Phrasal Verbs – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are writing quick emails and messages to your colleagues to inform them about sudden changes to today’s meeting schedule. Choose the correct phrasal verb to complete the sentences naturally and professionally.
1 Unfortunately, the regional manager called in sick today, so we have to ______ the 3 PM meeting entirely.
(A) cut off
(B) call off
(C) cancel off
(D) call off to
2 We don’t have the final sales report yet, so we should really ______ the presentation until next Tuesday.
(A) put away
(B) delay off
(C) put it off
(D) put off
3 The CEO is leaving early tomorrow, so we need to ______ the budget review to 9 AM instead of 11 AM.
(A) bring forward
(B) take forward
(C) bring ahead
(D) bring it forward
4 Even though the meeting is delayed, I still ______ discussing these exciting new marketing ideas with all of you.
(A) wait forward to
(B) look forward
(C) look forward to
(D) look ahead to
5 Sorry for the sudden notice. A terrible traffic jam on the highway has ______ me ______, so I will be 20 minutes late.
(A) hold … up
(B) held … up
(C) kept … up
(D) held up … me
6 Since we are not meeting in person today, please ______ any urgent questions and email them to me directly.
(A) note down
(B) note on
(C) write out of
(D) take up
7 Because the team meeting is canceled, I will use this free hour to ______ my unread emails.
(A) catch on
(B) catch up with
(C) catch up on
(D) catch up
8 Before we reschedule the call, the HR department needs to ______ a new contract for the client.
(A) write up it
(B) paint up
(C) make up
(D) draw up
9 We need to postpone our discussion because the design team hasn’t been able to ______ the new prototype yet.
(A) end up
(B) wrap up
(C) finish up it
(D) pack up
10 Let’s ______ a quick video call tomorrow morning to replace today’s canceled meeting.
(A) set up
(B) put up
(C) make up
(D) set up to
11 I sincerely apologize, but something urgent has ______ at home, and I have to leave the office immediately.
(A) happened up
(B) turned up
(C) came up
(D) come up
12 I need to check my calendar for next week. I will ______ you later this afternoon with a new date and time.
(A) return back to
(B) get back to
(C) reply back to
(D) get back at
13 We simply cannot meet at 4 PM because we have completely ______ time to prepare the slides.
(A) run out
(B) ran out of
(C) run out of
(D) run away with
14 Let’s postpone the strategy discussion until the IT team can ______ why the software keeps crashing.
(A) figure out
(B) solve out
(C) find out it
(D) look for
15 Even though the meeting is off, please take some time today to ______ the attached financial documents.
(A) look over them
(B) check over into
(C) read out
(D) go over
16 I would like to ______ that the project deadline is still Friday, despite today’s meeting cancelation.
(A) show out
(B) point out
(C) point out it
(D) pick out
17 Could you please ______ this message to the rest of the marketing department?
(A) pass on
(B) give on
(C) pass it on
(D) hand in
18 Since the meeting is tomorrow instead, you have extra time to ______ the presentation handouts.
(A) paper out
(B) make out
(C) print out
(D) print out them
19 The director is unavailable this afternoon, so the assistant manager will ______ her during the rescheduled call.
(A) look after
(B) step in to
(C) take place of
(D) stand in for
20 We definitely cannot have the meeting without the CEO, so we must ______.
(A) put off it
(B) put it off
(C) call it out
(D) delay it off
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) call off
Why it is correct: “Call off” is the standard business phrasal verb meaning to cancel an event.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) cut off (Strong Distractor/Meaning Trap: means to disconnect a phone call or interrupt someone speaking). – (C) cancel off (Common Mistake: incorrectly blending the verb ‘cancel’ with the particle ‘off’). – (D) call off to (Structural Error: adding an unnecessary preposition).
2 (D) put off
Why it is correct: “Put off” means to postpone or delay an event until a later time.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) put away (Strong Distractor/Meaning Trap: means to store items in their proper place). – (B) delay off (Common Mistake: mixing the formal word ‘delay’ with the phrasal verb particle ‘off’). – (C) put it off (Structural Error: “it” is a pronoun, but the object “the presentation” is already in the sentence, causing redundancy).
