abide by: adhere to Weabided bythe rules./We adhered to the rules.

account for: explain Heaccounted forthe discrepancy./He explained the discrepancy

ask for: request Theyasked foran extension./They requested an extension.

bank on: depend on/counting on We arebanking ongood weather tomorrow.We are depending on good weather/We are counting on good weather.

bear with: be patient with Pleasebear withthe delay./Please have patience with the delay.

border on: be near, be next to, on the line Their excitementbordered onhysteria.

break into: enter( by force) Thievesbroke intothe store./ She is trying to break into the real estate market.

build on: develop from We want tobuild onour success.

burst into: suddenly (enter) Heburst intothe room./She burst into tears.

call for: demand Thiscalls foran investigation.

call on: ask, order We willcall onyou to give a speech.

come across: find accidentally Shecame acrosssome old papers.

come upon: discover Wecame upona small lake.

confide in: share a secret The two friendsconfided ineach other.

count on: depend on We arecounting onyou.

cut across: use a short route Icut acrossthe parking lot.

dawn on: realize Finally the truthdawned onhim.

deal in: stock, sell Hedeals ingold and jewels.

deal with: handle successfully She candeal withany situation.

decide on: settle on Theydecided ona course of action.

dispense with: proceed without The chairmandispensed withformalities.

dispose of: get rid of If he moves, he will have todispose ofhis furniture.

dwell on: emphasize Hedwelt onthe risks involved.

enlarge on: say more about, enhance on Pleaseenlarge onyour proposal./Please enhance on your ideas.

enter into: begin, commence The brothersentered intoan agreement.

expand on: say more about Pleaseexpand onwhat you said before.

frown on: disapprove of Absenteeism isfrowned on.

get at: reach The store was so crowded, it was hard toget atthe food.

get into: become involved with I don't want toget intoan argument.

get over: recover from Have yougot overthe flu yet?

get through: survive, finish I don't know how I canget throughall this work.

go against: oppose Don'tgo againstthe rules.

go over: review I would like togo overthe report again.

go through: examine in detail Have yougone throughthe evidence?

go with: look good with Those shoes don'tgo withthat outfit.

grow on: become more attractive to I'm sure the idea willgrow onyou.

guard against: take precautions We mustguard againstpossible attack.

hinge on: depend on Everythinghinges onher decision.

inquire into: investigate, check out Pleaseinquire intothe alternatives.

keep to: adhere to The train willkeep tothe schedule.

laugh at: mock, make fun of Don'tlaugh atme!

launch into: start, begin Helaunched intoan explanation.

leaf through: turn the pages, review briefly, scan Sheleafedidlythroughthe book.

live on: survive using What did youlive on?

look after: take care of I willlook afterthe children.

look into: investigate, check into He willlook intothe situation.

look through: examine quickly Welooked throughthe magazines while we were waiting.

part with: give up reluctantly She refused topart withher necklace.

pick on: be unkind to, tease Because he was the youngest, the other boyspicked onhim.

prey on: hunt and eat; disturb Ospreysprey onfish; the ideapreys onmy mind.

provide for: prepare for We haveprovided forany emergency.

reason with: try to persuade It is hard toreason withan angry person.

reckon on: calculate on I hadn'treckoned onbeing the center of attention.

rise above: be superior to Herose abovehis circumstances and managed to succeed.

run across: find accidentally Theyran acrosssome interesting information.

run into: meet accidentally Iran intomy cousin downtown.

run over: injured by a vehicle Children must be careful not to berun overby cars.

see through: not be deceived by I instantlysaw throughthe disguise.

send for: ask to be sent You will have tosend foryour transcripts.

settle for: reluctantly accept Since there was no kale, we had tosettle forcabbage.

side with: support in a dispute Why did youside withhim?

sit through: sit and endure It was all I could do tosit throughthe lecture without falling asleep.

stand by: support I hope you willstand byme.

stand for: represent, mean or meaning What does the abbreviationetc.stand for?

stick to: adhere to We shallstick tothe original plan.

stumble across: find accidentally Hestumbled acrossan interesting fossil.

survive on: survive using During the winter, we had tosurvive onturnips and parsnips.

take after: resemble an ancestor Hetakes afterhis grandfather.

tamper with: interfere with Someone hastampered withthe lock.

touch on: mention Shetouched onmany important subjects.

verge on: approach His behaviorverges onrudeness.

wade through: slowly peruse We had towade througha pile of documents.

watch over: guard The shepherdwatched overthe sheep.

