Phrasal verbs are combinations of a verb + a particle (preposition or adverb) that create a new meaning, often different from the original verb. They are extremely common in everyday English.
• get up = rise from bed → I get up at 7 AM.
• give up = quit → Don't give up on your dreams.
• look after = take care of → Can you look after my cat?
• turn on = start a machine → Please turn on the TV.
• run out of = have no more → We ran out of milk.
📝 2. Transitive vs Intransitive Phrasal Verbs
📌 Transitive (need an object)
• I gave up smoking. (smoking is the object)
• She looked after the children.
• Can you turn off the light?
📌 Intransitive (no object)
• I got up at 6 AM.
• The plane took off at 8 PM.
• Please sit down.
📝 3. Separable vs Inseparable Phrasal Verbs
📌 Separable Phrasal Verbs
The object can go BETWEEN the verb and the particle OR after the particle. With pronouns, it MUST go between.
• Turn off the TV. / Turn the TV off. / Turn it off. (NOT turn off it)
• Pick up the book. / Pick the book up. / Pick it up.
• Put on your coat. / Put your coat on. / Put it on.
📌 Inseparable Phrasal Verbs
The object must come AFTER the particle. The verb and particle cannot be separated.
• Look after the children. (NOT look the children after)
• Run into an old friend. (NOT run an old friend into)
• Get over a problem. (NOT get a problem over)
• Call on a friend. (NOT call a friend on)
📝 4. Common Phrasal Verbs by Verb
📌 Phrasal Verbs with GET
get up (wake up), get along (have good relationship), get over (recover), get through (finish/survive), get by (manage), get together (meet)
📌 Phrasal Verbs with TAKE
take off (remove clothing/leave ground), take after (resemble), take over (assume control), take up (start a hobby), take care of (look after), take part in (participate)
📌 Phrasal Verbs with LOOK
look after (take care of), look for (search), look forward to (anticipate), look up (search information), look into (investigate), look out (be careful)
📌 Phrasal Verbs with PUT
put on (wear), put off (postpone), put out (extinguish), put away (store), put up with (tolerate), put down (insult or place)
📌 Phrasal Verbs with COME
come in (enter), come across (find by chance), come back (return), come up with (think of an idea), come out (be released)
📌 Phrasal Verbs with TURN
turn on (start), turn off (stop), turn up (increase volume), turn down (decrease volume/refuse), turn around (reverse direction)
💬 5. Examples by Category (100+ Examples)
📌 Separable Phrasal Verbs (25 examples)
1. Please turn off the TV. / Please turn the TV off. / Turn it off.
2. Pick up your toys. / Pick your toys up. / Pick them up.
3. Put on your jacket. / Put your jacket on. / Put it on.
4. Take off your shoes. / Take your shoes off. / Take them off.
5. Turn down the music. / Turn the music down. / Turn it down.
6. Turn up the volume. / Turn the volume up. / Turn it up.
7. Throw away the trash. / Throw the trash away. / Throw it away.
8. Write down the address. / Write the address down. / Write it down.
9. Cross out the wrong answer. / Cross the wrong answer out. / Cross it out.
10. Clean up your room. / Clean your room up. / Clean it up.
11. Fill in the form. / Fill the form in. / Fill it in.
12. Hand in your homework. / Hand your homework in. / Hand it in.
13. Leave out the sugar. / Leave the sugar out. / Leave it out.
14. Look up the word. / Look the word up. / Look it up.
15. Make up a story. / Make a story up. / Make it up.
16. Put away your toys. / Put your toys away. / Put them away.
17. Put back the book. / Put the book back. / Put it back.
18. Put out the fire. / Put the fire out. / Put it out.
19. Take back what you said. / Take what you said back. / Take it back.
20. Try on the dress. / Try the dress on. / Try it on.
21. Wake up your brother. / Wake your brother up. / Wake him up.
22. Call off the meeting. / Call the meeting off. / Call it off.
23. Figure out the problem. / Figure the problem out. / Figure it out.
24. Give back the money. / Give the money back. / Give it back.
25. Hand over the documents. / Hand the documents over. / Hand them over.
📌 Inseparable Phrasal Verbs (25 examples)
