in the oven,
new house and fit it through the front door.
but they weren’t so tasty; we ended up throwing most of it away.
4 You ought to put on a coat, or you’ll freeze to death.
We have learnt our lesson: next time we will eat out.
5 The platform was crawling with tourists, so it was extremely
difficult to get on the train.
6 The children were wrapping up presents to give to the family, Exercise 6 from p. 12
but musing over what presents they might put down on their
1 I thought that I had sailed through most of the test, but I
own Christmas lists.
7 Tie up your shoelaces, tuck in your shirt, and tie back your couldn’t figure out the answer to the last question.
2 We need to look after the environment by picking rubbish up
hair; you need to look smart for the interview.
8 Taking off his hat, he apologised to all those who were and throwing it away.
3 I’m looking forward to eating out at that incredible restaurant,
gathered around him.
splashing out on the most expensive dish, and wolfing it all
down with enthusiasm.
Exercise 3 from p. 9 4 He asked her out, but she turned him down; she didn’t like
what he did for a living.
I’m really looking forward to going skiing at the end of February.
5 Having played atrociously for the entire match, I felt as though
My wife and I have decided to go without the kids as they are still
I had let the whole team down.
too young to go skiing. Fortunately, my mum has offered to look
6 There were several particularly violent scenes in the film
after them for the duration of the trip. I have asked a friend
where body parts were cut off.
whether he wouldn’t mind dropping us off at the airport, and I am
7 My lunch had already cooled down, so I decided to heat it up
sure he won’t let us down. My wife is worried that one of us will
fall over on the slopes and break a bone, but I reassured her, in the microwave.
8 My son called, asking for help, so I agreed to pick him up at
explaining that we will only go down the easier slopes. I am
cutting down on cigarettes at the moment, and I hope that this trip 16:00. Unfortunately, there was a traffic jam, so I ended up
will make it easier for me to give up completely; it always seems dropping him off at the station at 18:00. But breaking down
easier to stop bad habits whenever you change your routine. on the way back meant that I had to call out the AA (vehicle
repair service).
9 I’m going to give up smoking eventually, but firstly I’ll cut
Exercise 4 from p. 9 down.
10 He turned up late 3 days in a row, so the boss had a go at him.
1 Our dog got lost in the woods, and so we started to look for
However, I don’t think the boss will let him go.
her; the woods were massive, so we split up, thinking that we
would find her quicker if we went in different directions.
2 Can you find out what time our plane takes off on Saturday? Exercise 7 from p. 15
I need to pass the details on to our taxi driver.
Dashing off to work, I turned up the volume on my headphones to
make them louder, and ran down the road. My colleague had

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 295

agreed to pick me up at the corner of the street. It was a freezing 5 I forked out £20 on it last week, and by today it had already
cold morning, and when I got into the car, my mate turned on the broken; The shop definitely ripped me off, so I’ll be taking it
heater to warm me up. I was incredibly tired, so I dropped off in back tomorrow, and I expect a full refund.
the passenger seat. This was a good idea as the traffic was tailing 6 He came into a lot of money when his great aunt passed away,
back on the motorway; it took me almost 2 hours to get to work. so he splashed out on a Ferrari.
7 The enemy were holed up in the mountains for 3 weeks,
refusing to give up. Eventually, we came up with a way to
Exercise 8 from p. 15
flush them out.
1 If we set/head/dash/shoot/take/tear off in five minutes, we 8 Every time we chat on the phone, she’s either rambling on
will definitely get there on time. about money, waffling on about her children, or banging on
2 That music has been belting out all night. I am going to tell about the latest gossip.
them to turn it down. 9 He broke down in tears when his girlfriend said she had been
3 I think a teacher ought to pick students up on their mistakes; cheating on him.
otherwise, they won’t improve.
4 I can’t work out the answer to question 7, and I’m not sure
how I ought to come at the problem.
5 I am sure that he was trying to rip/mug me off; on two
different occasions, he has given me a five-pound note instead DO Phrasal Verbs
of a ten-pound note.
6 You ought to sit by the fire to warm up; it is freezing at this
time of year and you haven’t wrapped yourself up for this kind Exercise 1 from p. 20
of weather. The fact that we decided to do up our flat had nothing to do with
7 He came into a great deal of money when his great aunt the barbed comments that some friends had come out with during
passed away. their last visit. The day after the visit we splashed out on new
8 We were in the middle of a conversation on Skype when we flooring and wallpaper, doing the whole ground floor out in a
suddenly got cut off. Victorian style. I couldn’t possibly do without my cosy fireplace,
so we decided to keep it but paint over it once again. The flooring
Exercise 9 from p. 17 company tried to do us out of 2000 quid, but we had already
figured out that the total cost should only come to £1500; having
When I found out that I had put on another 10 kilograms, I taken the problem up with senior management, we were quickly
decided it was high time I started working out and cutting down given a complete refund. We only have to iron out a few problems
on sweet food. I signed up for a one-year subscription at my local next week, and then the renovations will be finished. No one will
sports centre, hoping that I would burn off lots of calories in the have the nerve to run our house down again.
swimming pool, on the badminton court, and in the gym. During
my first visit, I managed to pull a muscle while working out, no
doubt because I hadn’t warmed up before getting on the machines. Exercise 2 from p. 21
After my second visit, which was to the swimming pool, I came 1 People tend to dress up if they are going to the theatre.
home and began throwing up. I put the symptoms down to a nasty 2 Most people in the modern world find it very difficult to go
stomach infection that I must have picked up while swimming. without their phone for a few days.
And on the third visit, which was to the badminton court with my 3 Having done a lot of sport this morning, I could do with a
best friend, I was informed that I would have to pay extra for the large bottle of water; I am thirsty and completely worn-out.
badminton court. The subscription fees were incredibly expensive, 4 I think the government ought to do away with capital
so I was taken aback to learn that I would have to fork out even punishment: it doesn’t do anybody any good.
more money. In the end, I gave up trying to lose weight at the 5 Her mother is always doing her down. She makes the same
sport’s centre and splashed out on a new bike. scathing remarks over and over again.
6 His own brother did him out of his inheritance, so now he is
Exercise 10 from p. 18 done for.
7 This course will make you do the same phrasal verbs over and
1 He stopped working out at the gym, and since then he has put over again, and I hope they eventually will sink in.
on about 20 kilos. 8 We did our whole house out in blue, but this had nothing to do
2 I’ll be taking off as soon as the boss wraps up the meeting; I
with me. It was my wife’s idea.
have to go to great lengths not to drop off while he’s going on
about performance standards.
3 One of my colleagues gave me a lift to work, but someone cut
us up on the way there, and we crashed into his car, so I
turned up late again.
4 We decided to do up our flat during the autumn period; we
want to do our bedroom out in a new colour.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 296

 private lives. It’s easier to get on with your friends, your
MAKE Phrasal Verbs colleagues and your family members by getting into grammar.
And it’s easier to get your message through to the audience when
you jazz your speech up with a few rhetorical devices. While it is
Exercise 1 from p. 24
true that some successful people do get by with a very limited
Having introduced himself, the journalist made out that he was a vocabulary, you should always do your best to polish up your
solicitor representing several members of my family. He wanted to vocabulary and brush up your grammar.
ferret out as many details as possible in regards to my father, who
had passed away in the previous year. I wanted to see exactly what
he was jotting down on his notepad, but I couldn’t make out his Exercise 2 from p. 28
handwriting. He asked me what I made of the stories that had been 1 When I was a student, I mainly got by on junk food as I
put out in several newspapers regarding my father’s extra-marital couldn’t be bothered to cook.
activities. I replied that a number of malicious family members, 2 During those hard times, it was very difficult to get by; we got
bearing a grudge against my father because he had diddled them behind with our mortgage repayments, and we had nothing set
out of a small fortune, had made up a number of stories in order aside for a rainy day.
to get their own back. The ‘solicitor’ reeled off many other 3 Even though the criminal was caught, he got away with it in
personal questions that I felt were inappropriate. In the end, I the end; I thought he was going to be sent down for at least 5
threw him out for his impertinence, but I did get in touch with my years, but the judge let him off with a suspended sentence.
disgruntled relatives; I made up for my father’s bad deeds by 4 I don’t know when I will get round to doing the washing up;
cutting them in on the inheritance that I had received. I’d better crack on with this homework before I knuckle down
with the housework.
5 If he keeps getting at you with snide comments, you need to
Exercise 2 from p. 24
stand up for yourself!
1 The bank robbers had made off with thousands of pounds, but 6 If you leave your name and number, I’ll get back to you as
the police car was bearing down on them. soon as I’m available.
2 I’m so sorry for throwing away that box containing all your 7 I took up windsurfing as a child, but then gave it up in
old photos. I had no idea what was inside. How can I make it adolescence. Recently, I have got back into it.
up to you?
3 What do you make of the new Prime Minister? Do you think
he’ll do away with some of the disastrous policies of the Exercise 3 from p. 30
previous government and start bringing in some more effective I have always got on with my sister’s family; her husband is
ones? getting on a bit, but he is still young at heart; her kids are always
4 If you don’t have an ashtray, you’ll have to make do with this getting up to something, but they love mucking about with my
plate. But please, don’t stub it out on the plate. Put it out under own kids; and my sister is always going on about her colleagues,
a cold tap, then get rid of it. but her stories are hilarious. I’ve been so tied up with work for the
5 Journalists regularly make up stories in order to manipulate past few months that I only got round to inviting them over last
public perception; they often make out that they are impartial weekend. Firstly, my brother-in-law tried to wriggle out of it as he
judges who pass on indisputable facts. In reality, they churn was snowed under at work, but in the end he caved in to our
out the same rubbish week after week. demands and agreed to join us. They got to our house at 19:00,
6 Brian broke up with his girlfriend on Friday, but by Monday and we immediately sat down to have dinner. Unfortunately, the
he had already made up with her. meal was a complete disaster as the meat had gone off, so we had
7 I felt as though I would throw up, so I made for the toilet. to get rid of it. Instead, we sent out for a Chinese take-away, and
8 I made up for my mistake by splashing out on a bunch of this managed to make up for the terrible dinner.
flowers.
9 The press have been making him out to be a monster, but in
reality he has been doing good deeds all his life. Exercise 4 from p. 31
10 The course is geared towards all levels and abilities, so classes 1 I am desperate to have tomorrow off, but I don’t know how I
are made up of students from a wide range of backgrounds. can wriggle out of it. What kind of excuse should I make up?
It’s not so easy to wrap the boss around my little finger.
2 It took me 30 minutes to get through to the relevant
department. I won’t be calling them back in a hurry!
3 She’s incredibly good at getting round her father. He’s such a
GET Phrasal Verbs soft touch! (He is very easily manipulated)
4 I’ve been trying to make her understand that she should finish
with him, but I can’t get through to her.
Exercise 1 from p. 27 5 Look at the time! As it’s getting on, we ought to set off;
Getting across your ideas in a concise and clear manner is an otherwise, we won’t be in time for our flight.
essential life skill. If people don’t understand what you’re getting 6 To get through the winter, many animals stock up on food
at, you’re less likely to get what you want in both your public and supplies, find a safe place, and sleep.

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7 Their engagement broke down last week, and he still hasn’t Exercise 2 from p. 37
got over losing her.
1 The soup that I had for the first course was disgusting; I took
8 He’s rather sadistic: he seems to get off on hurting others.
this up with the manager, and they offered not to charge me
for this meal.
Exercise 5 from p. 33 2 I had to take apart my old sofa in order to get it through the
door of my new house.
In the last year of university, I got mixed up with a bad crowd. My
3 I took my boss aside as I wanted to say something to him in
new friends spent most of their time bunking off classes and
private.
getting drunk. They weren’t interested in getting anything out of
4 All my old books were taking up far too much space, so I
their courses. One night, we all got carried away and ended up
decided to stash them away in the attic.
vandalising several buildings on campus. News soon got round
5 He takes after his father: they both work themselves into a
that we were the culprits, and I decided to own up to my own role
state too quickly. They need to learn to control their emotions.
in these crimes. However, the dean of the university wanted to
6 When I was 14, I took up windsurfing; I loved it because I
know who else had played a part in these mindless acts of
loved being on the beach, and the air was so fresh when I was
destruction, so he asked me to turn in my so-called friends. When
surfing the waves.
I refused to grass them up, I was swiftly kicked out of university.
Not one of my new friends apologised for how the situation had
played out, and this really got me down. Exercise 3 from p. 39
Last week my old boss stepped down, and I was hoping to take
Exercise 6 from p. 34 over our department. I was happy to take on all the extra
responsibilities because it meant a move up the pay scale and a
1 The price of gold shot up last week. It really got me down as I
much bigger office. My paperwork had been piling up in
had just sold off the rest of my gold investments before the
cardboard boxes that were taking up far too much space, so a
price skyrocketed. I completely missed out on the rally.
move into a bigger office sounded fantastic; however, yesterday
2 If you want to get in on the oil price, you’ll have to buy up
the CEO took me aside and asked what I made of Peter, a
some shares soon.
colleague of mine. He was interested in putting Peter in charge of
3 Sherlock Holmes was determined to get to the bottom of the
the department, so he wanted to know if the rest of the department
mystery and to fathom out exactly what had happened.
got on with him. I was so taken aback that I was speechless for a
4 When the news got out that the company would go bust, the
few seconds; nevertheless, I managed to hold back my anger and
share price plummeted.
tell him that Peter was a strong candidate and an easy-going
5 We ought to get down to finishing the project, or else we’ll
colleague. Today, the CEO took me aside once more and told me
still be working on it next year.
that he had changed his mind and would like me to take over; I
6 He gets off work at 18:00, so let’s meet up at 18:30.
immediately took him up on the offer.
7 When I was getting in the taxi, my sleeve got stuck in the
door, tearing off a couple of buttons.
8 The ferry docked at the Port of Calais, and we all had to get Exercise 4 from p. 40
off and go through customs.
1 The smell of plasticine always takes me back to my
childhood; sometimes, I wish I had never grown up.
2 While I was young, I would spend hours putting together
models of tanks and boats and planes; when they were

TAKE Phrasal Verbs 3

finished, I would jazz them up with a lick of paint.
If she got angry, she would usually take it out on her younger
siblings.
4 When I got home I flung off my jacket and tie, threw my keys
Exercise 1 from p. 36
and mobile on the table, and collapsed on the sofa; the long
Taking off my hat and coat, I started to inspect the library around day had really taken it out of me.
me; the room was massive, and the bookshelves were crammed 5 To learn phrasal verbs in detail, there is a large amount of
with books of all descriptions. The librarian was taking down a vocabulary to take in; indeed, it make take a few months to
sign that exclaimed ‘silence’ and putting one up in it’s place that fully sink in. But you won’t regret it.
said, ‘please turn off all mobile phones and devices’. I quietly took 6 I take after my father; both of us are forthright, and we will
my book out of my bag and began reading; the book was ‘Lord of speak out if we see good reason to. Last week, I saw that the
the Flies’, and the front cover took me back to my teenage years, council had once again failed to collect the bins on time, so I
because I had already read the book at school. The cover showed took the issue up with my local MP.
Piggy’s broken glasses, hinting at the evil murder that would soon 7 They took the great detective for a fool, and doing so was
take place. As a boy, I had enjoyed reading this story; however, as their greatest mistake. For while he came across as an idiot,
an adult, I understood that the book contained dangerous ideas that Columbo was not only a great detective but also a master
legitimized man’s evil impulses as unavoidable desires. tactician. He knew that if he made out he was stupid, the
culprit would be more likely to make a mistake.

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8 The factory took on 50 new employees last month. The putting on her face. He handed over some new cream, but my
managers hope to turn out twice as many cars next year. niece didn’t want to use any more skin creams. After some gentle
persuasion she came round; and after a few days of using the
cream, the rash had faded away.

