Exercises on phrasal verbs

PHRASAL VERBS

BE

be after - to want, to try to gain

be away - 1) to be absent; 2) to leave

be back- to return, to come back

be in - be at one’s home, office

be in for - to expect sth (usually bad)

be off- 1) to leave, 2) to be absent (from work)

be on - to be shown (on TV, at the cinema)

be out not to be at one’s home, office; to stop burning (of fire) to become known

be through with - to have finished

be up- 1) to be awake and out of bed 2) to happen

be up to - 1) to do (usually sth wrong) 2) to depend on

be with- 1) to support

BREAK

break down -(of machins) to stop working; (of persons) to lose control of feelings

break in- 1) to enter by force or illegally; 2) to interrupt (a conversation)

break off - 1) to stop (temporarily); 2) to become separate from sth

break out - 1) to begin suddenly (war, fire, etc.); 2) to escape from a place

break through - to advance in spite of opposition

break up - 1) to stop for holidays (school, etc.);2) to separate, split up 3) to separate into pieces 4) (of a group) to cease to be together

BRING

bring about - to cause to happen

bring back - to recall, bring to mind

bring down - 1) to cause to fall; 2) to reduce (prices)

bring forward - to suggest an idea

bring in- 1) to create profit, money; 2) to introduce an idea

bring out - 1) to publish; 2) to make clear, to show

bring round - 1) to cause to regain consciousness; 2) to persuade

bring up -1) to raise a child 2) to mention a subject

CALL

call back - to return a phone call

call for- 1) to need, to demand; 2) to go to collect sth/sb

call in- 1) to visit briefly 2) to ask sb to come to give professional advice

call off - to cancel

call on sb - to visit (formally)

call out - 1) to shout 2) to order to come to one’s help

call sb up - 1) to ring sb up 2) to order to join the army

COME

come across - to find or meet by chance

come along - to hurry up: come on

come by - to obtain

come down - 1) to move to a lower level; 2) to come to a place situated at a distance from the capital

come/go down with - become ill

come into - to inherit

come off - 1) to succeed; 2) ]]]to cease being joined to sth

come on - to progress

come out - 1) to go on strike; 2) (of flowers) to begin to blossom; 3)(of news, truth) to be revealed; to be published

come over- to visit

come round - to visit casually; to recover consciousness; to change point of view

come to- to amount to a total

come up - 1) to arise, occur; 2)to be mentioned

CUT

cut across - take a shorter way

cut back on - to reduce (expences, etc)

cut down - 1) to cause to fall by cutting; 2) to reduce in size (of clothes, writing); 3) to reduce sth in order to save money, = cut back

cut in - to interrupt sb (speaking)

cut off - 1) disconnect 2) to isolate

cut out -1) to cut pieces from paper, fabric etc.; 2) to omit

be cut out for - to be suited (for a profession)

DO

do away with -1) to abolish, to put an end to, to get rid of; 2) to murder

do out - to clean

do out of - to deceive sb so as to gain sth; to cheat out of

do up - 1) to fasten, tie; 2) to repair, redecorate; 3) to wrap

do with - to need, want

do without - to live without having sth/sb

FALL

fall apart -to break into pieces

fall back -to retreat

fall back on -to turn to sb for help when other plans have failed; turn to

fall behind - 1) to fail to keep up with; 2) to be late with payment

fall for- 1) to be deceived; 2) to fall in love with sb

fall in with - to agree with

fall off - 1) to become worswe; 2) to become fewer or less

fall on - 1) to attack; 2) to eat food hungrily

fall out with - to quarrel

fall through - to fail to be completed

GET

get along (with) - to be on friendly terms = get on with

get around (of news) - to be known everywhere

get at - to reach, find

get away - to leave; to go away on holiday

get back - 1) to reach home again; 2) to return to a former condition

get by - to have enough money for one’s needs

get down - 1) to depress; 2) to descend; 3) to write

get down to - to start doing sth seriously

get off - 1) to avoid punishment; 2) to leave, start a journey; 3) to descend

get on - 1) to advance, make progress; 2) to enter (a bus, etc.),

get on/along with - to friendly relations with

get over - 1) to recover (from an illness); to overcome (some difficulty)

get round - 1) to persuade, 2) bring round

get through - 1) to finish (a piece of work); 2) to succeed in (exams)

get through to - to reach by telephone

get up - 1) to move to a higher position; 2) to rise from bed

GIVE

give away -1) to reveal ( a secret) to betray; 2) to give without expecting payment

give in - 1) to surrender; 2) to hand in; 3) to give sb the work you have done

give off - to emit (a smell, etc.)

give out - 1) to distribute; 2) to hand out; 3) to announce

give up - 1) to stop/abandon an attempt/habit; 2) to surrender, give oneself as a prisoner; 3) to stop doing or having sth

