PHRASAL VERBS EXERCISES

Exercise 1: Choose the best answers

1. There was a big snowstorm in California, which__________a lot of flights.
A. held up B. picked up C. took off D. hung up
2. Old people are often looked ______ by their children when they get older.
A. for B. up C. after D. into
3. Peter is disappointed at not getting the job, but he will ______ it soon.
A. take on B. get over C. go through D. come over
4. It’s reported that the Boeing 737-89P aircraft in Kunming but never
landed in Guangzhou as scheduled.
A. went on B. went off C. took off D. took on
5. In many big cities, people have to ______noise, overcrowding and bad air.
A. put up with B. put in for C. put up to D. put up for
6. Everyone knows about pollution problems, but not many people have _____ any solutions.
A. looked into B. come up with C. thought over D. got round to
7. As the managing director dictating the letter, his secretary ______ what he was saying in shorthand.
A. filled out B. took down C. set up D. put off
8. After his long absence from school he found it difficult to ___________ the rest of the class.
A. put up with B. run over C. catch up with D. keep track of
9. When he _________ from Jimmy as head of department last year, he had to deal with many financial
problems.
A. took on B. took over C. took up D. took in
10. She _______ her mother for many years up to the time of her death.
A. looked after B. got over C. took after D. went over
11. I was late for work because my alarm clock did not ______.
A. turn off B. put off C. send off D. go off
12. I applied for the job but was ______
A. taken away B. got over C. turned down D. turned off
13. More people in the cities should ______ cycling instead of using cars.
A. put up B. take up C. catch up D. keep up
14.While I was looking through my old albums the other day, I ______ this photograph of my parents
wedding.
A. took after B. made up C. turned down D. came across
15.I took your bag instead of mine ______ mistake.
A. on B. by C. with D. in
16.His business is going so fast that he must take ______ more workers.
A. up B. out C. over D. on
17. The fire alarm ______ because someone was smoking in the toilets
A. got up B. went on C. went off D. looked after
18. The Second World War _______ in 1939.
A. turned up B. took out C. brought about D. broke out
19. “We’d better_______ if we want to get there in time.”
A. take up B. put down C. speed up D. turn down
20. I could not _______the lecture at all. It was too difficult for me.
A. make off B. take in C. get along D. hold on
21. He is coming _______ a cold after a night out in the rain.
A. across with B. down with C. away from D. up with
22. It is very important for a firm or a company to keep _______ the changes in the market.
A. pace of B. track about C. touch with D. up with
23. The forecast has revealed that the world’s reserves of fossil fuel will have _______ by 2015.
A. taken over B. caught up C. used off D. run out
24. They said they would look_______ my dog while I was away.
A. after B. up C.over D. in
25. As soon as I got _______ the bus, I realised it was the wrong one.
A. in B. on C. up D. at
26. In order to process your application, we need you to fill _______this form.
A. in B. on C. to D. at
27. Can you look _______this document before I print it please?
A. up B. after C. for D. over
28. I had just gone to bed and was settling _______for the night when I heard a noise.
A. up B. on C. down D. after
29. My car was making a strange noise, so I pulled_______ to the side of the road to have a look under
the bonnet.
A. out B. of C. after D. over
30. I woke_______ late yesterday.
A. up B. off C. in D. on
31. She got_______ and made some tea.
A. over B. after C. up D. out
32. I’m looking _______ something but I can’t seem to find it.
A. into B. for C. after D. at
33. Sid gave _______smoking last year.
A. in B. away C. up D. out
34. Please can you ___ ‘teacher’ in the dictionary.
A. take over B. look into C. look up
35. ___ your books and listen to me.
A. Put away B. Lift up C. Put out
36. I need to ___ the use of the present perfect tense, I have a test tomorrow!
A. go out B. go over C. put up
37. Please ___ your sister while I’m at the shops.
A. look up B. take over C. look after
38. My daughter ___ her aunt, they have exactly the same mannerisms
A. goes out B. looks after C. takes after
39. I ___ at 6.30 every morning.
A. wake up B. wake on C. get out
40. ___ this form and come back when you have completed it.
A. Lift up B. Fill on C. Fill out
41. I just ___ that my brother is going to be a father!
A. took out B. found out C. search in
42. Henry ___ the phone! They just want to sell you something!
A. hang up B. catch up C. hang out
43. I can’t wait to ___ with my best friend. We haven’t seen each other for months!
A. catch on B. catch up C. lift on

Exercise 2: Choose phrasal verbs to fill in the gaps:

go on / pick up / come back / come up with / go back / find out / come out /
go out / point out / grow up / turn out / come in(to) / take on.

