Phrasal verbs basic rules in English

 

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Be careful, phrasal verbs are part of the basic things to know if you want to improve your English vocabulary!

What is a phrasal verb? It’s simply a verb composed of the base verb to which we add an adverbial particle, such as:

• away
• back
• up / down
• in / out
• on / off
• through
• about
• round
• over
• by
• forward
• along

This adverbial particle therefore modifies the meaning of the verb, or gives it more precision. An example:

• to run = to walk fast
• to run for = to be candidate for something
• to run out = to miss something (to run out of water, for example)

Another example:

• to put = to place
• to put off = to postpone
• to put away = to tidy up

Adverbial particles can also completely change the meaning of the verb:

• to give = Can you give me a cake?
• to give up = This lesson is too difficult! I give up! (= to quit)

Sometimes, the phrasal verb is followed by a preposition:

• to run away from 
• to keep up with 
• to look up at 
• to look forward to 

⚠️ The object can usually be placed before or after the particle:

• Turn off the light please = Turn the light off  please 
• Turn over the paper = Turn the paper over  

⚠️ When the complement is a pronoun (me, it, him, him, her, them), it is necessarily between the verb and the particle:

• Turn it off!  (NOT Turn off it!)
• Turn it over!  (NOT Turn over it!)

⚠️ A phrasal verb can sometimes have several meanings!

THE COMPLETE LIST OF PHRASAL VERBS

Here is a complete list of the 500 most common and most used phrasal verbs in English (there are a few more in fact…). Please leave a comment if you notice any errors or if there are any changes or modifications to be made:

