{"id":148288,"date":"2023-10-12T14:57:49","date_gmt":"2023-10-12T18:57:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/toefl-phrasal-verbs\/"},"modified":"2025-02-23T05:08:17","modified_gmt":"2025-02-23T10:08:17","slug":"toefl-phrasal-verbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/english\/toefl-phrasal-verbs\/","title":{"rendered":"30 Useful Phrasal Verbs for the TOEFL Exam"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Phrasal verbs<\/strong> are formed by linking one verb to\u00a0another word (typically a preposition or an adverb). The result is a new expression that has a different meaning from the original verb.\u00a0You will be doing academic writing for the TOEFL, so you can expect to see and use plenty of these handy verbs.<\/p>\n<p>In this blog post, you&#8217;ll learn 30 phrasal verbs for TOEFL along with their meanings and learn how to use them with real-life examples.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>Handy Phrasal Verbs to Help You Succeed on the TOEFL Exam<\/h2>\n<p>The following list contains 30 phrasal verbs that can be used as either neutral or formal words, so you can use them in academic contexts like the TOEFL exam.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re looking for a list of phrasal verbs to make you sound more native, check out this blog post with more than 210 most common phrasal verbs:\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"LvTVv51y1Y\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/english\/english-phrasal-verbs\/\">210+ Most Common English Phrasal Verbs<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;210+ Most Common English Phrasal Verbs&#8221; &#8212; FluentU\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/english\/english-phrasal-verbs\/embed\/#?secret=y7MG0DL7qL#?secret=LvTVv51y1Y\" data-secret=\"LvTVv51y1Y\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>1. Account for<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To explain the reason for<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong>\u00a0Inseparable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> Increased pollution may <strong><em>account for<\/em><\/strong> climate change.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Adhere to<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0Obey<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Inseparable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> You must <strong><em>adhere to<\/em><\/strong> the terms of the contract.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Allude to<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0Mention in an indirect way<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong>\u00a0Inseparable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> She kept <strong><em>alluding to<\/em><\/strong> our agreement, but she didn\u2019t want to reveal it.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Bring on<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To cause something bad to happen, especially illness<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Separable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> His heart condition was <strong><em>brought on<\/em><\/strong> by his diet.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Bring up<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To start discussing a subject<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Separable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> She <strong><em>brought <\/em><\/strong>the matter <strong><em>up<\/em><\/strong> very late so they didn\u2019t have time to discuss it properly.<\/p>\n<h3>6. Come about<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To happen, especially by chance<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Inseparable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> Increased unemployment has <strong><em>come about<\/em><\/strong> through automated production.<\/p>\n<h3>7. Cut back<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To reduce<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Inseparable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> They are <strong><em>cutting back<\/em><\/strong> expenses.<\/p>\n<h3>8. Do without<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To succeed in living or working without<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Inseparable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> We can <strong><em>do without<\/em><\/strong> help from you.<\/p>\n<h3>9. Embark on<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To start a new project or activity, usually one that will be difficult or take time<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Inseparable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> After graduating from university, she <strong><em>embarked on<\/em><\/strong> a career in banking.<\/p>\n<h3>10. Follow through<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To continue doing something until it has been completed<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Inseparable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> You will need to <strong><em>follow through<\/em><\/strong> with some reading if you want to master the subject.<\/p>\n<h3>11. Frown upon<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To not approve of something<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Inseparable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> Failure to attend classes is <strong><em>frowned upon<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3>12. Get across<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong> To make people understand something<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Separable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> The teacher managed to <strong><em>get across<\/em><\/strong> how important it was to attend lectures.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>13. Get around<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong> To be heard by a lot of people<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Inseparable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> News of his promotion <strong><em>got around<\/em><\/strong> very fast.<\/p>\n<h3>14. Get at<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong> To try to suggest something without saying it directly<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Inseparable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> What are you <strong><em>getting at<\/em><\/strong><em>?<\/em> Was my presentation too long?<\/p>\n<h3><strong>15. Get back<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong> To start doing something again after not doing it for a period of time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Inseparable.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> Let\u2019s <strong><em>get back<\/em><\/strong> to discussing how this happened.<\/p>\n<h3>16. Look forward to<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To feel happy about something that is going to happen<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type: <\/strong>Inseparable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> I\u2019m <strong><em>looking forward to<\/em><\/strong> meeting you later.<\/p>\n<h3>17. Look into<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong> To try to discover facts about something<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong>\u00a0Inseparable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> After several customers complained about late deliveries, they decided to <strong><em>look into<\/em><\/strong> the matter.<\/p>\n<h3>18. Make of<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To understand someone or something in a certain way<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Inseparable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> What do you <strong><em>make of<\/em><\/strong> the teacher\u2019s decision to shorten this course?<\/p>\n<h3>19. Map out<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To plan in detail how something will happen<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Separable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> Her career was <strong><em>mapped out<\/em><\/strong> for her when she decided to take that job.<\/p>\n<h3>20. Meet up<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To come together with someone<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Inseparable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> Let\u2019s <strong><em>meet up<\/em><\/strong> and discuss how we are going to go about this project.<\/p>\n<h3>21. Narrow down<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To reduce the number of possibilities<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Separable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> The detectives <strong><em>narrowed down<\/em><\/strong> the list of suspects to just two.