Verbal idioms

Verbal Idioms (Phrasal Verbs, Two-word Verbs)
Express activities with verb-prep combinations
Verb + Preposition vs. Verbal Idiom
VERB + PREPOSITION

Some verbs require a preposition to complete the meaning expressed by the subject and
predicate. (He fell____.) One of several options can complete the expression (e.g., down, over,
upside-down, on the ground, under a bus, over a balcony). The meanings expressed by the
verb and the preposition are literal—each word has a meaning.
SUBJECT + PREDICATE

PREPOSTION / PREP PHRASE

Jack looks

up. (in that general direction)
up the stairs.

She put the cat

out.
outside.

She put the cat away.

away.
away from the baby.

My dog wandered

off.

off our property.

They went

in.
inside.

He walked behind.

behind.
behind us.

VERBAL IDIOM

Other verbs require a particular preposition. The verb and the preposition combine to form an
expression—a verbal idiom. Neither the verb nor the preposition keeps its original meaning
(neither has a literal meaning), rather the two combine to form a unit and take on a new
meaning. The preposition is called aparticle¹. See Verb+Prep.
SUBJECT + PREDICATE

Jack looks

PREPOSTION
(PARTICLE)

up

OBJECT

the word.

(search in a reference
book)

She put

out

the fire.

(extinguish)

She had to put

away
(euthanized, killed, "put
to sleep")

The airplanetook

off.
(departed, began to fly)

They gave

in.
(conceded,
surrendered)

He fell

behind.
(progressed too slowly)

her cat.


literal meaning – each word has a dictionary meaning (word for word meaning)
idiom (N) – one or more words together have a particular meaning
¹particle (N) – is an intransitive preposition that is positioned before the complement of the verb. He
put down his pencil. He went out the door. (Huddleston "Grammaticized Prepositions" 7 §6.2)

Verb + Preposition
Separable vs. Inseparable
SEPARABLE PREPOSITIONAL VERBS

A separable prepositional verb CAN be separated by an object. It CANNOT be followed by an
object pronoun (if the verb takes an object.)

He took his coat off.
He took off his coat.(removed)

He took it off. /
*He took off it.

He gave money away.
He gave money away.(give as a gift)

He gave it away.
He gave away *it.

She let my dress out.
She let out my dress. (enlarged)

She let it out.
She let out *it.

He got his shoes on.
He got on his shoes. (wore)

He got them on.
He got on *them.

He made the check outfor $100.
He made out the check for $100.

He made it out for $100.
He made out *it (wrote)

He took the piano up.
He took up the piano. (begin to learn)

He took it up.
He took up *it.

I looked the bills over.
I looked over the bills.(review)

I looked them over.
I looked over *them.

Look the word up.
Look up the word. (search in reference book)

Look it up.
Look up *it.

She put the fire out.
She put out the fire. (extinguish)

She put it out.
She put out *it.

INSEPARABLE PREPOSITIONAL VERB

An inseparable prepositional verb CANNOT be separated by an object. It CAN be followed by
an object pronoun (if the verb takes an object.)

The airplane took off. (departed)
His heart gave away. (stopped working)
School lets out in June. (finishes)


He got on well with his classmates. (worked in harmony)
He made out well in life. (succeeded)
The piano took up most of the living room. (occupied)
I looked after the children. (take care of)
I looked after them.
He looks up to his big brother. (admires)
He looks up to him.

She wouldn't put up with bad behavior. (tolerate)
She wouldn't put up with it.

*Yellow highlighted words are examples of incorrect usage.

Verbal Idioms(Two-Word Verbs)
Meanings and Sentences
Do Get Give Go Have Let Look Make Put Take Think Try

Do
¹separable – accepts an object
DO AWAY WITH

put an end to something

They will do away with tax on home heating
fuel.

DO IN ¹

murder

The mafia did him in.

DO IN ¹

injure

This hot weather will do us in.

DO IN ¹

cheat or swindle

The car buyer was done in by the fly-by-night
salesman.

DO OVER ¹

redo over repeat

I had to do my homework over because I had
too many mistakes.

DO OVER ¹

redecorate

We did our kitchen over to modernize it. (also:
made over)

DO UP ¹

make fancy

She did up her hair in a pretty bow.

DO UP ¹

finish

Do up the work before you leave.

