Phrasal Verbs – English Grammar Exercises for B1
Your colleague is crying and feeling very angry because the boss just yelled at them in front of everyone. Choose the correct option (A, B, C, or D) to comfort them and help them calm down.
1 “Please, just calm ______. It’s not the end of the world and we can fix this.”
(A) out
(B) down
(C) downs
(D) off
2 “Come on, ______ up! Let’s go get some coffee and forget about what the boss said.”
(A) give
(B) smiling
(C) cheer
(D) smile
3 “Don’t let the manager’s harsh words get you ______. You are a great worker.”
(A) down
(B) under
(C) to down
(D) off
4 “Here, ______ down on this chair, drink some water, and take a deep breath.”
(A) sat
(B) to sit
(C) fall
(D) sit
5 “You can always count ______ me. I will support you no matter what the boss says.”
(A) in
(B) on
(C) at
(D) up
6 “I know you are extremely angry, but try not to bottle it ______. Talk to me about it.”
(A) up
(B) in
(C) down
(D) out
7 “If you need to complain about the manager, just let it all ______.”
(A) go
(B) outs
(C) off
(D) out
8 “Don’t worry, this whole stressful situation will blow ______ in a few days.”
(A) away
(B) up
(C) over
(D) overed
9 “You shouldn’t hold ______ your tears. Crying is perfectly normal after a bad meeting.”
(A) down
(B) back
(C) backing
(D) on
10 “Take it easy. We will figure this ______ together. You are not alone in this company.”
(A) up
(B) to out
(C) out
(D) off
11 “It’s hard right now, but I promise you will get ______ this disappointment soon.”
(A) away
(B) pasts
(C) on
(D) over
12 “Just brush it ______! The boss yells at everyone when he is stressed.”
(A) off
(B) away
(C) out
(D) up
13 “If you want to open ______ about what happened in the meeting, I am ready to listen.”
(A) out
(B) up
(C) opened
(D) off
14 “Don’t let one bad performance review bring you ______. You are very talented.”
(A) back
(B) under
(C) downs
(D) down
15 “I know he was rude to you, but try to calm down and not lash ______ at other colleagues.”
(A) back
(B) off
(C) out
(D) outside
16 “We need to sort this mess ______, so let’s talk to Human Resources tomorrow.”
(A) out
(B) through
(C) up
(D) outing
17 “The boss might be harsh, but the whole team will always stand ______ you.”
(A) against
(B) by
(C) to
(D) beside
18 “You have to put this incident ______ you and focus on the new project.”
(A) away
(B) back
(C) behinds
(D) behind
19 “Whenever you feel overwhelmed with anger, just step ______ from your desk for five minutes.”
(A) away
(B) down
(C) off
(D) awaying
20 “If he ever shouts at you like that again, you should politely walk ______.”
(A) out
(B) off
(C) away
(D) awayed
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) down
- Why it’s correct: Calm down is the most common phrasal verb used to reassure someone and help them relax.
- Why the others are wrong: (A) is a meaning trap (learners often confuse it with “chill out,” but “calm out” doesn’t exist). (D) is the wrong preposition. (C) is a structural error (do not add an ‘s’ to the preposition).
2 (C) cheer
- Why it’s correct: Cheer up means to become happier or to encourage someone to feel better.
- Why the others are wrong: (A) give up means to quit, which is negative and contradicts the comforting context. (D) smile up does not exist in English. (B) imperatives require the base form of the verb, not the “-ing” form.
3 (A) down
- Why it’s correct: To get someone down means to make someone feel depressed or sad.
- Why the others are wrong: (D) get off is a meaning trap (it means to leave a bus/train). (B) is the wrong preposition. (C) is a grammatical error.
4 (D) sit
- Why it’s correct: Sit down means to take a seat. Imperative sentences always start with the base verb without “to”.
- Why the others are wrong: (C) fall down means to trip or collapse, which is entirely wrong for the context. (A) uses the past tense. (B) contains an unnecessary “to”.
5 (B) on
- Why it’s correct: Count on someone means to trust or rely on someone (similar to rely on).
- Why the others are wrong: (A) is a common mistake because learners confuse it with the phrase “count me in” (include me). (D) count up is a meaning trap (it means to calculate a total). (C) is the wrong preposition.
6 (A) up
- Why it’s correct: Bottle up means to suppress or hide negative emotions inside (like putting a cap on a bottle).
- Why the others are wrong: (D) is a meaning trap (learners confuse it with “pour out,” which means to express feelings freely). (B) is a literal translation trap (“keep in”). (C) is the wrong preposition.
7 (D) out
- Why it’s correct: Let out means to release frustration or express pent-up emotions.
- Why the others are wrong: (A) is a common mistake; let it go means to ignore or forget something, which contradicts the prompt’s instruction to “complain.” (C) is a meaning trap (confused with the idiom “let off steam”). (B) contains a structural error (adding an ‘s’ to the preposition).
