Phrasal Verbs
Master English phrasal verbs (verb + particle combinations). Learn the most important phrasal verbs for academic and everyday English, their meanings, separable vs inseparable, and how to use them in PTE and IELTS.
Overview
Phrasal verbs are verb + particle (preposition or adverb) combinations that often have meanings different from their individual words. "Give up" (= abandon, not give something upward). Phrasal verbs are extremely common in spoken English and appear in IELTS Reading and Listening. In academic writing, their formal one-word equivalents are usually preferred.
Key Points
- Separable phrasal verbs: the object can go between the verb and particle: "turn off the lights" OR "turn the lights off". If the object is a pronoun, it MUST go in the middle: "turn them off" (NOT "turn off them").
- Inseparable phrasal verbs: the object always follows the particle: "look after the children" (NOT "look the children after").
- Academic formal equivalents: carry out → conduct; find out → ascertain/discover; use up → exhaust/deplete; set up → establish; go up → increase/rise; go down → decrease/decline.
- Common study/exam phrasal verbs: focus on, look up, write down, go over (= review), hand in (= submit), run out of (= exhaust), catch up (= reach same level), fall behind (= not keep up).
- Comprehension phrasal verbs: bring up (= mention), point out (= highlight), make up (= constitute/invent), take up (= begin/occupy), turn out (= result).
- Communication phrasal verbs: get across (= communicate), bring up (= mention), speak up (= speak louder), cut off (= interrupt), sum up (= summarise).
Examples
The research team carried out an extensive study. (carry out = conduct)
Students who fall behind early in the semester often struggle to catch up. (fall behind, catch up)
The policy turned out to be highly effective in reducing dropout rates. (turn out = result/prove to be)
She looked up the definition of the term in an academic dictionary. (look up = search for)
The committee put off the decision until more data was available. (put off = postpone)
Academic equivalent: "The study ran out of funding in 2019." → "The study exhausted its funding in 2019."
💡 PTE & IELTS Exam Tip
In PTE Speaking (Describe Image, Retell Lecture) and IELTS Speaking, phrasal verbs demonstrate a natural command of English vocabulary. In IELTS Reading, phrasal verbs in the passage may be synonyms for the exact wording in questions — recognising these synonyms is crucial. In IELTS and PTE Writing, replace common phrasal verbs with formal one-word alternatives: "find out" → "determine/discover/identify"; "set up" → "establish"; "go up" → "increase/rise".
Frequently Asked Questions
How many phrasal verbs are there in English?
Estimates range from 5,000 to 10,000+ phrasal verbs in English. However, for PTE and IELTS preparation, focusing on the 300–500 most common phrasal verbs in academic and everyday contexts is sufficient. Start with the most common: turn on/off, give up, find out, carry out, set up, take on, come up with, deal with, look forward to, put off, break down, get on with, go ahead, look up, make up.
Should I use phrasal verbs in IELTS Writing?
In IELTS Writing, phrasal verbs are acceptable but formal one-word equivalents are generally preferred for academic register. Using "conduct" instead of "carry out", "postpone" instead of "put off", and "investigate" instead of "look into" shows a higher level of academic vocabulary. In IELTS General Training Task 1 (informal letter writing), phrasal verbs are appropriate and expected. In IELTS Speaking, use phrasal verbs naturally — they are a mark of fluency.