Phrasal Verbs

"Words are the only things that last forever".

Certain verbs give out different meanings under the influence of different prepositions or adverbs attached to them. These prepositions or adverbs give them the character of phrases or idioms. But as these verbs may be used as finite verbs in sentences, we may preferably call them group verbs or prepositional verbs. Group verbs make a speaker fluent and communicative.

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Act

Act upon
(1) affect, Excessive labour acts upon our Health.
(2) (rely upon,) Acting upon the information, you went there and secured the job.
(3) (act according to) Raju acted upon your suggestion.

Act on
(1) (carry out) Rahim acted on my advice.
(2) (affect) Climate acts on national character.

Act up to (act according to, fulfill, ) His medicine does not act up to our expectation. You have to act up to her wishes.

Act for (on behalf of) A lawyer acts for his client.

Act from work with the motive of) You acted from a sense of social liability.

Act against (work against) He did not act against our interests.

Act under (work according to) The officer acted under the Commanding officer's orders.

Bear

Bear off (carry off as a conqueror) The winner bore off all the prize.

Bear down (crush by force) They were able to bear down all opposition.

Bear on, upon
(1) (relate to) This question has no bearing on the case in point. This point has no bearing upon the subject under discussion.
(2) (Exert influence upon, act on) The character of parents bears on their children.

Bear out
(1) (confirm) His evidence does not bear out the charge.
(2) (support) His conduct bears out my remarks.

Bear up (sustain, endure) Your advice made me bear up under misfortune.

Bear with (tolerate) I cannot bear with this insult.

Break

Break away (to free oneself from restraint) The thief broke away from police custody.

Break down (fail) His health broke down through overwork.

Break in (bring under control) He knows how to break in a new horse.

Break into (to enter suddenly and forcibly) The robbers broke our house last night.
A cow broke into the garden.

Break out (appear) Smallpox has broken out in the city.

Break up (dissolve) The meeting broke up at 6 p.m.

Break forth (appear suddenly) The sun broke forth behind the clouds.

Break off (to cease abruptly) The speaker broke off in the middle of his speech.

Break through (to make a passage through forcibly) The army broke through the main gate.

Break with (to cut off connection with) I broke with my brother for his bad temper.

Bring

Bring about (to cause to happen) His own folly has brought about his misfortune.

Bring forth
(1) (produce) The tree will bring forth new leaves.
(2) (bear) The cow brings forth one calf at a time.

Bring on (cause) He was out all day in the rain and this brought on a bad cold.

Bring in (yield as income) His business brings in a large income.

Bring out (publish) When are the publishers bringing out their new books?

Bring up (rear) This orphan boy was brought up by his aunt.

Bring round (cause to recover) Careful nursing will soon bring round the patient.

Bring down (to humble) His defeat has brought down his pride.

Bring under (subdue) The rebels were brought under.

Bring to (lay before) The matter was brought to my notice.

Bring over (to persuade to change sides) The king tried to bring over the rebels by offering a free pardon.

Burst

Burst forth (appear suddenly) A tiger burst forth from the jungle behind.

Burst into break forth into tears, laughter, etc)
(1)The mother burst into tears on hearing her son's death.
(2) The man burst into a laughter.

Burst out (start crying all on a sudden)
(1) Mrs. Rafique burst out weeping like a child.
(2) (suddenly begin speaking) The young lady burst out "Save me, save me !"

Burst upon (issue forth suddenly) The ruffian burst upon him and knocked him down.

Call

Call at (pay a visit to) I shall call at his house tomorrow morning.

Call on (pay a visit to) I called on him last evening.

Call in (send for) Call in a doctor at once.

Call up (remember) I cannot call up past events.

Call upon
(1) (pay a visit to) I shall call upon you tomorrow.
(2) (appeal to) He called upon me to help him.
(3) (propose) They called upon me to explain my conduct.

Call for (demand) The officer called for an explanation from me.

Call over The teacher calls over the names of pupils from the register.

Call of
(1) (to stop) The workers called off strike on receipt of a promise from the authorities concerned to redress their grievances (or to meet their demand). The engagement has been called off.
(2) (divert) The noise called off his attention from his work. Call forth (to evoke) His bravery called forth the admiration of all.

