Phrasal verbs: a practical guide to learning how to use them

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Phrasal verbs are one of the most “scary” aspects of English for students… but actually, using them is much easier than you think. Today we are going to review the rules for using phrasal verbs and look at some examples of each type.


Downloadable: Phrasal Verbs, the definitive guide. (+ exercises and solutions)



Before we start… what exactly are phrasal verbs?
Phrasal verbs are verbs followed by a preposition that finland phone number list their meaning. For example, give is not the same as give up . Although some of them are quite transparent (for example, sit down ), we usually have to learn the new meaning.

Phrasal verbs are used all the time , both in written and spoken English, and they are very important if you want to understand native speakers and sound “natural” when expressing yourself. Some of them are more appropriate for formal contexts, while others are very much in common use in colloquial language. And because languages ​​are constantly evolving, new phrasal verbs are emerging all the time.



Transitive and intransitive verbs
Although they are usually taught together, there are three different types of phrasal verbs, and they have different rules for usage.
But first, to distinguish phrasal verbs from each other, it's time to do a quick grammar review: do you know the difference between a transitive verb and an intransitive verb?

Transitive verbs are those that need a direct object to complete their meaning. Some examples (the direct object is underlined):

Sarah always eats apples for breakfast.
Jack built a house with his own hands.
Could you bring some beers to the party?
In contrast, intransitive verbs are those that have complete meaning by themselves and therefore do not need an object or complement for the sentence to make sense. For example: