Phrasal Verbs Flashcards
Brush up ON something
Practise and improve your skills or knowledge of something
I thought I’d brush up (on) my French before going to Paris.
Come (a)round to
Change your opinion or decision because someone has persuaded you to agree with them
Example: He’ll come round to my point of view, given a bit of time.
Come up with
Think of something such as an idea or a plan
Example: Gavin came up with the idea OF dividing the rooms in half.
Face up to
Accept something and try to deal with it
Example: She’s going to have to face up to the fact that he’s not going to marry her.
Figure out
Be able to understand something or solve a problem
Example: If they know the cause of the problem, they might be able to figure out how to prevent it happening again.
Hit upon/on something
Suddenly have an idea; discover something by chance
Example: When we first hit on the idea, everyone told us it would never work.
Make out
See, hear or understand someone or something with difficulty
Example: I couldn’t make out what he said.
To deal with a situation, usually in a successful way
Example: How is Frances making out in her new job?
Mull over
Think carefully about something for a long period of time
Think over
Example: I need a few days to mull things over before I decide.
Piece together
Learn the truth about something by considering all the separate bits of information you have
Example: Investigators are trying to piece together what happened just before the accident.
Puzzle out
Figure out
Example: I still can’t puzzle out how I managed to spend so much money last month.
Read up on/about something
Get information
Example: It’s a good idea to read up on a company before going for an interview.
Swot up on
To learn as much as you can about a subject
Example: She’s at home, swotting up on her maths.
Take in
Understand and remember something that you hear or read
Accept something as true
Think something over
Consider the facts about something in a thorough way
Example: I need some time to think over his proposal.
Example: I said she could come and live with us, and she said she’d think it over.
Think something up
Invent or imagine something, especially, especially an excuse
Example: I don’t want to go tonight but I can’t think up a good excuse.
Go up
To increase
Example: House prices in our neighborhood have gone up significantly, so we’re thinking of selling.
To walk over or up to something
Example: I went up the east coast, up to Frasier Island which is a world heritage site.
Close up
To shut and lock something such as a shop or a building, especially for a short period of time
Catch up
To talk with someone you know in order to exchange news or information
Example: By the time coffee came, R.J. and Angelo had caught up a little bit.
To reach the same quality or standard as someone or something else
Example: Will Western industry ever catch up with Japanese innovations?
Put on
To add or increase an amount or action
Example: I put on weight when I went away to college.
Example: The school puts a lot of emphasis on music and art.
To move something you wear onto your body
Example: Put your shoes on.
To do an activity, especially one that others can watch
Example: The second graders want to put a play on.
Make up
To forgive someone
Example: They kissed and made up, as usual
Stand around
To spend time standing somewhere and doing very little
Example: We stood around in the cold for about an hour, waiting for the demo to start.
Finish off
To complete a task
Example: Can you finish off washing the dishes?
Come up
(of an issue, situation, or problem) occur or present itself, especially unexpectedly.
Example: Even the little squabbles that tend to come up seem to be solved fairly quickly.
(of a specified time or event) approach or draw near.
Example: She’s got exams coming up
Go along
To agree or be willing to accept something
Example: We got here and the Brits had taken one half of the apartment and so we Americans moved into the other half and have gotten along brilliantly.
Look out
To watch what is happening and be careful
Example: The police have warned shopkeepers to look out for forged notes.
Put something across
To express your ideas and opinions clearly so that people understand them easily
Example: It’s an interesting idea and I thought he put it across well.
Send off
To post a letter
Example: I must send this letter off today otherwise it won’t get there in time.
Think through
Consider the facts about something in an organised and thorough way
Spread out
To cover a larger area
If people spread out, they move from being close together in a group to being in different places across a larger area:
Example: Soldiers spread out among trees.
Get along
To deal with a situation, usually successfully
Example: I wonder how Michael is getting along in his new job?