Call to (address a person at a distance) I called to him from the roof.

Call out (challenge to fight) He called his opponent out, but the fellow was too great a coward to come.

Carry

Carry about (take along with) He always carries about a pistol wherever he goes.

Carry away (take away) Nasim was carried away by current.

Carry off
(1) (take the life of) Cholera has carried off a large number of men.
(2) (win) He will carry off the prize.

Carry on (conduct or continue) In the absence of the Headmaster, the Assistant Headmaster carries on the work of the school.

Carry out (execute) The army carried out the orders of the general.

Carry through (to sustain, accomplish something through difficulty) His courage will carry him through many difficulties. A general has much anxiety in carrying through the operations of a long campaign.

Cast

Cast about for (look for) I have been casting about for a suitable bride for my friend.

Cast off (abandon) He has cast off his old trousers.

Cast down (depress) He was cast down by his failure.

Cast up (to reckon) Will you please cast up this column of figures for me?

Cast away (to throw away) Cast away the rotten food.

Cast out (reject) If you go to him for help, he will not cast you out.

Come

Come about (happen) How did all this come about?

Come across (meet) I never came across such a beautiful girl.

Come by (get) How did you come by this book?

Come of (to be descended from) He comes of a respectable family of this area.

Come off (take place) His marriage ceremony comes off on Friday next.

Come in for (receive) He will come in for punishment for his conduct.

Come out (to be published) The 2nd edition of the book will came out in coming book-fair.

Come on (start) The drama has just come on.

Come down (descend) A torrent of rain came down and damaged the crops.

Come down upon (punish, rebuke) The Principal came down upon the boy like a ton of bricks.

Come down with (pay) He came down with a generous subscription.

Come over
(1) (change one side for another) They have come over to our side.
(2) (befall) A change came over him after his father's death.

Come round
(1) (recover) He came round very soon.
(2) (agree) After a good deal of discussion, Pervin came round to our view.

Come to
(1) (amount to) His weekly expenses come to a high figure.
(2) (arrive at) They could not come to any conclusion.
(3) (to come to sense) My mother fainted suddenly, but soon came to.

Come upon (attack) The robbers came upon them from behind.

Come up to (to be equal to) His work has not come up to my expectation.

Come up with (to overtake) The police soon came up with the thief.

Cut

Cut down
(1) (reduce) Please cut down your expenses.
(2) (to cut) Rahim cut down the tree with an axe.

Cut off
(1) (die) Her father was cut off (died) very early in life.
(2) (separate) This Bangladeshi boy lives in America, cut off from his kith and kin.
(3) (deprived of a major share) He was cut off with an insignificant profit.

Cut out - A tailor cuts out a coat from a web of cloth. She is cut out for a film star.

Cut up
(1) (criticise severely) The dramatist was cut up by the Observer.
(2) (affect) Nilu was greatly cut up by the news of his father's death.

Cut in (join in unceremoniously) He cut in the middle of my speech.

Cut into (divide with a knife) Cut the mango into two pieces.

Cry

Cry down (deprecate) Do not cry down your enemy.

Cry to (implore) The beggar cried to the landlord for food.

Cry up (extol) A trader cries up his own goods.

Do

Do away with (abolish) The Parliament has done away with that rule.

Do up
(1) (fatigue utterly) I am quite done up with the journey.
(2) (arrange) You are supposed to do up your room every day?

Do for
(1) (serve the purpose of) This plank will do for a bench.
(2) (ruin) The bank failed and I was done for.

Doff (contraction of 'do off' i.e., take off) Doff your shirt.

Don (contraction of 'do on' i.e., put on) Don your shirt.

Do into (translate into) Tagore did the Sonartari into English.

Do with (make use of) What did the man do with his bundle?

Do without (manage without) I cannot do without the services of my wife.

Draw

Draw up (draft) He drew up a rice application for me. The troops were drawn up (arranged in order).

