Common B2 Exam Phrasal Verbs Flashcards
Break down
to stop working
Our car broke down and we had to push it off the road.
Call off
to cancel sth
Tomorrow’s match has been called off because of the icy weather.
Carry on
to continue sth
- similar to get on
- carry on used for less emphasis
Let’s carry on this discussion at some other time.
Catch up with
to cause problems
His lies will catch up with him one day.
Come across sth
to encounter sth unexpectedly
He came across some of his old love letters in his wife’s desk.
Come down with
to start to suffer from an illness (especially not serious)
I think I’m coming down with a cold.
Come up with
to suggest or think an idea ( to think of)
She’s come up with some amazing scheme to double her income.
Count on sb
to rely on sb
You can always count on Michael in a crisis.
Cut down
to reduce
I’m trying to cut down on caffeine.
Deal with
To manage
She’s used to dealing with difficult customers.
Face up to
to accept
She’s going to have to face up to the fact that he’s not going to marry
Fall through
plans cancelled due to a reason
We found a buyer for our house, but then the sale fell through.
fit in (with)
To be accepted
His lifestyle doesn’t fit in with the group.
Get away (from)
- recommended -
to disconnect (usually work-related)
I just need to get away for a few days.
Get away (with)
to do sth without consequence
If I thought I could get away with it, I wouldn’t pay my taxes at all.
Get on (with)
to continue (with)
- similar to carry on
- get on used for more emphasis
Stop talking and get on with it.
Get over
to recover from
She was only just getting over the flu when she got a stomach bug.
Get round to
to do something as soon as you can because you are so busy
I’ll get round to it when I can.
Get together
to meet
Shall we get together on Friday and go for a drink or something?
Give up
to stop trying
I’ve given up trying to help her.
Go over
to examine sth carefully
to study sth
I’ve gone over the problem several times, but I can’t think of a solutio
Hand over
To give (documents)
We were ordered to hand over our passports.
Head for (sth)
to be in the direction of (sth)
They’re heading for disaster if they’re not careful.
Keep down
To reduce and mantain down (volume, voice, etc.)
We need to work hard to keep our prices down.
Keep up with
to continue being up to date
He’s never made an effort to keep up with current events.
Let down
To disappoint
When I was sent to prison, I really felt I had let my parents down.
Let off
To release sb
Instead of a prison sentence they were let off with a fine.
Live up to
to do as expected
The concert was brilliant - it lived up to all our expectations.
Look back
to think about sth that happened in the past
When I look back I can see where we went wrong.
Look forward to
to feel excited about sth
I’m really looking forward to my holiday.
Look into
to investigate
We’re looking into the possibility of merging the two departments.
Look out for
to watch and be careful
to search for and find something
The police have warned shopkeepers to look out for forged notes.
Look up to (sb)
to admire and respect (sb)
He’d always looked up to his uncle.
Make up for
to compensate
No amount of money can make up for the death of a child.
Miss out on (sb/sth)
to fail including (sb/sth)
You’ve missed out your address on the form.
Pay off
To give good results
To pay back money you owe
All her hard work paid off in the end, and she finally passed the exam.
Point out
to indicate
I feel I should point out how dangerous it is.
Put aside
to save
to stop allowing sth to affect you negatively
Let’s put our differences aside and make a fresh start.
Put off
to postpone
The meeting has been put off for a week.
Put up with
to accept and unpleasant situation or experience
They have a lot to put up with
Run into
to encounter sb unexpectedly
- same as bump into
They ran into a bear in the woods.
Run out (of)
to finish
I’ve run out of milk/money/ideas/patience.
Set up
to create or establish
She plans to set up her own business.
Stand out
DESTACAR
The black lettering really stands out on that orange background.
Stand up for
to defend sb/sth
It’s high time we all stood up for our rights around here.
Take after
to look like sb (in your family)
He takes after his mother/his mother’s side of the family.
Take off
to remove
to leave the ground (plane)
The plane took off at 8.30 a.m.
Take over
to get control
The company he works for has recently been taken over.
Take to
to start to like
He took to smoking a pipe.
Take up
to ocupate
to start doing sth
He’s taken up the position of supervisor.
Turn down
to reject
to diminish
He offered her a trip to Australia but she turned it/him down.
Turn out
to happen
As events turned out, we were right to have decided to leave early.
Turn to
to look for help or advice
She has nobody she can turn to.
Turn up
to arrive or appear somewhere (usually unexpectedly)
She turned up at my house late one night.
Watch out
to warn sb of danger
Watch out for thieves round here.
Work out
to calculate
to understand, to figure/find out
to exercise
to result
We need to work out the total cost of the project.
