Phrasal Verbs

A phrasal verb is a combination of a base verb and one or more particles (prepositions or adverbs) that together create a new, often unpredictable meaning. Turn means to rotate — but turn down means to reject, and turn into means to transform.

Verb + Particle = New Meaning: 3 Structure Types

Every phrasal verb belongs to one of three structural types. The type determines where you can place the object:

Type	Object?	Object position	Example
Intransitive	None	—	The car broke down.
Separable transitive	Yes	Before or after particle (noun); MUST be in middle (pronoun)	Turn off the TV. / Turn the TV off. / Turn it off.
Inseparable transitive	Yes	Always after the complete phrasal verb	She looks after the children. (NOT looks the children after)

There is one essential grammar rule — the pronoun rule — that separates correct from incorrect English: if the object is a pronoun, it must go between the verb and particle in separable verbs. This is the single most important rule in this lesson.

This lesson builds from A2 everyday vocabulary to C1 advanced skills in eight steps:

1. Common everyday phrasal verbs — high-frequency A2 vocabulary in context
2. Separable vs inseparable — the key grammar rule for object placement
3. GET, TAKE & LOOK — vocabulary expansion by base verb
4. PUT, TURN & COME — more base-verb groups
5. GO, BREAK & GIVE — completing the core nine base verbs
6. Multiple meanings in context — B2 reading and comprehension
7. Phrasal verbs and formal equivalents — register awareness for writing
8. C1 advanced phrasal verbs — academic register, three-word verbs, and nuanced distinctions

1. Common Phrasal Verbs: Everyday Actions

The most important step is building a core vocabulary of high-frequency phrasal verbs. These appear in everyday conversations, instructions, and stories at A2 level.

GET

Get in vs get on — vehicle rule: Use get in / into for cars and taxis. Use get on for buses, trains, planes, bicycles, and horses.

• She got in the car. ✅ / She got on the bus. ✅
• She got on the car. ❌

TURN

LOOK

Other High-Frequency Phrasal Verbs

👉 Practice Common Phrasal Verbs →

2. Separable vs Inseparable Phrasal Verbs

Knowing the meaning of a phrasal verb is not enough — you also need to know where to place the object. This is the only true grammar rule you need to master for phrasal verbs.

The Three Types

Type 1 — Intransitive: No Object

These phrasal verbs have no direct object. Nothing follows them:

Type 2 — Separable Transitive: Two Positions for Noun Objects

The object (a noun or noun phrase) can go in two places:

Both positions are correct when the object is a noun. Choose whichever sounds more natural.

Type 3 — Inseparable Transitive: Object Always at the End

The object can only go after the complete phrasal verb, never in the middle:

⚠️ The Pronoun Rule — The Most Important Rule

When the object is a pronoun (it, them, him, her, me, us, you), the rules change completely for separable verbs:

With a separable phrasal verb + pronoun: the pronoun MUST go between the verb and the particle.

There is no alternative position for pronouns in separable verbs:

Memory tip: The pronoun "slips in" to the gap between verb and particle. It cannot stand alone after the particle.

• Put it off. ✅ (pronoun in gap)
• Throw them away. ✅ (pronoun in gap)
• Fill it in. ✅ (pronoun in gap)

For inseparable verbs, pronoun objects follow the same rule as nouns — they go after the complete phrasal verb:

Three-Word Phrasal Verbs — Always Inseparable

Some phrasal verbs have two particles. These are always inseparable — keep all three words together:

Note: Look forward to and look up to end in a preposition. This means any following verb takes -ing form: I'm looking forward to seeing you. (NOT "to see")

👉 Practice Separable & Inseparable Phrasal Verbs →

3. Phrasal Verbs with GET, TAKE & LOOK

Grouping phrasal verbs by base verb is the most efficient way to expand your vocabulary. Each base verb forms a "family" of related but distinct phrasal verbs.

GET

For other uses of get (get tired, get dressed, get something done), see Uses of Get.

TAKE

LOOK

👉 Practice Phrasal Verbs with GET, TAKE & LOOK →

4. Phrasal Verbs with PUT, TURN & COME

PUT

TURN

Turn up / Turn out / Turn into — common confusions:

Phrasal verb	Core meaning	Example
turn up	arrive	He never turns up on time.
turn out	result; happen	It turned out well.
turn into	transform	Water turns into ice.

COME

👉 Practice Phrasal Verbs with PUT, TURN & COME →

5. Phrasal Verbs with GO, BREAK & GIVE

GO

go off — 3 meanings:

• Alarm — sound: The alarm went off at 6 a.m.
• Bomb/gun — explode: The bomb went off.
• Food — spoil: This milk has gone off.

BREAK

Break down — 2 core meanings:

• Machine/vehicle: The engine broke down on the motorway.
• Emotions: She broke down when she heard the news. (= started crying)

GIVE

⚠️ Give up vs give in vs give out — a critical distinction:

Phrasal verb	Who/what decides?	Example
give up	The person deliberately stops	I give up — this is too hard. (personal choice)
give in	The person stops resisting pressure from outside	She kept asking until he gave in. (surrender under pressure)
give out	Something fails or is exhausted	The engine gave out. / My patience gave out. (stops functioning)

👉 Practice Phrasal Verbs with GO, BREAK & GIVE →

6. Multiple Meanings: Phrasal Verbs in Context

Many high-frequency phrasal verbs have two, three, or even four different meanings. The only way to identify the correct meaning is to read the full context carefully.

Key Multi-Meaning Phrasal Verbs

TAKE OFF

PICK UP

MAKE UP

BRING UP

TAKE ON

WORK OUT

Context strategy — 3 questions:

1. Who is the subject? (person, machine, company, abstract thing?)
2. What is the object? (clothing, person, business, skill?)
3. What situation is described? (travel, work, relationships, emotions?)

