Phrasal Verbs With Example Sentences in English Grammar

Introduction: The Power of Phrasal Verbs With Example Sentences

Ever wondered why some non-native English speakers sound almost indistinguishable from natives? The secret often lies in their mastery of Phrasal Verbs With Example Sentences. These linguistic chameleons can make or break your English fluency, transforming your speech from textbook-rigid to naturally flowing conversation.

But what exactly are phrasal verbs? Simply put, they’re combinations of verbs and particles (prepositions or adverbs) that create new meanings. For instance, “look up” doesn’t literally mean to raise your eyes skyward – it can mean to search for information. This quirk of English grammar is both a challenge and an opportunity for learners.

Phrasal verbs are the lifeblood of everyday communication in English. They’re everywhere – in casual chats, professional emails, literature, and media. By the end of this guide, you’ll not only understand phrasal verbs but also wield them with confidence.

Demystifying Phrasal Verbs

The Anatomy of a Phrasal Verb

At its core, a phrasal verb consists of two parts:

1. A base verb
2. One or two particles (prepositions or adverbs)

For example:

• “give up” = give (base verb) + up (particle)
• “look forward to” = look (base verb) + forward to (two particles)

How Phrasal Verbs Differ from Regular Verbs

Phrasal verbs aren’t just fancy alternatives to single-word verbs. They often carry nuanced meanings that their single-word counterparts can’t capture. Compare:

• “I looked at the painting” (simply viewed it)
• “I looked into the issue” (investigated it)

The addition of a particle completely changes the verb’s meaning.

Types of Phrasal Verbs With Example Sentences

Understanding the different types of phrasal verbs in English helps to use them correctly in sentences. Below, we break down the four main types with explanations, examples, and a table of phrasal verbs examples.

Type	Definition	Example
Transitive Phrasal Verbs	Require a direct object. The action is directed towards someone or something.	“She picked up the book.”
Intransitive Phrasal Verbs	Do not require an object. The action is complete on its own.	“The car broke down.”
Separable Phrasal Verbs	The object can come between the verb and the preposition/adverb.	“He turned the light on.”
Inseparable Phrasal Verbs	The verb and preposition/adverb must stay together, even with an object.	“She looks after her sister.”

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Detailed Breakdown of Types of Phrasal Verbs With Example Sentences

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Transitive Phrasal Verbs With Example Sentences

Transitive phrasal verbs require an object to complete their meaning. For example, “turn off” in “Turn off the radio” depends on the object “radio” to make sense.

Examples of Transitive Phrasal Verbs:

• Turn off: “Please turn off the lights.”
• Take off: “He took off his jacket.”
• Put down: “She put down the phone.”

Transitive Phrasal Verb	Example Sentence
Pick up	“Can you pick up the groceries?”
Turn off	“He turned off the TV after dinner.”
Write down	“She wrote down the recipe for me.”
Bring up	“He brought up an interesting point.”
Set up	“They set up a tent in the backyard.”
Fill out	“Please fill out this form.”
Give back	“Could you give back the book?”
Clean up	“They cleaned up the room together.”
Put down	“He put down the heavy box.”
Take off	“She took off her shoes at the door.”

Intransitive Phrasal Verbs With Example Sentences

Intransitive phrasal verbs don’t need an object. They often describe actions or states that are completed by themselves, like “run out” or “show up.”

Examples of Intransitive Phrasal Verbs:

• Show up: “She showed up late to the meeting.”
• Break down: “The old car broke down on the highway.”
• Run out: “We ran out of milk.”

Intransitive Phrasal Verb	Example Sentence
Come in	“Please come in and take a seat.”
Go on	“The concert went on despite the rain.”
Stand out	“Her voice stands out in the choir.”
Back off	“He backed off when he realized his mistake.”
Settle down	“It’s time to settle down and focus.”
Hang out	“They like to hang out at the mall.”
Grow up	“He grew up in a small town.”
Break out	“A fight broke out in the crowd.”
Move in	“They moved in together last year.”
Show off	“He loves to show off his new car.”

Separable Phrasal Verbs With Example Sentences

Separable phrasal verbs allow the object to be placed between the verb and its particle. For example, in “Turn the light off” or “Turn off the light,” both are correct.

Examples of Separable Phrasal Verbs:

• Turn on: “She turned on the radio.”
• Take off: “He took his shoes off.”
• Put down: “He put the pen down after writing.”

Separable Phrasal Verb	Example Sentence
Turn on	“She turned the radio on quickly.”
Take off	“He took his shoes off after work.”
Write down	“He wrote his thoughts down.”
Set up	“They set the tent up in no time.”
Fill out	“She filled the form out promptly.”
Clean up	“He cleaned the room up after the party.”
Give back	“He gave the money back.”
Pick up	“She picked the kids up from school.”
Put down	“He put the heavy bag down carefully.”
Make up	“They made a story up to explain it.”

