Phrasal Verbs (E - G)

eat out (no object)

have a meal in a restaurant

I'm too tired to cook tonight. Why don't we eat out?

egg on (separable)

urge / encourage greatly toward doing something (usually something negative)

At first Bob and Chuck were just having a mild argument, but Bob's friends egged them on until they started fighting.

end up (1. no object)

finish in a certain way, or place; finally arrive at; arrive at an unexpected place

We got lost last night and ended up in the next town. We ended up staying there for lunch. The car ended up in a ditch.

end up (2. no object)

arrive somewhere as a result or consequence

You're working too hard. If you don't take it easy, you'll end up in the hospital!

face up to (inseparable)

have courage to deal with - especially responsibilities; admit to; take responsibility for

You have to face up to your responsibilities. You can't pretend that you're doing OK in this course, Joe. Sooner or later, you'll have to face up to the fact that you're failing it.

Fall about

(show amusement - especially laughing - colloquial)

Every one fell about when Jane told her joke.

Fall back on

(use as a last resort)

If the worst comes to the worst, we've got our savings to fall back on.

Fall for (1)

(be deceived by - colloquial)

It was an unlikely story but h e fell for it.

Fall for (2)

(fall in love with - colloquial)

I fell for you the moment I saw you.

fall out

to quarrel

George and Sam went out for dinner together. The evening ended badly because they fell out over who should pay the bill. George tell out with' Sam over' ' the bill. George and Sam fell out.. Note. "fall out with a person " fall out over something

Fall out with

(quarrel with)

Peter has fallen out with his boss.

Fall through

(fail to come to completion)

The plan fell through at the last minute.

fall through (no object)

not happen. (Note: describes something that was planned but didn't happen.)

We had originally intended to go to Mexico for our vacation, but our trip fell through when I got sick.

feel up to (inseparable)

feel strong enough or comfortable enough to do something

Old Mr Smith didn 'tfeel up to walking all that way. I know the accident was a terrible shock. Do you feel up to talking about it?

figure out (1. separable)

logically find the answer to a problem; solve a problem by thinking about it carefully

For a long time I couldn't understand the last problem, but I finally figured it out.

figure out (2. separable)

understand why someone behaves the way she/he does

I can't figure Margie out. Sometimes she's very warm and friendly and sometimes she acts as if she doesn't know me.

fill in (1. separable) a form / a questionnaire etc.

add information to a form; to complete (a form)

The office needs to know your home address and phone number. Could you fill them in on this form? It took me an hour to fill in the application form. It took me an hour to fill in the form. It took me an hour to fill the form in, It took me an hour to fil

fill in (on) (2. separable)

supply information that someone doesn't know

I wasn't able to attend the meeting yesterday, but I understand that it was important. Could you fill me in? / Could you fill me in on what was discussed?

fill in for (inseparable)

temporarily do someone else's work; temporarily substitute for another person

Professor Newton is in the hospital and won't be able to teach for the rest of the term. Do you know who's going to fill in for her?

fill out (1. separable)

complete a form by adding required information

Of course I completed my application! I filled it out and mailed it over three weeks ago!

fill out (2. no object)

become less thin; gain weight

Jerry used to be really skinny, but in the last year he's begun to fill out.

find out (about) (inseparable)

learn / get information (about)

I'm sorry that you didn't know the meeting had been canceled. I didn't find out (find out about it) myself until just a few minutes ago.

find out the truth / a secret / an address / the time i when / what / why / where / who / which etc.

to make an effort to discover or get to know (something)

Mr Jones wanted to catch the train to London. He was late and he didn't know which platform the London train left from. He found out which platform by asking a ticket collector. He found out which platform the train left from. He didn't know which platfor

Follow up (1)

(act upon a suggestion)

Thanks for the information about that book. I'll follow it up.

Follow up (2)

(take more action)

We'll follow up this lesson next week.

get across (separable)

make something understood; communicate something understandably; be understood - especially get an idea across

Alan is really intelligent but sometimes he has problems getting his ideas across. I had the feeling I wasn 't getting across.

get along (with) (inseparable)

have a friendly relationship (with); be friendly (toward)

Why can't you and your sister get along? Everyone else gets along with her just fine!

get around (1. inseparable)

avoid having to do something

Teresa got around the required math classes by doing well on a math proficiency test.

get around (2. no object)

move from place to place

She doesn't have a car. She gets around by bicycle, bus, or taxi.

get around to (inseparable)

do something eventually

I really should wash the dishes, but I don't feel like it. Maybe I'll get around to them tomorrow morning.

Get at

(imply - about personal matters - colloquial)

What are you getting at exactly ?

get away

to escape

The prisoner got away from his guards and ran into the forest. The prisoner got away from his guards. The prisoner got away from them. The prisoner got away.

get away with

to do something wrong or illegal without being punished (usually without even being discovered or caught)

Last year Jack robbed a bank and got away with it; the police didn't even find his fingerprints. Nowadays Jack lives a life of luxury on a beautiful tropical island. Jack got away with the bank robbery. Jack got away with robbing the bank. Jack got away w

get by (no object)

survive, financially, in a difficult situation

It's going to be hard to pay the rent now that you've lost your job, but somehow we'll get by.

Get down

(make to feel depressed - colloquial)

This cold weather really gets me down.

Get down to

(begin to seriously deal with)

It's time we got down to some real work.

get in (1. inseparable)

enter a small, closed vehicle

I don't know where Carole was going. She just got in her car and drove away.

get in (2. no object)

arrive

Do you know what time Fred's plane gets in?

get off (1. inseparable)

leave a large, closed vehicle

When you get off the bus, cross the street, turn right on Oak Street, and keep going until you're at the corner of Oak and Lincoln Boulevard.

get off (2. separable)

be excused (for a period of time) from work, class, or other regularly scheduled activities

Some schools got President's Day off but ours didn't. We had classes as usual.

get off (3. separable)

make it possible for someone to avoid punishment

Everyone knew he was guilty, but his lawyer was clever and got him off.

