English is the language of eccentrics and mystery lovers. Here, there are the well-known English verbs get, look, take and give. And, it seems, everything is fine with them. But the British didn’t think so, and they decided to diversify the vocabulary with additional elements. Thus, they turned the meaning of the words upside down: get off (to go), look about (to make inquiries), take apart (to scold), and give up (to give up). And they called them phrasal verbs. In fact, everything is not so confusing. Let's figure it out.
Under the phrasal verb ( phrasal verb) refers to an idiomatic phrase consisting of the usual English verb , but with one exception, which is used with an additional element: with the particle ( particle) = stand to(stick to) or adverb ( adverb) = live down(to atone for guilt by one’s behavior); or with both = stick up to(resist). Why phrasal verbs English language cause so much difficulty? The answer lies in the fact that at first glance it is extremely problematic to determine the total meaning of the parts of the verb.
Types of phrasal verbs
In the dry language of grammar, the phrasal verb can be divided into 4 main categories.
- Transitional ( transitive): a verb that requires an object after itself. For example, there is a verb bump into(to come across by chance), after him there should be a face that you just didn’t expect to see. You can't just say: Last Friday I bumped into. Because There is a clear understatement in the sentence. Instead, it is worth formulating the thought as:
Last Friday I bumped into Bennett. - Last Friday I accidentally ran into Bennett.
Subject + verb + particle + object
- Intransitive ( intransitive): a verb that stands alone in a sentence and does not require additional explanation in the form of an object after itself. For example, verb grow up(to grow up):
Her children are growing up quickly.- Her children are growing up quickly. Formula:
Subject + verb + particle
NOTA BENE: Some verbs, depending on the conveyed meaning, can be transitional:Tom wakes up Heather. - Tom will be Heather. AND intransitive:Tom wakes up. - Tom wakes up.
- Detachable ( separable): the main verb can stand apart from the semantic element: Tom wakes up Heather. = Tom wakes Heather up. However, some verbs prefer constant solitude, so they always keep a safe distance from particles:
Keep smth around(keep with you), but not “keep around smth”.
Subject + verb + particle + object = subject + verb + object + particle
NOTA BENE: If used as an object personal pronoun, then the sentence formula will always look like this:
Subject + verb + personal pronoun + particle
- Inseparable ( inseparable): like lovers, the verb never, under any circumstances, parts with its other half. For example, look up to smb(to admire someone), but not look up smb to / look smb up to:
William has never looked up to his uncle.- William never admired his uncle.
Subject + verb + particle + object
NOTA BENE: To determine whether a verb is transitive or not, look in an English dictionary: Macmillan, Merriam Webster or Collins. Studying the context and examples will allow you to find out whether the English phrasal verb will be separable or inseparable.
| BRING | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ON [ɔn] | stimulate call |
detachable | transition |
| UP [ʌp] | raise the issue | detachable | transition |
| CHEER | |||
| ON [ɔn] | inspire | detachable | transition |
| UP [ʌp] | support | detachable | transition |
| COME | |||
| UP [ʌp] | appear (on screen) | inseparable | intransitive |
| IN [ɪn] | enter | inseparable | intransitive |
| ACROSS [ə"krɔs] | come across by chance | inseparable | transition |
| GET | |||
| THROUGH [θru:] | withstand | inseparable | transition |
| UP [ʌp] | get out of bed | inseparable | intransitive |
| HAND | |||
| IN [ɪn] | hand in (written work) | detachable | transition |
| HANG | |||
| UP [ʌp] | hang up the phone | detachable | transition |
| KEEP | |||
| DOWN | control | detachable | transition |
| UP WITH [ʌp wɪð] | keep up with | inseparable | transition |
| KICK | |||
| OUT | kick out | detachable | transition |
| LOOK | |||
| UP [ʌp] | look in the dictionary | detachable | transition |
| OUT | be careful | detachable | transition |
| MAKE | |||
| UP [ʌp] | create/invent | detachable | transition |
| PASS | |||
| AWAY [ə"weɪ] | die | inseparable | intransitive |
| PICK | |||
| UP [ʌp] | lift | detachable | transition |
| PUT | |||
| UP WITH [ʌp wɪð] | come to terms with | inseparable | transition |
| SWITCH | |||
| OFF [ɔf] | turn off | detachable | transition |
| ON [ɔn] | include | detachable | transition |
| RUN | |||
| OUT OF | run out | inseparable | transition |
| TAKE | |||
| AFTER ["ɑ:ftə] | be like | inseparable | transition |
| OVER ["əuvə] | accept (position) | detachable | transition |
| RUN | |||
| OUT OF | run out | inseparable | transition |
| THROW [θrəu] | |||
| OUT OF | miss the chance throw away |
detachable | transition |
| TURN | |||
| DOWN | turn down the volume | detachable | transition |
| UP [ʌp] | turn up the volume | detachable | transition |
| WORK | |||
| OUT | train | inseparable | intransitive |
| THROUGH [θru:] | pave one's way the road across |
inseparable | transition |
How to learn English phrasal verbs
Finding lists on the Internet or a dictionary of English phrasal verbs in grammar books is not difficult. However, this is not the most best way their study. Let's talk about tricks for effectively memorizing phrasal verbs.
