EvoEnglish

B1 Phrasal verbs — form, types, and core meanings

A verb + one or more particles (adverb/preposition) that work as a single unit: carry out, get on with, give in.
Meaning is often idiomatic (not the same as the base verb).

Type	Object?	Word order	Example
Intransitive	No object	—	The meeting is over. • Our car broke down.
Transitive, inseparable	Needs object	Verb + particle + object (even with pronouns)	deal with a problem / deal with it • get rid of it
Transitive, separable	Needs object	Verb + object + particle or verb + particle + object. Pronouns go in the middle.	carry out the plan = carry the plan out • carry it out (✓) not ✗ carry out it
Three-word verbs	Usually inseparable	Verb + particle + preposition + object	get on with your work • call for you at 7

Transport pattern: we get on/off buses, trains, planes; we get in/out of cars and taxis.

be over (intr.) — finished. The film is over at ten.
break down (intr.) — stop working / lose control emotionally. The lift broke down.
break in / break into (intr./tr.) — enter by force (usually to steal). They broke into a shop.
break up (with) (intr.) — end a relationship. They broke up last year.
bring up (tr., separable) — raise a child; often passive. She was brought up in Spain.
call for (sb) (3-word) — go to collect someone (BrE). I’ll call for you at 7. Also “demand/require”: This calls for action.
carry on (doing) (intr.) — continue. Carry on reading.
carry out (tr., separable) — perform/execute. The lab carried out tests. Passive common: The plan was carried out.
check out (of) (intr.) — leave a hotel after paying. We checked out at noon. Informal: “check out sth” = look at/examine.
come on! (intr.) — hurry/encourage; sometimes disbelief. Come on! You can do it!
cross out (tr., separable) — draw a line through. Cross it out.
cut up (tr., separable) — cut into pieces. Cut up the vegetables.
deal with (tr., inseparable) — give attention to / handle. I’ll deal with the emails.
depend on (tr., inseparable) — be decided/affected by; need support. It depends on the price. • She depends on her parents.
end up (intr.) — finally arrive/finish (often unexpectedly). Patterns: end up + -ing / in/at + place / as + noun. We ended up taking a taxi.

fill in (tr., separable) — complete a form. Fill in the blanks. AmE: often “fill out”.
fill up (tr./intr.) — make completely full. Fill up the tank.
find out (tr., separable) — discover/learn. I’ll find it out / I’ll find out the truth.
get along (with) (intr.) — have a friendly relationship. Do you get along with your neighbours?
get back (intr.) — return. What time did you get back?
get down (intr./tr.) — lower your body; also “write sth”: Get it down before you forget.
get in (intr.) — enter/arrive (often with difficulty or for transport). The train gets in at 6.
get off (intr.) — leave a bus/train/plane. We got off at the museum.
get on (with) (intr.) — start/continue doing; show progress; also board a bus/train. Let’s get on with the project. • How are you getting on?
get rid of (3-word, inseparable) — remove/eliminate. We must get rid of this old sofa.
give back (tr., separable) — return to the owner. Give it back to her.
give in (intr.) — surrender/stop resisting. They finally gave in. BrE also “give/hand in” = submit work: Give your forms in by Friday.
give out (tr., separable) — distribute. They gave out flyers. Also “stop working”: My torch gave out.

Pronoun position with separable verbs: ✓ carry it out / ✗ carry out it.
Using the wrong preposition: ✓ depend on / ✗ depend of.
Transport: ✓ get on/off a bus; ✓ get in/out of a car.
Register: come on! is informal; avoid in formal writing.
Spelling as nouns: many have hyphenated noun forms: a break-in, a break-up, the check-out time.

Many phrasal verbs have more than one meaning. The senses above are the core B1 meanings you’ll meet most often.