This article is part of our English Vocabulary Learning Hub — explore word lists, idioms, phrasal verbs, and more.
- Phrasal verbs are verb + particle combinations whose meaning often cannot be predicted from the individual words alone.
- Separable phrasal verbs allow the object between verb and particle; inseparable ones keep verb and particle together — and pronouns must always split separable verbs.
- Learning phrasal verbs by semantic theme (movement, emotions, work) is far more effective than alphabetical lists.
- The ten most productive base verbs (get, go, make, take, come, put, turn, look, give, run) account for the majority of everyday phrasal verb usage.
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Phrasal verbs are one of the most challenging — and most rewarding — areas of English for intermediate learners. They appear constantly in spoken English, films, podcasts, news articles, and everyday conversation. Yet many B1 and B2 learners either avoid them out of confusion or try to memorise them in alphabetical lists, which rarely sticks.
This guide takes a different approach. Rather than presenting a random English phrasal verbs list, we organise the most important phrasal verbs into meaningful semantic groups — movement, relationships, work, time, emotions — and then cover the ten most productive base verbs (get, go, make, take, come, put, turn, look, give, run). Every phrasal verb comes with at least one natural example sentence. You will also find a clear explanation of the grammar rules (separable vs inseparable) — covered in full in our Phrasal Verbs Grammar Guide — a B1 vs B2 difficulty guide, and practical tips for making phrasal verbs stick. If you want to browse phrasal verbs by particle or theme outside this article, visit the dedicated Phrasal Verbs hub.
By the end of this page, you will have a thorough reference to return to repeatedly — plus direct links to free interactive exercises where you can test what you have learned immediately.
1. What Are Phrasal Verbs?
A phrasal verb is a verb combined with one or two particles — either a preposition, an adverb, or both — that together create a meaning different from the original verb alone. The combination behaves as a single semantic unit.
For example: give means to hand something to someone. But give up means to stop trying, and give in means to surrender or yield. Neither meaning can be predicted from the word give alone. This unpredictability is exactly what makes phrasal verbs feel so difficult — and why learning them in context, with real sentences, works so much better than learning them from a bare list.
English has thousands of phrasal verbs, but research on learner corpora suggests that knowing the 200–300 most common ones covers the vast majority of phrasal verb usage in natural speech and writing. At B1–B2 level, your priority is the core 60–100. That is exactly the range we cover in this guide. You can also browse our dedicated Phrasal Verbs hub for organised lists by theme and particle.
1a. Separable Phrasal Verbs
A separable phrasal verb is one where a noun object can go either between the verb and the particle, or after the particle. Both positions are grammatically correct:
- She turned off the lights.
- She turned the lights off.
However, when the object is a pronoun, it must go in the middle:
- She turned them off. (correct)
- ~~She turned off them.~~ (incorrect)
This is one of the most common grammatical errors that B1–B2 learners make with phrasal verbs. Practise the pattern with our Complete the Sentence exercise, which lets you work on exactly this kind of placement problem.
1b. Inseparable Phrasal Verbs
An inseparable phrasal verb keeps the verb and particle together. The object always follows the complete phrasal verb — you cannot split it:
- She looked after the children. (correct)
- ~~She looked the children after.~~ (incorrect)
Most phrasal verbs with two particles are inseparable: run out of, look forward to, get on with, put up with. When in doubt, keep three-word phrasal verbs together.
1c. Intransitive Phrasal Verbs
Some phrasal verbs take no object at all — they are intransitive. You simply cannot add a noun after them:
- The plane took off.
- She broke down and cried.
- Things will turn up eventually.
These are actually easier to use correctly because there is no object-placement decision to make.
When you learn a new phrasal verb, always note whether it is separable, inseparable, or intransitive. Record an example sentence showing the object in the correct position. This single habit prevents the most common grammatical errors with phrasal verbs.
2. English Phrasal Verbs by Semantic Group
Learning phrasal verbs by theme — rather than alphabetically or by base verb — significantly improves retention. When you learn set off, set out, head off, and pick up together as "movement and travel" verbs, you build a mental network of related meanings, and each verb reinforces the others. Start with the group most relevant to your daily life or exam preparation.
- set off / set out — to start a journey "We set off early to avoid the traffic." | "They set out on foot at dawn."
- head off — to leave or depart (often to a specific destination) "I need to head off — my train leaves in twenty minutes."
- take off — (of a plane) to leave the ground; also to leave quickly "The flight took off thirty minutes late." | "She took off without saying goodbye."