- Firstly, context- the head of everything. A great way is to start with a list of phrasal verbs and a blank sheet of paper. Imagine watching the Formula 1 world car racing championship, and there will likely be a variety of idiomatic expressions used, including the traffic-related verb, pull up, etc. Now use your imagination. Imagine that you are at the airport of phrasal verbs, and there are no less of them there than there are regular suitcases. Choose one topic and write it in the center of the page. Now look through the list of phrasal verbs until you come across something that you might hear in this situation. Don’t forget to immediately jot down a couple of examples to understand the type of phrasal verb. It is much easier to assimilate the material when all the nuances of use are taken into account.
- Secondly, once you have worked out the connection diagram of a specific situation, it is worth creating easy-to-remember short stories, where phrasal verbs would be used. After all, everyone loves funny stories. Whether you consider yourself a verbal fencer or not, there are several reasons why. No one will read pen sketches unless you want to. It is not necessary to write them in a notebook; say them out loud or record the speech on a voice recorder.
- Third, learn phrasal verbs By English songs, since they help to quickly and easily remember new words used in live conversation. Type the name of the phrasal verb in the search bar, specify the word lyrics, listen to catchy music and learn English.
- And finally, fourthly, check modern meaning phrasal verbs, reading news. Once you've had your fill, head back to Google, but this time instead of searching for lyrics and video clips, look through the news tab or go to the sites: The Guardian, Flipboard, CNN, BBC, USA Today etc. Try to find phrasal verbs there. The news will allow you to analyze authentic examples of English phrasal verbs.
Conclusion
Phrasal verbs are everywhere and are an important part of the English-speaking world. Language, being a variable structure and subject to metamorphosis, is replenished with new idiomatic expressions and colorful words over time. But, no need to worry. Start with a couple of English phrasal verbs with translations in the table above, take time and work on the specifics of their use in speech. Rest assured that you will become an outstanding expert in no time.
Stay focused and believe in yourself!
Big and friendly EnglishDom family
Consist of a verb and a particle:
verb + adverb or verb + preposition or verb + adverb + preposition.
The meaning of phrasal verbs is usually very different from the meaning of the original verbs and prepositions/adverbs.
Phrasal verbs are used mainly in oral and informal speech. Studying phrasal verbs always causes a lot of difficulties, because there are no certain rules in the formation of phrasal verbs, and many phrasal verbs, in addition to the direct one, also have a metaphorical meaning.
Part of phrasal verbs is transitional. This means that they are only used in conjunction with the speech object, others can be used separately from the object. This intransitive phrasal verbs (intransitive verbs).
Phrasal verbs are also divided into separable, if an object can be inserted between the verb and the particle, and inseparable.
Separable verb:
Correct: Put on your coat.
Correct: Put your coat on.
Inseparable verb:
Correct: Get on a bus
Incorrect: Get a bus on
The English preposition OFF is the opposite. It is used in two main meanings: firstly, when the object is moving away from the speaker, and secondly, if the object is inoperative or damaged.
Phrasal verbs with OFF, their meaning and examples of use
LEAVE A PLACE, SURFACE, DEPARTURE
Back off - Retreat. Everyone back off and let the doctor through.
Be off - Go/Leave. I should be off now if I am going to catch the next bus.
Buzz off - To leave. I've got to buzz off.
Clear off - Disappear/Quickly leave. I wished the door to door salesman would clear off so that I could get back to watching the football on television.
Dash off - Quickly leave/Do quickly. When the bell rang he dashed off to class.
Drive off - Drive away. She got in her car and drove off.
Drop off - Give someone a ride somewhere / Fall asleep / Shrink. I dropped off the kids at the party.
Dry off - Dry. I dried myself off with a towel and got dressed.
Fall off - Fall. I fell off the ladder and bruised my knee.
Get off - Finish/Leave work/Get off the bus, train, plane, etc. (anything apart from cars). What time did they get off work?
Give off - To release, to emit. This chemical reaction gives off a lot of energy.
Go off - Leave/Leave. They went off without saying goodbye.
Head off - Head off. She's heading off to New York City next week.
Make off - Leave in a hurry. He certainly made off in a hurry!
Peel off - Break away from the group. One motorbike peeled off from the formation and circled round behind the rest.
Pop off - Run out/go out for a while. Bye, I must pop off.
Ride off - Ride/leave on a bicycle. She got on her motorbike and rode off.
Run off - Run away, get away. Their dad ran off when they were little.
Rush off - Go off in a hurry. They rushed off to catch the next bus.
Set off - Go/Trigger events. What time are you setting off tomorrow morning?
