What is Phrasal Verb?
Phrasal Verbs are a particular kind of expression, wherein the verb is made of two or more components. Mostly the combining components are verbs and prepositions.
When divided these components will have a meaning of their own but would not suggest anything about the meaning of the phrasal verb.
Consider the following sentences:
- This sword has been handed down from father to son in the family for many generations.
- I have been looking forward to meeting you since long now.
- The patient came out of the delirium only when given tranquilizers.
- We had almost decided to give up on the search when we made the discovery.
Phrasal verbs are idiomatic expressions and have a particular meaning different from that of combining verbs and prepositions.
Common Phrasal Verbs List with their Meanings and Examples
| sit in | to attend or take part as a visitor Do you mind if I sit in? |
| sit out | to stay till the end of I’m tired, so I think I’ll sit out the next dance. |
| call off | to cancel They have called off their engagement. |
| come round | to accept circumstance and adjust yourself to them. I’d just come round from a drunken stupor. |
| get on | to manage one’s life Parents are always anxious for their children to get on. |
| get back | to have something returned We got back the money after we threatened to sue the company. |
| get along | to be friendly with one another They seem to get along pretty well. |
| turn out | to have a particular result I have been fretting about how my own daughter will turn out. |
| turn up | to arrive unexpectedly Half the guests failed to turn up. |
| dress up | to wear nice clothes Nitu dressed up for the presentation. |
| end up | to eventually become a certain way He ended up taking the job. |
| go over | to review He went over the writing assignment. |
| leave out | to omit Soni left out the graph from the presentation. |
| show off | to brag or boast Her jeans were tight-fitting, showing off her compact figure. |
| check out | to verify a person or thing I’ll check out the contract. |
| sort out | to successfully deal with a problem The teacher helps the children to sort out their problems. |
| hand in | to give something to someone in authority We handed in a letter of protest. |
| sit down | to take a seat You’d better sit down. |
| sit up | to rise from a supine position Amy sat up and rubbed her eyes. |
| pull up | to bring something nearer She pulled up the document on his computer. |
| put on | to add something to your person or an object I always put on my backpack before leaving the house. |
| give in | to yield to some pressure I intend to give in my essay by Monday. |
| give away | to give something free as a gift or donation He gave away most of his money to charity. |
| give up | to accept defeat If you give up, you decide that you cannot do something. |
| switch on | to start something she switched on the light. |
| turn down | to refuse or reject an offer His novel was turned down by publisher after publisher. |
| turn in | to expose He turned in his paperwork to the main office. |
| see to | make sure something is done They hired an event planner to see to all of the details of the party. |
| look into | to probe, or investigate a matter The police looked into his business dealings. |
| look after | take care of It’s hard work looking after three children all day. |
| take after | to resemble a parent or ancestor The rest of us take after our mother. |
| take out | to move something outside Please take out the garbage before you leave. |
| take off | to remove something She took off her cardigan. |
| clean up | to clean a general area Who’s going to clean up this mess? |
| fill up | to fill something completely He quickly filled up the bowl with water. |
| find out | to discover Let me know when you find out the answer. |
| put out | to extinguish Fire crews from Grangetown put out the blaze. |
| dive into | to occupy oneself with something I’ll dive into that new TV show later tonight. |
| try on | to wear some clothes for the first time I tried on a couple of dresses but they were too expensive. |
| turn down | lower the volume She turned the sound down. |
| turn on | to start a machine She turned on the TV. |
| put in | to invest something The government is unwilling to put more money into training. |
| think over | to consider something He told the player to go home and think over his offer. |
| throw away | to dispose of something Could you throw away that burrito? |
| look out | be careful of some danger Look out! warned Billie, seeing a movement from the room beyond. |
Following are some sentences using Phrasal Verbs
- Don’t throw away your opportunity to enter this University.
- Many people believe in astrology and tarot cards nowadays.
- Quickly get in the car, we’re getting late.
- You can put forward your point in today’s meeting.
- To sit through his speech was very difficult.
- I don’t understand why you put up with his insolent behaviour.
- I could see through his intentions the first time I met, but kept quiet to give him a chance to reform.
- Please, fill in all the necessary information in this form.
- I am sure you will not let me down, I’ve full faith in your capacities.
- Why are you taking it out on me? I’m not the one responsible for the mishap.