- pull up — to stop a vehicle "A black car pulled up outside the building."
- drop off — to take someone to a place and leave them there; also to fall asleep "Can you drop me off at the station?" | "He dropped off during the film."
- pick up — to collect someone in a vehicle; also to learn or improve "I'll pick you up at seven." | "She picked up Spanish very quickly."
- check in / check out — to register at a hotel or airport; to leave a hotel "We checked in at noon and checked out the following morning."
- get on / get off — to board or leave public transport "Get on at Victoria and get off at London Bridge."
- get on (with) — to have a good relationship with someone "I get on really well with my colleagues."
- fall out (with) — to have an argument and stop being friends "They fell out over money and haven't spoken since."
- make up — to resolve an argument and become friends again "They fell out on Monday but made up by Wednesday."
- split up / break up — to end a romantic relationship "They split up after three years together."
- ask out — to invite someone on a romantic date "He finally asked her out to dinner."
- grow apart — to become less close over time "After university they grew apart and lost touch."
- look up to — to admire and respect someone "She looks up to her older sister enormously."
- look down on — to consider someone inferior "He never looked down on anyone regardless of their background."
- take on — to accept responsibility or employ someone new "The company took on twenty new staff last quarter."
- carry out — to perform or complete a task "The engineers carried out a full inspection of the bridge."
- draw up — to prepare a formal document or plan "The lawyers drew up a contract overnight."
- hand in — to submit work or resign from a job "Please hand in your reports by Friday." | "She handed in her notice last week."
- back up — to support someone; also to make a copy of data "My manager backed me up in the meeting." | "Always back up your files."
- deal with — to handle a problem or situation "Who is dealing with the customer complaint?"
- set up — to establish or arrange something "She set up her own business at the age of twenty-six."
- follow up — to pursue or check on something after an initial contact "I'll follow up with an email after the meeting."
- run out of — to use all of a supply until none is left "We've run out of milk — can you buy some?"
- use up — to consume a supply completely "The long journey used up all the fuel."
- wrap up — to finish or conclude something "Let's wrap up the meeting — we've covered everything."
- put off — to postpone or delay "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today."
- carry on — to continue "Carry on — I'll join the call in a moment."
- end up — to arrive at an unexpected or unplanned result "We got lost and ended up on the wrong side of the city."
- catch up — to reach the same level as someone; also to update each other on news "I need to catch up on my reading." | "Let's meet for coffee and catch up."
- fall behind — to make less progress than expected "He fell behind with his coursework during the illness."
- cheer up — to become happier; also to make someone feel better "She sent flowers to cheer him up." | "Cheer up — it's not as bad as it seems."
- calm down — to become less angry or upset "Take a breath and calm down before you reply."
- freak out — to become extremely anxious or panicked "She freaked out when she saw the spider."
- wind down — to relax after a period of effort or stress "I like to wind down with a book before bed."
- open up — to talk honestly about your feelings "He finds it hard to open up about his emotions."
- bottle up — to suppress emotions rather than expressing them "It's not healthy to bottle up your feelings for so long."
- wear down — to gradually exhaust someone's energy or resistance "Months of criticism slowly wore her down."
Once you feel confident naming these phrasal verbs by theme, try the Matching Pairs exercise to reinforce the verb–meaning connections in a game format, or the Flash Cards exercise to drill them until they are automatic. For a tactile recognition drill, the Flip Tiles exercise is particularly effective for phrasal verb pairs — you flip a tile to reveal the meaning and decide how well you knew it.
3. The Ten Most Productive Base Verbs
English phrasal verbs are built from a small set of highly productive base verbs. Mastering the combinations around these ten verbs alone will cover a remarkable proportion of phrasal verb usage in everyday English. Notice how the particle shifts the meaning in unexpected directions — this is the creative heart of the English phrasal verb system.
- get up — to rise from bed "I get up at six every morning."
- get over — to recover from illness or a difficult experience "It took him a month to get over the flu."
- get on with — to continue doing something; to have a good relationship "Just get on with the task." | "I get on with my neighbours."
- get away with — to do something wrong without being caught or punished "He cheated on the test and got away with it."
- get across — to communicate an idea clearly "It's hard to get this concept across in a short presentation."
- get rid of — to remove or dispose of something "I need to get rid of all this old furniture."
- get by — to manage with limited resources "It's hard to get by on minimum wage in London."
- go on — to continue; also to happen "What's going on?" | "The show must go on."
- go through — to experience something difficult; to examine something carefully "She went through a very hard time last year."
