What are Phrasal Verbs?

Phrasal verbs are combinations of verbs and one or more particles (prepositions or adverbs)
that have a special meaning, which is often different from the individual meanings of the
words. The particle can change the meaning of the verb, and phrasal verbs are commonly used
in everyday English.

For example:

 "Give up" means to stop trying, while "give" by itself means to offer or provide
something.

 "Look after" means to take care of someone or something, while "look" by itself
means to see or glance at something.

Phrasal verbs can be separable (where the verb and particle can be split) or inseparable (where
the verb and particle must stay together). They can be used in different tenses and often have
multiple meanings depending on the context.

1. Basic Phrasal Verbs (Everyday Actions)

 Break down – To stop working (a machine)

 Call off – To cancel

 Carry on – To continue

 Check in – To register (at a hotel or airport)

 Check out – To leave (a hotel); to examine

 Come in – To enter

 Come up – To occur

 Do over – To repeat

 Get along – To have a good relationship

 Get by – To manage with limited resources

 Give up – To stop trying

 Go on – To continue

 Hang up – To end a phone call

 Hold on – To wait

 Look after – To take care of

 Look for – To search for

 Look forward to – To be excited about something

 Make up – To invent (a story); to reconcile

 Pick up – To collect; to learn

  Put off – To delay

 Run out of – To have no more of something

 Show up – To arrive

 Take off – To rise (in flight); to remove

 Turn down – To reject

 Turn up – To appear; to increase (volume)

 Wake up – To stop sleeping

2. Work and Business-Related Phrasal Verbs

 Bring up – To raise a topic

 Carry out – To execute or complete a task

 Come across – To find unexpectedly

 Follow up – To check on the progress of something

 Give in – To surrender or yield

 Go through – To examine in detail

 Hold off – To delay or postpone

 Lay off – To dismiss from a job

 Look into – To investigate

 Make up for – To compensate for something

 Put forward – To suggest an idea

 Run into – To meet unexpectedly

 Set up – To arrange or establish

 Take on – To accept a task or responsibility

 Take over – To take control

 Work out – To solve a problem; to exercise

3. Phrasal Verbs with Prepositions of Movement

 Break into – To enter forcibly

 Come out – To be revealed; to appear

 Go back – To return

 Go in – To enter

 Go out – To leave; to socialize

 Move in – To enter a new home

  Move out – To leave a place of residence

 Pass out – To faint

 Pick up – To lift or collect something or someone

 Run after – To chase

 Run into – To meet by chance

 Set off – To start a journey

 Take in – To absorb; to understand

 Walk in – To enter casually

 Walk out – To leave abruptly

 Work on – To focus effort on something

4. Phrasal Verbs for Communication

 Ask out – To invite someone on a date

 Bring up – To mention a topic

 Call back – To return a phone call

 Call off – To cancel

 Catch up – To get up to date with someone

 Come forward – To volunteer information

 Come out with – To say something unexpected

 Get across – To successfully communicate an idea

 Get through – To manage to communicate (especially on the phone)

 Give away – To donate; to reveal a secret

 Give in – To surrender or admit defeat

 Give out – To distribute; to stop functioning

 Hang out – To spend time with friends

 Let down – To disappoint

 Pick on – To bully or criticize unfairly

 Speak up – To speak more loudly or clearly

 Talk over – To discuss a topic

 Turn down – To reject

 Turn up – To appear unexpectedly

 Write down – To record in writing

5. Emotions and Feelings

 Blow up – To explode; to become very angry

 Cheer up – To feel better or make someone feel better

 Come down with – To get sick with something

 Get over – To recover from something (e.g., illness or disappointment)

 Give up – To stop trying

 Go off – To explode; to ring (an alarm)

 Grow up – To mature

 Light up – To brighten (both literally and figuratively)

 Open up – To share personal thoughts or feelings

 Pass out – To faint

 Show off – To boast

 Shut up – To stop talking

 Take after – To resemble a family member

 Tear up – To rip into pieces; to become emotional

6. Phrasal Verbs for Travel

 Check in – To register for a flight or hotel

 Check out – To leave a hotel or verify something

 Get in – To arrive at a destination

 Get out – To leave a place

 Get on – To board a vehicle

 Get off – To leave a vehicle

 Go away – To leave a place (usually for a holiday)

 Pick up – To collect from a location

 Set off – To start a journey

 Take off – To depart (for flights)

 Take in – To visit or absorb information

 Take off – To rise (a plane)

7. Phrasal Verbs for Technology

 Boot up – To start a computer

 Break down – To stop functioning

  Log in – To enter a system

 Log out – To exit a system

 Power up – To turn on (a device)

 Shut down – To turn off (a device)

 Sign in – To log in

 Sign out – To log out

8. Phrasal Verbs for Housework and Maintenance

 Clean up – To tidy

 Fix up – To repair or decorate

 Hang up – To hang something (e.g., a coat or phone)

 Put away – To store things properly

 Put off – To delay

 Take out – To remove (e.g., trash)

 Throw out – To dispose of

50 Multiple-Choice Exercises for Advanced Learners Using Phrasal Verbs

1. What does the phrasal verb “give up” mean? a) To start doing something
b) To stop trying
c) To pass something
d) To finish a task

