Perfect English Grammar Login Contact Courses Membership Speaking Explanations Exercises Method

Phrasal Verbs List 2

Perfect English Grammar

Phrasal Verbs 2

Download this explanation in PDF here.
Try an exercise about these phrasal verbs here.

This list is the second fifteen of the list of 150 most common phrasal verbs made by the linguists Mélodie Garnier and Norbert Schmitt. You can see the full list here.

You can see all my pages about phrasal verbs here.

16. GIVE UP = stop having or doing
  • She has finally given up smoking.
  • I had to give up coffee when I was ill.
  • He gave up chocolate for a month.
17. MAKE UP = be the parts that form something (often used in the passive with 'of')
  • Women make up 46% of the employees here.
  • This class is made up entirely of boys.
  • People who can speak English make up a quarter of the world's population.
18. END UP = finally do or be something, especially when you don't expect it
  • We ended up going back home because it was raining so hard.
  • They ended up passing the last exam, even though they failed all the other exams.
  • Be careful! You'll end up without a job if you are rude to your boss.
19. GET BACK = arrive somewhere again, especially your home (+ to + place)
  • She got back to Paris last night.
  • What time did you get back yesterday?
  • We got back very late because the train was delayed.
20. LOOK UP = raise your eyes
  • She looked up from her computer and asked a question.
  • I called his name, but he didn't look up.
  • John looked up from his book when Julie came in.
21. FIGURE OUT = think about until you understand / plan (more common in USA)
  • Let's figure out how we can get to London very early in the morning.
  • She couldn't figure out why he had left.
  • He finally figured out that the cat must have broken the plate.
22. SIT DOWN = change from standing to sitting
  • Do please sit down.
  • She sat down and took out her book.
  • The children sat down in rows and crossed their legs.
23. GET UP = change from lying or sitting to standing (more casual than 'stand up')
  • She got up when we arrived (= she was sitting and she stood up).
  • I don't want to get up. It's so comfortable sitting here.
  • What are you doing on the floor? Get up!
24. TAKE OUT = remove from a container (+ of before a noun)
  • She took the letter out of the envelope.
  • I'll take the sweets out of the box and put them under the Christmas tree now.
  • He took his clothes out of the suitcase and put them away in the wardrobe.
25. COME ON = we say this to encourage someone to go faster or try harder
  • Come on! You're going to be left behind.
  • Come on, don't worry. It's all going to be fine.
  • She kept telling me to come on, but I was already going as fast as I could.
26. GO DOWN = move to a lower place (+ to + place)
  • She started to go down the stairs.
  • We went down to the café and bought some coffee.
  • Let's go down to the cellar and see if we can find those books.
27. SHOW UP = arrive at or come to an event / meeting (especially if there's something surprising)
  • We all went to the party, but Lucy didn't show up.
  • He showed up at the meeting two hours late. Julie was very angry.
  • I wonder if John's going to show up today. He didn't come last time.
28. TAKE OFF = remove clothes or jewellery
  • I took off my coat because it was very hot.
  • She always takes off all her rings before she goes to bed.
  • Is it okay to take off my shoes?
29. WORK OUT = think about until you understand / plan (more common in UK)
  • We need to work out how to get to the wedding.
  • She couldn't work out how the bird had got into the living room.
  • I don't know why the car won't start but I'll work it out.
30. STAND UP = change from lying or sitting to standing (less casual than 'get up')
  • Please stand up when the queen comes in.
  • She finished her coffee, stood up, and left the restaurant.
  • He stood up to let an old man have his seat.
Try an exercise about these phrasal verbs here.