Draw out
(1) (prolong) Mr. Hashim drew out his points at great length. Christmas passed and the days began to draw out.
(2) (take out) The dentist drew out his aching tooth.
(3) (recede from) I cannot draw out of the contract at the present moment.
(4) (attract) Her miseries drew out the sympathies of all.

Draw on (approach) The Summer vacation is drawing on. I shall draw on the bank for cash.

Draw in (persuade to join) The simple villagers were easily drawn in and the plot grew strong. A snail draws in its horns.

Draw off (withdraw) When they saw how strong our forces were, the enemies drew off.

Draw away  (divert) His attention was drawn away by the noise outside.

Draw back (recede) We cannot draw back from our promise.

Draw to (feel attracted to) The boy was so meritorious that the teacher drew to him from the day he was admitted to the school.

Fall

Fall back upon (depend on) I have nothing to fall back upon after my retirement.

Fall upon (attack) He fell upon my brother without any provocation.

Fall out (quarrel) Brothers should not fall out with one another.

Fall through (fail) The scheme fell through for want of funds.

Fall to (begin) They fell to eating voraciously.

Fall in (collapse) After incessant fain for 7 days the roof of the house fell in.

Fall in with
(1) (meet by chance) I fell in with him on my way to Dacca.
(2) (to agree to) I cannot fall in with his views.

Fall off
(1) (deteriorate) The quality of Dacca Muslin has much fallen off.
(2) (drop off) Friends fall off in adversity.

Fall away
(1) (to desert) His friends fell away in his adversity.
(2) (to become lean) You have much fallen away since I saw you last.

Fall back (recede) Our attack was so vigorous that the enemy had to fall back.

Fall under
(1) (come under) An honest man and a knave can never fall under the same category.
(2) (to be ranged under) The village you speak of does not fall under my jurisdiction.

Get

Get at (reach) You can't get at his frequency.

Get on (progress) How are you getting on with your studies and health?

Get Into (enter) He got into the car with his father.

Get down (alight) They got down from the car near the bridge.

Get off
(1) (dismount) He got off from the carriage just in front of the main gate.
(2) (be acquitted with slight punishment) The criminal got off very lightly this time.

Get over (overcome) He got over the difficulties easily.

Get through
(1) (succeed in) I am sure, he will get through the examination.
(2) (finish) It will take six months to get through the work.
(3) (recover from) He has not yet got through illness.

Get about
(1) (to go out of doors) I am too weak to get about.
(2) (spread) The news of the defeat was censored, but it soon got about.

Get out 

(1) (go out) Get out of the room. 

(2) (to become public) The secret will get out some day.

Get up
(1) (rise up) We should get up very early in the morning.
(2) (prepare) The students should get up their lessons daily.

Get ahead (progress) They got ahead in their joint business.

Get away (escape) The prisoner got away from the jail.

Get beyond (to go outside a limit) The little girl got beyond his depth and was drowned.

Go

Go by (1) (pass) Time went by slowly.
(2) (be known as) He goes by a false name here.
(3) (past) The historian talked of days gone by.

Go about ( move about) He is too weak to go about.

Go after (follow) The hunter went after the deer.

Go ahead (progress) You go ahead with her work. Yes, go ahead.

Go on with (continue) I advise you to go on with your studies.

Go out (be extinguished) The lamp went out and all was dark again.

Go through
(1) (examine) I have gone through the book. (2) (experience) He went through great hardship.

Go up- The price of egg has gone up.

Go down (descend) The sun has gone down

Go aside (deviate) I cannot go aside from the right path.

Go over
(1) (review) The auditor will go over the accounts. I had no time to go over the papers.
(2) (change sides) My brother went over to the enemy.

Go upon (proceed according to) The secretary does not go upon any fixed principle.

Go with
(1) (agree) (accompany) Can you go with me to the cinema?
(2)(accompany) I shall go with you in this matter.

Go without (remain destitute of) He can not go without the medicine for two days.

Go In for (compete for, appear at) He will go in for the M.A. Examination next year.

Go back on (fail to keep) My father cannot go back on his work.

Give

Give out (announce) He gave out that the meeting could not be held.

Give up (abandon finally) I had to gave up my studies owing to financial difficulties.

Give off (emit) The rose gives off sweet smell. .

