Phrasal verbs combine a verb with one or more particles, such as "up," "out," "on," or "after." The combination often creates a meaning that is different from the base verb. "Look up" can mean to search for information, while "look after" means to take care of someone or something.
Phrasal verbs appear constantly in conversation, messages, instructions, and informal writing. Learning them as complete units is more useful than translating the verb and particle separately. This guide explains transitive, intransitive, separable, and inseparable patterns before introducing 20 common examples. For broader context, see the English vocabulary guide and the guide to English idioms and phrases.
What Is a Phrasal Verb?
A phrasal verb contains a base verb and a particle:
- "wake up"
- "find out"
- "turn on"
- "look after"
The particle may look like a preposition or adverb, but its role belongs to the complete verb expression. In "She turned on the light," "on" is part of "turn on." In "The book is on the table," "on" is an ordinary preposition showing location.
Some phrasal verbs have transparent meanings. "Sit down" describes movement into a seated position. Others are idiomatic. "Give up" means to stop trying, not to hand something upward.
Phrasal Verbs vs. Prepositional Verbs
A prepositional verb is followed by a preposition and its object:
- "She looked at the painting."
- "We talked about the lesson."
The object must follow the preposition. You cannot say "She looked the painting at."
Some grammar references use "multiword verb" as the broad category and distinguish phrasal verbs, prepositional verbs, and phrasal-prepositional verbs. For practical learning, the most important questions are:
- Does the expression need an object?
- Can the object move?
- Does a pronoun have a special position?
These questions prevent more errors than memorizing labels alone.
Transitive and Intransitive Phrasal Verbs
A transitive phrasal verb takes an object:
- "Please turn on the light."
- "She picked up the book."
- "We filled out the form."
An intransitive phrasal verb does not take an object:
- "The plane took off."
- "The car broke down."
- "Please calm down."
Some expressions can be either transitive or intransitive with related meanings:
- Intransitive: "The meeting ended early, so everyone went home."
- Transitive: "She took the books home." This is not the same phrasal pattern, which shows why the full sentence matters.
Learn each meaning with its own example and object pattern.
Separable Phrasal Verbs
With a separable phrasal verb, a noun object can come after the particle or between the verb and particle:
- "Turn on the computer."
- "Turn the computer on."
- "Pick up your notebook."
- "Pick your notebook up."
When the object is a pronoun, it must go in the middle:
- Correct: "Turn it on."
- Incorrect: "Turn on it."
- Correct: "Pick it up."
- Incorrect: "Pick up it."
This pronoun rule is one of the most important phrasal-verb patterns.
At Columbia West College (CWC), the English Speaking Success (ESS) program gives students a daily 80-minute class dedicated to speaking practice. That repeated output gives learners opportunities to retrieve complete expressions such as "find out" or "turn in" under real conversational pressure instead of only recognizing them on a vocabulary list.
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Inseparable Phrasal Verbs
With an inseparable phrasal verb, the object stays after the entire expression:
- "She looks after her younger brother."
- "I ran into an old friend."
- "We came across an interesting article."
Do not separate these expressions:
- Incorrect: "She looks her younger brother after."
- Incorrect: "I ran an old friend into."
Pronouns also stay after the particle:
- "She looks after him."
- "I ran into her."
Because meaning does not reveal separability, record the pattern when you learn the verb.
Three-Word Phrasal Verbs
Some multiword verbs contain a verb and 2 particles:
- "look forward to"
- "put up with"
- "come up with"
- "get along with"
- "run out of"
These expressions are normally inseparable:
- "I look forward to meeting you."
- "She came up with a useful example."
- "We ran out of time."
Notice that "to" in "look forward to" is a preposition. A noun or gerund follows it: "I look forward to the class" or "I look forward to attending the class."
Phrasal Verbs and Register
Phrasal verbs often sound conversational, while a single Latin-derived verb may sound more formal:
- "find out" / "discover"
- "put off" / "postpone"
- "look into" / "investigate"
- "set up" / "establish"
- "go up" / "increase"
The single-word alternative is not always better. "Please find out what happened" sounds natural in conversation. "Please ascertain what occurred" sounds unusually formal.
Academic and professional writing still uses many phrasal verbs, especially transparent expressions such as "carry out research," "point out a limitation," and "build on an idea." Choose the expression that fits the audience and context.
20 Common Phrasal Verbs
The following set covers high-use meanings without mixing too many unrelated expressions.
1. "Bring up"
To introduce a topic:
"She brought up an important question during class."
This verb is separable: "She brought the question up."
2. "Call off"
To cancel:
"They called off the outdoor activity because of the weather."
