Learn 20+ Separable Phrasal Verbs in English

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The first important thing to remember is that some phrasal verbs are separable.

Many phrasal verbs are transitive, meaning that they take an object. There are special rules for using transitive phrasal verbs! Let’s look at them now.

Separable Phrasal Verbs in English

bring … up – look after and influence a child until he or she is grown up

• In my day, children were brought up to respect the law.

call … up – telephone someone

• He called me up to tell me about it.

calm … down – help someone to relax

• We tried to calm people’s fears.

clean … up – make neat

• It took us two or three days to clean it all up.

drop … off – leave something/ someone

• I’ll drop you off on my way home.

fill … up – make full

• Shall I fill the car up?

get … back – get something again

• Did you get your books back?

give … up – stop

• Your singing is beautiful – don’t give it up.

help … out – help someone because they are busy or have problems

• I helped her out when Stella became ill.

look … up – search

• Look the word up in your dictionary.

make … up – pretend that something is true in order to deceive someone

• I think they’re making the whole thing up.

pick … up – to get something/ someone

• Mummy, can you pick me up?

cheer … up – make a sad person feel happy

• Here’s a bit of news that will cheer you up.

do … over – do something again

• If you make too many mistakes, you’ll have to do it over.

figure … out –  find a solution

• If I have a map, I can figure it out.

give … out – give something to each person in a group

• Can you give the drinks out, please?

let … down – not do something that someone trusts or expects you to do

• The worst feeling is having let our fans down.

put … away – put something in the place where it is usually kept

• He put his toys away every night.

save money

• We’re putting some money away for expenses.

throw … away – get rid of something that you do not want or need

• I never throw clothes away.

turn … down – reject or refuse

• They offered her the job but she turned it down.

write … down – write something on paper

• This is the address. Do you want to write it down?

get … up – get out of your bed after sleeping, or to make someone get out of their bed

• Get me up at seven, would you?

give … away – give something to someone because you do not want or need it for yourself

• I gave most of my books away when I left college.

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