3 (A) bring forward
Why it is correct: “Bring forward” means to move an event to an earlier time or date.
Distractor Analysis: – (B) take forward (Common Mistake: literal translation error, confusing ‘bring’ and ‘take’). – (C) bring ahead (Strong Distractor/Meaning Trap: sounds logical but “bring ahead” is not a standard phrasal verb; we say “bring forward”). – (D) bring it forward (Structural Error: redundant pronoun “it” since “the budget review” is stated).
4 (C) look forward to
Why it is correct: “Look forward to” is a 3-part phrasal verb meaning to feel happy and excited about a future event. It is always followed by an -ing verb (discussing) or a noun.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) wait forward to (Common Mistake: mistranslating the feeling of “waiting” excitedly). – (B) look forward (Structural Error: missing the required preposition “to”). – (D) look ahead to (Strong Distractor/Meaning Trap: means to think about and plan for the future, but lacks the emotional excitement of “look forward to”).
5 (B) held … up
Why it is correct: “Hold up” means to delay someone or something. Because of the present perfect auxiliary “has”, we must use the V3 form “held”. The pronoun “me” separates the verb and particle.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) hold … up (Common Mistake: using the base verb “hold” instead of the past participle “held”). – (C) kept … up (Strong Distractor/Meaning Trap: “keep up” means to maintain a pace or prevent someone from sleeping). – (D) held up … me (Structural Error: the pronoun “me” must be placed in the middle of a separable phrasal verb).
6 (A) note down
Why it is correct: “Note down” means to write something quickly so you don’t forget it.
Distractor Analysis: – (B) note on (Common Mistake: incorrect preposition). – (C) write out of (Structural Error: invalid combination of verb and prepositions). – (D) take up (Strong Distractor/Meaning Trap: means to occupy time or space, or start a hobby).
7 (C) catch up on
Why it is correct: “Catch up on” means to do something that you have not had time to do recently (like reading emails or sleeping).
Distractor Analysis: – (A) catch on (Common Mistake: means to finally understand something or become popular). – (B) catch up with (Strong Distractor/Meaning Trap: used for meeting people to hear their news, not for completing tasks). – (D) catch up (Structural Error: missing the preposition “on” to connect to the object “emails”).
8 (D) draw up
Why it is correct: “Draw up” is a formal business phrasal verb meaning to prepare and write a document, contract, or plan.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) write up it (Structural Error: pronoun placed at the end instead of the middle). – (B) paint up (Common Mistake: literal translation of “drawing”). – (C) make up (Strong Distractor/Meaning Trap: means to invent a lie or reconcile after a fight).
9 (B) wrap up
Why it is correct: “Wrap up” is a casual but very common office phrase meaning to finish or complete a task/meeting.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) end up (Common Mistake: means to finally be in a particular place or situation, e.g., “we ended up canceling”). – (C) finish up it (Structural Error: pronoun placed incorrectly). – (D) pack up (Strong Distractor/Meaning Trap: means to put your belongings in a bag to leave work).
10 (A) set up
Why it is correct: “Set up” means to arrange or organize an event, like a meeting or a call.
Distractor Analysis: – (B) put up (Strong Distractor/Meaning Trap: means to build a structure or tolerate a bad situation). – (C) make up (Common Mistake: means to invent or compensate for something). – (D) set up to (Structural Error: adding an unnecessary preposition).
11 (D) come up
Why it is correct: “Come up” means to happen unexpectedly. Following the present perfect auxiliary “has”, we use the V3 form “come” (come-came-come).
Distractor Analysis: – (A) happened up (Common Mistake: unnecessarily adding “up” to the regular verb “happen”). – (B) turned up (Strong Distractor/Meaning Trap: means someone arrived unexpectedly or a lost item was found, not a situation). – (C) came up (Structural Error: using the V2 past simple form “came” instead of V3 after “has”).
12 (B) get back to
Why it is correct: “Get back to” means to reply to someone or speak to them again later with information.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) return back to (Common Mistake: a classic tautology/redundancy. “Return” already means to go back). – (C) reply back to (Structural Error: redundancy similar to A). – (D) get back at (Strong Distractor/Meaning Trap: means to take revenge on someone!).
