Phrasal verbs are often used in English, especially in informal situations. They comprise a verb and particle\/particles (a preposition or an adverb).<\/p>\n
Verb + for<\/strong> apologize for<\/strong>– David never apologizes for his behavior. <\/p>\n Verb + to<\/strong> adjust to<\/strong> – You\u2019ll adjust to your new school in no time. <\/p>\n Verb + about<\/strong><\/p>\n This phrasal verb is often used to refer to events or gerunds. For example:<\/p>\n care about<\/strong>– She doesn\u2019t seem to care about going to college. <\/p>\n Verb + with<\/strong> agree with<\/strong>– I don\u2019t agree with his opinions. <\/p>\n Verb + of<\/strong> approve of<\/strong> – George doesn\u2019t approve of David’s behaviour. <\/p>\n Verb + in<\/strong> believe in<\/strong> – The majority of kids believe in Santa Claus. <\/p>\n Verb + at<\/strong><\/p>\n It refers to places, skills or reactions. For example:<\/p>\n arrive at<\/strong> – He arrived at the hotel in the evening. <\/p>\n Verb + on<\/strong> agree on<\/strong>– The board finally agreed on a solution. <\/p>\n
\nIt expresses purpose or reasons. For example:<\/p>\n
\nask for<\/strong>– The student asked for a pencil.
\nbeg for<\/strong>– The man begged for a second chance.
\ncare for<\/strong>– I don\u2019t care for salads.
\nfight for<\/strong>– Many generations of people have fought for freedom.
\nhope for<\/strong>– The family is hoping for a miracle.
\nlong for<\/strong>– The man longed for the days of his youth.
\npay for<\/strong>– Who\u2019s going to pay for these tickets?
\nprovide for<\/strong>-Parents are expected to provide for their children.
\nsearch for<\/strong>– Did you search for the missing piece yet?\u201d
\nwait for<\/strong>–\u00a0 I\u2019m waiting for the bus.
\nwish for<\/strong>–\u00a0 Some people wish for nothing but fame.
\nwork for<\/strong>– She works for the government.<\/p>\n
\nIt refers to the direction (literally or metaphorically) or connections between people and things. For example:<\/p>\n
\nbelong to<\/strong>– The wallet belongs to that woman over there.
\ntravel to<\/strong>– I am traveling to England tomorrow.
\nlisten to<\/strong>– Grace is listening to music in her room.
\ngo to<\/strong>– Anthony, please go to the back of the classroom.
\nrespond to<\/strong>– Ann responded to her friend\u2019s email.
\ntalk to <\/strong>– He talked to the boss for more than an hour.
\nturn to<\/strong>– Turn to page 46 for a diagram of the procedure.<\/p>\n
\ncomplain about<\/strong>– The boy complained about his early curfew.
\nforget about<\/strong>– I forgot about the wedding reception.
\nhear about<\/strong>– Did you hear about the renovation project?
\njoke about<\/strong>–\u00a0 Kim often jokes about her high-pitched voice.
\nknow about<\/strong>– What do you know about physics?
\nlaugh about<\/strong>–\u00a0 The friends laughed about their terrible luck.
\nlearn about<\/strong>– Ann is learning about film production.
\ntalk about<\/strong>– What are you talking about?
\nthink about<\/strong>– We\u2019ll need to think about hiring some more staff.
\nworry about<\/strong>–\u00a0 So many adults worry about getting older.
\nwrite about<\/strong>–\u00a0 George wrote about his day in his journal.<\/p>\n
\nIt usually refers to the connections or relationships between people or things. For example:<\/p>\n
\nargue with<\/strong>– The two argued with each other for several minutes.
\nbegin with, start with<\/strong>-Let\u2019s begin with a short quiz.
\ncompare with<\/strong>– How does the restaurant\u2019s soup compare with David’s?
\ncompete with<\/strong>– David only competes with his counterparts.
\ncope with<\/strong>– It\u2019s not easy to cope with failure.
\ndisagree with<\/strong>–\u00a0 She disagrees with my suggestion.
\nmeet with<\/strong>– When will you meet with her?<\/p>\n
\nIt is used with some verbs. For example:<\/p>\n
\nconsist of<\/strong> – Pizza consists of bread, cheese and tomatoes.
\ndream of<\/strong> – I dream of visiting Asia.
\nhear of<\/strong> – Have you heard of this new radio show?
\ntake care of<\/strong> -Who will take care of your dog while you\u2019re away?
\nthink of<\/strong> – If you only think of failure, you\u2019ll never succeed.<\/p>\n
\nIt refers to the involvement or connections between people and things. For example:<\/p>\n
\nengage in<\/strong>– Ann wants to engage in political debates.
\ninvest in<\/strong> –\u00a0 Now is the time to invest in the British economy.
\nparticipate in<\/strong> – What sports did you participate in in your childhood?
\nresult in<\/strong>– The referee’s mistake resulted in a bad match.
\nspecialize in<\/strong> – The students can choose to specialize in literature.
\nsucceed in<\/strong>– David succeeded in earning a scholarship.<\/p>\n
\nexcel at<\/strong> – My child already excels at math and science.
\nlaugh at<\/strong> – Ann couldn\u2019t stop laughing at David\u2019s joke.
\nlook at<\/strong> – Look at the board, please.
\nnod at<\/strong> – She nodded at her colleagues.
\nshout at<\/strong>– He shouted at the hooligans.
\nsmile at<\/strong> – My little daughter smiles at me when she sees me.
\nstare at<\/strong>– It\u2019s uncomfortable when people stare at you.<\/p>\n
\nIt is used with some verbs. For example:<\/p>\n
\nbet on<\/strong> – He wouldn\u2019t bet on that happening.
\ncomment on<\/strong> -The prosecutor briefly commented on the case.
\nconcentrate on<\/strong> – David concentrates on his work.
\nfocus on<\/strong> – I cannot focus on this task.
\ndecide on<\/strong>– Ann eventually decided on her career path.
\ndepend on<\/strong> –\u00a0 You can\u2019t depend on her forever.
\nrely on<\/strong> –\u00a0 Too many students rely on the internet to write a thesis.
\nelaborate on<\/strong> –\u00a0 This paragraph elaborates on thesis statement.
\nexperiment on<\/strong> – The new law forbids to experiment on animals.
\ninsist on<\/strong> – She insisted on joining us.
\noperate on<\/strong> – The young surgeons learn how to operate on people.<\/p>\n