Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs give 1 to 2 questions and are the part of the vocabulary block that graduates most often neglect, because they feel like informal English. They are examined precisely because a teacher must recognise them in a comprehension passage.
What a Phrasal Verb Is
A phrasal verb is a verb combined with a particle — a preposition or adverb — that produces a meaning different from the verb alone. Give means to hand over; give in means to surrender; give up means to abandon.
The same verb with different particles produces entirely unrelated meanings, which is what makes the topic testable.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Give in | To yield or surrender |
| Give up | To abandon or stop |
| Give away | To distribute; to reveal |
| Give out | To be exhausted; to announce |
| Give off | To emit, as a smell or gas |
✗ He gave in smoking last year | ✓ He gave up smoking — give in means to surrender
The High-Frequency Families
Four verbs generate most of the phrasal verbs that appear in examinations, so learning them as families is the efficient route.
| Verb | Phrasal forms and meanings |
|---|---|
| Put | put off postpone · put up with tolerate · put out extinguish · put down suppress |
| Break | break down stop working · break out begin suddenly · break up disperse · break into enter forcibly |
| Call | call off cancel · call on visit briefly · call for demand · call up telephone |
| Look | look after take care of · look into investigate · look for search · look up to respect · look down on despise |
Look up to and look down on are asked as a pair, and so are break out and break down. Learning them in opposition is how they stay separated under time pressure.
Others Worth Knowing
- Carry on continue · carry out execute · carry over postpone to a later period.
- Bring up to raise a child · bring about to cause · bring out to publish.
- Turn down reject · turn up arrive · turn over hand across.
- Come across meet by chance · come by obtain · come round recover.
- Run into meet unexpectedly · run out of exhaust the supply · run down criticise.
Two of these are worth extra attention because they look like ordinary usage: bring up for raising a child, and come by for obtaining something. Both are set precisely because a candidate reading quickly will take them literally.
How They Are Tested
- A sentence with a blank and four phrasal verbs as options — substitute each and read the whole sentence.
- A phrasal verb in a sentence with four meanings as options.
- A phrasal verb to be replaced by a single word — this crosses into one-word substitution.
- Occasionally, spotting the wrongly used particle in an error-correction sentence.
The substitution method works for all four formats. Read the complete sentence with each option rather than judging the phrasal verb in isolation, because context is what distinguishes call off from call for.
एक ही क्रिया अलग-अलग particle के साथ बिलकुल अलग अर्थ देती है।
TRE pointer: Learn phrasal verbs by verb family — put, break, call, look between them cover most of what appears. The opposing pairs, look up to and look down on, and break out and break down, are the ones examiners like because a hurried candidate reverses them. Always substitute the option into the full sentence; a phrasal verb judged in isolation loses the context that decides it.
60-Second Recap
- A phrasal verb is a verb plus a particle with a meaning unlike the verb alone.
- Give in surrender, give up abandon, give away reveal, give off emit.
- Put, break, call and look generate most examined phrasal verbs.
- Look up to respect against look down on despise.
- Break out begin suddenly against break down stop working.
- Substitute each option into the whole sentence before choosing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between give in and give up?
Give in means to yield or surrender to pressure, while give up means to abandon or stop doing something. He gave up smoking is correct; he gave in to their demands is also correct. Interchanging them is a standard error the options exploit.
How should I learn phrasal verbs efficiently?
By verb family rather than alphabetically. Put, break, call and look between them generate most of the phrasal verbs that appear in examinations, and each family can be learnt in one sitting. Learning opposing pairs together keeps them separated under pressure.
What does put up with mean?
To tolerate or endure something unpleasant. The related forms from the same verb are put off, meaning to postpone, put out, meaning to extinguish, and put down, meaning to suppress. All four commonly appear as options in the same question.
How are phrasal verbs tested in the paper?
Usually as a sentence with a blank and four phrasal verbs as choices, or as a phrasal verb in a sentence with four meanings offered. Substituting each option into the complete sentence is the reliable method, since context is what separates the near choices.