Shoot off - Leave quickly. I"ll have to shoot off as soon as the lecture finishes.
Take off - Take off. The plane should take off on time.
Tear off - To break away/rip something off oneself. He got in his car and tore off down the road.
CANCEL OR POSTPONE
Blow off - Miss a chance/Ignore. Just blow off his comments, he's only joking.
Call off - Cancel/Recall. The game was called off because of bad weather.
Cry off - Cancel. She usually says she"ll be there and then cries off at the last minute.
Hold off (on someone or something) - Postpone. Let's hold off making a decision until next week.
Rain off - Postpone due to rain (usually passive). His hockey match was rained off.
Put off - Postpone/Stop liking. I’ll put off doing the washing until tomorrow.
Stave off - Set aside. We were hoping to stave off these difficult decisions until September.
DELETE, REDUCE
Burn off - Burn out, burn out. They managed to burn off the excess wax.
Chew off - Take a bite. The puppy chewed off my shoe laces.
Clean off - Clean. After dinner I cleaned off the table.
Ease off - Loosen. If she doesn’t ease off at work, she’ll make herself ill.
Fall off - Decrease. Sales always fall off in the winter months.
Flog off - Sell out. The council may be planning to flog off most of the land to developers.
Knock off - Reduce price. They’ll knock something off the price if you collect it yourself.
Shave off - Shave/Reduce. The new high speed trains will shave 1 hour off the journey time.
Slip off - Remove. Slip off your shirt so that I can sew the button back on.
Slack off - To sit back, neglect something. Tom slacked off at work and started surfing the Internet.
Take off - Remove/Reduce price. I’d better take my shoes off before stepping on the new carpet.
Tear off - Tear off. Just tear off the return slip at the bottom of the form and sign it.
Throw off - Reset/Get rid of. John threw off his coat and dived into the water.
DO NOT OPERATE OR DO NOT USE (about machines and equipment)
Come off - Break down, tear. I picked the bag up and the handle came off in my hand.
Go off - Stop working (about electrical and electronic devices). The heating goes off at ten o’clock.
Power off - Turn off the power to the electrical appliance. You mustn't power it off while it is updating.
Turn off - Turn off the equipment. How do you turn the computer off?
Set off - Activate (alarm), explode. Kate pushed open the front door, which set off the alarm.
Shut off - Shut off, turn off. The engine shuts off automatically when the desired speed is reached. Shut off the tap when you have finished watering the garden.
ABSENT FROM WORK OR SCHOOL
Bunk off - To be absent from school or work. A lot of people bunk off early on Friday.
Goof off - Leave work. They"ve goofed off and gone to the pub.
Skive off - Not performing your job or duties. He was always skiving off and going to the cinema.
GET SPOILED (ABOUT FOOD)
Be off - To be spoiled. This yoghurt must be off.
Go off - Go bad. That milk has gone off.
STOP EATING, USING, OR DOING SOMETHING
Go off - Stop doing. My son has gone off playing rugby.
Die off - To die out. The generation that fought in the war are all dying off.
Cast off - Get rid of. It took many years for him to cast off his bad reputation.
DISCONNECTED, DISCONNECTED
Break off - Break, end a relationship, shut up. I’ve decided to break it off with her.
Check off - Oh tick the list. Please check each name off on the list.
Cross off - Cross off from the list. Did you cross her name off the guest list?
Cut off - Break off, disconnect. If we don’t pay the bill, the electricity will be cut off.
Mark off - Cross off from the list. He marked off the names of all the suitable candidates.
Measure off - Measure. He took the fabric and measured off a couple of meters.
Tick off - Mark a tick in the list. I ticked off the children’s names as they arrived.
BE IN A GOOD OR BAD SITUATION
Bring off - Succeed. If they can bring off the deal, they’ll be able to retire.
Carry off - Win, succeed. I thought he carried off the part of the play with great skill.
Come off - Have success. The party didn’t quite come off as we had hoped.
Fend off - Oh repel, parry. So far he has managed to fend off attacks on his reputation.
Pull off - Cope with the task, drive away. The team pulled off a surprise victory in the semi-final.
SEND
Bundle off - Send, send away. He was bundled off to boarding school when he was ten years old.
Fire off - Send letters (quickly and angrily). I sat down and fired off a letter to my MP.
Pack off - Send. I packed her off to my sister's.
Send off - Send a letter. Have you sent off your application form yet?
FINISH
Cap off - Complete. He capped off the meeting with a radical proposal.
Choke off - Stop, limit. If prices are too high, demand is choked off.
Finish off - Finish. I will finish off the essay tonight.
Knock off - Quit the job. Do you want to knock off early tonight?
Lay off - Dismiss. They’ve had to cut back production and lay off workers.
Polish off - Finish, consume. He polished off the whole pie.
Ring off - Finish telephone conversation. He rang off before she had a chance to reply.
Round off - W finish, end with something pleasant. We rounded off the meal with a cheesecake.
