Home · Phrasal Verbs · Unit 06
Unit 06
People & Relationships
get along, fall out, let down…
Talking About People
When we talk about friends, family and relationships, phrasal verbs are much more natural than formal verbs. Native speakers say We fell out, not We terminated our friendship.
Friends & Social Life
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| hit it off | to like each other immediately | We met at a party and hit it off straight away. |
| get together | to meet socially | Let's get together next weekend. |
| hang out | to spend relaxed time with friends | We usually hang out at the café after school. |
| show up | to arrive or appear at an event | Only five people showed up to the meeting. |
| drop by / drop in | to visit briefly without planning | Drop by any time you're in the area. |
| run into | to meet someone by chance | I ran into my old teacher at the supermarket. |
| count on | to depend on someone | You can always count on me. |
Love & Relationships
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ask out | to invite someone on a date | He finally asked her out. |
| go out (with) | to have a romantic relationship with someone | They've been going out for two years. |
| split up | to end a relationship or marriage | Her parents split up when she was ten. |
| fall out (with) | to argue and stop being friends | I fell out with my best friend over money. |
| settle down | to start a quieter life, often by marrying | He wants to settle down and have children. |
| grow up | to change from a child to an adult | I grew up in a small town. |
Feelings & Behaviour
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| let down | to disappoint someone | I promised to help — I can't let them down. |
| stand up for | to defend or support someone or something | She always stands up for her friends. |
| tell off | to speak angrily to someone who did something wrong | The teacher told him off for being late. |
| put down | to criticise someone to make them feel stupid | He's always putting his colleagues down. |
| cheer up | to make or become happier | Cheer up! It's not the end of the world. |
| calm down | to become or make less angry or upset | Calm down and tell me what happened. |
Watch Out
- Run into and come across both mean meeting by chance; run into is used mostly for people.
- Grow up is intransitive: I grew up in Bursa (not
I was grown up). - Fall out with (argue) is different from fall out (hair, teeth): My hair is falling out.
Annotated Examples
Subject
Verb
Auxiliary
Object
Adjective
Adverb
Preposition
Hover over any word to see its role.
subjectIverbran intoobjectan old friendadverbyesterday.
↳ run into = meet by chance (inseparable).
Don'tverbletobjectmeverbdown.
↳ let down = disappoint (pronoun in the middle).
subjectTheyverbfell outadverbover money.
↳ fall out = argue and stop being friends.
Common Mistakes
You can count with me.
→
You can count on me.
count on + person.
She let down me.
→
She let me down.
Pronoun object → in the middle.
We hanged out at the mall.
→
We hung out at the mall.
hang out → past: hung out.
He asked out her.
→
He asked her out.
Pronoun object → in the middle.
They split out last year.
→
They split up last year.
split up = end a relationship.