26. Look after the children. (NOT look the children after)
27. Run into an old friend.
28. Get over a cold.
29. Call on a friend.
30. Go over your notes.
31. Come across an interesting book.
32. Get along with your colleagues.
33. Get through the exam.
34. Look forward to the weekend.
35. Run out of milk.
36. Stand up for your rights.
37. Get back from vacation.
38. Go through a difficult time.
39. Look into the problem.
40. Get away from the city.
41. Keep up with the news.
42. Put up with noise.
43. Come up with an idea.
44. Get rid of old clothes.
45. Face up to your fears.
46. Get down to work.
47. Go along with the plan.
48. Hold on to your ticket.
49. Live up to expectations.
50. Make up for lost time.
📌 Phrasal Verbs with GET (15 examples)
51. I get up at 7 AM every day.
52. Do you get along with your siblings?
53. It took me a week to get over the flu.
54. I need to get through this report by Friday.
55. How do you get by on such a low salary?
56. Let's get together for coffee sometime.
57. I got back from my trip yesterday.
58. She got away from the stressful job.
59. I need to get rid of these old clothes.
60. Let's get down to business.
61. He got into trouble at school.
62. She got out of doing the dishes.
63. They got over the divorce eventually.
64. We got through the difficult times together.
65. I'm getting used to the new schedule.
📌 Phrasal Verbs with TAKE (15 examples)
66. Please take off your shoes before entering.
67. She takes after her mother in looks.
68. The company was taken over by a larger firm.
69. I want to take up painting as a hobby.
70. Can you take care of my cat while I'm away?
71. I'm going to take part in a charity run.
72. The plane took off at 8 PM.
73. Take down the notes from the board.
74. He took back what he said.
75. She took in the stray cat.
76. The new manager took over last week.
77. I need to take out the trash.
78. He took to his new job quickly.
79. She took up his offer of help.
80. The medication takes effect in an hour.
📌 Phrasal Verbs with LOOK (15 examples)
81. Can you look after my dog this weekend?
82. I'm looking for my keys. Have you seen them?
83. I look forward to meeting you.
84. Look up the word in a dictionary.
85. The police are looking into the accident.
86. Look out! There's a car coming!
87. He looks down on people who are poor.
88. She looked through her notes before the exam.
89. The children look up to their teacher.
90. I looked over the report quickly.
91. He looked around the store.
92. She looked back on her childhood with fondness.
93. They looked forward to the concert.
94. I'll look in on you later.
95. Look out for pickpockets in crowded areas.
❌ 6. Common Mistakes
Mistake
Correction
❌ I look forward to see you.
✅ I look forward to seeing you. (-ing after to when it's a particle)
❌ Turn off it.
✅ Turn it off. (pronoun between verb and particle)
❌ She takes after her mother? (correct but check meaning)
✅ She takes after her mother. (inseparable, correct)
❌ I got up my car.
✅ I got into my car. (wrong phrasal verb)
❌ He gave up to smoke.
✅ He gave up smoking. (give up + gerund)
⚠️ Important Rules:
1. With separable phrasal verbs, pronouns MUST go between the verb and particle.
2. Inseparable phrasal verbs cannot be separated.
3. Some phrasal verbs are transitive (need object), some intransitive (no object).
4. The particle "to" in "look forward to" is a preposition, not an infinitive marker, so it takes -ing.
✍️ 7. Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Choose the correct phrasal verb
1. I need to ______ at 6 AM tomorrow. (get up / give up)
2. Please ______ the light. It's dark. (turn on / turn off)
3. Don't ______ on your dreams. (give up / get up)
4. Can you ______ my cat this weekend? (look after / look for)
5. We ______ milk. Can you buy some? (ran out of / ran into)
Exercise 2: Correct the pronoun placement
1. Turn off it. → Turn it off.
2. Pick up them. → ____________________
3. Put on it. → ____________________
4. Take off it. → ____________________
5. Turn down it. → ____________________
Exercise 3: Fill in the blank with the correct form
1. I'm looking forward to ______ (see) you.
2. She gave up ______ (smoke) last year.
3. He kept on ______ (talk) during the movie.
4. They ended up ______ (stay) at home.
5. She put off ______ (call) her mother.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Q1.What is the difference between separable and inseparable phrasal verbs?▼
Separable phrasal verbs allow the object to be placed between the verb and the particle (turn off the light / turn the light off / turn it off). Inseparable phrasal verbs require the object to come after the particle (look after the children - cannot say 'look the children after').
Q2.Do phrasal verbs have the same meaning as their base verb?▼
Usually not! Phrasal verbs often have idiomatic meanings that are different from the base verb. For example, 'give up' means to quit, not 'give' something 'up' physically. 'Look after' means to take care of, not 'look' + 'after' literally.
Q3.How can I memorize phrasal verbs effectively?▼
Group them by particle (up, down, off, on, out, over, etc.) or by base verb (get, take, look, come, etc.). Learn them in context with example sentences. Practice with stories and conversations. Use flashcards. Focus on the most common ones first.