- go off — (of an alarm) to sound; (of food) to go bad "My alarm goes off at seven." | "The milk has gone off."
- go ahead — to proceed; also to give permission "Please go ahead — I'll follow in a minute."
- go over — to review or check something "Let's go over the main points before we finish."
- go without — to manage or survive without something "During the war, people went without basic necessities."
- make up — to invent a story; to reconcile after a quarrel; to apply cosmetics "He made up an excuse." | "They made up after the argument."
- make out — to manage to see, hear, or understand something with difficulty "I couldn't make out what she was saying over the noise."
- make up for — to compensate for something "Working overtime helped make up for the missed deadline."
- make do with — to manage with something less than ideal "We'll have to make do with what we have."
- make off with — to steal something and leave quickly "The thief made off with her laptop."
- take off — (of an aircraft) to leave the ground; to become suddenly successful "His career really took off after that film."
- take on — to accept new work or responsibility; to hire staff "I can't take on any more projects this month."
- take over — to assume control of something "A rival company took over the firm last year."
- take up — to start a new hobby or activity; to occupy space or time "She took up yoga during lockdown."
- take after — to resemble a parent or relative in appearance or behaviour "He really takes after his father."
- take in — to absorb information; to be deceived; to provide accommodation "There was so much to take in at the lecture."
- come across — to find something by chance; to make a particular impression "I came across an old photo while cleaning." | "She comes across as very confident."
- come up with — to think of an idea or solution "He came up with a brilliant plan at the last minute."
- come down with — to become ill with something "I think I'm coming down with a cold."
- come forward — to offer information or help voluntarily "Police are asking witnesses to come forward."
- come round / come around — to visit someone; to change your opinion; to regain consciousness "Come round for dinner on Saturday." | "She eventually came round to his point of view."
- put off — to postpone; to cause someone to dislike something "Don't put off the difficult conversation any longer."
- put up with — to tolerate something unpleasant "How does she put up with all that noise?"
- put across — to communicate an idea effectively "She put her argument across very clearly."
- put forward — to suggest an idea or proposal formally "He put forward a proposal to reduce costs."
- put out — to extinguish a fire or light; to make an effort; to inconvenience someone "Firefighters put out the blaze in two hours."
- turn up — to arrive, often unexpectedly; to increase volume "He turned up two hours late." | "Turn up the music!"
- turn down — to refuse an offer; to reduce volume "She turned down the job offer." | "Turn the TV down, please."
- turn out — to happen in a particular way; to come to an event "Everything turned out better than expected."
- turn into — to change and become something different "The caterpillar turns into a butterfly."
- turn off / turn on — to stop or start a device "Turn off the lights when you leave." | "Turn on the heating — it's freezing."
- look after — to take care of someone or something "She looks after her elderly mother every weekend."
- look forward to — to feel excited about a future event "I'm looking forward to the holiday."
- look into — to investigate "The police are looking into the matter."
- look up — to find information in a reference source; to improve "Look it up in the dictionary." | "Things are starting to look up."
- look out (for) — to be careful; to watch for something "Look out — there's ice on the road!"
- give up — to stop trying; to quit a habit "She gave up smoking three years ago." | "Never give up on your dreams."
- give in — to surrender or yield to pressure "After hours of negotiation, they finally gave in."
- give away — to reveal a secret; to donate something "Don't give away the ending!" | "They gave away free samples at the event."
- give out — to distribute; also (of a supply) to run out "The volunteers gave out food parcels." | "The batteries gave out mid-presentation."
- give back — to return something to its owner "Can you give back the book I lent you?"
- run out of — to use the last of a supply "We've run out of time — let's schedule a follow-up."
- run into — to meet someone by chance; to experience an unexpected problem "I ran into an old friend at the supermarket."
- run over — to hit someone with a vehicle; to go beyond a set time limit "The meeting ran over by half an hour."
- run through — to review or practise something quickly "Let me run through the main points one more time."
- run away — to escape or flee; to avoid dealing with a problem "You can't keep running away from your responsibilities."
Ready to test yourself on these verb groups? Try the Find the Match exercise for quick-fire recognition practice, or the Quiz to check your understanding of phrasal verb meanings in context. For a more challenging test of production skills, use Anagram — it forces you to spell each phrasal verb correctly from memory.
