Most Common phrasel verbs
eat out (no object): have a meal in a restaurant.
"I'm too tired to cook tonight. Why don't we eat out?"
egg on (separable): urge / encourage greatly toward doing something (usually something negative).
"At first Bob and Chuck were just having a mild argument, but Bob's friends egged them on until they started fighting."
"We got lost last night and ended up in the next town."
end up (2. no object): arrive somewhere as a result or consequence.
"You're working too hard. If you don't take it easy, you'll end up in the hospital!"
face up to (inseparable): admit to; take responsibility for.
"You can't pretend that you're doing OK in this course, Joe. Sooner or later, you'll have to face up to the fact that you're failing it."
"We had originally intended to go to Mexico for our vacation, but our trip fell through when I got sick."
"I know the accident was a terrible shock. Do you feel up to talking about it?"
"I can't figure Margie out. Sometimes she's very warm and friendly and sometimes she acts as if she doesn't know me."
"The office needs to know your home address and phone number. Could you fill them in on this form?"
fill in (on) (2. separable): supply information that someone doesn't know.
"I wasn't able to attend the meeting yesterday, but I understand that it was important. Could you fill me in? / Could you fill me in on what was discussed?"
fill in for (inseparable): temporarily do someone else's work; temporarily substitute for another person.
"Professor Newton is in the hospital and won't be able to teach for the rest of the term. Do you know who's going to fill in for her?"
fill out (1. separable): complete a form by adding required information.
"Of course I completed my application! I filled it out and mailed it over three weeks ago!"
"Jerry used to be really skinny, but in the last year he's begun to fill out."
"I'm sorry that you didn't know the meeting had been canceled. I didn't find out (find out about it) myself until just a few minutes ago."
"Alan is really intelligent but sometimes he has problems getting his ideas across."
"Why can't you and your sister get along? Everyone else gets along with her just fine!"
"Teresa got around the required math classes by doing well on a math proficiency test."
"She doesn't have a car. She gets around by bicycle, bus, or taxi."
"I really should wash the dishes, but I don't feel like it. Maybe I'll get around to them tomorrow morning."
"It's going to be hard to pay the rent now that you've lost your job, but somehow we'll get by."
get in (1. inseparable): enter a small, closed vehicle.
"I don't know where Carole was going. She just got in her car and drove away."
"Do you know what time Fred's plane gets in?"
"When you get off the bus, cross the street, turn right on Oak Street, and keep going until you're at the corner of Oak and Lincoln Boulevard."
get off (2. separable): be excused (for a period of time) from work, class, or other regularly scheduled activities.
"Some schools got President's Day off but ours didn't. We had classes as usual."
"Everyone knew he was guilty, but his lawyer was clever and got him off."
"There's something wrong with the garage door opener. You'll have to get out of the car and open it by hand."
"Lisa said she had a terrible headache and got out of giving her speech today."
"What time do your classes get over?"
"Katy was really upset when she failed the test. She thought she would never get over feeling so stupid."
"That shirt is really ugly. Why don't you get rid of it?"
"The treasurer of the XYZ company was spending too much money so the company president got rid of him."
"You'll have to get up much earlier than usual tomorrow. We have to leave by no later than 6:00 AM."
"I know I won't hear the alarm tomorrow morning. Can you get me up at 6:00 AM?"
"He knows smoking isn't good for his health, but he can't give it up."
A: "What's black and white and red all over?"B: "I give up. What?"A: "An embarrassed zebra!"
"You went out with Sharon last night, didn't you?"
"You should buy that shirt. It will go well with your dark brown suit."
"Is Gina going with Jim? I see them together all the time."
A: "Do you have any special plans for your vacation?"B: "No. I'm just going to stay home and goof off."
"Did you know that Frank grew up in Malaysia?"
A: "Lee really irritates me sometimes. He's really silly and childish."
"You'd better get started on your report. You know that you have to hand it in at 8:30 tomorrow morning!"
"Why don't you have a course description and list of assignments? The teacher handed them out on the first day of class."
"I'd like to talk longer, but I'd better hang up. My sister needs to make a call."
"This class has to do with the behavior of people in groups."
"The winner of the race proudly held his trophy up for all to see."
"I'm sorry I'm late. There was an accident on the freeway and traffic held me up."
"Sarah is very upset. When she was walking home last night, two men held her up and took her purse and jewelry."
