Phrasal verbs are combinations of verbs and prepositions or adverbs that create a meaning different from the original verb. Mastering phrasal verbs is essential for the ЕГЭ English exam, as they are frequently used in everyday English and often appear in reading and listening comprehension tasks. This guide will help you understand and use phrasal verbs correctly.
Phrasal verbs are an important part of English vocabulary. They consist of a base verb (such as "look," "get," "put") and one or more particles (prepositions or adverbs like "up," "down," "in," "out"). The combination creates a new meaning that is often different from the meaning of the base verb alone. Phrasal verbs are very common in spoken and informal written English, but they also appear in more formal contexts. Understanding phrasal verbs is crucial for achieving a high score in the ЕГЭ English exam.
Phrasal verbs can be categorized based on their structure and whether they require an object.
| Type | Structure | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Type 1: Verb + Adverb | verb + adverb particle | break down, give up, wake up |
| Type 2: Verb + Preposition | verb + prepositional particle | look after, wait for, believe in |
| Type 3: Verb + Adverb + Preposition | verb + adverb particle + prepositional particle | get on with, look forward to, put up with |
| Type | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Intransitive Phrasal Verbs | Do not require an object | The car broke down. (no object) Please sit down. (no object) |
| Transitive Phrasal Verbs | Require an object | I picked up the book. (object: the book) She turned down the offer. (object: the offer) |
Transitive phrasal verbs can be further categorized based on whether the object can come between the verb and the particle (separable) or must come after the particle (inseparable).
| Type | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Separable Phrasal Verbs | The object can come between the verb and the particle | I turned on the light. OR I turned the light on. She picked up the book. OR She picked the book up. |
| Inseparable Phrasal Verbs | The object must come after the particle | I ran into my friend. (NOT I ran my friend into) She looked after the children. (NOT She looked the children after) |
If the object is a pronoun (me, you, him, her, it, us, them), separable phrasal verbs MUST be separated:
I turned it on. (NOT I turned on it)
She picked them up. (NOT She picked up them)
Here are some common phrasal verbs organized by their base verbs:
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| break down | stop working (for machines); collapse emotionally | My car broke down on the highway. She broke down in tears when she heard the news. |
| break in | enter by force; interrupt | Someone broke in and stole our TV. I'm sorry to break in, but this is important. |
| break off | end suddenly (relationship, negotiations) | They broke off their engagement. The peace talks broke off without an agreement. |
| break out | begin suddenly (war, fire, disease) | War broke out in 1939. A fire broke out in the kitchen. |
| break up | end a relationship; separate into pieces | They broke up after dating for two years. The ice broke up as the temperature rose. |
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| come across | find by chance; give a certain impression | I came across an old photo album in the attic. He comes across as very confident. |
| come back | return | She came back from vacation yesterday. The memories came back to him suddenly. |
| come down with | become ill | I've come down with the flu. Many students came down with a cold last winter. |
| come up with | think of (an idea, plan) | She came up with a brilliant solution to the problem. Can you come up with a better plan? |
| come out | be published; become known; appear | Her new book comes out next month. The truth finally came out. The stain didn't come out in the wash. |
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| get along/on (with) | have a good relationship | I get along well with my colleagues. How are you getting on with your new roommate? |
| get away | escape; go on vacation | The thief got away before the police arrived. We're planning to get away for the weekend. |
| get back | return | What time did you get back from work? I'll get back to you with an answer tomorrow. |
| get over | recover from (illness, disappointment) | It took me a week to get over the flu. She never really got over her father's death. |
| get up | rise from bed; stand up | I get up at 7 o'clock every morning. He got up from his chair to greet the visitors. |
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| give away | donate; reveal information | She gave away all her old clothes to charity. Don't give away the ending of the movie! |
| give back | return something | Please give back the book when you've finished reading it. He never gave back the money he borrowed. |
| give in | surrender; yield | After hours of argument, she finally gave in. The government refused to give in to the terrorists' demands. |
| give up | stop trying; quit a habit | Don't give up! You're almost there. He gave up smoking last year. |
| give out | distribute; stop working due to exhaustion | The teacher gave out the test papers. My car's engine finally gave out after 200,000 miles. |
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| look after | take care of | Can you look after my dog while I'm away? She looks after her elderly parents. |
| look for | search for | I'm looking for my keys. Have you seen them? They're looking for a new apartment. |
| look forward to | anticipate with pleasure | I'm looking forward to seeing you next week. We're looking forward to our vacation. |
| look into | investigate | The police are looking into the matter. I'll look into the problem and get back to you. |
| look up | search for information; improve | You can look up the word in a dictionary. Things are finally looking up for our business. |
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| make out | see or hear with difficulty; understand | I couldn't make out what he was saying. Can you make out the sign in the distance? |
| make up | invent a story; reconcile; apply cosmetics | He made up an excuse for being late. They had an argument but made up later. She was making up her face before the party. |
| make off with | steal and run away | The thief made off with her purse. They made off with thousands of dollars. |
| make for | head toward; contribute to | We made for the nearest exit when the alarm sounded. Good communication makes for a successful relationship. |
| make up for | compensate for | He tried to make up for his mistake by buying her flowers. Nothing can make up for the time we've lost. |
