Exercises with Phrasal Verbs #2: For Intermediate Students of English: Exercises with Phrasal Verbs, #2

Exercises with

PHRASAL VERBS

~

For intermediate students of English

#2

Clic-books Digital Media

Copyright

Exercises with Phrasal Verbs #2 (for intermediate students of English) © 2015 Clic-books Digital Media

Cover design © Steve Warren 2015

This book/ebook is a reference work. All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, translated or utilized in any form or by any means (including electronic, mechanical or other, such as photocopying, recording or any information system of storage or reproduction) without permission of the authors, Click-books Digital Media.

Introduction

Exercises with Phrasal Verbs #2 is for anyone learning English as a foreign or second language (EFL/ESL). It’s for students of an intermediate or advanced level, and gives you lots of practice of over 350 of the most useful phrasal verbs in English.

Let’s be honest, phrasal verbs are difficult to master. However, with Exercises with Phrasal Verbs you can work at your own speed, with no stress, and really focus on this important aspect of the English language.

PART ONE is about phrasal verbs that use the most common verbs (get, go, make, put, etc.), with a lot of exercises and tests for practice.

PART TWO is based on the small words (prepositions) used in phrasal verbs (about, from, in, on, up, etc.) and again there is a lot of material to practice.

PART THREE contains five longer texts containing many of the phrasal verbs that you have already seen, plus some new ones. These longer texts are really useful for practising reading skills at an intermediate-advanced level.

This book is for EFL / ESOL students at levels B1-C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, for students preparing for TOEFL and TOEIC tests, and for people studying for Cambridge First Certificate and Cambridge Advanced exams.

CONTENTS

Introduction

PART ONE  -  MAIN VERBS

1. BREAK and KEEP

2. RUN and BRING

3. LET, PULL and SET

4. SEND, PASS, WRITE and STICK

5. CALL, HAVE, SEE and STAY

PART TWO  -  PARTICLES

6. IN, ON, OFF and OUT

7. ABOUT, AHEAD, BACK, FORWARD and THROUGH

8. BY, DOWN, FOR and OVER

9. AFTER, AGAINST, AWAY and UP

PART THREE  -  OTHER VERBS

10. Text: Pete Glover, an unusual criminal

11. Text: My brother the hacker

12. Text: The Fat Cow

13. Text: Tom Green’s Schooldays

14. Text: Emergency!

VERB LIST

PART ONE  -  MAIN VERBS

1. BREAK and KEEP

Verbs with BREAK and KEEP that features in this section:

BREAK

break away (leave a group or organisation, often to form a new group)

- Tom was an active member of our political party, but he broke away last year and formed his own party.

- Several riders in the Tour de France broke away from the main peloton, but they were soon caught.

break in/into (sth) (go into a place illegally, normally to steal something or do something wrong)

- The thieves broke into the factory through the emergency exit.

- I lost my keys and had to break into my own house!

break off (stop doing something, or stop talking)

- The President broke off from his speech and looked at his watch; he was obviously bored!

- She was making a cake, but then she broke off to watch TV.

break off (sth) | break (sth) off (end or stop something)

- She broke off her engagement to Tony, but nobody knows why.

- They broke off communication completely, and they have not spoken since.

break off (sth) | break (sth) off (break a piece of something from a bigger object)

- I picked up the statue, and a piece of it broke off in my hand!

- Pieces of the iceberg were breaking off and floating away.

break out (of) (escape from a place where you have been kept, especially from a prison)

- It is almost impossible for a prisoner to break out of a maximum security prison.

- No one ever managed to break out of Alcatraz prison, although quite a few people tried!

break out (start suddenly or in a very big way, often something negative such as a war or panic)

- War broke out after the Archduke was killed.

- The video game was not a success immediately; but it broke out and sold a million when it was featured on YouTube.

break out in sth (to get or develop an illness or something unpleasant, such as spots)

- I am allergic to strawberries, and I break out in a rash whenever I touch them.

