Guide to Phrasal Verbs – TOEIC® Preparation
Flow Exam team
A phrasal verb (also called a particle verb) combines a base verb with a complementary element (typically up, out, in, off, on, over, away, among others). For illustration, "to look" translates to "regarder" (to look), whereas "to look after" means "prendre soin de / surveiller" (to take care of / supervise) and "to look up to" means "avoir de l'admiration pour" (to admire).
These particles are critically important: they can either radically change the meaning of the initial verb or add a specific semantic coloring to it. Here is a characteristic illustration:
- To break: briser, casser (to shatter, to break)
- To break down: être en panne / s'effondrer psychologiquement (to break down / to collapse psychologically)
- To break in: s'introduire illégalement (to break in illegally)
- To break up: rompre (mettre fin à une relation amoureuse) (to break up (end a romantic relationship))
1. Formation Mechanism of Phrasal Verbs
The basic operation relies on a clear principle: a verb is combined with a particle. This particle can be:
- A preposition (in, on, at, by, after, for, etc.)
- To run into someone (croiser quelqu'un fortuitement) (to run into someone unexpectedly)
- An adverb (up, down, away, off, etc.)
- To sit down (prendre place) (to sit down)
- To go away (s'éloigner, quitter) (to go away, to leave)
In some cases, we encounter two successive particles, creating what are called phrasal-prepositional verbs.
- To put up with something (supporter quelque chose) (to put up with something) → the complete particle is "up with"
2. Main Classifications of Phrasal Verbs
A. Distinction Between Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
- Transitive: These verbs require a direct or indirect object
- To put out a fire (éteindre un incendie) (to put out a fire) → "a fire" constitutes the object
- To hand in an assignment (soumettre un travail) (to hand in an assignment) → "an assignment" is the complement
- Intransitive: These verbs function without an object
- To break down (connaître une panne) (to break down) → no complement necessary
- To go away (partir) (to go away) → the verb suffices on its own
The COD (Direct Object) completes the verb without an intermediate preposition. To identify it, ask the question "what?" or "whom?" after the verb. → I read a book. → I read WHAT? a bookThe COI (Indirect Object) requires a preposition (to, of, for, etc.). Identify it with "to what?", "to whom?", "of what?", etc. → I talk to my colleague. → I talk TO WHOM? to my colleague
Specific Rule for Pronouns
When the complement is a personal pronoun, it must mandatorily be inserted between the verb and the particle.
- ✅ I turned it off.❌ I turned off it.
- ✅ She picked him up.❌ She picked up him.
- ✅ Can you put it on?❌ Can you put on it?
B. Separable Versus Inseparable Verbs (Transitive Cases)
- Separable: The complement can be inserted between the verb and the particle, or follow the verb+particle unit
- To turn off the light = To turn the light off
The particle "off" can immediately follow "turn" or be positioned after "light"
- Turn off the computer = Turn the computer off (éteins l'ordinateur) (turn off the computer)
- Pick up the package = Pick the package up (récupère le colis) (pick up the package)
- Inseparable: The complement can never be inserted. It must systematically follow the complete particle
- To look after someone (veiller sur quelqu'un) (to look after someone)
- Impossible phrasing: « To look someone after »
- Correct phrasing: « I look after my niece every Tuesday »
- To look after someone (veiller sur quelqu'un) (to look after someone)
C. Double-Particle Verbs (Phrasal-Prepositional Verbs)
Certain constructions combine two particles, and the complement obligatorily follows the whole unit:
- To put up with something (endurer) (to put up with something (to endure))
- I can't put up with this behavior anymore!
- To look forward to something (attendre avec impatience) (to look forward to something (to await eagerly))
- I'm looking forward to summer vacation.
- To get on with someone (entretenir de bonnes relations avec) (to get on with someone (to maintain good relations with))
- She gets on with her manager exceptionally well.
4. Literal Versus Figurative Meaning
Phrasal verbs present either a literal meaning, relatively transparent based on the constituent elements, or an idiomatic meaning that significantly departs from the initial verb. This duality justifies systematic learning and memorization of frequent constructions.
