English — Vocabulary: Phrasal Verbs — Common Phrasal Verbs and Their Usage — 2nd Year Secondary

Phrasal verbs are combinations of a verb + preposition/adverb that create a new meaning. They are very common in English and essential for fluency.

I. What are Phrasal Verbs?

A phrasal verb consists of a main verb and one or more particles (prepositions or adverbs). The meaning of the phrasal verb is usually different from the meaning of the individual words.

Example: “give” (to donate) vs “give up” (to quit/stop) vs “give in” (to surrender) vs “give away” (to reveal).

II. Categories of Phrasal Verbs

1. Intransitive (no object):
– “The plane took off.” (left the ground)
– “Please sit down.”
– “My car broke down.” (stopped working)

2. Transitive – Separable: The object can go between the verb and the particle.
– “She turned off the TV.” / “She turned the TV off.”
– “I picked up my friend.” / “I picked my friend up.”

3. Transitive – Inseparable: The object must come after the particle.
– “I look after my brother.” (NOT: I look my brother after)
– “She ran into her teacher.” (met unexpectedly)

III. Most Common Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
Get up	Rise from bed	I get up at 7 AM.
Look for	Search	I’m looking for my keys.
Put on	Wear	She put on her coat.
Take off	Remove/Depart	Take off your shoes.
Turn down	Refuse	He turned down the job offer.
Come across	Find by chance	I came across an old photo.
Run out of	Have no more	We ran out of milk.
Look up to	Admire	I look up to my father.

IV. Exercises

1. Complete with the correct particle: “Please turn ___ the music, it’s too loud.”
2. Replace the underlined word with a phrasal verb: “I met my friend unexpectedly at the mall.”
3. Choose: “She gave up / gave in / gave away her old books to charity.”

For more vocabulary lessons, see Shakespeare’s Tragedies and Future Continuous.

English — Vocabulary: Phrasal Verbs — Common Phrasal Verbs and Their Usage — 2nd Year Secondary