Home · Phrasal Verbs · Unit 07
Unit 07
Daily Life, Home & Travel
wake up, pick up, set off, check in…
Phrasal Verbs for Everyday Situations
From waking up in the morning to checking in at a hotel, everyday English is full of phrasal verbs. Pay special attention to the verbs for vehicles: Turkish binmek / inmek can be get on / get off or get in / get out of, depending on the vehicle.
Home & Routine
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| wake up | to stop sleeping | I woke up at 5 a.m. because of the noise. |
| pick up | to lift; to collect someone or something; to learn informally | Can you pick me up from the station? |
| tidy up | to make a place clean and neat | Let's tidy up before the guests arrive. |
| throw away | to get rid of something you do not want | Don't throw away those boxes. |
| try on | to put on clothes to see if they fit | Can I try on this jacket? |
| eat out | to eat in a restaurant | We eat out once a week. |
| cut down on | to reduce the amount of something you use or consume | I'm trying to cut down on sugar. |
Travel & Transport
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| set off | to start a journey | We set off early to avoid the traffic. |
| check in / check out | to register at a hotel or airport / to pay and leave a hotel | We checked in at the hotel at 3 p.m. |
| get on / get off | to enter / leave a bus, train or plane | Get off at the next stop. |
| get in / get out of | to enter / leave a car or taxi | She got into the taxi. |
| see off | to go to an airport or station to say goodbye to someone | My parents saw me off at the airport. |
| drop off | to take someone somewhere and leave them there | I'll drop you off at school. |
| hold on | to wait for a short time | Hold on a minute — I'm coming. |
| pull over | (a vehicle) to move to the side of the road and stop | The police officer told us to pull over. |
Shopping & Money
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| pay back | to return money you borrowed | I'll pay you back next week. |
| sell out | to sell all of something so none is left | The tickets sold out in ten minutes. |
| shop around | to compare prices in different shops | It's worth shopping around for a good deal. |
| splash out (on) | to spend a lot of money on something enjoyable | We splashed out on a nice dinner. |
Watch Out
- Get on / get off → buses, trains, planes, bikes. Get in / get out of → cars and taxis.
- Pick up often means collecting someone by car: I'll pick you up at eight.
- Cut down on is three-part: cut down on coffee (not
cut down coffeein this meaning).
Annotated Examples
Subject
Verb
Auxiliary
Object
Adjective
Adverb
Preposition
Hover over any word to see its role.
subjectI'llverbpickobjectyouverbupadverbat eight.
↳ pick up (by car) — pronoun in the middle.
subjectWeverbset offadverbat dawn.
↳ set off = start a journey (intransitive).
subjectSheverbis trying to cut down onobjectcoffee.
↳ Three-part phrasal verb: cut down on + noun.
Common Mistakes
I got on the taxi.
→
I got into the taxi.
Cars and taxis → get in / get into.
Can I try on it?
→
Can I try it on?
Pronoun object → in the middle.
Throw away them.
→
Throw them away.
Pronoun object → in the middle.
I'm trying to cut down sugar.
→
I'm trying to cut down on sugar.
cut down on + noun.
He woke up me at six.
→
He woke me up at six.
Pronoun object → in the middle.