Phrasal verbs 2:
verbs with prepositions
Phrasal verbs are idiomatic expressions that combine verbs and prepositions or adverbs ad prepositions..
Also called verb prepositions or prepositional verbs, these constructions typically combine verbs such as: go, come, take, bring, get etc with prepositions such as: into, up, down, away and through etc to describe events.
Phrasal verbs often appear in place of the full verb and may provide a similar meaning.
For example, typical phrasal verb constructions come down / go down are seen to replace the verbs fall, drop or descend.
Children! Could you come down (from your room) for your supper, it’s ready! Ok mum, we’re coming!
The Phrasal verb is often more accessible than the full verb.
Who’s picking your parents up (retrieve) from the airport tonight? You are. Oh!
look up – research
Look up the word ‘Excellent’ in the dictionary please. What does it mean?
find out – research / discover
We need to find out if our competitors are better financed than we are.
fall over – tumble
fall down – descend to lower level
It had snowed all night. I fell over on the ice this morning and my car keys fell down a hole.
take away – remove
Would you mind taking my plate away please.
go on – to continue
Sorry for the interruption, please go on with what you were saying.
Hhold on / hang on – continue to hold / wait (time)
Hold on / Hang on, just let me get my coat, I’ll come with you to the station.
look for – search / seek
My car keys were here, could you help me look for them? Here they are. Thank you.
put down – place / pose
Thanks for helping me with my shopping young man, you can put it down over there on the table.
set up – to establish
I am setting up a new company, I set one up last year but it collapsed.
come up – unexpected circumstance occurs / find a solution
Something has come up at work and I need to come up with a solution, and quickly.
deal with – manage a situation
We have so many issues to deal with. Which do you think we should deal with first?
go down / up (decrease / increase / rise / fall)
Sales always go down / up at this time of year.