Importance of Phrasal Verbs in PTE Vocabulary

Phrasal verbs are essential for the PTE Listening and Speaking sections because they are commonly used in conversations, lectures, and essays. In the PTE exam, listening tasks often include phrasal verbs in interviews and academic talks, while speaking tasks reward natural and fluent responses that incorporate these expressions. Using phrasal verbs correctly can demonstrate a strong command of English, helping you score higher for lexical range and fluency. They also show that you understand informal and idiomatic expressions, which are important for both understanding questions and giving effective responses.

For more examples and practice activities, explore the Comprehensive PTE Vocabulary List under ‘PTE Vocabulary Essentials.’

What Are Phrasal Verbs?
- 1.1. Examples
- 1.2. Types of Phrasal Verbs
Why Phrasal Verbs Improve Your PTE Score
How to Use Phrasal Verbs in Context
PTE Listening: Spotting Phrasal Verbs in Audio
PTE Speaking: Using Phrasal Verbs in Responses
- 5.1. Examples in PTE Speaking
- 5.2. Speaking Practice Tips
Important Phrasal Verbs for PTE With Examples
Extra Practice Resources
List of PTE Vocabulary Phrasal Verbs
FAQs About Phrasal Verbs for PTE
Final Thoughts

1. What Are Phrasal Verbs?

Phrasal verbs give verbs new meanings that are frequently distinct from the original verb by combining them with prepositions or adverbs. They can succinctly convey activities, emotions, or changes and are frequently used in everyday English. The phrasal word “give up,” for instance, signifies “to quit” and is not the same as “give.” Since phrasal verbs are commonly used in lectures, conversations, and instructions, mastering them is crucial to comprehending and reacting appropriately on the PTE exam.

Furthermore, phrasal verbs are crucial for speaking fluency and listening comprehension because they can have several meanings depending on the situation.

Examples

Look after – To care for – She looks after her dog.
Break down – To stop working – The car broke down.
Bring up – To mention – He brought up a question.
Find more examples in the Comprehensive PTE Vocabulary List under ‘Common Verb Forms.’

Types of Phrasal Verbs

Separable: The object can be placed between the verb and the particle – Look up the word or Look the word up.
Inseparable: The object must follow the phrasal verb – She looks after her cat.

2. Why Phrasal Verbs Improve Your PTE Score

Wider Vocabulary: Shows you understand natural expressions.
Better Listening: Helps you identify common phrases in audio recordings.
Fluent Speaking: Makes your answers sound more natural.
Stronger Essays: Adds variety and style to your writing.

3. How to Use Phrasal Verbs in Context

1. Create PTE-Style Sentences

The teacher pointed out the error. Meaning: highlighted
The meeting was called off because of rain. Meaning: canceled

2. Practice Synonyms

The plane took off at 7 PM. → The plane departed at 7 PM.
Took off and departed both mean leaving, but ‘departed’ sounds more formal.
The meeting was called off due to rain. → The meeting was canceled due to rain.
‘Called off’ and ‘canceled’ are synonyms, with ‘called off’ being more conversational.
She looked after her younger brother. → She cared for her younger brother.
‘Looked after’ is informal, ‘cared for’ is more general.
We ran into an old friend at the mall. → We met an old friend at the mall. ‘Ran into’ is more casual, ‘met’ is neutral.

3. Use Phrasal Verbs in PTE Tasks

Listening Summarize Spoken Text
The lecturer went over the main points.
Speaking Describe Image
The graph shows sales that went up quickly.

4. PTE Listening: Spotting Phrasal Verbs in Audio

Common Situations

Interviews, academic talks, and conversations.

Example:

The speaker brought up a new topic. Introduced

Listening Practice Tips

Watch videos with subtitles to catch phrasal verbs.
Take PTE listening mock tests that include dialogues.
Keep a phrasal verb journal and review it regularly.

5. PTE Speaking: Using Phrasal Verbs in Responses

Examples in PTE Speaking

Sales went up after the discount.
The teacher pointed out

Speaking Practice Tips

Record yourself and listen for phrasal verbs.
Use at least two phrasal verbs when describing charts or trends.
Make flashcards with phrasal verbs and their meanings.

6. Important Phrasal Verbs for PTE With Examples

For Listening and Summaries

Bring up: To mention She brought up the topic.
Look into: To investigate We are looking into the issue.
Call off: To cancel The game was called off.

For Speaking and Descriptions

Get through: To finish I got through my homework.
Put forward: To suggest He put forward an idea.
Go over: To review Let’s go over your work.

Practice Activity

Write five sentences using different phrasal verbs. Need more? See Comprehensive PTE Vocabulary List under ‘PTE Vocabulary Essentials.’

