Vocabulary: Phrasal Verbs
B2 Lesson 4: Expanding Your Range
New Phrasal Verbs for Discussion & Planning
To advance your fluency, you need to expand your vocabulary to include more nuanced phrasal verbs. Let's learn some useful ones for professional and social situations.
Two-Word Phrasal Verbs
bring up
Meaning: to start talking about a subject (separable)
"She brought up an important point during the discussion."
figure out
Meaning: to understand or solve a problem (separable)
"I need a moment to figure out how this machine works."
call off
Meaning: to cancel an event (separable)
"They had to call off the football match because of the heavy rain."
put off
Meaning: to postpone or delay an event (separable)
"The meeting was put off until next Friday."
Three-Word Phrasal Verbs
look forward to (+ gerund)
Meaning: to be excited about a future event (inseparable)
"I'm really looking forward to my holiday next month."
come up with
Meaning: to think of an idea or plan (inseparable)
"My team came up with a great solution to the problem."
get along with
Meaning: to have a friendly relationship with someone (inseparable)
"Luckily, I get along with all of my colleagues."
cut down on
Meaning: to reduce the amount of something (inseparable)
"The doctor advised him to cut down on sugar and fried food."
Vocabulary Toolkit 🛠️
💡 Pro Tip: Separable vs. Inseparable
Separable phrasal verbs can have the object in the middle.
Example: "She brought the point up." OR "She brought up the point."
Inseparable phrasal verbs (including all three-word verbs) must always stay together.
Example: "I get along with my colleagues." (You CANNOT say "I get my colleagues along with.")
Practice Your Phrasal Verbs 🎯
Exercise 1: Choose the Right Verb
Choose the best phrasal verb from the lesson to complete each sentence.
- It took me a long time, but I finally _______ how to solve the puzzle.
→ figured out - I'm so excited for Khmer New Year! I'm really _______ the holidays.
→ looking forward to - My doctor told me I should _______ salty food for my health.
→ cut down on - She _______ a fantastic idea for our new marketing campaign.
→ came up with
Exercise 2: Complete the Idea
Complete the sentences with a phrasal verb from today's lesson in its correct form.
- The discussion was going well until he _______ the sensitive topic of salaries.
→ brought up - I don't have a good relationship with my manager. We don't _______ each other.
→ get along with - Don't do the work now. We can _______ it _______ until next week.
→ put / off
Key Vocabulary
- Phrasal Verb A phrase with a verb and a particle (e.g., up, on, off) that creates a new meaning.
- Expand To increase in size, number, or importance.
- Cancel To decide that an organized event will not happen.
- Postpone To arrange for something to take place at a later time.
Your Vocabulary Mission ⭐
Use a New Phrasal Verb
Your mission is to use two new phrasal verbs from this lesson in your conversations this week. For example, you could tell a friend:
"I'm really looking forward to the weekend!" or "We need to come up with a plan for dinner."