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English grammar

Advanced and Idiomatic Phrasal Verbs

Updated 27 Oct 2026 5 min read LingoLadder Editorial Team
Cover: advanced idiomatic phrasal verbs such as put up with, come across, pull off and look forward to
Short answer

At C1 the challenge is not word order but meaning: advanced phrasal verbs are idiomatic (come across, put up with, pull off) and often have three parts you can never split. Learn each as a whole unit with its own meaning, register and pattern.

On this page12 sections · tap to jump
  1. 01The rule
  2. 02Three-part phrasal verbs (always inseparable)
  3. 03Idiomatic two-part verbs (one form, several meanings)
  4. 04Example sentences
  5. 05Common mistakes
  6. 06A short conversation
  7. 07Usage notes
  8. 08Compared with…
  9. 09Practice
  10. 10Quiz
  11. 11Recap cheat-sheet
  12. 12How to say it

Level: C1. You already know the mechanics — where the object and the pronoun go. The advanced problem is different: these phrasal verbs are idiomatic, meaning you cannot build the meaning from the parts, and many of them have three parts and several meanings each. This lesson groups the high-value ones by behaviour so you can use them, not just recognise them.

The rule

A phrasal verb is a verb plus one or more particles (small words like up, out, through, with, on). A particle can be an adverb (which, with a transitive verb, allows separation) or a preposition (which keeps the object after it). At this level two features matter most.

First, idiomaticity. Carry out an experiment has nothing to do with carrying, and put up with noise has nothing to do with putting or being up. The meaning is fixed and must be learned whole. Second, three-part (phrasal-prepositional) verbs: a verb + adverb + preposition, such as look forward to, put up with, get on with. These are always inseparable — the object comes after all three words, and a pronoun cannot break them up.

The second word of a three-part verb is often a preposition in disguise (to in look forward to is a preposition, not an infinitive marker). That is why what follows must be a noun or an -ing form, never a bare infinitive: I look forward to meeting you, not to meet you.

Three-part phrasal verbs (always inseparable)

Verb Meaning Example
put up with tolerate I can’t put up with the delays.
look forward to anticipate with pleasure We look forward to hearing from you.
get on with continue; have a good relationship Get on with your work.
come up with produce (an idea) She came up with a plan.
run out of have no more of We ran out of time.
get away with avoid punishment for He got away with cheating.
cut down on reduce Cut down on sugar.
look down on despise Don’t look down on beginners.
catch up with reach the same level as I need to catch up with the news.
face up to confront She faced up to the truth.

Idiomatic two-part verbs (one form, several meanings)

Verb Common meanings
take off remove; leave the ground; imitate; become successful
make up invent; reconcile; apply cosmetics; constitute
pick up collect; learn casually; improve; detect a signal
turn down reject; reduce the volume
bring up raise a child; mention a topic
carry out perform (a plan, order, study)
put off postpone; discourage or repel
come across find by chance; give an impression
pull off succeed at something difficult
fall through fail to happen

Example sentences

  1. I can't put up with this noise any longer.
    put up with = tolerate; three-part, inseparable.
  2. We're really looking forward to seeing you.
    look forward to + -ing (to is a preposition).
  3. She came up with a brilliant solution.
    come up with = produce an idea.
  4. They ran out of petrol on the motorway.
    run out of = have none left.
  5. He got away with it because no one checked.
    get away with + it (pronoun still after all three).
  6. You should cut down on caffeine.
    cut down on = reduce.
  7. I finally got round to fixing the fence.
    get round to + -ing.
  8. The plane took off an hour late.
    take off = leave the ground.
  9. Take off your wet shoes.
    take off = remove; here separable.
  10. The comedian takes off the prime minister perfectly.
    take off = imitate.
  11. The start-up really took off last year.
    take off = become successful.
  12. Don't make up excuses.
    make up = invent.
  13. They argued but soon made up.
    make up = reconcile.
  14. I came across an old diary in the attic.
    come across = find by chance.
  15. She comes across as rather shy.
    come across as = give an impression.
  16. They pulled off an extraordinary win.
    pull off = succeed at something hard.
  17. The deal fell through at the last minute.
    fall through = fail to happen.
  18. The committee carried out a full review.
    carry out = perform; separable (carry it out).
  19. The weather put me off going out.
    put off = discourage; separable with a pronoun object.
  20. He was brought up by his grandparents.
    bring up = raise; shown in the passive.