DO WITH

benefit from

We could do with less talk and more action.

(MAKE) DO WITH

get by, survive with less

In a bad economy, we make do with less
(money, food, etc.)

DO WITHOUT

manage, survive

I could not do without my cell phone.


Get
GET ABOUT

move, be active

Even though he's ninety, he gets about
pretty well.

GET AT

hint, insinuate, imply

I don't know what the lawyer was
getting at, but I didn't like it.

GET AT

discover, find

We wanted to get at the root of the
problem.

GET AWAY

escape from confinement

The prisoner tried to get away, but the
officer caught him.

GET AWAY WITH

do something without detection

He tries to get away with cheating, but
they keep catching him.

GET BY

manage, survive

We got by even though we didn't have
much money.

GET DOWN¹

depress, discourage

The cold, rainy weather got me down
after a couple of months.

GET DOWN

enjoy, dance

Let's have a little fun and get down
tonight!

GET IN

arrive

When does your plane get in?

GET IN

enter a private vehicle

We got in the car and sat down. (get on
- public vehicle)

GET OFF

exit a public vehicle

We got off the bus at the last stop.

GET OFF¹

escape from punishment

He was charged with public indecency,
but the lawyer got him off

GET OFF

boldness, effrontery

Where do you get off telling me I'm fat.
Look at yourself.

GET ON

to work or perform in harmony

They got on well together.

GET ON

to mount, to board (public transportation) He got on his bicycle and rode away.
He got on the bus.

GET IT ON¹

to have a romantic or sexual
connection

"Let's get it on." -- Marvin Gaye song

GET ON¹

to wear

He got on his shoes. See get passive

GET OVER

recover

It took him a week to get over his cold /
his divorce.

GET THROUGH

to succeed in contacting

I had trouble getting through to
you because my phone had bad

reception.

GET UP

wake up and get out of bed

What time did you get up this
morning?


Give
GIVE AWAY¹

give as a gift

He was feeling so confident, he gave
away all his money.

GIVE AWAY¹

reveal a secret

Be careful not to give secret away.

GIVE IN

surrender, acknowledge defeat

At first he said, "no", but then he gave
in.

GIVE OF

devote or contribute

To give of one's self is the greatest
gift.

GIVE OFF

to put forth, emit

The light bulb gave off an amazing
amount of light.

GIVE OUT¹

emit, distribute

They gave out fliers in front of the
playhouse.

GIVE OUT

to become exhausted, used up

After running four miles, his legs gave
out.

GIVE OVER¹

transfer, release to someone else

He will give over the ownership of his
property to his grandchildren.

GIVE UP

to abandon,

She never gave up hope that he would
get well.

GIVE UP

discontinue

He gave up smoking.

GIVE (IT) UP¹

applaud; clap (slang)

Let's give it up for Beyonce!

*separable – accepts an object

Go
GO ABOUT

perform one's duties

Every day, he goes about checking our
work.

GO AFTER

pursue

If you really want it, go after it.

GO AGAINST

to conflict with

He never thought his son would go
against him.

GO AHEAD

proceed

Go ahead. We'll catch up with you
later.

GO ALONG

agree to follow

Bill went along with his friend's plan

even though Bill didn't think it was a
good plan.

GO AROUND

accompany

They always go around with the same
people.


GO AROUND

be enough for everyone

They brought enough food to go
around.

GO AT

attack

They went at each other viciously.

GO BACK

return

He went back home after work.

GO BACK ON

fail to keep to

He went back on his word and started
smoking again.

GO BY

to be disregarded, not taken
advantage of

He let his best chance go by.

GO DOWN

suffer defeat

They went down fighting.

GO DOWN

be remembered

This will go down in history as an
unforgettable moment.

GO FOR

try hard for

Go for the gold! (Olympian expression)

GO IN WITH

join

He went in with them on an investment
scheme.

GO OFF

explode

The gun went off and runners began
the race.

GO OFF

ring

My phone always goes off when I'm in
class.

GO ON

continue

When life is hard, you have to go on.

GO OUT

extinguish

If the lights go out, light some candles.

GO OUT WITH

accompany or date

Amelia goes out with her friends. She
is going out with a new guy.

GO OVER

review

After we go over the plans, we can
discuss what to do.

GO OVER

to meet approval

Did your proposal go over well?