Sign off - Exit, sign. He signed off - ‘Yours sincerely, John Smith’.
Shake off - Get rid of. We shook off our fears.
Stop off - Stop, drive in. We stopped off in town on the way to Kate's house.
Top off - To crown, complement, complete. We topped off the evening with a carriage ride.
Write off - Write off, ignore. The £500 they have spent will have to be written off.
RESIST / ANNOY / SCARY
Face off - Confront. Soldiers and protesters faced off during the riots.
Fight off - Resist attack, illness, emotions. The old lady managed to fight off her attackers.
Fob off - Convince, deceive. Customers complain they’re being fobbed off.
Frighten off - Frighten off. Be quiet or you"ll frighten off the butterfly.
Front off - Resist, fight. The two guys fronted each other off.
Go off - Stop liking. I went off the idea of buying a sports car after I found out how much it would cost.
Hack off - Annoy. He leaves all the difficult stuff for me to do, and it really hacks me off.
Head off - Stop, turn around. Let's try and head them off before they cross the bridge.
Piss off - Annoy, upset. It really pisses me off when you talk like that.
Scare off - Scare off. The country’s high murder rate has scared off the tourists.
Shrug off - Ignore, ignore. They’ve clearly shrugged off the disappointment of last week’s defeat.
Slag off - Criticize. You shouldn't slag him off without knowing the facts.
Sound off - Loudly express dissatisfaction. He"s always sounding off about how he thinks the country should be run.
Square off - Resist, compete. The two retail giants are squaring off this month with advertising campaigns.
Tell off - Reproach. reprimand. Mia got told off for talking in class.
Tick off - Annoy, scold. He ticked me off for parking in front of his house.
START OFF
Bounce off - Test new ideas. I have been thinking about it, so let me bounce a few ideas off you.
Hit it off - Have good relationship from the very beginning of our acquaintance. I didn't really hit it off with his sister.
Kick off - Start something, such as a football match. The game kicks off at 9.30.
Start off - Start (travel, career, new life). We don't want to start off a riot.
Trigger off - Start, launch, call. The report has triggered a fierce response from the CEO.
SEPARATE
Block off - Block the exit. The road was blocked off whilst they mended the gas leak.
Cream off - Remove cream. They had a plan to cream off the brightest children.
Hive off - Divide the company into parts. The plan is to hive off individual companies as soon as they are profitable.
Fence off - Fence off, enclose with a fence. They are fenced off the bottom end of the garden.
Rip off - Rip off, rip off, extort, rob. Cars get ripped off all the time round here.
Rope off - Fence with a rope. The police roped off the crime scene.
See off - See off. Kate saw Mary off at the airport.
Screen off - Separate part of the room using curtains, screens, etc. We could screen off this part of the room.
Shut off/Close off - Close, prevent access. They have shut off access to the rear car park.
Wave off - See off, wave someone goodbye. She stood at the gate and waved her children off to school.
Many swear words with the meaning “Get out!” “Get out!”":
Naff off
Pig off
Piss off Why don"t you just piss off - you"ve caused enough problems already!
Push off
Rack off
OTHER:
Doze off - Doze off. I dozed off in front of the television.
Laugh off - To shrug off something, to laugh at something. He laughed off the incident.
Let off - Let go without punishment, forgive. The police arrested the leader and let off the rest of the gang with only a warning.
Live off - Living on other people's money. All his life he had lived off his father.
Marry off - Marry (especially children). She was married off to the local doctor by the age of 16.
Nod off - Fall asleep. I nodded off after lunch.
Show off - Show off. Stop showing off!
Find out yours on our website.
Definition
What's happened phrasal verb? It could be a combination:
- Verb + preposition.
- Verb + adverb.
- Verb + adverb + preposition.
A phrasal verb is an integral semantic unit that is one member of a sentence. Most often, the meaning of a phrasal verb differs significantly from the translation of the main verb.
Why is it so important to study these semantic units? Phrasal verbs are constantly used in spoken language, so without them it will be difficult for you to understand your interlocutor or grasp the meaning of what you read in a book. In addition, in any international test you will definitely come across phrasal verbs.
Classification of phrasal verbs
First of all, all phrasal verbs are divided into transitive and intransitive:
1. Transitional, or transitive phrasal verbs . These verbs require a direct object:
I have turned down his proposal.
I rejected his offer.
John decided to put off his plans.
John decided to put his plans on hold.
2. Intransitive, or intransitive phrasal verbs . A direct object is not required after such verbs:
He goes on foot, because his car has broken down.
He walks because his car has broken down.
Also, phrasal verbs can be separable and non-separable:
1. Non-separable, or inseparable phrasal verbs . These are all intransitive and some transitive verbs. For a better understanding, consider an example using a phrasal verb run into:
His car ran into the tree.
His car collided with a tree.
We cannot separate the two parts of a phrasal verb with other words. That is, the option His car ran the tree into is wrong.
