Most Common Phrasal Verbs

​Phrasal verbs 1

Phrasal verbs are very common in English, and should be learnt like any other item of English vocabulary. They may appear at any stage in the TOEIC®. The exercises on the next 3 pages give you practice in some of the most common and useful phrasal verbs.

Complete the sentences below with a phrasal verb comprising a verb and one or two particles from the box. The meaning of the phrasal verb is explained in parentheses at the end of each sentence. In some cases, you will need to change the form of the verb (eg, to past simple, present continuous, third-person 's', etc.).

against, away, call, come, cut, fill, do, end, forward, get, look, of, pull, run, subject.
go (x2)
off (x2)
out (x2)
through (x3)
to (x3)
up (x3)
with (x2)

Fill in the Blank

1. Prices are expected to _____ by 20% next year.

2. (to rise / increase)

Fill in the Blank

1. Unless we reduce the amount of energy we use, we'll _____ getting a huge bill at the end of the next quarter.

2. (to finish in a certain situation without wanting or intending to)

Fill in the Blank

We were in the middle of negotiations on the phone when we were suddenly _____.

1. (to have a phone call stopped before it is finished)

Fill in the Blank

When you _____ the application form, don't forget to include a daytime telephone number.

1. (to write information in the empty spaces on an official document)

Fill in the Blank

Unless we act soon, we'll __________ options.

(to have nothing left)

Fill in the Blank

When the chairman heard about the deal, he _____ it _____. (to decide not to do something)

Fill in the Blank

If the country decides to _____ customs inspections for goods from Canada, it may lead to the market being flooded with surplus goods.

(to get rid of something / remove something)

Fill in the Blank

The company was _____ a lot of very difficult questions regarding its operating methods.

(to make somebody or something experience something unpleasant)

Fill in the Blank

1. We had to _____ them the importance of keeping a proper filing system.

2. (to make someone understand – usually with difficulty – something important)

Fill in the Blank

A lot of companies complain that they often _____ unnecessary bureaucracy and red tape when dealing with foreign companies.

(to have to deal with something difficult, often without expecting it)

Fill in the Blank

The economic recession almost destroyed a lot of smaller businesses, but thanks to government funding, many are now _____.

(to recover)

Fill in the Blank

After looking carefully at the potential advantages and disadvantages of a merger, the directors eventually _____ it.

(to do something you have planned to do)

Fill in the Blank

We are very much _____ doing business with you.

(to be happy about something that will happen in the future)

​Phrasal verbs 2

Complete the phrasal verbs in bold below with appropriate particles (in, out, up, etc.). In each sentence, the particles you need are the same. Each of the phrasal verbs in number 10 needs 2 particles.

Fill in the Blank

1. We are counting ___ you for your support, and we are also relying ___ you to keep us informed of the latest developments, otherwise we are not sure we will be able to go ___ working with you.

Fill in the Blank

1. At the meeting, the manager pointed ___ that after he had worked ___ the overall cost of the project, he had figured ___ we would need to pull ___ of the deal.

Fill in the Blank

1. While attempting to set ___ its Miami department and build ___ its customer base in the area, the company ran ___ debts of almost $20 million.

Fill in the Blank

1. Global Travel Ltd cannot afford to put ___ the issue of redundancy any longer: the international economic recession has set ___ a series of problems, and the travel industry has come ___ particularly badly.

Fill in the Blank

1. Before AVC Motors took ___ the running of Varsie's Autos, it went ___ its list of assets very carefully, but it failed to look ___ the business premises.

Fill in the Blank

1. When management-union talks broke ___ and the production lines had to be shut ___ as a result, the people who had worked so hard to make the negotiations a success felt they had been badly let ___.

Fill in the Blank

1. During the union dispute, the management said that they would rather hand ___ their notice than give ___ to union demands, but in the end they decided to call ___ an independent arbitrator to deal with the unrest.

Fill in the Blank

1. If enough people show ___ at tomorrow's meeting, I would like to bring ___ the subject of pay increases: business has picked ___ a lot recently, and I think it is only fair that our staff our rewarded.

Fill in the Blank

1. The company ran ___ some unexpected financial difficulties, and when the accounts department looked ___ the problem carefully, they discovered that a computer hacker had broken ___ their files and stolen almost $2 million.

Fill in the Blank

1. In order to catch ___ ___ our competitors and keep ___ ___ market developments, we will need to put ___ ___ increased production costs.

Now try using the phrasal verbs above in some of your own sentences.

Make sure you use the phrasal verb in its correct form, paying particular attention to the tense of your sentence (for example, present continuous, past simple, present perfect, etc.).

Don't forget to keep a written record of any new phrasal verbs you learn, and try to review and use them regularly so that they become an active part of your vocabulary.

Phrasal verbs 3

Each of the following paragraphs uses 4 phrasal verbs in bold. However, one phrasal verb in each paragraph is incorrect because the wrong particle (in, out, on, etc.) has been used. Identify and correct that particle in each case.

Fill in the Blank

1. I came across the plans while I was going up some old files. I wanted to throw them out, but my boss told me to hold on to them in case they might be useful in the future.

Fill in the Blank

1. The flight departure was held up because a group of tourists were late checking into, and by the time we eventually took off, it was getting on for 11 o'clock.

Fill in the Blank

1. We need to tighten up security in the workplace, so over the next few months a series of new security measures will be gradually phased in. We're bringing in a firm who specialise in this field, and we're hoping they will come up to a workable program

Fill in the Blank

1. The company is looking into the possibility of opening a department in China to deal with the growing market for our products in the country. If we go ahead with this, we will then need to build about a reliable network of suppliers and carriers in the region.

Fill in the Blank

1. We might have to face up to the fact that the deal with Automart might fall up. I've asked the committee to check out other options available to us if this happens, but we might have to fall back on our original plan.

Fill in the Blank

1. The company is going to bring apart some of the best minds in the industry to carry out a survey looking at the possibility of expanding the company into Europe. They will then put together a series of measures and options available to us. Our main concern at the moment is how to get round the inevitable bureaucracy that will be involved.

Fill in the Blank

1. I expect there will be a few problems, but these can probably be smoothed out without much difficulty. I must put across to everyone my view that we have no intention of dropping in of the project at this stage, and I suggest we go about this exciting challenge with enthusiasm and determination.

Fill in the Blank

1. Because of economic difficulties, the company has come under severe financial pressure. This means that we need to cut back on staff in several departments, and so over the next two years, several positions will be gradually phased out. The unfortunate task of informing those who will have to leave falls for Ms. Bailey, our Human Resources manager.

Fill in the Blank

1. We hold regular staff training and development sessions after work which all employees have to take part in. Nobody can opt out of these unless they have work commitments. And the management become very suspicious if employees try to get out of any of the sessions by suddenly coming through with mystery 'illnesses'!

Fill in the Blank

1. Although he came in a lot of money when his father died, he decided to carry on working for the company. He enjoyed his work so much that he turned down the offer of promotion. However, he decided to leave when he fell out with his boss over plans to make several of his colleagues redundant.

Fill in the Blank

1. The staff all look up to the company Director: he's efficient, he's approachable and he's friendly. He looks after them like they were his own children, and is always happy to sort out any problems that they might have. In that respect, he takes to his father, who started the company in 1987.

Fill in the Blank

1. When she didn't turn round for work for the third day in a row, we decided to find out what the problem was. It turned out that she was unhappy in her job because she felt the boss was always picking on her and making her life difficult.