eng7-V3· Unit 3· ~18 min

Common phrasal verbs

Use eight common phrasal verbs with the right meanings, particles, objects, and verb forms.

A phrasal verb combines a verb with a particle, and the whole phrase has a particular meaning. Give up means stop trying; work on something means spend time improving it; look forward to doing something expresses happiness about a coming event; make it means become very successful. Put something off moves it to a later time; find out means learn information for the first time; believe in somebody means feel sure that person can do something well; take up something means begin an activity. Learn the particle and the complement pattern together with the meaning.

Key terms

give up — stop trying to do something, usually because it is too difficult
work on sth — spend time on something and make it better
look forward to (doing) sth — feel happy because something good is going to happen soon
make it — be very successful
put sth off — decide to do something at a later time
find out (sth) — get information or learn a fact for the first time
believe in sb — be sure someone can do something very well
take up sth — begin to do something
Patterns to preserve
PhraseWhat followsMeaning
work ona thing or activityimprove it over time
look forward toa noun or -ing formfeel happy about something coming
put ... offan object between put and offmove it to later
believe ina person or reflexive pronountrust ability
take upan activitybegin it
✎Choose meaning and form
  1. 1Meaning: A coming concert makes the speaker happy, so choose look forward to.
  2. 2Pattern: When a verb follows to in this phrase, use its -ing form.
  3. 3Result: Use a form such as look forward to hearing, not look forward to hear.
🚫Keep to before the gerund

Look forward to seeing is correct because to belongs to the phrasal verb.

💡Learn the object slot

Remember the printed frame put something off so the particle is not lost.

Rules

  1. 1Keep each printed particle: give up, work on, look forward to, put off, find out, believe in, and take up.
  2. 2Use an object after work on, believe in, and take up.
  3. 3With put something off, the printed pattern places the object between put and off; a noun object can also follow off in normal use.
  4. 4In look forward to doing something, to is a preposition, so a following verb takes the -ing form.
  5. 5Give up can be followed by an -ing activity when naming what someone stops trying to do.
  6. 6Make it is complete without an additional object when it means be very successful.

Practice

4 easy · 4 medium · 4 hard

Up to 10 random questions per test

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