Idioms & Phrases
🔒 Log in to trackPhrasal verbs (verb + particle phrases)
🔒 Log in to trackA phrasal verb is a verb joined with a small word (a particle) such as up, off, out, in, after, down. Together they make a new meaning: give + up = stop doing something. Idiom sections and fill-in-the-blank questions often test these phrases.
What is a phrasal verb?
A phrasal verb is a verb + a small word called a particle (up, off, out, in, on, down, after, into, over). Together they give a new meaning that you often cannot guess from the verb alone.
- give = hand over, but give up = stop doing something.
- call = phone or shout, but call off = cancel.
In competitive exams they appear in three places: the idioms-and-phrases question ('meaning of the phrase put up with'), fill-in-the-blank ('The meeting was put ___'), and error spotting or sentence improvement.
What the particles usually mean
The particle is the key. These are tendencies, not strict rules, but they help a lot.
| Particle | Usual idea | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| off | stop, cancel, leave | call off (cancel), put off (postpone), take off (plane leaves the ground) |
| out | finish, remove, appear | run out of (finish), put out (extinguish), break out (start suddenly) |
| up | complete, stop, arrive | give up (stop a habit), turn up (arrive), bring up (raise a child) |
| down | reduce, fail, refuse | break down (stop working), turn down (refuse), look down upon (despise) |
| in | enter, yield | give in (surrender), hand in (submit), break in (enter by force) |
| after | follow, care | look after (take care of), take after (resemble an elder) |
| into | examine, meet | look into (investigate), run into (meet by chance) |
| over | recover, examine | get over (recover from), look over (check quickly) |
One verb, many meanings
Examiners like to fix one verb and change the particle.
| Verb | + particle | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| give | up / in / away / out | stop a habit / surrender / donate or reveal / distribute or run short |
| turn | down / up / out | refuse / arrive / prove to be |
| take | after / off / up | resemble / remove or leave the ground / start a hobby |
| break | down / out / in / up | stop working / start suddenly / enter by force / end a relationship |
| come | across / about | meet by chance / happen |
| put | off / out / up with | postpone / extinguish / tolerate |
Worked use: The car broke ___ on the highway. Cars stop working → broke down. Broke out is for war, fire or disease. Broke in is for thieves.
Three-word phrasal verbs
Some phrasal verbs have two particles and must stay together: put up with (tolerate), run out of (have none left), look down upon (despise), look forward to (wait eagerly). Do not drop the second particle: 'We have run out sugar' is wrong; say 'run out of sugar'.
How to answer
- Meaning questions: replace the phrasal verb with a one-word meaning (cancel, tolerate, extinguish) and test it in a sentence.
- Particle blanks: read the whole sentence. The subject (a car, a fire, a meeting) tells you which particle makes sense.
- Replace-the-word questions: the bold word is formal (extinguish, postpone, recover); find the phrasal verb that equals it.
Question types you will see
Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.
Meaning of a phrasal verb
A phrase like 'to call off' or 'to put up with' is given as the idiom/phrase; options are one-word or short meanings.
Recall the particle's idea (off = stop/cancel).
Replace the phrase with each option in a small sentence.
Reject options that use the verb's plain meaning (call = phone).
Why it works: the particle changes the verb's meaning, and the plain-verb option is the planted trap.
Meaning of To bring up: (a) to lift something (b) to raise and educate a child (c) to carry upstairs (d) to arrive early
Show solutionHide solution
Bring up a child = raise the child. Answer: (b).
Fill in the particle
A sentence with a blank right after a verb; options are particles (off, on, up, out, down, in).
Find the subject and object (a car, a fire, sugar).
Say the sentence with each particle.
Keep the only one that makes sense for that subject.
Why it works: each verb + particle pair has a fixed meaning; the subject allows only one.
The students were asked to hand ___ their answer sheets. (a) in (b) on (c) off (d) up
Show solutionHide solution
Hand in = submit. Answer: (a) in.
Same verb, different particles
All four options share one verb (give up / give in / give away / give out) and a meaning is asked for.
Recall what each particle adds to the verb.
Match the given meaning exactly.
Beware of a close pair (give up vs give in).
Why it works: only the particle changes, so knowing particle ideas separates the options.
Select the phrasal verb that means to meet by chance: (a) run into (b) run out (c) run over (d) run away
Show solutionHide solution
Run into someone = meet by chance. Answer: (a).
Replace a word with a phrasal verb
A sentence has a formal verb in bold (extinguish, recover, postpone); options are phrasal verbs.
Keep the bold word's meaning in mind.
Test each phrasal verb in its place.
Watch the tense: the option must match (got over, not get over, in a past sentence).
Why it works: each formal word has one common phrasal-verb equal.
Replace the bold word: The plane departed at 6 a.m. (a) took off (b) took up (c) took after (d) took in
Show solutionHide solution
Planes take off = leave the ground. Answer: (a) took off.
Shortcuts that save time
off often means stop or cancel (call off, put off); out means finish or remove (run out, put out); up means complete or give up; after means follow or care for (look after, take after).
When all four options share one verb (break down / out / up / in), say the sentence with each and keep the one whose meaning fits the whole sentence.
Replace the phrasal verb with a single formal word to check it: put out = extinguish, call off = cancel, put up with = tolerate, come across = meet by chance.
Mistakes to avoid
Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.
Guessing from the verb alone: give in (surrender) and give up (stop a habit) differ only in the particle.
Mixing put off (postpone) with put out (extinguish).
Reading look down upon literally as looking from a height; it means to think someone is inferior.
Using look after (take care of) where look into (investigate) is needed.
Quick revision
Read this the night before the exam.
off = cancel/stop; out = finish/remove; up = stop/arrive; down = refuse/fail; after = care/resemble; into = investigate.
call off = cancel; put off = postpone; put out = extinguish; put up with = tolerate.
give up = stop a habit; give in = surrender; turn down = refuse; take after = resemble.
break down = stop working; break out = start suddenly; come across = meet by chance; get over = recover.
Practice: 12 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 12 questions
Suggested time 5 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.