Exercise 2 from p. 47
GIVE Phrasal Verbs
1 When his great uncle died, he came into a fortune, so he
splashed out on a new car.
Exercise 1 from p. 43 2 He’s a peculiar person that comes out with the strangest things
My children had been going on about the new theme park for when you’d least expect it.
3 How did last night’s fire come about?
months. In the end, I gave in to their demands and promised to
4 The shock was so great that our protagonist passed out. But
take them out for a day. The theme park was 30 km away, and the
kids were bickering the whole way there. I had to give them a within a few seconds, he was already coming to/round.
5 Their success comes down to their skill. Luck doesn’t come
stern ticking off, which quickly shut them up. Next, the car started
giving off a strange smell, so I pulled over to have a look under into it. Talent is what it all hinges on. And talent boils down to
the bonnet. At first everything seemed OK, but when I pulled out training.
6 We bought in lots of food, sorted out loads of games, and
into traffic, the engine gave out. In the end, we had to give up on
the idea of the theme park, and I felt guilty for letting the kids asked over hundreds of people, but the party didn’t come off
down even though it wasn’t my fault. as well as we had hoped.
7 The weatherman says that the rain will hold off and the sun
will come out in an hour or two.
Exercise 2 from p. 43 8 We’re going on a trip. Would you like to come along?
1 Unfortunately, she fell in with a bad crowd as a teenager. She
started falling behind the other pupils, and eventually even her Exercise 3 from p. 50
teachers gave up on her.
2 If the soldiers are captured, they might give away our The Secretary of State for Education came in for severe criticism
position, thereby endangering a vast number of lives. today when he asserted on Twitter that European education
3 If I don’t give back that library book soon, my mum will give standards didn’t come up to British standards. Several opposition
me a ticking off. She has been going on at me to take it back MPs came out against the minister, calling on him to step down. A
for months. Liberal Democrat claimed that Britain would come up against
4 The soldiers had been holed up for a number of weeks, and difficulties during future negotiations because of these barbed
their enemies were attempting to flush them out of their comments, even suggesting that we may not get through Brexit
positions. They held out for about 24 days in total. In the end, with a free trade agreement. The Prime Minister is expected to
they gave up on reinforcements showing up, and came out of rein in the members of her party, coming down heavily on their
their positions with the white flag waving. irresponsible use of social media.
5 The doctor warned him to give up alcohol or face serious
consequences, which included the possibility that his heart Exercise 4 from p. 50
would give out.
6 The teacher gave out the homework for next week. She then 1 I’m really sorry! I don’t know what came over me. When I
reminded us to look through all the phrasal verbs we had saw the pickpocket creep up on her and fish out her mobile, I
already studied and learn them by heart. got carried away and lashed out at him.
2 The police ought to come down more heavily on those
managers of firms that have a poor safety record. If the firms’
health and safety procedures don’t come up to the required
standard, they ought not to get away with it.

COME Phrasal Verbs 3 I broke out in a rash the day after I came down with the flu.
So, I popped into the chemist’s to pick up some medicine.
4 You’ll probably come up against a few difficulties in question
Exercise 1 from p. 46 three, but if you come at the problem in a rational and
methodical way, you ought to be able to figure it out.
My niece was admitted to hospital last week as she had come 5 The mugger, brandishing a large blade, came over to the
down with a nasty skin infection. Her parents first noticed the passer-by and quickly snatched the phone out of her hands.
infection when her face came out in a rash. They tried applying The victim, in fear for her life, just froze up. There were
some cream, but this made the red marks come out even brighter several onlookers, but no one was brave enough to make after
than before. In the end, they went to the hospital and found a the thief.
specialist, and one who came across as very knowledgeable in his 6 Several politicians came out against the idea of a second
field. He asked how the symptoms had come about, but not one of referendum, claiming that another vote would undermine
my relatives had the foggiest idea. He told them the rash could democracy. Theresa May has ruled out a second vote under all
have been brought on by a new cosmetic that my niece had been circumstances.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 299

7 I can’t remember his name at the moment, but if I stop around the office, and running around after my boss. Last week, I
dwelling on it, I’m sure it’ll come back to me. let my emotions run away with me; I blurted out that the
8 The minister has come under a great deal of scrutiny since management ought to consider taking on more staff members to
making those comments. cope with the increasing workload. Faces immediately clouded
over as no one from management really wanted to run up more
expenses than were absolutely necessary.

Exercise 2 from p. 57
PUT Phrasal Verbs
1 I cringe every time I see his parents running around after him.
They are bringing up a monster!
Exercise 1 from p. 54 2 As you can see, I let my imagination run away with me for
Many people put the problem of youth-homelessness down to this poem.
3 She ran up to me, brimming with enthusiasm and grinning
poverty, but many other factors can play a part. Some adolescents
come up against difficulties when their parents, angry with their from ear to ear.
4 The police ran after the pickpocket, but they couldn’t catch up
offspring for one reason or another, kick them out of the house.
They may feel embarrassed to ask other members of their family with him.
5 He ran away from home after his dad had a go at him, but
for help, as they may not want to put them out. And if no one else
in the family is willing to put them up, they are unlikely to find a came back a few days later.
6 If we keep on buying all this pricey food and drink, we are
home. Other teenagers have parents that are hooked on narcotics
or alcohol. If the parent of the child refuses to give up or cut going to run up a huge bill.
down, the child may be unable to put up with their behaviour and
thereby leave home. Lastly, the child may have been put down Exercise 3 from p. 60
(and even beaten up) by other family members, and this may be
the reason they ran away from home. Unfortunately, on the way back we ran up against several
obstacles. Firstly, we ran out of petrol on the motorway, so I had
to run up to the nearest petrol station and buy some more. Next, I
Exercise 2 from p. 54 filled the tank up with petrol, but my new car runs on diesel, and
1 If you want to splash out on a new bike at the end of the year, this had slipped my mind when I was in the petrol station. So,
you’ll have to start putting a few quid aside each week. when I tried to start the car, the fuel system got clogged up with
2 I wanted to put forward the idea that we ought to either take the wrong fuel. I had to call out the repair service once again. I ran
on some more staff members or put off the deadline for the through so much money just trying to sort out my car; in future, I
completion of the project. will jump on my bike instead.
3 Last night, there was a fire in the warehouse and the entire
building burnt down. For several hours the fireman were Exercise 4 from p. 60
unable to put out the blaze. They put the cause of the fire
down to an electrical fault. 1 In the meeting, we ran through all the details of next month’s
4 I’m going to Chester and my sister has offered to put me up project.
2 I came down with flu at the beginning of February and this left
for a night, but I didn’t really want to impose on her family. I
feel like I’d be putting them out. me feeling run-down for a few weeks.
5 I don’t know how you put up with his behaviour; he’s always 3 Before you publish the book, run some of the ideas by/past
messing around and lashing out at the other children. your audience to see if the book is likely to go down well.
4 Hilary Clinton ran against Donald Trump in the last US
6 If you don’t mind waiting, we can put you through in 20
minutes. Or, you can call back in half an hour. election.
7 My wife will have steak and please, put me down for the fish. 5 I ran into an old school mate while I was heading into town.
6 Her mother is always running her down; she needs to learn to
8 He was throwing pieces of paper at the teacher while she was
writing on the board. However, when the teacher turned round stand up for herself.
and caught him red handed, he claimed that his friend had put 7 I forgot to turn off the headlights so the batteries have run
him up to it. The teacher decided to punish them both. down.
8 He came into a fortune when his uncle died, but he ran
through it all in a matter of months, splashing out on all sorts
of exorbitant treats, indulging himself with the finest food and
drink, and living in the lap of luxury.

RUN Phrasal Verbs

Exercise 1 from p. 57
I often dream about packing in my job. The main duties are
running off hundreds of photocopies, running back and forth

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 300

SET Phrasal Verbs 3 The project looked like it would never be completed, but I
kept at it, finishing it off at two in the morning.
4 The neighbours were having a party, and the music was
blasting out till the early hours. Eventually the party died
Exercise 1 from p. 63
down, but the noise had kept me up for half the night.
The following document sets out/forth all the terms and 5 My mum keeps on at me about clearing up the mess in my
conditions of the loan. You’ll be expected to pay it off over a room, so I ought to put my stuff away first.
series of monthly instalments, so please set up a direct debit with 6 I think current geopolitical events will keep up the price of oil
your bank. Should you fall behind with your repayments, the and shore up the value of the currency.
penalties for doing so are also clearly set forth/out in the 7 Keep to a regular schedule, keep at the exercises, keep up the
document. If you are planning to spend the loan on business effort, and you are sure to get through the exam. You might
equipment, please remember that such purchases can be set off even sail through it.
against tax. What sets us apart from the other short-term-loan 8 If you only just scrape through the exam, you may find it
providers is that we guarantee the lowest interest rates on the difficult to keep up with the other students on this course.
market.

Exercise 3 from p. 69
Exercise 2 from p. 64
A fight broke out at a cafe yesterday involving two footballers and
1 Creeping through the undergrowth, the soldier unwittingly a civil servant. CCTV Footage shows that the official was
tripped over a wire, setting off a bomb that blew him to gobbling up his fry-up when the two men and their friends flooded
smithereens. into the cafe, swearing, shouting, and acting aggressively. Their
2 Winter will be setting in soon, so we ought to find shelter from behaviour was keeping the civil servant from enjoying his meal,
the elements. so he walked over to their table and politely asked them to keep
3 My last computer set me back 500 quid. the noise down. However, he should have kept out of it, for the
4 The police tried to set the suspect up by planting a gun in his footballers’ response was brutal. They lashed out at him with
pocket. punches and kicks, even throwing chairs and tables at him. The
5 Her skilful use of poetic language sets her apart from the footballers’ friends tried to keep the angry young men back, but to
other members of the debating society. no avail. The victim passed out in the attack and is currently
6 He set out to become the best lawyer in the business, but he recovering in hospital. The doctors think he is likely to pull
soon discovered that his oratory skills weren’t up to it. through, though he may require a wheelchair.
7 I set about washing the dishes and tidying up as I knew my
auntie was going to pop round.
8 When I came back to the UK, I decided to set up an online Exercise 4 from p. 70
business so that I could work for myself and work from home. 1 To avoid putting on weight, it’s necessary to keep off certain
types of food and drink.
2 The pupil had been playing up all lesson, so his teacher
decided to keep him in for the lunch break.
3 The church bells were pealing out, and they were keeping me
KEEP Phrasal Verbs from finishing an excellent book.
4 The detective could tell that the suspect was keeping
something from him; he needed to employ a method that
Exercise 1 from p. 66 would drag the truth out of him.
I enjoy reading and listening to UK and US media online; not only 5 If a fight breaks out, you ought to keep out of it. Getting
do they keep me abreast of what’s happening around the world, mixed up in these battles is the worst thing you can do. If you
but they also enable me to keep up with the other students in my are threatened, try to keep it together and walk away.
English-language classes. At the moment, news sources keep on 6 He regularly drops by his auntie’s house as he is doing his best
about the recent boxing match that ended when one boxer didn’t to keep in with that side of the family. He thinks that he may
keep his guard up, so he was knocked out in the first round. He come into their money one day.
landed up in a coma, with the doctors not knowing if he’d ever
come round. The press have been kept out of the hospital, so there
have been no photos in the newspapers.

Exercise 2 from p. 67
GO Phrasal Verbs
1 I can let you in on a little secret, but you must keep it to
yourself. Exercise 1 from p. 73
2 Over the last few weeks your English has really come on. If Last night, I heard fireworks going off, so I went out to see what
you keep to a routine of about three hours a week, you’ll be was going on. I could hear music belting out from my neighbours
ready for the exam. garden, and when I peered over the fence, I saw they were having

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 301

a bonfire party. This surprised me as it was chucking it down, and
all the guests were soaked through. The host, who was setting off TURN Phrasal Verbs
fireworks, must have decided to go ahead/through with the party
in spite of the rain. The party went on for another 3 or 4 hours
Exercise 1 from p. 80
before people started to head back home.
If I could turn back the clock, I would probably go back to when I
was 21 years old, just before I had that accident and landed myself
Exercise 2 from p. 73 in hospital. My car had veered off the road and completely turned
1 Moving home can be a very difficult experience to go over so that I was upside down when the fire service arrived. I
through. was so seriously injured that I had to remain in hospital for 2
2 The fire went on burning for another half an hour, but weeks. Word soon got around that I had been drinking before the
eventually it went out. accident, and many of my former friends turned on/against me. I
3 When I was growing up, I had my hair tied back in a pony tail, turned up at my best friend’s doorstep once I had got over my
and my dad would go on at me about getting my hair cut. injuries, but he simply turned me away, refusing to even speak to
4 I don’t think I could go without my mobile nowadays. I can’t me.
sort anything out without it.
5 I’m not sure that we should go ahead with this plan. There are Exercise 2 from p. 80
many things that could go wrong.
6 Having run through the requirements, and having briefly run 1 If you knew that your friend was getting up to all sorts of
them past my superiors, I am pleased to say we shall go ahead serious crimes, would you turn him in?
with the project. 2 That factory has been turning out aircraft since the 1950s.
7 Your tie goes with the colour of your eyes. You look good 3 Don’t worry if you can’t find your keys. I am sure they will
when you dress up. turn up somewhere when you settle down.
8 When she got pregnant, her diet changed and she craved for 4 We got to the nightclub at 12:30, but we were turned away.
new foods. However, she went off chocolate and cakes. Apparently they stop letting people in after midnight.
5 I heard a faint voice calling, but I couldn’t make out what was
being said. On turning round, I saw that it was an old friend
Exercise 3 from p. 76 that I hadn’t bumped into in ages.
I don’t really want to go into the details, but three young men 6 He usually turned to his uncle if he needed help, so he asked
went after my cousin, and one of them was armed with a knife. his uncle to put him up, and his uncle agreed. A few days later,
My cousin managed to fend them off, using his briefcase as a his uncle got fed up with his bad habits, and turned him out in
make-do shield. There are often youngsters in that area who go the middle of the night.
around looking for a fight, so this event came as no surprise to 7 The police were rummaging through his belongings, but they
me. The police actually managed to catch up with the attackers on didn’t turn up any incriminating evidence.
that same night, and it looks as though the armed attacker could go 8 She had really knuckled down in order to pass the test,
down for 6 months or even a year. Personally, I think the judge brushing up on all aspects of the course. The exam turned out
ought to send him down for even longer. to be really easy, so she sailed through it, passing with flying
colours.

Exercise 4 from p. 76
1 My name is Felix, but on YouTube I go by the handle
‘PewDiePie’.
2 Jack the Ripper went down in history as the world’s first serial BRING Phrasal Verbs
killer.
3 If you keep going back on your promises, nobody will take
you seriously. Exercise 1 from p. 84
4 I thought that the food at the party went down really well with Members of parliament have been asked to mull over the
the guests. consequences of bringing in a 35-hour working week. During the
5 If you keep going back over these phrasal verbs, they will discussion, which has been brought forward to Friday the 28th so
start to sink in. as not to clash with other debates, the Liberal Democrats hope to
6 I don’t like him as he often goes around boasting about how bring round MPs from the Labour Party. However, they will need
great he is. He comes across as arrogant and stuck-up. to proceed cautiously, or else several members of their own party
may turn against them. Several politicians have pointed out that
such legislation would bring about massive changes, that the
legislation would need to be phased in over a long period, and that
this new bill would be unlikely to get through the House of Lords.
In summary, it remains doubtful that the Liberal Democrats will
be able to bring this off.

