Phrasal Verbs Quick Table
🎒 Teaching an 11–18-year-old? Read the young-learner edition →
Here's the thing — the same small word (up, out, off) can bend a verb's meaning a dozen different ways, and the three families of multi-word verb don't all behave alike. This is your sixty-second map, grouped by particle. Every row points home to the pillar that actually teaches it; nothing here re-teaches the rule.
Home links: P4 = The Verb System (verb patterns & multi-word verbs) · P2 = Prepositions · P8 = Word choice & regional vocabulary · Index = Master UK/US Index.
The three families at a glance
| Family | Shape | Example | Separable? | Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phrasal verb | verb + adverb particle | turn the light off | often yes | P4 |
| Prepositional verb | verb + preposition + object | look after the baby | no | P2 · P4 |
| Phrasal-prepositional verb | verb + particle + preposition | put up with the noise | no | P4 |
A dash (—) in a UK/US column means both varieties share the item freely. No invented divergences — a blank is honest.
Grouped by particle
UP
| Verb | Gloss | Family | UK/US | Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| give up | stop trying, surrender | phrasal | — | P4 |
| pick up | lift, collect, learn casually | phrasal | — | P4 · P8 |
| set up | establish, arrange | phrasal | — | P4 |
| bring up | raise (a child, a topic) | phrasal | — | P4 |
| look up | search for (information) | phrasal | — | P4 |
| make up | invent, reconcile | phrasal | — | P4 · P8 |
| end up | arrive eventually | phrasal | — | P4 |
| come up | arise, approach | phrasal | — | P4 |
| grow up | become an adult | phrasal | — | P4 |
| turn up | arrive; increase | phrasal | — | P4 |
OUT
| Verb | Gloss | Family | UK/US | Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| find out | discover | phrasal | — | P4 |
| work out | solve; exercise; go well | phrasal | — | P4 · P8 |
| figure out | understand, solve | phrasal | freer, more frequent US | P4 · Index |
| point out | draw attention to | phrasal | — | P4 |
| carry out | perform, execute | phrasal | — | P4 |
| turn out | result, prove to be | phrasal | — | P4 |
| check out | investigate; leave a hotel | phrasal | US also = have a look at | P4 · Index |
| sort out | resolve, organise | phrasal | everyday BrE; US leans figure out / fix | P4 · P8 |
| run out of | exhaust the supply of | phrasal-prep | — | P4 |
| fill out | complete (a form) | phrasal | US fill out; strong BrE fill in | P4 · P8 |
OFF
| Verb | Gloss | Family | UK/US | Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| take off | remove; depart (aircraft); succeed | phrasal | — | P4 |
| put off | postpone; discourage | phrasal | — | P4 |
| turn off | switch off; repel | phrasal | — | P4 · P8 |
| call off | cancel | phrasal | — | P4 |
| set off | begin a journey; trigger | phrasal | — | P4 |
| show off | display boastfully | phrasal | — | P4 |
| go off | explode; spoil; leave | phrasal | go off (food) = spoil, everyday BrE | P4 · P8 |
| get off | leave (bus, train); finish work | phrasal | — | P4 |
| write off | cancel (debt, vehicle); dismiss | phrasal | — | P4 · P8 |
| pay off | settle a debt; prove worthwhile | phrasal | — | P4 |
ON
| Verb | Gloss | Family | UK/US | Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| put on | wear; stage (a show) | phrasal | — | P4 |
| turn on | switch on; attract | phrasal | — | P4 · P8 |
| carry on | continue | phrasal | everyday BrE for continue | P4 · Index |
| go on | continue; happen | phrasal | — | P4 |
| get on | board; make progress; get along | phrasal | get on = get along, BrE flavour | P4 · Index |
| keep on | continue (often persistently) | phrasal | — | P4 |
| hold on | wait; grip | phrasal | — | P4 |
| rely on | depend on | prepositional | — | P2 · P4 |
| count on | trust, depend on | prepositional | — | P2 · P4 |
| focus on | concentrate on | prepositional | — | P2 · P4 |
DOWN
| Verb | Gloss | Family | UK/US | Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| break down | stop working; collapse; analyse | phrasal | — | P4 · P8 |
| calm down | become less agitated | phrasal | — | P4 |
| turn down | reject; reduce (volume, heat) | phrasal | — | P4 |
| let down | disappoint | phrasal | — | P4 · P8 |
| write down | record in writing | phrasal | — | P4 |
| put down | lower; insult; euthanise (an animal) | phrasal | — | P4 · P8 |
| settle down | establish a home; quieten | phrasal | — | P4 |
| slow down | reduce speed | phrasal | — | P4 |
| shut down | close, stop operating | phrasal | — | P4 · P8 |
| cut down on | reduce | phrasal-prep | — | P4 |
BACK
| Verb | Gloss | Family | UK/US | Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| get back | return; retrieve | phrasal | — | P4 |
| call back | return a phone call | phrasal | — | P4 |
| pay back | repay; take revenge | phrasal | — | P4 |
| give back | return (something) | phrasal | — | P4 |
| come back | return | phrasal | — | P4 |
| hold back | restrain, withhold | phrasal | — | P4 |
| look back | reminisce | phrasal | — | P4 |
| back up | support; reverse; copy (data) | phrasal | — | P4 · P8 |
| answer back | reply rudely | phrasal | everyday BrE | P4 · Index |
| cut back on | reduce (spending) | phrasal-prep | — | P4 |
High-traffic phrasal-prepositional verbs
These three-word verbs behave as a single unit — you can't slide the object into the middle (put up with it ✓, put it up with ✗).
| Verb | Gloss | Home |
|---|---|---|
| put up with | tolerate | P4 |
| look forward to | anticipate with pleasure | P4 · P2 |
| get away with | escape punishment for | P4 |
| come up with | invent, produce (an idea) | P4 |
| look down on | regard as inferior | P4 |
| catch up with | reach; get the latest news from | P4 |
| keep up with | stay level with | P4 |
| run out of | exhaust the supply of | P4 |
UK / US at a glance
Not for memorising — just for the "is this British, American, or both?" moments. Each row is marked tendency (a strong preference) or variant (both genuinely used).
| Item | Note | Status | Home |
|---|---|---|---|
| ring up (= phone) | everyday BrE; US uses call | tendency | P8 · Index |
| sort out (= resolve) | everyday BrE; US leans figure out / fix | tendency | P8 · Index |
| fill in / fill out (a form) | fill in strong BrE, fill out more US | variant | P8 · Index |
| go off (food = spoil) | everyday BrE | tendency | P8 · Index |
| carry on (= continue) | everyday BrE | tendency | Index |
| answer back (= reply rudely) | everyday BrE | tendency | Index |
For vocabulary differences that aren't phrasal verbs, see P8 · Word choice & regional vocabulary and the Master UK/US Index.
Where to read the full teaching
- P4 · The Verb System — verb patterns, separable vs inseparable, and how multi-word verbs take objects.
- P2 · Parts of Speech: Prepositions — the building block behind prepositional verbs.
- P8 · Spelling, Morphology & Word Choice — confusables, regional vocabulary, and noun forms (breakdown, take-off, shutdown).
- Master UK/US Index — the full regional usage guide.
¶ Field Notes — free
A red pen in your inbox, weekly.
One email a week. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.