Expressions in which the verb has an object

In the case of some phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by a preposition, the verb and the preposition may each have an object. In the following examples, the objects are underlined.e.g. I canmakenothingofthesituation. Wetalkedmysisterintoagreeing.

In the first example, the verbmakeof the phrasal verbto make ofhas the objectnothing, and the prepositionofhas the objectsituation. In the second example, the verbtalkedof the phrasal verbto talk intohas the objectsister, and the prepositionintohas the objectagreeing.

The following are examples of phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by a preposition, where the verb may have an object. The objects of the verbs are underlined. Each phrasal verb is followed by its meaning and an example of its use. The last example illustrates the use of the Passive Voice.Verbs followed by Objects followed by Prepositionsdrag into: involve unwillingly Don'tdragmeintothisdiscussion!

draw into: involve gradually We managed todrawherintotheconversation.

drum into: teach by repetition Wedrummedthe safetyrulesintothechildren.

frighten into: control by fear The little girlfrightenedherbrotherintoobeyingher.

hold against: blame for Please don'tholdmymistakesagainstme.

lay before: present to We willlaytheevidencebeforethecourt.

let into: allow to share Shall weletherintothesecret?

make of: understand Can youmakeanythingofthismessage?

read into: find other meanings You arereadingtoomuchintoherremarks.

set against: make antagonistic She likes tosetpeopleagainstone another.

set on: order to attack We willsetourdogsonanyintruders.

talk into: persuade Can youtalkhimintochanginghis mind?

thrust upon: force upon Wethrusttheresponsibilityuponthetreasurer.

write into: add to in writing The terms werewritten intothelease.

Phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by an adverb

Many phrasal verbs consist of a verb followed by an adverb. Some of these phrasal verbs are intransitive and some are transitive.

For instance, the intransitive phrasal verbto show upis formed from the verbto showfollowed by the adverbup. In the following example, the phrasal verb does not have an object. At ten o'clock, her brothershowed up.

The following are examples of intransitive phrasal verbs which consist of a verb followed by an adverb. Each phrasal verb is followed by its meaning and an example of its use.

Intransitive Verbs followed by Adverbsblow over: pass I wonder when the trouble willblow over.

boil away: disappear by boiling If the waterboils away, the stew will burn.

boil over: overflow by boiling The soupboiled over.

bounce back: recover Hebounced backfrom his previous defeat.

buckle down: work seriously You may fail your courses if you don'tbuckle downto work.

catch on: be widely accepted Do you think the idea willcatch on?

cloud over: become overcast Although itclouded overin the afternoon, the rain held off.

die down: become less After a few days, the excitementdied down.

double up: bend over We weredoubled upwith laughter.

drop in: visit Pleasedrop inany time.

fade away: become less The sound graduallyfaded away.

fall off: become less Attendance at the concerts hasfallen off.

get away: escape I hooked a fish, but itgot away.

get by: barely succeed She studied just hard enough toget by.

give in: admit defeat I will nevergive in!

go on: continue Pleasego on. Don't let me interrupt you.

grow up: become an adult What do you want to do when yougrow up?

keep on: persist in Hekept onchanging the subject.

level off: stop rising Prices finallyleveled off.

log on: contact a computer Do you know how tolog on?

log off: break contact with a computer system The system was overloaded, so I had tolog off.

move in: take possession of living quarters When are youmoving in?

move out: give up possession of living quarters Hemoved outyesterday.

nod off: go to sleep Half the bus passengersnodded off.

pass out: faint It was so hot, I almostpassed out.

pitch in: help If everyonepitches in, the work will be done in a few minutes.

play along: pretend to agree Let'splay alonguntil we find out what his plans are.

pull in: arrive (of vehicles) The buspulled innext to the curb.

pull out: leave (of vehicles) The trainpulled outat ten o'clock.

set off: leave Theyset offat six o'clock in the morning.

settle down: become peaceful After the excitement, the students found it difficult tosettle down.

settle in: become used to How are yousettling into your new job?

show up: arrive Sheshowed upat noon.

stay up: not go to bed Westayed upuntil midnight.

step down: resign Hestepped downfor health reasons.

step in: intervene The government had tostep into save the business.

take off: leave the ground The planetook offon time.

touch down: land (of planes) The planetouched down.

tune in: find a station on the radio Wetuned into listen to the hockey game.

watch out: bewareWatch out! The roads are icy.

wear off: gradually disappear The feeling of excitement graduallywore off.