- He broke out in a cold sweat; that’s when we knew he had a fever.

break through (sth) (be successful in solving a problem or a difficult situation)

- After working for three years on the problem, the mathematician finally broke through and discovered the solution.

- They managed to break through all their difficulties and reach an agreement.

break through (sth) (physically destroy something and reach the other side, such as a wall)

- If you remove any more bricks, you might break through the wall and come out the other side.

- The excavators broke through the last section of rock and completed the tunnel.

break up (when a marriage or a romantic relationship stops, and the two people decide not to continue together)

- Our marriage is breaking up; we need to find a marriage counsellor.

- Peter and Amy broke up; it was sad but they both agreed that it was the best thing to do.

break up (disintegrate, when something breaks or collapses and becomes pieces)

- When the hurricane arrived all the boats in the harbour simply broke up and were destroyed.

- We will have to break up the old furniture before we burn it.

break up (to end classes and start the vacation, in a school, college or university)

- School breaks up for the summer vacation tomorrow!

- My sons are looking forward to breaking up from school.

break up sth | break sth up (to divide or separate something into various parts)

- We broke up the piano because it was the only way to bring it down the stairs.

- If the research project breaks up now, we will never finish our experiments.

* ~ *

KEEP

keep ahead (stay in front of others)

- To win the race, you have to try and keep ahead of everyone else.

- He always kept ahead of me at school, and got better marks every year.

keep at sth (continue doing something difficult, don’t stop something because it is difficult)

- You should keep at your studies in French; you speak the language very well!

- I kept at the job, although it was difficult and I didn’t really enjoy it.

keep away (from) (sb/sth) (do not go near something; make sure somebody else does not go close to something)

- You should keep away from these chemicals; they are very dangerous.

- When my grandfather arrived in Chicago, he was told to keep away from certain kinds of bad people.

keep down sth | keep sth down (limit how much something can rise or grow, maintain a low number; keep something physically low or near the ground; manage not to vomit)

- We want to keep the number of people on the committee down to about ten.

- I tried to keep the food down, but I was feeling very ill and in the end I vomited.

keep sb from (stop yourself or someone else from doing something, avoid doing something)

- Randy always tries to keep me from spending too much money.

- They kept me from going to Belgrade; it was too dangerous.

keep sth from sb (hide, conceal; protect someone from something bad (often bad news))

- Mary keeps all the bad news from her mother.

- We kept the secret from Tom because it was better for him not to know.

keep it up! (exclam.) (continue doing something, normally said as encouragement)

- Keep it up! If you continue to work hard you will finish the job easily!

- The football manager was very pleased with the team, and told them to keep it up in the next game.

keep on (continue, persist, insist)

- If you keep on walking down this street, you’ll get to the museum soon.

- He kept on asking me if I had seen Tina, so in the end I had to tell him the truth about her.

keep to sth (continue doing something with dedication, don’t become distracted or stop doing it, persevere)

- If you keep to the path in the forest, you will not get lost.

- We kept to our business plan, and the company was a great success!

keep up (sth) | keep (sth) up (maintain a rhythm, continue at the same speed)

- When I exercise, I try to keep my heart rate up to 120 beats per second.

- We kept up an average speed of 8 miles per hour in the marathon.

keep up with sb (maintain contact, continue to be in touch with someone)

- I keep up with most of my friends by using email.

- My father used to keep up with his mother in Australia by writing letters.

keep up with sth (stay informed about something, to know the latest news about it)

- You need to keep up with the latest news if you are a journalist.

- Have you been keeping up with the football league? A lot has happened in the last few weeks.

The particles that feature in this section:

ahead, at, away, down, from, in, into, off, on, out, through, to, up

Exercises with BREAK and KEEP

1.1  Choose the right particle in each case:

ahead  up  into  out

Great! Tomorrow we break ____ for the summer vacation.

