Phrasal Verbs Topics is designed to help intermediate to advanced learners of English improve their knowledge of phrasal verbs. It can be used as a self-study guide by learners, or used by teachers in their EFL/ESL classes whether online or classroom based learning and teaching.

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come on The Channel Nine News comes on at 6 o’clock, after a couple of game shows.
  My favorite show comes on at 10 o’clock, so let’s get home before that.
  Maria’s English is coming on very well, but her brother Juan’s isn’t coming along as well as hers. Maybe she could help him out.
  His listening skills aren’t coming on as well as his reading skills.
come out Many people were shocked when details of the senator’s accident came out. According to the police report, he was driving while drunk.
come out He can’t wait for the Soggy Bottom Boy’s new album to come out. They’re his favourite band.
come out It’s hard for gay sports stars and movie stars to come out and be open about their sexuality. They know many prejudiced fans will reject them.
  Hector decided he had to come out, so he told his family he was gay.
come over Why don’t you come over after work and I’ll show you my new computer? I get home around six so come over any time after that.
  Some friends came over last Sunday and we had a barbecue.
come through Your self-assurance came through during your presentation, especially when you were answering those difficult questions at the end.
  Her lack of confidence comes through whenever she speaks in public.
  We weren’t sure if you could come up with a good design, but you’ve really come through this time. It’s great!
come to The total amount comes to $89.95, including sales tax, shipping costs and handling charges.
come to It was so hot that I fainted. When I came to, Robert was splashing water on my face.
come up Do you think the issue of getting more staff will come up at this week’s meeting?
  What time does the sun come up at this time of year?
come up with How did the Spanish architect Gaudi come up with such incredible designs for his buildings?
  Patti Smith always comes up with powerful lyrics for her songs.
come with All these sound systems come with a two-year guarantee covering all parts and service.
compare to The war in Iraq has been compared to the Vietnam War by several historians. They say the two conflicts share several important features.
compare with If we compare this year’s sales with last year’s sales, they aren’t very good, and we need to figure out why.
consist of An anti-terrorist task force was set up, consisting of police, army specialists, intelligence officers and computer experts.
cook up

(informal)

 He wanted to have the day off work, so he cooked up a story about having to visit his aunt in hospital.
  I was late to work, so I cooked up a story about problems with my car.
cool down If your car overheats, let the engine cool down before you open the hood to check it.
  If the soup’s too hot, is it impolite to blow on it to cool it down?
cool off If you get angry, stop, count to ten, and try to cool off before you say anything.
  I wouldn’t bother him while he’s angry. Wait until he’s cooled off.
correspond to / with The work the women had to do didn’t correspond to the job description given in the newspaper ads. It was very different work.
  Did the material’s quality correspond with that of the sample they sent?
  He didn’t understand at first, but it didn’t take him long to cotton on.
couldn’t ask for We won the game by six goals to one. We couldn’t have asked for a better result.
  I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday. All my friends and family came.
count down We counted the seconds down to midnight, and then everyone called out ‘Happy New Year!’
  After counting down from 100 to 1, they launched the rocket.
count in If you’re going out dancing tonight, you can count me in. I’d love to go along.
count on You can count on John. He’s very reliable, so if he says he’ll have it done on time, it’ll be done on time.
count out If you’re going to the pub, count me out. I’d like to come along but I promised my wife I’d go straight home tonight.
  Bob said to count him out if we’re booking a table for dinner. He’s too busy.
cover up The president’s party covered up the fact that he’d been treated for addiction to drugs and alcohol, and most people never found out.
  Governments try to cover up mistakes or corruption any way they can.
crack down Don’t drink before you drive. The police are cracking down on drunk drivers and you could end up in jail.
  Politicians often promise to crack down on corruption, but few do.
crack up

(informal)

 He cracked up after losing all his savings on the stock exchange, and tried to kill himself.
  She cracked up due to stress from work and ended up in hospital.
  I was really tired. I crashed out on the sofa while watching TV.
cross out Check the guest list and cross out the names of all the people who didn’t come.
cry out The wounded soldier cried out in pain as his friends picked him up and put him on a stretcher.
cut across We don’t have to follow the road. It’d be quicker if we cut across the park.
  The racing driver was disqualified for cutting across the track.
cut back You spend too much. Don’t you think you should try to cut back on the amount of money you spend each month?
  The rose bushes are getting too big, so Pedro is going to cut them back.
cut off He was talking to his kids on the phone when he was cut off, so he had  to call them again.
  They lived on a small island in the Pacific Ocean, cut off from the rest of the world.
  While he was in jail in Iraq, he was cut off from his family and friends.
cut out The kids were running around the living room when their father told them to cut it out before they broke something.
cut out Our son’s a professional football player and whenever his picture’s in the newspaper, my wife cuts it out and puts it in a special scrapbook.
  My daughter likes to cut out and keep interesting magazine articles.