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Common Phrasal Verbs meanings with examples : English Language

Common Phrasal Verbs meanings with examples : English Language 

PHRASAL VERBS AND VERB COMBINATIONS

Some Verbs, followed by Prepositions or Adverbs acquire a new meaning as:

They could not bear up (tolerate) with her temper. 
We set off (started) for Calcutta early morning.

Such verbs are called Phrasal Verbs. Some important phrasal verbs are given below:

ACT

1. Act against (act contrary to): Some men act against their own interest.

2. Act for (act in place of): She acted for the Principal for a fortnight. 

3. Act upon (obey): I shall act upon your advice.

4. Act up to (act according to): He acted up to his promise.

BEAR

1. Bear down (overthrow or crush by force): They were able to bear down all opposition. 

2. Bear away (win): She bore away the first prize.

3. Bear up (not to despair): It is not easy to bear up when one is beset with difficulties on all sides. 

4. Bear out (support or confirm): If the evidence bears out the charge, he will be sent to prison. 

5. Bear with (tolerate): They could not bear with her violent temper.

BREAK

1. Break down (fail, collapse): She broke down in the middle of her speech.

2. Break into (enter by force): The thieves broke into the house.

3. Break off (stop suddenly): He broke off in the middle of his speech. 

4. Break out (appear suddenly): An epidemic has broken out in the area. 

5. Break with (quarrel with): She gave him no cause to break with her.

BRING

1. Bring about (cause): Their folly must bring about their ruin.

2. Bring down (lower): Small income brings down the standard of living. 

3. Bring forth (produce): A good tree brings forth good fruit.

4. Bring in (earn, yield as the result of sale): Her writings bring in but a small income. 

5. Bring on (cause): Dirt often brings on disease.

6. Bring out (publish): The publishers will soon bring out a new edition of this book. 

7. Bring one round (persuade): It will be difficult for me to bring my husband round to my way of thinking. 

8. Bring up (rear and train): He was brought up by his aunt.

CALL

1. Call for (demand): His teacher called for an explanation for his conduct.

2. Call in (summon, send for): Call in an ambulance immediately. 3. Call on (pay a brief visit): She called on me yesterday.

4. Call off (cancel): The strike was called off. 

5. Call up (recollect): The old woman could not call up past events.

CARRY

1. Carry away (bear off): The bird carried away a gold ring.

2. Carry off (kill): Malaria carried off half the population of this town. 

3. Carry on (continue, manage): She carried on her father's business.

4. Carry out (execute): They carried out the General's orders.

5. Carry through (sustain): Courage will carry a man through many difficulties.


COME

1. Come about (happen): How did these things come about? 

2. Come by (get): How did they come by this book?

3. Come off (take place): There was a talk about a takeover, but it never came off. 

4. Come out (transpired): At last the truth has come out.

5. Come to (amount to): Our total expenses come to a large sum.

6. Come up (mooted or raised for discussion): The question came up before the commission last week.

7. Come round (be persuaded): Amit refused the job at first, but he soon came round when he heard how much money we were offering him.

DO

1. Do away with (abolish): We cannot easily do away with our customs.

2. Done for (ruined): He is done for.

3. Do one out (cheat): I think, it was Bunty who did me out of the promotion.

4. Do something up (renovate something): Mrs. John is having the old house done up.

FALL

1. Fall back upon (have recourse to): She has nothing to fall back upon in her old age. 

2. Fall flat (fail to produce any effect): My advice fell flat on her.

3. Fall in (stand in a line): The cadets were ordered to fall in.

4. Fall off (desert): Sales tend to fall off after Christmas.

5. Fall out (quarrel): Do not fall out with your friends.

6. Fall through (fail): The scheme fell through for want of funds.

GO

1. Go after (pursue): The tiger went after the wounded deer.

2. Go beyond (exceed): Do not go beyond the limits prescribed by the firm.

3. Go by (judge from): You should not go by external appearances. 

4. Go on (continue): I went on working till late at night.

5. Go through (suffer): We have gone through many hardships in life. 6. Go up (ascend): Two children went up in a balloon.

