English Phrasal Verbs: Beginner's Guide

• Phrasal verbs are composed of a verb and a particle, which may be an adverb or a preposition.
• These verbs can have either literal or idiomatic meanings.
• A solid understanding of phrasal verbs is essential for comprehending the English language.

Common Phrasal Verbs for Beginners

• Wake up: To stop sleeping, example: I wake up at 7 am every day.
• Get up: To get out of bed, example: I get up at 7:30 am after waking up.
• Turn on: To start the flow of electricity to something, example: I turn on the lights when it gets dark.
• Turn off: To stop the flow of electricity to something, example: I turn off the lights when I leave a room.
• Look for: To try to find something, example: I look for my keys every morning.
• Look at: To direct your eyes towards something, example: I look at the stars at night.
• Go out: To leave your home to go to a social event, example: I go out with my friends on weekends.
• Eat out: To eat at a restaurant, example: We eat out once a week.
• Take off: To remove (clothing), example: I take off my coat when I get home.
• Put on: To dress oneself, example: I put on my shoes before I leave.

More Phrasal Verbs

• Sit down: To take a seat, example: Please sit down and make yourself comfortable.
• Stand up: To rise to one's feet, example: Everyone, please stand up.
• Come in: To enter a room or building, example: Come in, the door is open.
• Go back: To return to a place, example: I go back home after work.
• Give up: To stop trying, example: I give up, what's the answer?
• Pick up: To lift something from the ground, example: I pick up my pen from the floor.
• Fill out: To complete a form, example: Please fill out this application form.
• Find out: To discover information, example: I want to find out more about phrasal verbs.
• Work out: To exercise, example: I work out at the gym three times a week.
• Look up: To find information in a book, example: I look up new words in the dictionary.

Additional Useful Phrasal Verbs

• Get on: To enter a bus, train, or plane, example: I get on the bus at the station.
• Get off: To leave a bus, train, or plane, example: I get off the bus near my house.
• Take out: To remove something from a place, example: I take out the trash every Tuesday.
• Put away: To return something to its proper place, example: I put away my clothes after doing laundry.
• Try on: To wear something to see if it fits, example: I try on clothes when I go shopping.
• Call back: To return a phone call, example: I'll call you back later.
• Pay back: To return money owed, example: I will pay you back next week.
• Show up: To arrive, example: I showed up late for the meeting.
• Grow up: To become an adult, example: I grew up in New York.
• Clean up: To tidy a place, example: I clean up my room every Saturday.

Phrasal Verbs for Communication

• Speak up: To talk louder, example: Can you speak up? I can't hear you.
• Listen to: To pay attention to sound, example: I listen to music every day.
• Talk about: To discuss a topic, example: We talk about movies.
• Write down: To record something on paper, example: Please write down your address.
• Read out: To say something aloud from a text, example: He read out the names on the list.

More Everyday Phrasal Verbs

• Drop off: To take someone or something to a place, example: I drop off my kids at school.
• Pick up: To collect someone or something, example: I pick up my kids from school at 3 pm.
• Warm up: To increase the temperature of something, example: I warm up my food in the microwave.
• Cool down: To decrease the temperature of something, example: Let the coffee cool down before drinking.
• Cheer up: To become happier, example: Cheer up! Things will get better.
• Calm down: To become less agitated, example: Calm down, there's no need to worry.
• Hurry up: To do something more quickly, example: Hurry up, we're going to be late.
• Slow down: To reduce speed, example: Slow down, the speed limit is 30 mph.

Phrasal Verbs Related to Problems

• Break down: To stop functioning, example: My car broke down on the way to work.
• Fall apart: To disintegrate, example: The old book is falling apart.
• Run out of: To have no more of something, example: I ran out of milk.
• Deal with: To take action to solve a problem, example: I can deal with complaints.

Notes

• Phrasal verbs can have multiple meanings depending on the context.
• The meaning of a phrasal verb is not always obvious from the individual words.
• Practice is key to mastering the use of phrasal verbs.
• Some phrasal verbs are separable, meaning the object can go between the verb and the particle (e.g., turn the lights on) while some are inseparable (e.g., look after).

Learn common English phrasal verbs with clear explanations and examples. Understand literal and idiomatic meanings. Improve English comprehension with this beginner's guide.