GO THROUGH

experience

We had to go through hard times
during the war.

GO THROUGH WITH

persevere to the end

He decided to go through with the
operation to repair his heart.

GO UNDER

fail, ruin

The bank went under due to bad
business practices.

GO UP

be under construction

A new building is going up in place of
the old one.

GO UP

be consumed by fire

The old building went up in flames.

GO WITH

look good or fashionable with

His striped shirt didn't go with his
jacket.


Have
HAVE AT

attack; to go at (alternate expression) It's time to have at my
homework.

HAVE ON¹

to wear

What do you have on?

HAVE ON¹

to host a guest on TV

Who does David Letterman have
on tonight?

HAVE X OUT

settle

She and I had it out last night and
came to an agreement.

HAVE OVER¹

entertain

We had our friends over for
dinner.

HAVE X TO DO WITH

be associated with

His lack of confidence had a lot to
do with his not getting the job.

*separable – accepts an object

Let
LET DOWN¹

disappoint

He let us down when he didn't
do as he said he would.

LET IN¹

to admit

The door man let us in to the
nightclub.

LET IN¹

share a secret

I'll let you in on a little
secret. I won the lottery.

LET OFF¹

release by exploding

The fireworks let off a whistling
sound.

LET OFF¹

to free from duty

They let him off jury duty.

LET OFF¹

excuse with little punishment

The judge let the youth off with

just a warning and a promise.

LET ON

reveal

Please don't let on that you
already know his secret.

LET OUT

terminates, release from confinement Elementary schools let out at
the end of May.

LET OUT

release from restraint

The dog let out a loud yelp
when its owner left.

LET OUT¹

enlarge

I had to let my pants out after
the holiday meals.

LET UP ON

ease up ; treat less severely

His mother let up on him after
she realized he was trying his
hardest.

*separable – accepts an object


Look
LOOK AFTER

take care of; foster

They looked after him when his
parents couldn't.

LOOK DOWN ON

regard with scorn or contempt

Those people look down on
everyone else as being inferior.

LOOK IN ON

visit briefly

The nurse looked in on each
patient several times a day.

LOOK INTO

investigate

The police are looking into the
crime.

LOOK ON

to be a spectator

The fans looked on while their
team battled to win.

LOOK OUT

to be on guard, to take care

Look out or you might get hurt.

LOOK OUT FOR

to be concerned

We need to look out for our
health.

LOOK OUT ONTO

to have a view

Our hotel room looked out onto
the town's plaza.

LOOK OVER¹

review

The mechanic looked the car
over to see if there were any
problems.

LOOK UP¹

research, find in a reference book

Always look up the words that
you don't know.

LOOK UP TO

admire, regard highly

She has always looked up to
her older sister.

*separable – accepts an object

Make

MAKE AWAY WITH

steal

The dishonest CEO made away
with millions of dollars.

MAKE DO WITH

get by, survive with less

In a bad economy, we make do
with less (money).

MAKE OFF WITH

steal, take

The bear made off with our
picnic basket.

MAKE OUT¹

to write or complete

After you make out the check,
put it in the mail.

MAKE OUT¹

be able to distinguish or read

It was hard to make out the
words on the old memorial
stone.

MAKE OUT

succeed

With a lot of hard work, you too
can make out in life.


MAKE OUT

show affection; kiss

They made out in the front seat.

MAKE OVER

redo, redecorate

The film producer decided to
make over the actor's
appearance

MAKE UP

invent

Did you make that story up? I
don't believe it.

MAKE UP

to put on cosmetics

Women make up their faces
before going to parties.

MAKE UP

to settle or reconcile

We had been quarreling for two
years, but we made last night.

MAKE UP

repeat

I had to make up a course in
which I had gotten an
unsatisfactory grade.

MAKE UP FOR

compensate

His boss offered him vacation
days to make up for his
overtime hours.

MAKE UP OF

constitute

The United States is made up of
fifty states.

MAKE UP TO

become friendly with

He was trying to make up
to every woman in the
class.(informal)

¹separable – accepts an object

Put
PUT ABOUT

turn in a different direction

The ship put about and headed
back to shore.

PUT ABOUT

to start a rumor

The opposition put about a
rumor that we had accepted a
bribe.

PUT AWAY¹

put in its place

We put away the food after
shopping.