Give forth (announce) The Governor gave forth that he was indisposed.

Give in
(1) (tender) The clerk has given in his resignation.
(2) (yield, submit) Though threatened, he refused to give in.

Give away (distribute) Mohsin gave away his all in charity.

Give over
(1) (abandon) Give over the enterprise. The boy has given over his studies.
(2) (hand over) He will be given over to the enemy.

Hand

Hand in (tender) I don't know the reason why he has handed in his resignation.

Hand on (to pass on) Please hand on the book to him.

Hand over (deliver) Please hand over this letter to my brother.

Hand down (transmit in succession) This legend has been handed down from age to age.

Hang

Hang up-Hang up this photograph in my drawing room.

Hang upon (depend on) He does not like to hang upon others for his living. 

Hang over (lengthen) The trial of the suit has been hanging over for months.

Hang about (loiter about) Do not hang about the auditorium.

Hang back (lag behind) Our country cannot hang back when other countries are advancing. When the officer asked for volunteers, not a single man hung back.

Hold

Hold by (follow firmly) I held by my leader in time of danger.

Hold on (adhere to) Let us hold on, come what may.

Hold over (postpone) The debate was held over till the next day.

Hold off (keep aloof) Students should hold off from such movement.

Hold out
(1) (extend) He held out false hopes to them,
(2) (refuse to yield) The company in defence held out for weeks.

Hold up
(1) (keep up) Hold up your spirit for a few hours more.
(2) (present prominently) The boy was held up before the court.
(3) (stop) All traffic was held up for three hours by the crowd.

Hold with (agree with) I hold with you in this matter.

Hold in (restrain) Please hold in your temper.

Hold back (keep back) Do not hold back anything from your father.

Keep

Keep away (1) (shun, avoid) He always try keep away from bad

boys. (2) (remain absent) He kept away from home for four days.

Keep off
(i) (ward off) Fire keeps off wild animals.
(ii) remain at a distance) Always keep off from evil company.

Keep from (abstain or refrain from) You must keep from such wicked associates.

Keep to (adhere to) You must keep to your own principle.

Keep up
(1) (maintain) He kept up the reputation of the school.
(2) (remain awake) He kept up the whole of that night. Keep up with (keep pace with) You should try to keep up with the class in every subject.

Keep in with (continue to agree with) I cannot keep in with you any longer. Keep on (continue) The examinees kept on writing even after the time was over.

Keep out (remain away) You should keep out of your bed in the day time.

Keep back
(1) (conceal) I did not keep back anything from you.
(2) (check) I could not keep back my tears.

Lay

Lay by (to store up for future use) Lay by something against the rainy day.

Lay out
(1) (expend) He laid out his money in business. the country.
(2) (prescribe) The Govt. laid down some rules for our guidance.
(3) (prepare) He laid down his plans very carefully.

Lay aside (cast aside) We should lay aside at least for ten minutes.

Lay out (prepare) He laid out his garden very nicely.

Lay down (sacrifice) The Sher-e-Bangla laid down his life for prayer.

Let

Let in (allow in) They did not like to let me in.

Let off (set free) The bird was let off from the cage.

Let out - The house was let out to a gentleman.

Let down (humiliate) He cannot let down his prestige for you.

Look

Look after (take care of) The poor girl has none to look after him.

Look up
(1) (increase) The rice market is looking up every day.
(2) (visit) Please look me up on your way home.
(3) (search for and find) Look up the word in the dictionary.

Look up to
(1) (regard) I look up to him as my elder brother.
(2) He always look up to you for guidance (expect guidance from you).

Look in (make a short visit) I looked in just to see how they were doing.

Look into (inquire into) I shall soon look into the connected papers

Look to
(1) (care for, attend to) Look to your own interests or (or matter) to find out the position affairs.  Please look to his comforts.
(2) (rely on) He looks to me for help.

Look upon
(1) (regard) The woman looks upon me as her own son.
(2) (to see indifferently) The rich man only looked upon and did not help him.

Look for (search for) The police are looking for the absconder.

Look out for (search for) I am looking out for a reliable servant.