2. Separable, or separable phrasal verbs. In the case of such phrasal verbs, the object can be located either after the verb or between its parts:
You should turn off the music.
You should turn the music off.
You should turn off the music.
Both of these options are correct.
Attention! If the object is expressed by a pronoun, then the phrasal verb is necessarily divided:
Mary took off her dress
Mary took off her dress.
Mary took it off.
Mary took it off.
Mary took off it
this option is unacceptable.
From this information we can draw a certain conclusion: the main difficulties in studying phrasal verbs are associated not only with the volume of material, but also with the inability to independently classify it. In order to avoid mistakes in use, regular practice is needed. It's also worth remembering that many phrasal verbs have multiple meanings. For example, get off translated as take off, go, get out, go, escape. Therefore, you need to be extremely careful.
Is it possible to learn all phrasal verbs?
No, and this is not at all necessary. Today there are more than 5,000 phrasal verbs in the English language, of which only a few hundred are used regularly. In order to learn basic semantic units, you will need to become familiar with the most common phrasal verbs. This can be done using tables from the Internet or special printed publications.
The meaning of many phrasal verbs can be understood intuitively. It really is a lot easier than memorizing Latin. In addition, when communicating with an American or reading a book in the original, you should definitely rely on the context. Most likely, you can guess what we are talking about.
Basic phrasal verbs
Here is a short list of the most commonly used semantic units:
- Back away - retreat.
- Be back - return.
- Be over - come to an end.
- Be up - wake up.
- Break out - break out/break out.
- Calm down - calm down.
- Carry on - to continue something.
- Check in - register.
- Come in - enter, arrive.
- Cut off - cut off, interrupt.
- Dream up - to invent.
- Eat out - eat outside the home.
- Fall down - collapse.
- Find out - find out, find out.
- Get away - run away.
- Give up - retreat.
- Hold on - hold on!
- Look for - to look for.
- Look forward to - wait.
- Move on - continue moving, go further.
- Pull on - put on.
- Run away - run away.
- Set up - install.
- Stand up - rise to a standing position.
- Switch off/on - turn off/on.
- Take off - take off (clothes), depart.
- Wake up - wake up.
- Watch out - behave carefully, on the alert.
- Work up - develop.
- Write down - write down on paper.
Study strategy
Your task is not just to memorize phrasal verbs, but to learn to study them consciously and with understanding. To do this, you will have to devote at least 5 days a week to this activity. If you can memorize at least 7-15 phrasal verbs every day, this can be considered a success. You shouldn't try to learn as many semantic units as possible in one sitting: most likely, after a couple of days you will completely forget at least half of them. It is better to learn little by little, but regularly.
How exactly to learn phrasal verbs? Many people try to achieve their desired goal solely with the help of special tables or dictionaries. However, you can make things much easier for yourself by using various tutorials. Give preference to British and American authors.
Which books to choose?
Let's look at a few guides that may be useful when learning phrasal verbs:
1. Really learn 100 phrasal verbs (Oxford University Press). It is with this textbook that you should start studying phrasal verbs. A structured guide will allow you to slowly but surely learn the most common semantic units. Approximately 1 printed page is devoted to each verb. First, you will be asked to guess the meaning of the verb based on a couple of examples, then you can check your guesses. You'll find out detailed information about the meaning of the verb and you can practice. A special section is devoted to developing knowledge of all the material in the textbook. Tip: learn verbs randomly, not in order.
2. Longman Phrasal Verbs Dictionary. This is an advanced dictionary that includes approximately 5,000 modern phrasal verbs in English. The author gives all the meanings of phrasal verbs. Dictionary entries are accompanied by the most accessible explanations. The book also contains many useful and fairly simple tables.
3. English Phrasal Verbs in Use. This is an excellent publication for advanced students. The book is an excellent theoretical guide, equipped with a huge number of diverse exercises for practicing the acquired knowledge. In total, the textbook offers 70 different topics. At the end of the book there is a mini-dictionary of phrasal verbs.
4. Phrasal Verbs Plus (Macmillan). This is one of the new dictionaries that describes in detail the grammatical and semantic aspects of the use of phrasal verbs. At the same time, the author constantly accompanies the explanations with examples. The book was created taking into account modern style life: verbs that are used in business, economics, the Internet, etc. are given. Funny comics illustrating common phrases make the process of learning new verbs more positive.
Since unclaimed information is quickly forgotten, you should reconsider your life a little. First, try to find time to read books or magazines in English. This will help you not only consolidate your knowledge, but also learn to understand the meaning of phrasal verbs in context. Secondly, take every opportunity to communicate with people in English. Ideally, you should sign up for English courses or study via Skype. You can also find a group with similar interests. The main thing is that studying does not become a tedious task for you: strive for variety.
Third, be organized. Plan your own self-study activities in advance and stick to a schedule. Many people decide to give up learning phrasal verbs when they encounter the first problems. But everything is not as scary as it might seem at first glance. Don't forget about motivation!
