TOPIC – PHRASAL VERBS CURRENTLY IN USE

• 1. Account for (explain the reason, answer for) – I can’t account for his unusual behaviour in this matter.

• 2. Ask after (ask about the welfare, inquire after) – I met your brother at the party, he asked after you.

• 3. Ask for (request for) – She asked for a glass of water.

• 4. Back out (go back on, withdraw from promise) – He agreed to help but backed out at the last moment.

• 5. Be in for [(about to take place (unpleasant)] – On account of his bad habits he is in for trouble.

• 6. Bear away (win) – Suhani bore away the first prize in the dance competition.

• 7. Bear on/upon [relevant (bearing on)] – Your remarks have no bearing on the main problem.

• 8. Bear out (support the argument, corroborate) – I am sure my classmates will bear out my statement.

• 9. Bear with (to show patience, co-operate) – In view of the heavy losses suffered by the company, the shareholders were requested to bear with.

• 10 Blow out (extinguish) – The candle blew out as the gust of wind came in.

• 11.Blow over (pass off without harm, come to an end) – Don’t worry, the crisis are likely to blow over.

• 12 Blow up (explode, start suddenly) – The plan of the enemy to blow up the fly-over was foiled by the police.

• 13 Break down (emotional collapse, stop functioning) – While giving evidence in the court, she broke down.

• 1  Break into (enter by force) – The robbers broke into his house last night.

• 15.Break off (come to an end, unsuccessfully) – The talks between India and China broke off.

• 16.Break out [spread (war, epidemic, fire, riots)] – The fear that AIDS has broken out in India is not unfounded.

• 17.Break through (discover a secret, major achievement) – There is no hope of breakthrough in the murder case.

• 18.Break up [terminate (meeting, school, session)]- The college will break up next week for summer vacation.

• 19.Break up with (quarrel) – After long and fruitful friendship the two friends broken up with each other.

•    Break open (open by force) – The thief broke open the lock and stole money.

• 20.Bring about (cause to happen) – The administration helped to bring about a peaceful settlement.

• 21.Bring out (explain the meaning, publish) – When asked to explain, she could not bring out the meaning of the poem.

• 22.Bring round (to make one agree, bring to senses) – I was able to bring my mother round to my views with great difficulty.

• 23.Bring up (rear, educate) – Fathers are beginning to play a bigger role in bringing up their children.

• 24.Call at (visit a place to meet) – I called at the residence of my boss yesterday.

• 25.Call for (necessary, require) – For the unity of the country discipline among the people is called for.

• 26 Call in/call out (send for help) – The police were called in without delay by the residents.

• 27.Call off (suspend or abandon) – We decided to call off the strike.

• 28.Call on (go and visit a person) – It is a tradition for the Prime Minister to call on the President.

• 29.Call out (ask to come for help) – The National Guards has been called out.

• 30.Call up (to telephone, recall) – Many of my friends called me up to congratulate me.

• 31.Call upon (appeal, exhort) – He was called upon to prove the correctness of the press reports.

• 32.Carry away by (lose control) – On hearing the news of his success he was carried away by joy.

• 33.Carry on (continue) – Now it is difficult to carry on this business in the teeth of stiff competition.

• 34.Carry out (implement, obey, execute) – It is not likely that your father will carry out the threat of disinheriting you.

• 35.Cast away (throw away as useless) – We usually give our servants the old clothes which we cast away.

• 36.Cast down (dejected, down cast) – Now-a-days he is cast down as a result of his failure in the examination.

• 37.Cast off (release, remove) – Organization must cast off old fashioned practices in order to survive.

• 38.Catch up with (make up for deficiency, overtake) – He remained ill for many days but caught up with the pending work very soon.

• 39.Come about (happen) – It is not good that such an unfortunate accident came about.

• 40.Come across (meet by chance) – I came across my old friend in the market yesterday.

• 41.Come by (get) – How have you come by such a precious diamond?

• 42.Come of (belong to) – Reeta comes of a family of freedom fighters.

• 43.Come off (take place as arranged, fade, get separated) – I was surprised to see that plaster had come off the walls.

• 44.Come over (get over, overcome) – You can come over your problems by honest means.

• 45.Come round (agree, recover from illness) – My father at first refused to let me continue study but he came round in the end.

• 46.Come upon (come across, get by chance) – My friend came upon the evidence just by chance.

• 47.Cope with (manage) – They coped with all their problems cheerfully.

• 48.Cut down (curtail, reduce) – Since you are out of job these days, you must cut down your expenditure.

• 49.Cut off (discontinue, die, remove) – Gas supplies have now been cut off.

• 50.(Be) cut out for (suitable) – He is cut out for an administrative career.

• 51.Cut out (to take a piece from the whole) -  He cut out a piece of the cake and put it in my plate.

• 52.Cut up (distressed, cut into small pieces) – She was cut up because she had been scolded by her teacher.

• 53.Die down [gradually disappear (riots, excitement, storm etc.)] – The wind has died down. 

• 54.Die out (become out of use or existence) – He thought that the custom had died out a long time ago.

• 55.Dispose of (sell off) – She has decided to dispose of her old house.

• 56.Dispose to (willing, inclined favourably) – My friend is disposed to discussing the problems thoroughly.

• 57.Do away with (eradicate) – We should do away with social evils.

• 58.Do for (serve the purpose) – This book will do for the SSC examination.

• 59.(have) Done with (have no relation) – I have done with him because of his dishonesty.

• 60.Do without (dispense with, to manage without) – We cannot do without fan in summer.

• 61.Done for, done in (be ruined) – He appears to be done for since he has lost heavily in gambling.

• 62.Draw up (to write, compose, draft) – I was busy drawing up plans for the new course.

• 63.Draw on or upon (to get money from) – He was able to draw on vast reserves of talent.

• 64.Drop in (to pay a short visit) – I thought I’d just drop in and see how you were.

• 65.Drop out (retire in the midst of doing something) – She could not qualify for the selection as she dropped out while the race was in progress.

• 66.Fall back (retreat) – The rioters fell back when the police arrived.

• 67.Fall back on (depend on) – You must save money to fall back on it in old age.

• 68.Fall off (decrease in number, get separated) – In the wake of roof tragedy the admissions in the school have fallen off.

• 69.Fall out (quarrel) – The two friends appear to have fallen out over a minor issue.

• 70.Fall in with (agree with) – Instead of challenging the lie, she fell in with their views.