English Phrasal Verbs: The Complete Guide
English Phrasal Verbs: The Complete Guide
Understand separable vs inseparable types, learn the top phrasal verbs by category, and discover the fastest strategies for making them stick.
What Are Phrasal Verbs?
A phrasal verb is a verb combined with one or two particles (a preposition, an adverb, or both) that creates a new meaning not obvious from the individual words. "Give" means one thing; "give up" means to stop trying - a completely different idea.
This is what makes phrasal verbs challenging: you cannot guess the meaning. "Look up" means to search for information. "Look after" means to take care of someone. "Look into" means to investigate. The particle changes everything.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Formal equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| give up | stop trying | abandon / quit |
| find out | discover | discover / learn |
| put off | postpone | postpone / delay |
| look into | investigate | investigate / examine |
| bring up | mention a topic / raise a child | raise / mention |
| carry out | perform / do | execute / conduct |
| set up | establish / prepare | establish / arrange |
Phrasal verbs are common in both spoken and written English, but especially in conversation. Avoiding them sounds stilted. Learning them - even slowly - makes your English sound far more natural.
Separable vs Inseparable Phrasal Verbs
The most important structural rule for phrasal verbs is whether the object can be placed between the verb and the particle (separable) or must come after both (inseparable).
The object can go between verb and particle, or after both
"She turned off her phone." / "She turned her phone off."
Pronoun rule: With a pronoun, you MUST separate. "Turn it off" is correct. "Turn off it" is wrong.
The object must come after the particle - never in between
look the children after (WRONG)
"She looks after her elderly parents."
Most two-word phrasal verbs with a preposition (look after, run into, deal with) are inseparable. Three-word phrasal verbs (put up with, look forward to) are always inseparable.
Error (pronoun with separable): "Turn off it." / "Pick up it." / "Put on it."
Correct: "Turn it off." / "Pick it up." / "Put it on."
Pronoun objects must always go between the verb and particle for separable phrasal verbs.
Separable: turn off, pick up, put on, take off, write down, fill in, figure out, hand in, switch on, wake up (someone)
Inseparable: look after, run into, deal with, come across, get over, look forward to, put up with, go through, rely on, call on
Top Phrasal Verbs by Category
Phrasal verbs are easier to learn when grouped by topic or base verb. The following tables cover the most frequently used phrasal verbs across five key categories.
Work and Study
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| hand in | submit | Please hand in your assignment by Friday. | separable |
| put off | postpone | Don't put off difficult tasks. | separable |
| carry out | do / conduct | We carried out the research last month. | separable |
| set up | establish / organise | She set up a new online course. | separable |
| find out | discover information | I need to find out the results. | separable |
| go over | review / check | Let's go over the main points. | inseparable |
| deal with | handle / manage | How do you deal with difficult customers? | inseparable |
| look into | investigate | Management will look into the complaint. | inseparable |
| come up with | produce an idea | Can you come up with a solution? | inseparable |
| keep up with | stay at the same level | It's hard to keep up with new technology. | inseparable |
Communication and Relationships
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| bring up | mention / raise (topic) | She brought up the salary issue at the meeting. | separable |
| get on (with) | have a good relationship | Do you get on well with your colleagues? | inseparable |
| fall out (with) | argue and stop talking | They fell out over money. | inseparable |
| make up | reconcile after an argument | They argued but made up the next day. | separable |
| look down on | consider inferior | He looks down on people who don't read. | inseparable |
| look up to | admire / respect | She really looks up to her mentor. | inseparable |
| open up | share feelings honestly | It's good to open up to someone you trust. | inseparable |
| point out | draw attention to | He pointed out an error in my report. | separable |
Travel and Movement
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| check in | register on arrival | We checked in at the hotel at 3pm. | inseparable |
| check out | leave a hotel / examine | We checked out before breakfast. | inseparable |
| set off | start a journey | We set off early to avoid traffic. | inseparable |
| get on | board (bus, train, plane) | She got on the wrong bus. | inseparable |
| get off | leave (bus, train, plane) | Get off at the third stop. | inseparable |
| pick up | collect someone by car | I'll pick you up at 7. | separable |
| drop off | deliver someone by car | Can you drop me off at the station? | separable |
| run into | meet by accident | I ran into an old friend at the airport. | inseparable |
Problems and Solutions
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| give up | stop trying | Don't give up - you're making progress. | inseparable |
| get over | recover from | It took a month to get over the illness. | inseparable |
| sort out | resolve / organise | We need to sort out the visa issue. | separable |
| put up with | tolerate | I can't put up with this noise any longer. | inseparable |
| go through | experience (difficulty) | She's going through a difficult time. | inseparable |
| work out | find a solution / exercise | We need to work out a better schedule. | separable |
| break down | stop functioning / cry | My car broke down on the motorway. | inseparable |
| come across | find by chance | I came across a useful article online. | inseparable |
Progress and Change
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| move on | continue / progress | Let's move on to the next topic. | inseparable |
| build up | gradually increase | You need to build up your vocabulary over time. | separable |
| catch up | reach the same level | It took three months to catch up with the group. | inseparable |
| take up | start a new hobby/activity | I took up swimming last year. | separable |
| turn into | change and become | The project turned into a full-time job. | inseparable |
| improve on | do better than before | She improved on her previous score. | inseparable |
High-Frequency Base Verbs: Get and Put
Two base verbs generate more phrasal verbs than any others: get and put. Mastering these two verbs significantly expands your range.