You may have already heard that in English there are so-called “phrasal verbs” (this is how the term phrasal verbs is usually translated into Russian). Indeed, there are, moreover, phrasal verbs are very popular in colloquial speech. And even if you have no idea what they are, you probably used them in speech - like Moliere’s hero, who did not know that he was speaking in prose. For example “come on!” (“Kamon, come on already!”) – this is one of the phrasal verbs. However, let's start from the very beginning - what phrasal verbs are and what they are needed for.
A phrasal (not phraseological, please note, but a phrasal) verb is a verb combined with a preposition, particle or adverb. Don’t try to remember the names of these additional parts of speech - the main thing is that some kind of appendage is added to the verb, as a rule, something simple, like up, on, with.
In this combination, the verb acquires some new meaning, which is not always connected with the meanings of the verb and preposition included in it.
Let's use an example. Let's take three simple verbs, for example, to go, to get, to look- go, get it, look. Let's add a preposition to each of them: to go on, to get up, to look for. We got phrasal verbs with new meanings - continue, get up, search.
If you try to translate these combinations literally, you will most likely fail. Indeed, why does “look for” mean searching, and “getting up” means getting up? But that's why. Treat phrasal verbs as Chinese characters, where “sun and thumb” is “time”, and “man and tree” is “rest”. Because gladiolus.
However, let's return to phrasal verbs. It turns out that by combining verbs with prepositions you can get from one verb a whole set of phrasal verbs with the most different meanings. There are a huge number of such combinations possible - there are thousands of phrasal verbs in the language.
The resulting phrasal verb is a new lexical unit, a new verb, which itself can, in turn, have several meanings. For example, bring up can mean both “mention, remember” and “grow, educate.”
Sometimes two words are attached to a verb at once - for example: get away with, look forward to, run out of. To save you a trip to the dictionary, here is the translation: get away with- to avoid punishment for something, look forward to- look forward to something run out of- to completely use up, to spend something. Pay attention to the elegance of this design - just three simple words combined together mean something that cannot be translated in one word.
The meaning of phrasal verbs can be found in the dictionary - they most often appear in the list after the meaning of the main verb. And it is in the dictionary that you can see the variety of phrasal verbs - look, for example, the description in the online dictionary of phrasal verbs with the verb put is 7 times longer than the description of the verb itself.
I can imagine how upset those who planned to “learn all the words” and finally speak English are now - the amount of work has grown exponentially right before our eyes. In fact, don't be alarmed - there aren't that many common phrasal verbs. They appear so often in speech that with enough practice you will quickly memorize the most common ones. They usually consist of very simple components (diversity is achieved due to the number of possible combinations), and sometimes you can even guess the meaning.
And most importantly, over time, when you get used to phrasal verbs, you will notice that it is in them, in phrasal verbs, that part of the indescribable charm of the English language lies.
A few thoughts about phrasal verbs in English.
Hi all! In this article I would like to talk about phrasal verbs. Do you like them? I'm betting yes! 🙂 But how many of them do you know? And in general, how many phrasal verbs are there in English?
And the answer will be - A LOT! In fact, phrasal verbs are one of the most difficult topics to learn. I've been learning English for more than a year and a half, but I can't say that I know many phrasal verbs and use them often in my speech. I always try to learn them, but the point is that the best way to remember them is through frequent practice. And for me it’s quite difficult to speak English every day for a long time, I just don’t have anyone with me. Of course, I practice English with my tutor and with friends, but this is not enough to master phrasal verbs well. I would really like to go to some English speaking country and live there for a while. I think this would be the most better way remember the most popular of these expressions!
But one way or another, it is very important to learn phrasal verbs and try to use them in conversation. This is a characteristic feature of the English language that makes you speak better.
What is a phrasal verb?
This is a set expression, usually consisting of two words that are combined with each other. One of them is a verb, the other, as a rule, a preposition. If you try to translate them separately, you will not understand the meaning of the phrase, because it is the complete phrase that has an exact translation and the best way to remember it is to memorize it and use it as often as possible.
