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IntermediatePhrasal Verbs

Learn Common Phrasal Verbs in English

The most frequent phrasal verbs in everyday English conversation.

Learning goal
Recognize and use this pattern in context.
Practice
10 randomized questions with explanations.
Suggested workflow
Study the examples, then take the quiz.

Grammar Focus

A phrasal verb is a verb combined with one or two small words — usually a preposition or adverb — that together create a new meaning different from the original verb. Phrasal verbs are extremely common in everyday spoken and written English, and mastering the most frequent ones will make you sound natural and fluent.

  • A phrasal verb consists of a base verb plus a particle (preposition or adverb): get up, look after, find out.
  • The combined meaning is often idiomatic — it cannot always be guessed from the individual words: "give up" means to stop trying, not to give something upward.
  • Separable phrasal verbs can have a noun object placed between the verb and particle: "turn off the TV" or "turn the TV off". With pronouns, separation is required: "turn it off" (never "turn off it").
  • Inseparable phrasal verbs must always stay together — the object always follows the particle: "look after the children" (never "look the children after").
  • Some phrasal verbs are intransitive — they take no object at all: "wake up", "sit down", "come back".
  • Learning phrasal verbs in context (with a sentence, not just a definition) is the most effective strategy.

Form & Structure

Separable Phrasal Verbs

verb + particle (particle can separate from verb with a noun or pronoun object): turn off the TV / turn the TV off / turn it off
Please turn off the lights before you leave. / Please turn the lights off.
She put on her coat and walked out. / She put her coat on.
Can you fill in this form, please? / Can you fill this form in?

Inseparable Phrasal Verbs

verb + particle (always together — object always follows the full phrasal verb): look after the baby (never: look the baby after)
She looks after her elderly parents every weekend.
I need to get over this cold before the trip.
He came across an old photo while cleaning the attic.

Common High-Frequency Phrasal Verbs

get up, give up, look up, put on, take off, find out, come back, go on, turn off, wake up, pick up, set up, carry on, run out of, look forward to
What time do you usually get up in the morning?
Don't give up — you're almost finished!
I need to find out what time the train leaves.

Common Mistakes

Using a pronoun after an inseparable phrasal verb incorrectly

Turn off it when you leave.
Turn it off when you leave.

Tip: With separable phrasal verbs, a pronoun object MUST go between the verb and particle. You can never place a pronoun after the particle.

Separating an inseparable phrasal verb

She looks her sister after.
She looks after her sister.

Tip: Inseparable phrasal verbs cannot be split. Always keep the verb and particle together, and place the object after the particle.

Confusing similar phrasal verbs with different meanings

I need to give up the dictionary to find that word.
I need to look up that word in the dictionary.

Tip: 'Give up' means to stop trying, while 'look up' means to search for information. Always learn the specific meaning of each phrasal verb, not just the words.

Why This Grammar Matters

Daily routines and schedules

“I wake up at 6 a.m. and get up about fifteen minutes later.”
“She puts on her uniform and sets off for work at 7:30.”

Work and study

“We need to set up the meeting room before the clients arrive.”
“Can you find out when the deadline is and write down the details?”

Travel and transportation

“The plane took off on time, and we arrived two hours early.”
“Don't forget to pick up your luggage before you check out of the hotel.”

Personal challenges and motivation

“Learning English is hard, but don't give up — keep going!”
“She got over her fear of public speaking after joining a drama class.”