Content updated on 20 April 2026
Why do we say "give up," "look after," "turn down," and "run into"? These are phrasal verbs—combinations of a verb and a particle (preposition or adverb) that create a new meaning. Mastering phrasal verbs is essential for understanding everyday English, from casual conversation to formal writing. This lesson for Class 9–10 students explores the most common phrasal verbs, explains separable and inseparable types, and clarifies the difference between phrasal verbs and verb phrases.
✅ Recommended for: Class 9-10 (Advanced) | CBSE & UP Board
(Click any topic to jump straight to that section)
Phrasal verbs are everywhere in English. Native speakers use them constantly—often without realising it. For learners, they can be tricky because the meaning of the whole phrase is often completely different from the meanings of the individual words. For instance, "give up" has nothing to do with handing something over; it means to stop trying. Let's demystify these essential expressions.
Example: "look" (เคฆेเคเคจा) + "after" (เคฌाเคฆ เคฎें) = "look after" (เคฆेเคเคญाเคฒ เคเคฐเคจा)
Verb Phrase: A main verb plus one or more helping (auxiliary) verbs.
Example: "She has been working hard."
What are Phrasal Verbs?
A phrasal verb is a multi-word verb consisting of a base verb and one or more particles (prepositions or adverbs). The particle changes the meaning of the verb, sometimes completely.
- give + up = stop doing something
- look + for = search
- turn + on = activate, start a device
- break + down = stop functioning (machine) or lose emotional control
Phrasal verbs are extremely common in informal English. In formal writing, single-word equivalents are often preferred (e.g., "tolerate" instead of "put up with"). However, understanding and using phrasal verbs is essential for reading comprehension, listening, and natural conversation.
Separable vs Inseparable Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs can be classified based on whether the object can come between the verb and the particle.
Separable Phrasal Verbs
With separable phrasal verbs, the object can go between the verb and the particle, especially if the object is a pronoun. If the object is a long noun phrase, it often comes after the particle.
- turn down (refuse): She turned down the offer. / She turned the offer down. / She turned it down. (Pronoun must go in the middle.)
- pick up (collect): I'll pick up the children. / I'll pick the children up. / I'll pick them up.
- put off (postpone): They put off the meeting. / They put the meeting off. / They put it off.
Rule: If the object is a pronoun (me, you, him, her, it, us, them), it must go between the verb and the particle. ❌ She turned down it. ✅ She turned it down.
Inseparable Phrasal Verbs
With inseparable phrasal verbs, the verb and particle cannot be separated by the object. The object always follows the particle.
- look after (take care of): She looks after her grandmother. / She looks after her. (Not: She looks her after.)
- run into (meet by chance): I ran into an old friend. / I ran into him.
- get over (recover from): He got over his illness. / He got over it.
- call on (visit): We called on our neighbours.
50 Most Common Phrasal Verbs (with Meanings & Examples)
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| ask for | request | She asked for a glass of water. | Inseparable |
| back up | support | My friends backed me up. | Separable |
| blow up | explode | The bomb blew up. | Intransitive |
| break down | stop working | The car broke down. | Intransitive |
| break up | end a relationship | They broke up last month. | Intransitive |
| bring up | raise (a child/topic) | She brought up the issue. / She brought it up. | Separable |
| call off | cancel | They called off the match. / They called it off. | Separable |
| call on | visit | We called on our relatives. | Inseparable |
| calm down | become calm | Calm down! Everything is fine. | Intransitive |
| carry out | perform, execute | They carried out the plan. | Separable |
| catch up | reach the same level | I need to catch up on my work. | Intransitive |
| check in | register (hotel/airport) | We checked in at 2 pm. | Intransitive |
| check out | leave a hotel; investigate | We checked out at noon. / Check out this website! | Separable (when transitive) |
| come across | find by chance | I came across an old photo. | Inseparable |
| come up with | think of (an idea) | She came up with a brilliant plan. | Inseparable |
| cut down on | reduce | You should cut down on sugar. | Inseparable |
| deal with | handle, manage | She knows how to deal with difficult customers. | Inseparable |
| drop off | deliver; fall asleep | I'll drop you off at the station. / She dropped off during the movie. | Separable / Intransitive |
| figure out | understand, solve | I can't figure out this puzzle. / I can't figure it out. | Separable |
| fill out | complete (a form) | Please fill out this form. / Fill it out. | Separable |
| find out | discover | I found out the truth. | Separable |
| get along with | have a good relationship | She gets along with everyone. | Inseparable |
| get over | recover from | He got over his cold quickly. | Inseparable |
| get rid of | eliminate, throw away | I need to get rid of these old clothes. | Inseparable |