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| put away | store; save | Please put away your toys when you've finished playing. They put away some money for their retirement. |
| put down | place on a surface; criticize | She put down her bag and sat down. He's always putting down his colleagues. |
| put off | postpone; delay | We've put off the meeting until next week. Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. |
| put on | wear; gain weight | Put on your coat before going out. I've put on weight since Christmas. |
| put up with | tolerate | I can't put up with this noise anymore. She has to put up with a lot of criticism in her job. |
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| take after | resemble (a family member) | She takes after her mother in many ways. The baby takes after his grandfather. |
| take off | remove; leave the ground (plane); become successful | Take off your shoes before entering. The plane took off on time. His career really took off after that movie. |
| take on | accept responsibility; employ | She's taking on too much work. The company is taking on new staff. |
| take over | assume control | The new manager will take over next month. A larger company has taken over our business. |
| take up | start a hobby; occupy space or time | I've taken up photography recently. The sofa takes up too much space in the room. |
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| turn around | reverse direction; improve a bad situation | The car turned around and went back. The new CEO has turned around the company's fortunes. |
| turn down | reject; reduce volume | She turned down his proposal. Please turn down the music; it's too loud. |
| turn off | switch off; take a different road | Don't forget to turn off the lights when you leave. We need to turn off at the next junction. |
| turn on | switch on | Can you turn on the TV? The news is about to start. Turn on the tap to get some water. |
| turn up | arrive; increase volume; be found | He turned up late for the meeting. Turn up the heating; it's cold in here. My missing keys turned up under the sofa. |
Here are some common phrasal verbs organized by their meaning:
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ask out | invite on a date | He finally asked her out after months of hesitation. |
| break up | end a relationship | They broke up after dating for two years. |
| get along/on with | have a good relationship | I get along well with my colleagues. |
| go out with | date someone | She's been going out with him for six months. |
| make up | reconcile after an argument | They had an argument but made up later. |
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| catch up on | do something you should have done earlier | I need to catch up on my homework. |
| drop out of | leave a course before completion | He dropped out of college in his second year. |
| hand in | submit | Please hand in your assignments by Friday. |
| take on | accept responsibility | She's taking on too much work. |
| work out | solve; calculate | I can't work out this math problem. |
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| get on/off | enter/exit a bus, train, etc. | We got on the bus at the main station. |
| set off | start a journey | We set off early to avoid the traffic. |
| speed up | go faster | The car sped up as it approached the highway. |
| slow down | go more slowly | You should slow down in residential areas. |
| take off | leave the ground (plane) | The plane took off on time. |
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| bring up | mention a topic | I didn't want to bring up the subject of money. |
| call back | return a phone call | I'll call you back in ten minutes. |
| hang up | end a phone call | She hung up without saying goodbye. |
| point out | draw attention to | He pointed out several errors in my report. |
| speak up | speak louder; express opinions | Could you speak up? I can't hear you. Don't be afraid to speak up if you disagree. |
Learning phrasal verbs can be challenging because their meanings are often not related to the meanings of their component parts. Here are some strategies to help you learn and remember phrasal verbs:
Instead of memorizing lists of phrasal verbs, try to learn them in context. Read English texts, watch English movies or TV shows, and listen to English podcasts or songs. Pay attention to how phrasal verbs are used in real-life situations.
Organize phrasal verbs by their base verbs (e.g., all phrasal verbs with "look") or by their particles (e.g., all phrasal verbs with "up"). This can help you see patterns and connections.
Organize phrasal verbs by their meanings or themes (e.g., phrasal verbs related to relationships, work, travel). This can help you remember them when you need to express certain ideas.
Create flashcards with the phrasal verb on one side and its meaning and an example sentence on the other side. Review them regularly.
Use phrasal verbs in your own speaking and writing. The more you use them, the more natural they will become.
Choose the correct phrasal verb to complete each sentence.
Answers:
1. I can't put up with this noise anymore. ("put up with" means "tolerate")
2. The meeting has been put off until next week. ("put off" means "postpone")
3. She takes after her father in many ways. ("take after" means "resemble")
4. We need to come up with a solution to this problem. ("come up with" means "think of")
5. The thief made off with all our valuables. ("make off with" means "steal and run away")
Rewrite each sentence using the phrasal verb in brackets.
Answers:
1. I'll call you back later.
2. The plane took off on time.
3. She's looking forward to her vacation.
4. They broke up last month.
5. Please hand in your assignments by Friday.
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate particle to complete the phrasal verb.
Answers:
1. I couldn't make out what he was saying. ("make out" means "see or hear with difficulty")
2. The car broke down on the highway. ("break down" means "stop working")
3. She gets along well with her colleagues. ("get along with" means "have a good relationship")
4. Don't give away the ending of the movie! ("give away" means "reveal information")
5. I'm looking for my keys. Have you seen them? ("look for" means "search for")
In the ЕГЭ English exam, phrasal verbs are often tested in multiple-choice questions, gap-filling exercises, and reading comprehension tasks. Pay attention to the context to determine which phrasal verb is appropriate. Also, be careful with the particles, as using the wrong particle can completely change the meaning of the phrasal verb. Remember that if the object is a pronoun, separable phrasal verbs must be separated.