Common mistakes

  • ❌ I look forward to meet you. → ✅ I look forward to meeting you. Here to is a preposition, so use the -ing form.
  • ❌ I can’t put with it up. → ✅ I can’t put up with it. A three-part verb never splits; the pronoun follows all three words.
  • ❌ She came across with an old photo. → ✅ She came across an old photo. Come across (find) takes no extra preposition.
  • ❌ They carried out it. → ✅ They carried it out. Carry out is separable, so a pronoun goes in the middle.
  • ❌ He got away it with. → ✅ He got away with it. Keep the three parts in order: verb + adverb + preposition + object.
  • ❌ I’m used to get up early. → ✅ I’m used to getting up early. After used to (the preposition) use -ing.

A short conversation

A: How are you getting on with the new manager? B: Fine, though I can’t put up with all the extra meetings. A: Same here. I came up with a plan to cut down on them, but it fell through. B: Typical. Let’s bring it up again next week.

Usage notes

  • Register. Phrasal verbs are the natural choice in speech and neutral writing; their one-word Latinate equivalents (tolerate for put up with, postpone for put off, discover for come across, reduce for cut down on) sound more formal and are preferred in academic prose. A C1 writer switches between them deliberately.
  • Separability recap. Only transitive, adverb-particle verbs separate (carry it out, turn it down). Prepositional verbs (come across it) and all three-part verbs (put up with it) keep the object after the particle(s). When in doubt, a pronoun object is the test: if carry out it sounds wrong, the verb is separable.
  • Nominalisation. Many phrasal verbs have noun forms, sometimes with a shifted stress or a hyphen: a takeoff, a breakdown, an outcome, a turnout. Do not confuse the verb (take off) with the noun (a takeoff).
  • Multiple meanings need context. Because make up, take off and pick up each carry several senses, rely on the surrounding words to disambiguate, and learn each sense as a separate item.

Compared with…

Recap card for advanced English phrasal verbs showing three-part verbs kept together and idiomatic verbs with several meanings

Quick recap before you practise.

Practice

Practice

Advanced phrasal verbs practice

Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.

1 Choose the correct sentence:
Show answer

I look forward to meeting you. — 'To' in 'look forward to' is a preposition, so it is followed by -ing.

2 Which sentence keeps the three-part verb correct?
Show answer

I can't put up with it. — Three-part verbs are inseparable; the pronoun follows all three words.

Hint: three parts

Show answer

cut down on — 'Cut down on' (or 'cut back on') means to reduce.

4 Put the words in order (separable verb, pronoun object).

Show answer

They carried it out — 'Carry out' is separable, so the pronoun 'it' goes in the middle.

5 Match each phrasal verb to the right meaning in context.

  • put off
  • come across
  • pull off
  • fall through
Show answer
  • put off → postpone
  • come across → find by chance
  • pull off → succeed at
  • fall through → fail to happen

These verbs are idiomatic — learn each meaning as a unit.

6 What does 'take off' mean in 'The business really took off'?
Show answer

became successful — 'Take off' here means to suddenly become successful.

Quiz

Check yourself

Advanced phrasal verbs quiz

12 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.

0/12 0 answered
  1. 1Choose the correct form: 'I'm not used to ___ so early.'
    Show answer

    getting up — After 'used to' (preposition) use the -ing form: getting up.

  2. 2Which sentence is correct?
    Show answer

    She came across a letter. — 'Come across' meaning 'find' takes a direct object with no extra preposition.

  3. 3'Put up with' means:
    Show answer

    tolerate — 'Put up with' means to tolerate or endure.

  4. 4Choose the correct sentence with a pronoun:
    Show answer

    They turned it down. — 'Turn down' is separable, so a pronoun goes in the middle.

  5. 5Complete: 'We've run ___ ___ milk.'
    Show answer

    out of — 'Run out of' means to have none left.

  6. 6Which meaning fits 'He comes across as arrogant'?
    Show answer

    gives an impression — 'Come across as' describes the impression someone gives.

  7. 7Which is a three-part (always inseparable) verb?
    Show answer

    get away with — 'Get away with' has three parts and never separates.

  8. 8Choose the natural, informal option for 'tolerate':
    Show answer

    put up with — 'Put up with' is the everyday equivalent of the formal 'tolerate'.