GET

1. Get at (obtain): Their object in this inquiry is to get at the facts.

2. Get back (recover): They were able to get back all their money with a fine. 

3. Get down (descend): He has climbed up the top of the mountain, but how will he get down?



5. Get on (advance, make progress): How is your son getting on at school?

6. Get on with (live agreeably with): It is hard to get on with a miser.

7. Get over (overcome): I have now got over all my difficulties.

8. Get through (pass): He will get through the examination.

KEEP

1. Keep back (conceal): He kept back nothing from me.

2. Keep up (maintain): They must keep up their self-respect.

3. Keep to (being true to one's words): She seldom keeps to her promise.

4. Keep on (continue): Keep on until you reach the traffic lights and then turn left.

5. Keep away (remain absent): He kept away from school for a week.

LOOK

1. Look after (take care of): His aunt looks after him. 

2. Look forward to (expect with pleasure): The old woman is looking forward to the visit of her children.

3. Look down upon (despise): He looks down upon his poor relatives.

4. Look to (rely on): Some people look to legislation to hasten the progress of reforms.

5. Look into (investigate): We will look into the matter.

6. Look on (regard): I look on them as my superiors. 

7. Look up (search for): Look up the word in the dictionary.

8. Looking up (improving): Things are looking up.

9. Look up to (admire): They look up to their teacher for his wisdom.

Make

1. Make away with (steal): The servant made away with ten thousand rupees. 

2. Make for (help to promote): A little more care would certainly make for a better working climate.

3. Make out (discern, understsand): Can you make out the meaning of the passage?

4. Make over (transfer): He has made over all his property to his nephew. 

5. Make something up (invent something): Don't believe him. He made that story up.

7. Make up for something (compensate or make good): We expect the government to make up for our losses.

8. Make up one's mind (determine): He made up his mind to study hard.

PUT

1. Put by (save): Put by something for your children's future.

2. Put forth (exert): Put forth all your strength. 

3. Put off (postpone): Do not put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

4. Put someone off (evade): They tried to put me off with false promises.

5. Put on (wear): Put on your sweater, please.

6. Put out (extinguish): Pust out the fire.

7. -Put up (show): The winner put up a good fight in the boxing ring. 
    -Put up (lodge): Where did they put you up for the night? 

8. Put up with (tolerate): We can no longer put up with his insolence.

RUN


1. Run down (become weak): The battery has run down; it needs recharging. 

2. Run into (collide with): My car ran into a truck..

3. Run over (to be crushed beneath): The old man was run over by a bus.

4. Run off with (make off with): My servant ran off with a gold necklace.

5. Run out (expire): The agreement has already run out. 6. Run short of (exhaust): They ran short of money this month.

7. Run through (glance over): I shall have to run through the text before the examination.

SET

1. Set aside (reject): The Supreme Court set aside the decree of the lower court.

2. Set about (begin): She immediately set about organizing the department.

3. Set apart (reserve): This seat is set apart for the handicapped.

4. Set someone down (snub someone): I was obliged to set her down. 

5. Set forth (explain, make known): In his speech on economic reforms, he set forth his views at length.

6. Set in (begin): Winter, in Delhi, sets in about December. 

7. Set off (start): He set off for Delhi early this morning.

8. Set up (start a business): He has set up as a contractor.

9. Set oneself up (establish oneself): We have enough capital to set us up in trade.

 TAKE

1. Taken aback (surprised): I was taken aback when I heard of his failure.

2. Take after (resemble): He takes after his father in many ways. 

3. Take down (write down): Take down these notes. 

4. Take someone for (think one to be): I took her for a nurse.

5. Take in (deceive): They are too clever to be taken in by you. 

6. Take off (remove): Kindly take off your shoes when you reach the gate.

7. Take to (become addicted): She has taken to drugs.

8. Take up (occupy): It would take up too much time to tell them the whole story.

9. Take up (begin to pursue): He has taken up journalism as a hobby.

TURN

1. Turn against (become hostile to): His family has turned against

him. 
2. Turn someone off (dismiss someone): If he is lazy, why don't they turn him off?

3. Turn out (produce, manufacture): The factory turns out 40,000 metres of cloth a day.

4. Turn out (prove): She turned out to be more intelligent than her brother. 

5. Turn up (happen): Who can say what will turn up next in this experiment? 

6. Turn up (arrive): They had promised to come but they never turned up.

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