13 (C) run out of
Why it is correct: “Run out of” means to completely use up a supply of something (time, money, coffee). After “have”, we use the V3 form “run”.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) run out (Structural Error: missing “of” to connect to the object “time”). – (B) ran out of (Common Mistake: using the V2 form “ran” instead of V3 “run”). – (D) run away with (Strong Distractor/Meaning Trap: means to steal something or win easily).
14 (A) figure out
Why it is correct: “Figure out” means to think about a problem until you find the solution or understand it.
Distractor Analysis: – (B) solve out (Common Mistake: “solve” is a standard verb that does not take “out”). – (C) find out it (Structural Error: “it” cannot be used right before the “why” clause; it makes no grammatical sense). – (D) look for (Strong Distractor/Meaning Trap: means to search for a physical physical object, not to solve a conceptual problem).
15 (D) go over
Why it is correct: “Go over” means to review, check, or examine something carefully.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) look over them (Structural Error: “them” is a pronoun referring to documents, but the noun “documents” is already at the end of the sentence). – (B) check over into (Common Mistake: invalid combination of prepositions). – (C) read out (Strong Distractor/Meaning Trap: means to read aloud so others can hear, not to review silently).
16 (B) point out
Why it is correct: “Point out” means to tell someone a fact that they might not know or might have forgotten.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) show out (Common Mistake: “show out” means to guide someone to the exit door). – (C) point out it (Structural Error: you cannot put “it” before a “that” clause). – (D) pick out (Strong Distractor/Meaning Trap: means to choose or select something from a group).
17 (A) pass on
Why it is correct: “Pass on” means to give a message or information to someone else.
Distractor Analysis: – (B) give on (Common Mistake: literal translation error). – (C) pass it on (Structural Error: “it” is redundant because the object “this message” is already in the sentence). – (D) hand in (Strong Distractor/Meaning Trap: means to submit homework or an official report to a boss/teacher).
18 (C) print out
Why it is correct: “Print out” means to produce a paper copy of a computer document.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) paper out (Common Mistake: using the noun ‘paper’ as a verb). – (B) make out (Strong Distractor/Meaning Trap: means to manage to see/hear something with difficulty, or to kiss). – (D) print out them (Structural Error: the pronoun “them” must be placed in the middle of a separable phrasal verb: print them out).
19 (D) stand in for
Why it is correct: “Stand in for” means to temporarily do someone else’s job because they are unavailable.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) look after (Strong Distractor/Meaning Trap: means to care for a sick person or a child, not to substitute a professional role). – (B) step in to (Structural Error: “step in” is fine, but it doesn’t take “to” followed by a person; it should be “step in for“). – (C) take place of (Common Mistake: missing the article; the correct idiom is “take the place of”).
20 (B) put it off
Why it is correct: “Put off” means to postpone. Because “it” is a pronoun replacing “the meeting,” it must be placed between the verb and the particle.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) put off it (Structural Error: wrong pronoun placement). – (C) call it out (Strong Distractor/Meaning Trap: means to challenge someone or criticize them publicly). – (D) delay it off (Common Mistake: mixing the standard verb “delay” with the phrasal verb particle).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Call off vs. Put off: These are two of the most essential phrasal verbs in a business environment.
- Call off = Cancel (The event is not happening at all).
- Put off = Postpone / Delay (The event is moved to a later time or date).
- The Pronoun Rule: Many workplace phrasal verbs are separable. However, if the object is a pronoun (it, them, him, her, me, us), you MUST place it directly between the verb and the particle.
- Correct: We must put it off.
- Incorrect: We must put off it.
- Three-Part Phrasal Verbs: Phrasal verbs with three components—such as look forward to (anticipate with pleasure), catch up on (do a task you haven’t had time for), and stand in for (substitute for someone)—are inseparable. You cannot break them apart, and all three words are required to properly connect to the object.
- Avoid Redundancy: Never say return back to or reply back to. The verbs “return” and “reply” already contain the meaning of “going back” or “answering back.” Simply using get back to is perfectly sufficient and sounds much more natural to native speakers.