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Exercise 2 from p. 84
PLAY Phrasal Verbs
1 Both my parents passed away while I was still young; my
grandparents brought me up.
2 The downsizing of several large firms has sparked off a wave Exercise 1 from p. 90
of redundancies, bringing about a spike in the unemployment My football team were scheduled to play away last Saturday, and
figures. we managed to see off our opponents with a 3–0 win. We played
3 He has cheered up since he started going out with her; she on their lack of height, feeding the midfield and attack with high
brings out the very best in him. balls. We also played to our main strength, which was our greater
4 Conspirators attempted to blow up parliament, thereby stamina. Nonetheless, I’m not sure what the referee was playing
bringing down King James and the Church of England. at; firstly, he missed two handballs in the penalty area. Secondly, I
5 The smell of paint always brings me back to my childhood; I was clearly brought down unfairly by one of the opponents, but
have been into painting for as long as I can remember. the referee didn’t even pull out a yellow card. Still, we played
6 The referee decided that the player had dived, so he didn’t along with the referee’s decisions, and we were delighted with the
give a free kick, but I’m sure that the man was brought down. final result. However, my leg has been playing up all week, so I’m
7 I have already brought up the idea of splashing out on a new going to see about arranging a doctor’s appointment tomorrow.
car several times, but she’d rather put the money aside for a
second holiday; it’s going to be really difficult to bring her
round. Exercise 2 from p. 91
8 Some politicians have even put forward the idea of bringing 1 The situation was incredibly hard to predict; no one could see
back capital punishment, but it is unlikely they will win over beyond the next five minutes, so no one knew how things
their peers on this issue. would play out.
2 What the hell are you playing at? If you keep playing around
with that gun, it might go off by accident, seriously injuring or
even killing someone.
3 I thought that he was talking absolute rubbish, so I was
SEE Phrasal Verbs tempted to chime in with my own opinions, but in the end I
kept my mouth shut and played along with what he claimed. It
seemed a lot more fun this way.
Exercise 1 from p. 87 4 My chess opponent was playing me for a fool, so I made a
We decided to see the New Year in for a change, so we bought in decisive move that alerted him to the fact that he had already
loads of food and drink and rang up everyone that we knew to lost the game.
invite them over for the party. We bought 20 bottles of Champagne 5 Several politicians have been playing down the government’s
and 2 crates of beer, but I wasn’t sure that the beer would see us failure to reach its targets, arguing that these targets were
through the whole night. So, I called a couple of mates and asked unrealistic in the first place.
them to stock up on beers on their way round to our place. During 6 Children will always attempt to play their father off against
the party, I saw to all the guests, topping up their glasses and their mother; corruption begins at a very early age.
passing round the nibbles. My wife saw to the younger kids, 7 She’s been playing up to the boss for at least a month. I think
sorting out party games, unwrapping presents and putting on new she is going to be rewarded with a promotion.
music. 8 Who’s been playing around with my laptop? Someone has
fiddled around with it, so all the settings are different.

Exercise 2 from p. 87
1 Not only is he full of himself, but also he’s insincere. I don’t
know what she sees in him. I imagine, and hope, that they’ll
break up soon. DRAW Phrasal Verbs
2 I’ll have to see about getting the boiler repaired as it’s getting
colder, and we can’t go without the central heating in October.
3 I fell behind with a lot of coursework in my last year of Exercise 1 from p. 93
university, but eventually I managed to see it through. The The sun had already gone down, the night was drawing in, and
thought of dropping out was horrifying, and it spurred me on. Detective O Connor was drawing up a list of suspects. Having
4 Scrolling up, I noticed that the email asking for my bank drawn up a chair, he sat down and started to narrow down the list
account details was from a strange email address. These by considering their alibis. Not one of the suspects had a
phishing scams are pretty easy to see through, but also pretty watertight alibi, so he could see that this case was likely to drag on
easy to fall for. for longer than expected. It seemed likely that he would need to
5 He’s convinced that she is head-over-heels in love with him. draw on all those precious skills he had picked up over the years.
He needs to see through her lies. He can’t see anything Firstly, he needed to draw in a number of credible witnesses, and
beyond her pretty face. then he might be able to drag the truth out of one of them.
6 I saw the guests in at 8 o clock and saw them out at 11.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 303

Exercise 2 from p. 94
HOLD Phrasal Verbs
1 I wish my boss wouldn’t draw the meetings out for 1 hour. We
could sort everything out in 15 minutes if we wanted to.
2 The festival usually draws in about 50 000 people. Exercise 1 from p. 100
3 Is that your taxi? A car has just drawn up outside. The prosecution lawyer set forth the main reasons for doubting the
4 The proton is always drawn towards the electron on account veracity of the defendant’s assertions. Firstly, his alibi didn’t hold
of its electric charge. up; several witnesses had seen him in the vicinity of the bank
5 Are you sure that he has calmed down? I don’t want to be close to the time of the robbery. Secondly, the defendant seemed to
drawn into another pointless argument. be holding something back when he was asked about the current
6 He’s an incredibly shy teenager. I think he will open up if we whereabouts of his vehicle. It was certainly suspicious that his
draw him out of his shell. vehicle had vanished on the same day that the robbers had held up
7 We need to draw up a rough draft of the plans, or else they the bank. Lastly, the prosecution argued that the defendant was a
will have no idea of the schedule that we are working to. man who had been unable to hold down a job for some time;
8 Once you have drawn off the excess water, you will be left therefore, he needed the money and had very little to lose. The
with the white precipitate of silver bromide. defence team had been holding out for an acquittal, but the
prosecution won over the jury; the defendant was sent down for 4
years.

CALL Phrasal Verbs Exercise 2 from p. 100

1 I heard that your brother got out of hospital last week. How is
he holding up?
Exercise 1 from p. 96 2 The onset of winter and the freezing cold temperatures held
The smell of paint has always called up memories of childhood, back the next stage of construction for 3 months, but we hope
and I put this down to the fact that my parents would paint our to make up for lost time in the summer months.
fence every summer, so the whole garden reeked of the stuff. 3 I held out my arm for the bus, but the driver didn’t pull over;
Yesterday, my mother called in on me, wanting to call in a favour; he just drove past me without even looking at me.
she had been looking after the kids most evenings, so I couldn’t 4 I had so much anger bottled up inside of me, but I had to hold
turn her down. She told me that her fence was in terrible myself back and smile at the customer while I dealt with his
condition, and the situation called for urgent action. I went complaint.
straight over to her house, grabbed the paint and brush from the 5 The teacher keeps on crossing out my correct answers and
shed, and applied myself in earnest. While I was finishing off the marking down my work; I think he must hold something
last few panels, my mother went over all that I had done, calling against me.
me out on every spot that I had missed. 6 The match was about to start when the heavens opened, and it
began to pelt down with rain. The weather held off play for
another 45 minutes.
Exercise 2 from p. 97 7 I almost burst out laughing when he let me in on the rumour
1 His behaviour was totally unacceptable, so a number of MPs that had been going around. Fortunately, I managed to hold it
have called for the minister to step down. in, as I’m sure my laughter would have got on his nerves.
2 The film is powerful and calls forth a number of intense 8 We’ve been holding up our end of the bargain, and if you
emotions in the audience, such as anger and fear. don’t hold up your end, we will simply call off the whole
3 This train calls at a number of stations, including West Ham project.
and Barking.
4 Call up the main menu and click on ‘settings’.
5 Last night, she let us all in on a little secret: she’s pregnant!
Such news obviously called for a celebration, so I popped to
the supermarket to buy some champagne. LAY Phrasal Verbs
6 The Prime Minister has called on the European Union to
carefully consider the stipulations laid out in the trade
agreement. Exercise 1 from p. 103
7 The pitch was soaked through, so the referee had to call off the Having graduated from university, I set out to find gainful
match. employment; my parents had made it very clear that I wouldn’t be
8 The survivors of the crash had to call on all their strength to laying about the house all day. They had laid down a number of
make it through the harsh conditions of the freezing ground rules which I had to abide by while living under their roof.
mountains. That they managed to hold out for so many weeks Luckily, a local firm took me on as a copywriter, so I was able to
demonstrates that courage must have won out over lay some money aside each month for the rent and a little for
desperation. myself. Eventually, I managed to save up enough to put down a
deposit on my first flat. My parents were happy to see I had landed

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 304

on my feet, and even happier to see that I was moving out; in fact,
they laid on a feast to celebrate the fact that I had bought my first LET Phrasal Verbs
home.
Exercise 1 from p. 109
Exercise 2 from p. 104 Last night was bonfire night, and we decided to have a party and
1 He has been laid up in bed since he came down with flu a few let off some fireworks. Unfortunately, it was chucking it down at
days ago. He’ll be over it tomorrow or the next day. 7:00 pm, so we held off for an hour. A couple of guests who said
2 The newlyweds had laid on a huge buffet for the guests, so they would come let us down as they never showed up; I think the
everyone was piling food onto their plates and filling up their bad weather put them off. However, the rain let up at 8:00 pm, so
glasses in readiness for the toast. we all went outside to watch the display. I had only bothered
3 We had a very short layover in Geneva, but then we got back buying rockets because I can’t stand the little fireworks that fizzle
on the plane and took off. out in a few seconds, not even letting out a large bang!
4 The newspaper laid into the footballer, pointing out that his Nonetheless, I didn’t know what I had let my guests in for when I
marriage had broken down because of his alcoholism. bought these rockets. Without doubt, they were the loudest and
5 The terms and conditions are laid out in the contract, so please brightest that I had ever bought.
go through this document carefully.
6 He’ll be laying his job on the line if he doesn’t carry out the Exercise 2 from p. 110
instructions of management to the letter.
7 I have been trying to lay hold of an old book that I first read as 1 The police have been interrogating the suspect for 3 hours,
a youngster, but which has gone out of print. attempting to wring the truth out of him, but he still hasn’t let
8 The factory had to lay off another 50 employees, as several on.
parts of the business are being hived off. 2 In the first year of his teaching career, he spent most of the
working day shouting at the pupils, coming down heavily on
all forms of misbehaviour. This year he has let up on his
students, realising that a soft approach can be more productive
than a severe one.
BEAR Phrasal Verbs 3 He was accused of having stolen thousands of pounds;
therefore, he was expected to go down for a number of years.
However, the judge let him off with a suspended sentence.
Exercise 1 from p. 106 4 The students had no idea what they were letting themselves in
for when they coughed up £30 for a new text book. However,
Please, bear with me while I relate this story as I do tend to drone
when the new vocabulary started to sink in, they realised that
on, and bear in mind that these events happened a long time ago.
they hadn’t frittered away the money on nothing.
The testimonies of my brothers and sisters will bear out what I
5 I asked the pupil to hand in the essay by the end of the week,
have said. During childhood, I was kicked out of school for
but instead he just fobbed me off with a lame excuse. I put off
bunking off classes. I used to head down to the park at lunch time,
the deadline for a few more days, hoping that this would give
and then not go back for the afternoon classes. One day, while I
him the chance to finish off the coursework, but he still let me
was messing around in the park, I suddenly caught a glimpse of
down.
the headmaster in the corner of my eye. He was bearing down on
6 She promised to let me in on her secret providing that I not
me so quickly that even running away was not an option. I was
blurt it out to any of my brothers and sisters.
swiftly given a good ticking off and then told that I shouldn’t
bother coming into school the next day.

Exercise 2 from p. 107

1 There is compelling evidence that bears out his alibi. Perhaps WORK Phrasal Verbs
he should be released from custody.
2 While he was running across the main road, he was run over Exercise 1 from p. 112
by a jeep. He is still bearing up in hospital, but doctors expect
him to make a full recovery. I was reading that several scientists are working towards the
3 The police could find no evidence bearing on his creation of a radio-optical telescope that will be located below sea
disappearance. It was a most perplexing mystery. level. They have already worked out exactly where the site will be
4 If you bear off at the next junction, you should come up to a located, and local media have reported that scientists from all over
roundabout. Turn off at the third exit. the world will be working together on the project. The telescope
5 Bear in mind that the judge let him off with a suspended will be below sea level because the scientists are trying to work
sentence the last time he was in court. This time the judge will around the problem of interference from the world’s oceans. It
come down very heavily on the defendant. has even been suggested that the cosmic microwave background
6 Please bear with us for 5 minutes while we call up your details radiation could actually be a signal emitted by the Earth’s oceans,
on our computer. and if this is the case, we would expect the new telescope not to

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 305

detect any such signal as it is located below sea level. Such 3 What’s wrong with Jake? He’s been down all week, and
suggestions have worked theoretical physicists into a frenzy, yesterday I walked in on him when he was in tears.
mainly because the detection of the cosmic background radiation 4 I am after some AA batteries. Do you know where I could
was the main evidence for the Big Bang. If the new telescope find some?
discovers that the cosmic background signal doesn’t appear below 5 The police have been after him since last November, but they
sea level, it appears that science will have to develop a new theory don’t seem to be able to track him down.
for the beginning of the universe (if, indeed, it even has a 6 Allegations of tax evasion have been levelled against several
beginning). politicians, and it looks as though their relatives have also
been in on it.

Exercise 2 from p. 113

1 I was working out in the gym for 3 hours, and it really helped
Exercise 3 from p. 118
me to work up an appetite. I’m not well up on modern history, but I do enjoy reading about
2 I spent 30 minutes on the exercise bike; I think I managed to ancient history. In particular, I’m into books that discuss the
work off a lot of calories. ancient megalithic structures, their purpose, and their construction.
3 If you work at your pronunciation every day, singing songs Some of the books claim that these ancient sites have nothing to
and reciting poetry, it is sure to gradually improve. do with the burial of the dead, as I was taught at school. Many
4 If you work through the exercise slowly, coming at each researchers are out to prove their own theories, of course, and
problem patiently, you are sure to breeze through the test. some are rather sensible while others are far-fetched. The most
5 The minister’s comments were certainly politically incorrect, persuasive theory for me is the idea that many of these ancient
perhaps even verging on racist and sexist. This is why the sites were observatories for watching the stars. I think those
newspapers were worked into a frenzy. people who put forward such ideas are onto something.
6 It is very difficult to do a somersault, but if you work up to it
on a trampoline, starting with a forward roll, moving on to a
jump and a roll, finishing with a jump, a roll and a landing,
Exercise 4 from p. 119
you will manage to do it quite quickly. 1 My dad was always on at me about getting my hair cut. He
7 He gets so worked-up whenever his brother winds him up; he couldn’t stand my long hair.
needs to chill out and spend more time with others. 2 Tonight’s football game is off due to heavy rain. If we played,
8 He has been moaning about his job since he started, so I don’t we’d have to wade through the water; the whole pitch is
think it’s working out well. I suppose he’ll pack it in soon. water-logged.
3 I forgot to put the milk back in the fridge, so when I tried
drinking it this morning, it had already gone off.
4 You’ll be in for a very difficult last year if you fail your
summer exams. You might even be forced to drop out of
BE Phrasal Verbs university.
5 We’re out of sugar. Who is up for popping down the shops and
buying some more?
Exercise 1 from p. 116 6 I’m sure the new boss is out to sack me. He keeps checking up
Yesterday, my kids asked over some of their friends for a small on me while I’m working, and I get the impression that he
party. Not all of their friends came, however, as a couple of them doesn’t like me. He is after a good reason to let me go.
were down with flu, so they didn’t feel up to coming along.
Nonetheless, 4 friends popped round, and when they arrived, they
told me they were after some bicarbonate of soda and shaving
cream as they were into making ‘slime’. I gave them what they
wanted, even though I thought it was a strange request. After an
hour or so, I noticed that they were being incredibly quiet.
Thinking that they must be up to something, I went up to see what
was going on. Opening the door, I couldn’t believe my eyes: there
was shaving foam all over the floor and baking soda all over the
bed. I told them that the mess was not on, so they would have to
tidy it up immediately.

