English Phrasal Verb Flashcards: Meaning & Word Order

54 English flashcards on 24 everyday phrasal-verb senses: meanings in context, sentence completion, and noun or pronoun word order.

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Practice 24 everyday English multi-word verb senses with 54 short flashcards. Each sense has an original sentence for meaning recall and a separate task that asks you to complete a sentence or rewrite it with a pronoun. Six grammar cards explain the object patterns behind those tasks. The deck is for learners who can already read short English explanations.

Begin with separable verbs for home routines, then use them in study and planning contexts. Next come verbs that need no object, inseparable combinations, and three-part expressions. Meaning and usage cards for the same expression are separated by at least three other cards. Read the sentence, say the answer, then reveal the back and compare. For meaning cards, an equivalent explanation is enough; completion cues and rewrite instructions narrow the intended productive answer.

The set covers turn off, pick up (collect a passenger), put away, put on, throw away, take off (remove clothing), write down, hand in, call off, look up (consult a reference), put off, fill in, wake up, break down (a machine), show up, get up, look after, run into (meet by chance), get over (an illness), look for, run out of, put up with, catch up with (reach someone ahead), and look forward to.

“Phrasal verbs” is used here in the broad learner sense: it includes particle verbs, prepositional verbs such as look after, and three-part combinations such as put up with. Object rules apply to the chosen meaning and construction. Cards distinguish noun placement from personal-pronoun placement, and include the -ing form after look forward to.

This is a focused practice set, not a frequency ranking or a complete English course. It does not cover every sense, unrestricted synonym recall, translations, audio, pronunciation, or every possible reverse prompt. Those directions need different cues or media; the selected tasks focus on meaning and usable word order. It is not aligned to a specific exam or CEFR level.

The questions, answers, examples, sequence, metadata, and cover were independently created with AI assistance. Common language facts were checked against the open English multi-word verb overview and individual Wiktionary entries; no dictionary definitions, example sentences, textbook exercises, examination questions, or competitor cards were copied. The original text and generated cover are released under CC0 1.0 to the extent applicable rights exist; reference-source text remains under its own licenses. This is an independent resource, unaffiliated with any dictionary, school, or examination provider.

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  1. Kaart 1

    Vraag

    What does separable mean for a two-part English verb with a short noun object?

    Antwoord

    The noun can go between the verb and particle or after both.

    Learn this pattern for the particular meaning you are using.

  2. Kaart 2

    Vraag

    What does “turn off” mean here?

    “Maya turned off the desk fan before the call.”

    Antwoord

    She stopped the fan from running.

  3. Kaart 3

    Vraag

    What does “pick up” mean here?

    “The driver picked up Leila at the west entrance.”

    Antwoord

    The driver collected Leila to give her a ride.

  4. Kaart 4

    Vraag

    What does “put away” mean here?

    “After lunch, I put away the clean plates.”

    Antwoord

    I returned the plates to the place where we keep them.

  5. Kaart 5

    Vraag

    What does “put on” mean here?

    “Nora put on her raincoat before leaving.”

    Antwoord

    Nora dressed herself in her raincoat.

  6. Kaart 6

    Vraag

    Where does an unstressed personal pronoun object go with a separable English phrasal verb?

    Antwoord

    Between the verb and its particle.

    The pattern is verb + me/you/him/her/it/us/them + particle.

  7. Kaart 7

    Vraag

    What does “throw away” mean here?

    “I threw away the torn envelope after saving the letter.”

    Antwoord

    I discarded the envelope because I no longer needed it.

  8. Kaart 8

    Vraag

    What does “take off” mean here?

    “I took off my wet gloves in the hallway.”

    Antwoord

    I removed the gloves I was wearing.

  9. Kaart 9

    Vraag

    Rewrite with it: “Please turn off the desk fan.”

    Antwoord

    Please turn it off.

    The personal pronoun goes between turn and off.

  10. Kaart 10

    Vraag

    Rewrite with them: “I put away the clean plates.”

    Antwoord

    I put them away.

    The pronoun goes between put and away.

  11. Kaart 11

    Vraag

    Complete with a phrasal verb based on pick: “Can you ___ me ___ at the ferry terminal?” (Collect me by car.)

    Antwoord

    pick me up

    “Can you pick me up at the ferry terminal?” The pronoun belongs between pick and up.

  12. Kaart 12

    Vraag

    Complete with a phrasal verb based on put: “It is cold outside. Please ___ your coat.”

    Antwoord

    put on

    “It is cold outside. Please put on your coat.” With a noun, “put your coat on” is also grammatical.