| give away | reveal; donate | She gave away the secret. / She gave her old books away. | Separable |
| give in | surrender, yield | After hours of arguing, he finally gave in. | Intransitive |
| give up | stop trying | Don't give up! / She gave smoking up. | Separable / Intransitive |
| go on | continue; happen | Please go on with your story. / What's going on? | Intransitive |
| grow up | become an adult | I want to be a doctor when I grow up. | Intransitive |
| hang out | spend time casually | We hung out at the mall. | Intransitive |
| hold on | wait | Hold on a moment. | Intransitive |
| keep on | continue | She kept on talking. | Intransitive |
| let down | disappoint | I won't let you down. | Separable |
| look after | take care of | She looks after her younger brother. | Inseparable |
| look for | search | I am looking for my keys. | Inseparable |
| look forward to | anticipate with pleasure | I look forward to meeting you. | Inseparable |
| look up | search for information | Look up the word in the dictionary. / Look it up. | Separable |
| make up | invent; reconcile | He made up an excuse. / They made up after the fight. | Separable / Intransitive |
| pass away | die | Her grandfather passed away last year. | Intransitive |
| pick up | collect; learn | I'll pick you up at 6. / She picked up Spanish quickly. | Separable |
| put off | postpone | Don't put off your homework. / Don't put it off. | Separable |
| put up with | tolerate | I can't put up with this noise. | Inseparable |
| run into | meet by chance | I ran into my teacher at the market. | Inseparable |
| run out of | exhaust the supply | We ran out of milk. | Inseparable |
| set up | arrange, establish | They set up a new business. / They set it up. | Separable |
| show up | appear, arrive | He didn't show up for the meeting. | Intransitive |
| take after | resemble (a family member) | She takes after her mother. | Inseparable |
| take off | remove; depart (plane) | Take off your shoes. / The plane took off on time. | Separable / Intransitive |
| turn down | refuse; lower volume | She turned down the offer. / Turn the music down. | Separable |
| turn up | increase volume; appear | Turn up the TV. / He finally turned up. | Separable / Intransitive |
Verb Phrases vs Phrasal Verbs
Don't confuse phrasal verbs with verb phrases. A verb phrase is simply a main verb plus one or more auxiliary (helping) verbs. It does not create a new idiomatic meaning.
| Concept | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Phrasal Verb | Verb + Particle (adverb/preposition) = new meaning | She gave up smoking. (stopped) |
| Verb Phrase | Auxiliary + Main Verb | She has given him a gift. (Present Perfect) |
| Prepositional Verb | Verb + Preposition (inseparable) | She looked at the painting. (literal meaning) |
A verb phrase can contain a phrasal verb! Example: She has been looking after her grandmother. ("has been looking after" = verb phrase; "looking after" = phrasal verb)
Phrasal-Prepositional Verbs
Some verbs have both an adverb and a preposition. These are always inseparable and have an idiomatic meaning.
- put up with (tolerate): I can't put up with this behaviour.
- look forward to (anticipate): I look forward to hearing from you.
- come up with (think of): She came up with a great idea.
- get away with (escape punishment): He got away with cheating.
- run out of (exhaust supply): We ran out of petrol.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
| Wrong ❌ | Right ✅ | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| She turned down it. | She turned it down. | Pronoun must go between verb and particle. |
| I look my grandmother after. | I look after my grandmother. | 'Look after' is inseparable. |
| He gave up to smoke. | He gave up smoking. | Phrasal verb + gerund, not infinitive. |
| I'm looking forward to meet you. | I'm looking forward to meeting you. | 'To' is a preposition here; use gerund. |
| She picked up him. | She picked him up. | Pronoun between verb and particle. |
Solved Examples
Show Solution
Show Solution
Show Solution
Show Solution
Practice Questions
Show Answer
Show Answer
Show Answer
Show Answer
Show Answer
Why Phrasal Verbs Are Essential for Fluency
Phrasal verbs are a cornerstone of natural English. They appear in news articles, novels, movies, and everyday conversations. For CBSE and UP Board exams, phrasal verbs are frequently tested in gap‑filling, sentence completion, and vocabulary‑based questions. Regular exposure and practice will make them second nature. Continue your practice with the Verbs and Tenses Hub and explore Vocabulary Building for more word combinations.
- Worksheets Master Hub — Hundreds of practice sheets for every grammar topic.
- GPN Knowledge Hub — Exam strategies, time management, and revision tips.
- Hindi Grammar Hub — เคธเคฎ्เคชूเคฐ्เคฃ เคต्เคฏाเคเคฐเคฃ เคा เคธเคฐเคฒ เคเคฐ เคตिเคธ्เคคृเคค เค เคง्เคฏเคฏเคจ।
- Mathematics Hub — Step‑by‑step solutions to ace your math exams.
๐ Phrasal Verbs & Verb Phrases Worksheet
Test your knowledge of 50+ essential phrasal verbs with gap‑filling, sentence rewriting, and error correction exercises. Perfect for Class 9–10 board exam preparation.
Go to Phrasal Verbs & Verb Phrases Worksheet →Answer key included • Separable vs inseparable practice • Exam‑focused questions