Exercise 2 from p. 116

1 I don’t think I am cut out for working in a classroom. I don’t
like managing children’s behaviour, and I don’t think I am
good at it.
2 I don’t feel up to going in to work tomorrow. I’ll have to call
in sick.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 306

PHRASAL VERBS AND Exercise 4 from p. 125
1 Be careful! The tide is going out; sometimes people are swept
MOVEMENT away by the strong currents.
2 10 000 football supporters flooded/piled/streamed into the
stadium, singing songs and waving flags.
3 It clouded over for a few hours, but eventually the sun came
Exercise 1 from p. 122 out and we all popped down the beach.
4 He screwed up the junk mail and threw it away, not wanting
Old age has a habit of creeping up on people. At first, you can’t to find out what was in the envelope.
even make out the small grey hairs, but, in the end, your entire 5 I stuck/held out my arm, hoping that a passing car might pull
scalp is crawling with grey hair. You start to lag behind others in over, but nobody wanted to give me a lift.
terms of current affairs and modern gadgets. You find yourself 6 She always takes up far too much space on the sofa, so I have
doubling back to places you have already been as you have to ask her to budge/move up.
forgotten something there. You notice you need to sit down more 7 When I saw the dentist pick up her drill, all the muscles in my
often after small amounts of exercise. And, if you don’t take these jaw tensed up.
breaks, there’s a risk you might be keeling over rather than falling 8 The next few months will be very difficult as demand is low at
over. this time of year, but we will march/soldier/push on and do
our best.
Exercise 2 from p. 122
1 When the President breezed into the room, we all Exercise 5 from p. 127
stood/stepped aside to allow him to sit down at the head of Last week, as soon as the sun came up, I flung on my sports kit
the table. and dashed off to play a game of rugby. Our opponents were top
2 The kidnapper must have crept/sneaked up on his victim, of the league, but we managed to see them off by playing up to our
pinned him down on the floor, tied up his arms, and then superior stamina and speed. I play on the wing, so when the ball is
thrown him into the boot of his car. thrown to me, I have to fly at the defenders, barging through their
3 The police had cordoned off the scene of the crime, and one of biggest players. Our opponents were very unhappy to lose, and
the police officers was ordering passers-by to back/move one of their players was even sent off for throwing the ball at the
away from the police cordon. referee. The 90 minutes whizzed by, as we were enjoying the
4 Our affair had been going on for months; we chose the game so much. After the game, we all breezed into the changing
meeting room for a passionate kiss, but the boss suddenly rooms, pleased with our delightful result.
burst/barged/walked in on us and sacked us before we could
even say a word in our defence.
5 On hearing the punchline, I doubled over in fits of laughter. Exercise 6 from p. 127
Never in my life had I heard such a funny joke. 1 I dashed down the corridor, tripped over the roller skate, and
6 He is lagging/falling/dropping behind the other students. He fell down the stairs, winding up in hospital, where I remained
needs to buckle down, or he won’t get through the rest of the for 3 days.
course; he might even have to drop out and repeat the year. 2 Jumping out of his chair, he flew/came/ran at the intruder in a
7 Several policemen went/ran after the armed robber, and when rage, his face screwed up, his cheeks puffed out, and his eyes
they caught up with him, there was a shoot-out. bulging out.
8 When the pregnant woman got on the train, I 3 Having got the promotion that she wanted, she breezed into
jumped/got/stood up and pointed at my seat. the office an hour after the rest of us had piled in, and sat there
grinning smugly.
4 Please, pull up a chair and push the window to if you are cold.
Exercise 3 from p. 124
You are going to brush up on your phrasal verbs today.
My new cat likes to curl up on a pillow on the sofa, now that we 5 The tide had gone out; the Moon had gone in; the noise of the
are in the winter months. For some reason, whenever I walk past party was trailing off, and the sound of the crickets drowned
her in the garden, she will always stretch out her front legs, and I all the other noises out.
suppose it is a kind of greeting. If she is feeling particularly 6 The thought of someone slowly creeping up on him sent
cheerful, she may even roll over. However, most of the time she shivers down his spine; freezing up, he was unable to turn
seems to be in a bad mood, so my son has named her ‘grumpy round and face his demons. So, he just remained there on his
cat’. If you try to stroke her, her muscles tense up; her face feet, staring into space.
screws up; and she lets out a hiss. She is happiest of all in the 7 The apple was a few centimetres from my fingers, so I
garden, especially when the sun has come out. She may be stretched out and pulled it off the tree.
grumpy, but we love her all the same. 8 The children were running around and messing about; the time
flew/flashed/whizzed by quickly for all the kids, but for
several adults the party really dragged on.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 307

Exercise 7 from p. 130 5 I was almost out of water, so I pulled into a car park, got out
of the car, and dashed to a shop to buy some. The shop was
Traffic is now tailing back 3 km on the M25 from junction 15,
teeming with kids on a school trip, and by the time I got back
because a lorry crashed into another vehicle, spilling its cargo all
to my car, some idiot had blocked me in.
over the motorway. Traffic is also building up on the M6; initial
6 While backing into his drive, he ran over his neighbours dog.
reports suggested that a pedestrian may have been run over.
Sadly, the animal was in so much pain that it had to be put
However, now there are conflicting reports that claim several
down.
police cars closed in on a car containing 3 criminals, eventually
7 At the next junction you need to bear/veer off this road, go
managing to force the driver to slow down and pull up in a lay-by.
round the next roundabout, and take the third exit.
As soon as they got out of the car, the 3 men were taken into
8 Having put the car into reverse, he backed up several metres
police custody for questioning.
and knocked down a cyclist.

Exercise 8 from p. 130

1 The road police flagged me down in the middle of the journey,
so I had to get out and show them my driving license. I also
had to breathe into a breathalyser. UP Phrasal Verbs
2 I pulled up a chair and sat down, spreading out my legs and
stretching out my arms. Exercise 1 from p. 135
3 I asked my dad whether he would mind picking me up at
18:00. I was worried that if he turned up any later, he might For the Christmas party, our boss booked a table for 20 at a nearby
not drop me off in time for my flight. Thai restaurant. I decided to dress up for the event, hoping to
4 A young child was knocked down at the traffic lights make a good impression on some of my colleagues. The boss
yesterday. I think they should lower the speed limit on that picked me up at 7:00 as my house was on his way. He reeked of
road. aftershave and was all spruced up. It took about 20 minutes for
5 My mother waved good bye to me as I got on the plane. Then, the staff to bring out all the food as we had ordered so many
I dozed off as soon as I sat down. dishes; nevertheless, the meal was delicious so we managed to eat
6 We ran away from the scene of the crime, but a policeman ran everything up. We must have run up a huge bill, but it didn’t
after us; within a few minutes, he was already bearing down matter as the company had laid on all the food and drink, so we
on us. didn’t have to cough up a penny.

Exercise 9 from p. 132 Exercise 2 from p. 136

I had a nightmare journey yesterday; firstly, I decided to pop 1 The price of oil has been going up over the last few days, but
down/to/into the supermarket to stock up on food for the kids’ it is expected to level out by the end of the week.
party. However, when I got out of the supermarket, I saw that 2 It was a big party, so she dolled herself up, putting on her best
another driver had blocked me in. I tried to reverse my car through evening dress and high-heeled shoes.
a small gap as I was in a hurry, but I managed to accidentally back 3 The military is beefing up its presence on the eastern borders,
the car into a post. Having damaged my car, I ran out of petrol on with 5000 extra troops flooding into the area in the next few
the way back home, so I was forced to double back and buy a can weeks.
of petrol from the supermarket. Once I had finally filled up with 4 You’re taking up all the space on this sofa. Budge/Move up
petrol, I put the car into first gear and then the engine froze up. In and let someone else sit down.
the end, I had to call out the vehicle repair service. 5 I’ve been saving up for weeks, and finally I have enough
money to splash out on a new bike.
6 In my first year of university, I chilled out too much. By the
Exercise 10 from p. 133 second year I couldn’t keep up with the other students on my
1 I pulled out onto the motorway. A black Mercedes overtook course, and I dropped out at the end of that year.
me, cutting me up as it pulled into my lane. The Mercedes 7 We’re doing up the flat next week; we’ll be ripping out the old
sped away, but I went after him; when I was closing/ homing floor and putting in a new one.
in on him, a policeman pulled me over and gave me a 8 If I don’t cough up another £100, the local council will be
speeding fine. taking me to court.
2 Please, slow down! It’s raining, so you might skid off the road
and crash into the barrier. Exercise 3 from p. 139
3 Traffic has been building/piling up on the ring-road for the
last few hours, and now the cars are tailing back to the The teacher told us that we would be wrapping up the lesson with
intersection. a little test, but we would have to think up the questions
4 Driving out to the countryside would have been impossible ourselves. Each pupil had to think of a phrasal verb, while the
had I not first filled the car up with petrol; however, I still had other students came up with yes and no questions to work out
to jump start the car the next morning when the engine froze which verb it was. No one was able to guess my phrasal verb, so
up. my classmates gave up in the end. My phrasal verb was ‘bring up’

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 308

which has two meanings: mention something and look after 7 So far, the results of the experiment don’t seem to add up: on
someone until they are an adult. Lots of different verbs the one hand, they show that light is a particle, but on the other
came/cropped up in the lesson, so I think this is a good way to go hand, they show that it’s a wave.
back over old material, learning it all by heart. 8 The class lined up in the playground when the fire alarm went
off.

Exercise 4 from p. 139

Exercise 7 from p. 145
1 I hate it when my brother uses all the toilet roll up without
putting out a new one for other members of the family. Seeing her face one more time
2 He has a reputation for always turning/showing/rolling up conjured/stirred/called/summoned up memories of the first time
late. He’ll probably be along if we hang around for a few more we had met: a group of classmates had surrounded her and were
minutes. winding her up. It looked as though a fight were about to flare up.
3 If we don’t book up the trip soon, we’ll have to fork out a lot I was outraged at what they were up to, so I tried to stand up for
more. And if we all go in on a taxi, that will also help bring the poor girl by getting among them and squaring up to the
down the price. biggest bully. I managed to break them up before any punches
4 I’m thinking of taking up badminton; it’s an inexpensive way were thrown, and the bullies headed off home. She has looked up
to keep in shape, and I have a few friends that I can pit myself to me as if I were her older brother ever since that moment.
against.
5 2 muggers set on him while he was walking back, and they
beat him up so badly that he wound/ ended/landed/finished
Exercise 8 from p. 146
up in hospital. I’ll drop by his ward tomorrow to cheer him 1 I took my kids out to a restaurant, and they behaved terribly,
up. showing me up in front of all my friends.
6 If you didn’t like the proposed date, why didn’t you bring this 2 I think the teacher is excellent at maintaining discipline;
up at the meeting? It’s far too late to bring the date forward or however, he is not very well up on his subject.
put the date back. 3 Please, go into the dining room and lay out all the knives and
7 The police have been trying to pin the blame on my uncle, so forks. I will be dishing up your food in ten minutes.
they set him up by planting evidence in his car. 4 The little boy owned up to throwing the piece of paper at the
8 I leafed through the text last night, and I thought that it was a teacher, but he made out that his schoolmate had put him up to
good piece of work, although spelling mistakes did crop up in it.
a few places. 5 I haven’t backed up any of this work for a long time, so I’d
better sort it out tonight otherwise I might lose the whole lot.
6 Have you seen all the new shops which are sprouting up on
Exercise 5 from p. 142
the high street? We’ll have to visit them this weekend and look
I have always looked up to my older brother; he sailed through all around.
his exams, and then he was taken on by a prestigious company. In 7 Peter loves winding up his brother until he breaks down in
contrast, I messed/mucked up all my exams and I wasn’t able to tears. And his parents just let him get away with it, letting him
hold down a job either. He never picked me up on my mistakes, off rather than telling him off. It gets on my nerves!
perhaps as he didn’t want to show me up. Instead, he had always 8 We are going to sell up and move out once we have found a
put up with my behaviour without complaint, not even going on at nice overseas property.
our mum and dad when I was clearly living off their generosity.
Eventually, my parents funding, as well as their sympathy, dried
up; therefore, I had no choice but to find gainful employment.
Exercise 9 from p. 149
Fortunately, an interesting job opportunity opened up, and I was My class is made up of 30 pupils, and the majority of us are well
able to turn my life around. behaved. However, there is one boy, Simon, who regularly plays
up, winding up different teachers and turning up late for most
lessons. He gets on everyone’s nerves; his behaviour drags out the
Exercise 6 from p. 143
lesson, puts off the teacher, and holds back the whole class.
1 I don’t mind putting my nephew up, but whenever he stays he Yesterday, my mobile phone went missing at break time, and I was
clogs up the toilet with paper. told that Simon had been fiddling around with my bag. Boiling
2 Funding for this project will soon dry up, so it’s important to over with anger, I confronted him, but he wouldn’t own up to
reel in some new investors. rummaging through my belongings. Changing my strategy, I
3 His room is always cluttered up with clothes. Why doesn’t he decided to rifle through his bag while he wasn’t in the room.
put them away instead of just throwing them on the floor? Unsurprisingly, I fished my phone out straight away.
4 Work started piling up a few weeks ago, and I have been
snowed under ever since. I need to book up a holiday and chill
out for a few weeks.
Exercise 10 from p. 149
5 The accident really shook him up; he says he won’t get back 1 I get on with most of my classmates, but there are a few pupils
on a motorbike ever again. who I can’t stand because they are always sucking up to the
6 His wife grassed him up; she turned him over to the teacher.
authorities when she found out that he’d been cheating on her.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 309

2 Most of the evidence was circumstantial, being unlikely to certain that they have drivers standing by that are ready to fill in
hold up in a court of law. for anyone that might fall ill. In my opinion, their tardiness comes
3 You ought to let up on your son. If you were less harsh, he down to a lack of organizational skills among the management.
would start to learn from his own mistakes and acquire a sense Nonetheless, others put it down to machinery breaking down at
of responsibility. the factory.
4 The rain has been coming down all day, so now I’m soaked
through. When do you think it will let up?
5 If you call up the main menu, you’ll be able to find the
Exercise 4 from p. 156
settings icon. 1 Sherlock discovered evidence at the crime scene that enabled
6 My back has been playing up ever since I tried to carry that him to narrow down the list of potential suspects.
heavy suitcase down those stairs. 2 I always keep a notepad handy as I like to jot down any new
7 Before breakfast, I like to work up an appetite by going for a ideas that I might come up with.
10km run. 3 Engineers are trying to pin down the cause of the power
8 He came down with a nasty infection, and the doctor says he outage.
will be laid up for the rest of the week. 4 The authorities ought to clamp down on the big businesses
that are guilty of tax evasion. Amazon, Facebook, and Google
seem to get away with paying barely any tax.
5 I’ve been looking into my family tree recently, so I’m trying to
track down several distant relatives who may be able help me.
DOWN Phrasal Verbs 6 Even if they offer me the job, I reckon I’ll turn them down.
7 The government subsidies that were shoring up the industry
have now been withdrawn, and it seems likely that several
Exercise 1 from p. 152 businesses will be permanently shut down.
8 The former government was brought down 6 months ago in a
As soon as we had saved up enough money, we decided to move
into a new house. The area where we lived was urban and run- series of violent uprisings that left hundreds dead.
9 The sentence handed down by the judge was so lenient; many
down, but we wanted to settle down in a rural area with plenty of
space for the kids to run around. It was incredibly difficult to get journalists wrote that the offender had virtually been
all of our stuff to the new place. We were stressed out and worn exonerated.
10 He has a brother who is slightly older than he is, so we often
down by the end of it. But it was worth it. The fresh air helped me
to cut down on a number of bad habits. And being far away from hand down the clothes, saving a lot of money in the process.
the hustle and bustle of the city, the pace of life seemed to slow
down. Exercise 5 from p. 159
It had been pouring/tipping down all day. With rain
Exercise 2 from p. 153 trickling/running down the windowpane, I was thumbing
1 He knelt down in front of me and begged for forgiveness. through the newspaper, my eyes darting from one article to the
2 These exams have been dumbed down so that everyone sails next. The headline that caught my eye was ‘government accused
through the test, and the good marks reflect well on the of watering down new trade agreement’. The article explained
teachers. that MPs had originally set out to collect higher import taxes on
3 I hope the weather cools down a bit. I find this stifling heat goods arriving from outside the EU, but pressure from business
unbearable. I work up a sweat just sitting in my chair. meant that Westminster had to climb down so that the rate of tax
4 It was pouring down with rain, and the raindrops were remains largely unchanged. A number of politicians attempted to
trickling/running down the window. play down the changes in the agreement, pointing out that the
agreement would still go down in history as a turning point in
5 When information came to light regarding the minister’s
international relations.
involvement in tax avoidance schemes, even his closest allies
called for him to step/stand down.
6 Every time time you get in a car, you put your foot down. If Exercise 6 from p. 159
you don’t slow down, you’re going to run someone over.
1 Scrolling down the webpage, I noticed several glaring errors
7 The roar of the applause died down, and the performer bent
forwards to take one last bow. that would have to be corrected.
2 If we don’t buckle down soon, we’re going to miss the
8 Shhh! This is a library; if you don’t quieten/pipe down, you’ll
be thrown out. deadline; we’ll be slaving away on both projects next week.
3 The battle went down in history as the largest tank battle since
World War Two.
Exercise 3 from p. 156 4 The council has refused to back down on their plans to turn
Unfortunately, it looks as though our suppliers have let us down parts of the forest into residential housing.
5 Success boils/comes down to effort rather than luck.
again. They promised to deliver the goods last week, but then they
6 Once the children had simmered down, the teacher handed
fobbed us off at the last minute with a lame excuse: they claimed
their driver had come down with a nasty infection. However, I am out the worksheets.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 310

7 I had to haggle with the taxi driver, and he knocked down the Exercise 4 from p. 166
price. In the end, everyone had to chip in 10 euros, so it wasn’t
1 I will pencil you in on the 22nd of September, but if you need
too expensive.
to call off the lesson or bring it forward, just write me an email
8 If you’re going to get a take-away, put me down for a quarter
and give me a heads-up.
pounder and chips.
2 Having heard about Bitcoin, he decided to cash in on the rally,
and he put all of his savings into it. One year later, he sold off
all his cryptocurrency, raking in about 1 million dollars in
profit.