- Relatively transparent meaning:
- To come in: pénétrer dans un lieu (logique : « venir » + « dedans ») (to come in: to enter a place (logical: "to come" + "inside"))
- To go out: quitter un espace (cohérence : « aller » + « dehors ») (to go out: to leave a space (coherent: "to go" + "outside"))
- Idiomatic meaning (hardly predictable):
- To bring up a topic: soulever un sujet, l'introduire dans l'échange (to bring up a topic: to raise a subject, to introduce it into the discussion)
- To bring up a child: éduquer un enfant (to bring up a child: to raise a child)
- To give up: renoncer, arrêter définitivement une activité (to give up: to renounce, to definitively stop an activity)
- To make up a story: fabriquer un récit, mentir (to make up a story: to fabricate a narrative, to lie)
- To take off: décoller (aviation), ou connaître un succès fulgurant (to take off: to take off (aviation), or to experience sudden success)
- Her business took off within months.
5. Repertoire of Essential Phrasal Verbs
Here is a selection of phrasal verbs that are particularly recurrent in the context of the TOEIC®:
| Phrasal Verb | Translation | Example of Use |
|---|---|---|
| Get up | To get out of bed | I get up at 6:30 AM on weekdays. |
| Wake up | To emerge from sleep | She wakes up early every morning. |
| Put on | To slip on (clothing) | He put on his coat before leaving. |
| Take off | To remove (clothing) / To depart (for a flight) | Take off your hat indoors. / The flight took off on time. |
| Look for | To search for | I'm looking for my wallet. |
| Look after | To take care of | Can you look after my dog this weekend? |
| Look up to | To respect, to admire | Many students look up to their professor. |
| Look forward to | To anticipate eagerly | We're looking forward to the conference. |
| Turn on / Turn off | To activate / To deactivate | Turn on the computer. / Turn off the lights. |
| Pick up | To grasp / To retrieve / To assimilate | Pick up that paper. / I'll pick you up at noon. / She picked up French quickly. |
| Give up | To renounce | Don't give up on your goals. |
| Bring up | To raise (a child) / To mention | He was brought up in the countryside. / She brought up an important point. |
| Catch up (with) | To reduce a delay / To join | I need to catch up on emails. / Walk ahead; I'll catch up with you. |
| Carry on | To continue | Please carry on with your presentation. |
| Run into | To meet by chance | I ran into my former colleague yesterday. |
| Hold on | To wait / To not hang up | Hold on a moment, please. |
| Find out | To discover a piece of information | I just found out that the meeting was canceled. |
| Work out | To solve / To exercise physically | We need to work out this conflict. / I work out every morning. |
| Throw away | To dispose of | Don't throw away those documents yet. |
| Sort out | To settle, to organize | Let's sort out the schedule for next week. |
| Give in | To yield, to surrender | After hours of negotiation, they gave in. |
| Call off | To cancel | The event was called off because of the storm. |
| Break down | To stop functioning (machine) / To collapse emotionally | The printer broke down again. / He broke down during the interview. |
| Break up | To end a relationship | They broke up last month. |
| Set up | To establish, to install | The team set up a new procedure. |
| Put up with | To tolerate | I can't put up with this attitude. |
| Take over | To assume control | A new manager will take over next quarter. |
| Back up | To save data / To support | Back up your data regularly. / I'll back you up in the meeting. |
| Come across | To discover by chance | I came across an old photo album. |
| Hang up | To end a call | She hung up without saying goodbye. |
| Go over | To review, to examine | Let's go over the contract one more time. |
| Turn down | To decline | He turned down the promotion. |
| Bring in | To introduce, to bring someone in | The firm brought in external consultants. |
| Run out of | To exhaust the supply of | We've run out of coffee. |
| Show up | To appear, to arrive | He showed up unexpectedly. |
| Make up | To invent / To reconcile | She made up an alibi. / They made up quickly after the fight. |
| Go through | To experience (a trial) | The company went through major restructuring. |
| Drop in | To visit informally | Feel free to drop in anytime. |
| Fall through | To fail, not to materialize | The deal fell through at the last minute. |
| Get in touch | To establish contact | Please get in touch with HR. |
| Keep up with | To maintain the pace | It's hard to keep up with all the changes. |
| Look up | To consult (dictionary, Internet) | I looked up the definition online. |
| Make up for | To compensate for | She tried to make up for the delay. |
| Narrow down | To restrict the options | We need to narrow down the list to five candidates. |
| Own up to | To admit, to confess | He owned up to the error. |
| Step down | To resign from a position | The director stepped down after the scandal. |
Conclusion
Phrasal verbs represent a fundamental component of mastering functional English, and appear massively in the Reading and Listening sections of the TOEIC®. Although they may initially seem complex due to their multiple meanings and their variable grammatical structure (separable or not, transitive or intransitive), regular practice allows for quick identification and confident use.
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