  13. Kaart 13

    Vraag

    Rewrite with it: “Please throw away the torn envelope.”

    Antwoord

    Please throw it away.

    The personal pronoun goes before away.

  14. Kaart 14

    Vraag

    Complete with a phrasal verb based on take: “Your boots are muddy. Please ___ them ___ before entering.”

    Antwoord

    take them off

    “Please take them off before entering.” The pronoun goes between take and off.

  15. Kaart 15

    Vraag

    What does “write down” mean here?

    “We wrote down the locker number in a notebook.”

    Antwoord

    We made a written record of the locker number.

  16. Kaart 16

    Vraag

    What does “hand in” mean here?

    “Each student handed in a signed permission slip.”

    Antwoord

    Each student submitted the slip to the person collecting it.

  17. Kaart 17

    Vraag

    What does “call off” mean here?

    “The organizers called off the outdoor concert because of lightning.”

    Antwoord

    They canceled the concert; it would not go ahead as planned.

  18. Kaart 18

    Vraag

    What does “look up” mean here?

    “Sam looked up the word in an online dictionary.”

    Antwoord

    Sam checked a reference source for information about the word.

  19. Kaart 19

    Vraag

    Can you assume every meaning of an English multi-word verb has the same object pattern?

    Antwoord

    No. Learn the meaning and the object pattern together.

    A combination may take an object in one use and need none in another.

  20. Kaart 20

    Vraag

    What does “put off” mean here?

    “We put off the roof inspection until next week.”

    Antwoord

    We delayed the inspection to a later time.

  21. Kaart 21

    Vraag

    What does “fill in” mean here?

    “Please fill in the registration form before the workshop.”

    Antwoord

    Please add the requested details to the form.

    Fill in is common in British English; fill out is also used, especially in American English.

  22. Kaart 22

    Vraag

    Complete with a phrasal verb based on write: “Please ___ the gate code so we do not forget it.”

    Antwoord

    write down

    “Please write down the gate code so we do not forget it.” “Write out” also fits if you mean writing the code in full. With a noun, “write the gate code down” is also grammatical.

  23. Kaart 23

    Vraag

    Rewrite with it: “I must hand in my assignment today.”

    Antwoord

    I must hand it in today.

    The pronoun goes between hand and in.

  24. Kaart 24

    Vraag

    Complete with a phrasal verb based on call: “The venue is unsafe. We must ___ the concert.” (Cancel it.)

    Antwoord

    call off

    “We must call off the concert.” With a noun, “call the concert off” is also grammatical.

  25. Kaart 25

    Vraag

    Rewrite with it: “I will look up the address.”

    Antwoord

    I will look it up.

    In this information-search sense, look up is separable.

  26. Kaart 26

    Vraag

    Rewrite with it: “Please fill in the registration form.”

    Antwoord

    Please fill it in.

    “Please fill it out” is also valid if you choose the alternative expression fill out; this rewrite keeps fill in.

  27. Kaart 27

    Vraag

    Complete with a phrasal verb based on put: “We cannot inspect the roof today. We will ___ the inspection until Friday.”

    Antwoord

    put off

    “We will put off the inspection until Friday.” “Put back” is also a valid answer here. With a noun, “put the inspection off” is also grammatical.

  28. Kaart 28

    Vraag

    What does intransitive mean when a dictionary labels an English verb use?

    Antwoord

    That use takes no direct object.

    Time and place phrases can still follow it; they are not direct objects.

  29. Kaart 29

    Vraag

    What does “wake up” mean here?

    “I woke up at six but stayed in bed for a while.”

    Antwoord

    I stopped sleeping at six. I did not necessarily leave the bed then.

  30. Kaart 30

    Vraag

    What does “break down” mean here?

    “Our washing machine broke down halfway through the cycle.”

    Antwoord

    The washing machine stopped working because of a fault.

  31. Kaart 31

    Vraag

    What does “show up” mean here?

    “Only three people showed up for the early meeting.”

    Antwoord

    Only three people arrived or attended.

  32. Kaart 32

    Vraag

    What does “get up” mean here?

    “I was awake at six, but I got up at half past six.”

    Antwoord

    I left my bed at half past six.

  33. Kaart 33

    Vraag

    Complete with a phrasal verb based on wake: “I usually ___ at six, then lie in bed for ten minutes.”

    Antwoord

    wake up

    “I usually wake up at six, then lie in bed for ten minutes.” No object is needed in this use.

  34. Kaart 34

    Vraag

    Complete with a phrasal verb based on break: “Poor maintenance can cause the lift to ___.” (Stop working.)