7. Extra Practice Resources

Find more phrasal verbs in the Comprehensive PTE Vocabulary List.
Use PTE mock tests to practice using phrasal verbs under timed conditions.
Try vocabulary apps with phrasal verb quizzes.

8. List of PTE Vocabulary Phrasal Verbs

Below is a comprehensive table of 100 phrasal verbs with their meanings and example sentences.

S.No.	Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example Sentence
1	Account for	To explain the reason behind something	The report must account for all discrepancies in the data.
2	Add up	To calculate or to make logical sense	Her explanation just doesn’t add up with the evidence provided.
3	Back down	To withdraw from a conflict or concede	Despite pressure, he refused to back down during the discussion.
4	Bring about	To cause something to happen	New policies can bring about significant change.
5	Bring up	To introduce a topic or mention something	She brought up an interesting point during the meeting.
6	Call off	To cancel or abandon something	They had to call off the event due to unforeseen circumstances.
7	Calm down	To relax or become less agitated	Take a deep breath and calm down before you speak.
8	Carry on	To continue or persist	Despite the challenges, the team carried on with the project.
9	Carry out	To execute or perform a task	The scientists carried out a series of experiments.
10	Catch on	To become popular or understand	It took a while for the new trend to catch on.
11	Check in	To register or report one’s arrival	Don’t forget to check in at the hotel reception.
12	Check out	To leave a hotel or verify something	We should check out the new exhibit at the museum.
13	Come across	To find or meet by chance	I came across a rare book in the old library.
14	Come along	To accompany someone or to progress	Why don’t you come along on our trip?
15	Come by	To obtain or visit briefly	Opportunities like this don’t come by often.
16	Come up with	To produce or generate an idea	They came up with an innovative solution for the problem.
17	Count on	To rely or depend on	You can count on me for support during the exam.
18	Cut down on	To reduce the amount of something	We need to cut down on unnecessary expenses.
19	Cut off	To interrupt or remove completely	The phone call was cut off due to poor signal.
20	Do over	To repeat or redo something	If you’re not satisfied, you can always do the assignment over.
21	Do without	To manage or survive without something	During the power outage, we had to do without many modern comforts.
22	Figure out	To understand or solve something	It took me a while to figure out the math problem.
23	Fill in	To complete a form or provide missing details	Please fill in the application form completely.
24	Fill out	To complete by supplying required information	He filled out the survey accurately.
25	Find out	To discover or learn something	I need to find out the meeting time.
26	Get along	To have a friendly relationship	They get along well despite their differences.
27	Get by	To manage or survive	I can get by on a small salary if I budget wisely.
28	Get in	To enter or arrive	What time did you get in last night?
29	Get off	To leave a vehicle or disembark	We got off the bus at the next stop.
30	Get over	To recover from or overcome something	It took him months to get over the setback.
31	Give in	To surrender or yield	After long negotiations, they finally gave in to the demands.
32	Give up	To quit or stop trying	Don’t give up on your dreams despite the challenges.
33	Go ahead	To proceed or begin	You can go ahead and start the presentation.
34	Go along with	To agree or comply with	She decided to go along with the new proposal.
35	Go back	To return to a place or previous state	He went back home after the long journey.
36	Go on	To continue or proceed	The show must go on despite the technical difficulties.
37	Go over	To review or examine carefully	Let’s go over the report one more time.
38	Hang on	To wait or hold tightly	Hang on for a moment while I grab my coat.
39	Hang up	To end a phone call or suspend something	She had to hang up abruptly when the call became unproductive.
40	Hold on	To wait briefly or keep a firm grasp	Hold on; I’ll be with you in just a minute.
41	Look after	To take care of or be responsible for	Can you look after the children while I run errands?
42	Look for	To search or seek	I am looking for my keys; have you seen them?
43	Look forward to	To anticipate with pleasure	I look forward to our vacation next month.
44	Look into	To investigate or examine	They will look into the cause of the accident.
45	Look out	To be cautious or watch for	Look out! There’s a car coming.
46	Make out	To discern or understand; to kiss passionately	I couldn’t make out what he was saying.
47	Make up	To invent a story or reconcile	They made up after their argument.
48	Move on	To progress or leave behind	After the breakup, she decided it was time to move on.
49	Pass away	To die or cease to exist	Sadly, her grandmother passed away last year.
50	Pass out	To faint or distribute	The heat was so intense that he almost passed out.
51	Pick up	To collect, learn, or improve	Could you pick up some groceries on your way home?
52	Point out	To indicate or draw attention to something	He pointed out the errors in the draft.
53	Put away	To store or tidy up	Please put away your toys after playing.
54	Put down	To place something or belittle someone	She put down the heavy box carefully.
