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In this article you will learn:

  • Phrasal Verbs
  • Prepositional Verbs
  • Particle Verbs
  • Important Phrasal Verbs for Competitive Exams

Exam Connect:

Important Phrasal Verbs are one of the most integral parts of the verbal ability section of English for Entrance Exams. Usually, a candidate gets a sentence where he/ she has to fill in the appropriate Phrasal Verb. Questions appear in the forms of:    

  • Fill in the blanks
  • Choose the right Option
Important Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal Verbs

A Phrasal Verb is a phrase constructed around a verb, that gives a different meaning than the individual parts of it. Important Phrasal Verbs contain two or three words, ideally a verb and a particle such as a preposition or an adverb. Consider the following sentence:

  • I ran into an old friend on the way here.

In the above-given sentence, the phrasal verb is ran into. It contains a verb and a particle and has a meaning that is different from its individual parts. It does not mean that the person “ran” into an old friend, but just that he/she met an old friend unexpectedly.

Prepositional Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include a preposition are known as prepositional verbs. An example of one of these Important Phrasal Verbs is given below:

  • Mina looks after her neighbor’s dog when he goes on vacation.

Here, the prepositional verb is looks after. It is a phrase that contains a verb and a preposition. Here the sentence does not mean that Mina literally looks at the dog, but instead, it means that she “takes care” of the dog for her neighbour when he goes on vacation.

Particle Verbs

Phrasal verbs that include a particle are also known as particle verbs. An example of one of these Important Phrasal Verbs is given below:

  • Raj was just heading out when he met Simran at the door.

Here, the particle verb is looks after. It is a phrase that contains a verb and a particle. Here the phrase means that Raj was “going out” when he met Simran at the door. It does not have anything to do with him using his head!

Important Phrasal Verbs for Competitive Exams

Important Phrasal Verbs along with their meanings that are often asked in competitive exams are given below in the box:

Important Phrasal VerbsMeaningExample
Account forTo explain the reason forThe government should account for everything that is happening in the country.
Ask afterTo make inquiries about the health of someoneRiya asked after Shyam, who had met with an accident the previous week.
Back outTo withdraw from something before completion/to fail to keep a promiseShe backed out of studying Important Phrasal Verbs at the last minute.
Break downTo stop workingMy computer broke down yesterday night.
Break outTo start suddenly(disease, war, taken up to, etc)The fire broke out in the kitchen.
Bring onTo cause to happenGandhi brought on a major change in the method of protest against the British.
Bring upTo raise/ to rear/ to increaseI was brought up by my grandparents.
Call on To visit a personVarna called on her yesterday.
Call offTo cancelThey are thinking about calling off the wedding.
Come acrossTo find (unexpectedly) or meet by chanceI came across the book yesterday at the store.
Count onTo depend on, to rely onRavi was counting on Important Phrasal Verbs questions of the exam to score some marks.
Deal withTo handleI cannot deal with the office work right now.
Die outTo get extinctThe fire died out after some time.
Figure outTo understandI couldn’t figure out what was happening.
Get away with To do something wrong or illegal without getting caught or punishedHe got away with the murder so easily.
Give awayTo distribute, to reveal, to betrayI heard that the president is giving away the prizes.
Give upTo leave, to stop doing something/to yieldGiving up is not an option in a competition.
Keep upTo maintainKeeping up with the news is difficult to do.
Let someone downTo disappoint someoneI do not want to let down my parents.
Live uptoTo live or act in accordance withI want to live up toverbs the expectations of my parents.
Look after Take care ofI can look after the baby for a short while.
Look forward toExpect with pleasureI look forward to meeting your parents.
Look intoInvestigateI will look into who drew the graffiti on the wall.
MakeoverConvert, redo, renovateRiya needs a complete makeover.
Move on To concentrate one’s other matter in recovering from a setback or difficultyI need to move on from the last term marks.
Pass awayTo dieMy grandmother passed away in March.
Put off To postpone/ to repel ( as from bad manners)I want to put off the exams as much as possible.
Run into Transform into/amount upto/to face/to meet by chanceI ran into an old friend at the market yesterday.
See off To take leave ofI will see you off at the gate.
Send forTo call, summonThe headmaster has sent for Vinaya.
Step downTo resign from a high postVimal decided to step down from the post of CEO.
Step inTo interveneI think I will have to step in for Madhur.
Taken abackTo be surprisedI was taken aback by Neha’s sudden change of mood.
Take after To resemble a close, older relativeI take after my mother.
Take overTo take responsibility for or control ofRaghu took over the post of CEO after Vimal stepped down.
Turn down To refuse or rejectI turned down his offer to give me a lift.
Important Phrasal Verbs

Important Phrasal Verbs Practice Test

Fill in the following sentences with appropriate phrasal verbs:

1. _________ the doctor immediately.

  1. Call in    B) Call on         C) Call at      D) None of the Above

Answer: A

Explanation: Call in is one of the important phrasal verbs which means “bring in”.

2.Priya ___________us yesterday.

  1. Called in    B) Called on         C) Called out      D) None of the Above

Answer: B

Explanation: Called on is one of the important phrasal verbs which means “visited”.

3. Vishnu’s grandmother cannot __________ past events.

  1. Bring up    B) Bring out         C) Call up      D) None of the Above

Answer: C

Explanation: Call up is one of the important phrasal verbs which means “remember”.

4. Riya was _________ by her grandparents.

  1. Brought out   B) Brought up         C) Brought about     D) None of the Above

Answer: B

Explanation: Brought up is one of the important phrasal verbs which means “raising someone”.

5. Mukesh Ambani is _______.

  1. Well off  B) Well in         C) Well of     D) None of the Above

Answer: A

Explanation: Well off is one of the important phrasal verbs which means “rich”.

Important Phrasal Verbs

English for Entrance Exams is generally an easy section for any entrance examinations, but the grammar part of it has always confused exam takers. Questions of the section conduct tests about the in-depth knowledge of a student in using the English Language. Hope this article was helpful to you in understanding the Important Phrasal Verbs section of entrance exams. All the best!

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