English Phrasal Verbs
A phrasal verb is a verb that is combined

with an adverb or a preposition. The combination creates a new meaning.
Phrasal verbs can be difficult to understand because their meaning is different than the original meaning of the verb by itself. Often, a phrasal verb has a figurative meaning.
Examples:
>Please “pick up” the mail. (Please collect or get the mail.)
>I “made up” a story for the newspaper article. (I wrote a fake story for the newspaper article.)
>He “fell for” her the first time he saw her. (He really liked her when he first saw her.)
>Who is “looking after” your dog while you are at work? (Who is feeding and walking your dog while you are at work?)
>He will “put it up” after he finishes. (He will place the object where it belongs.)
>I need to “catch up” on my work. (I need to finish some of my work.)
Study tip
Use a dictionary to learn the correct meanings of each phrasal verb. Phrasal verbs often have more than one meaning depending on how they are used in a sentence.
For example:
>Please “pick up” the mail. => Please collect the mail.
>Please “pick up” your room. => Please clean your room.
>She “broke down” after the funeral. => She cried after the funeral.
>My car “broke down” on the highway. => My car stopped working on the highway.

Using phrasal verbs when speaking and writing
Phrasal verbs are very common in informal language. You should avoid using phrasal verbs in formal language/writing.
Here are a few common phrasal verbs and possible formal verb choices. A sentence is included with each phrasal verb to show the context.
>check out (He is going to check out the room.) => investigate, examine, inspect
>get away with (The thief is going to get away with the crime.) => avoid punishment, escape.
>fix up (I am going to fix up a room for our guest.) => organize, arrange
>pick on (Don't pick on your brother.) => tease, bother, annoy, irritate
>turned down (She turned him down for a date.) => rejected