Phrasal Verbs - Guide and Exercise with Answers

Phrasal Verbs


A phrasal verb has 2 or more words:

to run into
to run away with
to run over



It has a special meaning.


I must give up coffee. I can’t sleep at night.

To give up coffee is to stop drinking coffee because it is a bad habit.




Sometimes phrasal verbs have more than one meaning.

I’ve tried and tried to make my mother stop drinking coffee but she won’t.
I give up !




In this sentence, to give up is to stop trying because something is too difficult.


Practice: Put the phrasal verbs below into the appropriate sentences.
You may need to make some changes for tense & person.

get into get over take off try on
run over put on run into give up
speak up look for shut up put off
look up end up drop in break up



1. “Why is Christine crying ?” “Because she ………… with her boyfriend last night.”

2. You are welcome to ………… any time you go past my house.

3. We looked for the bus-stop for hours but we couldn’t find it.We …………….. getting a taxi.

4. I am really ……………… this book. I have read more than 100 pages since I came home from school.

5. You need to rest more if you want to ………….. your ‘flu.

6. I found the twenty dollars I thought I’d lost and it has stopped raining so we can go to the beach. Things ……………. !

7. Tomorrow you must tell your friend that you broke her mp3 player. You can’t …………………. any longer.

8. I want to change my seat in class. I can’t concentrate.The boy who sits next to me never ………………………..!

9. If you feel too hot, why don’t you ……………….your sweater ?

10. I’ll ask the shop assistant to bring me the next size to …………..This skirt is too tight.

11.I am late because I spent 10 minutes …………..my keys.

12. How terrible ! A car ………. her pet rabbit and killed it.

13. …………your jacket. It’s cold outside.

14. Could you ……………., please ? I can’t hear.

15. I must ……………. chocolate. I am getting too fat.

16. I ……………. James at the market yesterday . I hadn’t seen him for months.

1. broke up 2. drop in 3. ended up 4. getting into 5. get over 6. are looking up 7. put it off 8. shuts up 9. take off 10. try on 11. looking for 12. ran over 13. put on 14. speak up 15. give up 16. ran into