B1IntermediatePhrasal verbs

Separable and inseparable phrasal verbs

Reference lists of phrasal verbs: separable (turn it off), inseparable (look after them), no object and three-part verbs.

Practise

Not sure B1 is your level? Find out in 8–40 questions, no account needed.

Phrasal verbs fall into four groups, and the group decides where the object goes. With a separable verb a pronoun goes in the middle (turn it off). With an inseparable verb the object always goes after it (look after them). Some verbs take no object, and three-part verbs almost never split. This page lists common verbs of each group; the page on phrasal verbs and where the object goes explains the rule, with the common mistakes.

Separable: a pronoun in the middle

A noun can go after the verb or in the middle. A pronoun (it, them, me, her ...) must go in the middle.

Verb	Meaning
bring up	raise a child; start to talk about
call back	phone someone again
fill in	write the answers on a form
give back	return something
give up	stop doing something
hand in	give work to a teacher
look up	find a word in a dictionary
pick up	lift; collect someone
put away	put in its usual place
put off	decide to do later
put on, take off	start or stop wearing
sort out	deal with a problem
throw away	put in the bin
try on	put on clothes to see if they fit
turn on, turn off	start or stop a machine or light
turn up, turn down	make louder or quieter
wake up	stop someone sleeping
work out	find the answer
write down	write on paper

Fill in the form. / Fill the form in. / Fill it in.
Incorrect: It's too loud. Can you turn down it?
Correct: It's too loud. Can you turn it down?
It is a pronoun, so it goes in the middle.

Inseparable: the object goes after

Verb	Meaning
look after	take care of
look for	try to find
come across	find by chance
get on, get off	enter or leave a bus or train
get over	feel better after an illness
run into	meet by chance
take after	look or behave like a parent

I came across some old photos. I came across them in a drawer.
Incorrect: She takes her father after.
Correct: She takes after her father.

No object

In these meanings, the verbs don't take an object: break down (stop working), come back, eat out, get up (get out of bed), go out, grow up, set off (start a journey), sit down, stay up (not go to bed).

Our car broke down on the way to Leeds.
We set off at six in the morning.

Three-part verbs: never split

Verb	Meaning
look forward to	wait for something with pleasure
run out of	have none left
get on with	have a good relationship with
put up with	accept something unpleasant
catch up with	reach someone in front of you
come up with	think of an idea
cut down on	do or use less of

Incorrect: We've run out it of.
Correct: We've run out of it.

One verb, two groups

Some verbs belong to two groups, with different meanings.

Verb	No object	Separable
wake up	I woke up at five.	Please wake me up at five.
take off	The plane took off.	Take your shoes off.
turn up	He turned up late.	Turn the radio up.
give up	Don't give up!	She gave it up.

Get on is inseparable for a bus (get on it) and has no object in How are you getting on?

A verb after a phrasal verb

A verb straight after a phrasal verb usually takes -ing: He gave up smoking. We put off booking the hotel. I'm looking forward to seeing you. A few take to + verb instead: The weather turned out to be lovely.

Practise this rule

Where this rule sits

All B1 rules Reference: all rules