The answers almost always point to the correct meaning.

👉 Practice Multiple Meanings in Context →

7. Phrasal Verbs and Formal Equivalents

Phrasal verbs are common in spoken English and informal writing. In formal writing — academic essays, business emails, official documents — single-word equivalents are usually preferred.

Register: Informal vs Formal

Additional High-Value Phrasal Verbs from This Set

👉 Practice Phrasal Verbs vs Formal Equivalents →

8. C1: Advanced Phrasal Verbs — Academic Register & Nuanced Usage

At C1 level, you need phrasal verbs that work in academic writing, professional communication, and formal analysis. You also need to distinguish between similar phrasal verbs whose meanings overlap but are not interchangeable.

Academic Phrasal Verbs — Acceptable in Formal Writing

Not all phrasal verbs are informal. Some are standard in academic and professional English — reports, research papers, business analysis — and there is no single-word equivalent that sounds more natural:

Set out vs set about vs set off — a key C1 distinction:

Phrasal verb	Meaning	Example
set out	state/present facts; begin with a goal	The paper sets out three arguments. / She set out to prove the theory.
set about	begin doing something with energy	He set about reorganising the department. (+ gerund)
set off	begin a journey; trigger	We set off at dawn. / The alarm was set off.

In academic writing, set out is by far the most common. Set about and set off are rarely used in formal papers.

Come into, Come about, Bring about — Cause and Effect

These three phrasal verbs are essential for discussing causes and effects in formal contexts, but they are not interchangeable:

Critical difference — transitive vs intransitive:

• The improvement came about as a result of the regulations. ✅ (The improvement happened.)
• The regulations brought about the improvement. ✅ (The regulations caused it.)
• The improvement brought about as a result of... ❌ (Bring about needs an agent as subject.)

Common collocations with come into:

Three-Word Phrasal Verbs at C1 Level

You met basic three-word phrasal verbs in Section 2 (put up with, come up with, look forward to). At C1 level, you need a wider range for academic and professional contexts:

Come down to vs come up with — direction matters:

• come down to = reduce to the essential point (narrowing ↓) It all comes down to whether we can afford it.
• come up with = produce or create (generating ↑) She came up with a solution.

Wind Up — Two Very Different Meanings

Wind up is a phrasal verb with two distinct meanings that cause confusion at C1 level:

Note: In the legal sense, wind up is a specific technical term used in insolvency proceedings. It is not interchangeable with close down or shut down, which describe stopping operations without the formal legal process of distributing assets to creditors.

Tap Into — Accessing Resources and Markets

Tap into means to access, utilise, or exploit something that already exists — a resource, market, feeling, or trend:

👉 Practice C1 Advanced Phrasal Verbs →

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Quick Summary

"Where Does the Object Go?" — Decision Flow

Step 1: Is the phrasal verb intransitive (no object)?

• YES → No object needed. (The car broke down.)
• NO → Continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Is the object a pronoun?

• YES + separable verb → Pronoun goes between verb and particle. (Turn it off.)
• YES + inseparable verb → Pronoun goes after the complete phrasal verb. (Look after him.)
• NO → Continue to Step 3.

Step 3: The object is a noun. Is the phrasal verb separable?

• YES → Object can go before OR after the particle. (Turn off the TV. / Turn the TV off.)
• NO → Object goes after the complete phrasal verb. (Look after the children.)

Quick test for separability:

• Particle is an adverb (off, on, up, down, out, away) → often separable
• Particle is a preposition (into, across, for, after, over) → often inseparable
• Three words → always inseparable (put up with, come up with, look forward to)

Core Vocabulary Groups

C1 Academic & Three-Word Phrasal Verbs

Practice Tips

1. Learn phrasal verbs in sentences, not lists. A phrasal verb is only useful when you know the context it appears in. Instead of writing "pick up = collect", write "Can you pick me up from the station at six?"
2. Identify the type before placing the object. Ask yourself: Is this intransitive, separable, or inseparable? For separable verbs, always check whether the object is a pronoun — if it is, it goes in the middle, no exceptions.
3. Group by base verb for vocabulary expansion. When you learn take off, immediately learn take on, take over, take up, and take after. The base verb groups help you learn five phrasal verbs in the time it would otherwise take to learn one.
4. Watch for multi-meaning phrasal verbs. Take off, pick up, make up, bring up, go off — each has two or more unrelated meanings. When you see one of these in reading or listening, apply the three context questions: Who is the subject? What is the object? What situation is described?
5. In formal writing, replace phrasal verbs with single-word equivalents. Before submitting any essay or professional email, scan for phrasal verbs and ask: Is there a formal single-word verb that fits? (put off → postpone, call off → cancel, carry out → conduct)

Practice All Exercises

Ready to practise English phrasal verbs? These phrasal verbs exercises online — with answers and explanations — cover A2 to C1 level. Start with common phrasal verbs exercises for beginners to build everyday vocabulary, then work through separable and inseparable phrasal verbs exercises to master the key grammar rule of pronoun and object placement. Intermediate learners will find three sets of phrasal verbs B1 exercises grouped by base verb (get, take, look, put, turn, come, go, break, give) for systematic vocabulary building. Advanced learners can tackle phrasal verbs B2 exercises covering multiple meanings in context and replacing phrasal verbs with their formal single-word equivalents. For proficient learners, the phrasal verbs C1 exercises cover academic phrasal verbs, three-word phrasal verbs, and nuanced distinctions between similar forms. Printable phrasal verbs exercises PDF worksheets with answers are also available for offline practice:

Now try the exercises to practise what you've learned!