Get off with

(avoid punishment)

They were lucky to get off with such light sentences.

Get on

(make progress - especially in life)

Sue is getting on very well in her new job.

get on (inseparable)

enter a large, closed vehicle

I'm sorry, but you're too late to say goodbye to Angela. She got on the plane about 20 minutes ago.

Get on for

(approach a certain age/time/number)

He must begetting on for seventy.

get out of (1. inseparable)

leave a small, closed vehicle

There's something wrong with the garage door opener. You'll have to get out of the car and open it by hand.

get out of (2. inseparable)

escape having to do something

Lisa said she had a terrible headache and got out of giving her speech today.

Get over

(be surprised)

I couldn 't get over how well she looked.

get over (1. no object)

finish. (Note: for individual activities, not ones that happen again and again.)

What time do your classes get over?

get over (2. inseparable) an illness /a failure/a difficulty/a shock etc.

recover from an illness or painful experience

Katy was really upset when she failed the test. She thought she would never get over feeling so stupid. Sam has got over his operation and expects to leave hospital tomorrow. He has got over his operation. He has got over it.

Get over with

(come to the end of something, usually unpleasant)

I'll be glad to get this awful business over with.

get rid of (1. inseparable)

dispose of; give away or throw away

That shirt is really ugly. Why don't you get rid of it?

get rid of (2. inseparable)

dismiss someone; fire someone from a job; cause someone to leave

The treasurer of the XYZ company was spending too much money so the company president got rid of him.

get round (1)

a problem / a difficulty etc. to solve or avoid a problem

Brian and Dan couldn't move the wardrobe because it was too heavy. They got round the problem by putting the wardrobe on a trolley and pushing it. They got round the problem. They got round it.

get round (2) someone

to persuade someone to do what you want; to persuade someone to let you do what you want

Tim wanted some sweets, but his father told him they were bad for his teeth. After five minutes of persuasion, Tim managed to get round his father and they both went into the sweet shop. Tim got round his father. Tim got round him.

Get round to

(find time to do - also around)

Sorry, but I haven't got round to fixing the tap yet.

get through (1)

to contact someone (usually by telephone)

Jim (phoning his friend Roger): Hello, Roger. I've been trying to get through to you for hours! Roger: Sorry, Jim. I had to make a lot of calls this morning. Jim tried to get through to Roger. Jim tried to get through to him. Jim tried to get through,

get through (2) some work / at ask / a book etc.

to finish; to complete

Roger had a lot of work to do yesterday, but he got through it all by five o'clock. Roger got through his work. Roger got through it.

get up (usually no object; with an object, separable)

leave bed after sleeping and begin your daily activities

You'll have to get up much earlier than usual tomorrow. We have to leave by no later than 6:00 AM. "I know I won't hear the alarm tomorrow morning. Can you get me up at 6:00 AM?"

Get up to

(do something - usually bad when about children - colloquial)

The children are getting up to something in the garden. What have you been getting up to lately?

Give away

(betray)

His false identity papers gave him away.

give in

to stop resisting; to surrender

The fight between Tom and Dick stopped when Tom hurt his hand and had to give in. Tom gave In.

Give off

(send off a smell - liquid or gas)

The cheese had begun to give off a strange smell.

Give out

(be exhausted)

When our money gave out we had to borrow.

give out books / examination papers / pills etc

to give(some thing or things) to each person in a group of people; to distribute

The teacher gave out the books, so that the pupils could read the story. The teacher gave out the books. The teacher gave the books out. The teacher gave them out.

Give over (1)

(abandon, devote)

The rest of the time was given over to playing cards.

Give over (2)

(stop - colloquial)

Why don't you give over! You 're getting on my nerves!

give up (1. separable)

stop doing something (usually a habit)

He knows smoking isn't good for his health, but he can't give it up.

give up (1. separable) / give (oneself) up

to surrender oneself (usually to someone)

The police surrounded the criminal's house and ordered him to give himself up. After a few minutes, he came out and they took him to the police station. The criminal gave himself up to the police. The criminal gave himself up. The escaped prisoner gave he

give up (2)

to stop trying to do something (often because it is too difficult)

One day a hungry dog saw a bunch of juicy grapes hanging from a vine. The dog tried very hard to get the grapes, but it couldn't jump high enough to reach them. After ten frustrating minutes, the dog gave up the attempt and walked home angrily. The dog ga

give up (2. no object)

decide not to try (unsuccessfully) to solve a problem; believed to be dead or lost

After ten days the ship was given up for lost. A: "What's black and white and red all over?" B: "I give up. What?" A: "An embarrassed zebra!"

give up (3) (of an habitual activity, smoking / drinking / a job etc.)

to stop doing or having (something)

Howard decided to give up cigarettes after seeing a poster on the dangers of smoking. Howard gave up cigarettes. Howard gave cigarettes up. Howard gave them up. Howard gave up smoking.

Go back on

(break a promise)

The management has gone back on its promise.

go down

to become less swollen

Phil's cheek became swollen because he had a bad tooth ache. The dentist treated his bad tooth and his swollen cheek soon went down. His swollen cheek went down.

go for

a person, an animal to attack

The dog went for Joe and hurt his arm. The dog went for Joe. The dog went for him. Note: this verb is not used in the passive.

Go in for (1)

(make a habit of)

I don 't go in for that kind of thing.

Go in for (2)

(enter a competition)

Are you thinking of going in for the race?

Go off

(become bad - food)

This milk has gone off.