A list of 16 phrasal verbs you can start using today.

Your friend is at your house and she asks you why you put up with your annoying brother.

You don’t understand her.

“What does she mean by put up with my brother?” you ponder. “How did I put my brother up? And where?”

You sit there with that confused-but-you-don’t-want-to-admit-you’re-confused-and-embarrassed look and just nod your head.

“I don’t… know,” you half whisper.

She shrugs her shoulders and changes the subject.

She goes home an hour later, and as soon as you say your farewells and close your door, you pull out your phone and search what “put up” means.

You scroll and scroll, and… “Ah. it means to tolerate someone or something,” you mumble.

You also learn that these are called phrasal verbs, which are two or more words that, when combined, become a new verb.

Additionally, you learn that they’re confusing to a lot of people because the combination of the two words creates new meanings and many people don’t know them.

There are also thousands of them that you have to remember.

If that last sentence intimated you, don’t let it.

You’ll absorb the majority of phrasal verbs like a sponge from just talking to people and reading.

Also, you’ll learn a handful of them from this list of 16 common phrasal verbs (and you’ll also learn how to use them):

• Break in means to enter illegally.
• Example: The robbers break in and steal diamonds.

• Break up means to disperse.
• Example: The police break up the riot.

• Break out means to escape.
• Example: The children break out of the classroom.

• Break down means to explain.
• Example: Can you break down this math problem for me?

• Put up with means to tolerate.
• Example: Jane had to put up with a loud snorer last night.

• Put off means postpone something.
• Example: The city had to put off the parade because of the storm.

• Put down means to record something.
• Example: Can I put down your phone number and information?

• Put aside means to disregard.
• Example: I’ll put aside my feelings for this meeting.

• Come about means to happen.
• Example: How did that argument come about?

• Come up with a means to produce something.
• Example: Kate can come up with a solution later today.

• Come/coming along means to make progress.
• Example: Katie’s solution is coming along.

• Come forward means to volunteer oneself to give evidence.
• Example: The witnesses come forward to tell the detectives the truth.

• Make off with means to steal something.
• Example: The kids make off with the jars.

• Make up means to reconcile.
• Example: The father and son make up after their argument.

• Make up for means to compensate.
• Example: Stella will make up for the time she missed.

• Make out means to imply something about a person or thing.
• Example: Ken is not as they make him out to be.

Final Thoughts

Remembering grammar rules can be hard.

I used to watch videos and read how-to writing books to learn them but the rules never really stuck.

I was constantly making grammatical mistakes and couldn’t figure out why.

Then I started using workbooks.

Grammar workbooks are one of the best ways to learn grammar rules because they provide hands-on practice for skill and knowledge development.

This makes it easier to remember the rules because you have to apply what you learn to solve problems.

If you think this can help you, check out my grammar workbooks here.