"Yes, I know we disagree on lots of things, Susan, but we can iron them out."
"We'll have to jack the back of the car up before we can change the tire."
"The car dealer bought my old Ford for $750 and jacked the price up to $1,500 when they sold it."
"Arthur is really upset. His boss jumped all over him because he's been late for work three times this week."
"I'm not ready to stop yet. I think I'll keep on working for a while."
"Bill's very forgetful. You'll have to keep on him or he'll never do all the things you want him to do."
"Jim's club kicked him out because he didn't pay his dues or come to meetings."
"The boxing match ended when one boxer knocked the other one out."
"That medicine really knocked me out. I slept for 14 hours straight!"
"We completed the project on timebecause of Chuck. He knocked himself out to be sure we didn't miss the deadline."
"I feel really sorry Sally's family. Her father was laid off yesterday."
"Oh, no! When I made the list of those who attended the meeting, I left your name out!"
"I know I let you down when I didn't do what I promised. I'm really sorry."
"It's been raining hard for a long time. Will it ever let up?"
"When they looked back on their many years together, they realized that their marriage had been a very happy one."
"It's not surprising that Fred has few friends. He seems to look down on anyone who doesn't like the same things that he does."
"I'm really looking forward to vacation. I can't wait for it to begin!"
"My father just came home from the hospital. I plan to look in on him today after I finish work."
"Someone said there was a meeting at 9:30 but I haven't heard anything about it. Shall I look into it?"
"Does he look like his father or his mother?"
"I think I may have some typos in this report. Could you look it over?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't know what that word means. I'll have to look it up."
"Thanks for giving me your brother's address. When I'm in Chicago next month, I'll be sure to look him up."
"Everyone looks up to Joyce because she always makes time to help others."
"Gloria was worried because she wasn't prepared to give a report at the meeting, but she lucked out because the meeting was postponed."
"I agree that Bob looks ridiculous since he shaved his head, but don't make fun of him. You'll hurt his feelings."
"Judy's story is hard to believe. I'm sure she made it up."
"I'm sorry I missed the test. May I make it up?"
"Jack and his girlfriend were very angry with each other, but last night they finally made up."
"Jack and his girlfriend were very angry with each other, but last night they finally made up with each other."
"What were the last two examples that he gave? I couldn't make them out."
"Her teen-aged children are always hungry. As soon as they arrive home from school, they make for the refrigerator."
"Many hands make for light work. (If many people work together, there's less work for everyone.)"
"Mrs. White's import shop is profitable because she buys things inexpensively and then marks them up."
"These shoes were really a bargain! The store marked them down by 40%!"
"I didn't complete the assignment because I didn't know how. The directions mixed me up."
"The speech was so boring that several people in the audience nodded off before it was finished."
"I'll be here next week after all. My trip to Chicago didn't pan out."
"I was very sorry to hear that your grandfather passed away."
"When Ella heard that she'd won a million dollars, she was so shocked that she passed out."
"Everyone in the room needs one of these information sheets. Who will help me pass them out?"
"Billy's grandmother especially liked her birthday card because Billy had picked it out himself."
"Those books don't belong on the floor. Will you help me pick them up?"
"Of course we can go there together. What time should I pick you up?"
"The children just drank the last of the milk. Could you pick some more up on your way home this evening?"
"He was feeling a little tired, so he drank a glass of orange juice. It picked him up enough to finish his work."
"You should be ashamed of teasing your little brother, Bob! Pick on someone your own size!"
"We'll be finished soon if everyone pitches in."
"When the policeman indicated that I should pull over, I knew he was going to give me a ticket."
"I just took these clothes out of the dryer. Will you help me put them away?"
"I can't put this work off any longer. If I don't do it soon, it'll be impossible to finish it in time."
"When will Mr. Smith agree to a meeting? I keep asking for an appointment, but he keeps putting me off."
"It's a little bit chilly outside. You'd better put a sweater on."
"Don't believe a word of what Jim was saying. He was just putting us on."
"I hate to put you out, but I need a ride to the train station and hope you can take me."
"Your toys are all over the floor, Timmy. Please put them up."
"There's no need for you to check into a hotel. I'll be happy to put you up."
"It's really important to come to work on time. The boss won't put up with tardiness."
"I've finished with these books. Do you want me to put them back on the shelves?"
"Don't even think about buying a car there. They'll rip you off."
"Round all prices off to the closest whole-dollar amounts. For example, round $33.73 off to $34.00."