IN Phrasal Verbs 3
4
The best way to reel in new customers is to advertise online.
We don’t have enough players for our football match tonight,
so do you think we could rope your brother in?
5 His salary hadn’t gone up for almost 7 years, so he ended up
Exercise 1 from p. 162
packing his job in.
Some friends and I decided to sort out a surprise party for a friend. 6 If the whole family pitches in, we’ll be able to put everything
There were 10 of us that agreed to go in on the cost of laying on away and tidy everything up in half an hour.
the food and hiring out the venue. In the end, we each chipped in 7 Whenever he loses the game of cards, his older sister loves to
50 quid, and we were very happy with what we got in return; the rub it in. She really ought to have grown out of this childish
food was delicious and plentiful, the venue was spacious and behaviour by now.
clean, and the atmosphere was warm and cosy. Unfortunately, 8 I have always worn bright colours. I prefer not to blend in, but
someone called in on the birthday boy the day before the party to stand out.
and let him in on our little secret, so the party came as no surprise.

Exercise 5 from p. 168

Exercise 2 from p. 163
What would you do if your cousin were picking on younger kids,
1 Noticing that the police were homing in on them, the driver beating them up, and doing them out of money? That’s the
put his foot down and drove into the fast lane; however, the dilemma that I came up against. He fell in with a bad crowd last
police were still gaining on them. year, and ever since that moment he’s been getting away with
2 I ran/bumped into an old mate while walking along the beach murder. Last week, I decided to anonymously turn him in by
yesterday. Seeing his familiar countenance brought back sending one of our teachers a video of him lashing out at some of
memories of my childhood. the younger kids. He’ll be in for some severe punishment as his
3 Starting classes in a new school was very difficult, and he had behaviour was cruel and nasty. I hope that it will help him reflect
problems fitting in. He ended up befriending a number of kids on his behaviour and rein in some of his wild impulses.
from his chess club, and after a few months, he had
completely settled in.
4 It always takes time and effort for new vocabulary to sink in, Exercise 6 from p. 169
so please keep using these words over and over again. 1 If you factor in all the expenses of setting up this kind of
5 Some kids were colouring in their pictures, while others were business, you’ll see that it is far less profitable than it looks at
putting away their toys. One or two had already finished both first glance.
of these tasks, and they were sitting up with their arms 2 The pipes are likely to freeze up when the winter sets in, and
crossed, waiting to be let out. then we’ll definitely have to call in a plumber.
6 If you have already tried turning it off and on again, and still 3 When I’ve been waiting in a queue for a long time and
the screen remains black, please check that you have plugged someone pushes in, I find it hard rein back my anger.
it in. 4 The boss has had it in for me ever since I turned up slightly
7 As an asthmatic, he has difficulty breathing in and out when late for 3 meetings in a row.
he gets nervous. 5 He has been under her thumb since they started going out with
8 Please fill in this form; write down your full name and each other, and he caves in to all of her demands.
address. 6 I usually turn in just before midnight, but I get up at half past
seven.
7 He has a nasty habit of butting in whenever I open my mouth.
Exercise 3 from p. 166
8 I let the cat in every morning, and she always wolfs down her
The 22nd century will usher in a new epoch of the breakfast.
decentralization of currency. New legislation will be phased in
that will do away with national currencies, leaving only
cryptocurrencies as viable payment methods. Those who bought
up Bitcoin and Ethereum in the early days will be raking it in.
The rally will reel in all sorts of other investors, and step by step
everyone will be roped into the new payment system.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 311

OUT Phrasal Verbs 5 The minister has spoken out against the misuse of public
funds, and he fully intends to bring this issue up during the
next parliamentary hearing.
6 They slave away at the office during the day, but after work
Exercise 1 from p. 172
they enjoy zoning out in front of the TV.
Panic broke out in the markets yesterday when the government 7 Having drunk too much at the party, he blurted out how he
announced they would not be bailing out two of the oldest and really felt in front of everybody, and he undoubtedly regrets it
most reputable city banks. The liabilities of the banks will be now.
shared out among the largest creditors. There are concerns that 8 I laid out the knives and forks while my wife dished up the
the economy could now seize up as a result of the closing down of dinner.
payment systems. Creditors have already begun queueing up
outside the banks, in fear of losing their savings. The CEOs of the
aforementioned banks claim that the government has frozen/ cut Exercise 5 from p. 178
them out of ongoing discussions, making it impossible for them to Wedding bells were pealing out as crowds of guests flooded into
offer any solutions to the crisis. the church hall, nattering away to their spouses and children, the
noise of the conversations drowned out only by the incessant
ringing. After a few minutes the commotion fizzled out, and a
Exercise 2 from p. 172
young priest jumped up to take his position behind the lectern. His
1 Having been on my feet all day, I was completely worn/tired/ voice, booming out to all corners of the grandiose hall, was soft,
knackered out. low and enthusiastic. He singled out love as the most sacred of
2 Discipline is important in the laboratory; if anyone starts Christian virtues, and as his voice petered out, the congregation
mucking around during the experiment, they will be were left with his poignant words ringing in their heads.
immediately booted/kicked out.
3 If we farm out some of the work to software companies in
Asia, costs will be drastically reduced. Exercise 6 from p. 179
4 He fished/took his passport out of his pocket, and handed it 1 She hung all the clothes up on the washing line, and one hour
over to the customs official. later they had all dried out.
5 I showed/saw out the last few guests, tidied up some of the 2 Scientists claim there is a mountain of evidence that the
mess, and locked up all the doors and windows. dinosaurs were wiped out by a meteorite.
6 The thief let out a scream when he fell off the fence and 3 The meeting dragged on for one more hour as we tried to
landed on his back. thrash out an effective marketing strategy for the upcoming
7 I enjoy eating out, but I prefer sending out for something quarter.
delicious, and then chilling out at home with some food and a 4 I’d like to single him out as the most industrious pupil in the
computer game. class. No matter how difficult the problem is, he will buckle
8 Having broken out of his cell, the convict now had to pit down until he has figured/worked out the answer.
himself against three one-metre thick, three-metre high, stone 5 Pundits expect the price of oil to level/flatten out for at least
walls. another 2 or 3 weeks. But then they expect the price to rally,
and we could see it shoot up to 1500 dollars per ounce.
6 He pulled out of the fight the day before the boxing match
Exercise 3 from p. 175
was supposed to have taken place, so the bookmakers had to
When I glanced through the document, I saw that it set out the call off all the bets.
terms and conditions of my mortgage, and I was quickly able to 7 The restaurant was packed out with customers at 6:00, but by
figure out how much interest I would have to pay back each 7:00 the crowd had started to thin out as everyone was
month. I decided to drag out the repayment process to the heading down to the beach for the firework display.
maximum term of 30 years. Interest rates had bottomed out 8 We still have a few minor difficulties to iron out, but we
recently, so monthly repayments were fairly low, and they were expect to roll out the new product by the end of this month.
likely to flatten out rather than shoot up.

Exercise 7 from p. 182

Exercise 4 from p. 175
As an English teacher, it is my duty to call students out on their
1 We’ve run out of ketchup, so I’ll pop down the shops and pick mistakes. When I first started teaching, I picked them up on every
some up. mistake, but this strategy didn’t pan/ turn out as expected; some
2 Jutting/Sticking out with flags draped over them, the students began to fear their own mistakes and clam up. So, to
balconies were crammed with people celebrating the folk draw the students out of their shells, it’s necessary to turn a blind
festival. eye to the minor errors and to focus only on the major mistakes.
3 It seems likely that many species died out during this era due Using this method, the teacher will soon be listening to his student
to a cataclysmic event. churning out loads of complex sentences with very few blunders.
4 We used to keep the tomato ketchup bottle upside down in
order to eke it out for a few more days.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 312

Exercise 8 from p. 182
ON Phrasal Verbs
1 I went to the casino last night, and they cleaned me out. I left
with nothing but the shirt on my back.
2 The kitchen was done out in blue and white tiles with solid Exercise 1 from p. 189
oak flooring. It must have set the owners back at least 10 Strolling back home from work, I stumbled/happened/chanced
grand. upon a new advert at the bus stop. ‘Be yourself’ was the order
3 By the age of 15, I had grown out of TV programs. They all plastered across the centre of the picture, and in the background I
seemed hopelessly childish and intellectually barren. could make out a blurry yet gorgeous girl wearing a mask. She
4 Every time she walks into the room, you zone out as if you was wearing very little apart from the mask, and the advert struck
were in some kind of trance. You need to snap out of it. me as verging on pornography. Clearly, it was made to play on
5 I became a proof reader for a few weeks, but I quickly realised the sense of shame that we feel of our own bodies, calling on us to
that I wasn’t cut out for the job. It was far too boring with slim down, work out, dress up, and urging us to live out our
very little contact with other people. innermost fantasies, to act out our secret desires. I marched on
6 The city centre is always packed out with tourists at this time past the advert, as though it hadn’t turned me on in the slightest.
of year. Let’s go somewhere else.
7 The factory still turns out 10000 cars every year, but they are
going to cut back on staff next month, and this will reduce Exercise 2 from p. 189
their output. 1 Sending personal emails is frowned on in the company I work
8 If your answer is wrong, cross it out neatly and write down the for.
correct answer next to it. 2 The local council needs to crack down on the number of
parents that park on the grass verges when they are dropping
their kids off.
Exercise 9 from p. 185
3 If you hang on a second, I’ll be able to rummage through my
The detective eyed the prime suspect with cautious reservation. bag and fish out the ticket.
Out of all the witnesses that the police had spoken to, not one 4 He broke off the engagement last week, and, in all honesty, I
piece of testimony bore out the alibi that this suspect had been think he did the right thing. She was leading him on, so I’m
sticking to. It was the detective’s job to wring the truth out of the glad he’s finished with her.
suspect under interrogation, but he was failing miserably. The 5 Whether we go to the Christmas party or not hinges on
suspect was calm and self-composed, delighted that the police whether we can find a babysitter or not.
were unable to fathom out his precise location at the time of the 6 The meeting dragged on for 3 hours, and I noticed that
murder. He had made out that he was sitting in his car, leafing several colleagues were on the verge of nodding off. The
through the newspaper, whereas in reality he had been inside the speaker carried on regardless, droning/rambling/banging on
victim’s house, slipping poison into his dinner. about quarterly sales and waffling/rabbiting/harping on
about marketing strategies.
7 The rise in interest rates has brought on a wave of house
Exercise 10 from p. 186
repossessions, and economists are worried it could spark off
1 Arsenal are holding out for a win or a draw against Chelsea, another financial crisis.
as either of these results will see them move into the next 8 The lifestyle that he follows borders/verges on insanity: his
round of the FA cup. diet is terrible, his bad habits are numerous, and his social life
2 His 2-year-old child broke out in a rash a few weeks ago; it is out of control.
seems to have been some kind of allergic reaction to the
washing powder that his parents have been using.
3 She makes her husband out to be an expert, but in reality he Exercise 3 from p. 192
knows nothing about investment. As a child, he’d had problems fitting in at his new school. He tried
4 It was such a difficult test that I ran out of time. I couldn’t latching onto a few kids in his class. They didn’t want him
fathom/figure/work out the answer to one of the questions on hanging around, and they tried to show him but he didn’t
the last page. cotton/catch on. He carried on following them around in spite of
5 The interrogator knew that he could use subtle threats in order the fact that they were picking on him. Having put up with their
to root/ferret out the information that he needed. taunts for 3 months, he finally caught/latched/cottoned on to the
6 After a bombing campaign that dragged on for 3 months, the idea that he wasn’t wanted, so he gave up running around after
enemy was eventually flushed out of it’s defensive positions. them. It wasn’t long after this that he found some friends who
7 It pelted down with rain for an hour, but eventually the clouds truly enjoyed his company.
dispersed and the sun came out.
8 His mother had asked him to wash up the plates and the
cutlery, but he tried to worm/weasel/ get out of it by making Exercise 4 from p. 192
out that he was sick. 1 The crowd were cheering us on, their screams booming out
from all directions.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 313

2 She didn’t cotton on to the fact that he had been cheating on lot of people had let me down, but I tried hard not to dwell on this
her for the past year. He made out that he was working late, too much.
but he had actually been meeting up with his mistress.
3 My mum has a nasty habit of listening in on me when I am
nattering away on the phone.
Exercise 8 from p. 199
4 We decided to go in on some pizza, and we all had to chip in 1 The weather forecast says it’s going to be sunny, but I
£5 to make sure there was enough to go round. wouldn’t bank on it.
5 My boss was mortified when I walked in on him while he was 2 They offered me a job, and my first instinct was to turn them
getting dressed. down. However, having reflected on the pros and cons, I
6 I know now that he can’t be trusted because he tried it on with changed my mind and took them up on their offer.
my girlfriend last week. 3 The criminals had been lulled into a false sense of security, but
7 The missile was homing in on its target, but at the last in reality the police were onto them, and it was only a matter
moment it was intercepted. of time before they would be locked up.
8 Having been egged on by several of his friends, he left a 4 Even though I enjoyed writing the novel, the process dragged
drawing pin on the teacher’s chair; giggling uncontrollably, he on for years. I had to draw/call on my childhood experiences
went back to his seat. for inspiration.
5 I’m sorry, but I have no idea who you are discussing. I am not
well up on celebrity gossip.
Exercise 5 from p. 195
6 Even though the task was incredibly tedious, we had to
Let’s touch on the subject of what forms you as a person: it’s not plough on in order to meet the deadline.
the big plans that you are set on doing but never get round to 7 The suspect knew the whereabouts of the criminals, but the
doing, but rather the little things that you do every day. If you police were unable to wring this information out of him. He
spend a little bit of time honing a skill, you will eventually master refused to let on.
that skill. The process may be long and arduous, dragging on for 8 Our company plans to cash in on this new opportunity, and we
years, but this is the price we pay for all forms of training. Good expect to be raking it in this time next year.
habits can be nurtured, and they tend to rub off on others,
spurring them on to achieve their own goals. Unfortunately, the
same can be said for bad habits too.

