Destination C1 & C2 Phrasal Verbs Vocabulary Examples

UNIT 2: THINKING AND LEARNING

1. Brush up (on): You’d better brush up on your French before going to Paris.
2. Come (a)round (to): He’ll come around to my point of view eventually.
3. Come up with: She's come up with some amazing schemes to double her income.
4. Face up to: She's going to have to face up to the fact that he's not going to marry her.
5. Figure out: It takes most people some time to figure out new software.
6. Hit upon: When we first hit on the idea, everyone told us it would never work.
7. Make out: I could hear voices but I couldn't make out what they were saying.
8. Mull over: I need a few days to mull things over before I decide if I'm taking the job.
9. Piece together: The police are collecting clues in order to piece together the details of the day
she died.
10. Puzzle out: I still can't puzzle out how I managed to spend so much money last month.
11. Read up (on/about): It's a good idea to read up on a company before going for an interview.
12. Swot up (on): Make sure you swot up on the company before the interview.
13. Take in: I had to read the letter twice before I could take it all in.
14. Think over: I'll think it over and give you an answer next week.
15. Think through: I need some time to think it through - I don't want to make any sudden
decisions.
16. Think up: I don't want to go tonight but I can't think up a good excuse.
UNIT 4: CHANGE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Back up: Before we leave work each day, we make a backup of all the records we have entered
into the computer that day.
2. Change around: The room looks very different since you've changed the furniture around.
3. Change into: Caterpillars change into butterflies.
4. Change out of: You need to change out of those wet things.
5. Do away with: He thinks it is time we did away with the monarchy.
6. Do up: He makes money by buying old houses and doing them up.
7. Fade away: As the years passed, the memories faded away.
8. Key in: I gave my name and she keyed it into her computer.
9. Make into: We're making our attic into an extra bedroom.
10. Mix up: If you mix up the photos in my family album, I’ll never forgive you!
11. Switch on/off: She switched the light off.
12. Take apart: I like to take things apart to see how they work.
13. Test out: The students tested out their cost-cutting ideas in several companies.
14. Use up: The earth's resources are being used up at an alarming rate.
15. Wear out: I read that book over and over till I wore it out.
UNIT 6: TIME AND WORK
1. Crop up: His name just cropped up in conversation.
2. Dive in: When I start a new project, I like to dive right in and see how it works.
3. End up: She'll end up penniless if she continues to spend like that.
4. Kick off (with): That era was when advertising really kicked off as an industry.
5. Knock off: What time do you knock off work?
6. Lay off: She was laid off along with many others when the company moved to California.
7. Lie ahead: You graduate today, and an exciting future lies ahead of you.
8. Make up: Can I leave early this afternoon and make up the time tomorrow?
9. Press ahead/on (with): Most of the delegates said they wanted to press ahead with the talks.
10. Set out: She set out with the aim of becoming the youngest ever winner of the championship.
11. Snow under: I am totally snowed under at school
12. Take on: She was taken on as a trainee.
13. Tide over: Can you lend me some money to tide me over till the weekend?
14. While away: That's the spot where Sara and I used to while away the hours between lectures.
15. Wind down: The government is winding down its nuclear program.
UNIT 8: MOVEMENT AND TRANSPORT
1. Cordon off: They've cordoned off the whole area because of a suspected bomb.
2. Creep up on: Don't creep up on me like that!
3. Fall behind: He was ill for six weeks and fell behind with his schoolwork.
4. Go astray: We locked up our valuables, so they would not go astray.
5. Head off: We'll head them off at the bridge!
6. Hold back: The dam was not strong enough to hold back the flood waters.
7. Move in (with): Jimmy moved in with his brother and shared expenses
8. Move on: I've lived in this town long enough - it's time to move on.
9. Move out: We didn't like the neighborhood, so we moved out of it.
10. Move over: Move Tom over a little bit. He is taking too much space.
11. Pull over: Just pull over here, and I'll get out and walk the rest of the way.
12. Slip away: He slipped away while we were all sleeping.
13. Step aside: Step aside, please - this lady needs a doctor.
14. Stop off: He arrived in Athens on June 21, after stopping off at Frankfurt.
15. Tip up: Jason tipped the wheelbarrow up and dumped the dirt out.
16. Walk out: I can't believe you would even consider walking out on your family when they need
you the most!