Unit 137: Phrasal verbs 1 (General points)

English Grammar in Use With Answers » Unit 137: Phrasal verbs 1 (General points)

We often use verbs with the following words:

in
on
up
away
by
about
over
round or around
out
off
down
back
through
along
forward

So you can say look out / get on / take off / run away etc. These are phrasal verbs.

We often use on/off/out etc. with verbs of movement. For example:

get on	The bus was full. We couldn't get on.
drive off	A woman got into the car and drove off.
come back	Sarah is leaving tomorrow and coming back on Saturday.
turn round	When I touched him on the shoulder, he turned round.

But often the second word (on/off/out etc.) gives a special meaning to the verb. For example:

break down	Sorry I'm late. The car broke down. (= the engine stopped working)
look out	Look out! There's a car coming. (= be careful)
take of	It was my first flight. I was nervous as the plane took off. (= went into the air)
get on	How was the exam? How did you get on? (= How did you do?)
get by	My French isn't very good, but it's enough to get by. (= manage)

For more phrasal verbs, see Units 138-145.

Sometimes a phrasal verb is followed by a preposition. For example:

phrasal verb	preposition
run away	from	Why did you run away from me?
keep up	with	You're walking too fast. I can't keep up with you.
look up	at	We looked up at the plane as it flew above us.
look forward	to	Are you looking forward to your trip?

Sometimes a phrasal verb has an object. Usually there are two possible positions for the object.

So you can say:
I turned on the light. or I turned the light on. (the light:object)

If the object is a pronoun (it/them/me/him etc.), only one position is possible:
I turned it on. (not I turned on it)

Some more examples:

Can you fill in this form? or Can you fill this form in?
but They gave me a form and told me to fill it in. (not fill in it)
Don't throw away this box. or Don't throw this box away.
but I want to keep this box, so don't throw it away. (not throw away it)
I'm going to take off my shoes. or I'm going to take my shoes off.
but These shoes are uncomfortable. I'm going to take them off. (not take off them)
Don't wake up the baby. or Don't wake the baby up.
but The baby is asleep. Don't wake her up. (not wake up her)

137.1 Complete each sentence using a verb from A (in the correct form) + a word from B. You can use a word more than once.

A
fly
look
get
sit
go
speak

B
away
by
down
on
out
round
up

The bus was full. We couldn't .
I've been standing for the last two hours. I'm going to __________ for a bit.
A cat tried to catch the bird, but it __________ just in time.
We were trapped in the building. We couldn't __________ .
I can't hear you very well Can you __________ a little?
'Do you speak German?' 'Not very well, but I can __________ .'
Everything has got so expensive. Prices have __________ a lot.
I thought there was somebody behind me, but when I __________ , there was nobody there.

137.2 Complete each sentence using a verb from A (in the correct form) + a word from B. You can use a word more than once.

A
away
back
in
up
forward

B
at
through
to
with

You're walking too fast. I can't keep you.
My holidays are nearly over. Next week I'll be __________ work.
We went __________ the top floor of the building to admire the view.
The meeting tomorrow is going to be difficult. I'm not looking __________ it.
There was a bank robbery last week. The robbers got __________ £50,000.
I love to look. __________ the stars in the sky at night.
I was sitting in the kitchen when a bird flew __________ the open window.

137.3 Complete the sentences using these phrasal verbs + it/them/me:

~~fill in~~
get out
give back
switch on
take off
wake up

They gave me a form and told me to .
I'm going to bed now. Can you __________ at 6.30?
I've got something in my eye and I can't __________ .
I don't like it when people borrow things and don't __________ .
I want to use the hair dryer. How do I __________ ?
My shoes are dirty. I'd better __________ before going into the house.

137.4 Use your own ideas to complete the sentences. Use a noun (this box etc.) or a pronoun (it/them etc.) + the word in brackets (away/up etc.).

Don't throw . I want to keep it. (away)
I don't want this newspaper. You can throw . (away)
I borrowed these books from the library. I have to take __________ tomorrow. (back)
We can turn __________ . Nobody is watching it. (off)
A: How did the vase get broken?
B: I'm afraid I knocked __________ while I was cleaning. (over)
Shh! My mother is asleep. I don't want to wake __________ . (up)
It's cold today. You should put __________ if you're going out. (on)
It was only a small fire. I was able to put __________ easily. (out)
A: Is this hotel more expensive than when we stayed here last year?
B: Yes, they've put __________ . (up)
It's a bit dark in this room. Shall I turn __________ ? (on)

Answer Key

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PART A: 14 Elementary tests, 14 Pre-Intermediate tests, 8 Intermediate tests. Each test is specified on different grammar topics. PART B: 14 tests including Elementary, Pre-intermediate, Intermediate and Upper intermediate level grammar tests. Every test is focused on a different grammar topic. (2452 questions) PART C: 16 Multi-level grammar tests. Each test is specified on a different grammar topic. (1418 questions) PART D: 20 perfect multi-level grammar tests for assessment. (2000 questions) PART E: 6 Elementary, 5 Intermediate, 3 Advanced grammar tests. The formats of the tests are similar and the level gradually increases. (1400 questions)

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