  9. 9Which sentence is WRONG?
    Show answer

    I look forward to hear from you. — 'To' is a preposition here, so the verb must be -ing: hearing.

  10. 10'The deal fell through' means the deal:
    Show answer

    failed to happen — 'Fall through' means a plan or deal fails to happen.

  11. 11Complete: 'She finally got ___ to answering her emails.'
    Show answer

    round — 'Get round to + -ing' means to find time to do something at last.

  12. Show answer

    make up — 'Make up' can mean to invent something such as an excuse or a story.

Recap cheat-sheet

Type Separates? Example
two-part, adverb yes (transitive) carry it out
two-part, preposition no come across it
three-part never put up with it
to = preposition takes -ing look forward to seeing

How to say it

Stress is the clue English listeners use to hear a phrasal verb:

  • Stress the particle in two-part verbs: take OFF, turn it DOWN, put it OFF [the adverb carries the beat].
  • In three-part verbs, the middle adverb usually takes the main stress: put UP with it, look FORWARD to it, get ON with it.
  • Noun forms flip the stress to the front: the verb is take OFF, but the noun is a TAKEoff; the verb is break DOWN, the noun a BREAKdown.

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All English grammar topics

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Grammar path

125 topics 125 ready now
A1 30 topics · 30 ready
  1. 01 Verb 'To Be' in the Present (am, is, are)
  2. 02 Subject Pronouns: I, You, He, She, It, We, They
  3. 03 Present Simple: Affirmative and the -s Ending
  4. 04 Present Simple: Negatives and Questions (do/does)
  5. 05 Articles: a / an and When to Use Each
  6. 06 The Definite Article 'The': When to Use It
  7. 07 Zero Article: When to Use No Article
  8. 08 Plural Nouns: Regular and Irregular Forms
  9. 09 This, That, These, Those (Demonstratives)
  10. 10 Possessive Adjectives: my, your, his, her
  11. 11 Possessive 's and s' (Showing Belonging)
  12. 12 There Is / There Are (Saying What Exists)
  13. 13 Have Got: Talking About Possession
  14. 14 Can and Can't for Ability
  15. 15 Present Continuous (am/is/are + -ing)
  16. 16 Imperatives: Giving Orders and Instructions
  17. 17 Adjectives: Position and Basic Use
  18. 18 Prepositions of Place: in, on, at
  19. 19 Prepositions of Time: in, on, at
  20. 20 Question Words: What, Where, When, Who, Why, How
  21. 21 How Much vs How Many
  22. 22 Countable and Uncountable Nouns
  23. 23 Some and Any: Which One to Use
  24. 24 Object Pronouns: me, you, him, her, us, them
  25. 25 Adverbs of Frequency and Their Position
  26. 26 Like, Love, Hate + -ing (Expressing Preferences)
  27. 27 Would Like: Polite Wants and Offers
  28. 28 Making Requests: Can, Could, May I
  29. 29 Past Simple of 'To Be' (was / were)
  30. 30 Let's and Shall We: Making Suggestions
A2 25 topics · 25 ready
  1. 31 Past Simple: Regular Verbs and -ed Spelling
  2. 32 Past Simple: Irregular Verbs (go, see, have)
  3. 33 Past Simple: Negatives and Questions (did)
  4. 34 Comparative Adjectives (bigger, more expensive)
  5. 35 Superlative Adjectives (the biggest, the most)
  6. 36 Going To: Plans and Predictions
  7. 37 Will: Predictions, Decisions and Offers
  8. 38 Present Continuous for Future Arrangements
  9. 39 Present Perfect for Experience (ever / never)
  10. 40 Present Perfect with just, already, yet
  11. 41 Present Perfect vs Past Simple
  12. 42 Have To and Don't Have To (Obligation)
  13. 43 Should and Shouldn't for Advice
  14. 44 Could: Past Ability and Polite Use
  15. 45 Much, Many, A Lot Of
  16. 46 A Few, A Little, Few, Little
  17. 47 Adverbs of Manner (quickly, well, hard)
  18. 48 Verb + -ing or Verb + to (Introduction)
  19. 49 Zero Conditional (Facts and Rules)
