Phrasal Verbs

Compare two- and three-word verbal expressions

Verb + Adverb vs. Two-Word Verb (Phrasal Verb)
VERB + PREPOSITION

A preposition for place (direction or location) has a literal meaning. That is, it has a its
basic (dictionary) meaning. The preposition (adverb) expresses movement in a direction.
Look up. (up modifies where to look)
My dog wandered off. (off modifies where my dog wandered)
She put the cat out. (out modifies where she put the cat)
She pushed the cat away. (away modifies where she pushed the cat)
We went in. (in modifies where we went)
He walked behind. (behind modifies where he walked)
VERB + PARTICLE

A phrasal verb ("two word verb") includes a verb and a particle. The two combine to form
a new meaningan expression. The particle up is not a true preposition.
Look up the word in the dictionary. (search in a reference book)
The airplane took off. (departed)
She put the fire out. (extinguish)
I had my cat put away. (euthanized, killed, "put to sleep")
We gave in. (surrender)
He fell behind. (progressed slowly)

literal meaning - each word has a particular meaning

particle (N) unlike a preposition, a particle does not have its own meaning; it does not
express movement in a direction.
expression (N) one or more words together have a particular meaning
Current linguistic description includes place adverbs and prepositions for place in the same
category: Preposition. See Adverbs for Place Grammar Notes

Phrasal Verbs

Separable vs. Inseparable

SEPARABLE PHRASAL VERB
A separable phrasal verb CAN be separated by an object. It CANNOT be followed by an
object pronoun (if the verb takes an object.)
He took his coat off.
He took it off. /
He took off his coat. (removed)
*He took off it.
He gave money away.
He gave it away.
He gave money away. (give as a gift)
He gave away *it.
She let my dress out.
She let it out.
She let out my dress. (enlarged)
She let out *it.
He got his shoes on.
He got them on.
He got on his shoes. (wore)
He got on *them.
He made the check out for $100.
He made it out for $100.
He made out the check for $100.
He made out *it (wrote)
He took the piano up.
He took it up.
He took up the piano. (begin to learn)
He took up *it.
I looked the bills over.
I looked them over.
I looked over the bills. (review)
I looked over *them.
Look the word up.
Look it up.
Look up the word. (search in reference book)
Look up *it.
She put the fire out.
She put it out.
She put out the fire. (extinguish)
She put out *it.
INSEPARABLE PHRASAL VERB
An inseparable phrasal verb CANNOT be separated by an object. It CAN be followed by
an object pronoun (if the verb takes an object.)
The airplane took off. (departed)
His heart gave away. (stopped working)
School lets out in June. (finishes)
He got on well with his classmates. (worked in harmony)
He made out well in life. (succeeded)
The piano took up most of the living room. (occupied)
I looked after the children. (take care of)
I looked after them.
He looks up to his big brother. (admires)
He looks up to him.
She wouldn't put up with bad behavior. (tolerate)
She wouldn't put up with it.

*Yellow highlighted words are examples of incorrect usage.

Phrasal Verbs (Two-Word Verbs)

Meanings and Sentences
Do
DO AWAY
WITH
DO IN
DO IN
DO IN

put an end to
something
murder
injure
cheat or swindle

DO OVER

redo over repeat

DO OVER

redecorate

DO UP
DO UP
DO WITH
(MAKE) DO
WITH
DO WITHOUT

make fancy
finish
benefit from
get by, survive with
less
manage, survive

They will do away with tax on home heating fuel.

