What Are Phrasal Verbs? A Complete Guide with 50+ Examples
- Papa English
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
What Is a Phrasal Verb?
A phrasal verb is a verb combined with one or two particles — either a preposition, an adverb, or both. Together, the verb and its particle form a new meaning that is often completely different from the verb alone. For example, "give" means to pass something to someone. "Give up" means to stop trying. "Give away" means to reveal a secret. The same verb, three completely different meanings. That is what makes phrasal verbs so difficult — and so important to master.
Why Are Phrasal Verbs So Hard to Learn?
The meaning is not literal. You cannot guess that "break down" means to stop working or to become very upset from the individual words alone.
Many phrasal verbs have multiple meanings depending on context. "Turn up" can mean to arrive, to increase volume, or to be discovered.
Native speakers use them constantly, often without realising it. They sound unnatural when avoided.
The Four Types of Phrasal Verbs
1. Transitive Separable
The object can come between the verb and the particle, or after the particle. Example: "Turn the music down" or "Turn down the music." Important rule: if the object is a pronoun, it must go in the middle. Say "Turn it down," never "Turn down it."
2. Transitive Inseparable
The object must come after the particle — you cannot separate the verb from it. Example: "Look after the children" (not "Look the children after"). Common inseparable phrasal verbs: look after, run into, get over, come across.
3. Intransitive (No Object)
These phrasal verbs do not take an object. Example: "The meeting broke up at five." You cannot say "The meeting broke it up." Common intransitive phrasal verbs: break up, come back, go out, sit down, wake up.
4. Three-Word Phrasal Verbs
Some phrasal verbs use a verb and two particles. Example: "I am looking forward to seeing you." These are always inseparable. Common three-word phrasal verbs: come up with, put up with, look forward to, get along with, run out of.
50 Common Phrasal Verbs with Example Sentences
Here are the phrasal verbs English learners encounter most often, organised by main verb.
Phrasal Verbs with GET
get up — leave bed | "I get up at 7 am every day."
get on — enter a vehicle; make progress | "How are you getting on with the project?"
get over — recover from something | "It took weeks to get over the flu."
get away with — do something wrong without punishment | "He always gets away with arriving late."
get along with — have a good relationship with | "I get along well with my team."
get by — manage with limited resources | "Her English is good enough to get by."
get rid of — remove or dispose of | "It is time to get rid of these old clothes."
get through — finish; make contact | "I could not get through to the office."
Phrasal Verbs with TAKE
take off — leave the ground; remove clothing | "The plane takes off at noon."
take up — start a hobby; occupy time or space | "I have taken up running recently."
take out — remove from somewhere | "Can you take out the rubbish?"
take over — assume control | "A new manager took over the department."
take on — accept responsibility; hire | "The company took on twenty new employees."
take after — resemble a family member | "She takes after her father."
take back — return something; withdraw a statement | "I take back what I said."
Phrasal Verbs with GIVE
give up — stop trying; quit a habit | "Do not give up — you are nearly there."
give away — give for free; reveal a secret | "Do not give away the ending!"
give in — surrender; accept reluctantly | "She finally gave in and agreed."
give out — distribute; stop working | "The batteries gave out after an hour."
give back — return something | "Can you give me back my pen?"
give off — emit a smell or heat | "The fire gave off a lot of smoke."
Phrasal Verbs with LOOK
look up — search for information | "I will look it up in the dictionary."
look after — take care of | "Can you look after the dog this weekend?"
look forward to — anticipate with pleasure | "I am looking forward to the holidays."
look into — investigate | "The police are looking into the incident."
look out — be careful | "Look out — there is a step there!"
look down on — consider inferior | "Never look down on people who ask for help."
look up to — admire | "She has always looked up to her older sister."
Phrasal Verbs with PUT
put off — postpone; cause reluctance | "Do not put off what you can do today."
put up with — tolerate | "I cannot put up with this noise any longer."
put on — wear; gain weight | "Put on your coat — it is cold outside."
put away — return to its correct place | "Please put away your phone."
put out — extinguish | "The firefighters put out the fire quickly."
put across — communicate an idea clearly | "She put her point across very well."
Phrasal Verbs with BREAK
break down — stop working; lose emotional control | "My car broke down on the motorway."
break up — end a relationship; end a meeting | "They broke up after two years."
break out — escape; start suddenly | "A fire broke out in the kitchen."
break in — interrupt; enter illegally | "Someone broke in while we were away."
break through — overcome a barrier | "Scientists broke through with a new treatment."
break off — end something abruptly | "She broke off the engagement suddenly."
How to Learn Phrasal Verbs More Effectively
Learn phrasal verbs in sentences, not in isolation. Context makes them memorable.
Group them by main verb to spot patterns — all the GET phrasal verbs together, all the TAKE phrasal verbs together.
Notice phrasal verbs when you read and listen in English. When you spot one you do not know, look it up and write your own example sentence immediately.
Use new phrasal verbs in your own speaking or writing within 24 hours of learning them.
Review regularly with spaced repetition — a few phrasal verbs every day beats one big weekly session.
Practise Phrasal Verbs on the Go
Phrasal Verbs GO! is a free iOS app designed to help English learners master the most common phrasal verbs through short, focused practice sessions. Each session takes under five minutes. Search "Phrasal Verbs GO!" on the App Store or visit papateachme.com to download it today.
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