Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs form an important part of everyday English communication. They can, however, be confusing because their meanings are not always obvious from the individual words. For instance, the phrasal verb “give up” means to stop trying, which is quite different from the meanings of give and up when used separately. Native speakers use such expressions naturally and frequently, which often makes them challenging for learners of English.

Despite this, learning phrasal verbs is very useful. They make your English sound more fluent, natural, and confident. In this chapter, we will learn about the meaning of phrasal verbs, their types, and a list of 100 of the most common phrasal verbs with their meanings. This will help you understand them better and use them effectively in daily conversations.

 

Table of Contents

• What Is a Phrasal Verb​?
• How to Conjugate Phrasal Verbs
• Types of Phrasal Verbs
• How to Use Phrasal Verbs in English Grammar
• 100 Most Common Phrasal Verbs List with Meaning
• Frequently Asked Questions on Phrasal Verbs

 

What Is a Phrasal Verb​?

A phrasal verb is a combination of a standard verb, such as make or put. It is a combination of the first form of the verb with a preposition (V1+preposition). It can completely change the meaning of the Verb. A phrasal verb makes the language quick and crisp understanding to beginners as well guessable for the new language learners. Phrasal verbs are extremely prevalent in daily usage. They are often used while speaking informally.

For example, look means to use your eyes and up means the opposite of down,

but the phrasal verb look up can have several different meanings:

• Look the word up in the dictionary. [look up = search for information in a book/computer]

• I’ll look you up next time I’m in London. [look up = visit someone you have not seen for a long time]

• Things are looking up. [look up = improve]
  

(The meaning of the phrasal verb is different from the literal meaning of the verb plus preposition.)

 

How to Conjugate Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs can be conjugated into every type of verb form, so you can use them anywhere you could use a normal verb.

When a phrasal verb is used as the main verb of a sentence, you conjugate the verb part and leave the other word or words as they are. Simply use whatever form of the verb you would use if it were alone.

I get up at noon during the summer.

However, this morning I got up at sunrise.

I have gotten up early too many times this month.

Notice how only the word get changes, while the word up remains the same. Also, notice how get, an irregular verb, uses its irregular forms to fit whichever tense it needs.

In this way, you can use phrasal verbs in all the verb tenses so that you’re able to communicate anything you want. Conjugation is also important for maintaining verb tense consistency if you’re using phrasal verbs in a list with other verbs.

 

Types of Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs can be divided into four main types, or rather two main categories, based on how they behave when used in sentences. They are:

• Transitive Phrasal Verbs

• Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

• Separable Phrasal Verbs

• Inseparable Phrasal Verbs

 

Transitive Phrasal Verbs

Just like normal transitive verbs, a transitive phrasal verb can be identified by its demand for an object.

For example :

• It was not possible for Veena to do away with all of it as they brought back so many memories of the past.

• Can you fill in the required details so that we can move forward with the screening process?

 

Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

Intransitive phrasal verbs behave exactly like intransitive verbs. They do not require an object to complete the sentence they are used in or make sense of the context.

For example:

• My car broke down all of a sudden while driving through the ghat section.

• It has been years since we met; we should definitely catch up.

 

Separable Phrasal Verbs

Separable phrasal verbs include transitive phrasal verbs, which have the characteristic property of separating the phrasal verb from the object in between. There is, however, a word order which should be taken into account when separating the phrasal verb.

For example:

• I am not the kind of person who holds all of this against you.

• Dhiraj is the one who is taking care of the applications for a gold loan. Can you please hand it over to him?

 

Inseparable Phrasal Verbs

Inseparable phrasal verbs, as the name suggests, cannot be separated from each other and have to be used together, no matter what.

For example:

• You will have to account for all the losses that have been incurred.

• Harish was asked to check out of the hotel before 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

 

How to Use Phrasal Verbs in English Grammar

Use phrasal verbs in daily speech and writing for more natural English. When conjugating, change only the main verb part. For example: “give up” becomes “gave up” in the past tense. Pay attention to word order, especially with separable types: “Pick up the book” or “Pick the book up.”

 

• Check if the phrasal verb needs an object.

• For separable phrasal verbs, put short objects in the middle. For nouns, either place is fine, but for pronouns (it, them), put them in the middle: “Turn it off.”

• Do not separate inseparable phrasal verbs.

 

100 Most Common Phrasal Verbs List with Meaning

Now that we have understood what phrasal verbs are, explored their meanings, and different types, it’s time to move one step further. In this section, we will focus on the 100 most common phrasal verbs along with their meanings. These will not only strengthen your understanding but also help you use English more effectively in everyday situations.

If you’d like to explore more, check out our detailed 300+ Phrasal Verbs List with meanings and examples.

 

Frequently Asked Questions on Phrasal Verbs

 

Q1. What is a phrasal verb and examples?

Answer: A phrasal verb is a verb combined with a Preposition or adverb (or both) to create a new meaning that is often different from the original verb. For example, "turn off" means "to deactivate," and "put on" means "to wear". Phrasal verbs can have literal meanings, like "pick up" a dropped item, or idiomatic, figurative meanings, such as "pick up" someone from school.

 

Q2. How can I learn phrasal verbs easily?

Answer: A really helpful way to learn phrasal verbs is to group verbs whose particles have the same or similar meaning. For example, 'back' often includes the idea of return (call back, go back, pay back) and 'up' often shows completeness (clean up, eat up, use up). Another good idea is to group your phrasal verbs by topic.

 

Q3. How many phrasal verbs are there in English?

Answer: There is no exact number for how many phrasal verbs exist in English, with estimates ranging from over 5,000 to over 10,000, but the focus for English learners should be on learning common ones in context rather than memorising them all, as many can be understood from their component parts. 

 

Q4. What is a verb phrase?

Answer: A verb phrase is a group of two or more words that functions as the main verb in a sentence, consisting of a main verb (the action or state of being) and any auxiliary (or helping) verbs that accompany it, such as "am," "will," or "have". These phrases convey tense, mood, and voice, and can sometimes include modifiers like adverbs or complements that further describe the verb's action.

 

Q5. What's the difference between idioms and phrasal verbs?

Answer: The key difference is that phrasal verbs are a type of verb composed of a verb and a particle (adverb or preposition), while idioms are broader, fixed expressions that can take many forms, whose combined meaning is non-literal and often figurative. While phrasal verbs like "give up" (to stop trying) can sometimes have a meaning not directly from the words themselves, they are fundamentally verb-based, whereas idioms like "kick the bucket" (to die) are multi-word phrases whose non-literal meaning is entirely separate from the literal words.

 

Q6. What is the phrasal verb of "do away with"?

Answer: The meaning is to remove, expel, stop, or get rid of. It's time to do away with these old, crooked glasses and get some nice new ones. They've finally done away with that annoying habit.

 

Q7. What is the phrasal verb of put up with?

Answer: The phrasal verb "put up with" means to tolerate or accept something annoying or unpleasant without complaining.