Phrasal verbs (look for, put on, get up)

B1-B1+
Grammar
Verbs and tenses

We can use many verbs with other words to make what are called phrasal verbs, e.g., look for, put on, get up.

One verb can go with several other verbs to make different phrasal verbs: go with, go off, go on. The meaning of the phrasal verbs is not always clear from the two parts (they are sometimes like mini-idioms). For example, go on means continue. You should check the meaning of phrasal verbs in a dictionary if you are not sure about the exact meaning.

Grammatically, there are three different groups or types of phrasal verbs:

Group 1:
Study these examples with the phrasal verb look for: The police are looking for* the criminal.* The police are looking for* him.* (NOT They are looking him for.) Look for has an object (the criminal, him) Note that the object goes after the phrasal verb. Some common verbs in this group are: agree with, ask for, feel like, look after, look at, look for, get at, join in, and call for.

Group 2:
Study these examples with the phrasal verb put on: She put on* a scarf.* She put* a scarf on.* She put* it on.* (NOT She put on it.) Put on has an object (a scarf, it). If the object is a pronoun (i.e. me, you, her, him, it, us, them, one, some, or any), then it goes in the middle of the phrasal verb; if the object is a noun, it can go either after the verb or in the middle. Some common verbs in this group are: bring back, draw out, put on, fill in, take off, put away, hand in, rub out, look up, let out, turn down, and turn off.

Group 3:
Study this example with the phrasal verb get up: I usually get up* at 6 o’clock.* Get up is a phrasal verb that does not need an object. Some common verbs in this group are: come round, get away, get back, go on, get off, get up, hold on (= wait), go off, and go out.

PRACTICE

Now it is time to practise what you have learned.

For each Practice Test, read the instructions carefully.
Complete the exercise and press 'Check' to get your results.

Practice Test A

Practice Test B

Practice Test C

Nigel Bailey

Nigel is a qualified Teacher of English as a Foreign Language and has been teaching in Poland since 2003. He has been teaching over the Internet since 2008 and has taught more than 1,000 students in this way.

Contact Me