Great! Tomorrow we break up for the summer vacation.

break up (to end classes and start the vacation, in a school, college or university)

to  at  down  into

They broke ____ the shop and stole almost everything.

They broke into the shop and stole almost everything.

break in/into (sth) (go into a place illegally, normally to steal something or do something wrong)

from  on  off  ahead

He keeps ____ of the other competitors at the start of the race, and usually goes on to win.

He keeps ahead of the other competitors at the start of the race, and usually goes on to win.

keep ahead (stay in front of others)

out  through  away  off

In international politics, to break ____ diplomatic relations with another country is the last resort.

In international politics, to break off diplomatic relations with another country is the last resort.

break off (sth) | break (sth) off (end or stop something)

away  off  at  up

Keep ____ from him! He’s trouble!

Keep away from him! He’s trouble!

keep away (from) (sb/sth) (do not go near something; make sure somebody else does not go close to something)

through  ahead  down  up

You must keep ____ your mortgage payments, or the bank might repossess your house.

You must keep up your mortgage payments, or the bank could repossess your house.

keep to sth (continue doing something with dedication, don’t become distracted or stop doing it, persevere)

1.2  From the three phrases below, choose the one which uses the phrasal verb correctly:

1) I keep along with all my old school friends through Facebook.

2) I keep on with all my old school friends through Facebook.

3) I keep up with all my old school friends through Facebook.

1) I keep along with all my old school friends through Facebook.

2) I keep on with all my old school friends through Facebook.

3) I keep up with all my old school friends through Facebook.

1) The prisoners are trying to break free of the jail.

2) The prisoners are trying to break out of the jail.

3) The prisoners are trying to break over of the jail.

1) The prisoners are trying to break free of the jail.

2) The prisoners are trying to break out of the jail.

3) The prisoners are trying to break over of the jail.

1) We kept the bad news for her; it would have destroyed her.

2) We kept the bad news from her; it would have destroyed her.

3) We kept the bad news of her; it would have destroyed her.

1) We kept the bad news for her; it would have destroyed her.

2) We kept the bad news from her; it would have destroyed her.

3) We kept the bad news of her; it would have destroyed her.

1) The radio signal was breaking up and we could hardly understand it.

2) The radio signal was breaking down and we could hardly understand it.

3) The radio signal was breaking over and we could hardly understand it.

1) The radio signal was breaking up and we could hardly understand it.

2) The radio signal was breaking down and we could hardly understand it.

3) The radio signal was breaking over and we could hardly understand it.

1) If you keep in your revision, I’m sure you’ll pass the exam.

2) If you keep through your revision, I’m sure you’ll pass the exam.

3) If you keep at your revision, I’m sure you’ll pass the exam.

1) If you keep in your revision, I’m sure you’ll pass the exam.

2) If you keep through your revision, I’m sure you’ll pass the exam.

3) If you keep at your revision, I’m sure you’ll pass the exam.

1) If you don’t tie the boat up well, it will break away from its moorings.

2) If you don’t tie the boat up well, it will break out from its moorings.

3) If you don’t tie the boat up well, it will break up from its moorings.

1) If you don’t tie the boat up well, it will break away from its moorings.

2) If you don’t tie the boat up well, it will break out from its moorings.

3) If you don’t tie the boat up well, it will break up from its moorings.

1.3  Give the full phrasal verb in the following phrases. The general meaning of the missing phrasal verb is given in brackets:

If you ____ ____ the main road you won’t get lost.

(stay on, do not leave)

If you keep to the main road you won’t get lost.

The wing of the aeroplane ____ ____ and disintegrated during the storm.

(became broken and fell off)

The wing of the aeroplane broke off and disintegrated during the storm.

____ it ____! You’re doing great!

(continue, do not stop!)

Keep it up! You’re doing great!

They ____ ____ after a particularly bad argument.

(separated, stopped their relationship)

They broke up after a particularly bad argument.

