Phrasal verbs
Brinder Aulakh

PHRASAL verbs are bits of language easy to use but very often difficult to decode. Although they are a significant linguistic feature of spoken English and contribute to fluency of expression, they are difficult both to teach and learn because there are no formulas as such for forming or interpreting them.

They may include two or three words eg ‘take off’, ‘get away with’. ‘Off’ and ‘away with’ intensify and contextualise the meaning of the verbs ‘take’ and ‘get’. So, shall we go ‘phrasal verballing’ today.

I. Use words which best complete each of the following sentences

1. I think I’ll have to sell my car.

It keeps ——

a) breaking off

b) breaking up

c) breaking down

d) breaking out

2. There were so many people leaving the hotel at the same time as us that it took nearly an hour to ——

a) check up

b) check out

c) check in

d) check through

3. They surrounded the enemy and forced them to————

a) give in

b) give out

c) give up

d) give away

4. Don’t eat that cheese— It’s ———

a) gone away

b) gone down

c) gone off

d) gone up

5. The three prisoners who ———— jail last weekend have finally been recaptured

a) broke away from

b) broke out in

c) broke out in

d) broke out of

6. I’m afraid we’ve—— tea. Would you like some coffee instead?

a) run away with

b) run down to

c) run out of

d) run away from

II. Rewrite the following sentences by replacing the underlined words with a suitable phrasal verb.

1. My grandfather often falls asleep while watching television.

2. His plans to work abroad failed to materialise when the company went bankrupt.

3. Do you know when Naipaul’s new book is being published?

4. The matter of free lunches for the staff was raised at the board meeting.

5. She burst into tears when she heard of her friend’s death.

6. I do hope I am not preventing you from going to bed.

7. Guess who I met by accident last week?

III. If you want to improve your health and eating habits, follow the advice given below after matching the phrasal verbs with their correct meaning.

1. cut down on something

2. cut something out

3. do without something

4. give up something

5. stick to something

6. take up something

7. work something off

8. work out

Meanings

a) lose or get rid of something (weight, energy)

b) stop doing/having something one enjoys

c) begin doing something regularly (sport, hobby, interest)

d) do physical fitness exercises

e) reduce consumption of something

f) persevere with something

g) manage without something

h) exclude something

Answer key

I. 1-c, 2-b, 3-a, 4-c, 5-d, 6-c

II. 1. drops off

2. fell through

3. coming out

4. brought up

5. broke down

6. keeping you up

7. ran into

III. 1) e 2)h

3) g 4) b

5) f 6) c

7) a 8) d