LIST OF ALL PHRASAL VERBS IN ENGLISH
to ask somebody out	to get over	to piss off
to add up to something	to get over something	to plan ahead
to aim at	to get over with	to plan for
to ask around	to get round to something	to plan on
to ask for	to get through	to plug in
to ask out	to get to	to plug in/into
to back down	to get together	to plug up
to back off	to get up	to point out
to back somebody up	to get something across/ over	to point somebody/ something out
to back something up	to get something back	to point to
to back up	to give away	to print out
to beat up	to give back	to pull down
to beef up	to give in	to pull off
to believe in	to give out	to pull out
to bite off	to give somebody away	to pull over
to blow away	to give something away	to pull through
to blow off	to give something back	to punch in
to blow out	to give something out	to punch out
to blow something up	to give something up	to push back
to blow up	to give up	to put away
to boil down to	to go about	to put back
to break down	to go after	to put down
to break in	to go after somebody	to put in
to break into something	to go after something	to put off
to break off	to go against somebody	to put on
to break out	to go ahead	to put out
to break out in something	to go along	to put past
to break something down	to go along with	to put somebody down
to break something in	to go around	to put something down
to break through	to go away	to put something off
to break up	to go back	to put something on
to bring about	to go back on	to put something out
to bring back	to go beyond	to put something together
to bring down	to go by	to put through
to bring in	to go down	to put to
to bring out	to go for	to put together
to bring over	to go in	to put up
to bring somebody down	to go in for	to put up to
to bring somebody up	to go in/into	to put up with
to bring something up	to go off	to put up with somebody/ something
to bring up	to go off	to ring up
to brush off	to go on	to rip off
to brush up	to go out	to rip up
to build in/into	to go out with somebody	to rule out
to bump into	to go over	to run across
to burn down	to go over something	to run around
to burn out	to go round	to run away
to burn up	to go through	to run down
to burst out	to go through with	to run for
to butt in	to go up	to run into
to call around	to go with	to run into somebody/ something
to call back	to go without something	to run out
to call for	to goof around	to run over
to call in	to gross out	to run over somebody/ something
to call off	to grow apart	to run over/ through something
to call on somebody	to grow back	to run up
to call somebody back	to grow into something	to screw on
to call somebody up	to grow out of	to screw out of
to call something off	to grow out of something	to screw up
to call up	to grow up	to see about
to calm down	to hand back	to sell out
to care for	to hand in	to send back
to carry away	to hand out	to send for
to carry on	to hand over	to send off
to carry out	to hand something down	to send out
to catch on	to hand something in	to send something back
to catch up	to hand something out	to set about
to cheat on somebody	to hand something over	to set down
to check in	to hang around	to set off
to check out	to hang in	to set off
to check somebody/ something out	to hang on	to set out
to cheer some body up	to hang out	to set somebody up
to cheer up	to hang up	to set something up
to chicken out	to have on	to set up
to chip in	to head back	to settle down
to chop up	to head for	to settle for
to clean out	to head toward	to shake up
to clean something up	to hear about	to shop around
to clear out	to hear of	to show off
to clear up	to heat up	to shut off
to clog up	to help out	to shut up
to close down	to hit on	to sign in
to close off	to hold against	to sign out
to come about	to hold back	to sit back
to come across	to hold off	to sit down
to come across something	to hold on	to sit up
to come along	to hold onto somebody/ something	to sleep over
to come apart	to hold out	to slow down
to come back	to hold somebody/ something back	to sneak in/into
to come down	to hold somebody/ something up	to sneak out
to come down to	to hold something back	to sort out
to come down with	to hold up	to sort something out
to come down with something	to hook up	to space out
to come forward	to hurry up	to stand around
to come in	to keep at	to stand for
to come in	to keep away	to stand up
to come off	to keep down	to start off
to come on	to keep from	to start out
to come out	to keep in	to start up
to come over	to keep off	to stay off
to come round	to keep on	to stay out
to come through	to keep on doing something	to stay up
to come up	to keep somebody/ something out	to step on
to come up with	to keep something from somebody	to stick around
to con into	to keep something up	to stick out
to con out of	to keep to	to stick to
to cool off	to keep up	to stick to something
to count on	to kick back	to stick up
to count on somebody/ something	to kick out	to stick with
to count up	to knock off	to stop off
to cover up	to knock out	to stop over
to crack down	to knock over	to straighten out
to cross off	to know about	to stress out
to cross something out	to lay down	to switch something on/off
to cut back	to lay off	to take after somebody
to cut back on something	to lead up to	to take apart
to cut down	to leave behind	to take away
to cut in	to leave off	to take back
to cut off	to leave on	to take down
to cut out	to leave out	to take in
to cut somebody off	to leave over	to take off
to cut something off	to let down	to take on
to cut somethingdown	to let down	to take out
to cut somethingout	to let in	to take out on
to cut up	to let off	to take over
to deal with	to let on	to take somebody out
to do away with	to let out	to take something apart
to do away with something	to let somebody down	to take something back
to do over	to let somebody in	to take something off
to do somebody/ something over	to let up	to take something out
to do something over	to lie around	to take up
to do something up	to lift up	to take up on
to do with	to light up	to talk down to
to do without	to lighten up	to talk into
to doze off	to line up	to talk out of
to dress up	to live with	to talk to
to drop back	to lock in	to tear down
to drop in	to lock out	to tear off
to drop in/ by/ over	to lock up	to tear something up
to drop off	to log in (or on)	to tell apart
to drop out	to log out (or off)	to tell on
to drop somebody/ something off	to look after somebody/ something	to think about
to dry off	to look around	to think ahead
to dry out	to look at something	to think back
to dry up	to look back	to think over
to eat out	to look down	to think something over
to eat up	to look down on	to think up
to empty out	to look down on somebody	to think up
to end up	to look for somebody / something	to throw away
to fall apart	to look forward to	to throw out
to fall apart	to look into	to throw something away
to fall behind	to look into something	to throw up
to fall down	to look out	to track down
to fall for	to look out for somebody / something	to trade in
to fall in	to look over	to trick into
to fall off	to look round (ou look around)	to try on
to fall out	to look something up	to try out
to fall out	to look something over	to try something on
to fall over	to look up	to try something out
to fall through	to look up	to turn around
to feel up to	to look up to	to turn back
to fight back	to look up to somebody	to turn down
to figure on	to luck out	to turn in
to figure something out	to make for	to turn into
to fill in	to make of	to turn off
to fill out	to make off	to turn on
to fill something in	to make out	to turn out
to fill something out	to make somebody up	to turn over
to fill something up	to make something up	to turn round
to fill up	to make up	to turn up
to find out	to mess up	to turn something off
to find out	to mix something up	to turn something on
to find something out	to mix up	to turn something up
to fix up	to monkey around with	to turnsomethingdown
to flip out	to move back	to use up
to float around	to move in	to usesomething up
to follow up	to move on	to wake up
to fool around	to move out	to want out (familier)
to freak out	to move up	to warm somebody/ something up
to get ahead	to narrow down	to wash off
to get along	to not care for somebody / something	to wash up
to get along/on	to pass away	to watch out
to get around	to pass on	to wear down
to get away	to pass out	to wear off
to get away with something	to pass something out	to wear out
to get back	to pass something up	to wind up
to get back at	to pass through	to wipe off
to get back at somebody	to pay back	to wipe out
to get back into something	to pay for	to wipe up
to get back to	to pay for something	to work in
to get behind	to pay off	to work off
to get by	to pay somebody back	to work on
to get down	to pay up	to work out
to get in	to pick on	to work something out
to get off	to pick out	to work up
to get on with somebody	to pick something out	to wrap up
to get on something	to pick up	to write down
to get out	to pile up	to zip up

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Tags: Grammar