My laptop is running out of power. I should probably plug it in.
Overview of Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs are mainly used in spoken English and informal texts.
Phrasal verbs are verbs used with a particle (a preposition or an adverb).
- in
- out
- on
- off
- up
- down
- away
- back
Some meanings of phrasal verbs are easy to guess:
- Put On: I need to put on my jacket if we're going outside.
- Sit Down: Could everyone please sit down!
Sometimes, the meaning(s) of a phrasal verb can be very different from the verb's original meaning:
- Hold Up = to cause a delay or to rob
- Traffic held me up.
- The criminal held up the bank.
- Throw Away = to put something in the garbage
- Just throw away your coffee if it is too sweet.
If a phrasal verb takes an object, there are usually two possible places to say the object. We can put the object between the verb and the particle or after the particle:
- Put On
- I need to put on my jacket. I'm cold.
- I need to put my jacket on. I'm cold.
- Wake Up
- Please be quiet. Let's not
wake up the baby. - Please be quiet. Let's not
wake the baby up.
- Please be quiet. Let's not
- Throw Away
- Could you do me a favour and throw away the garbage?
- Could you do me a favour and throw the garbage away?
If the object is a pronoun (me, you, him, her, it, them, us, this, that, something, etc.), then you must put the pronoun between the verb and the particle:
| Normal Object | Pronoun as Object |
|---|---|
|
"Could you do me a favour and throw away the garbage?" "Could you do me a favour and throw the garbage away?" |
"What should I do with the garbage?" "Could you please throw it away?" |
|
"Is it okay with you if I turn off the music?" "Is it okay with you if I turn the music off?" |
"Do you like this music?" "No, it's terrible. Turn it off." |
Sometimes a phrasal verb is followed by a preposition:
When are you coming back to Canada? We'll miss you!
My wife always tells me to stay away from casinos.
Let's get out of here. I want to go home.
Phrasal Verbs with In and Out
In and out can be used with rooms, buildings, cars, etc.
In
- The car stopped and the person got in.
- When are you moving into the apartment?
- Cheryl came into the room and sat down.
- Let's jump into the car and go to the beach.
- Someone broke in and stole my laptop.
Out
- We walked out of the theatre because the movie was just terrible.
- You should stay in the middle of the boat. You don't want to fall out.
- We need to check out of the hotel by 11 AM tomorrow morning.
- Could you please let the dog out?
- I hate you! Get out!
Note the difference between in and into:
- Here is a key. Let yourself in anytime.
- Here is a key. Let yourself into my apartment anytime.
The same difference between out and out of:
- Before we leave for the airport, we need to check out.
- Before we leave for the airport, we need to check out of the hotel.
Other Phrasal Verbs with In
- Fill In / Out = To complete a form or questionnaire
- Please fill in all the information and give it back to me when you're finished.
- Plug In = To connect a machine to an electrical supply
- It isn't broken. You just haven't plugged it in!
Other Phrasal Verbs with Out
- Work Out = Do exercise (usually at a gym)
- I worked out for a couple of hours last night.
- Find Out (That... / About Something) = To discover a fact or piece of information
- When did you find out that your boyfriend was lying to you?
- When did you find out about the news?
- Give / Hand Out = To give something to every person
- Usually, someone is handing out free newspapers at the train station.
- Run Out (Of Something) = To use all of something
- We're going to run out of milk soon. We should buy some before we do.
- Figure Out = To be able to understand something or solve a problem
- The streets of this city are so confusing. I still can't figure them out.
- Go Out = For a cigarette, candle, or fire to stop burning or for lights to stop shining
- It's very common for the lights to go out in our house during a wind storm.
- Put Out = To stop fire as well as the fire of a cigarette or candle
- You'll have to put out your cigarette before you go in. It's a non-smoking building.
Phrasal Verbs with Away and Back
We often use away to mean away from a place or person:
The man stole my bag and ran away.
I don't want to see you right now. I'm angry. Please go away.
When I got to the bus stop this morning, the bus had just driven away.
I tried to take a photo of the butterfly, but it flew away.
We also use back with places and people:
- I need to take these books back to the library.
- Could you put that back please?
- We are leaving now and we'll come back around 10 PM.
- When are you going back home today?
- Could you please pay back the money I lent you last week?
Other Phrasal Verbs with Away
- Stay Away (From) = To not go close / near something or someone
- You should really stay away from that area as it can be a little dangerous.
- Throw Away = To put something in the garbage
- I hate throwing away food when so many people in the world don't have anything.
- Paul gave me some candies, but I threw them away. I tried one and it was terrible.
- Put Away = Put something in its normal place / out of sight
- The teacher will get angry if you don't put your phone away during class.
- Give Away = 1. Give something to someone because you don't want it anymore or 2. When a company or service gives something to someone for free
- I gave away my old furniture to a couple of students.
- At the train station this morning, a juice company was giving away samples.
- Get Away (From) = To escape from a person or place or leave somewhere with difficulty
- I almost caught a fish but it got away.
Other Phrasal Verbs with Back
- Call / Phone / Text / Email / Write Back = To return a phone call, text, email, letter, etc..
- I'm sorry. I'm a little busy now. Could I call you back later?
Exercise
Open the exercise to begin the activity. Follow the instructions in the document.