Essential "Get" Phrasal Verbs
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| get on | board / have a good relationship | We get on well with our neighbours. |
| get off | leave transport / finish work | I get off at 6 today. |
| get up | rise from bed / stand | What time do you get up? |
| get over | recover from | He got over the disappointment quickly. |
| get through | finish / contact by phone | I couldn't get through to customer service. |
| get away with | avoid punishment | She always gets away with being late. |
| get along (with) | have a positive relationship | Do you get along with your manager? |
Essential "Put" Phrasal Verbs
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| put off | postpone | Stop putting off difficult tasks. |
| put up with | tolerate | I can't put up with the noise. |
| put on | wear / perform | Put on your coat - it's cold. |
| put out | extinguish / inconvenience | They put out the fire quickly. |
| put down | criticise / place on surface | Stop putting yourself down. |
| put forward | suggest / propose | She put forward a new idea at the meeting. |
| put aside | save / ignore for now | Let's put aside our differences. |
How to Learn Phrasal Verbs Effectively
Most learners try to memorise long phrasal verb lists. This rarely works. The strategies below produce far better retention.
1. Learn in Context, Not From Lists
When you encounter a new phrasal verb, always note the full sentence it appeared in. The context helps you understand meaning and register (formal vs informal) and makes it far easier to retrieve later.
2. Write a Personal Sentence Within 24 Hours
The most effective encoding technique is creating a sentence about your own life. "I need to sort out my English study schedule" uses a phrasal verb you have personalised - and personalised memories are stronger.
3. Group by Base Verb
Learning all "look" phrasal verbs together (look after, look into, look up, look forward to, look down on, look up to) lets you see how one particle shifts the whole meaning. This pattern-awareness helps you make intelligent guesses with new combinations.
4. Group by Theme
If you have an upcoming business presentation, learn the work-related phrasal verbs first. If you are booking a trip, focus on travel phrasal verbs. Relevance accelerates acquisition.
5. Focus on Output: Say It, Don't Just Read It
Phrasal verbs must be practised in speaking. The separable/inseparable distinction becomes automatic only through repeated production, not recognition. Use them in conversation with a teacher who can confirm you are using them correctly.
Start with the 20 most frequent phrasal verbs in spoken English. Research consistently shows these appear again and again: get on, get off, give up, find out, come back, go on, pick up, put off, set up, sort out, take off, go through, come up with, deal with, look forward to, carry out, bring up, keep up with, come across, get over.
Common Errors and How to Avoid Them
Error: "She looked the children after." (inseparable verb split)
Correct: "She looked after the children."
Error: "I will give up it." (pronoun not separated)
Correct: "I will give it up."
Error: "We postponed our meeting." (no error, but missing register awareness)
Note: "We put off our meeting" is more natural in spoken English. Both are correct, but recognising when to use each is an important fluency skill.
Error: "I am looking forward to meet you." (wrong form after phrasal verb)
Correct: "I am looking forward to meeting you." (preposition 'to' requires gerund)
Frequently Asked Questions
Use Phrasal Verbs in Real Conversation
Knowing phrasal verbs and using them automatically in speech are two different things. Direct English Live courses give you structured practice with immediate teacher feedback - the fastest way to move from recognition to natural use.
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