PUT AWAY¹

consume

He can put away five
hamburgers!

PUT AWAY¹

euthanize

We had to put our dog away
when it became too old to
survive.

PUT AWAY¹

jail

The murderer was put away for
life.

PUT DOWN¹

write

The Red Cross put me down for
a one hundred dollar
contribution.


PUT DOWN

regard or categorize

He was put down as
a complainer

PUT DOWN¹

to insult or criticize

My older sister always put me
down when she was with her
friends.

PUT DOWN¹

to place a down payment

We put down forty per cent on
the house.

PUT DOWN

land and aircraft

The plane put down in a wheat
field.

PUT IN

enter a port

The ship put in before sunset.

PUT IN FOR

apply or request

He put in for a transfer to a
different division.

PUT OFF¹

delay or postpone

He tends to put off doing his
taxes.

PUT OFF

repel, distance, perturb

The artist's use of dead animals
put off his viewers.

PUT ON *

to wear

He put on his pants

PUT ON¹

produce or perform

They put on a wonderful play.

PUT OUT¹

extinguish

The firemen put out the fire

PUT OUT¹

be bothersome; inconvenience

Yes, I'd like a cup of coffee, but
I don't want to put you out.

PUT UP¹

put items in their places

Please put up your toys.

PUT UP WITH

tolerate

I can't put up with his terrible
behavior

*separable – accepts an object

Take
TAKE AFTER

resemble

His daughter takes after him in
business sense.

TAKE AFTER

pursue

The dog took after the little boy
who tried to run away.

TAKE BACK¹

retract

I take what I said back. I
shouldn't have said it.

TAKE DOWN¹

write or record

Take these measurements
down.

TAKE DOWN¹

capture, control

They took down their
opponents.


TAKE FOR¹

to assume to

I took his word for the truth. / I
took for truth his word.

TAKE IN *

provide lodging or a home

His uncle took him in after his
father died.

TAKE IN¹

alter, make smaller

She had her dress taken in after
she had her baby.

TAKE IN

trick or deceive

The insurance salesman took in
the unsuspecting buyer.

TAKE IN

observe and make sense of

We listened to his
lecture. There was a lot to take
in.

TAKE OFF¹

remove clothing

Please take off your coat and sit
down.

TAKE OFF

depart from earth

The airplane took off on time.

TAKE OFF¹

remove from a job or position

They took me off one project to
work on another.

TAKE OFF

humorous imitation (noun)

The movie was a take off on

news anchormen.

TAKE ON¹

undertake

The President took on the
difficult job of restoring the
economy.

TAKE ON¹

hire

They took him on as their
financial officer.

TAKE OUT¹

date

He took her out to the movies.

TAKE OVER¹

assume management

The stronger company took
over the weaker one.

TAKE UP¹

to begin to study

He took up the piano.

TAKE UP

occupy

The grand piano took up most
of the room.

TAKE UP¹

continue

Let's take up where we left off
yesterday.

TAKE UP¹

begin discussion or a subject

Today, I will take up the subject
of my salary.

TAKE UP WITH

become friends

He began to take up with the
wrong crowd.

*separable – accepts an object


Think
THINK ABOUT

consider, think for a while

I would like some time to think
about your business proposal.

THINK ABOUT

have an opinion or judgment

What do you think about the
new no-smoking law?

THINK OF

create, devise, come up with

How did you think of this
clever idea?

THINK OF

have an opinion or judgment

What do you think of your
phone?

THINK OF

remember, come to mind

I suddenly thought of his
name.

THINK ON

consider, think for a while

I'm not ready to buy it now. I'll
have to think on this for a
while.

THINK OUT¹

think toward reaching a solution

Think it out before you act.

THINK OVER¹

consider, think for a while

Please think it over carefully
before you sign the contract.

THINK THROUGH¹

think toward reaching a solution

If you think through the math
problem, you'll find the
solution.

THINK UP¹

create, devise come up with

She thought up our logo
design.

¹separable – accepts an object

Try
TRY ON¹

put on clothing to see if you like it

Try the pants on. / Try on
the pants. If you like
them, buy them.

TRY OUT¹

experiment with something

We tried out a new method
of using the cell phone.

TRY OUT¹

audition, perform before judges

He tried out before the
American Idol
judges. They held try-outs
today.