The following are examples of transitive phrasal verbs which consist of a verb followed by an adverb. Each phrasal verb is followed by its meaning and an example of its use.Transitive Verbs followed by Adverbsback up: support I willback upyour story.

bail out: rescue If you run into difficulties, who willbailyouout?

break in: make something new fit for use Ibroke inmy new hiking boots.

breathe in: inhale Webreathed inthe fresh air.

breathe out: exhale Ibreathed outa sigh of relief.

bring back: return Shebrought backher library books.

bring around: persuade We graduallybroughtheraroundto our point of view.

bring up: raiseBringing upchildren is never easy.

butter up: flatter Webutteredhimup, hoping that he would agree to our proposal.

call in: ask to assist I think it is time wecalled inan expert.

call off: cancel Wecalled offthe meeting.

call up: telephone Why don't youcallhimup?

cheer on: cheer, encourage I will be there tocheeryouon.

chop down: fell Theychopped downthe dead tree.

clean up: tidy The mayor asked everyone to helpclean upthe city streets.

fend off: repel The goaliefended offevery attack.

ferret out: find with difficulty We managed toferret outthe information.

figure out: solve, understand I can'tfigure outwhat happened.

fill in: complete Pleasefill inthis form.

fill out: complete Ifilled outthe form.

fill up: make full Wefilled upthe glasses with water.

give back: return Igave backthe bicycle I had borrowed.

give off: send out Skunk cabbagegives offan unpleasant odor.

hand down: give to someone younger The traditionwas handed downfrom father to son.

hand in: give to person in authority The studentshandedtheir assignmentsinto the teacher.

hand on: give to another person I am not sorry tohandthe responsibilityonto you.

hand over: transfer We had tohandthe evidenceoverto the police.

hang up: break a telephone connection After receiving a busy signal, Ihung upthe phone.

hold back: restrain, delay He is so enthusiastic, it is hard toholdhimback.

iron out: remove I am sure we caniron outevery difficulty.

knock out: make unconscious Boxersareoftenknocked out.

lap up: accept eagerly The publiclapped upthe story.

lay off: put out of work The companylaid offseventy workers.

leave behind: leave, not bring I accidentallyleftmy umbrellabehind.

leave out: omit Tell me what happened. Don'tleaveanythingout!

let down: disappoint We willlethimdownif we don't arrive on time.

live down: live so that past faults are forgotten This will be hard tolive down!

look up: find (information) Welooked upthe word in a dictionary.

make up: invent She likes tomake upstories.

pass up: not take advantage I couldn'tpass upsuch an opportunity.

pension off: dismiss with a pension He waspensioned offat the age of sixty.

phase in: introduce gradually The new program will bephased inover the next six months.

phase out: cease gradually The practice will gradually bephased out.

pick up: collect You maypick upthe papers at the office.

pin down: get a commitment When the guest speaker ispinned down, we can set a date for the conference.

play down: de-emphasize Heplayed downthe importance of the news.

point out: draw attention to Shepointed outthe advantages of the proposal.

polish off: finish Wepolished offthe rest of the apple pie.

pull down: demolish Many old buildings arepulled downto make way for new ones.

pull off: succeed Do you think she canpull offher plan?

put away: put in proper place It is time toputthe toysaway.

put back: return to original location Pleaseputthe bookbackon the shelf.

put off: postpone We cannotput offthe meeting again.

reel off: recite a long list Shereeled offa long list of names.

rope in: persuade to help Weroped ineveryone we could to help with the work.

rub out: erase Be sure torub outall the pencil marks.

rule out: remove from consideration None of the possibilities can beruled outyet.

scale down: reduce Because of lack of funds, we had toscale downour plans.

sell off: dispose of by selling Wesold offall the books and furniture.

set back: delay This couldset backthe project by several years.

shout down: stop from speaking by shouting The crowdshouted downthe speaker.

shrug off: dismiss as unimportant He attempted toshrug offthe mistake.

single out: select from others You have beensingled outfor special attention.

size up: assess I quicklysized upthe situation.

sort out: organize It will take some time tosort outthis mess.

sound out: talk with to learn the opinion of We attempted tosoundhimout.

stammer out: stammer Theystammered outtheir apologies.

sum up: summarize Hesummed upthe discussion in a few well-chosen words.

summon up: gather I attempted tosummon upmy courage.

take in: absorb We tried totake inthe new information.

take out: invite to a restaurant May Itakeyououtfor supper?

take over: assume control They willtake overat the beginning of June.

talk over: discuss Let ustalkitoverbefore we decide.