  20. 50 First Conditional (Real Future Possibility)
  21. 51 Prepositions of Movement (to, into, through)
  22. 52 Possessive Pronouns: mine, yours, hers
  23. 53 Past Continuous (was/were + -ing)
  24. 54 Too and Enough (Degree)
  25. 55 Order of Adjectives Before a Noun
B1 27 topics · 27 ready
  1. 56 Past Continuous vs Past Simple
  2. 57 Used To and Would for Past Habits
  3. 58 Present Perfect Continuous (have been -ing)
  4. 59 Present Perfect: Simple vs Continuous
  5. 60 Past Perfect (had + past participle)
  6. 61 Second Conditional (Unreal Present/Future)
  7. 62 Third Conditional (Unreal Past)
  8. 63 Reported Speech: Statements (Backshift)
  9. 64 Reported Questions
  10. 65 Reported Commands and Requests
  11. 66 Passive Voice: Present and Past Simple
  12. 67 Must and Mustn't (Strong Obligation)
  13. 68 May, Might, Could for Possibility
  14. 69 Defining Relative Clauses (who, which, that)
  15. 70 Non-Defining Relative Clauses (with commas)
  16. 71 Gerunds and Infinitives: Full Verb Patterns
  17. 72 Verbs Where -ing vs to Changes Meaning
  18. 73 Future Continuous (will be -ing)
  19. 74 So and Such (Emphasis)
  20. 75 As...As Comparisons (equality)
  21. 76 Question Tags (isn't it? do you?)
  22. 77 Phrasal Verbs: Separable and Inseparable
  23. 78 Linking Words: because, so, although, but
  24. 79 Infinitive of Purpose (to / in order to)
  25. 80 Indirect Questions (Can you tell me...)
  26. 81 Make, Let, Allow, Help (Causatives Intro)
  27. 82 Be Used To and Get Used To (+ -ing)
B2 25 topics · 25 ready
  1. 83 Narrative Tenses for Storytelling
  2. 84 Past Perfect Continuous (had been -ing)
  3. 85 Mixed Conditionals
  4. 86 Wish and If Only (Regrets and Wishes)
  5. 87 Wish/If Only + would (Complaints)
  6. 88 Passive Voice: All Tenses and Modals
  7. 89 Reporting Passive (It is said that / is said to)
  8. 90 Causative: Have/Get Something Done
  9. 91 Reduced Relative Clauses (Participles)
  10. 92 Modals of Deduction: Present and Past
  11. 93 Needn't Have vs Didn't Need To
  12. 94 Future Perfect (will have done)
  13. 95 Participle Clauses (-ing / -ed / having done)
  14. 96 Advanced Comparatives (far/much + er, the more)
  15. 97 Conditional Alternatives: unless, as long as, provided
  16. 98 Advanced Determiners: each, every, either, neither
  17. 99 Intensifiers and Adverbs of Degree
  18. 100 Advanced Contrast: despite, in spite of, however
  19. 101 Advanced Linkers: therefore, moreover, consequently
  20. 102 Advanced Article Use (generalisations, names)
  21. 103 Verb + Preposition and Adjective + Preposition
  22. 104 Relative Clauses: whose, where, when, quantifier + whom
  23. 105 Subject-Verb Agreement: Tricky Cases
  24. 106 Emphatic Do (I do like it)
  25. 107 Would for Past Habits (Formal Narrative)
C1 18 topics · 18 ready
  1. 108 Inversion with Negative Adverbials
  2. 109 Inversion in Conditionals (Had I known)
  3. 110 Cleft Sentences (It was... / What I need is...)
  4. 111 Fronting and Emphasis (Word Order)
  5. 112 Subjunctive and Mandative (I suggest he be)
  6. 113 Ellipsis and Substitution (so, do, one)
  7. 114 Hedging and Cautious Language
  8. 115 Nominalisation (Academic Noun Style)
  9. 116 Advanced Discourse Markers (Spoken & Written)
  10. 117 Advanced Passive (passive + infinitive, get-passive)
  11. 118 Advanced Comparative Structures (no sooner...than)
  12. 119 Future in the Past (was going to / would)
  13. 120 Advanced Modals (may well, might as well, would rather)
  14. 121 Advanced Reported Speech (Reporting Verbs + Patterns)
  15. 122 Advanced and Idiomatic Phrasal Verbs You are here
  16. 123 Collocation and Colligation (Natural Combinations)
  17. 124 Advanced Concession (much as, whatever, however + adj)
  18. 125 Absolute and Non-Finite Clauses (Formal)