The mafia did him in.
This hot weather will do us in.
The car buyer was done in by the fly-by-night salesman.
I had to do my homework over because I had too many
mistakes.
We did our kitchen over to modernize it. (also: made
over)
She did up her hair in a pretty bow.
Do up the work before you leave.
We could do with less talk and more action.
In a bad economy, we make do with less (money, food,
etc.)
I could not do without my cell phone.

separable accepts an object

Get
GET ABOUT

move, be active

GET AT

hint, insinuate, imply

GET AT

discover, find

GET AWAY

escape from confinement

GET AWAY
WITH

do something without
detection

GET BY

manage, survive

GET DOWN

depress, discourage

GET DOWN
GET IN

enjoy, dance
arrive

GET IN

enter a private vehicle

Even though he's ninety, he gets about pretty

well.
I don't know what the lawyer was getting at, but I
didn't like it.
We wanted to get at the root of the problem.
The prisoner tried to get away, but the officer
caught him.
He tries to get away with cheating, but they keep
catching him.
We got by even though we didn't have much
money.
The cold, rainy weather got me down after a
couple of months.
Let's have a little fun and get down tonight!
When does your plane get in?
We got in the car and sat down. (get on - public
vehicle)

GET OFF

exit a public vehicle

GET OFF

escape from punishment

GET OFF

boldness, effrontery

We got off the bus at the last stop.

He was charged with public indecency, but the
lawyer got him off
Where do you get off telling me I'm fat. Look at
yourself.

GET ON

to work or perform in
harmony
to mount, to board (public
transportation)
to have a romantic or sexual
connection
to wear

GET OVER

recover

GET ON
GET ON
GET IT ON

GET
THROUGH
GET UP

to succeed in contacting
wake up and get out of bed

They got on well together.

He got on his bicycle and rode away. He got on
the bus.
"Let's get it on." -- Marvin Gaye song
He got on his shoes. See get passive
It took him a week to get over his cold / his
divorce.
I had trouble getting through to you because my
phone had bad reception.
What time did you get up this morning?

separable accepts an object

Give
GIVE
AWAY
GIVE
AWAY

give as a gift

He was feeling so confident, he gave away all his

money.

reveal a secret

Be careful not to give secret away.

surrender, acknowledge
defeat
GIVE OF
devote or contribute
GIVE OFF to put forth, emit
GIVE OUT emit, distribute
to become exhausted, used
GIVE OUT
up
GIVE
transfer, release to someone
OVER
else
GIVE UP
to abandon,
GIVE UP
discontinue
GIVE (IT)
applaud; clap (slang)
UP
GIVE IN

*separable accepts an object

At first he said, "no", but then he gave in.

To give of one's self is the greatest gift.
The light bulb gave off an amazing amount of light.
They gave out fliers in front of the playhouse.
After running four miles, his legs gave out.
He will give over the ownership of his property to his
grandchildren.
She never gave up hope that he would get well.
He gave up smoking.
Let's give it up for Beyonce!

Go
GO ABOUT
GO AFTER
GO AGAINST
GO AHEAD

perform one's duties

pursue
to conflict with
proceed

GO ALONG

agree to follow

GO AROUND
GO AROUND
GO AT
GO BACK

accompany
be enough for everyone
attack
return

GO BACK ON

fail to keep to

Every day, he goes about checking our work.

If you really want it, go after it.
He never thought his son would go against him.
Go ahead. We'll catch up with you later.
Bill went along with his friend's plan even though
Bill didn't think it was a good plan.
They always go around with the same people.
They brought enough food to go around.
They went at each other viciously.
He went back home after work.
He went back on his word and started smoking
again.

to be disregarded, not taken

He let his best chance go by.
advantage of
GO DOWN
suffer defeat
They went down fighting.
This will go down in history as an unforgettable
GO DOWN
be remembered
moment.
GO FOR
try hard for
Go for the gold! (Olympian expression)
GO IN WITH
join
He went in with them on an investment scheme.
GO OFF
explode
The gun went off and runners began the race.
GO OFF
ring
My phone always goes off when I'm in class.
GO ON
continue
When life is hard, you have to go on.
GO OUT
extinguish
If the lights go out, light some candles.
Amelia goes out with her friends. She is going out
GO OUT WITH accompany or date
with a new guy.
After we go over the plans, we can discuss what to
GO OVER
review
do.
GO OVER
to meet approval
Did your proposal go over well?
GO THROUGH experience
We had to go through hard times during the war.
GO THROUGH
He decided to go through with the operation to
persevere to the end
WITH
repair his heart.
GO UNDER
fail, ruin
The bank went under due to bad business practices.
GO UP
be under construction
A new building is going up in place of the old one.
GO UP
be consumed by fire
The old building went up in flames.
look good or fashionable
GO WITH
His striped shirt didn't go with his jacket.
with
GO BY

Have
HAVE AT

attack; to go at (alternate
expression)

It's time to have at my homework.