GO

go ahead -to proceed, to continue

go at/for- to attack

go back - 1) to date back; 2) to return

go down - to be reduced;

go in for- to take part in, to be interested in

go into- 1) to investigate thoroughly; 2) to start an activity

go off - 1) to explode (of a bomb), 2) to go bad (of food); 3) to succeed;

4) to be switched off

go on - to continue; to happen; to make progress; to go or move ahead

go out - 1) stop burning; 2) to mix socially

go over - 1) to examine details; 2) to repeat

go round - 1) to visit; 2) to spread (of news, disease)

go through- to examine carefully; to experience, (of money, food)to use up, spend

go with- to match

HOLD

hold backto control, restrain, not show (tears) to keep secret; to delay

hold down- not to allow to get up, to keep sth at a lower level

hold off - 1) be delayed; 2) to keep at a distance

hold on- to wait (esp. on the phone); to continue despite difficulties; to last

hold out - 1) to persist, not to give way; 2) to last

hold to- to do sth according the rules

hold up - 1) to delay (of traffic), 2) hold up/.on/out = to last

KEEP

keep at - to continue working at sth

keep away from - to stay away from, not to come nearer

keep back - 1) to conceal, not to show (tears, secret) = hold back

keep down - 1) to restrain from growing, keep in subjection, to repress;

2) to control (of feelings); 3) to maintain al t a lower level

keep (oneself) from - 1) to prevent from; 2) to avoid, refrain from = keep off, 2).

keep off -to stay away from = keep away from; to avoid (food, a habit etc.);

keep on - to continue doing sth

keep out of - to stay away from trouble

keep up- 1) keep sth in good condition; 2) to prevent (one’s spirits,, prices etc.) from sinking, to maintain sth at the same level

keep up with - 1) to proceed at an equal pace with sb or sth

2) to continue to be informed (of news, events)

LET

let down - 1) to disappoint; 2) to lower, to cause to be down (e.g. let the blinds down); 3) to deceive, to betray, to fail sb at need

let in- to allow sb in

let sb into a secret - share a secret with sb = let on

let off- not to punish, to allow to go free

let out -1) make wider, looser or longer (e.g. a skirt; opp. - take in)

2) to allow to go or run outside (opp.- let in); 3) to release

LOOK: look after - to take care of

look back - to consider the past, remember

look down on - to despise, to consider oneself to be superior

look into - to investigate, to examine carefully

look on- to regard as, to consider: they look on him as an authority.

look onto/look out on to - to face, have a view of

look- to be on one’s guard, to watch out

look over - 1) to examine carefully; 2) to revise briefly and quickly

look through - 1) to look at quickly; 2) not to notice sb

look up - 1) to improve (about conditions, business, etc.)

2) to look for sth in a book of reference

MAKE: be made for - to suit exactly

make for - to go towards, head for

make out -1) to distinguish; 2) to understand

make up - 1) to invent; 2) to put cosmetics on 3) to compose, put together;

4) to become friends again, after a quarrel

make up for - to compensate

make up one’s mind - to decide

PASS: pass away -1) to cease; 2) to die

pass by -to overlook, to pass over

pass off as -to pretend to be sb else successfully

pass on - to give from person to person

pass out - 1) to lose consciousness; 2)to give freely; give out

RUN: run across - to meet/find by chance = come across

run away - to escape

run down - 1) to knock down (with a vehicle); 2) to speak badly of sb

run into - 1) to meet unexpectedly; 2) to collide with

run off - to escape from home/duty

run over - to knock down (with a vehicle)

run out of - to no longer have a supply

run through - 1) to use up; 2) to check or revise quickly

run up against - to face = to run into

TAKE: take after- to resemble, look or act like a relative

take away - 1) to remove; 2) to seize from people

take down - to write down;

take for - to identify wrongly, to take sb for sb else

take in- 1) to give accomodation 2) to make clothes smaller or narrower . 3) to fully understand

take off- 1) to remove clothes (opp.: put on); 2)to leave the ground

take on -1)to undertake work or responsibility; 2) to employ

take out- 1) to remove, extract; 2) to clean (a mark, dirt)

take over -to gain control of smth

take sb out -to take sb for a walk/drive, to the restaurant, etc.

take to - 1) to like; 2) to begin a habit

take up -to begin a hobby, job, sport

be taken aback -to be strongly surprised

TURN

turn away - 1) to refuse admittance to; 2) to refuse to help

turn down - 1) to refuse an offer; 2) to reduce loudness etc. (opp.: turn up)

turn in -to go to bed

turn off - to switch off (opp.: turn on)

turn on - 1) to switch on 2) to attack

turn out -1) to produce; 2) to prove to be in the end; 3) to empty (a bag)

turn over to change position by rolling or turning; 2) to turn to a new page; 2turn to -to go to sb for help

turn up -1) to arrive or appear unexpectedly 2) to arise or appear (of opportunity); 3) to increase (volume, pressure)

Exercises on phrasal verbs