List Of Phrasal Verbs
Definition: A phrasal verb consists of a verb and a preposition or adverb that modifies or changes the meaning; for example, ‘give up’ is a phrasal verb that means ‘stop doing’ something, which is very different from ‘give’. The word or words that modify a verb in this manner can also go under the name particle.
A complete phrasal verb list in English would include over 2,000 phrasal verbs. We have tons of them, and we use them all the time without realizing it. Phrasal verbs are, in fact, one of the most difficult things to learn in English because there are so many of them, and because they can't be translated literally. Common Phrasal Verbs. Separable Phrasal Verbs The object may come after the following phrasal verbs or it may separate the two parts: You have to do this paint job over. You have to do over this paint job. When the object of the following phrasal verbs is a pronoun, the two parts of the phrasal verb must be separated. This is a list of about 200 common phrasal verbs, with meanings and examples. Phrasal verbs are usually two-word phrases consisting of verb + adverb or verb + preposition.
Phrasal verbs can be divided into groups:
Intransitive verbs:
These phrasal verbs don’t take an object.
- They had an argument, but they’ve made up now.
Inseparable verbs
The object must come after the particle.
- They are looking after their grandchildren.
Separable verbs
With some separable verbs, the object must come between the verb and the particle:
- The quality of their work sets them apart from their rivals.
With some separable verbs, the object comes either before or after the particle, though when apronoun is used, it comes before the particle:
- Turn the TV off.
- or turn off the TV.
- Turn it off.
- Or Turn off it (incorrect)
Separable Phrasal Verbs
The object may come after the following phrasal verbs or it may separate the two parts:
- You have to do this paint job over.
- You have to do over this paint job.
When the object of the following phrasal verbs is a pronoun, the two parts of the phrasal verb must be separated:
- You have to do it over.
Verb | Meaning | Example |
| blow up | explode | The terrorists tried to blow up the railroad station. |
| bring up | mention a topic | My mother brought up that little matter of my prison record again. |
| bring up | raise children | It is not easy to bring up children nowadays. |
| call off | cancel | They called off this afternoon’s meeting |
| do over | repeat a job | Do this homework over. |
| fill out | complete a form | Fill out this application form and mail it in. |
| fill up | fill to capacity | She filled up the grocery cart with free food. |
| find out | discover | My sister found out that her husband had been planning a surprise party for her. |
| fill up | fill to capacity | She filled up the grocery cart with free food. |
| find out | discover | My sister found out that her husband had been planning a surprise party for her. |
| give away | give something to someone else for free | The filling station was giving away free gas. |
| give back | return an object | My brother borrowed my car. I have a feeling he’s not about to give it back. |
| hand in | submit something (assignment) | The students handed in their papers and left the room. |
| hang up | put something on hook or receiver | She hung up the phone before she hung up her clothes. |
| hold up | delay | I hate to hold up the meeting, but I have to go to the bathroom. |
| hold up (2) | rob | Three masked gunmen held up the Security Bank this afternoon. |
| leave out | omit | You left out the part about the police chase down Asylum Avenue. |
| look over | examine, check | The lawyers looked over the papers carefully before questioning the witness. (They looked them over carefully.) |
| look up | the search in a list | You have misspelled this word again. You had better look it up. |
| make up | invent a story or lie | She knew she was in trouble, so she made up a story about going to the movies with her friends. |
| make out | hear, understand | He was so far away, we really couldn’t make out what he was saying. |
| pick out | choose | There were three men in the line-up. She picked out the guy she thought had stolen her purse. |
| pick up | lift something off something else | The crane picked up the entire house. (Watch them pick it up.) |
| point out | call attention to | As we drove through Paris, Francoise pointed out the major historical sites. |
| put away | save or store | We put away money for our retirement. She put away the cereal boxes. |
| put off | postpone | We asked the boss to put off the meeting until tomorrow. (Please put it off for another day.) |
| put on | put clothing on the body | I put on a sweater and a jacket. (I put them on quickly.) |
| put out | extinguish | The firefighters put out the house fire before it could spread. (They put it out quickly.) |
| read over | peruse | I read over the homework, but couldn’t make any sense of it. |
| set up | to arrange, begin | My wife set up the living room exactly the way she wanted it. She set it up. |
| Write down | make a written note | These are your instructions. Write them down before you forget. |
| take off | remove clothing | It was so hot that I had to take off my shirt. |
| talk over | discuss | We have serious problems here. Let’s talk them over like adults. |
| throw away | discard | That’s a lot of money! Don’t just throw it away. |
| try on | put clothing on to see if it fits | She tried on fifteen dresses before she found one she liked. |
| try out | test | I tried out four cars before I could find one that pleased me. |
| Turn down | Lower volume | Your radio is driving me crazy! Please turn it down. |
| turn down (2) | reject | He applied for a promotion twice this year, but he was turned down both times. |
| turn up | raise the volume | Grandpa could not hear, so he turned up his hearing aid. |
| turn off | switch off electricity | We turned off the lights before anyone could see us. |
| turn off (2) | repulse | It was a disgusting movie. It really turned me off. |
| turn on | switch on the electricity | Turn on the CD player so we can dance. |
| use up | exhaust, use completely | The gang members used up all the money and went out to rob some more banks. |
Inseparable Phrasal Verbs (Transitive)
With the following phrasal verbs, the lexical part of the verb (the part of the phrasal verb that carries the “verb-meaning”) cannot be separated from the prepositions (or other parts) that accompany it: “Who will look after my estate when I’m gone?”