HAVE ON
HAVE ON

to wear
to host a guest on TV

HAVE X OUT

settle

HAVE OVER
HAVE X TO DO
WITH

entertain
be associated with

What do you have on?

Who does David Letterman have on tonight?
She and I had it out last night and came to an
agreement.
We had our friends over for dinner.
His lack of confidence had a lot to do with his
not getting the job.

*separable accepts an object

Let
LET
DOWN
LET IN
LET IN
LET OFF
LET OFF

disappoint

He let us down when he didn't do as he said he would.

to admit
share a secret
release by exploding
to free from duty

The door man let us in to the nightclub.

I'll let you in on a little secret. I won the lottery.
The fireworks let off a whistling sound.
They let him off jury duty.
The judge let the youth off with just a warning and a
LET OFF excuse with little punishment
promise.
LET ON
reveal
Please don't let on that you already know his secret.
terminates, release from
LET OUT
Elementary schools let out at the end of May.
confinement
LET OUT release from restraint
The dog let out a loud yelp when its owner left.
LET OUT enlarge
I had to let my pants out after the holiday meals.
LET UP
His mother let up on him after she realized he was
ease up ; treat less severely
ON
trying his hardest.

*separable accepts an object

Look
LOOK AFTER take care of; foster
LOOK DOWN regard with scorn or
ON
contempt
LOOK IN ON
LOOK INTO
LOOK ON
LOOK OUT
LOOK OUT
FOR

They looked after him when his parents couldn't.

Those people look down on everyone else as being
inferior.
The nurse looked in on each patient several times a
visit briefly
day.
investigate
The police are looking into the crime.
to be a spectator
The fans looked on while their team battled to win.
to be on guard, to take care Look out or you might get hurt.
to be concerned

We need to look out for our health.

LOOK OUT
ONTO

to have a view

Our hotel room looked out onto the town's plaza.

LOOK OVER

review

The mechanic looked the car over to see if there

were any problems.

LOOK UP
LOOK UP TO

research, find in a
reference book
admire, regard highly

Always look up the words that you don't know.

She has always looked up to her older sister.

*separable accepts an object

Make
MAKE AWAY
WITH
MAKE DO
WITH
MAKE OFF
WITH
MAKE OUT
MAKE OUT
MAKE OUT
MAKE OUT
MAKE OVER
MAKE UP
MAKE UP
MAKE UP
MAKE UP
MAKE UP FOR
MAKE UP OF
MAKE UP TO

steal

The dishonest CEO made away with millions of

dollars.

get by, survive with

less

In a bad economy, we make do with less (money).

steal, take

The bear made off with our picnic basket.

to write or complete
After you make out the check, put it in the mail.
be able to distinguish or It was hard to make out the words on the old memorial
read
stone.
succeed
With a lot of hard work, you too can make out in life.
show affection; kiss
They made out in the front seat.
The film producer decided to make over the actor's
redo, redecorate
appearance
invent
Did you make that story up? I don't believe it.
to put on cosmetics
Women make up their faces before going to parties.
We had been quarreling for two years, but we made
to settle or reconcile
last night.
I had to make up a course in which I had gotten an
repeat
unsatisfactory grade.
His boss offered him vacation days to make up for his
compensate
overtime hours.
constitute
The United States is made up of fifty states.
He was trying to make up to every woman in the class.
become friendly with
(informal)

separable accepts an object

Put
PUT ABOUT turn in a different direction The ship put about and headed back to shore.

to place a down payment

land and aircraft
enter a port
apply or request
delay or postpone
repel, distance, perturb
to wear
produce or perform
extinguish
be bothersome;
inconvenience
put items in their places