We try to ____ the prices ____, to attract more customers.

(maintain at a low level)

We try to keep the prices down, to attract more customers.

A rat appeared in the shop, and panic ____ ____!

(occurred, happened)

A rat appeared in the shop, and panic broke out!

1.4  Decide if each of the following phrases is well written, or has an error:

The rocket will break up if it re-enters the atmosphere too quickly.

The rocket will break up if it re-enters the atmosphere too quickly.

The idea is that the social club keeps the kids of getting into trouble.

The correct answer is:

The idea is that the social club keeps the kids from getting into trouble.

Excuse me, but could I break through here and say something?

The correct answer is:

Excuse me, but could I break in here and say something?

The countries should keep on negotiating; it’s the only alternative to war.

The countries should keep on negotiating; it’s the only alternative to war.

These days I keep on with the news via the internet.

The correct answer is:

These days I keep up with the news via the internet.

He has broken out in a lot of spots; it must be chicken pox.

He has broken out in a lot of spots; it must be chicken pox.

1.5  The following phrases contain a normal verb. Rewrite the phrases, using a phrasal verb with BREAK or KEEP.

Note: A phrasal verb in English is often less formal than the corresponding normal verb:

They like to maintain the appearance of wealth, but in fact they’re quite poor!

They like to keep up the appearance of wealth, but in fact they’re quite poor!

keep up (sth) | keep (sth) up (maintain a rhythm, continue at the same speed)

The thieves entered the premises and took all the money.

The robbers broke into the premises and took all the money.

break in/into (sth) (go into a place illegally, normally to steal something or do something wrong)

My advice is to continue with the plan.

My advice is to keep to the plan.

keep to sth (continue doing something with dedication, don’t become distracted or stop doing it, persevere)

They ended their relationship when things started to go wrong.

They broke off their relationship when things started to go wrong.

break off (sth) | break (sth) off (end or stop something)

The ship ran aground and began to disintegrate.

The ship ran aground and began to break up.

break off (sth) | break (sth) off (break a piece of something from a bigger object)

Don’t go near that house. It’s haunted!

Keep away from that house. It’s haunted!

keep away (from) (sb/sth) (do not go near something; make sure somebody else does not go close to something)

We finish school for the Christmas vacation next Wednesday.

We break up (from school) for the Christmas vacation next Wednesday.

break up (to end classes and start the vacation, in a school, college or university)

Several prisoners managed to escape from the jail.

Several prisoners managed to break out of the jail.

break out (of) (escape from a place where you have been kept, especially from a prison)

1.6  In the following phrases, try to give the particle of the phrasal verb that is missing:

They tried to keep the truth ____ me, but I found out!

They tried to keep the truth from me, but I found out!

I haven’t kept ____ with many of my school friends. I don’t even have their emails.

I haven’t kept up with many of my school friends. I don’t even have their emails.

A fight broke ____ between the two groups of football fans.

A fight broke out between the two groups of football fans.

She aims to break ____ the glass ceiling and become the first female president.

She aims to break through the glass ceiling and become the first female president.

Tony and Ana have broken ____. How sad!

Tony and Ana have broken up. How sad!

In our company, we try and keep ____ of the competition through constant innovation.

In our company, we try and keep ahead of the competition through constant innovation.

He broke ____, paused, then continued speaking.

He broke off, paused, then continued speaking.

1.7  Match the first three parts of the phrases (1-3) with the three second parts (A-C):

1 Several members of the socialist party broke away

2 A piece of the statue broke off

3 You need to break through the bureaucracy

~

A and solve the problem.

B and formed their own party.

C and had to be repaired.

1+B Several members of the socialist party broke away and formed their own party.

2+C A piece of the statue broke off and had to be repaired.

3+A You need to break through the bureaucracy and solve the problem.

1 After the rotten food he tried not to vomit

2 He tried to carry on studying Chinese