This verb is separable: "They called it off."
3. "Come across"
To find or meet unexpectedly:
"I came across a useful article while researching the topic."
This verb is inseparable.
4. "Come up with"
To produce an idea or solution:
"The group came up with 3 examples."
This three-word expression is inseparable.
5. "Figure out"
To understand or solve:
"I finally figured out the difference between the 2 forms."
This verb is separable: "I figured it out."
6. "Fill out"
To complete a form:
"Please fill out the application carefully."
This verb is separable: "Please fill it out."
7. "Find out"
To discover information:
"We need to find out when the office closes."
This verb is usually separable with a noun or pronoun: "Find it out" is grammatical but can sound less natural than "find out the answer" in some contexts. With a clause, keep the expression together: "Find out where she went."
8. "Get along with"
To have a good relationship:
"She gets along with her classmates."
This expression is inseparable.
9. "Give up"
To stop trying or stop a habit:
"Do not give up after one difficult exercise."
It can be intransitive or separable and transitive: "He gave sugar up." With a pronoun: "He gave it up."
10. "Go over"
To review:
"Let's go over the answers together."
In this meaning, the expression is inseparable.
11. "Grow up"
To become an adult:
"She grew up in Brazil."
This verb is intransitive.
12. "Look after"
To care for:
"He looks after his younger sister after school."
This expression is inseparable.
13. "Look forward to"
To feel pleased about a future event:
"I look forward to meeting my new classmates."
This three-word expression is inseparable and takes a noun or gerund after "to."
14. "Look up"
To search for information:
"Look up the word in a learner's dictionary."
This verb is separable: "Look it up."
15. "Pick up"
To collect, lift, or learn informally:
"She picked up several new expressions from conversation."
This verb is separable: "She picked them up."
16. "Put off"
To postpone:
"Do not put off your speaking practice until the weekend."
This verb is separable: "Do not put it off."
17. "Run into"
To meet unexpectedly or encounter a problem:
"I ran into a classmate at the market."
This verb is inseparable.
18. "Set up"
To arrange, prepare, or establish:
"They set up the room for the workshop."
This verb is separable: "They set it up."
19. "Take off"
To remove clothing or leave the ground:
"Please take off your jacket if the room is warm."
In the clothing meaning, it is separable: "Take it off." In the flight meaning, it is intransitive: "The plane took off."
20. "Turn in"
To submit:
"Please turn in the assignment by Friday."
This verb is separable: "Please turn it in."
How to Learn Phrasal Verbs
Do not organize a notebook only by particles. A list of 50 expressions with "up" may contain unrelated meanings. Organize by situation, such as school, travel, work, relationships, or problem-solving.
Record four details:
- The complete phrasal verb.
- A simple meaning.
- Its object pattern.
- A personal example.
Then practice retrieval. Cover the phrasal verb, read the meaning and example context, and say the expression aloud. Later, use it in a short story or conversation.
The guide to daily English conversation provides situations where common phrasal verbs can appear naturally. To practice these expressions aloud, combine it with exercises for English speaking practice.
Common Phrasal Verb Mistakes
The first mistake is separating an inseparable expression:
- Incorrect: "I ran my teacher into."
- Correct: "I ran into my teacher."
The second is placing a pronoun after a separable particle:
- Incorrect: "Turn on it."
- Correct: "Turn it on."
The third is translating the base verb and particle separately. "Give up" does not usually mean to move something upward. Learn the combined meaning.
Finally, do not force a phrasal verb into a formal context when a precise single verb is clearer. Vocabulary skill includes knowing both the meaning and the register.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a phrasal verb and an idiom?
A phrasal verb has a verb-plus-particle grammar pattern. An idiom is any fixed expression whose meaning is not fully predictable. Some phrasal verbs are idiomatic, but not every idiom is a phrasal verb.
How do I know whether a phrasal verb is separable?
Check a reliable learner's dictionary and record the pattern with an example. Meaning alone does not always reveal separability.
Where does a pronoun go in a separable phrasal verb?
Place it between the verb and particle: "turn it on," "pick it up," and "fill it out."
Are phrasal verbs informal?
Many are conversational, but others appear frequently in academic and professional writing. Register depends on the individual expression.
How many phrasal verbs should I learn at one time?
A small thematic group of 5 to 10 is more manageable than a long list. Repeated use matters more than quickly recognizing hundreds of expressions.
Phrasal verbs become active vocabulary through repeated, meaningful speaking. CWC's daily 80-minute speaking class gives learners structured opportunities to retrieve expressions and use them in spontaneous answers. Contact CWC to learn more about English Speaking Success.