tear up: destroy by tearing Shetore upthe letter.

think over: consider I need some time tothinkitover.

think up: invent What will theythink upnext?

track down: search for and find We finallytrackedhimdownat the bookstore.

trade in: give as part payment Why don't youtrade inyour old vacuum cleaner for a new one?

try on: test clothes by putting them on Itried onthe new suit, but it didn't fit me.

try out: test by using Would you like totry outmy fountain pen?

turn away: refuse admission The event was so popular that many people had to beturned away.

turn back: reverse direction Every fall the clocks must beturned backby one hour.

turn off: deactivate by using a switch Iturned offthe radio.

turn on: activate by using a switch Pleaseturn onthe light.

water down: dilute The soup has beenwatered down.

wear out: gradually destroy by wearing or using My jacket iswearing out, although it is only a year old.

write down: make a note Iwrote downthe instructions.

write off: cancel, regard as They were forced towrite offseveral irretrievable debts.

write up: compose in writing I used my notes towrite upthe report.

More Phrasal Verbsblare out: make a loud sound The loudspeakersblared outthe music.

The musicblared out.

blow up: destroy by an explosion Troopsblew upthe bridge.

The bridgeblew up.

break up: break into pieces The icebreakerbroke upthe ice.

The icebroke up.

burn down: destroy by fire Weburned downthe old barn.

The old barnburned down.

calm down: become calm Icalmed downthe child.

The childcalmed down.

dry out: become dry The sundried outthe earth.

The earthdried out.

get across: transmit Wegotour pointacrossto the audience.

Our pointgot acrossto the audience.

liven up: become lively Helivened upthe party.

The partylivened up.

pull through: recover from, survive The doctorpulledherthroughthe illness.

Shepulled throughthe illness.

roll up: wrap into a cylinder Irolled upthe window blind.

The window blindrolled up.

shut down: close, stop working Theyshut downthe factory.

The factoryshut down.

wake up: stop sleeping Iwokeherup.

Shewoke up.

wash out: remove by washing Wewashed outthe dye.

The dyewashed out.

wear away: gradually remove Waterwore awaythe rock.

The rockwore away.

wear out: gradually destroy by using Iwore outthe sweater.

The sweaterwore out.

add up to: amount to It is hard to see what thatadds up to.

back down from: withdraw, avoid She neverbacks down froma challenge.

back out of: not fulfill I wish I couldback out ofthe agreement.

boil down to: can be reduced to All his argumentsboil down toa belief in the supernatural.

bow out of: withdraw Hebowed out ofthe race.

brush up on: refresh knowledge of I mustbrush up onmy English.

carry on with: continue with Wecarried on withour conversation.

catch up to: overtake The boy ran quickly tocatch up withhis friends.

clean up after: tidy for She spent half her timecleaning up afterthe children.

come down to: can be reduced to Your choicescome down tothese.

come down with: become ill with Shecame down witha cold.

come out in: develop Hecame out ina rash.

come up against: meet an obstacle Theycame up againstmany difficulties.

come up with: produce Shecame up witha solution to the problem.

creep up on: approach undetected Old age tends tocreep up onone.

cry out for: urgently require The education system iscrying out forimprovement.

cut back on: reduce The government hascut back onspending.

do away with: abolish We want todo away withdelays.

face up to: accept and deal with It is best toface up toone's problems.

fall back on: turn to for help Because of unexpected expenses, we had tofall back onour savings.

fit in with: be suited to You don'tfit in withthis group.

fool around with: not be serious, have as a hobby He likes tofool around withcomputers.

get away with: not be punished Hegot away withbeing late for school.

get down to: begin dealing seriously with It is time toget down tobusiness.

get in on: manage to participate in I want toget in onthe planning for the new school.

give up on: stop trying I'vegiven up onthe situation.

go along with: agree, not resist I'm willing togo along withyour idea.

go back on: break a promise He nevergoes back onhis word.

go through with: fulfill, carry out Are you going togo through withyour plan to conduct a survey?

grow out of: become too big for My son hasgrown out ofmost of his clothes.

hold out for: not compromise We want tohold out forbetter conditions.

keep up with: be on the same level as She has a hard timekeeping up withher brother.

lead up to: be a preparation for The first thirty chapters of the booklead up tothe dramatic conclusion.

live up to: maintain a standard She haslived up toher reputation as a great singer.

log on to: contact a computer Shelogged on tothe new system.

look down on: regard as inferior Helooks down onhis classmates.

look forward to: anticipate I'mlooking forward tothe holidays.

