Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs: Vocabulary Building

Manik Joshi

Oct 2014 · English Word Power Book 19 · Manik Joshi

About this ebook

Useful English phrasal verbs and their meanings in simple words | Alphabetical list of English phrasal verbs

1500 Useful phrasal verbs for daily use

 

Sample this:

 

What are “Phrasal Verbs”?

 

A PHRASAL VERB is made up of a Verb and an Adverb or a Preposition or both.

Adverbs or prepositions which are used in Phrasal Verbs are called ‘Particles’.

 

Verb + adverb = Phrasal verb

Verb + preposition = Phrasal verb

Verb + adverb + preposition = Phrasal verb

 

Examples:

break down -- verb + adverb [break= verb; down= adverb]

ward off -- verb + preposition [ward= verb; off= preposition]

keep up with -- verb + adverb + preposition [keep= verb; up= adverb; with=preposition]

 

‘USUAL’ and ‘IDIOMATIC’ Meanings of Phrasal Verbs

A Phrasal verb may have usual or idiomatic meaning -

 

Phrasal Verb with Usual meaning:

Verb and Particle keep their ordinary meaning

Example: turn around -- to turn around

 

Phrasal Verb with Idiomatic meaning:

Verb and Particle doesn’t keep their ordinary meaning

Example: turn down -- to reject an offer

 

Following is the detailed list of useful Phrasal Verbs and their meanings:

 

 

English Phrasal Verbs -- A

 

Abide

abide by -- to obey/follow a decision, rule, etc.

 

Abound

abound with/in -- to be full of

 

Account

account for -- to explain | to be a definite amount for | to destroy

 

Accustom

accustom to -- to be familiar

 

Act

act on -- to affect

act out -- to express a feeling or an emotion in your behavior

act up -- to behave inappropriately

act upon -- to take an action on the basis of particular information, etc.; to execute

 

Add

add in -- to include

add to -- to increase

add up -- to calculate or count | to be sensible or reasonable

add up to -- to have a particular result | to have a certain total amount

 

Adhere

adhere to -- to follow a particular rule

 

Agree

not agree with -- to dislike or disapprove

 

Aim

aim at -- to Intend to achieve a particular goal

 

Alight

alight on -- to find something by chance

 

Align

align with -- to support a person, rules, etc, openly or publicly because you agree with them

 

Allow

allow for -- to take something into consideration

allow of -- to make possible; to permit

 

Allude

allude to -- to refer to

 

Amount

amount to -- to be equal to something | to count something as a total

 

Angle

angle for -- to try to get something indirectly by hinting

 

Answer

answer back -- to make counter-argument | to give rude reply to your senior, an authority, etc.

answer for -- to be responsible

answer to somebody for something -- to explain your decision or action

 

Appertain

appertain to -- to refer or relate

 

Argue

argue down -- to beat somebody in an argument or a debate | to persuade people not to accept a proposal or motion | to persuade a seller to reduce the price

argue somebody into doing something -- to give reasons to persuade somebody to do or not do something

 

Arrive

arrive at -- to decide something after deliberation

 

Arrogate

arrogate to yourself -- to claim/take without having right

 

Ascribe

ascribe to -- to think or say something is done by somebody

 

Ask

ask around -- to talk to many people with a view to getting information | to invite

ask for -- to request or demand something | to provoke a negative reaction

ask in -- to invite somebody into your house

ask out -- to invite someone for a date

 

Attend

attend to -- to deal with somebody/something

 

Auction

auction off -- to sell something at an auction

 

Avail

avail yourself of -- to take advantage of an opportunity

 

Average

average out -- to make even; to calculate the average | to balance or equalize

 

Awake/Awaken

awake/awaken to -- to be aware of possible effects of something

Ratings and reviews

Meaning of the word deriberation

About the author

Manik Joshi was born on January 26, 1979, at Ranikhet, a picturesque town in the Kumaon region of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. He is a permanent resident of the Sheeshmahal area of Kathgodam located in the city of Haldwani in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand in India. He completed his schooling in four different schools. He is a science graduate in the ZBC – zoology, botany, and chemistry – subjects. He is also an MBA with a specialization in marketing. Additionally, he holds diplomas in “computer applications”, “multimedia and web-designing”, and “computer hardware and networking”. During his schooldays, he wanted to enter the field of medical science; however, after graduation, he shifted his focus to the field of management. After obtaining his MBA, he enrolled in a computer education center; he became so fascinated with working on the computer that he decided to develop his career in this field. Over the following years, he worked at some computer-related full-time jobs. Following that, he became interested in Internet Marketing, particularly in domaining (business of buying and selling domain names), web design (creating websites), and various other online jobs. However, later he shifted his focus solely to self-publishing. Manik is a nature-lover. He has always been fascinated by overcast skies. He is passionate about traveling and enjoys solo travel most of the time rather than traveling in groups. He is actually quite a loner who prefers to do his own thing. He likes to listen to music, particularly when he is working on the computer. Reading and writing are definitely his favorite pastimes, but he has no interest in sports. Manik has always dreamt of a prosperous life and prefers to live a life of luxury. He has a keen interest in politics because he believes it is politics that decides everything else. He feels a sense of gratification sharing his experiences and knowledge with the outside world. However, he is an introvert by nature and thus gives prominence to only a few people in his personal life. He is not a spiritual man, yet he actively seeks knowledge about the metaphysical world; he is particularly interested in learning about life beyond death. In addition to writing academic/informational text and fictional content, he also maintains a personal diary. He has always had a desire to stand out from the crowd. He does not believe in treading the beaten path and avoids copying someone else’s path to success. Two things he always refrains from are smoking and drinking; he is a teetotaler and very health-conscious. He usually wakes up before the sun rises. He starts his morning with meditation and exercise. Fitness is an integral and indispensable part of his life. He gets energized by solving complex problems. He loves himself the way he is and he loves the way he looks. He doesn’t believe in following fashion trends. He dresses according to what suits him and what he is comfortable in. He believes in taking calculated risks. His philosophy is to expect the best but prepare for the worst. According to him, you can’t succeed if you are unwilling to fail. For Manik, life is about learning from mistakes and figuring out how to move forward.