Home · Phrasal Verbs · Unit 04
Unit 04
Look, Turn, Bring & Break
look into, turn down, bring up…
Four More Key Verbs
These verbs appear in many of the most frequent phrasal verbs in English. Notice especially look forward to (followed by -ing), and the different meanings of turn up and bring up.
Phrasal Verbs with LOOK
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| look after | to take care of | Who looks after your children while you work? |
| look for | to try to find | I'm looking for my keys. |
| look up | to search for information in a dictionary or online | Look the word up in a dictionary. |
| look into | to investigate | The police are looking into the case. |
| look forward to | to feel happy about a future event | I'm looking forward to the holidays. |
| look up to | to admire and respect | Many young players look up to him. |
| look down on | to think you are better than someone | Don't look down on people with less money. |
| look out | to be careful (often as a warning) | Look out! There's a car coming! |
Phrasal Verbs with TURN
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| turn on / turn off | to start / stop a machine or light | Turn off the lights when you leave. |
| turn up / turn down (volume) | to increase / decrease the volume or heat | Can you turn the music down? |
| turn down (an offer) | to refuse an offer or request | She turned down the job offer. |
| turn up (arrive) | to arrive or appear, often unexpectedly | He turned up an hour late. |
| turn out | to have a particular result, often a surprising one | The test turned out to be easier than we expected. |
| turn into | to change into something different | The small café turned into a famous restaurant. |
Phrasal Verbs with BRING and BREAK
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| bring up | to raise a child; to mention a topic | She was brought up by her grandparents. / Don't bring up politics at dinner. |
| bring about | to cause something to happen | The internet brought about huge changes. |
| bring back | to return something; to make you remember | This song brings back memories. |
| break down | (machine) to stop working; to start crying | Our car broke down on the motorway. |
| break up | to end a romantic relationship | They broke up after five years. |
| break out | (war, fire, disease) to start suddenly; to escape | A fire broke out in the kitchen. |
| break into | to enter a building or car illegally | Someone broke into our car last night. |
Watch Out
- Look forward to + noun or -ing: I look forward to hearing from you. (a very common email ending)
- Turn up has two meanings: increase the volume / arrive.
- Bring up (a child) is often passive: I was brought up in İzmir. But grow up is intransitive: I grew up in İzmir.
Annotated Examples
Subject
Verb
Auxiliary
Object
Adjective
Adverb
Preposition
Hover over any word to see its role.
subjectIverblook forward toobjecthearingfrom you.
↳ to is a preposition → -ing.
subjectSheverbturnedobjectthe offerverbdown.
↳ turn down = refuse (separable).
subjectA fireverbbroke outadverbin the factory.
↳ break out = start suddenly (intransitive).
Common Mistakes
I look forward to hear from you.
→
I look forward to hearing from you.
look forward to + -ing.
Can you look my bag after?
→
Can you look after my bag?
Look after is inseparable.
She turned down it.
→
She turned it down.
Pronoun object → in the middle.
I was grown up in Ankara.
→
I grew up in Ankara. / I was brought up in Ankara.
Grow up is intransitive; use was brought up for the passive.
A war broke up in 1939.
→
A war broke out in 1939.
break out = start; break up = end a relationship.