look out for: watch forLook out forfallen branches.

look up to: admire Welooked up toher.

make up for: compensate for She tried tomake up forher past mistakes.

pull out of: leave (of vehicles) The trainpulled out ofthe station.

push on with: go ahead, continue I mustpush on withmy work.

put up with: endure, tolerate Bus passengers must oftenput up withcrowded conditions.

read up on: read about Whenever I travel, I like toread up onthe place I am going to visit.

rub off on: acquire from someone Some of his enthusiasm hasrubbed off onme.

run up against: meet Oneruns up againstmany different kinds of people.

send away for: order by mail Wesent away forwarm winter boots.

stick up for: defend, support Will youstick up forme?

stock up on: lay in supplies We shouldstock up onbananas.

talk down to: speak patronizingly He alwaystalks down topeople younger than he is.

walk away with: win easily Theywalked away withall the prizes.

watch out for: beware ofWatch out forsnakes.

wriggle out of: avoid She always tries towriggle out ofher responsibilities.

zero in on: focus on Let uszero in onthe heart of the problem.

Verbs followed by Objects followed by Adverbs followed by Prepositionsget over with: undergo, finish If I must visit the dentist, I prefer togetitover withas soon as possible.

let in on: allow to share Weletthemin onthe secret.

play off against: encourage to fight In the last century, the British weakened their enemies byplayingthemoff againstone another.

put down to: attribute to Weputhis badtemperdown tofatigue.

put up to: urge to do wrong Sheputmeup toplaying a trick on the teacher.

take out on: vent bad feelings on Shetookherdissatisfactionwith her jobout onher neighbors.

take up on: accept an offer I would like totakeyouup onyour offer.

talk out of: dissuade from We tried totalkhimout ofretiring.

Verbs followed by objects followed by words which may function either as Adverbs or Prepositionscross off: put a line through Icrossedhisnameoff.

Icrossedhisnameoffthelist.

pass around: distribute Ipassedthepapersaround.

Ipassedthepapersaroundtheclass.

show around: conduct on a tour Weshowedthevisitorsaround.

Weshowedthevisitorsaroundthecity.

tide over: provide for temporarily This money willtidemeover.

This money willtidemeovertheweekend.

warn off: warn to leave We werewarned off.

We werewarned offthepremises.

Intransitive Verbs followed by words which may function either as Adverbs or Prepositions break through: appear The sunbroke through.

The sunbroke throughtheclouds.

do without: survive without We had todo without.

We had todo withoutelectricity.

glance off: hit and bounce off The ballglanced off.

The ballglanced offthewall.

go without: not have Theywent without.

Theywent withoutfood.

hang around: stay near Wehung around.

Wehung aroundthe movietheater.

join in: become involved in Ijoined in.

Ijoined inthegame.

lounge around: relax in Welounged around.

Welounged aroundthe livingroom.

mill around: (of a crowd) move randomly The studentsmilled around.

The studentsmilled aroundthelobby.

pass by: pass Ipassed by.

Ipassed bythehouse.

rally round: gather to give support Werallied round.

Werallied roundour classpresident.

sail through: succeed easily Shesailed through.

Shesailed throughtheexam.

scrape through: barely succeed Theyscraped through.

Theyscraped throughthecourse.

turn off: leave a road Weturned off.

Weturned offthe mainhighway.

blare out: make a loud sound The loudspeakersblared outthe music.

The musicblared out.

blow up: destroy by an explosion Troopsblew upthe bridge.

The bridgeblew up.

break up: break into pieces The icebreakerbroke upthe ice.

The icebroke up.

burn down: destroy by fire Weburned downthe old barn.

The old barnburned down.

calm down: become calm Icalmed downthe child.

The childcalmed down.

dry out: become dry The sundried outthe earth.

The earthdried out.

get across: transmit Wegotour pointacrossto the audience.

Our pointgot acrossto the audience.

liven up: become lively Helivened upthe party.

The partylivened up.

pull through: recover from, survive The doctorpulledherthroughthe illness.

Shepulled throughthe illness.

roll up: wrap into a cylinder Irolled upthe window blind.

The window blindrolled up.

shut down: close, stop working Theyshut downthe factory.

The factoryshut down.

wake up: stop sleeping Iwokeherup.

Shewoke up.

wash out: remove by washing Wewashed outthe dye.

The dyewashed out.

wear away: gradually remove Waterwore awaythe rock.

The rockwore away.

wear out: gradually destroy by using Iwore outthe sweater.

The sweaterwore out.