Exercise 6 from p. 196 OFF Phrasal Verbs

1 Having touched on the topic of conditionals in the previous
lesson, we will now go through the topic in much greater Exercise 1 from p. 202
detail. I had been waiting in the departure lounge for 3 hours; my flight
2 Our neighbours’ child, Peter, is always so polite and friendly. had already been put off for one hour, and it looked as though it
He gets on well with my son, and I have always hoped that might be called off. I was heading out to a small village in
Peter’s behaviour would rub off on Kevin. Kamchatka, in which there was no gas or electricity. Having been
3 Having been married for 20 years, he suddenly walked out on working online for so many years, I wanted to feel completely cut
his wife and kids and was never heard from again. off from the outside world for a week or two. The plane eventually
4 As a student at university, I mostly got by on cheap junk food took off, 2 hours after it was scheduled to leave. My family had
as I was far too lazy to cook. come to the airport to see me off, and it was a tearful goodbye. I
5 The company will take on 50 extra staff members next year to felt lonely when I first got there, but this feeling wore off after the
cope with the rising demand. first few weeks.
6 Old age has a habit of creeping up on you; day by day the
grey hairs build up, and the wrinkles pile up, but you only
notice them when it is far too late. Exercise 2 from p. 202
7 The shop keeps selling out of sugar, so we ought to stock up 1 When my car broke down on the motorway, the engine was
on some, next time. giving off a strange smell.
8 Having been arguing about it for 15 minutes, we finally 2 I asked my boss whether I could knock off early on Friday,
settled on the red-coloured car. promising that I could make up for it by working from home
at the weekend, but he just fobbed me off with a lame excuse.
Exercise 7 from p. 198 3 Though we were playing up to all of our strengths, our
opponents were able to hold us off for the first 80 minutes.
As the night wore on, the party died down, the guests But, in the last 10 minutes, we pulled ourselves together and
put/threw/flung on coats and hats, and the taxis pulled up outside managed to score a goal.
to take them home. It dawned on me that fewer guests than we 4 The neighbours have been belting out music all afternoon, and
expected had turned up. I was banking on roughly 100 people I have an exam tomorrow. The racket has put me off my
coming, but there was only half that number at the party. We had revision. How am I supposed to swot up on spectroscopy with
laid on food, drinks and entertainment, and unfortunately, a lot of all this noise?
the food hadn’t even been touched. I couldn’t help feeling that a

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 314

5 If the rain holds off for a bit longer, we could dash down the Exercise 6 from p. 209
shops and buy in some food and drink for the party.
1 The price of aluminium levelled off last month, but the
6 Even though I had been putting on sunblock every day, the
majority of analysts expect the price to shoot up as soon as the
skin on my shoulders started peeling off.
new legislation is rolled out.
7 Let’s kick off the lesson with a test on phrasal verbs; I’m sure
2 One of the oldest tactics to dominate large groups is divide
you will all sail through it.
and rule: by splitting the opposition into two groups, it’s
8 They jumped/got/leapt off their bikes, ran over to the football
possible to play one side off against the other.
pitch, and met up with all their mates.
3 We were bouncing ideas off each other at the meeting, but
nothing came of it. We still haven’t come up with a good plan.
Exercise 3 from p. 205 4 The intruder tripped over the wire, and the alarm immediately
went off. The noise must have scared/frightened him off, as
By the time the news got round that someone had been bumped
nothing seems to have been stolen.
off on the high street in the centre of town, the police had
5 He was putting away a phenomenal amount of beer and wine
cordoned off the entire shopping arcade in order to collect
last night, so he’s probably still sleeping it off.
evidence and analyse the scene of the crime. Both ends of the
6 As he wolfed down the last mouthful of BigMac, his personal
street had been sealed off with yellow and black tape that warned
trainer kindly reminded him how many calories were already
‘crime scene – do not cross!’ Out of sheer curiosity, I decided to
building up in his body. He suggested that he work/burn it all
walk over to the police cordon and glance over at where the body
off in the gym later on.
of the victim still lay. I was immediately ordered to back off by a
7 The road branched off in two directions: to the north and to
rotund policeman with an angry voice. I tried a different tactic,
the north-east. We mulled over which direction was best, and
asking him when the body had been found, but he just brushed
eventually went for the most northerly route.
off my questions with a shrug of the shoulders, telling me that I
8 She was nattering away on the telephone, but soon her voice
should read the newspaper to find out all the details.
trailed off as she noticed that a tall dark handsome man had
just walked through the door.
Exercise 4 from p. 206
1 His parents are worried about him; he has been bunking off
classes, and his friends say that he is being picked on by a
nasty group of kids in his class.
2 It’s been chucking it down all day, but if the rain starts to ease OVER Phrasal Verbs
off, we’ll go ahead with the picnic.
3 I wouldn’t go to that shop. Last time I went there, the shop
Exercise 1 from p. 213
assistant ripped/ mugged me off by giving me a fiver instead
of a tenner. Looking through the newspaper, I quickly came across 3 different
4 Having eaten up all his lunch, he started to feel sleepy and articles that bore on the protests that were boiling over in the city
eventually dozed/ nodded/dropped off in his chair. centre. Protestors had smashed up several government buildings,
5 This meeting has already dragged on for 3 hours. I might try to and a police car had even been turned over, fortunately with no
sneak off without anyone noticing. one inside, by the angry crowds. More than 50 people had been
6 Let’s finish off the lesson with an oral test to see who has hospitalized, and one man had even been run over by a police
really learnt all of these verbs by heart. van. The police seem to be losing their grip on the situation, and
7 She broke off the engagement last week when he owned up to the author of the article warned that certain areas of the city had
having cheated on her. been taken over by protestors.
8 One of my colleagues is prone to slacking off, and if he
carries on like this, the boss will get rid of him.
Exercise 2 from p. 213
1 It is a horrible dilemma for anyone to contemplate, and I have
Exercise 5 from p. 209 been churning/ turning/mulling/musing it over for many
Bonfire night is my favourite festival, and I fully intend to ask weeks.
over lots of friends and set/let off lots of fireworks. People don’t 2 My daughter will be sleeping over at her mates’ house tonight,
usually get/knock off work until 5, so we’ll kick off at 6 o clock. and my son is being looked after by his nan, so I’m asking a
I’ll put together a ‘Guy’ with the kids as that’s all part of the fun. few friends over for a beer.
We’ll grab some worn-out jeans and an old shirt, stuff them with 3 Can you move/shove over, please? You are taking up all the
newspaper, and stick a mask on top. Early evening on the fifth of space on this seat.
November, we start by setting fire to the Guy on a large bonfire, 4 I slipped over on the icy pavement, breaking my leg in two
and then we move on to setting/letting off the fireworks. Some of places.
the cheaper ones fizzle out and are rather unimpressive, so I 5 Running back home after class, I tripped over a small rock
always invite my mate Steve, who always seems to lay his hands and landed flat on my face.
on the most impressive rockets in town, which always go off with 6 The company turns over more than a billion dollars every
bang. The number of people at the party usually thins out at about quarter.
10 pm, and I reckon I’ll be seeing off the last of them around 11.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 315

7 I’m really sorry for knocking over the vase. How can I make Exercise 2 from p. 221
it up to you?
1 I always found it particularly easy to get around my father; as
8 I handed over my driving license to the police officer, and he
long as I worked hard as a student, he would let me get away
slowly pored over it, making sure that all the details were
with anything.
correct.
2 The minister did his utmost to gloss over the hideous facts and
skirt around the ugly truth.
Exercise 3 from p. 216 3 When they offered me a job, I realised that this was an
opportunity to turn my life around.
Parents who fuss over their kids tend to do them a lot more harm
4 The defendant was going about his usual business on the day
than good. While it is understandable that mums and dads would
in question, and there is nothing even remotely suspicious
want to help their offspring, it’s clear that too much help can often
concerning his movements.
leave the child feeling helplessly dependent on others. Therefore,
5 My mum always does her best to shop around before she buys
it’s important that parents bear in mind that they are bringing up
anything, and she always gets good discounts.
future adults rather than perpetual toddlers. We must rein in our
6 If we don’t set off in 10 minutes, we are going to miss the
instincts to help, allowing our rationality to win out over our
flight, so stop faffing around and pack your suitcases.
emotions. If the child refuses to cooperate, he can easily be won
7 The journalist decided to snoop around, and the first thing he
over with rewards and encouragement. So, the next time you find
did was sift through the rubbish.
yourself running around after your kids, mull over these words.
8 He’s always bossing around his little sister, and if he has a bad
day, he takes it out on her. It’s high time his parents came
Exercise 4 from p. 217 down on his behaviour, but instead they just fuss over him.
1 I’m so sorry for shouting at you like that. I really don’t know
what came over me.
2 When I brought up the money that he owed me, his face
clouded over and he barely said another word. He doesn’t like
paying people back. THROUGH Phrasal Verbs
3 I’m afraid he has a nasty habit of talking over me whenever I
start to speak.
Exercise 1 from p. 224
4 Politicians have a habit of glossing over the awkward details
and skirting around the truth. Flicking through my magazine, I stumbled upon a tragic story
5 His own mother turned him over to the police when she about a group of young students that had got lost in the jungle;
realised that he had done over his neighbour and buried his their route had taken them through a dangerous area that was
body under the patio. famous for armed gangs, dangerous animals, and treacherous
6 He fell out with his best friend, Martin; I offered to speak to mountains. Firstly, they waded through a river that was crawling
Martin in the hope of smoothing things over between them. with snakes and piranhas. One person was bitten by an adder, so
7 Manchester United looked as though they were struggling in the group decided to put up their tents and light up a fire, hoping
the first half, but eventually they won out over their that someone would see their smoke and come to rescue them.
opponents. They only had enough food supplies to see them through the
8 Go back over these phrasal verbs as often as possible, and I week, so their prospects were bleak. By the time they had run
am sure they will start to sink in. through all the food supplies, two members of the group decided
to plough through the jungle in a last ditch attempt to find
civilization. Their courage and determination paid off; having
been on foot for 2 weeks, living on the berries and fruit that the
jungle provided, they finally ran into a farmer that fed them and
AROUND and ABOUT drove them back to a nearby town. While these two members
survived, none of their friends managed to live through this ordeal.
Phrasal Verbs
Exercise 2 from p. 225
Exercise 1 from p. 220 1 Please doctor, level with me. Do you think he’ll pull through,
As a teenager, I wasted many hours hanging/standing around the or should I prepare myself for the worst?
arcade machines on the seafront. I remember saving up my pocket 2 I’ve been rummaging through the junk in the garage, but I
money and frittering it away in a matter of hours. As soon as I had still can’t find my angle grinder. I think I might have put it
run out of money, I’d look around for coins that had been missed away in the shed, so I’ll go and check there.
and were still lying around in the machines. Sometimes my 3 It is when we are going through the most difficult moments in
friends and I would go around pushing and shaking the coin- our life that our courage shines through.
tipping machines to try to make some of the money drop out. If 4 The rain was pelting down and thunder was booming out, but I
any of the staff ever caught us fiddling/ playing around with the slept right through the storm.
machines, we would usually be thrown out.

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5 He was thinking of dropping out of university, but it’s his final anyone might have tampered with our luggage, when it dawned
year. I convinced him that it would be wiser to see the rest of on me that I hadn’t put the laptop into the suitcase. This was really
his course through. irritating as I wouldn’t be able to hook up with colleagues and get
6 We had already booked up the hotel and the flight, but some work done in my free time. As a result, I was miserable
unfortunately the embassy turned down our visa applications, throughout the entire trip, and my girlfriend had decided to finish
so our plans fell through at the last minute. with me by the end of it.
7 We are receiving reports that a lorry has ploughed through
pedestrians and vehicles in the centre of the city, and police
are treating the incident as a terrorist attack.
Exercise 4 from p. 232
8 Hopefully, I’ll be able to muddle my way through the next 1 He has been incredibly cruel to her; I don’t know how he lives
exercise, even though I am bad at algebra. I’ll try to come at with himself. He has been toying with her feelings all along.
each problem in a methodical way. 2 Some people say we should do away with capital punishment,
and I agree. A death sentence allows the criminal to get the
punishment over with sooner rather than later. A life sentence
is much harder to live cope/deal/live with.
3 Excuse me, have you finished with that magazine? You have?
WITH Phrasal Verbs Thanks. I’d like to thumb through it.
4 This temperature is unbearable. I’m breaking out in a sweat. I
could really do with a cold beer.
Exercise 1 from p. 228 5 If your boss doesn’t respond to your complaints, you’ll just
Last year, my wife came up with the idea of taking the kids on have to have it out with him at the end of the day.
6 He had a habit of gibbering incoherently, so it was difficult to
their first skiing trip. We booked up our trip for February, sorting
out our accommodation near one of the ski lifts. The room turned keep up with him.
7 That class is absolutely out of control. I don’t know how you
out to be large and clean, which was great. However, the
deafening noise of the roadworks was very difficult to put up put up with them; they come out with such rude remarks.
8 I didn’t have any tent or sleeping bag, so I made do with a
with. Also, there were no duvets on the beds, so we had to make
do with the blankets, which were rather thin and cold. Lastly, the small bush and a bed of leaves.
ski school had kids that already knew how to ski, but our kids
were complete beginners, so they found it hard to keep up with
the rest of the group. In spite of all these difficulties, we did have a
great time.
FOR Phrasal Verbs
Exercise 2 from p. 228
Exercise 1 from p. 235
1 Could anyone do with a cup of tea? I can put the kettle on.
2 I don’t know how these warmongers can live with themselves I wanted to find a new job, but I didn’t want to pack in my job at
when they have so much innocent blood on their hands. the restaurant without having something else lined up. So, I asked
3 If you are in any way dissatisfied with our service, please take a colleague to fill in for me while I went to an interview at a
this up with a member of staff and they will carefully deal different restaurant. I had also asked the same colleague to vouch
with your complaint. for me as a reference on my application form. My boss had passed
4 Wow, you look really spruced up, and your jacket goes well me over for promotion more than once, so it was high time that I
with your shoes. stood up for myself. He was playing me for a fool, but I knew I
5 I was disgusted at how long it took the waiter to bring out the was worth more to him than he was to me. If you allow people
second course, so I decided to have it out with the manager. like that to push you around, you’ll be in for more work and less
6 There wasn’t an extra bed for the kids in the room, so they had money.
to make do with the sofa.
7 I side with the government rather than with the rebels; it
seems to me that the rebel stands for violence and crime, while
Exercise 2 from p. 235
the government stands for law and order. 1 I always root for my home team whenever I watch the FA
8 I couldn’t keep up with what he was saying as the noise of the Cup. If my team haven’t got through the qualifying stages, I
traffic kept on drowning him out. cheer for West Ham.
2 You’ll be in for some bad marks if you don’t buckle down and
read up on all those topics that will come up in the exam.
Exercise 3 from p. 231
3 I think I speak for all my colleagues when I say that you are
I had been toying with the idea of whisking my girlfriend away on the best boss we have ever had.
a romantic weekend for ages. She loves beach holidays, so I set 4 There were no public toilets around, so I had to settle for a
some money aside for an expensive trip to the Bahamas. I couldn’t bush that was situated where the road branched off in 2
possibly part with my new laptop, so I decided to bring that along directions.
with me. We were standing at the check-in desk, being asked if

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 TO Phrasal Verbs
5 It’s well-known that the initials CIA stand for Central
Intelligence Agency.
6 I didn’t want to steal the loaf of bread, but desperate times call
for desperate measures.
Exercise 1 from p. 242
7 The building in the run-down part of town was crying out for
refurbishment. Having been on holiday for 2 weeks, I came back home to
8 If you keep working on your accent, you might even be able to discover that my teenage kids had been getting up to all sorts of
pass for an Englishman. mischief in my absence. Firstly, I saw that they hadn’t kept to our
9 I was sent an email supposedly from PayPal, but it was agreement of never setting foot in my home office; there were
actually a phishing scam. Fortunately, I didn’t fall for it. signs that someone had been rifling through my stuff. I showed
10 The suspect can’t account for his whereabouts on the night of them the evidence that bore out my theory of an intruder, and I
the murder. I think he is keeping vital information from us. put it to them that the intruder must have been a resident of the
house. Jack owned up to having rummaged through my stuff, but
he claimed John had put him up to it. John denied all knowledge
of the affair, but I’m sure he was also involved, and I will see to it
that neither of them gets away with it.
BACK Phrasal Verbs
Exercise 2 from p. 242
Exercise 1 from p. 238 1 When I come up against insurmountable difficulties, I turn to
my auntie for advice.
Last night, I had the strangest dream, which brought/took me
2 I’ve always looked up to my older brother; he has a talent for
back to my childhood. I dreamt that my childhood cat, Tammy,
bringing out the best in all those around him.
was still alive, but she was very sick. I took her to the vet, and,
3 You told me that you caught up with him on the High Street
having examined Tammy, he told me that she would never bounce
yesterday. What has he been up to? I haven’t seen him for
back and that she would need to be put down. He offered to do this
ages.
with a lethal injection, but then he pointed out that this would set
4 I’m looking forward to travelling to Japan for the winter
me back £500. I couldn’t afford to fork out such a large amount of
period.
money, so I was relieved when the vet said that I could put the cat
5 My parents are going away for a couple of weeks, and I will
out of its misery myself. He advised me to simply hit the cat with
have to see to their cat while they are away.
a large rock, explaining that this would kill it instantly; however,
6 My dad used to take me windsurfing while I was a boy, and I
when I tried to do this, the cat looked in so much agony that I
took to it like a fish to water.
burst into tears, unable to hold back my sorrow. I tried hitting it
7 I’m really sorry for breaking your mobile. How can I make it
over and over again, in order to put an end to its suffering, but
up to you?
each and every blow made the cat look more helpless and made
8 I’ll need to get my mobile seen to as it’s been playing up for
me feel more guilty. When I finally woke up, I had broken out in a
the last few weeks.
sweat and could feel nothing but remorse. Looking back, I think
my feelings for the cat represented powerful contradictory
emotions. Exercise 3 from p. 245
Recently, we went on a trip to the beautiful village of Rye, and it
Exercise 2 from p. 239 certainly lived up to its reputation as the most historical town in
England. We got to the village by train, and I came with my wife
1 The police had cordoned off the whole area, instructing all
and kids, which meant that the total cost of the tickets came to 50
bystanders to step/stand/pull/get back.
pounds. We stayed in a beautiful old cottage, which certainly
2 Self-employed people try to claw back some of the money
came up to our high standards. There were thousands of other
they have spent on their business by taking their expenses
tourists dressed up in the clothes of the 1940s, and I put this down
away from their profits.
to a classic car festival that was going on that weekend.
3 On hearing the joke, I couldn’t hold back my laughter, even
Unfortunately, we didn’t get round to going to the local castle, but
though I knew that it would offend someone.
this was because there were so many other things to do.
4 He stubbornly refused to give/hand it back, and it was only
after 3 hours of trying to win him over that he eventually
backed down. Exercise 4 from p. 245
5 When I look back on my childhood, I realise that I was very
1 When the patient finally came to, he could see that he was
lucky to have been brought up by my uncle and aunt.
lying on a bed in a room with white walls. He could also make
6 The project suffered from a number of setbacks. In the end,
out what looked like a window.
the investors backed out of the deal, afraid that they would
2 No matter how much she talks down to you, you mustn’t let
lose even more money.
her get to you. You need to put on a brave face and soldier on.
7 When I tried to fish my wallet out of my pocket, I couldn’t
3 I think that all youngsters should start paying rent when they
find it, so I doubled back to see if I had dropped it on the way
are 18. It makes them face up to their obligations as adults.
to work.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 318