Verb | Meaning | Example |
| call on | ask to recite in class | The teacher called on students in the back row. |
| call on (2) | visit | The old minister continued to call on his sick parishioners. |
| get over | recover from sickness or disappointment | I got over the flu, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get an overmy broken heart. |
| go over | review | The students went over the material before the exam. They should have gone over it twice. |
| go through | use up; consume | They country went through most of its coal reserves in one year. Did he go through all his money already? |
| look after | take care of | My mother promised to look after my dog while I was gone. |
| look into | investigate | The police will look into the possibilities of embezzlement. |
| run across | find by chance | I ran across my old roommate at the college reunion. |
| run into | meet | Carlos ran into his English professor in the hallway. |
| take after | resemble | My second son seems to take after his mother. |
| wait on | serve | It seemed strange to see my old boss wait on tables. |
Three-Word Phrasal Verbs (Transitive)
With the following phrasal verbs, you will find three parts: “My brother dropped out of school before he could graduate.”
Verb | Meaning | Example |
| break in on | interrupt (a conversation) | I was talking to Mom on the phone when the operator broke in on our call. |
| catch up with | keep abreast | After our month-long trip, it was time to catch up with the neighbors and the news around town. |
| check up on | examine, investigate | The boys promised to check up on the condition of the summer house from time to time. |
| come up with | to contribute (suggestion, money) | After years of giving nothing, the old parishioner was able tocome up with a thousand-dollar donation. |
| cut down on | curtail (expenses) | We tried to cut down on the money we were spending on entertainment. |
| drop out of | leave school | I hope none of my students drop out of school this semester. |
| get along with | have a good relationship with | I found it very hard to get along with my brother when we were young. |
| get away with | escape blame | Janik cheated on the exam and then tried to get away with it. |
| get rid of | eliminate | The citizens tried to get rid of their corrupt mayor in the recent election. |
| get through with | finish | When will you ever get through with that program? |
| keep up with | maintain pace with | It’s hard to keep up with the Joneses when you lose your job! |
| look forward to | anticipate with pleasure | I always look forward to the beginning of a new semester. |
| look down on | despise | It’s typical of a jingoistic country that the citizens look down on their geographical neighbors. |
| look in on | visit (somebody) | We were going to look in on my brother-in-law, but he wasn’t home. |
| look out for | be careful, anticipate | Good instructors will look out for early signs of failure in their students. |
| look up to | respect | First-graders really look up to their teachers. |
| make sure of | verify | Make sure of the student’s identity before you let him into the classroom. |
| put up with | tolerate | The teacher had to put up with a great deal of nonsense from the new students. |
| run out of | exhaust supply | The runners ran out of energy before the end of the race. |
| take care of | be responsible for | My oldest sister took care of us younger children after Mom died. |
| talk back to | answer impolitely | The star player talked back to the coach and was thrown off the team. |
| think back on | recall | I often think back on my childhood with great pleasure. |
| walk out on | abandon | Her husband walked out on her and their three children. |
Intransitive Phrasal Verbs
The following phrasal verbs are not followed by an object: “Once you leave home, you can never really go back again.”