The opposition put about a rumor that we had accepted

a bribe.
We put away the food after shopping.
He can put away five hamburgers!
We had to put our dog away when it became too old to
survive.
The murderer was put away for life.
The Red Cross put me down for a one hundred dollar
contribution.
He was put down as a complainer
My older sister always put me down when she was with
her friends.
We put down forty per cent on the house.
The plane put down in a wheat field.
The ship put in before sunset.
He put in for a transfer to a different division.
He tends to put off doing his taxes.
The artist's use of dead animals put off his viewers.
He put on his pants
They put on a wonderful play.
The firemen put out the fire
Yes, I'd like a cup of coffee, but I don't want to put you
out.
Please put up your toys.

tolerate

I can't put up with his terrible behavior

PUT ABOUT to start a rumor

PUT AWAY put in its place
PUT AWAY consume
PUT AWAY euthanize
PUT AWAY jail
PUT DOWN write
PUT DOWN regard or categorize
PUT DOWN to insult or criticize
PUT DOWN
PUT DOWN
PUT IN
PUT IN FOR
PUT OFF
PUT OFF
PUT ON *
PUT ON
PUT OUT
PUT OUT
PUT UP
PUT UP
WITH

*separable accepts an object

Take
TAKE AFTER
TAKE AFTER
TAKE BACK
TAKE DOWN
TAKE DOWN
TAKE FOR
TAKE IN *
TAKE IN

resemble
pursue
retract
write or record
capture, control
to assume to
provide lodging or a home
alter, make smaller

TAKE IN

trick or deceive

His daughter takes after him in business sense.

The dog took after the little boy who tried to run away.
I take what I said back.I shouldn't have said it.
Take these measurements down.
They took down their opponents.
I took his word for the truth. / I took for truth his word.
His uncle took him in after his father died.
She had her dress taken in after she had her baby.
The insurance salesman took in the unsuspecting
buyer.

TAKE IN
TAKE OFF
TAKE OFF
TAKE OFF
TAKE OFF

observe and make sense

of
remove clothing
depart from earth
remove from a job or
position
humorous imitation
(noun)

TAKE ON

undertake

TAKE ON
TAKE OUT
TAKE OVER
TAKE UP
TAKE UP
TAKE UP

hire
date
assume management
to begin to study
occupy
continue
begin discussion or a
subject

TAKE UP
TAKE UP
WITH

become friends

We listened to his lecture. There was a lot to take in.

Please take off your coat and sit down.
The airplane took off on time.
They took me off one project to work on another.
The movie was a take off on news anchormen.
The President took on the difficult job of restoring the
economy.
They took him on as their financial officer.
He took her out to the movies.
The stronger company took over the weaker one.
He took up the piano.
The grand piano took up most of the room.
Let's take up where we left off yesterday.
Today, I will take up the subject of my salary.
He began to take up with the wrong crowd.

*separable accepts an object

Think
THINK ABOUT
THINK ABOUT
THINK OF
THINK OF
THINK OF
THINK ON
THINK OUT
THINK OVER
THINK
THROUGH
THINK UP

consider, think for a while

have an opinion or
judgment
create, devise, come up
with
have an opinion or
judgment
remember, come to mind

I would like some time to think about your

business proposal.
What do you think about the new no-smoking law?
How did you think of this clever idea?
What do you think of your phone?

I suddenly thought of his name.

I'm not ready to buy it now. I'll have to think on
consider, think for a while
this for a while.
think toward reaching a
Think it out before you act.
solution
Please think it over carefully before you sign the
consider, think for a while
contract.
think toward reaching a
If you think through the math problem, you'll find
solution
the solution.
create, devise come up
She thought up our logo design.
with

separable accepts an object

Try
TRY ON

put on clothing to see if you Try the pants on. / Try on the pants. If you like them,
like it
buy them.

TRY
OUT

experiment with something

TRY
OUT

audition, perform before

judges

*separable accepts an object

We tried out a new method of using the cell phone.

He tried out before the American Idol judges. They held
try-outs today.