Phrasal verbs

Do you know how to use verbs in phrases like pick the kids up, turn the music down and look after my cat? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how phrasal verbs are used.

This is the form. Please can you fill it in?
Why are you bringing that argument up now?
Police are looking into connections between the two crimes.
We need to come up with a solution.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar test 1: Separable and non-separable multi-word verbs: Grammar test 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

Phrasal verbs are very common in English, especially in more informal contexts. They are made up of a verb and a particle or, sometimes, two particles. The particle often changes the meaning of the verb.

I called Jen to see how she was. (call = to telephone)
They've called off the meeting. (call off = to cancel)

In terms of word order, there are two main types of phrasal verb: separable and inseparable.

Separable

With separable phrasal verbs, the verb and particle can be apart or together.

They've called the meeting off.
OR
They've called off the meeting.

However, separable phrasal verbs must be separated when you use a personal pronoun.

The meeting? They've called it off.

Here are some common separable phrasal verbs:

I didn't want to bring the situation up at the meeting.
(bring up = start talking about a particular subject)

Please can you fill this form in?
(fill in = write information in a form or document)

I'll pick you up from the station at 8 p.m.
(pick up = collect someone in a car or other vehicle to take them somewhere)

She turned the job down because she didn't want to move to Glasgow.
(turn down = to not accept an offer)

Non-separable

Some phrasal verbs cannot be separated.

Who looks after the baby when you're at work?

Even when there is a personal pronoun, the verb and particle remain together.

Who looks after her when you're at work?

Here are some common non-separable phrasal verbs:

I came across your email when I was clearing my inbox.
(come across = to find something by chance)

The caterpillar turned into a beautiful butterfly.
(turn into = become)

It was quite a major operation. It took months to get over it and feel normal again.
(get over = recover from something)

We are aware of the problem and we are looking into it.
(look into = investigate)

Some multi-word verbs are inseparable simply because they don't take an object.

I get up at 7 a.m.

With two particles

Phrasal verbs with two particles are also inseparable. Even if you use a personal pronoun, you put it after the particles.

Who came up with that idea?
(come up with = think of an idea or plan)

Let's get rid of these old magazines to make more space.
(get rid of = remove or become free of something that you don't want)

I didn't really get on with my stepbrother when I was a teenager.
(get on with = like and be friendly towards someone)

Can you hear that noise all the time? I don't know how you put up with it.
(put up with = tolerate something difficult or annoying)

The concert's on Friday. I'm really looking forward to it.
(look forward to = be happy and excited about something that is going to happen)

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar test 2: Separable and non-separable multi-word verbs: Grammar test 2

Try another grammar lesson

Language level

B2 - Upper intermediate

Hello! May I ask you something? The thing that I want to ask is easy to understand but complicated to write. So, I will give an example. 'Suck something into something' is a phrasal verb meaning to cause someone or something to gradually become involved in an unpleasant situation or harmful activity. I got that definition from the dictionary. But why the same group of words (suck sth into sth) is not a phrasal verb in the following sentence: The spaceship was sucked into a blackhole. Is it because its meaning is different from the one I wrote above? It is literally sucked into sth, not involved in an unpleasant situation. So is that possible to use the same group of words both as a phrasal verb and not in different sentences? Could you please give another example? (What I mean is for example we know X+into is a phrasal verb which means A. If it means B in another sentence, can we still count it as a phrasal verb or not?) Thanks in advance!

Hi Melis_06,

What you said is right. A phrasal verb is normally understood as having a meaning that comes from not just the verb but also the particle, so the verb does not normally have its original and literal meaning. In the spaceship example, it is literally and physically sucked into the black hole, so this is simply a verb with a preposition. But if you say, e.g., the company was sucked into debt, it's not a physical action but a figurative one, which is why the dictionary that you checked considered it a phrasal verb.

One more example is look forward to.

I looked forward to the boy sitting in front of me. (literal meaning of "looked"; not a phrasal verb)
I look forward to hearing from you again. (phrasal verb)

Another example is bring up. Here, "up" is an adverb in the phrasal verb rather than a preposition.

I'll bring the kids up to the third floor. (literal meaning of "bring"; not a phrasal verb)
They brought their kids up to be very polite. ("brought up" meaning "educated"; phrasal verb)

So, yes - the same group of words can be a phrasal verb or a prepositional verb in different sentences, depending on its meaning.

Hope that helps.

Jonathan

LearnEnglish team

I have one more question about this sentence: I really don't to get involved in this argument, but I can feel myself being sucked into it. How do we form the first part in this sentence? 'I really don't to get involved in...' Why do we use this form? Could you please give another example? By the way, thank you for the previous answer! It is really helpful, you are the best!

Hello Melis_06,

The clause 'I really don't to get involved in this argument' is not grammatically correct.

I imagine that the word 'want' was left out by mistake; in other words, I imagine that intended sentence is 'I really don't want to get involved in this argument'.

If you found this sentence in a publication, it's most likely a misprint.

Does that make sense?

Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

I also thought like that, thank you for your answer! I found this sentence from Cambridge Online Dictionary. That was actually why I thought it had to be correct. Thanks again!

Hello sir, I have a question may be lot of people notice but it gave me headache.

The question is that particle means both prepositions and adverbs. Then why I am seeing above the word adverbial participle, in which the preposition is also treated like adverbial participle. That's why? Are they modifying the verb in phrasal verb, that's why it is treated like adverb?

Hello h_k,

I'm afraid I don't see the phrase 'adverbial participle' anywhere on this page. Could you please tell me where you see it?

All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

Sorry at that time, I was a little anxious, so I was confused with the page.
Sir, I saw it on the Cambridgedictionary site. The below text I copied from the Cambridgedictionary site. Please help me, sir, why they mixed preposition with adverbial particles? Why did they emerge prepositions in adverbial participle.

"Phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs have two parts: a main verb and an adverb particle.

The most common adverb particles used to form phrasal verbs are around, at, away, down, in, off, on, out, over, round, up:

bring in go around look up put away take off ."

Hi k. k_h,

At, away, down etc. can all be either adverbs or prepositions. Here are some examples.

The cat ate up the food. ("up" = adverb, part of phrasal verb "eat up")
I can't put up with the noise any longer. ("up" = adverb, part of phrasal verb "put up with")
We walked up the hill. ("up" = preposition, part of prepositional phrase "up the hill")

Somebody broke in while we were away. ("in" = adverb, part of phrasal verb "break in")
I live in London. ("in" = preposition, part of prepositional phrase "in London")

To tell whether the word is a preposition or an adverb, here are some tips.

As prepositions, these words tend to have more literal meanings than when they are used as adverbs (for example, "up the hill" literally means in an upward direction, while it does not have this meaning in "eat up" or "put up with").
As adverbs they sometimes occur with another preposition (e.g. "put up with").
A preposition must have a direct object (e.g. "in London"), but a phrasal verb with an adverb may not have one (e.g. "break in").

I hope that helps.

Jonathan

LearnEnglish team

Sir, you know the phrasal verb could be trasitive or intransitive.

There, they also use preposition as an adverbial particle.

I think that in the phrasal verb, we have two things main verb+ particles. In participle, we have both adverbs and prepositions. When prepositions modify the main verb, then it is called adverbial participle. Am I right, sir?

And I got you point of literal meaning if preposition gives us literal meaning instead of connotative then it is prepositional phrase.