Verb | Meaning | Example |
| break down | stop functioning | That old Jeep had a tendency to break down just when I needed it the most. |
| catch on | become popular | Popular songs seem to catch on in California first and then spread eastward. |
| come back | return to a place | Father promised that we would never come back to this horrible place. |
| come in | enter | They tried to come in through the back door, but it was locked. |
| come to | regain consciousness | He was hit on the head very hard, but after several minutes, he started to come to again. |
| come over | to visit | The children promised to come over, but they never do. |
| drop by | visit without appointment | We used to just drop by, but they were never home, so we stopped doing that. |
| eat out | dine in a restaurant | When we visited Paris, we loved eating out in the sidewalk cafes. |
| get by | survive | Uncle Heine didn’t have much money, but he always seemed to get by without borrowing money from relatives. |
| get up | arise | Grandmother tried to get up, but the couch was too low, and she couldn’t make it on her own. |
| go back | return to a place | It’s hard to imagine that we will ever go back to Lithuania. |
| go on | continue | He would finish one Dickens novel and then just go on to the next. |
| go on (2) | happen | The cops heard all the noise and stopped to see what was going on. |
| grow up | get older | Charles grew up to be a lot like his father. |
| keep away | remain at a distance | The judge warned the stalker to keep away from his victim’s home. |
| keep on (with gerund) | continue with the same | He tried to keep on singing long after his voice was ruined. |
| pass out | lose consciousness, faint | He had drunk too much; he passed out on the sidewalk outside the bar. |
| show off | demonstrate haughtily | Whenever he sat down at the piano, we knew he was going to show off. |
| show up | arrive | Day after day, Efrain showed up for class twenty minutes late. |
| wake up | arouse from sleep | I woke up when the rooster crowed. |
“I definitely lost my fear of making mistakes with phrasal verbs.”
~ Marisa, from Spain
What are Phrasal Verbs?
Phrasal verbs are two- or three-word combinations of a verb + preposition, like take up, take in, take out, take off, take away, take over, and take back.
These are examples of phrasal verbs… and they ALL have different meanings! This can be really frustrating because using the wrong phrasal verb can change the whole sentence.
And what’s worse is that each phrasal verb can have multiple definitions. For example, TAKE OFF can mean:
- When an airplane leaves the ground
- To remove (ex. “take off your shoes”)
- Make great progress (“sales have really taken off lately”)
- Informal: To leave (“I’m gonna take off, I’ll see you guys later!”)
Phrasal verbs can make it difficult to understand spoken English… even if you’ve studied for a long time.
I had a student who was at the upper-intermediate level, and his English was really quite good. But he traveled to Canada – it was the first time he had ever visited an English-speaking country.
And when he came back, he told me he had a LOT of difficulty understanding the spoken English in Canada, and it was all because of the phrasal verbs, which are SO common in spoken English.
Phrasal verbs can make it difficult to understand when you talk with native speakers.
The problem is that regular textbooks don’t focus on phrasal verbs, and they’re also not used in more formal English like articles and news broadcasts.
But if you want to be fluent in English – especially spoken English – you NEED to know them and how they are used in everyday situations and conversations.
Phrasal verbs are essential for speaking fluent English – native speakers use them every day
So what’s the best way to learn phrasal verbs? Some students get a list or dictionary of phrasal verbs and start trying to memorize them.
But that’s boring, and it’s not very effective. First of all, there are thousands of phrasal verbs in English, so it’s going to be hard to memorize them all.
Trying to memorize long lists is NOT the best way!
Second, memorizing lists just causes more confusion because the words are all so similar. There are 37 different phrasal verbs just with the word “come”: come about, come across, come along, come around, come by, come through, come over. How are you supposed to remember each one?
How do native English speakers
learn phrasal verbs?
Let’s look at how native English speakers learn phrasal verbs – here’s a very simple example.
Imagine that every morning when I was a child, my mother said to me, “Shayna, time to get up!” – then I learn from the situation that “get up” means “leave the bed in the morning,” and I will naturally use it in this way when I speak. I learned the phrasal verb naturally in context.
In an English-speaking country, I learn the phrasal verb “get up” naturally, in context.
Or another example: if I’m in school and the teacher says she’s going to hand out worksheets to all the students, what does hand out mean? It means “to distribute.” Again, I learn the meaning of the phrasal verb naturally in context – no need to memorize words from a big list.
But how can you learn phrasal verbs naturally
if you don’t live in an English-speaking country?
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a book or course that taught you phrasal verbs – not through a list or a dictionary – but by seeing them used naturally in conversations?
That’s why I’ve created the Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course! It will teach you phrasal verbs in a fun, natural, interesting way that will help you remember them better and use them in your English more easily.
Let me show you how the course works.
1) Read & Listen to the Conversation
At the beginning of each lesson, you’ll hear a short conversation using a number of phrasal verbs related to a specific topic – like sports, relationships, work, news, etc. This is great for you to practice your listening.
Each lesson starts with a dialogue that’s full of phrasal verbs.
2) Watch the Explanation to Learn the Phrasal Verbs
Then, there’s a video explanation that teaches you all the phrasal verbs from the dialogue, explaining what they mean and giving further examples. The text from the video is also available.