4 Whether we decide to come or not will boil down to the total
cost of the trip. AWAY Phrasal Verbs
5 And so, let’s raise our glasses and drink to the bride and
groom, who have a happy future lying ahead.
Exercise 1 from p. 252
6 If you don’t stand up to those bullies, they will walk all over
you; surely, you don’t want to be picked on for the rest of your Slaving away on the next chapter of the book, yawning, tired of
life. staring into the screen, I was suddenly brought to my senses by the
7 I have tried to explain to my sister that she is wasting her noise of the cat flap. Looking down, I expected to see my own cat,
money, but she just won’t listen. I don’t know how to get but to my astonishment a large black cat crept into the room,
through to her. miaowing softly. I had to turn this cat away, because this was the
8 I’m afraid I don’t know how to answer that question. I will very cat that had been slipping into my shed at night, eating up all
have to swot up on this topic at home, and then I will get the food that I had left out for my own cat, then stealing away
back to you with an answer. with a full stomach. My poor cat would start to waste away if I
didn’t get rid of this thief. So, I put a few drops of water on my
hand, took aim, and fired the smallest amount of water at the
cheeky intruder. She quickly scurried away.

OF Phrasal Verbs Exercise 2 from p. 253

1 Those flowers will start to wither away if you don’t water
Exercise 1 from p. 248 them a little more often.
2 The scarecrow is supposed to scare/frighten the birds away,
What do you make/think of the latest headline claiming that,
but the birds seem to have cottoned on to the fact that the
thanks to a scientific breakthrough, maternity clinics will be
scarecrow is made of straw.
offering parents the chance to choose the sex of their unborn
3 He is a hard-working chap who never shies away from an
child? A powerful cocktail of hormones primarily made up of
extra hour of hard labour at the end of the day.
either oestrogen or testosterone will be injected into the
4 When he’s in the middle of that computer game, he just can’t
developing foetus, thereby triggering male or female
tear himself away from the screen.
characteristics. But what will come of all this? What will become
5 He likes to while away his Sunday afternoon in front of the
of the approximate one-to-one ratio of male to female humans?
TV with his family.
The fact that scientists can now produce this kind of technology
6 I’ve been squireling away my small coins because I’m taking
speaks of their incredible skill, but the fact that society chooses to
the kids to the penny arcade on Saturday.
allow this kind of technology speaks of our infantile morality. We
7 Her husband has whisked her away on a romantic cruise in the
turn a blind eye to the potentially dire consequences so that a few
Mediterranean.
adults can choose their baby as if he or she were a packet of
8 The defendant’s lawyer tried to explain the evidence away,
grapes at Tesco.
pointing out that the police may have contaminated these
items with fibres from the suspect’s clothes.
Exercise 2 from p. 249
1 We managed to talk them into signing the contract last month,
but then they tried to weasel/ worm/get/wriggle out of it last
week.
2 The fact that he always remembers to say please and thank- AT Phrasal Verbs
you speaks of his good manners and fine upbringing.
3 I used to love playing computer games, but when I started
Exercise 1 from p. 256
university, I quickly grew out of it.
4 It looks as though the minister gave several profitable Peering/glancing/looking/gazing at the latest headlines on
contracts to a business that his son-in-law owned; the whole Physbrg, I came across an article about Phobos, which is a moon
affairs smacks/reeks/stinks of corruption. of Mars. I quickly scanned through the article to find out what the
5 When my son told me that he wanted to drop out of author was driving at. The main idea was that the massive
university, I tried to talk him out of it. But in the end, I gave grooves on the surface of Phobos may have been caused by
in. gigantic boulders that rolled across its surface. Having been
6 Ever since she sent you that text, you’ve been walking around thrown up by a huge meteorite, these boulders rolled around the
in a love-sick daze. Snap out of it! entire circumference of the moon, eating/chipping/picking away
7 I filled in about 30 application forms and sent them off, but at the rock and dust, carving out the grooves that we gaze at
nothing came of it. I didn’t get a single reply. through our telescopes. However, looking/ staring
8 If she is sent down for 2 years, what will become of her /peering/gazing at the grooves, I couldn’t help but feel that the
children? Do you think a family member will take them in? scientists were clutching at straws with their hypothesis. If the
grooves had been caused by such boulders, we would expect to
see the grooves stretching out radially from the impact crater. So,

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 319

the evidence doesn’t bear out their conclusion, and I suspect they 6 Going by what the weather forecast said, we’ll get soaked
will have to come at the problem from a different angle. through if we choose to have the picnic today.
7 I offered to put my nephew up for a few days, but he doesn’t
abide by my rules.
Exercise 2 from p. 257
8 She was very loyal to her husband, and she stood by him in
1 The minister has come in for a lot of criticism recently, but she spite of the smear campaign that was going on in the press.
has nonetheless hit out at her opponents with a fiery article in
today’s newspaper.
2 I always hide the chocolate away at the back of the cupboard
so that the kids can’t get at it: they aren’t tall enough.
3 He loves the sound of his own voice and rarely listens to what INTO Phrasal Verbs
others have to say. He tends to talk at people rather than talk
to people.
4 Not being able to figure out the answer to question 5, I Exercise 1 from p. 263
peeked/glanced at the exam paper lying on my neighbour’s Yesterday, I bumped into an old schoolmate in the centre of town.
desk, trying to make out what she had written. It was great to catch up with him and find out what had been going
5 He doesn’t have a very big appetite: he tends to peck at his on in his life. He told me he had bought into a local business,
food rather than wolf it down. raking in huge amounts of money in the process. He was thinking
6 The builders were leering at all the pretty girls and shouting of ploughing the profits into a new property which he would rent
out lewd remarks. out to someone. He wanted to tap into the rental market because
7 His writing skills have improved in leaps and bounds, and if there was good money to be made. He tried to talk me into doing
he keeps at it, he is sure to sail through his exams. something similar, but I’m not sure that I want to dip into my
8 She lashed/hit out at the attacker with teeth and nails, biting savings.
and scratching like a savage beast.

Exercise 2 from p. 263

1 Yesterday, a large lorry ploughed into pedestrians on
Blackfriar’s Bridge, running over more than 10 people,
BY Phrasal Verbs sending dozens to hospital, and killing 1 civilian.
2 I’m going to slip into something more comfortable, and then
lie down by the fire with a nice glass of wine.
Exercise 1 from p. 259
3 My older sister laid/ripped/tore into me when she heard that I
Ben, one of my friends, decided to lose weight using a low- still hadn’t paid off the money that I had borrowed from Mum
carbohydrate diet. He has been abiding by all the rules that the and Dad.
diet recommends sticking to, and I’m sure that if he keeps at it, he 4 I think they should put aside his older brother’s clothes as the
will shed all the weight. I dropped by his place yesterday, and he younger brother will soon grow into them.
was looking much thinner. He swears by this diet as he has tried 5 The two countries have entered into a trade agreement, and
out lots of other ones, but they were totally useless. He has been both parties are expected to profit handsomely from the deal.
getting by on meat mostly, because on this diet fats and protein 6 The government tapped into the feeling of resentment that
are allowed, but carbohydrates are frowned upon. I might run this was rife among the younger generation. Aimless and
diet by my doctor and see what he thinks; perhaps, it could work frustrated, the young were vulnerable to the crafty strategies of
for me too. those in power.
7 Bursting into the room, the police quickly apprehended all
four suspects, pinned them down, and disarmed them.
Exercise 2 from p. 260
8 On Sunday, I’ll dip into that phrasal verb book and brush up
1 He earns very little money as a part-time worker; I really don’t on some of the phrasal verbs with ‘get’.
know how he manages to scrape by on that salary.
2 Unfortunately, time has a tendency to slip/fly/whizz/pass by
imperceptibly; one day, you look into the mirror and see an old
man staring back at you.
3 I had a few alternative ideas for how we could turn the AFTER Phrasal Verbs
business round, but I decided to run them by my boss first,
and see what he made of them.
4 Some people swear/stand by a vegetarian diet, while others Exercise 1 from p. 267
swear/stand by a meat only diet. Personally, I get by on both. We had decided to name our first child after my sister, Wendy, as
5 I would put by that 2015 commemorative coin, as there were the latter had passed away a few years earlier, and we wanted to
very few minted, so they are very difficult to come by. I’m honour her memory. Being cheerful and carefree, my daughter
sure it will cost a fortune one day, takes after her mother, for I have always been of a more morose
disposition, prone to fits of depression. My wife took time off

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work for the first couple of years after the birth, in order to look 6 Manchester will go up against Chelsea in the next round of the
after the baby, but Wendy hankered after her mother’s attention cup on condition that Chelsea manages to knock out West
when this period came to an end. She had to make do with the Ham tomorrow.
nanny we took on, but for months she would make/come/run/go 7 His face clouds over whenever I walk into the room; he must
after her mother, clutching at her dress as she set off for work. I have something against me, but I’m not sure what it is.
think my wife had fussed over the child, running around after her 8 There have been serious allegations levelled against the
rather than encouraging her to learn to do things for herself. politician, and the police have already started digging into
these claims.

Exercise 2 from p. 267

1 My dad called yesterday, and he was asking after my brother,
who had been in hospital for a few days. I told my dad that he
was bearing up. TOGETHER Phrasal Verbs
2 The police made/ran/chased after the back robbers, but the
alarm went off, a cage rolled down, and the police were
completely sealed in, unable to escape from the bank. Exercise 1 from p. 273
3 I can never remember which member of the royal family To celebrate the New Year, I tried to marshal together a few mates
comes after Queen Elizabeth the first. that would come with me to St Petersburg. It was difficult for
4 The country’s legal system is modelled after Anglo-Saxon law some of my mates to scrape together enough cash for the trip;
rather than Roman law. therefore, we decided to club together so that we could afford a
5 I wish she wouldn’t run around after her husband so much. He big flat in the city centre. This ended up being far cheaper than
idles away in front of the TV while she cooks, cleans, and going to a hotel. The flat wasn’t in very good condition: some of
looks after the kids. the beds were broken and the dining-room table was wobbly. But,
6 Recently, a system of fines has been brought in to encourage we managed to patch/glue together the broken parts of one of the
dog-owners to clean up after their dogs. beds, so this wasn’t a problem. We all wanted to see different sites
7 It is a classic case of unrequited love: he hankers after her, but in the city, and so we agreed to split up during the day. However,
she won’t even return his gaze. in the evenings we stuck/kept/stayed together and found some
8 She looks like her father, but she takes after her mother: both delicious restaurants.
of them are downright rude.

Exercise 2 from p. 274

1 Sherlock Holmes was trying to piece together the events that
led to the young engineer’s mutilated hand.
AGAINST Phrasal Verbs 2 Lashing all the branches together with a piece of rope,
Robinson Crusoe was able to build a raft.
3 Tortoises and turtles are completely different animals, yet they
Exercise 1 from p. 270
are often lumped together because of their numerous
Theresa May has come out against her critics, arguing that a deal similarities.
of some sort must be negotiated with Europe. She claims that if 4 I thought that he would be able to hold himself together at the
we were to break away from Europe with no deal, this could funeral, but I was wrong; he got carried away and burst into
possibly spark off a financial crisis. Many MPs from the tears, sobbing uncontrollably as the coffin was lowered into
Conservative party have already turned against Theresa May, the ground.
calling the deal a capitulation to the EU. Several politicians have 5 I tried to scrape together enough money for a trip to Thailand,
even levelled allegations of bribery and corruption against their but I had to back out in the end as I hadn’t saved up enough.
Prime Minister, calling for her to stand down. Whatever happens, 6 When the new wardrobe from IKEA arrived, I started putting
it is clear that the question of Brexit has pit one half the country it together straight away as I know the kids always love
against the other, even dividing families and friends. playing around with the empty cardboard boxes.
7 Four of us have a birthday at roughly the same time of year, so
this always brings/draws us all together for a party.
Exercise 2 from p. 270
8 Don’t just sit there feeling sorry for yourself. You’ve got to
1 The idea that the rich are happier than the poor goes against all pull yourself together and find a job.
my experience with these two groups.
2 Children will often play their mother off against their father in
order to gain advantages.
3 This medicine is supposed to safeguard against colds and flu.
4 She is well qualified for the job, but her lack of experience
will count against her in the interview.
5 We ran up against several problems while trying to implement
the new automatic payment system.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 321

AS Phrasal Verbs

Exercise 1 from p. 277

One of my favourite stories during childhood was Billy Budd. In
this story, Billy Budd is held up as a shining example of a morally
good man and a perfect sailor. In contrast, we meet the antagonist,
Claggart, who looks on all his fellow sailors as bad men. Claggart
is one of the senior officers, and he comes across as nasty, violent,
and cunning; he even goes so far as to make a very sick man work,
in spite of the captain’s orders to the contrary, and this ultimately
results in the man’s death.
Jenkins, one of Billy’s shipmates, has Claggart pegged as a
murderer after this event, so he plots to get his own back;
however, when Jenkins attempts to creep up on Claggart with a
knife, he is apprehended by Billy, who immediately realises
Jenkins’ purpose. He struggles with the would-be assassin,
disarming Jenkins, saving Claggart from an untimely demise.

Exercise 2 from p. 277

1 Our bedroom doubles up as my wife’s office: she works from
home.
2 The thief managed to pass himself off as an employee from
the bank. Once he was inside, he broke into the main vault,
gathered together the most expensive items, and slipped away
without a trace.
3 I saved the document as ‘Phrasal Verbs Book’, but when I
tried to call it up on the screen, a lot of what I had written
seemed to have gone missing.
4 Even though she is actually 35, she could easily pass as a 21-
year-old; she loves working out and staying in shape.
5 I marked/put/had him down as an utter fool, but I soon learnt
how wrong I was.
6 People look on him as a wonderful philanthropist and a
human-rights defender, but all I see is a smug narcissist.
7 I thought he came across as an authority on the matter during
his presentation. He put his ideas across very well, and the
audience quickly warmed to him.
8 I wouldn’t go as far as to say that the pupil is lazy, but he
certainly needs to find some more motivation for this subject.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 322

ANTONYMS

Exercise 1 from p. 279

I do my best to blend in the crowd when I don’t want to be He always wears such bright colours that he sticks out like a sore
noticed. thumb wherever he goes.