<\/p>\n<h3>22. Put forward<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To suggest an idea, opinion so that it can be discussed<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Separable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> The proposals were <strong><em>put forward<\/em><\/strong> last week, but the committee didn\u2019t have time to discuss them.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>23. Put off<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To delay doing something especially when you don\u2019t want to do it<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Separable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> Are you <strong><em>putting off<\/em><\/strong> writing that essay because you can\u2019t concentrate right now?<\/p>\n<h3>24. Resort to<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To do something unpleasant in order to solve a problem<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Inseparable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> We must resort to <strong><em>legal action<\/em><\/strong> if they don\u2019t offer compensation.<\/p>\n<h3>25. Rule out<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To stop considering something as a possibility<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Separable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> The CEO said that yearly bonuses can be <strong><em>ruled out<\/em><\/strong> in light of the financial crisis.<\/p>\n<h3>26. Run by<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To tell someone your ideas so they can give you their opinion<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Separable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> I have a few ideas for tomorrow\u2019s meeting. Can I <strong><em>run<\/em><\/strong> them <strong><em>by<\/em><\/strong> you?<\/p>\n<h3>27. Talk out of<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To persuade someone not to do something<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Separable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> Her parents <strong><em>talked<\/em><\/strong> her <strong><em>out of<\/em><\/strong> living in a rented flat.<\/p>\n<h3>28. Think over<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To consider a problem carefully<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Separable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> You should <strong><em>think<\/em><\/strong> it <strong><em>over<\/em><\/strong> before handing in your resignation.<\/p>\n<h3>29. Turn out<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To develop in a particular way<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Inseparable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> The presentation <strong><em>turned out<\/em><\/strong> well, considering how little you prepared for it.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"line-height: 1.5\">30. Verge on<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To almost be in a particular state<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Inseparable<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> His speech was so good, it was <strong><em>verging on<\/em><\/strong> genius.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>One of the best ways to learn phrasal verbs is through real-life situations and conversations with others. Make sure to check out this video to learn common phrasal verbs with lots of different real-world examples:<\/p>\n<p><lite-youtube videoid=\"ixx5APvTSrI\"><\/lite-youtube><\/p>\n<h2>How Can Phrasal Verbs Help You on the TOEFL Exam?<\/h2>\n<p>Because phrasal verbs are used quite frequently in conversational English, understanding them will help you on the listening\u00a0and\u00a0speaking\u00a0sections of the TOEFL exam in which you listen to people talking to each other.<\/p>\n<p>Most conversations on the TOEFL exam in both\u00a0speaking and listening sections are between students discussing campus-related topics. These conversations are generally neutral towards informal, so you may hear quite a few phrasal verbs.<\/p>\n<p>You may want to use neutral to formal phrasal verbs in writing in both the independent and the integrated task and probably in speaking as well. You should avoid very informal ones as the general tone of the TOEFL exam is academic. That is why the phrasal verbs in the list we have here are suitable for both neutral and formal English.<\/p>\n<h2>How to Use Phrasal Verbs Correctly<\/h2>\n<p>When you decide to use phrasal verbs in speaking or in writing, make sure you use them correctly.<\/p>\n<p>Phrasal verbs can be\u00a0<strong>separable<\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0<strong>inseparable<\/strong>, depending on whether you can use other words between the verb and the particle. With separable phrasal verbs you can use other words between the verb and the particle, while with inseparable phrasal verbs you cannot insert other words between them.<\/p>\n<p>Examples:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong><em>Look<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0the word\u00a0<strong><em>up<\/em><\/strong>! (<em><strong>look up<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>is a separable phrasal verb)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">You should\u00a0<strong><em>look into<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0the matter. (<strong><em>look into<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0is an inseparable phrasal verb)<\/p>\n<p>Phrasal verbs can also be\u00a0<strong>transitive<\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0<strong>intransitive<\/strong>, depending on whether you can use an object with them. Transitive verbs take an object, while intransitive verbs cannot.<\/p>\n<p>Examples:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong><em>I made<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0that story\u00a0<strong><em>up<\/em><\/strong>. (<strong><em>story<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0is the object of the phrasal verb\u00a0<strong><em>made up<\/em><\/strong>)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">My car\u00a0<strong><em>broke down<\/em><\/strong>. (<strong><em>broke down<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0is intransitive, it cannot take an object)<\/p>\n<p>In the case of transitive verbs with really long objects, we can move the object between the verb and the particle if we replace the object with a shorter word. This is called\u00a0<strong>shifting<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">She\u00a0<strong><em>made up\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>a very funny story. (<strong><em>a very funny story<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0is a long object)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">She\u00a0<strong><em>made<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0a very funny story\u00a0<strong><em>up<\/em><\/strong>. (correct, but the object is too long to comfortably place it between the verb and the particle)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">She\u00a0<strong><em>made<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0it\u00a0<strong><em>up<\/em><\/strong>. (we replace the object,\u00a0a very funny story, with\u00a0<em>it<\/em>\u00a0and we can move\u00a0<em>it<\/em>\u00a0between the verb and the particle)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Understanding and using phrasal verbs are great ways of making your English sound more natural and native-like.<\/p>\n<p>Once you start using phrasal verbs on the TOEFL exam as well, you may start feeling more confident about your language level.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Phrasal verbs are formed by linking one verb to\u00a0another word (typically a preposition or an adverb). The result is a new expression that has a different meaning from the original&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":385,"featured_media":251677,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"30 Useful Phrasal Verbs for the TOEFL Exam | FluentU English Blog","description":"Check out these 30 phrasal verbs for TOEFL to help you prepare for the exam. Knowing these phrasal verbs is important for understanding TOEFL texts and for answering questions effectively. In this post, you'll learn how to use them with helpful examples."},"footnotes":""},"categories":[685,702],"tags":[],"coauthors":[814],"class_list":["post-148288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english","category-exams"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/385"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=148288"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148288\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":233027,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148288\/revisions\/233027"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/251677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=148288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=148288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=148288"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=148288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}