Watch/read the explanation to learn the phrasal verbs from the conversation
3) Do the Exercises to Practice the Phrasal Verbs
Finally, each lesson has both a phrasal verbs quiz to help you practice, and writing exercises to help you use the phrasal verbs in your own sentences immediately.
This is very important so that you don’t just “know” the words, but you begin to USE them actively in your own English. You can also send me your writing for correction.
Quizzes & exercises help you remember and use the phrasal verbs.
Student Story: Marisa
“My story with the English language started three years ago. I always had read the tips Shayna sent me by e-mail and I eventually decided to do the Phrasal Verb course.
I definitely lost my fear of making mistakes with phrasal verbs, because the dialogues of every lesson are incredibly interesting and clear.
You can imagine all the situations because they are part of our everyday life, and in this way they are easy to learn and use in my sentences.
One of the best exercises for me was sending my homework to Shayna and receiving her corrections. I was looking forward to her tips and suggestions in order to improve my writing.
I highly recommend this course to all students – especially to those who feel scared to death of phrasal verbs and want to become friends forever with phrasal verbs.”
– Marisa, Spain
Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course
30 Lessons – $30
What will I get in the course?
When you register, you get instant and permanent access to 30 lessons, which include:
- 24 video presentations of the material
- 30 audio MP3s
- Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course e-book (PDF format, 228 pages) including lesson text and phrasal verbs quizzes & exercises
You can take the lessons online or download them to your computer.
You can download and save all the lessons to your computer
How much time is needed?
Each lesson takes about 10 minutes to complete. The good news is that there is NO TIME LIMIT for finishing the course. You have access to the lessons forever!
The lessons are fast, and you have access forever!
What level of English is necessary?
This course is good for intermediate to advanced students. Intermediate students can understand it easily, but advanced students will also find it useful because many of the phrasal verbs will be new to you.
Can I see a sample lesson?
Yes! Click here for Lesson 1.
How can I pay?
You can pay for the course with credit card, debit card or PayPal. I can also accept PagSeguro or Bank Deposit in Brazil – please contact me for the information.
Payment can be made by credit card or bank deposit (in Brazil) – contact me for details
Is the online payment safe?
Yes! The payments with credit card, debit card, and PayPal are made through a secure connection that keeps your information safe.
Can I ask you another question?
Of course! Click here to send me an e-mail.
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
I know you’ll love the Phrasal Verbs Course and learn a lot from it – but if you’re not satisfied with your purchase, just send me an e-mail and I’ll send you a refund within 24 hours.
Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course
30 Lessons – $30
Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Lesson List
Listen to a conversation between Emily and Sarah about their love lives, and learn 16 phrasal verbs about romantic relationships.
Lesson 2 – Phrasal Verbs for Emotions
Jane has a terrible day at work, and Matt gives her some advice for handling difficult co-workers. You’ll learn 17 phrasal verbs about emotions from their conversation.
Lesson 3 – Phrasal Verbs for Social Situations
Erin and Rachel chat about a party that Rachel didn’t go to – using 19 phrasal verbs for social situations.
Lesson 4 – Phrasal Verbs Around the House
Mary asks Joanna if she can stay at her house, but there are a few problems with her arrival. Here are 19 more phrasal verbs for actions around the house.
Lesson 5 – Phrasal Verbs for Health & Sports
Christine invites Pamela to join her at the gym, but Pamela is sick. They discuss health and fitness habits using 17 new phrasal verbs.
Lesson 6 – Phrasal Verbs for School & Studying
Carla and Shirley talk about essays, tests, and a difficult college course – with 22 phrasal verbs.
Lesson 7 – Phrasal Verbs for Driving
Cathy tells Laura about a terrible road trip she took with her husband, in which everything that could go wrong, does go wrong. You’ll learn 20 phrasal verbs from this story.
Lesson 8 – Phrasal Verbs about Money
Diane and Amy chat about financial matters, using 20 phrasal verbs about money. If you don’t know what “chip in,” “splurge on,” and “cough up” mean, take a look at this lesson!
Lesson 9 – Phrasal Verbs at Work
Wendy and Martha need to find an emergency replacement for one of their colleagues – but everyone is overworked. Learn how they resolve this problem with 20 new phrasal verbs.
Lesson 10 – Phrasal Verbs for Computers
Julia helps her mother with a few computer problems, using 16 phrasal verbs in the process.
Lesson 11 – Phrasal Verbs for Travel
Pamela arrives in New York and explores the city while she stays with her friend Heather. You’ll learn 14 new phrasal verbs from their conversation.