4. B1 vs B2: Which Phrasal Verbs Should You Focus On?
Not all phrasal verbs are equally important at every level. The table below gives you a practical guide to prioritisation based on frequency in everyday speech, complexity of meaning (some phrasal verbs have five different meanings depending on context), and typical exam requirements at B1 (PET, Trinity ISE I) and B2 (FCE, IELTS 5.5–6.5) levels.
| Phrasal Verb | Level | Key Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| get up, go on, turn on/off, look after, come back | B1 | Daily routines, basic actions |
| find out, give up, pick up, set off, cheer up | B1 | Common everyday situations |
| run out of, carry on, look forward to, make up | B1 | Plans, feelings, relationships |
| put up with, come across, take over, draw up | B2 | Work contexts, formal register |
| get across, put forward, come round to, make do with | B2 | Argumentation, persuasion |
| go through, wear down, come down with, back up | B2 | Nuanced emotions, professional language |
| get away with, make off with, turn out, fall behind | B2 | Narrative language, idiom-dense contexts |
If you are preparing for the Cambridge B1 Preliminary exam, prioritise the first three rows and make sure you understand the most common meanings of each verb. If you are working towards Cambridge B2 First (FCE) or IELTS 6.0+, you need the full table — and you need to be able to use them correctly in writing as well as recognise them in reading and listening.
Use Flip Tiles to drill the B1 set before moving to the B2 rows — it is a memory-game format that is particularly effective for learning pairs of phrasal verbs and their meanings at the same time. For a full breakdown of the grammar rules behind each category, see the Phrasal Verbs Grammar Guide.
5. Seven Practical Tips for Learning Phrasal Verbs
Tip 1: Learn in context, not in lists
A bare list of phrasal verbs — get up, get over, get on, get away with — is almost impossible to retain because the items have nothing to connect them except the word get. Instead, learn each phrasal verb embedded in a sentence that makes the meaning clear. The sentence is the unit of learning, not the verb alone. Use the Complete the Sentence exercise to practise phrasal verbs in sentence context from the very beginning.
Tip 2: Group by theme, then by base verb
We have already organised this guide by semantic theme and by base verb, and there is a reason: both groupings activate different memory networks. Learn the movement group as a set, then later revisit take off, set off, head off, drop off, pull up as a mini-cluster within the movement set. Overlapping the groupings strengthens the network around each verb.
Tip 3: Note separability every time
As you add new phrasal verbs to your vocabulary, always record (a) whether it is separable or inseparable, and (b) an example sentence showing the object in the correct position. This prevents fossilised errors — mistakes that become permanent habits. A Flash Cards set with the grammar note on the back is an ideal format for this.
Tip 4: Use spaced repetition
Phrasal verbs that you encounter once or twice rarely stay in long-term memory. Spaced repetition — reviewing items at increasing intervals (1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 14 days) — is the single most efficient method for vocabulary retention. The Flash Cards exercise on LexFizz automatically tracks which cards you find difficult and shows them more frequently.
Tip 5: Notice phrasal verbs in real English
Set yourself a daily challenge: spot at least three phrasal verbs in whatever you read, watch, or listen to in English. Podcasts for learners, English-language news articles, and subtitled films are rich sources. When you spot one, check whether you understand it in context, then look up any you do not recognise and add them to your learning set.
Tip 6: Practise with game-based exercises
Passive exposure builds recognition. Active retrieval — being forced to produce or identify a phrasal verb under slight time pressure — builds the fluency you need for real conversation. The Matching Pairs game, the Quiz, and the Anagram exercise all create productive retrieval pressure that significantly strengthens memory compared to re-reading notes.
Tip 7: Practise writing and speaking with phrasal verbs
Recognition and production are different skills. You might recognise put up with easily when you read it, but pause when you try to use it in a sentence. Deliberately practise writing two or three sentences with each new phrasal verb you learn. Speak them aloud. The physical act of producing the sentence — rather than just reading it — creates a much stronger memory trace.
A suggested weekly plan: Monday — learn 5 new phrasal verbs with Flash Cards. Tuesday — review with Flip Tiles. Wednesday — test recall with Quiz. Thursday — practise production with Complete the Sentence. Friday — reward session with Matching Pairs on the full set. Saturday — review any weak items. Consistent small sessions outperform occasional long ones every time.
Build your English vocabulary further:
Explore All Vocabulary Topics →6. Frequently Asked Questions
How many English phrasal verbs are there?
Estimates vary between 5,000 and 10,000 phrasal verb forms in English, depending on how multi-meaning verbs are counted. However, the most frequent 200–300 cover the vast majority of usage in spoken and written English. At B1–B2 level, focusing on the core 100 most frequent phrasal verbs is a practical and achievable goal. The 60+ in this guide represent the highest-priority subset for intermediate learners.
