Lesson 100 · Stage 8: Adjectives, adverbs & prepositions
Phrasal verbs
IntermediateForm & use
give up, find out, end up, come up with — a verb + particle with its own meaning
1.What is a phrasal verb?
A phrasal verb = verb + particle: up, down, in, out, on, off, away, back, over… Sometimes you can guess the meaning from the words; sometimes the whole phrase has a completely new meaning.
| Type of meaning | Examples | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| literal, easy to guess | sit down, come in, go out | take a seat, enter, leave the house |
| new meaning, must be learned | give up, find out, put off | stop trying, discover, postpone |
| one phrase, several meanings | take off | remove (clothes, shoes) · leave the ground (plane) |
Please come in and sit down.
My dad gave up smoking last year.
I just found out that Lan is moving to Japan.
We ran out of rice, so we had noodles.
2.Common meanings of the particles
Particles don't always have a clear meaning, but some meanings come up again and again — knowing them helps you guess new phrasal verbs.
| Particle | Common meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| up | increase; completely | turn up, go up, eat up, fill up |
| down | decrease, lower | turn down, slow down, calm down |
| on / off | start / stop working; wear / remove | turn on, turn off, put on, take off |
| out | outside; until nothing is left; discover | go out, run out, find out |
| back | return | come back, give back, call back |
| away | leave; remove, put somewhere | go away, throw away, put away |
3.With or without an object
Some phrasal verbs have no object: get up, wake up, grow up, break down, set off, take off (a plane), come back, go on.
I usually get up at six.
Our car broke down on the highway.
I grew up in a small village near Hue.
Some can be used both ways, with or without an object:
I woke up at 7. / Can you wake me up at 7?
Don't give up! / I've given up sugar.
4.Separable and inseparable
Separable phrasal verbs: a noun object can go before or after the particle. A pronoun object (it, them, me, him…) must go in the middle.
| Verb | Noun object | Pronoun object |
|---|---|---|
| turn off | turn off the light / turn the light off | turn it off (not: turn off it) |
| pick up | pick up the kids / pick the kids up | pick them up |
| put on | put on your jacket / put your jacket on | put it on |
| throw away | throw away the box / throw the box away | throw it away |
| give back | give back the money / give the money back | give it back |
The golden rule: with separable verbs, a pronoun always goes in the middle — turn it off, pick me up, try them on. In speech the particle is usually stressed: turn it OFF, pick me UP — so say its final sound clearly.
Inseparable ones: the object always goes after the whole phrase, even a pronoun: look after, look for, get over, come across, run into, take after. Three-word verbs work the same way: run out of, look forward to, get on with, come up with, put up with.
My grandma looks after me when my parents are at work.
She takes after her mother.
I ran into an old friend at the supermarket.
I'm looking forward to seeing you.
to is a preposition → seeing
We need to come up with a better idea.
Check a learner's dictionary: if sth / sb is shown in the middle (turn sth off), the verb is separable; if it's at the end (look after sb), it isn't.
5.Phrasal verbs vs more formal verbs
Phrasal verbs are everywhere in speech and informal writing. Formal texts (work emails, essays, reports) often use a single verb with a similar meaning. Both are correct — choose according to the situation.
| Phrasal verb | Single verb (more formal) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| find out | discover | learn a fact |
| put off | postpone | move to a later time |
| come up with | think of / suggest | produce an idea |
| turn down | refuse / reject | say no to |
| look into | investigate | examine |
| go up | increase / rise | become higher |
6.Common mistakes
Please turn off it.Please turn it off.
A pronoun goes between the verb and the particle.
My grandma looks me after.My grandma looks after me.
look after is inseparable.
This shirt is too old. I'm going to throw away it.This shirt is too old. I'm going to throw it away.
The pronoun goes in the middle.
She found up the truth from her sister.She found out the truth from her sister.
Discover = find out; a different particle changes the meaning.
I'm looking forward to see you.I'm looking forward to seeing you.
to here is a preposition → -ing.
My dad gave up to smoke.My dad gave up smoking.
give up + -ing.
Examples
- Who will look after your dog when you're away?
- It's cold outside. Put on your jacket.
- My dad gave up smoking last year.
- The TV is too loud. Can you turn it down?