8 (C) over
- Why it’s correct: Blow over means a bad or stressful situation will eventually pass without causing serious consequences.
- Why the others are wrong: (B) is a dangerous meaning trap; blow up means to explode or make a situation much worse, which is the exact opposite of comforting. (A) blow away means to deeply impress someone. (D) is a structural error.
9 (B) back
- Why it’s correct: Hold back (tears) means to suppress crying or keep your emotions hidden.
- Why the others are wrong: (D) hold on means to wait or stay on the phone line. (A) hold down is generally used in the context of employment (“hold down a job”). (C) is grammatically incorrect (modal verbs are followed by the base verb).
10 (C) out
- Why it’s correct: Figure out means to find a solution to a problem or to understand a confusing situation.
- Why the others are wrong: (A) and (D) use the wrong prepositions. (B) contains a structural error (an extra “to”).
11 (D) over
- Why it’s correct: Get over something means to recover from a shock, sadness, disappointment, or illness.
- Why the others are wrong: (A) get away means to escape or go on a vacation. (C) is missing a preposition (you can “get on with life,” but “get on” alone is incorrect here). (B) is a grammatical error.
12 (A) off
- Why it’s correct: Brush off means to ignore criticism, insults, or minor problems (like brushing dust off your jacket).
- Why the others are wrong: (D) brush up means to review or practice a skill you haven’t used in a while. (B) and (C) are incorrect prepositions.
13 (B) up
- Why it’s correct: Open up means to start talking freely about your personal or hidden feelings.
- Why the others are wrong: (A) and (D) are incorrect prepositions. (C) is a grammatical error (the infinitive requires the base verb after “to”).
14 (D) down
- Why it’s correct: Bring someone down means to make someone lose their spirit, feel sad, or become depressed.
- Why the others are wrong: (A) bring back means to recall memories or return an item. (B) is a literal translation trap (“pull under”). (C) contains a structural error (adding an ‘s’).
15 (C) out
- Why it’s correct: Lash out means to suddenly and angrily attack someone with words, often taking your frustration out on the wrong person.
- Why the others are wrong: (A) is a meaning trap (learners often invent “lash back” based on the phrase “fight back”). (B) is the wrong preposition. (D) uses an adverb/preposition of place (“outside”) instead of the correct particle.
16 (A) out
- Why it’s correct: Sort out means to resolve a problem, find a solution, or organize a messy situation.
- Why the others are wrong: (B) sort through is a meaning trap; it refers to physically searching through items (like sorting through old papers). (C) is the wrong preposition. (D) is grammatically incorrect in this structure.
17 (B) by
- Why it’s correct: Stand by someone means to remain loyal to them and offer support during difficult times.
- Why the others are wrong: (A) stand against means to oppose someone, which contradicts the context. (D) is a literal translation trap; “beside” means physically next to someone, but it lacks the metaphorical meaning of emotional support. (C) is the wrong preposition.
18 (D) behind
- Why it’s correct: To put something behind you is a common phrase meaning to forget a bad past event and focus on moving forward.
- Why the others are wrong: (A) put away means to store physical objects. (B) put back means to return an object to its original place. (C) is a grammatical error (do not add an ‘s’ to “behind”).
19 (A) away
- Why it’s correct: Step away means to temporarily leave a stressful situation or location to regain your calmness.
- Why the others are wrong: (B) is a DANGEROUS MEANING TRAP; step down means to resign or quit a job. Advising a colleague to resign when they are just angry is terrible advice! (C) is the wrong preposition. (D) is a structural error.
20 (C) away
- Why it’s correct: Walk away means to calmly leave a bad situation or refuse to engage in a conflict.
- Why the others are wrong: (A) is a meaning trap; walk out implies leaving in a highly emotional, disrespectful, or rebellious manner (like going on strike or storming out of a meeting). (B) walk off is generally used when someone is trying to recover from a minor physical injury by walking. (D) is a structural error.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Softening Imperatives: When someone is panicking or angry, rigid commands like “Control yourself” or “Be quiet” can sound aggressive and backfire. Using highly figurative Phrasal Verbs like Calm down, Cheer up, Let it out, or Open up creates a much more empathetic, soothing, and natural tone.
- Metaphorical Imagery: Many phrasal verbs in this context rely on powerful visual metaphors that help the listener process their emotions:
- Bottle up: Hiding emotions is like putting a cap on a pressurized bottle.
- Blow over: A bad situation will eventually pass, just like a storm blowing away in the wind.
- Brush off: Ignoring insults is as simple as brushing a piece of dust off your shirt.
- Dangerous Meaning Traps: In a real workplace environment, using the wrong particle (preposition) can turn a comforting sentence into disastrous advice.
- If you want to tell a coworker to take a break and step back from the situation (Step away), but you accidentally tell them to Step down, you are actually telling them to resign from their job!
- If you advise them to avoid conflict (Walk away), but you accidentally say Walk out, you are suggesting they rebel or storm out aggressively. Always double-check your prepositions!