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FCE phrasal verbs: 80+ essential B2 phrasal verbs with examples

These are more than 80 FCE phrasal verbs that B2 First candidates meet again and again, grouped by particle, each with a clear meaning and a short example. They are most useful for Parts 1, 2 and 4 of the exam, which we cover in our Reading and Use of English guide.

By Eleanor BennettLast updated:

Why phrasal verbs matter in B2 First

A phrasal verb is a verb plus one or two small words (particles) such as up, out, off or on. Together they often have a meaning you cannot guess: put up with means tolerate, not anything about putting.

Phrasal verbs appear across the Reading and Use of English paper:

  • In Part 1 multiple-choice cloze, you may need to choose the verb (___ up a hobby: take / set / put / make) or the particle.
  • In Part 2 open cloze, the missing word is often the particle: The match was called ___ because of snow.
  • In Part 4 key word transformation, you often have to replace a single verb with a phrasal verb: tolerate → put up with, postpone → put off.
  • In Parts 5, 6 and 7, phrasal verbs are a common way to paraphrase ideas.

The lists below are grouped by particle, because the particle often gives a general idea: up often means completely or increase, out often means to the end or discover, off often means leave or stop. Learn them in groups, then drill them with the phrasal verb trainer.

How to learn phrasal verbs effectively

  1. 1

    Learn them in sentences, not lists of meanings

    Remember We put off the trip until spring, not just put off = postpone. The sentence shows the grammar too.

  2. 2

    Notice whether they are separable

    Some take an object between the verb and particle (turn the music down), some don't (look after the children). With a pronoun, separable verbs must split: turn it down, not turn down it.

  3. 3

    Group by particle or topic

    Study ten verbs with out together, or ten verbs about relationships. Patterns are easier to remember than random words.

  4. 4

    Use a single-word synonym

    For each phrasal verb, note a one-word equivalent: find out = discover, carry out = conduct. This is exactly what Part 4 tests.

  5. 5

    Review little and often

    Ten minutes a day with spaced repetition beats an hour once a week. The phrasal verb trainer schedules reviews for you.

Common phrasal verb mistakes

  • Trap: Look after it vs look it after.

    Fix: Look after is inseparable: the object always goes after the particle. Check each verb in a learner's dictionary.

  • Trap: Turn down it with a pronoun.

    Fix: With separable verbs, a pronoun must go in the middle: turn it down, pick them up.

  • Trap: Forgetting the third word: I can't put up this noise.

    Fix: Three-part phrasal verbs need all three parts: put up with*, look forward to, run out of*.

  • Trap: Using the wrong form after look forward to: I look forward to hear from you.

    Fix: To is a preposition here, so use -ing: look forward to hearing.

Phrasal verbs with UP

Use it to…Phrases
up
  • bring up: raise a child; mention a topic. She was brought up by her grandparents.
  • come up with: think of an idea or plan. We came up with a name for the café.
  • give up: stop doing something. He gave up sugar for a month.
  • look up: find information. Look the word up in a dictionary.
  • make up: invent a story; become friends again. They argued but made up the next day.
  • pick up: learn without studying; collect. I picked up some Greek on holiday.
  • set up: start a business or organisation. Two students set up a recycling club.
  • take up: start a hobby or activity. My dad has taken up yoga.
  • turn up: arrive, often unexpectedly. Only six people turned up to the meeting.
  • end up: finally be in a place or situation. We got lost and ended up in the next village.
  • keep up with: stay at the same level as. The class moved fast and I couldn't keep up with it.
  • catch up (with): reach the same level as others. I missed a week and had to catch up.
  • sum up: summarise. To sum up, the plan has more advantages than risks.
  • break up: end a relationship. They broke up after three years.
  • show up: appear, arrive. The taxi never showed up.
  • speed up: make or become faster. The new system has sped up deliveries.

Phrasal verbs with DOWN and OUT

Use it to…Phrases
down
  • break down: stop working (a machine). The bus broke down on the motorway.
  • calm down: become less upset. Calm down and tell me what happened.
  • cut down on: reduce. I'm trying to cut down on coffee.
  • let down: disappoint. I promised to help, and I won't let you down.
  • turn down: refuse an offer; lower the volume. She turned down the job in London.
  • slow down: go more slowly. Slow down, the road is icy.
  • write down: record on paper. Write down the address before you forget it.
  • look down on: think you are better than. He looks down on people who don't read.
out
  • carry out: do or complete a task, study or plan. The students carried out a survey in their school.
  • find out: discover information. I found out the shop closes early on Mondays.
  • figure out: understand or solve. I can't figure out how this remote works.
  • run out of: have none left. We ran out of milk on Sunday.
  • sort out: solve a problem; organise. The bank sorted out the mistake quickly.
  • work out: calculate; do exercise; end well. Things worked out in the end.
  • point out: draw attention to. My teacher pointed out a mistake in my essay.
  • stand out: be easy to notice. Her red coat stood out in the crowd.
  • fall out (with): argue and stop being friends. She fell out with her flatmate.
  • give out: distribute. Volunteers gave out free water at the race.
  • set out: start a journey. We set out before sunrise.
  • turn out: prove to be in the end. The quiet new student turned out to be very funny.
  • drop out (of): leave a course before finishing. He dropped out of university after a year.
  • try out: test something new. We tried out the new climbing wall.