Lesson 12 – Phrasal Verbs for Communication
Vanessa tells Leslie about an embarrassing situation, using phrasal verbs like “harp on,” “rant about,” “tune out,” and 17 more.
Lesson 13 – Phrasal Verbs for Time & Change (Part 1)
Miriam tells Jenni about a change in plans and gives her some advice in dealing with her kids – using 19 phrasal verbs related to time and change.
Lesson 14 – Phrasal Verbs for Time & Change (Part 2)
Natalie tells Tina about a roller-coaster year in the life of her company, using 15 more phrasal verbs about time and change.
Lesson 15 – Phrasal Verbs for Persuading & Deciding
In the case of shelf-stable and frozen products, the year must also be displayed. Expired product sheet. To comply, a calendar date must express both the month and day of the month. For meat, poultry, and egg products under the jurisdiction of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), dates may be voluntarily applied provided they are labeled in a manner that is truthful and not misleading and in compliance with FSIS regulations.
Carrie and Michelle chat about the difficult decisions that need to be made when remodeling a house. You’ll learn 18 new phrasal verbs from their conversation.
Lesson 16 – Phrasal Verbs About the Weather
Ashley calls Beth during a storm and they chat about the terrible weather, using 15 phrasal verbs.
Lesson 17 – Phrasal Verbs in the News
Erica and Jasmine talk about recent news, the violence in the city, and the upcoming elections, using 20 phrasal verbs.
Lesson 18 – Phrasal Verbs for Movement
Martha tells Helen how she injured her back, and Helen describes an interesting trip to the zoo – with 14 phrasal verbs involving movement.
Lesson 19 – Phrasal Verbs for Information
Samantha and Kate discuss a really confusing report, trying to figure out the inaccuracies in the data and using 16 phrasal verbs related to information.
Lesson 20 – Phrasal Verbs for Events
Gina talks about a disappointing movie, and Liz describes a successful music festival. You’ll learn 15 phrasal verbs related to events from their conversation.
Lesson 21 – Phrasal Verbs for Manners/Etiquette
Karen and Susan exchange stories about coworkers who are rude to others in the office, and the reasons for their bad behavior. Listen in and learn 17 new phrasal verbs.
Lesson 22 – Phrasal Verbs for Destruction & Repair
Carmen and Tara talk about fighting the city’s plans to demolish the last remaining historical building in their town, using 14 phrasal verbs related to destruction and repair.
Lesson 23 – Phrasal Verbs with AWAY
For the last week of the course, you’re going to learn extra phrasal verbs that didn’t quite fit into the other categories. I’ve grouped them by preposition, so in this lesson you’ll learn 10 phrasal verbs with AWAY.
Lesson 24 – Phrasal Verbs with DOWN
For the last week of the course, you’re going to learn extra phrasal verbs that didn’t quite fit into the other categories. I’ve grouped them by preposition, so in this lesson you’ll learn 10 phrasal verbs with DOWN.
Lesson 25 – Phrasal Verbs with ON and IN
For the last week of the course, you’re going to learn extra phrasal verbs that didn’t quite fit into the other categories. I’ve grouped them by preposition, so in this lesson you’ll learn 10 phrasal verbs with ON and IN.
Lesson 26 – Phrasal Verbs with OUT
For the last week of the course, you’re going to learn extra phrasal verbs that didn’t quite fit into the other categories. I’ve grouped them by preposition, so in this lesson you’ll learn 10 phrasal verbs with OUT.
Lesson 27 – Phrasal Verbs with OFF
For the last week of the course, you’re going to learn extra phrasal verbs that didn’t quite fit into the other categories. I’ve grouped them by preposition, so in this lesson you’ll learn 10 phrasal verbs with OFF.
Lesson 28 – Phrasal Verbs with UP
For the last week of the course, you’re going to learn extra phrasal verbs that didn’t quite fit into the other categories. I’ve grouped them by preposition, so in this lesson you’ll learn 10 phrasal verbs with UP.
Lesson 29 – Confusing Pairs of Phrasal Verbs
In this lesson, we’re going to review the differences between some commonly confused phrasal verbs. For example, you learned in a past lesson that both find out and figure out mean to discover information… but you “find out” information from another source, and you “figure out” something by using your own thought and logic.
Lesson 30 – Phrasal Verbs as Nouns
During this course, you’ve seen a few phrasal verbs that have both a noun and a verb form. One example is “work out” meaning “to do exercise.” The noun form, “workout” means one session of exercise. Here are 16 more phrasal verbs that are commonly used as nouns.