Phrasal verbs and their formal equivalents
Know when to use phrasal verbs and when to use their formal one-word equivalents: find out → discover, put off → postpone, set up → establish.
In this lesson you will
- Match phrasal verbs with formal equivalents
- Choose the right form for register
- Avoid over-formal speech
Learn
Phrasal verbs are natural in speech and informal writing. Formal writing often prefers a single Latinate verb: find out → discover/ascertain; put off → postpone; set up → establish; look into → investigate; go up → increase/rise; cut down on → reduce.
More pairs: carry out → conduct/perform; point out → indicate/note; come up with → devise/propose; turn down → reject/decline; bring about → cause/effect; make up → constitute; go on → continue; leave out → omit.
Not every phrasal verb is informal. Carry out, point out, set out and account for are common in academic writing.
Don’t over-formalise speech: Shall we postpone the meeting? is fine, but I shall ascertain whether the shop has commenced trading sounds odd in conversation.
Examples
- Informal: We need to find out why sales went down. / Formal: We need to establish why sales declined.
- The committee decided to postpone the vote.
- Women make up 52% of the workforce. → Women constitute 52% of the workforce.
- Researchers carried out a survey.
Vocabulary
ascertain
find out (very formal)
constitute
make up, form
devise
invent or plan
omit
leave out
decline
politely refuse / go down
Practice
Formal equivalent of “put off”:
Speaking
Explain a work process informally to a friend (phrasal verbs), then formally to a board (single verbs).
Writing
Rewrite an informal project update (write it first, 60–80 words) in formal style (100–120 words), replacing at least six phrasal verbs.
Lesson quiz
“Find out” (very formal):
Review
Key points
- find out → discover/ascertain; put off → postpone.
- set up → establish; look into → investigate.
- Some phrasal verbs are fine in academic writing.
- Don’t over-formalise speech.
What you learned
- ✓ I know formal equivalents.
- ✓ I choose by register.
- ✓ I sound natural in speech and precise in writing.