|
Phrasal verb |
|
| act to | play out |
| add on | add |
| add up | fold |
| answer back | snap |
| answer to | correspond |
| ask after | inquire about |
| attend to | service |
| back out | give up |
| back up | insure |
| bank on | rely on |
| bear out | support |
| bear up | keep |
| beat down | lash, shoot |
| belt out | bawl |
| belt up | shut up |
| blast off | take off, take off |
| blot out | obscure |
| blow out | go out |
| blow over | pass |
| boil down to | boil down to |
| book in | register |
| bottle up | keep to yourself |
| box off | surround |
| break down | fence off |
| break in | break in, interfere |
| break off | interrupt, dissolve |
| break open | hack |
| break out | burst out |
| break through | break through |
| bring about | cause, generate |
| bring back | revive |
| bring down | reduce |
| bring forward | put forward |
| bring in | enter |
| bring off | conclude |
| bring out | identify |
| bring round | bring to life |
| brush aside | sweep aside |
| brush past | rush past |
| brush up | refresh |
| build on | use |
| build up | build up |
| bump along | shake on |
| bump into | bump into |
| bundle off | send |
| bundle out | leave quickly |
| burst into | break in |
| burst open | swing open |
| burst out | break out |
| buy in | purchase |
| buy into | share |
| buy off | bribe |
| buy out | redeem |
| buy up | buy up |
| buzz off | fuck off |
| call at | stay at |
| call back | come in again, call back |
| call for | call for |
| call off | cancel |
| call on | come to |
| call out | scream |
| carry on | continue |
| carry out | scream |
| cast aside | reject |
| catch on | take root |
| catch up | catch up |
| catch up with | catch up with someone |
| chance on | accidentally stumble upon |
| chase up | remind |
| chat up | flirt |
| check in | register |
| check off | note |
| check out | check out |
| check up | make inquiries |
| cheer up | encourage |
| chill out | get high |
| chip in | interfere |
| clear off | clean up |
| climb down | give in |
| close in | go down |
| close off | fence off |
| come across | bump into |
| come along | advance |
| come apart | fall apart |
| come by | get |
| come forward | be called upon |
| come in for | be subjected to |
| come off | have a blast |
| come on | advance |
| come round | come to life |
| come through | survive |
| come up against | bump into |
| come up with | invent |
| cool down | cool down |
| count on | count on |
| count up | count |
| cover up | cover up, cover someone up |
| crack down on | deal with |
| crack up | burst out laughing |
| cross out | cross out |
| cry off | refuse |
| cut off | turn off |
| cut out | disable |
| deal in | trade |
| die away | freeze |
| die down | fade away |
| dig into | dig |
| do away with | end with |
| do up | tie, fasten |
| do without | do without |
| double back | turn around and go back |
| double up | bend in half |
| draw back | pull back |
| draw in | drive up |
| draw on | use |
| draw out | stretch |
| draw up | move |
| dream up | invent |
| dress up | dress up |
| drink in | revel |
| drive off | discard |
| drive out | displace |
| drop in | look at someone |
| drum up | call upon |
| dwell on | linger on |
| ease off | become quieter, slow down |
| eat away | fret |
| eat out | eat in the restaurant |
| enter upon | start off |
| explain away | find an excuse |
| fade in | gradually increase, strengthen |
| fade out | gradually reduce, weaken |
| fall apart | fall apart piece by piece |
| fall back on | resort to |
| fall behind | fall behind |
| fall for | fall in love with |
| fall in with | agree with |
| fast on | focus on |
| feel about | search by touch |
| fetch up | turn out to be |
| fiddle with | twirl in one's hands |
| fight back | defend, hold back the onslaught |
| fight down | suppress |
| figure out | calculate, understand |
| fill in | fill a tooth |
| filter in | leak out |
| find out | find out, expose |
| finish up | finish eating, finish drinking |
| fish out | fish out |
| fit in | fit in |
| fix up | arrange |
| flick through | browse |
| float around | float in the air |
| flush out | scare away |
| follow out | enforce |
| follow up | investigate |
| fool about | play the fool |
| force back | repel the onslaught |
| forge ahead | get ahead |
| fork out | lay out |
| frown on | look askance at |
| fuss over | shake over |
| gasp out | blurt out |
| get about | spread |
| get across | explain |
| get along | get along with |
| get at | carp |
| get away | leave |
| get away with | avoid punishment |
| get by | pass |
| get off | get off transport |
| get on | get into transport |
| get on to | go to |
| get out of | get rid of |
| get over | overcome |
| get round to | get ready to do something |
| get through | call, break through |
| get up | get up, get out of bed |
| get up to | study |
| give in | submit |
| give off | smoke |
| give up | give up, give up |
| go about | stroll |
| go ahead | advance |
| go back on | don't hold back |
| go for | achieve |
| go in for | take part |
| go on | continue |
| go on at | pester |
| go through with | realize |
| go with | correspond |
| go without | be left without |
| grow apart | move away from each other |
| grow up | grow up |
| hang about | loiter |
| hang on | wait |
| hang up | hang up |
| happen on | bump into |
| head for | head towards |
| head off | withdraw |
| hit on | look for |
| hit out at | pounce |
| hold back | hold |
| hold on | hold on, wait |
| hold on to | hold on to |
| hold out | stretch out |
| hold over | save |
| hold up | lift, support |
