Phrasal Verbs: Essential List for BAC – Literary Stream

Phrasal Verbs: Essential List for BAC – Literary Stream

Phrasal verbs are combinations of verbs with prepositions or adverbs. They are very common in English and frequently tested in the BAC exam.

1. What are Phrasal Verbs?

A phrasal verb is a verb + a particle (preposition or adverb) that together have a special meaning. Example: “give up” means “stop trying”, not “give” + “up”.

2. Common Phrasal Verbs for BAC

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
Break down	Stop functioning (machine)	My car broke down yesterday.
Bring up	Raise a child / mention a topic	She brought up three children alone.
Call off	Cancel	The meeting was called off.
Carry on	Continue	Carry on with your work.
Come across	Find by chance	I came across an old photo.
Cut down	Reduce	You should cut down on sugar.
Get along	Have a good relationship	They get along very well.
Give up	Stop trying	Never give up on your dreams.
Look after	Take care of	She looks after her grandparents.
Look forward to	Anticipate with pleasure	I look forward to meeting you.
Put off	Postpone	Never put off until tomorrow.
Run out of	Have no more left	We ran out of water.
Take after	Resemble (family)	She takes after her mother.
Turn down	Refuse	He turned down the job offer.

3. Separable vs Inseparable

Separable: The object can come between the verb and particle. Example: “Turn off the light” OR “Turn the light off.”

Inseparable: The object must come after the particle. Example: “Look after the children” (NOT “Look the children after”).

4. BAC Examples

Example 1: Choose the correct phrasal verb: She decided to ____ smoking. (give up / give in) Answer: give up.

Example 2: Rewrite: The concert was postponed. (phrasal verb: put off) Answer: The concert was put off.

For more English lessons, check English Grammar and BAC Preparation.