    Antwoord

    break down

    “Poor maintenance can cause the lift to break down.” The machine is the subject; this use needs no object.

  35. Kaart 35

    Vraag

    Complete with a phrasal verb based on show: “Please ___ before the rehearsal starts.” (Arrive.)

    Antwoord

    show up

    “Please show up before the rehearsal starts.” No object is needed in this use.

  36. Kaart 36

    Vraag

    Complete with a phrasal verb based on get: “I am already awake, but I do not want to ___ yet.” (Leave bed.)

    Antwoord

    get up

    “I am already awake, but I do not want to get up yet.” Being awake and leaving bed are different actions.

  37. Kaart 37

    Vraag

    In an ordinary statement with an inseparable verb + preposition combination, where does its object go?

    Antwoord

    After the preposition, whether the object is a noun or a pronoun.

    Do not move that object between the verb and preposition.

  38. Kaart 38

    Vraag

    What does “look after” mean here?

    “My neighbor looks after our cat when we travel.”

    Antwoord

    My neighbor takes care of the cat.

  39. Kaart 39

    Vraag

    What does “run into” mean here?

    “I ran into an old classmate at the bakery and we chatted.”

    Antwoord

    I met the classmate by chance.

    Here it means an unexpected meeting, not a physical collision.

  40. Kaart 40

    Vraag

    What does “get over” mean here?

    “It took Amir a week to get over his cold.”

    Antwoord

    Amir needed a week to recover from the cold.

  41. Kaart 41

    Vraag

    What does “look for” mean here?

    “I am looking for the key I dropped near the bench.”

    Antwoord

    I am trying to find the missing key.

  42. Kaart 42

    Vraag

    Rewrite with her: “We look after our young niece on Mondays.”

    Antwoord

    We look after her on Mondays.

    The object stays after the word after; do not put her between look and after.

  43. Kaart 43

    Vraag

    Complete with a phrasal verb based on run: “I did not expect to ___ my old classmate at the bakery.” (Meet by chance.)

    Antwoord

    run into

    “I did not expect to run into my old classmate at the bakery.” “Run across” is also a valid answer here. With a pronoun, say “run into her.”

  44. Kaart 44

    Vraag

    Rewrite with it: “I hope to get over this cold soon.”

    Antwoord

    I hope to get over it soon.

    In the recovery sense, the object stays after over.

  45. Kaart 45

    Vraag

    Rewrite with them: “We are looking for our keys.”

    Antwoord

    We are looking for them.

    The object stays after for.

  46. Kaart 46

    Vraag

    After look forward to, which form of a following verb is needed?

    Antwoord

    The -ing form.

    For example: “I look forward to visiting the island.” To is a preposition here, not an infinitive marker.

  47. Kaart 47

    Vraag

    What does “run out of” mean here?

    “The printer stopped because we ran out of paper.”

    Antwoord

    We had no paper left to use.

  48. Kaart 48

    Vraag

    What does “put up with” mean here?

    “I can put up with the noise for one afternoon.”

    Antwoord

    I can tolerate the noise even though I find it annoying.

  49. Kaart 49

    Vraag

    What does “catch up with” mean here?

    “Mina walked faster to catch up with the rest of the group.”

    Antwoord

    Mina tried to reach the people who were ahead of her.

  50. Kaart 50

    Vraag

    What does “look forward to” mean here?

    “We are looking forward to our weekend at the lake.”

    Antwoord

    We feel pleased and excited about the coming weekend.

  51. Kaart 51

    Vraag

    Complete with a three-word expression based on run: “We need more envelopes before we ___ them.” (Have none left.)

    Antwoord

    run out of

    “We need more envelopes before we run out of them.” The object comes after of.

  52. Kaart 52

    Vraag

    Rewrite with it: “I cannot put up with this noise.”

    Antwoord

    I cannot put up with it.

    The object follows with; keep put up with together in this sentence.

  53. Kaart 53

    Vraag

    Complete with a three-word expression based on catch: “They are walking ahead. Hurry so we can ___ them.”

    Antwoord

    catch up with

    “Hurry so we can catch up with them.” This means reaching them, not exchanging news. Catch up to is also correct here.

  54. Kaart 54

    Vraag

    Complete with a three-word expression based on look: “I ___ seeing you on Saturday.” (I am happy about the planned visit; use the simple present.)

    Antwoord

    look forward to

    “I look forward to seeing you on Saturday.” Here to is a preposition, so the following verb takes the -ing form.

English word tiles reading TURN IT OFF on a stack of flashcards beside an unlit lamp, a speech bubble, and a plant.

54 kaarten

English Phrasal Verb Flashcards: Meaning & Word Order

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