What is the difference between a phrasal verb and a prepositional verb?
A true phrasal verb uses an adverb particle (such as up, off, away, out, back) and the object can sometimes be separated from the verb. A prepositional verb uses a preposition and the object always follows immediately — it cannot be separated. In practice, the terms overlap and both are often called "phrasal verbs" in learner materials. The key distinction for learners is the separability rule explained in Section 1.
Can I use phrasal verbs in formal writing?
Some phrasal verbs are perfectly natural in formal writing: carry out, put forward, draw up, set out, follow up. Others are more informal and should be replaced in academic or professional contexts: instead of find out write discover; instead of go on write continue. At B2 level, knowing which phrasal verbs have formal single-word equivalents is an important skill, especially for IELTS Academic and Cambridge FCE writing tasks.
Why do native speakers use so many phrasal verbs?
Phrasal verbs are deeply embedded in Germanic English — they feel natural, informal, and conversational. Native speakers use them constantly in speech precisely because they are short and familiar. Academic writing and formal speeches use more Latinate single-word verbs (ascend for go up, depart for set off), but in everyday conversation phrasal verbs dominate. Understanding this register difference helps you choose the right form for the right context.
What is the best way to practise phrasal verbs online for free?
The most effective approach combines recognition practice (identifying the correct meaning) with production practice (using the verb correctly in a sentence). On LexFizz, start with Flash Cards to learn meanings, use Matching Pairs for retrieval practice, test yourself with the Quiz, and challenge yourself with Complete the Sentence for production. All exercises are completely free and require no account.
Conclusion
English phrasal verbs are not something to fear — they are something to collect. Once you start organising them by theme and by base verb, patterns emerge, and new phrasal verbs become easier to learn and remember because they slot into networks you have already built. The 60+ phrasal verbs in this guide, practised systematically over several weeks, will make a measurable difference to your fluency, your exam scores, and your confidence in real English conversation.
The most important step is to start immediately: pick one semantic group from this page — movement, emotions, or work — and load those phrasal verbs into a Flash Cards set today. Tomorrow, test yourself with Matching Pairs. By the end of the week, check whether the meanings have stuck with a Quiz. Small, consistent sessions are the foundation of real vocabulary growth.
Return to this page whenever you need a reference. And whenever you want to reinforce what you have read with genuinely interactive practice, every exercise on LexFizz is waiting for you — free, no sign-up, starting right now.
What are the most common English phrasal verbs for everyday use?
The 20 most common everyday phrasal verbs include: get up, find out, turn on/off, look up, give up, carry on, come back, go on, pick up, put on, take off, look after, show up, end up, set up, go out, bring up, come up with, deal with, and run out of. These cover the majority of phrasal verb use in daily spoken English.
How do I know if a phrasal verb is separable or inseparable?
Separable phrasal verbs allow the object to come between the verb and particle: Turn off the light or Turn the light off. When the object is a pronoun, it must separate: Turn it off (not Turn off it). Inseparable phrasal verbs keep verb and particle together: I'm looking after my neighbour (not I'm looking my neighbour after). Dictionaries mark this with [T sep] or [T insep].
What is the most efficient way to remember phrasal verb meanings?
Group phrasal verbs by base verb (all 'get' phrasal verbs together) or by theme (phrasal verbs about beginning: start off, set off, kick off, launch into). Visualise the literal meaning of the particle first — 'up' often implies completion or increase — then connect the idiomatic meaning to that image. Use Flash Cards and Matching Pairs on LexFizz for systematic practice.
Are there phrasal verbs suitable for academic and formal writing?
Yes. Some phrasal verbs are fully acceptable in formal writing: carry out (research), draw up (a plan), point out (a problem), account for (a difference), build on (previous work), lead to (a result), result in (an outcome). These are standard academic vocabulary. Avoid colloquial phrasal verbs in formal writing: use 'investigate' not 'look into', 'explain' not 'go over'.
How can I practise using phrasal verbs in real communication?
Active production is essential. Write a journal entry daily using 2–3 new phrasal verbs in sentences about real events. Practice with Complete the Sentence and Cloze Dropdown on LexFizz. In conversation, deliberately substitute a known single verb with its phrasal verb equivalent (say 'carry out' instead of 'do', 'find out' instead of 'discover'). The physical act of using a phrasal verb in context is the strongest memory encoding.