CHAPTER 9

PHRASAL VERBS

A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and

other words that has meaning apart from individual
meaning of each word within the group. It is
general an idiomatic phrase.
Here are common phrasal verbs.
hold fast – to stay tightly secured
e.g. That door obviously locked. It held
fast as we were trying to open it.
hold forth - to extensively and aggressively talk
about the subject.
e.g. The principal held forth on the value
of education today.
hold off - to resist an attack or a challenge
e.g. The sentry held off the fort until
dawn.

- to delay an action or decision

e.g. Bonito decided to hold off the
party until next week.
hold on - to stop or to wait
e.g. Hold on a second! I’ll be back!

- to endure or to tolerate
e.g. The hostages have no choice
but to hold on until they are
rescued.
hold on to - to keep
e.g. They say it is better to hold on
to something old and
dependable than to try out
something new and
unpredictable.
hold out - to refuse to give in
e.g. The martyrs held out until they
were mercilessly eaten by the lions.

- to continue to be enough
e.g. Our supplies will hold out until
the end of summer
hold (something) out `- to give a chance or
hope
e.g. His speech may hold out
hope for those who have been
living in poverty almost all their
lives.
hold together - to remain in unity
e.g. The team must hold together
if each member wants to win.
hold true - to remain true
e.g. The importance of perseverance and loyalty still holds true
today.
hold up - to stay strong
e.g. Katherine’s decision held up well despite opposition.
- to delay something or someone from progress or movement
e.g. We were held up in heavy traffic for three hours.
- to rob someone or something
e.g. The bank held up an hour ago.
join forces - to team up or to combine efforts
e.g. We must join forces to win.
keen on - to be passionate about or
interested in someone or
something
e.g. Ever since Joaquin was
young, he has been very keen on
reading.
keep at - to continue doing or to persist
e.g. You’re doing great. Keep at
it.

keep away - to hold off or to make

something or someone
stay away.
e.g. You can’t keep a faithful
dog away from his master.
keep back - to remain at a distance
e.g. Keep back! That snake is
deadly!
keep (something) back -to withhold
something
e.g. You can’t possibly keep back
my car from me.
keep down - to prevent something from rising or to
make something stay at a low level.
e.g. Keep your voice down during the
exam.
- to remain hidden by lying or crouching
e.g. We must keep down or the enemy will
see us.
- to make food or drink stay in one’s stomach without
vomiting
e.g. Many pregnant women sometimes can’t
keep their food down.
keep from - to avoid doing something
e.g. I can’t keep from eating when I’m worried.

keep ( something) from - to make something secret

from someone
e.g. You should not keep your real age from your
employer.
- to make something stay out of
e.g. Ling could not keep the laughter from her voice.
keep going - to persevere or to continue
e.g. We’ll reach the forest soon so let’s keep
going.
keep ( someone) in - to confine or to detain someone in a
certain place
e.g. He decided to keep his daughter in for the
evening to ensure she completed her homework.
keep ( something) in - to control oneself from expressing a
feeling
e.g. I wanted to tell him over the telephone, but I
had to keep it in until we see each other personally.
 Keep off - to prevent oneself from being
influenced or from consuming something
e.g. If you want to become better, you
have to keep off smoking.

- to prevent someone or something from

touching or trespassing
e.g. Keep your hands off the stove. It’s
hot!
Keep on - to continue doing something
e.g. An impulsive buyer keeps on
buying even without the need to.

- to continue to use or employ

someone or something
e.g. You have to keep on your coat so
that you will not get sick.
Keep on about- to repeatedly speak about
something
e.g. Clarita Kept on about how she
loved her vacation in France.

Keep out - to exclude, to deny entry, or to

ban
e.g. We were kept out of the building
until the police arrived.