A is a verb plus a small word (up, out, off, on, in) that together have a new meaning, such as give up or look after. They are very common in natural speech, so use them in IELTS Speaking, but prefer single formal verbs, such as postpone or investigate, in Writing.
What is a phrasal verb?
A combines a verb with one or two small words called particles. The meaning is often different from the parts: give up means stop, not give something upwards. Look after means take care of, find out means discover, and set up means start or establish.
You must learn each phrasal verb as one unit, with its meaning and an example sentence. Do not try to guess from the separate words.
- She gave up smoking last year. · stopped
- We found out the results on Monday. · discovered
Separable and inseparable
Many have an object. Some are separable: the object can go between the verb and the particle, or after both. You can say turn off the light or turn the light off.
When the object is a pronoun (it, them, him, her), it must go in the middle: turn it off, never turn off it. Say pick them up and hand it in.
Other phrasal verbs are inseparable: the object always comes after the particle. Say look after the children, deal with the problem and get on with my colleagues. You can say look after them, but never look them after.
Phrasal verbs with no object
Some do not take an object at all: grow up, break down, set off, take off, turn up. For example: The plane took off at six. We set off early. She grew up in Cardiff.
Useful phrasal verbs for IELTS Speaking
Here are common ones, grouped by topic. Learn them in sentences about your own life.
- Study and work: look up a word, hand in an essay, catch up on work, drop out of a course, carry on studying, work out an answer.
- Daily life: wake up, get up, give up a bad habit, cut down on sugar, take up a hobby, turn down the music.
- Family and friends: grow up, bring up children, get on with someone, look after a relative, fall out with a friend, look up to a teacher.
- Travel and places: set off, check in, get around a city, look forward to a holiday, take off, come back.
Phrasal verbs and Writing: when to choose a single verb
are not wrong in Writing, but in formal academic writing a single verb with the same meaning usually sounds more precise. In Task 2, compare these pairs:
- find out becomes discover; carry out becomes conduct.
- set up becomes establish; bring about becomes cause.
- go up becomes increase or rise; cut down becomes reduce.
- put off becomes postpone; look into becomes investigate.
- deal with becomes address or manage; give up becomes abandon.
How to use this in your exam
In Speaking, a few well-chosen make you sound natural and relaxed. Do not avoid them, but do not force them in either. One or two per answer is plenty. In Writing, aim for single verbs in most places, and use a phrasal verb only when no single word is as clear, such as carry on or turn out.
To learn them, keep a list organised by topic, write your own example sentence for each one, and say it aloud. Say the particle clearly when you speak: in turn off and give up, it carries the .
One verb, several meanings
A often has more than one meaning, so always check the meaning in context. Take off can mean a plane leaving the ground, removing clothes, or a business becoming successful. When you learn a phrasal verb, write down the meaning you need and one example from your own life. Do not collect long lists of every meaning. In IELTS, the common meanings are the ones you will meet and use.
Common mistakes
Watch for these:
- Turn off it. Say: turn it off.
- I look forward to see you. Say: I look forward to seeing you. To is a preposition here.
- She gave up to smoke. Say: She gave up smoking.
- Switch off it. Say: switch it off.
Who finds this hard?
- Spanish speakers: Spanish uses single verbs where English uses (investigar, aplazar). Learn the English pairs and expect the particle to change the meaning.
- Portuguese speakers: Portuguese has few phrasal verbs, so the idea of verb plus particle is new. Learn each one as a single chunk.
- Italian speakers: Italian mostly uses single verbs, so you may avoid phrasal verbs completely. Add a few common ones to Speaking to sound natural.
IELTS tip
In Speaking, use two or three that suit the topic, such as grow up, get on with and look forward to. In Writing, switch to single verbs: investigate, establish, reduce, postpone. This keeps your tone formal without losing clarity.
Frequently asked questions
What is a phrasal verb?
It is a verb plus a particle (up, out, on, off, in) that has a special meaning, for example give up, look after or set off.
Should I use phrasal verbs in IELTS Writing?
Use them sparingly. In formal writing, single verbs such as discover, reduce or establish usually sound more precise. suit Speaking better.
Where does the object go in a phrasal verb?
With separable verbs it can go in the middle or after (turn off the light, turn the light off). A pronoun always goes in the middle: turn it off.
How can I learn phrasal verbs quickly?
Learn them by topic, with an example sentence, and say each one aloud. A small set you really use is better than a long list you only recognise.
Sources
- Swan, M. (2016). Practical English Usage, 4th edition. Oxford University Press.
- Carter, R. and McCarthy, M. (2006). Cambridge Grammar of English. Cambridge University Press.