English Phrasal Verbs

 Phrasal Verbs Part I

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abide by

• Accept or follow a decision or rule
• We have to ABIDE BY what the court says. 

Account for 

• To explain. 
• They had to ACCOUNT FOR all the money that had gone missing. 

Ache for 

• Want something or someone a lot. 
• My partner's been away for a fortnight- I am ACHING FOR her. 

Act on 

• To take action because of something like information received. 
• The police were ACTING ON a tip from an informer and caught the gang red-handed. 

Act on

• Affect.  
• The medicine only ACTS ON infected tissue.

Act out

• Perform something with actions and gestures..
• They ACTED OUT the story on stage.    

Act out 

• Express an emotion in your behaviour. 

Act out

•  Express an emotion in your behaviour. 
• Their anger is ACTED OUT in their antisocial behaviour. 

Act up 

• Behave badly or strangely.
•  My computer's ACTING UP; I think I might have a virus. 

Act upon 

• To take action because of something like information received. 
• The police were ACTING UPON a tip-off.

 Act upon 

• Affect.
•  The enzyme ACTS UPON certain proteins. 

Add on 

• Include in a calculation.You have to ADD the VAT ON to the price they give. 

Add up 

• To make a mathematical total.We ADDED UP the bill to check it was correct. 

Add up

•  Be a satisfactory explanation for something. 
• She explained why the work wasn't ready,but her story doesn't ADD UP. 

Add up to 

• Have a certain result. 
• Trains delays are getting worse and with the high fares, it all ADDS UP TO misery for the commuters. 

Add up to

•  Come to a certain amount or figure. 
• The total costs ADD UP TO several million euros.

 Agree with 

• Affect- usually used in the negative to show that something has had a negative effect, especially is it makes you feel bad.
•  I feel terrible- that food didn't AGREE WITH my stomach. 

Aim at 

• To target.The magazine is AIMED AT teenagers. 

Aim at

•  Intend to achieve. 
• They're AIMING AT reducing costs by ten percent. 

 Ask around 

• Ask a number of people for information of help. 
• I have no idea, but I'll ASK AROUND at work and see if anyone can help. 

Ask around

•  Invite someone. 
• We ASKED them AROUND for dinner. 

Ask for 

• To provoke a negative reaction.You're ASKING FOR trouble. 

Ask for

•  Request to have or be given.I ASKED FOR the menu. 

Ask in 

• To invite somebody into your house.'Jon's at the door.' 'ASK him IN.' 

Ask out 

• To invite someone for a date. 
• He wanted to ASK her OUT but was too shy. 

Ask over

•  Invite.They have ASKED us OVER for drinks on Friday. 

Ask round

•  Invite someone. 
• We ASKED John ROUND for diner. 

Auction off 

• Sell something in an auction. 
• They AUCTIONED OFF their property as they were heavily in debt. 

Back away

•  Retreat or go backwards.The crowd BACKED AWAY when the man pulled a knife. 

Back down 

• Retract or withdraw your position or proposal in an argument. 
• She refused to BACK DOWN and was fired. 

Back into 

• Enter a parking area in reverse gear. 
• He prefers to BACK his car INTO the garage. 

Back off 

• Retreat. 
• The police told the protesters to BACK OFF. 

Back out

•  Fail to keep an arrangement or promise. 
• He BACKED OUT two days before the holiday so we gave the ticket to his sister

 Back out of 

• Fail to keep an agreement, arrangement. 
• She BACKED OUT OF the agreement at the last minute. 

Back out of 

• Exit a parking area in reverse gear. 
• She BACKED the Rolls OUT OF its parking space. 

Back up 

• Make a copy of computer data. 
• You should always BACK UP important