1. Could you ____________________________ (think of an idea) a better idea?

2. She __________________(showed / mentioned) that the stock rose as high as $16 in April.
3. I _______________________ (went to an event) for dinner with my colleagues last night.
4. He _________________________ (entered a place where the speaker is the kitchen and
made some tea.
5. George ____________________________ (become an adult) in a village.
6. As I arrived, he ____________________________ (appeared from a place) of the door.
7. She ______________________(got something from a place) some dinner on the way home.
8. At the end of the film, it ____________________________ (in the end we discovered) that
John was a good guy.
9. How are you ()__________ at your new job?
10. It took her a long time to __________ such a terrible accident.
Exercise 3:
1. He ( came up with/ came into/ went back) a solution.
2. Could you (point out/ find out/ turn out) what time we need to arrive?
3. Many children ( come up / come down/ come to) with an ear infection even before their first
birthday.
4. Most people (get up/ get out/ get over) a cold within two weeks.
5. I can’t wait to (get back/ get off/ get rid of) that ugly old couch.
6. I can’t believe who (drop out/ dropped in/ come in) on us last night.
7. He couldn’t (get along with/ get well/ get over) his mother-in-law.
8. I guess we need to (go over/ go through/ go up) the whole song a few more times.
9. She is glad they (look up to/ look down on/ look for) her.
10. I’m sorry, but you can’t (makeup/ made by/ marked down) that test you missed.

Exercise 4: Complete the sentences with suitable phrasal verbs

1. Could you ________________________this application form, please?
2. I’ll never talk to you again. We ________________________!
3. If you don’t ________________________, we can’t hear you.
4. I’m tired because I ________________________too late last night.
5. The plane ________________________ late because of the bad weather.
6. Let’s go to the airport to ________________________them ________________________
7. The plane doesn´t ________________________till 5 o´clock.
8. He was sleeping soundly when the alarm clock________________________
9. The meeting has been ________________________till next month.
10. Don’t forget to ________________________all the lights when you leave.

Exercise 5: Matching
1. put off a. cancel
2. call off b. switch off
3. look up c. postpone
4. go off d. continue
5. carry on e. explode
f. check
6. turn off

Exercise 6: Choose phrasal verb to complete the passage

check-in get on get off (x2)

break down take off turn back

John and David’s flight home from Amsterdam was at nine in the morning. They had arranged to meet
with John’s friend Mark at half-past six but Mark arrived at the hotel almost half an hour late – that,
however, was just the beginning of their problems. On the way from the hotel to the airport, their car (1)
_______________________ in the middle of a busy intersection, causing a traffic jam. Then, David
realized that he had left his mobile phone in the hotel, but it was too late for them to (2)
_______________________ When they arrived at the airport, they had just enough time to
(3)_______________________, go through passport control and security check and (4)
_______________________the plane. The plane (5)_______________________very shortly after that
and eight hours later, they landed in New York, but they couldn’t (6) _______________________ the
plane because there was a problem on the runway. They felt a jet lag and finally, forty-five minutes after
landing, they (7) _______________________

Exercise 7
1. Hi! Is Mr. Knight in? _______________________, I’ll call him.
2. Excuse me, could I _______________________this dress, please?
3. How are you _______________________at college?
 4. Are you still _______________________ with your tennis lessons?
5. It was a bit chilly, so she _______________________her jacket.
6. The kind of housework I hate most is _______________________
7. If he rings back, just _______________________
8. I didn’t know that word, so I _______________________ it_____________ in a dictionary.
9. Don’t _______________________ You can do it if you try hard.
10. When I _______________________in the middle of the night, I had some temperature.

Exercise 8
1. _______________________ your shoes. (remove)
2. Somebody has to _______________________ the baby. (take care of)
3. Does she want to _______________________the truth? (discover)
4. Where can I _______________________the sweater? (see if it fits)
5. _______________________ (be quick)
6. Why don’t you ……………. ? (take a seat)
7. I will _______________________ the train now. (enter)
8. _______________________the word in a dictionary. (consult a dictionary)
9. I want to _______________________ the form. (complete)
10. The firemen _______________________the fire. (extinguish)

Exercise 9

passed away do without look forward to called off made up

break out run out put up with keep up carried away

1. Don’t smoke in the forest. Fires _______________________easily at this time of the year.
2. I _______________________ seeing my friends again.
3. I’m afraid, we have _______________________ of apple juice. Will orange juice do?
4. Your website has helped me a lot to_______________________ the good work.
5. A friend of mine has _______________________ her wedding.
6. His mother can’t _______________________his terrible behavior anymore.
7. As an excuse for being late, she _______________________a whole story.
8. I got _______________________ by his enthusiasm.
9. I just can’t_______________________ my mobile. I always keep it with me.
10. She was very sad because her father _______________________ last week.