In this lesson, you will learn 5 English phrasal verbs you must know. These English expressions are used by native English speakers and will help you speak English more fluently.
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ENGLISH PHRASAL VERB #1
English Phrasal Verb: Act like
Meaning: “Similar to; in the manner of”
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
- He always acts like he’s the boss of everyone when he’s not.
- In the school play, I will be acting like a bad guy, but really I’m an undercover cop.
- My mom always asks why I act like a maniac running around the house.
ENGLISH PHRASAL VERB #2
English Phrasal Verb: Act up
Meaning: “Someone or something to behave badly”
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
- My mom said that if I act up again, I would lose my privileges.
- The man at the concession stand is acting up.
- I hope my back doesn’t start acting up again.
ENGLISH PHRASAL VERB #3
English Phrasal Verb: Add up
Meaning: “To seem reasonable; to make sense”
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
- After reanalyzing the results, everything is starting to add up.
- The details of his story were not adding up.
- Nothing is adding up, so I think I need to call our CPA.
ENGLISH PHRASAL VERB #4
English Phrasal Verb: Ask out
Meaning: “To invite someone out on a romantic date, in hopes of a future relationship”
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
- I heard that John is planning to ask Susan out.
- I can’t believe he hasn’t asked me out yet. I know he likes me!
- Finally! I was beginning to think he would never ask me out.
ENGLISH PHRASAL VERB #5
English Phrasal Verb: Back down
Meaning: “Take back a demand/opinion that people are strongly opposed to; admit defeat”
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
- I heard he backed down after losing the election.
- The contenders backed down from their original pledge.
- Man, this person doesn’t back down. He is really stubborn!