55	Put off	To postpone or delay	Don’t put off your homework until the last minute.
56	Put on	To dress oneself or organize an event	He put on his jacket before heading out.
57	Run into	To meet by chance or collide	I ran into an old friend at the grocery store.
58	Run out	To deplete the supply of something	We ran out of milk this morning.
59	Set up	To arrange or establish	They set up a new system for online learning.
60	Show off	To display proudly or boast	He loves to show off his skills on stage.
61	Show up	To appear or arrive	She showed up late to the meeting.
62	Shut down	To close or stop operating	The factory was shut down for renovations.
63	Sign up	To register or enroll	I signed up for a photography class last week.
64	Slow down	To decelerate or reduce speed	Slow down; you’re driving too fast.
65	Speak up	To talk louder or express an opinion	Please speak up if you have any questions.
66	Stand out	To be noticeable or exceptional	Her creative ideas make her stand out in a crowd.
67	Stand up	To rise or defend oneself	It’s important to stand up for what you believe in.
68	Start over	To begin again or restart	After the error, they decided to start over.
69	Start out	To begin a journey or endeavor	He started out as an intern before becoming a manager.
70	Take after	To resemble or inherit traits from someone	She takes after her mother in her artistic skills.
71	Take back	To retract a statement or reclaim something	I had to take back my words after realizing the mistake.
72	Take off	To depart, become successful, or remove something	The plane will take off shortly.
73	Take out	To remove or invite someone on an outing	He took her out for dinner last night.
74	Talk over	To discuss or review thoroughly	Let’s talk over the details before finalizing the plan.
75	Throw away	To discard or dispose of	Don’t throw away those old magazines—they might be useful.
76	Throw up	To vomit or abandon quickly	The smell was so strong it made him throw up.
77	Turn around	To reverse direction or improve suddenly	A change in strategy helped the company turn around its fortunes.
78	Turn back	To return or reverse course	They had to turn back because of the storm.
79	Turn down	To refuse or lower the volume	She turned down the job offer after careful consideration.
80	Turn in	To submit or go to bed	Don’t forget to turn in your assignment by Friday.
81	Turn off	To switch off or cause dislike	Please turn off the lights when you leave the room.
82	Turn on	To activate or excite	The new advertisement really turns on the audience.
83	Turn up	To appear or increase in volume	He turned up unexpectedly at the party.
84	Warm up	To heat or prepare oneself	Always warm up before exercising to avoid injury.
85	Watch out	To be cautious or alert	Watch out for the slippery floor.
86	Work out	To exercise or resolve a problem	I need to work out a solution for this technical issue.
87	Wipe out	To destroy completely or eliminate entirely	The hurricane wiped out the coastal town.
88	Zone out	To lose concentration or become inattentive	During the long lecture, he began to zone out.
89	Wrap up	To finish or conclude something	Let’s wrap up the meeting with a quick summary.
90	Break down	To collapse emotionally or analyze in detail	The car broke down on the highway.
91	Break in	To force entry or to get used to something	Thieves broke in through the window.
92	Break up	To end a relationship or disperse a group	They decided to break up after years together.
93	Bring back	To return something or revive a memory	That song brings back many memories.
94	Bring forward	To advance to an earlier time or propose an idea	They brought forward the meeting to Tuesday.
95	Bring in	To introduce or generate revenue	The new product helped bring in more customers.
96	Break out	To escape or begin suddenly	A fire broke out in the building late last night.
97	Break through	To overcome an obstacle or make a breakthrough	The research team finally broke through in their study.
98	Chip in	To contribute or help out	Everyone chipped in to buy a gift for their teacher.
99	Come forward	To volunteer or offer information	Several witnesses came forward with new details.
100	Cross out	To delete or cancel something	Please cross out any incorrect answers on your test paper.

9. FAQs About Phrasal Verbs for PTE

Q: Why are phrasal verbs important for the PTE exam?

A: Phrasal verbs are commonly used in conversations and academic contexts, so understanding them helps you score higher in listening and speaking sections.

Q: How many phrasal verbs should I learn for the PTE?

A: Aim to learn at least 50 common phrasal verbs, focusing on those likely to appear in PTE tasks.

Q: How can I remember phrasal verbs easily?

A: Use them in sentences, create flashcards, and practice daily with listening and speaking exercises.

Q: Do phrasal verbs help in the writing section?

A: Yes, using phrasal verbs in essays can show a range of vocabulary, especially when summarizing or explaining ideas.

Q: Can I use phrasal verbs in the speaking test?

A: Absolutely! Using phrasal verbs naturally during your answers will make your speech sound fluent and native-like.

10. Final Thoughts

Learning phrasal verbs is a key skill for PTE success. Practice daily using examples from the Comprehensive PTE Vocabulary List under ‘Daily Vocabulary Practice.’ With regular use, you’ll gain confidence and improve your PTE scores. Keep practicing—every bit of progress counts!