Magnolia formation on Little Manatee River in Florida

Activities: “What are phrasal verbs and how to use them?”

By: Stacey Shim Christensen
Associated Articles

These activities are part of our English Grammar series. The skills we are practicing here are covered in our article:

Activity 1: Make a sentence

Match the sentence halves together to complete the phrasal verbs.

in to the school website.
to my sister.
back from her trip to Europe?
on a jacket.
over on the ice.
away your garbage in that bin.
down before the plane takes off.
up the volume so I can hear.
out this book from the library.
off your shoes before entering the house.

  1. Please turn

  2. I’d like to check

  3. If you are cold, put

  4. You can throw

  5. I couldn’t sign

  6. When is your mom coming

  7. Please take

  8. That purse belongs

  9. Please sit

  10. Try not to fall

Activity 2: Fill in the blanks

Choose the best preposition / adverb from the box to complete each sentence. One word can be used multiple times.

along
away
back
down
in
off
on
out
over
up

  1. Their plane gets at 2:00 p.m.

  2. Let’s get from the city and relax at the beach.

  3. Getting the loss of a loved one takes time.

  4. Mary is well-liked at work. She gets with everyone.

  5. We like to go to eat every Friday.

  6. I go to visit my hometown every summer.

    7. A few other options are possible here, including go away, go off, or go up, but in this context go back is by far the most likely.

  7. Put your toys before dinner.

    8. Also possible, though less likely: put your toys backor put your toys down

  8. Where are your shoes? Can you put them before going out?

  9. Steve had to put with his son’s constant complaining.

  10. If you are too hot, go ahead and take your sweater.

  11. There is too much information and it is hard to take it all

    12. ...take it all down is acceptable if you are trying to write the information.

  12. Mary turned the job offer because the salary was too low.

  13. Please keep your phone turned during the show.

Activity 3: Separable or inseparable?

Answer the following questions using pronouns and information given in parentheses as shown in the example.

ex: When will he pick up his daughter? (after school)

He will pick her up after school.

  • When will you take out the trash? (tonight)

  • Where can I put my bag down? (on the table)

  • Who will look after your aging grandparents? (my parents)

  • When will you put your clothes away? (after dinner)

  • Do you call your parents often? (yes, every weekend)

  • How long can I check this book out? (for two weeks)

  • When do I need to go over the chapter? (by next class)

  • When do I need to hand in my assignment? (by Saturday)

  • How long will you put up with the loud music? (Not any longer)

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