Phrasal verbs with OFF and ON

Use it to…Phrases
off
  • call off: cancel. The final was called off because of the storm.
  • put off: postpone; make someone not want something. The smell put me off the soup.
  • set off: start a journey. We set off at six to avoid the traffic.
  • take off: (of a plane) leave the ground; become successful quickly. Her podcast really took off last year.
  • show off: try to impress others. He's always showing off his new phone.
  • go off: (alarm) ring; (food) go bad. The milk has gone off.
  • pay off: be worth the effort. All that practice paid off in the final.
  • get off: leave a bus, train or plane. Get off at the second stop.
  • turn off: stop a machine or light. Please turn off your phones.
on
  • carry on: continue. Carry on reading while I make tea.
  • go on: continue; happen. What's going on outside?
  • get on (with): have a good relationship. I get on well with my cousins.
  • keep on: continue doing, often annoyingly. He kept on interrupting me.
  • take on: accept work or responsibility; employ. The café is taking on extra staff for summer.
  • count on: rely on. You can count on me to bring the drinks.
  • try on: put on clothes to check the size. Can I try these jeans on?
  • hold on: wait. Hold on, I'll get a pen.

Phrasal verbs with IN, INTO, OVER, THROUGH, BACK and others

Use it to…Phrases
in / into
  • fill in: complete a form. Fill in your name at the top.
  • hand in: give work to a teacher. Hand in your essays on Friday.
  • give in: stop resisting; surrender. My parents finally gave in and bought a dog.
  • drop in: visit without planning. Drop in any time you're in town.
  • break into: enter illegally. Someone broke into the garage.
  • run into: meet by chance. I ran into my old teacher at the station.
  • get into: become interested in. I got into photography last summer.
over / through
  • get over: recover from. It took weeks to get over the flu.
  • look over: check quickly. Can you look over my cover letter?
  • take over: take control of. A larger company took over the shop.
  • think over: consider carefully. Think it over and tell me tomorrow.
  • go through: experience something difficult; examine. She went through a hard time after the move.
  • get through: pass; survive a difficult period. I don't know how I got through that week.
back / away / around / across
  • look back on: remember the past. I look back on that summer with a smile.
  • cut back (on): reduce spending. The school cut back on paper.
  • throw away: put in the bin. Don't throw away those boxes.
  • get away with: not be punished for. He copied his homework and got away with it.
  • come across: find or meet by chance. I came across an old photo of my parents.
  • come round: visit someone's home; become conscious again. Come round for dinner on Saturday.
  • get round to: finally find time to do. I never got round to fixing the shelf.
  • turn around: improve a bad situation. The new coach turned the team around.
after / for / into (inseparable)
  • look after: take care of. Who looks after your cat when you travel?
  • take after: look or behave like an older relative. She takes after her father.
  • look into: investigate. The council promised to look into the complaint.
  • look for: search for. I'm looking for my keys.
  • stand for: (letters) mean; accept. What does EU stand for?
  • go for: choose. I'll go for the vegetarian option.

Three-part phrasal verbs and relationship verbs

Use it to…Phrases
Three-part phrasal verbs
  • look forward to: be happy about a future event. I'm looking forward to seeing you.
  • put up with: tolerate. I can't put up with the noise from upstairs.
  • get on with: continue doing; have a good relationship with. Stop chatting and get on with your work.
  • come up against: face a problem. The project came up against strong opposition.
  • look up to: admire and respect. Many young players look up to her.
  • run out of: have none left. The printer has run out of ink.
  • keep up with: stay at the same level or pace. It's hard to keep up with the news.
  • make up for: compensate. He bought flowers to make up for forgetting her birthday.
Relationships
  • ask out: invite someone on a date. He finally asked her out.
  • fall for: start to love; be tricked by. Don't fall for that old trick.
  • grow apart: become less close over time. We grew apart after school.
  • settle down: start a calmer life with a home. They settled down in a small town.
  • let off: not punish. The teacher let us off with a warning.

Next steps

Phrasal verbs often combine with fixed expressions and collocations, so continue with our FCE collocations list. If you keep confusing similar verbs, our common mistakes page explains the errors examiners see most. And to practise phrasal verbs in an exam-style task, try the open cloze practice.

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FCE phrasal verbs: FAQ

How many phrasal verbs do I need for B2 First?

There is no official number. If you know the 80+ verbs on this page well, including their grammar, you will be ready for most phrasal verbs in the exam and able to guess many more.

Which parts of FCE test phrasal verbs?

They appear most in Use of English: Part 1 (choosing the verb), Part 2 (the particle) and Part 4 (replacing a single verb). They also help you understand paraphrases in Reading Parts 5 to 7.

What is the difference between separable and inseparable phrasal verbs?

Separable verbs can have the object in the middle (turn the TV off) and must if the object is a pronoun (turn it off). Inseparable verbs always keep the object after the particle (look after her).

Should I use phrasal verbs in my writing?

Yes, in informal and neutral writing such as emails, articles and reviews. In formal essays and reports, a single-word verb is sometimes better: investigate rather than look into.

What is the fastest way to learn phrasal verbs?

Learn them in example sentences, grouped by particle or topic, and review them with spaced repetition. Our phrasal verb trainer is built for this.