We ran out of petrol in the middle of the journey We filled up with petrol before we set off

Manchester United lost out to Chelsea in the FA Cup Chelsea won out over their rivals, Manchester United

Dad offered to pick me up from the station Dad offered to drop me off at the station

I fished/took my wallet out of my pocket I put/stuck my wallet (back) in my pocket

He threw/flung/slung/chucked off his clothes and collapsed on Having slept through his alarm, he threw/ flung/slung/chucked on
the bed his suit and rushed off to work

I’d like to speak out for all those victims affected by the tragedy I feel I ought to speak out against the widespread idea that
euthanasia is a good thing

The car sped up as it was turning the bend, and the driver lost If you don’t slow down, you might have an accident
control, veering off the road

The boss looks down on anyone who regularly takes a day off I look up to the ancient Greeks and Romans as the masters of
grammar

Exercise 2 from p. 280

Would you like to eat out or stay in, tonight? Shall we go out and have a meal or eat in?

I usually stay up until about 01:00am I prefer to turn in early at 10:30

We’ll need to put the deadline off a few weeks Let’s bring the deadline forward so that we finish earlier

The boxer knocked out his opponent in the final round The doctor used smelling salts to bring the boxer round

I tried to talk him out of his trip to the plastic surgeon, but he I managed to talk him into coming to the party
wouldn’t listen

As a child, I loved putting together models of tanks and aeroplanes We’ll need to take apart the furniture before we move out

The newspaper says that the tide will go out at 10:30am tomorrow The tide will start coming in at 16:36 and it will be full-tide by
18:00

It started to cloud over and the sun went in. The sun will come out in a few minutes and you’ll feel much
warmer

The sun comes up at around 6:30 The sun will go down at 16:30

You shouldn’t take on too much at work; you will get stressed out If I manage to get out of the jobs that my boss gave me, I’ll be able
to chill out.

We have decided to take on 10 new employees We’ll have to let go of 10 new employees

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Exercise 3 from p. 281

You should take them up on their job offer You should turn their job offer down

I made up with him in the end; it was silly to argue We argued about money, and in the end we fell out with each other.

When I realised how mean and selfish he was, I went off him I warmed to him as soon as I found out how much we had in
common

He sailed/breezed through all his exams I only just managed to scrape through my exams.

Let’s keep/stay together or else we may get lost Let’s split up so that we find our missing friend quicker

The rain will come on in the next hour If the rain holds off for an hour, we won’t get soaked

This pupil finds it easy to keep up with the others That pupil always lags/falls behind the others

I usually turn to my auntie for advice I went to a night club but they turned me away

He’s very modest, so he always plays/talks down his achievements He’s boastful, so he always plays/talks up his successes

I need to warm up by the radiator I need to cool down by the window

Someone has let down my tyres Now, I need to pump the tyres up

Exercise 4 from p. 282

We can count him in for the holiday We can count him out for the holiday

Is that the doorbell? Go to see the guest in He’s leaving now. Go to see him out/off

He locked himself in the toilet I locked myself out of my own house

The BBC spoke/ came out against Brexit The voters spoke/came out in favour of Brexit
The young are against Brexit The old are for Brexit
They side with the E.U We side against the E.U.
They stand against Brexit We stand for Brexit

He fell out with his best friend He fell in with a bad crowd (got mixed up with)

My clothes were soaked through (really wet) I dried my clothes out on the radiator

He’s been slacking off all week, zoning out in front of the TV He’s been slaving away all week, so he’s worn-out

He was pecking at his food He was wolfing down his food very quickly

That old sofa is falling apart You need to put together the sofa-bed

She breezed into the office without a care in the world She stormed out of the office with a face like thunder

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 324

 He thought that she was in love with him, but she was actually just
SYNONYMS AND leading him on

CLUSTERS
Hold on to sth from p. 284
We clung/grabbed/ held on to the edge of our seats as our driver
lost control of the wheels and skidded across the motorway.
Decorate or make As I fell backwards, I waved my arms around, clutching/grasping
more beautiful from p. 283 at the smaller twigs; however, these just snapped off in my hands.
It was quite a big drop, and I ended up in hospital.
As soon as we moved into the new place, we decided to do/jazz it
The parasites latch on to their victim, and then feed off the blood.
up.
I spruced myself up for the party. I wanted to look my best.
She dolled herself up, hoping that she would end up meeting Reporting sb to authorities from p. 303
someone at the club.
He turned his associate over to the police as soon as they put a bit
I only dress up for formal events, such as weddings.
of pressure on him.
When one of his classmates threw a paper plane at the teacher, he
Persuasion from p. 283 immediately told on the pupil.
The police paid him £1000 on condition that he turn in all of his
He won me over with a bribe of £1000.
criminals associates.
He talked me into playing on the football team, but then my wife
In the end, his colleague informed/ratted/snitched on them, and
talked me out of it.
they were all put away for a long time.
If he doesn’t take you up on the offer, I will try to bring/talk him
Having been grassed up by his best mate, he was sent down for 5
round.
years.
I’ll suck/crawl/play up to my boss. Hopefully, he’ll come round.
I will try to get round the boss tonight. Hopefully, I’ll wrap him
round my little finger. Find sth or sb by chance from p. 285
I happened/stumbled/chanced upon a beautiful gold watch at the
A breakdown in relations from p. 283 market.
When he came/ran/stumbled across the old photos, tears started
After only 6 months, they broke off their marriage.
trickling down his cheeks.
Their engagement broke down after a succession of rows in
As soon as we turned the corner, we ran/bumped into 2 of my old
public.
teachers.
They split/broke up soon after she found out that he had been
playing away.
He walked out on her when he found out she had been cheating Continuation from p. 285
on him.
I thought that our player had been deliberately brought down by
Having walked in on her boyfriend in another girl’s arms, she
their defender, but the referee told us to play on.
finished with him.
The meeting was incredibly tedious and, what’s more, it dragged
on for hours.
Losing and regaining In spite of the teacher telling the kids to keep it down, the class
consciousness from p. 284 went/carried/kept on screaming and shouting.
We ought to press/march/soldier/go on despite the awful weather,
He was in such excruciating agony that he passed/blacked out for
otherwise we won’t get back until very late.
a few minutes. However, the paramedics were able to bring him
The professors at university would often
round/to with some smelling salts.
drone/harp/ramble/waffle/rabbit/go/ bang on at us for hours
The boxer knocked/laid out his opponent after only 30 seconds in
about all sorts of utter nonsense.
the ring.
I found it so tedious to write the essay, but I ploughed on and got
Having been on his feet all day, he blacked/passed out during the
it done by midnight.
wedding ceremony, but he came round/to a few seconds later.

Appearing from p. 285

Sexual Excitement from p. 284
Not only did he show/turn/roll up 15 minutes late, but he also
He came on to her while they were chatting at the bar, but he
sneaked off early too.
came out with some sleazy lines that she found a real turn-off.
I am sure they will come/be along in the next few minutes. Let’ s
He has hit on all the women in the department, but his advances
be patient.
are always rejected.
I have noticed lots of new firms sprouting/springing up all over
The perpetrator of these awful crimes clearly gets off on both
the city.
frightening and humiliating his victims; he needs to feel the
If any problems should crop/come up while you are answering the
anguish of the victim in order to get turned on.
questions, put up your hand and I will come over.

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Depression and rejection from p. 285 A rival gang has been attempting to muscle in on some of their
business.
He is constantly having a go at me. It really gets/brings me down.
People who go around putting others down are often those who
can’t put up with jokes aimed at themselves. Going to people and places
I’m going to have to turn down their offer: it is far too low. for a short time from p. 287
We arranged to meet up at seven o clock, but once again he let me
I called/dropped in on my Mum on the way back from work, and
down.
picked up some of my stuff that was cluttering up her garage.
We popped/dropped into the supermarket on the way home, to
Cause and effect from p. 286 pick up some bread.
We’ll pop/drop by (or round) in 15 minutes.
I put most of the delays in our shipments down to our unreliable
suppliers.
The delays that we have experienced come/boil down to our Introducing sth new from p. 287
unreliable suppliers.
The cheaper air fares ushered in a new period of overseas tourism
Everything hinges on our unreliable suppliers.
The government will be rolling out the new legislation next week.
The new law is bound to have lasting consequences. What do you
The new system will be phased in over a period of six months.
think will come of it?
In spite of several setbacks, the new laws will be brought in next
year.
Resigning and redundancy from p. 286
The minister was forced to step/stand down when the news broke Spending money from p. 288
out in the papers.
As the kids had sailed through their exams, we decided to splash
Having slaved away for weeks without any raise in salary, I
out on a skiing trip.
decided to jack/pack in the job.
Nobody likes having to fork out large amounts of money to the
The management are forced to make cutbacks, so several
tax man.
departments will be downsized, and around 20 employees will be
Having paid off all my debts, I was now able to start saving some
laid off.
money up for the future.
The total cost of the work would come to £16000, so we started
Getting sick from p. 286 putting/setting some money aside in advance.
He came down with an awful stomach infection and started
throwing/yacking up all over the place. Sharing work or cost from p. 288
I picked up a nasty infection when I had a holiday in the tropics.
If we all chip/ put in £5, we’ll be able to go in on a pizza.
But, I got over it a few weeks later.
Let’s all club together, and then we can share out a pizza.
I break out in a sweat regularly whenever I have a fever.
OK, so it looks like a massive job, but if we all pitch in, we’ll sort
That new washing powder has brought me out in a rash. (I came
it out in no time.
out in a rash after using that powder)
We might need to rope in a few more volunteers to get this project
finished on time.
Noise gets quieter from p. 287
I wish the neighbours would keep the noise down. Their music Publicly declare from p. 288
keeps me up all night. I might go and tell them to turn it down.
The suspect had been holding out on them, but eventually he
If those kids don’t pipe/quieten down, I’m going to go upstairs
blurted/let out the truth.
and tell them off.
He comes out with some really odd suggestions sometimes.
The noise of the party died down at around 03:00 am.
Several high-profile celebrities have spoken/come out against the
His voice trailed off when he saw the hideous apparition creeping
new laws that will be brought in next month.
up on her.
The dire situation calls for actions, not words.

Clandestine from p. 287

Removal from a surface from p. 288
I could let you in on a little secret, but you must promise to keep it
The kids had been bouncing around all day, but eventually they
to yourself.
jumped/rolled/got off the trampoline.
At first, we thought that it was only the manager that was
He fell off the ladder while he was painting the wall.
responsible for the fraud, but then we found out that a few of his
The lion tore/ripped/bit his whole arm off during the attack.
deputies were in on it too.
I peeled off the skin and handed the orange over.
He can be so nosey; he has a nasty habit of listening in on other
The engine was giving off a peculiar smell, so we pulled over and
people’s conversations.
had a look under the bonnet.
Our enemies walked/burst/barged in on us while we were
discussing the secret plot.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 326

Sorting out your schedule from p. 289 I’m not sure what came over me, but suddenly I found myself
screaming at the top of my voice. I think I had been bottling up a
I don’t think I will be available on Monday, so can we put the
lot of anger, and I had to finally let it all out.
lesson off for a week?
I will pencil you in for Monday the 16th of January, but if you
can’t make it just email me and we’ll call it off. Be good enough or strong enough from p.
We could bring the last meeting forward a few days, and then we 290
will have time to iron out any remaining difficulties.
He is already 18, so he is certainly old enough to face up to his
responsibilities.
Eating and drinking from p. 289 Unfortunately, the hotel didn’t live up to our expectations; the
main problem was that the level of service didn’t come up to the
I splashed out on the most expensive meal on the menu, and
required standard.
gobbled/ate it up in seconds.
You really ought to stand up to those bullies; if you don’t, they
You really ought to slow down when you drink alcohol: you gulp
will push you around for years.
those beers down far too quickly.
I didn’t feel up to going into work, so I called in and explained
Look at how fast he wolfed down his dinner.
that I had come down with flu.
He doesn’t seem to have any appetite; he just sits there pecking at
his food.
There were a number of cakes left on the plate, but I polished Leave without anyone noticing from p. 290
them all off.
We sneaked/crept out of the meeting while no one was looking.
We stole/crept/sneaked away while everyone’s backs were
Ignoring people and things from p. 289 turned.
The thief must have spirited away the painting between one and
Journalists and politicians are notorious for glossing over the
two o clock.
details and skirting around the truth.
The minister has come in for a lot of criticism this week, but he
has shrugged/brushed off the comments in the media, claiming Ways of looking from p. 291
that they are politically motivated.
The builders leered and whistled at the pretty girls, shouting out
Whenever anyone knocks on my door, asking for money, I fob
lewd comments as they passed by.
them off with a lame excuse.
He gazed at his girlfriend with an adoring expression on his face.
She made up lame excuses to explain away the missing money.
When they found out that I was responsible for the mess, they
both glared/stared at me.
Happening according to plan from p. 289 Using the microscope, I peered at the small insect on the glass
slide.
We had laid on lots of food and drink, and, fortunately, the party
He glanced at me for a few seconds, then turned around and left.
went/came off exactly as we had planned. It certainly went down
Having stashed away a piece of paper with the answers, I peeked
well with all the guests.
at them while no one was looking.
We were under a lot of pressure to finish the project before the
deadline, and I didn’t think we’d be able to pull/carry/bring it
off. Attack from p. 291
They set up a new business, but things didn’t pan/play out as well
The soldier threw/tossed a grenade at the enemy.
as they had hoped.
The mugger flew/ran/came at me with a knife, so I turned round
and ran away.
Studying from p. 290 He threatened to set his dog on me if I didn’t get off his property.
Lashing/Hitting out at my attacker with teeth and nails, I
I really ought to brush/swot/bone up on my algebra, and then I
managed to get out of his grip.
will sail/breeze through the test.
I’ll barely scrape through the test if I don’t pore over those
formulae. Come together from p. 291
If you regularly run/go over the phrasal verbs, they are bound to
My family and other relatives come/get together every Christmas
sink in.
for a big party.
Christmas is a time that draws/brings together the whole family.
Feelings and emotions from p. 290 I had to gather/marshal/get together 50 people for the Christmas
party.
I don’t know why he got so carried away. He seemed to work
I’m not sure I’ll be able to round up 50 people for the party.
himself into an angry frenzy, losing control of himself.
In the last poem, he let his imagination run away with him, so I
found it hard to understand what he was getting at. Combine from p. 291
The pieces of this puzzle don’t join/fit/go together.
My son has spent the whole day putting together one of his toys.

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I managed to cobble together a high voltage supply with some old
electronics that were lying around.
We lashed the pieces of wood together in order to make a raft.
Deception from p. 293
He made out that he was a very wealthy man, but the truth was
very different. However, everyone fell for it.
Appear to be or believe sb to be from p. 292 You all thought that I was upset, but I was actually putting it on.
He managed to pass himself off as over 18 even though he is only We were all taken in by the lies that were going round in the
15. newspapers.
I have always had/marked/put him down as an idiot, but now I Unfortunately, he was diddled/done/cheated out of his fortune by
see that I was wrong. his relatives.
Don’t take me for a fool, or you will regret it. The taxi driver mugged/ripped me off by taking a much longer
He comes across as cold and aloof, but he is actually just shy and route.
untalkative.
He strikes me as meticulous and professional, and his team look
on him as a good boss.
Loud noises from p. 293
His colleagues hold him up as a saint, but I know better. The wedding bells were ringing/pealing out and the crowds were
gathering together to throw confetti over the bride and groom.
I couldn’t hear what he was saying because the noise of the road
Respond to sb or sth at a later time from p. works drowned out his voice.
292
The sound of the radio was always blasting/belting out during
I’m afraid I can’t speak now, so I’ll have to get back to you at a lunchtime.
later time. He had a deep voice which would boom out whenever he gave a
We have followed up on their complaints, and we have found that speech.
the grievances were well warranted.
We need to act on these complaints, or else our business will
suffer.
We also need to chase up our suppliers, and find out why
deliveries have been held up.

Survive on sth from p. 292

As students, we got/scraped by on loans from the bank and part-
time jobs.
When we realised we could make do with a smaller house, we
decided to sell up and move out.
The herbivore feeds/lives on plants, while the carnivore
feeds/lives on other animals.
He feeds/lives off the generosity of others.

Dave Nicholls | Visual Phrasal Verbs — Answers 328