How Using Our Phrasal Verbs Examples Can Improve Your Writing
You have probably been using irregular verb forms and phrasal verbs as part of your everyday vocabulary without even realizing that there was such a description tagged to them. Phrasal verbs are a mixture of words that when put together can give a completely different meaning or context to a sentence. It doesn’t matter if they are regular or irregular but should always be used like normal verbs when writing a sentence. Getting the hang of them can be tricky however and if done wrong, it can offer an entirely different meaning from what you intended to say. There are many phrasal verbs examples dotted all over the internet which can help you out of a sticky situation and by using them, your vocabulary will also expand to aid you in future writing assignments.
It’s not always clear when reading through someone’s work what they are trying to say at times. Poor grammar and punctuation add to the confusion, but unless you thoroughly check phrasal verb have been used accurately, you will end up with a jumble of words that has no relevance to your subject and only distract from its message. Learning English phrasal verbs and irregular verb forms to understand their true meaning is therefore of vital importance if you plan on using them regularly. This is why many people turn to a service such as ours for professional help learning phrasal verbs and are shown how to avoid errors that can destroy a good essay.
List of the Most Common Phrasal Verbs Used When Writing
You don’t need to have a dictionary always to hand in order to increase your vocabulary skills. By paying close attention when reading a novel, journal or article, you will see how other writers are able to put their thoughts down on paper in a way which makes complete sense. While it may not be obvious at first, phrasal verbs are used extensively and can bring life to an otherwise boring sentence. While there are far too many English phrasal verbs in use to be listed here, our experts have supplied a list of the more commonly used ones to help increase your vocabulary:
- Account for (explain or give a reason): Can you account for the time spent on this project?
- Allow for (take into consideration): You should allow for unexpected charges when checking in at the airport.
- Break up (come to an end of a relationship): Dan broke up with Sarah after dating her for three years.
- Bump into (meet someone unexpectedly): Jan bumped into Adam at the supermarket.
- Call off (cancel): The meeting this afternoon has been called off.
- Come across (find by chance): I was cleaning up the attic and came across some old pictures.
- Count on (depend or rely on): You can count on my vote in the upcoming elections.
- Drag on (last longer than expected): This afternoon’s lecture is really dragging on.
- Figure out (find the answer): Emma is trying to figure out how to earn enough money to go on the trip to Hawaii.
- Focus on (concentrate on something): Tom had a lot of difficulty focusing on work the day before his vacation started.
- Get rid of (eliminate): Steve’s mum was always telling him to get rid of that old t-shirt.
- Hold on (wait): Please hold on, a representative will soon be available to take your call.
- Kick off (to begin or start): The football match was due to kick off at 2 o’clock.
- Look after (take care of): Andy was always being asked to look after his baby sister.
- Own up (admit or confess something): Sam’s parents applied a lot of pressure to get her to own up to breaking a favorite toy belonging to her sister.
- Rule out (to eliminate): Since Tom had such a bad voice, he was ruled out of joining the choir.
- Take after (resemble in appearance or character): Andy really takes after his grandfather.
- Work out (find a solution): As the smartest girl in her class, Sarah was always asked to work out complex equations.
The Results of Failing to Carry out a Phrasal Verb Check Thoroughly
As with any type of writing we do, thorough checks should be made to ensure that what you mean to say is actually what you have put down on paper. Sometimes, even when choosing alternate synonyms to use to cut down on repetition, we lose the meaning of what we want to say and the resulting mistake, while sometimes humorous can have a negative impact. Some examples of this include:
- We can’t cook that pork, smell it – you can tell its ‘gone out’ (gone off)
- Eric’s parents offered to ‘put out’ his best friend for a week (put up)
- Sarah‘ broke up’ in a rash after her camping trip Yellowstone National Park (broke out)
- Sue really didn’t like the way that Bill always ‘put her off’ (put her down)
- It’s far too dark in here, why don’t you ‘turn up’ the lights so we can see (turn on)
- Mary felt the need to ‘chase out’ on her managers’ requirements (chase up)
- Tim had ‘come in’ with an idea for a great TV show (come up)
- Jill has ‘grown on’ to be a beautiful young lady (grown up)
- Last year, Microsoft ‘laid down’ nearly 1,000 employees to save on costs (laid off)
- Teds grandmother had ‘taken off’ many strays during her lifetime (taken in)
Faculty at the Angelo State University writing center says that:
“Some of our writing becomes weak when we use verbs like “to be” and “to have.” These verbs add little to our prose; instead, they needlessly inflate our writing, as if we are rambling. Add power to your writing by using strong verbs. The sentence: “The bridegroom walked proudly across the dance floor” sounds so much more compelling if you change it to, “The bridegroom strutted across the dance floor.” In this case we converted a weak verb + adverb “walked proudly” to a strong verb “strutted.” Although weak verbs serve a useful role as helpers, to improve your writing style, let the majority of your verbs express strength.”
Why Not Let Our Experts Help with Their Comprehensive Phrasal Verbs Examples
Understanding how to use phrasal verbs correctly can often be a long and drawn out process with no guarantee that you will get the hang of it. There is nothing more important however than ensuring that when used, phrasal verbs are clearly understood so they add weight to your meaning and not detract from it. In using our expert online services, you not only gain the professionalism of qualified and experienced writers to help you, they will also provide exercises and advanced phrasal verbs practice sheets to develop your skills. So, not only do they achieve your main aim of how they can ‘help to make my grammar better’; you also end up with high-quality writing all ready to hand in.
For phrasal verbs examples which are the best, just get in touch with our professional services here today!
