| COMMON PHRASAL VERBS |
| What is a phrasal verb? “Verb and preposition” together have a speacial meaning. For example, give + up means “stop trying”. Sometimes a phrasal verb cosists of three parts. For example, put + up + with means “tolerate”. 1) SEPARABLE PHRASAL VERBS With a separable verb, a noun may come either between the verb and the preposition or after the preposition. A pronoun comes between the verb and the preposition. I turned the radio off. (Or) I turned off the radio. (But) I turned it off. (Not I turned off it.) Don’t wake Mary up. (Or) Don’t wake up Mary. (But) Don’t wake her up. (Not Don’t wake up her.) 2) NONSEPARABLE PHRASAL VERBS With a nonseparable phrasal verb, a noun or pronoun must follow the preposition. I ran into an old friend yesterday. I ran into her yesterday. |
| Following is a list of common phrasal verbs and their usual meanings. The phrasal verbs marked with an asterisk (*) are nonseparable. |
| A) ask out : invite someone to go on a date B) bring about, bring on: cause bring up: (1) rear children; (2) mention or introduce a topic C) call back: return a telephone call call in: ask to come to an official place for a specific purpose call off: cancel *call on: (1) ask to speak in class; (2) visit call up: call on the telephone *catch up (with): reach the same position or level *check in, check into: register at a hotel *check into: investigate check out: (1) take a book from the library; (2) investigate *check out (of) : leave a hotel cheer up: make someone feel happier clean up: make clean and orderly *come across: meet by chance cross out: draw a line through cut out: stop an annoying activity D) do over: do again *drop by, drop in (on): visit informally drop off: leave something/someone at a place *drop out (of): stop going to school, to a class, to a club, etc. |
| F) figure out: find the answer by resoning fill out: write the completions of a questionnaire or offivial form find out: discover information G) *get along (with) exist satisfactorily get back (from): (1) return from a place; (2) receive again *get in, get into: (1) enter a car; (2) arrive *get off: leave an airplane, a bus, a train, a subway, a bicycle *get on: enter an airplane, a bus, a train, a subway, a bicycle *get out of: (1) leave a car; (2) avoid work or an unpleasant activity *get over: recover from an illness *get through: finish *get up: arise from bed, a chair give back: return an item to someone give up: stop trying *go over: review or check carefully *grow up (in): become an adult H) hand in: submit an assignment hang up: (1) conclude a telephone conversation; (2) put clothes on a hanger or a hook have on: wear K) keep out (of): not enter *keep up (with): stay at the same position or level kick out (of): force someone to leave |
| L) *look after: tahe care of *look into: investigate *look out (for): be careful look over: review or check carefully look up: look for information in a reference book M) make up: (1) invent; (2) do past work N) name after, name for: give a baby the name of someone else |