Common phrasal verbs
Learn 20 everyday phrasal verbs — get up, look for, turn off, find out — and how to use them in sentences.
In this lesson you will
- Understand what phrasal verbs are
- Learn common everyday phrasal verbs
- Know where the object goes
Learn
A phrasal verb is a verb + a small word (particle) with its own meaning: look for (search), give up (stop trying), find out (discover).
Everyday examples: get up, wake up, go out, come back, look for, look after, turn on/off, put on, take off, pick up, find out, give up, fill in, set up, run out of.
Some can be separated: Turn off the TV / Turn the TV off. With a pronoun, the pronoun goes in the middle: Turn it off (not Turn off it). Others can’t be separated: look for, look after: I’m looking for my keys.
In informal English, phrasal verbs are more natural than formal verbs: find out (discover), go on (continue), put off (postpone).
| Phrasal verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| look for | search for |
| look after | take care of |
| find out | discover |
| give up | stop trying / stop a habit |
| turn on / off | start / stop a machine |
| put on / take off | start / stop wearing |
| run out of | have no more |
| fill in | complete a form |
Examples
- Could you turn the music down, please?
- I’m looking for a new job.
- She gave up smoking last year.
- We’ve run out of coffee.
Vocabulary
look after
take care of
“She looks after her little brother.”
find out
discover information
give up
stop doing something
pick up
collect; lift
put off
postpone; do later
Practice
Can you ___ my cat while I’m away?
Speaking
Describe your morning routine and a typical week using at least eight phrasal verbs (get up, put on, go out, look for…).
Writing
Write a short story (60–80 words) using at least six phrasal verbs from this lesson.
Lesson quiz
Don’t ___ — you can do it!
Review
Key points
- Phrasal verb = verb + particle with a new meaning.
- Separable: turn it off. Inseparable: look for it.
- Common in everyday English.
What you learned
- ✓ I know 20 everyday phrasal verbs.
- ✓ I can place objects correctly.
- ✓ I use them in sentences.