Phrasal Verbs: Vocabulary

In this section, we are going to learn about phrasal verbs which are a very important part of English vocabulary. In Modern English, people use phrasal verbs that are used in place of prepositions or adverbs and have certain meanings, for example, give away which means give to someone, give up which means abandon or to stop doing something, look for which means the search for, etc. They are a combination of verbs and prepositions or adverbs.

It is a meaningful combination of words. We do not need to decide whether the combination is a  plus preposition or verb plus adverb; we have to consider the equation as a whole. Another important thing to keep in mind is that the combination is transitive or intransitive. Transitive means that the sentence of the phrasal verb has an object and intransitive means that it does not have an object.

Using phrasal verbs while speaking English has become common these days. With the development of English grammar, phrasal verbs occupy an important place in the world of informal languages. They are mostly used for informal communication or spoken English.

Phrasal Verbs: Meaning

The phrasal verb refers to an idiomatic expression that is a combination of a verb and an adverb or preposition. This combination creates a completely different implication from the initial verb. Phrasal verbs mean that the meaning of the two groups of words is completely different from their meaning.

They are part of a huge group of verbs called multi-part or multi-word verbs. These phrasal verbs are a vital part of the English language. Phrasal verbs are mostly used in informal text and spoken English. The use of phrasal verbs for formal communication is rare.

Transitive and Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs can be divided into two categories, transitive and intransitive.

Transitive verbs are the verbs containing an object. Some transitive phrasal verbs are separable; it implies that the object is between the verb and the preposition while others cannot be separated as the meaning will be changed completely.

For example, I am making up an excuse.

In the above sentence excuse is the object of the verb “is making up”. This means that the verb in the above sentence is transitive.

Intransitive verbs do not have an object. For example, my car broke down.

In the above sentence, there is no object. This implies that the verb “broke down” in the above sentence is intransitive.

Phrasal Verbs: Examples 

Using phrasal verbs can be a little tedious. if you do not use a collect phrasal verb then the meaning of the sentence will change completely. A few examples of phrasal verbs are mentioned below. 

• Account for: it means to explain or to give reasons

Example- An accountant must account for the money he spends.

• Act on: it means two to pursue or to take action because of information received

Example: The teacher acted on the orders given to her by the principal. 

• Add up: it means to make sense

 Example: There is something about Rashi that doesn’t add up. 

• Allow for: it means to include

Example-you have to allow for unexpected expenses in your budget.

• Backup: it means to move backwards or to move in reverse, it also means to make a copy for example for computer data, etc.,  or to confirm a story, fact, or information that is supported

Example- If you do not believe me, ask him, and he will back me up. 

• Bail on: it means to leave someone especially when he or she needs you

 Example- That man bailed on his family when they needed him the most.

• Bang-up means to damage or destroy something

For example,  he banged up his car pretty bad.

• Barge in: it means to enter or interrupt something

For Example. He barged in while we were having a meeting.

• Bawl out: it means to scold

For example, Her mother bawled her out for being stupid. 

• Be after: it means to look after

For example, Radha is after her parents’ property.

• Be down: it means to be depressed

 For example, I have been a little down lately.

• Being out of it means having none left

For example, we are out of sugar.

• Beat out: it means to finish ahead

 For example, Karan beat out Raghav in the race.

• Blow away: it means to impress someone greatly

 For example, we were blown away by the performance of BTS.

• The border on it means to be very close or similar to

For example Bhavna’s behaviour borders on psychotic.

• Break down: it means to stop working for functioning

For example, the machine broke down after being continuously used for years.

• Butt in: it means to impolitely interrupt a conversation or an action

 For example, please do not butt in, wait for your turn.

• Cave in: means to give in or to accept something after being pressured and finally convinced

For example, my brother finally caved in and bought the new t-shirt that everyone is wearing.

• Cheat on: it means to be unfaithful to somebody

For example, Riya cheated on Raghav.

• Cheer up: it means to become cheerful or to make someone cheerful which implies make someone feel better

For example, a good song will always cheer you up when you are feeling down.