"Yesterday at the supermarket, Jan ran into her former roommate. Before yesterday, they hadn't seen each other for nearly five years."
"On the way home from work, Art ran out of gas."
"You'll see Mr. Thomas tomorrow. I've set a meeting up for 9:30 AM."
"We've had some problems with the project that have set us back at least two days . We'll give you a progress report tomorrow."
"I wonder how much Bill's new car set him back?"
"You slipped up here. The amount should be $135.28, not $132.58."
"Good job, Ann! Your work really stands out!"
"When the Chairperson entered the room, everyone stood up."
"Angela was supposed to go to the dance with Fred, but she stood him up and went with Chuck instead."
"The boss was very upset when you didn't show up for the meeting. What happened?"
"Everyone thought Marsha would win, but Jean did. Actually, Jean really showed Marsha up."
"These letters seem to be an abbreviation. Do you know what they stand for?"
"I'm not surprised that Mrs. Johnson rejected your report. She won't stand for shoddy work."
Note: used for people.
"Both my sister and I take after our father."
"This book is due tomorrow. I guess I should take it back to the library."
"Yes, you can borrow my pen, but don't forget to bring it back to me when you're finished."
"Lois has been taking care of her father since he returned home from the hospital."
"You've been working too hard lately. You'd better take care of yourself!"
"Will you take care of making reservations for our flight to Boston?"
"Please take your hat off when you go inside a building."
"Was something wrong with Jill? She took off without saying goodbye."
"When does your plane take off?"
"Susan isn't here today. She's taking today and tomorrow off."
A: "Do you like to ski?"B: "I've never been skiing, but I think I'd like to take it up."
"Julie was really angry at Bob; she told him off in front of all of us."
"It really ticks her off when someone is late for an appointment."
"Here are the things you need to do. Tick each one off when you finish it."
"You shouldn't throw those newspapers away; they're recyclable."
"This food smells bad. You'd better throw it out."
"Those people are drunk and making everyone uncomfortable. The manager should throw them out."
"Paul was so nervous about his job interview that he threw up just before he left for it."
"I'm not sure that jacket is large enough. May I try it on?"
"I really like the way this car looks. May I try it out?"
"I know you want to be on the football team. Are you going to try out?"
"If you like to sing, you should try out for the choir.
"Everyone turned around and stared when I entered the meeting late."
"I don't want this chair facing the window. Will you help me turn it around?"
"The company was doing poorly until it hired a new president. He turned it around in about six months and now it's doing quite well."
"Your music is giving me a headache! Please turn it down or use your headphones!"
"I thought I could borrow some money from Joe, but when I asked, he turned me down."
"I've written my report, but I haven't turned it in."
"I'm pretty tired. I guess I'll turn in."
"Two days after the robbery, the thieves turned themselves in."
"I'm cold. Do you mind if I turn the air conditioner off?"
"That music turns me off. Please play something else!"
"It's cold in here. I'm going to turn the heater on"
"What kind of music turns you on?"
"I can barely hear the TV. Can you turn it up a little?"
"We were all surprised when Pam turned up at the party. We didn't even know she was in town."
"I want to make a complaint. The person who just waited on me was very impolite."
"When will Kenny be finished with work? I've been waiting for him for almost an hour!"
"I'm tired of waiting for the bus. I guess I'll take a taxi instead."
"I usually wake up around 5:00 AM each day."
"I have an important meeting tomorrow and I'm afraid I won't hear my alarm. Will you wake me up at 6:00 AM?"
"There's a school at the end of this block. Watch out for children crossing the street."
"If you take that road, watch out for ice during the winter."
"I need a new pencil sharpener. I wore this one out."
"I suppose I should get some new shoes. I've almost worn this pair out."
"I had four different meetings today. They wore me out."
"I suppose I should get some new shoes. I've almost worn this pair out."
"Instead of eating lunch on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Sheila goes to the recreation center to work out."
"I know we disagree on many points, but I believe we can work things out."
"It's really cold today. Be sure you wrap up when you leave the house."
"We've been talking about the problem for nearly three hours. I hope we'll be able to wrap the discussion up soon."
"Could you tell me your e-mail address again? I want to write it down."
"You'll need to make a report on your business meetings. Be sure you write them up as soon as possible after you return from your trip."
"I intended to go shopping after work, but I was so tired that I zonked out as soon as I g ot home."