If you have been studying English for some time, you have probably already noticed how important phrasal verbs are. They are part of everyday conversations and people use them all the time. They are mostly informal, so in the written language they are less common than in the spoken interactions. If you want to know the most common phrasal verbs in English, this article is a must.
WHAT IS A PHRASAL VERB?
A phrasal verb is a verb composed of a base verb and a particle (usually a preposition or an adverb). Together, the verb and the particle have a different meaning if compared with its parts alone. For example, one of the most common phrasal verbs is put on, which means wear. On the other hand, if you consider its parts separately, the meaning would be rather different (put: move something to a particular position; on: supported by the top surface of something).
MOST COMMON PHRASAL VERBS IN ENGLISH
| Phrasal verb and its meaning | Example |
| ask (somebody) out: invite someone on a date | How To Ask Someone Out: 8 Tips From Dating Experts (mindbodygreen) |
| break up: end a relationship | WHY DID NELLY AND ASHANTI BREAK UP? A LOOK INTO THEIR RELATIONSHIP (HITC) |
| catch up: reach someone or something by moving faster | Be prepared for back to school – catch up on routine checkups and vaccinations (Marshall County Tribune) |
| check in: to report your arrival | 2015 Image of Security Check In Yemen Shared As Afghanistan Airport (Boom) |
| check out: to leave a hotel after paying for your services; establish the truth or inform oneself about someone or something | Do you really have to check out of a hotel? (The Points Guy) |
| cheer up: feel happier | West Kelowna, B.C. neighbourhood kids cheer up woman with chalk creations (Global News) |
| come in: be received; enter | ‘Hard to get a patient to come in’: Vital screening drops 30 per cent (Brisbane Times) |
| count on: rely on | Can young people still count on Social Security? (Fortune) |
| drop off (something/someone): take to a particular place | California Recall: Many Last-Minute Voters Prefer To Drop Off Ballots In San Jose (CBS) |
| fill in: complete something with information in the spaces provided | In Brazil, social movements fill in for absent state with healthy food initiatives (The Brazilian Report) |
| find out: discover | I don’t know his plans, but I’ll be sure to find out. |
| get along (with): be friendly | ‘Get along with your colleagues’ (Manila Standard) |
| get by: manage one’s existence when there is a lack of something | How much money a single person needs to earn to get by in every U.S. state (CNBC) |
| get rid of: remove someone/something that you do not want any longer | Why is it so hard to get rid of our books? (Financial Times) |
| get up: leave the bed | Dr Radha: Give yourself a good reason to get up in the morning (iNews) |
| give up: desist | Norway’s ‘Climate Election’ Showed Voters Want Change. But Are They Ready to Give Up Oil? (Time) |
| go on: continue | America’s Forever War Must Go On (The Atlantic) |
| grow up: get older | Where Did You Grow Up? (Kottke) |
| hold on: wait; keep or retain someone or something; endure or keep going in difficult circumstances | US stocks can’t hold on to an early gain and resume falling (Marshall Independent) |
| look after: take care of | Litter picking kits to help visitors to look after the Peak District National Park (InYourArea) |
| look up: find out information, investigate | How to Look Up Prices at Your Hospital, if They Exist (The New York Times) |
| put away: put something in the place it is usually kept | Put away that loaf of white bread: Checkout the top 5 healthiest varieties that you can enjoy (Times Now News) |
| put on: wear | Have you ever put on a piece of clothing and been told that it looks too feminine or masculine? (Northwest Missourian) |
| show up: arrive | Parents Show Up In Droves To Lewisville ISD School Board Meeting To Share Opinions On Masks (CBS) |
| take off: leave | Ocean City Airshow Ready to Take Off (OCNJ Daily) |
| throw away: get rid of something, treat it like garbage | Wait! Don’t Throw Away Pineapple Peels Yet, Make This Anti-inflammatory Tea Out Of It Instead (NDTV Food) |
| turn off: to stop a piece of equipment working | Turn off automatic updates on Windows: 7, 8, and 10 (CCM) |
| turn on: make something start working | How to turn on speed limited warning on Google maps (India Today) |
| wake up: stop sleeping | How Entrepreneurs Can Wake Up Early, According To 5AM Club Author Robin Sharma (Forbes) |
| watch out: be vigilant or alert, pay attention | Watch Out: With iPhone 13, There Are Now 5 Different iPhone Models by Country (pcmag) |