Inseparable Phrasal Verbs With Example Sentences

With inseparable phrasal verbs, the verb and preposition cannot be separated. An object always follows the particle, like in “look after.”

Examples of Inseparable Phrasal Verbs:

• Look after: “She looks after her younger brother.”
• Get along with: “He gets along with his colleagues.”
• Run into: “I ran into an old friend at the market.”

Inseparable Phrasal Verb	Example Sentence
Look after	“She looks after her elderly parents.”
Run into	“We ran into them at the restaurant.”
Take after	“She takes after her father.”
Go through	“They went through a tough time.”
Look forward to	“I look forward to the weekend.”
Believe in	“She believes in hard work.”
Count on	“You can count on me anytime.”
Deal with	“He deals with stress well.”
Go for	“They went for a walk after dinner.”
Stick to	“He sticks to his daily routine.”

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Comprehensive List of Phrasal Verbs With Meanings and Sentences

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example Sentence
Bring up	To raise or mention	“She brought up an interesting idea.”
Look for	To search for	“He’s looking for his keys everywhere.”
Come across	To find by chance	“She came across an old letter.”
Break up	To end a relationship	“They broke up after five years together.”
Get over	To recover from	“He got over the flu quickly.”
Take care of	To look after	“She takes care of her garden daily.”
Put off	To postpone	“They put off the meeting until tomorrow.”
Turn up	To appear	“He turned up at the party unexpectedly.”
Pass out	To faint	“He passed out from exhaustion.”
Work out	To exercise or resolve	“They worked out their differences.”

This list of phrasal verbs with meaning and examples will help you grasp their practical usage.

Advanced Phrasal Verbs for Fluent Speakers

Nuanced Expressions

Fluent speakers often use advanced phrasal verbs to express subtle meanings:

• “Carry out”: To execute or perform.
• “Cut back on”: To reduce.

Business and Professional Contexts

Using phrasal verbs in business English can make you sound more natural:

• “Follow up”: “She will follow up on the client meeting.”
• “Break into”: “He broke into the tech industry last year.”

Idiomatic Phrasal Verbs

• “Give in”: To surrender or yield.
• “Come up with”: To think of or create.

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Top 20 Must-Know Phrasal Verbs for Beginners

For those just starting their journey with phrasal verbs, here’s a list of common English phrasal verbs to get you started:

phrasal verbs to get you started:

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example Sentence
Wake up	To stop sleeping	I wake up at 7 AM every day.
Get on	To enter a vehicle	We got on the bus to school.
Turn off	To switch off	Please turn off the lights when you leave.
Look for	To search for	I’m looking for my lost keys.
Give up	To stop trying	Don’t give up on your dreams.
Catch up	To reach the same level	Let’s meet for coffee and catch up.
Hang out	To spend time casually	We often hang out at the local cafe.
Figure out	To understand or solve	I can’t figure out this math problem.
Hand in	To submit	Remember to hand in your assignments on time.
Pick up	To collect	Can you pick up some groceries on your way home?
Run out of	To use all of something	We’ve run out of milk.
Get along	To have a good relationship	I get along well with my colleagues.
Show up	To arrive	He didn’t show up for the meeting.
Take off	To remove clothing	Take off your shoes before entering.
Put off	To postpone	Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
Break down	To stop functioning	My car broke down on the highway.
Come across	To find by chance	I came across an interesting article yesterday.
Bring up	To mention a topic	She brought up the issue during the meeting.
Turn down	To reject	He turned down the job offer.
Look forward to	To anticipate with pleasure	I’m looking forward to the weekend.

Advanced Phrasal Verbs: Elevating Your English

Once you’ve mastered the basics, it’s time to dive into more advanced phrasal verbs. These often have idiomatic meanings that can’t be guessed from their individual parts.

Idiomatic Phrasal Verbs

• Fall through: When plans or arrangements fail to happen Example: “The deal fell through at the last minute.”
• Chip in: To contribute money or effort Example: “Everyone chipped in to buy the farewell gift.”

Formal vs. Informal Usage

Some phrasal verbs are more appropriate in casual settings, while others can be used in formal contexts. For instance:

• Informal: “The meeting was called off.” (cancelled)
• Formal: “The meeting was postponed.”

Replacing Single-Word Verbs for Native-Like Speech

To sound more natural, try replacing single-word verbs with phrasal verbs:

• “Investigate” → “Look into”
• “Tolerate” → “Put up with”
• “Deceive” → “Take in”