10 Common English Phrasal Verbs You Need to Know

 

Introduction:

Phrasal verbs are essential to mastering English fluency. 

They are combinations of verbs and prepositions or adverbs that take on new meanings. 

Whether you're a beginner or an advanced learner, understanding and using common phrasal verbs can significantly improve your communication. 

In this article, we will explore 10 of the most frequently used English phrasal verbs, explain their meanings, and show you how to use them in everyday situations.

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1. Break down

Meaning: To stop working or to collapse.
Example:

• My car broke down on the way to work yesterday.

• She broke down in tears after hearing the news.

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2. Look after

Meaning: To take care of someone or something.
Example:

• Can you look after my dog while I'm away?

• She has to look after her elderly mother.

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3. Take off

Meaning: To rise into the air or to become successful.
Example:

• The plane will take off in a few minutes.

• His career really took off after the promotion.

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4. Turn up

Meaning: To appear or arrive.
Example:

• I didn’t think she would turn up to the party, but she did.

• He turned up late to the meeting again.

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5. Give up

Meaning: To stop trying or to surrender.
Example:

• Don’t give up on your dreams!

• She gave up trying to convince him.

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6. Set up

Meaning: To arrange or organize something.
Example:

• We need to set up the meeting room before the guests arrive.

• He set up a new business last year.

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7. Pick up

Meaning: To lift something or to learn something new.
Example:

• I need to pick up some groceries after work.

• He picked up Spanish while living in Madrid.

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8. Call off

Meaning: To cancel something.
Example:

• They called off the meeting because of the bad weather.

• The match was called off due to rain.

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9. Run out of

Meaning: To have no more of something.
Example:

• We ran out of milk, so I need to go buy some.

• I’ve run out of ideas for my next blog post!

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10. Come across

Meaning: To find or meet something or someone by chance.
Example:

• I came across an interesting article about phrasal verbs today.

• She came across an old friend in the supermarket.

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Conclusion:

Mastering common English phrasal verbs is key to speaking and understanding natural English. 

These 10 phrasal verbs will help you communicate more effectively in everyday situations. 

Make sure to practice using them in conversations to get more comfortable.

The more you practice, the more fluent you will become!

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