Phrasal verbs

Question 1

keep around

Answer 1

to continue to possess

Whether you rent or own your home, you should always keep a good toolkit around

Question 2

keep at

Answer 2

to continue to do or work on something

I kept at it and finally finished at three this morning

Question 3

keep away

Answer 3

to prevent from gaining access

I’ve told him to keep away, but he won’t listen

Question 4

tuck away

Answer 4

to hide

The sugar is tucked away on the top shelf

Question 5

phase something out

Answer 5

to gradually stop using something

The airlines are phasing out any aircraft that is more than 20 years old

Question 6

take on

Answer 6

accept work or responsibility

he took me on as an apprentice

Question 7

add up

Answer 7

putting all the facts together

I’m afraid all the evidence adds up, he’s completely guilty of the crime

Question 8

stand around

Answer 8

to stand without doing anything

People were standing around waiting to get inside the theater

Question 9

draw out

Answer 9

make something last longer

It was long and drawn out, I hated the lecture

Question 10

pull out

Answer 10

withdraw from an undertaking

Tom isn’t fit, I think he will pull out of the competition

Question 11

lay off

Answer 11

discharge a worker temporarily or permanently because of a shortage of work

Bradley’s layed off 100 workers today at the plant

Question 12

find out

Answer 12

discover a fact or piece of information

She found out that he had been seeing another woman

Question 13

make out

Answer 13

to pretend, put on an act

Karl made out to be a consultant, but he was really a fraud

Question 14

make off

Answer 14

leave hurriedly, especially in order to avoid duty or punishment

Stop that thief! He’s making off with my wallet!

Question 15

stand down

Answer 15

withdraw or resign from a position or office

After 10 years as chairman, Mel has decided to stand down

Question 16

keep off

Answer 16

avoid encroaching on or touching something

I’ve kept off meat for one month and I can feel the difference

Question 17

back down

Answer 17

to admit that you were wrong or that you have been defeated

party leaders backed down and rescinded the resolution

Question 18

change over

Answer 18

exchange roles or duties with another person

we were allowed to split the night duty between us, changing over at 2 a.m

Question 19

look after

Answer 19

take care of someone or something

Meg is expected to come straight home from school and look after her younger sister

Question 20

throw up

Answer 20

vomit

I leaned over and threw up again

Question 21

play up

Answer 21

misbehave

I hadn’t had much sleep—the kids had been playing up

Question 22

feel up to something

Answer 22

to have the energy to do something

I don’t feel up to going out tonight

Question 23

set up

Answer 23

establish a business, institution, or other organization

she set up the business with a £4,000 bank loan

Question 24

play down

Answer 24

to make something seem less important than or not as bad as it really is

The doctor tried to play down the seriousness of my father’s illness, but we weren’t fooled

Question 25

stand about

Answer 25

waiting around in the same place

They were standing about for ages during the system outage

Question 26

stand for

Answer 26

If one or more letters stand for a word or name, they are the first letter or letters of that word or name and they represent it

In other words the letters stand for building,
antennae, span and earth, all of which you can
jump from.

Question 27

bear out

Answer 27

confirm

A theory borne out by data

Question 28

prop up

Answer 28

stop something falling using something else

Alice had propped herself up with pillows so she could read in bed

Question 29

lap up

Answer 29

to accept or receive something with great pleasure, without thinking about whether it is good, true or sincere

It’s a terrible movie but audiences everywhere are lapping it up

Question 30

take a punt

Answer 30

To make an attempt at; to try.

John’s taking a punt at writing for an online magazine

Question 31

Stress out

Answer 31

To feel worried because of too much work or pressure

I was really stressed out before finals

Question 32

Burn out

Answer 32

Ruin one’s health through overwork

Doing one task for too long can cause you to burn out

Question 33

Drag by

Answer 33

If time drags by it seems to pass very slowly

The last few weeks of the summer really dragged by

Question 34

Cut corners

Answer 34

to do something in the easiest, cheapest, or fastest way

I don’t like to cut corners when I have company for dinner

Question 35

Slip by

Answer 35

if time or an opportunity slips by, it passes and you fail to use it or to gain an advantage from it

I had the chance to switch jobs, but I let it slip by.