| hurry up | rush |
| hush up | keep silent |
| inquire into | investigate |
| iron out | settle |
| jog along | move slowly |
| jump about | fuss |
| jump at | grab hold of |
| keep away from | stay away from |
| keep down | hold back |
| keep in | keep at home |
| keep off | bypass, avoid |
| keep out | don't let in |
| keep up | support |
| knock about | hang around |
| knock off | wrap up |
| knock out | deafen |
| ladle out | distribute left and right |
| land up | find yourself |
| launch into | indulge in |
| lay in | stock up |
| lay into | pounce on |
| lay off | dismiss |
| lay on | arrange |
| lay out | lay out |
| lead off | move away from |
| lead on | lead by the nose |
| leave behind | forget something |
| leave off | do not include |
| leave on | don't take off |
| leave out | skip, ignore |
| let on | let it slip |
| let out | release |
| let up | stop |
| lie about | lie around |
| lie back | recline |
| lie up | hide |
| live down | make amends |
| live up to | justify, reach some level |
| lock away | take into custody |
| log in | login |
| log into | enter into |
| log off | log out |
| look after | care about |
| look around | look around |
| look down on | look down on |
| look for | search |
| look forward to | look forward to something |
| look into | investigate |
| look on | observe |
| look out for | beware |
| look through | browse |
| look up | find information |
| look up to | read |
| make for | head towards |
| make off | hide |
| make out | distinguish |
| make up | make up, do makeup |
| make up for | replenish |
| mark down | reduce, discount |
| mark off | note |
| mark out | mark, highlight |
| mark up | increase, add value |
| measure up | justify |
| mix up | confuse |
| mount up | accumulate |
| muddle along | cope somehow |
| muddle through | crawl out |
| nod off | take a nap |
| pack off | send |
| pass away | on |
| pass by | pass, pass by |
| pass out | lose consciousness |
| pass up | miss |
| patch up | settle |
| pick at | pick |
| pick off | methodically shoot down |
| pick on | find fault with |
| pick out | see |
| play down | don't focus on |
| play up | act up |
| plug in | plug in |
| polish off | end with |
| pop in | drop in on someone |
| pop out | jump out |
| pop up | get out |
| pour into | rush into |
| press ahead | get down to business |
| press on | continue |
| pull about | chatter |
| pull up | pull up |
| push in | fit in |
| push off | clean up |
| push on | move forward |
| push over | overturn |
| push up | raise |
| put across | explain |
| put by | save |
| put forth | declare |
| put forward | push forward, bring forward |
| put in for | apply for |
| put on | put on |
| put out | extinguish, turn off |
| put through | connect, connect |
| put up with | endure, put up with |
| reach out | stretch out |
| reflect on | cast a shadow on |
| root about | rummage |
| root for | cheer for |
| root out | dig up |
| round off | complete |
| round up | round up |
| rule out | exclude |
| run across | bump into |
| run down | cut down, cut down |
| run into | face |
| run off | run away, run away |
| run out | expire, end |
| run over | crush |
| rush through | do in a hurry |
| score out | cross out |
| scrape together | scrape |
| screw up | crumple, spoil |
| see about | study |
| see off | see off |
| see through | bring to a conclusion |
| see to | take care of |
| seize up | stall |
| send for | order |
| send in | apply for |
| send up | launch |
| serve out | lay out |
| set about | start |
| set back | detain |
| set off | go |
| set up | establish |
| shoot down | shoot down |
| shoot in | run headlong |
| shoot out | run out headlong |
| shoot up | jump |
| shop around | ask the price |
| shout down | drown out with screams |
| show in | lead inside |
| show off | brush off |
| show out | escort to the exit |
| show up | appear |
| shrug off | brush off |
| shut off | turn off |
| shut out | don't miss |
| shut up | shut up |
| sign away | transmit |
| sign in | register |
| sign off | end |
| sign out | check out |
| sign up | hire, subscribe |
| skate around | bypass |
| skate over | ignore |
| sleep around | sleep around |
| sleep in | wake up, go to sleep |
| slip up | make a mistake |
| smooth over | settle matters |
| sound off | speak out about |
| square up | get even with someone |
| stamp out | trample |
| stand by | be ready |
| stand down | give way |
| stand for | designate, represent |
| stand in for | replace |
| stand up for | defend |
| stand up to | withstand |
| stems from | come from |
| stick up for | stand up for |
| stir up | call |
| stop by | come in |
| stop up | close up |
| strike out | cross out |
| take after | go to someone |
| take down | demolish |
| take in | include |
| take off | take off |
| take on | fight with |
| take over | take direction |
| take to | become addicted to |
| take up | take up, pick up |
| tear along | rush |
| tell off | tell someone off |
| tell on | complain about |
| think up | invent |
| throw up | vomit |
| touch on | affect |
| touch up | tint |
| try on | measure, try on |
| tuck away | hide |
| tuck in | tuck in, stuff in |
| tuck up | cover |
| turn down | reject |
| turn in | roll up |
| turn off | turn off |
| turn on | include |
| turn up | be announced |
| wait on | service |
| walk out on | throw |
| wash up | wash the dishes |
| wear off | gradually pass |
| wear on | stretch |
| work out | succeed, work out |
| write off | write off, cancel |
| write up | tidy up |
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