Look over (examine) Professor Azam looks over your answer papers.

Look through (examine carefully) He has looked through the book.

Look through your notes before the examination.

Look about for (be on the search for) Are you looking about for a job?

Look down upon (regard as inferior) You must not look down upon your junior's.

Look forward (wait for) I am looking forward to an opportunity to go abroad for higher studies.

Make

Make off with (run away with) The jackal seized the hen and made off with it into the jungle.

Make out
(1) (understand) I cannot make out the meaning of the passage.
(2) (establish) Make out a strong case for the increase of the monthly grant.
(3) (prepare) Make out a list of all new books. could not make out his case.

Make over
(1) (transfer possession of) The Commandant made over charges to his successor.
(2) (hand over) He made over his luggage to the porter.

Make up
(1) (settle) He has not yet made up his mind.
(2) (compose) They have made up their dispute.
(3) (complete) In spite of vigorous attempts the boys could not make up the required number.
(4) (compensate) He did nothing to make up the loss.
(5) (improve) Try to make up your deficiency in English.
(6) (approach) The widow made up to the President for help.

Make of
(1) understand) I could not make anything of what you wrote.
(2) (compose of) this almirah is made of teak wood.

Make at (act as if going to attack) The wounded animal made at him.

Make for ( move towards) The ship made for the harbour.

Make after (pursue) The dog made after the fox.

Make away with (destroy) You are going to make away with your own life.

Pass

Pass of
(1) (to be performed) The function passed off smoothly.
(2) (die) He passed off this morning.
(3) (to impose on by fraud) The knave was punished for passing off false coins.
(4) (represent falsely) He passed himself off as a doctor.

Pass away (disappear or die) The clouds have passed away. The old lady passed away quietly last night.

Pass over (neglect) I am very sorry to learn that your claims have been passed over.

Pass through (undergo) He passed through all opposition with courage.

Pass by (overlook) This offence of him cannot be passed by.

Pass for (be regarded as) He passed for a wise man in his village.

Pass on (skip over) Let us pass on to another subject.

Put

Put on
(1) (wear) Put on your clothes quickly.
(2) (assume) He puts on airs of a wise man.

Put off
(1) (take off) Put off your shoes now.
(2) (postpone) Never put off any work you can do today for tomorrow.

Put up
(1) (stay) He puts up at a hotel. I put up with my uncle in his residence.
(2) (tolerate) I cannot put up with such rudeness and humiliation.
(3) (accommodate) Would you please put me up for the night?

Put in
(1) (work) I have put in 12 years' service to the department.
(2) (submit) He has put in an application for leave.

Put by
(1) (lay by) I cannot put by even a farthing from my pay. Has she any money to put by?
(2) (lay aside) He put by his work to listen to his friend.

Put to (give) Don't put me to so much trouble.

Put out
(1) (extinguish) Put out the lamp.
(2) (stretch out) He put out his hand.
(3) (invest) He put out his all in business.

Put forth
(1) (exert) I put forth all my energy in this task.
(2) (send out buds, leaves, etc) Trees put forth new leaves in spring.

Put down (write) Put down on the paper what you have got to say. Here's my address, put it down before you forget it.

Put back (restore) Put back the lamp in its proper place. You cannot put back the hands of time.

Run

Run after (pursue) Don't advise me to run after impossible things.

Run at (attack) The dog ran at the child.

Run over
(1) (overflow) The water of the river ran over its banks.
(2) (drive over) The child was run over by a taxi yesterday.
(3) (glance over hastily) He ran over my representation.

Run out
(1) (be exhausted) The garrison surrendered when supplies ran out.
(2) (leak) The ink ran out of the pen.

Run through
(1) (examine quickly) I have run through the book.
(2) (waste) He has run through all his property.

Run into
(1) (incur) I have run into debt.
(2) (reach) His income runs into five figures.

Run upon (strike) The ship ran upon the rocks.

Run away (escape) The thief ran away with all my belongings.

Run down
(1) (tired) He looks very much run down.
(2) (speak all of, decry) The shopkeeper runs down his neighbor's goods.
(3) (stop) The clock has run down and will not go until a mew Battery is set.