2. She __________ the meeting because she was feeling ill.

a) called off
b) called on
c) called in
d) called up

3. I can’t believe he __________ that opportunity!

a) took on
b) took in
c) took over
d) took up

4. You need to __________ the problem as soon as possible.

a) deal with
b) look after
c) check out
d) take over

5. When the teacher __________ a new topic, we all take notes.

a) brings up
 b) calls off
c) looks after
d) carries on

6. It’s getting late. We should __________ soon.

a) get off
b) go off
c) give up
d) come up

7. He __________ his old job after the company went bankrupt.

a) set out
b) set up
c) gave up
d) gave in

8. Don’t forget to __________ the documents before you leave.

a) take off
b) hand over
c) check in
d) check out

9. She was worried when the meeting was __________ at the last minute.
a) turned up
b) called off
c) worked out
d) turned down

10. I need to __________ some work before the deadline tomorrow.

a) look after
b) get through
c) turn off
d) carry on

11. He didn’t __________ his promise to help me with the project.

a) bring about
b) keep up
c) go through
d) break off

12. Can you __________ the lights when you leave the room?
a) turn down
b) turn on
c) turn off
d) turn up

13. I __________ the train just in time.

a) ran across
b) ran into
c) ran after
d) ran out of
14. She finally __________ to her parents about her decision.
a) came across
b) came out
c) came in
d) came up

15. We need to __________ the marketing campaign next month.

a) bring in
b) carry on
c) carry out
d) bring about

16. After his accident, he had to __________ several surgeries.

a) go through
b) give in
c) look into
d) get over

17. I don’t know how she manages to __________ her job and her family so well.
a) break down
b) deal with
c) carry out
d) look after

18. They are planning to __________ the old building to make room for a park.
a) tear down
b) tear up
c) pull off
d) put off

19. I think the company should __________ its policy on flexible working hours.
a) look after
b) bring in
c) check in
d) break up

20. He couldn’t __________ his mistake, so he apologized right away.

a) let go
b) bring up
c) own up
d) get by

21. The teacher asked the students to __________ their homework before the next class.
a) turn in
b) turn down
c) turn up
d) bring back

22. I didn’t understand the instructions, but he was able to __________ me.
a) help out
b) help on
 c) help in
d) help off

23. We should __________ the problem before it gets worse.

a) look up
b) look into
c) look after
d) look down

24. The old man was __________ by the children in the park.
a) looked up to
b) looked down on
c) looked through
d) looked after

25. Can you __________ the details of the contract tomorrow?

a) look over
b) look forward to
c) look in
d) look out

26. After the incident, they decided to __________ the situation and make improvements.
a) work on
b) work out
c) work up
d) work off

27. His boss asked him to __________ the issue during the next meeting.
a) bring up
b) bring in
c) bring on
d) bring back

28. I need to __________ some errands before meeting you.

a) run after
b) run over
c) run into
d) run around

29. The CEO asked everyone to __________ their ideas for the new project.
a) write out
b) come up with
c) come over
d) come in with

30. It was hard for her to __________ her feelings after the breakup.
a) get down
b) get over
c) get through
d) get off
31. The employees were told to __________ the meeting at 4 PM.
a) show up
b) show off
c) show out
d) show in

32. He had to __________ his decision after considering the risks involved.
a) turn down
b) back down
c) break down
d) call off

33. I can’t believe they decided to __________ the project at such a late stage.
a) turn in
b) call off
c) call out
d) call on

34. She __________ to finish the report by the deadline.

a) set out
b) set in
c) set back
d) set up

35. I don't want to __________ any more time on this issue.

a) put off
b) put up with
c) put on
d) put in

36. It took me a while to __________ the new software at work.

a) figure out
b) figure in
c) figure on
d) figure through

37. The lawyer told us to __________ any further comments until after the trial.
a) hold up
b) hold off
c) hold on
d) hold back

38. Can you __________ me a favor and call her?

a) do
b) make
c) take
d) give

39. They decided to __________ the event due to the weather conditions.
a) put off
b) put out
 c) put in
d) put away

40. I haven’t __________ him since last year.

a) run into
b) run after
c) run across
d) run by

41. She wants to __________ a career in medicine.

a) take on
b) take off
c) take over
d) take up

42. Can you __________ the report before we present it to the client?
a) go through
b) go for
c) go off
d) go ahead

43. It’s important to __________ all the risks before making a decision.
a) take out
b) take in
c) take over
d) take on

44. I don’t think we will __________ the project within this budget.
a) run through
b) run on
c) run up
d) run out of

45. They decided to __________ their plans for the holidays.

a) go along with
b) go up with
c) go back on
d) go through with

46. He doesn’t __________ the idea of traveling abroad.

a) care about
b) care for
c) care of
d) care with

47. We should __________ our expectations for this year’s performance.

a) cut off
b) cut out
c) cut back
d) cut down
48. She was asked to __________ the presentation.
a) take after
b) take over
c) take off
d) take up

49. They __________ the invitation to the conference.

a) turned up
b) turned down
c) turned on
d) turned in

50. We need to __________ the new rules to all employees.

a) lay off
b) lay out
c) lay in
d) lay down