English Phrasal Verbs

There are a lot of English Phrasal Verbs that are made up of Verb + Preposition or Verb + Particle.

Examples of Prepositions

You can use the following words as Prepositions:

about, above, across, after, against, along, among, around, at, before, behind, below, down, on, etc.

Particle

A particle is a function word, an uninflected (Wikipedia) catch-all term, that is associated with another word to convey a meaning.

You can use the following words as Particles:

down, in, on, over, out, up, etc.

If you use a preposition then it is a prepositional verb, if you use a particle then it is a particle verb.

Examples

Prepositional Phrasal Verbs

Who is looking after the dog?
"after" is a preposition

The bus broke down.
"down" is a preposition

Many shops had to close down due to the recession.

The boss looks down on anyone who hasn't learned a trade.

This game was very interesting. I couldn't put it down.

Slow down! You are driving too fast.

Particle Phrasal Verbs with "on"

"on" is a particle

Come on! Hurry up, we are late.

She went on watching me.

The boys got on the bus to London.

The woman keeps on talking all evening.

The company is taking on new staff.

She carried on drinking and I got tired.

Hold on! I get the keys.

The kid tries on the new shoes.

Put on your shirt before you go out.

The boss doesn't get on with his workers at all.

She always picks on me because I am fat.

Particle Phrasal Verbs with "off"

"off" is a particle

Get off the train, I live here.

If you are sick then take a day off.

Please take off your hat in the church.

The teachertold him off after Joe was late again.

The plane takes off later on.

This heating gives off an unpleasant smell.

The match has been called off last week.

Don't put off your homework.

This job is very hard. This puts me off a lot.

The judge let him off with a warning.

Particle Phrasal Verbs with "out"

"out" is a particle

The boss gave out financial advice to the clients.

You better throw out your old shirts.

My mother ran out of bread.

I couldn't work out the right move.

He has led out a scream when he saw the tiger.

The robber has broken out of jail and has escaped.

The baker took out a loan from his bank to finance his shop.

Don't wait for the fire brigade! Put out the fire yourself.

The new album sold out quickly.

His genius made him to stand out

It was dark so I couldn't make out the trees.

Watch out! You overlooked a road sign.

I walked 30 miles today. I'm worn out.

Particle Phrasal Verbs with "up"

"up" is a particle

He had been brought up in Germany.

The girl grew up in Russia.

This job has taken up too much time already.

He turned up very late. The test was over.

The man picked her up at the railway station.

The boss will not put up with his laziness any longer.

The girl will take up swimming to lose weight.

Give up you are losing this game.

The boylooks up to his older brother.

Speak up or nobody will listen to you.

If you can't tell him the truth then make something up.

Joe will pick up some food on his way home.

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I can't earn enough money to get by.

The police will not let you get away with it.

Please look after my cat when I go out tonight.

The policeman comes across as being a bit unfriendly at first, but he is actually a nice guy.

The woman gives back the money she has lent from her neighbour.

5 Important Phrasal Verbs for English Learners

Learn Daily English Phrasal Verbs - POINT OUT

Point out
- Do something quickly - indicate or comment - recommend something

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