Run short (be in want of) While in Govt. service. I used to run short of money towards the end of every month.

Set

Set apart (reserve) He set apart TK 1,0000 for her marriage.

Set about (begin) I will set about my task immediately.

Set aside (annul) The High Court has set aside the judgment of the Lower Court.

Set in (begin) The rains have set in.

Set off (start) He has set off for Mecca.

Set on
(1) (incite) The wicked boy has set the dog on the beggar.
(2) (consign to) The house was set on fire.

Set out (start) He has set out for Cox's Bazar.

Set to
(1) (begin) The man set to work at the machine.
(2) (affix) He set his seal of approval to the document.

Set up
(1) (establish) He set up a college in his village.
(2) (put forward) They set him up as their candidate.
(3) (begin business) My friend will set up as a lawyer.

Set down (record) I set down everything in writing.

Set forth
(1) (express) He set forth his views in a letter.
(2) He set forth on his journey.

Set upon (attack) The dog set upon the thief.

Stand

Stand by (support) He stood by me in my crisis.

Stand against (resist) Do not stand against the force of time.

Stand for (represent) The letter 'V' stands for five here.

Stand up for (defend) The editor stood up for the liberty of the

Stand to
(1) (stick) I stand to what I said before.
(2) (to be consistent with) Your argument does not stand to reason.

Take

Take down (write) Take down some notes.

Take up
(1) (adopt) He has taken up the cause of the poor. I have taken up gardening as a hobby.
(2) (fix) He took up his residence at Chittagong.
(3) (begin) He will take up this work very soon.
(4) (busy) I was taken up with additional work.

Take to (resort to) He took to gambling and lost all his property.

Take in
(1) (deceive) I was quite taken in by the shopkeeper.
(2) (receive) He refused to take me In his car.
(3) (understand) I cannot take in the meaning of the passage.
(4) (enclose) He has taken in this plot of land for gardening.

Take for (regard as) I took him for a pleader. We took him for an honest man.

Take after (resemble) The boy takes after his brother.

Take off
(1) (disrobe oneself) Take off your coat.
(2) (start) The aeroplane took off at 3p.m.

Take out (extract) Take out the aching tooth.

Take away (deprive) They took away all that they gave us.

Take over (receive) He took over charge of the office from his predecessor.

Tell

Tell upon (affect) Depression told upon her health.

Tell against (prejudice, do harm to) His temper will tell against him.

Tell out (proclaim abroad) The Prophet told out among the heathen that God is one.

Tell over (count) The fakir is telling over beads.

Turn

Turn down (reject) The authority has turned down your proposal.

Turn out
(1) (expel) The boy was turned out from the examination hall for adopting unfair means.
(2) (produce) The mill turned out more than 200 mounds of sugar last week.
(3) (prove) He turned out to be a good speaker.
(4) (come of) Some good may turn out of this movement.

Turn into
(1) (translate) Turn this passage into English.
(2) (change) Water is turned into vapour by heat.

Turn in (go to bed) Generally I turn in after 11 p.m.

Turn up
(1) (appear) He did not turn up at the right time.
(2) (happen) Let us see what turns up next.

Turn on
(1) (switch on) I entered the room and turned on the lights.
(2) (take the course) The discussion now turned on the unemployment problem.

Turn to - We should turn to God in joy and sorrow.

Turn off
(1) (switch off) Please turn off the light before going to bed.
(2) (dismiss) He has turned off his servant.
(3) (change) The ship suddenly turned off its course.

Turn upon
(1) (hinge) Everything turns upon the question of money.
(2) (refuse to help) I approached my brother for help, but he turned his back upon me.

Turn aside (deviate from) We should not turn aside from the path of virtue.

Work

Work at (remain busy) I work at my office for eight hours a day.

Work on
(1) (go on working) We worked on till sunset.
(2) (influence) His father's words worked on his mind.

Work out
(1) (solve) Can you work out this sum?
(2) (exhaust by working) This mine has been worked out.

Work into (gain) He slowly worked himself into our confidence.

Work up (excite) The sentiment of the people was worked up by the convincing speech of the leader.