Phrasal Verbs – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are writing a lively social media post to update your friends about moving into your new apartment and cleaning out your old things. Choose the correct phrasal verb (A, B, C, or D) to complete your post naturally.
1 Look at these new keys! After months of searching and packing, we finally ______ today!
(A) entered in
(B) moved out
(C) moved into
(D) moved in
2 We officially ______ of our old, tiny apartment yesterday morning. Goodbye, small spaces!
(A) left out
(B) moved out
(C) stepped out
(D) moved off
3 It took us three whole days to ______ all our belongings into cardboard boxes.
(A) package out
(B) box out
(C) pack up
(D) pack them up
4 I realized I had so much junk, so I decided to ______ three bags of useless stuff.
(A) throw away it
(B) clear it off
(C) throw away
(D) throw it away
5 Before we could bring any furniture inside, we had to spend hours trying to ______ the dirty floors.
(A) clean up
(B) wash out
(C) clear off
(D) tidy out
6 I bought a giant new bed from IKEA, and it took me half the night to ______!
(A) put together it
(B) put it together
(C) make it up
(D) set it up to
7 While emptying the attic, I actually ______ some of my favorite childhood toys. So nostalgic!
(A) met across
(B) found out
(C) came across
(D) came into
8 Instead of trashing my old winter coats, I decided to ______ to a local charity.
(A) give away them
(B) give them away
(C) donate them out
(D) hand them out
9 I spent my entire weekend trying to ______ the garage before the moving truck arrived.
(A) clear off
(B) clean out it
(C) clear out
(D) empty out of
10 Now that the wardrobe is finally built, I can ______ all my jackets and shirts.
(A) put them away
(B) put away
(C) keep away
(D) store up
11 Look at this massive pile of books! I really need to ______ before putting them on my new shelves.
(A) sort out them
(B) figure them out
(C) order them out
(D) sort them out
12 The internet technician is coming tomorrow morning to ______ the Wi-Fi router. Wish me luck!
(A) set up
(B) put up
(C) install up
(D) set out
13 Before leaving the old place, the landlord made us ______ all our beautiful posters from the walls.
(A) take away
(B) drop down
(C) pull out
(D) take down
14 I bought some gorgeous new curtains for the living room, but I don’t have a ladder to ______.
(A) hang them up
(B) hang up them
(C) put them on
(D) wear them up
15 We still have a few boxes left to open, but we are slowly starting to ______ to our new home.
(A) settle down
(B) live in
(C) settle in
(D) calm down
16 I had a broken microwave for years, and I finally used this move as an excuse to ______.
(A) throw out it
(B) get it rid of
(C) get rid of it
(D) drop it out
17 Moving is mentally exhausting because you have to ______ every single item you own and decide its fate.
(A) go across
(B) pass through
(C) go through
(D) read over
18 The apartment is full of empty cardboard boxes. Could someone please ______ to the recycling bin?
(A) take out them
(B) take them out
(C) bring them outside
(D) throw them out of
19 My partner wanted to keep that ugly old rug, but I secretly ______ when he wasn’t looking!
(A) threw out it
(B) threw off it
(C) threw it down
(D) threw it out
20 Carrying all those heavy sofas up to the third floor really ______ today. Time for a well-deserved pizza!
(A) wore me down
(B) exhausted me out
(C) tired me out
(D) tired out me
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (D) moved in
Why it is correct: “Move in” is an intransitive phrasal verb meaning to start living in a new place. It requires no object here.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) entered in (Common Mistake: literal translation). – (B) moved out (Strong Distractor: means to leave a place, which contradicts the “new keys”). – (C) moved into (Structural Error: “move into” MUST be followed by an object, like “moved into the apartment”. Since the sentence ends at the blank, “moved in” is correct).
2 (B) moved out
Why it is correct: “Move out” means to permanently leave the place where you live.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) left out (Strong Distractor: means to omit or exclude someone/something). – (C) stepped out (Common Mistake: means to briefly leave a room or building for a short time). – (D) moved off (Structural Error: invalid phrase in this context).
3 (C) pack up
Why it is correct: “Pack up” means to put your belongings into boxes or bags because you are leaving a place.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) package out (Common Mistake: fake translation). – (B) box out (Meaning Trap: a basketball term for blocking an opponent). – (D) pack them up (Structural Error: the object “all our belongings” is already in the sentence, so adding “them” makes it redundant).
4 (C) throw away
Why it is correct: “Throw away” means to put something in the trash. Since the object “three bags” follows the blank, the verb stays intact.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) throw away it (Structural Error: wrong pronoun placement). – (B) clear it off (Meaning Trap: means to wipe a surface clean). – (D) throw it away (Structural Error: “it” is redundant because the actual object “three bags” comes right after).
5 (A) clean up
Why it is correct: “Clean up” means to make a place completely clean and tidy.
Distractor Analysis: – (B) wash out (Meaning Trap: usually used for washing the inside of a container, like a cup). – (C) clear off (Common Mistake: means to remove items from a table or surface, not washing floors). – (D) tidy out (Structural Error: mixing “tidy up” and “clear out”).
6 (B) put it together
Why it is correct: “Put together” means to assemble something from separate parts (like IKEA furniture). The pronoun “it” MUST go in the middle.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) put together it (Structural Error: incorrect pronoun placement). – (C) make it up (Meaning Trap: means to invent a story or apologize). – (D) set it up to (Structural Error: invalid combination).
7 (C) came across
Why it is correct: “Come across” is a 3-part inseparable verb meaning to find something by chance.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) met across (Common Mistake: fake phrasal verb). – (B) found out (Strong Distractor: means to discover a fact or truth, not a physical object like toys). – (D) came into (Meaning Trap: means to inherit money or property).
8 (B) give them away
Why it is correct: “Give away” means to donate something for free. The pronoun “them” (replacing coats) MUST go in the middle.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) give away them (Structural Error: incorrect pronoun placement). – (C) donate them out (Common Mistake: “donate” does not take “out”). – (D) hand them out (Meaning Trap: means to distribute items to a group of people directly, like flyers or snacks).
9 (C) clear out
Why it is correct: “Clear out” means to tidy a room or space by removing everything you don’t need from it.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) clear off (Meaning Trap: means to wipe a flat surface, like a desk). – (B) clean out it (Structural Error: incorrect pronoun placement, and “it” is redundant because “the garage” is the object). – (D) empty out of (Structural Error: invalid preposition combination).
10 (B) put away
Why it is correct: “Put away” means to store things in their correct or usual place (like clothes in a closet).
Distractor Analysis: – (A) put them away (Structural Error: “them” is redundant because the object “all my jackets” comes right after). – (C) keep away (Strong Distractor: means to avoid going near something). – (D) store up (Common Mistake: means to accumulate a supply of something, like squirrels storing nuts).
11 (D) sort them out
Why it is correct: “Sort out” means to organize or arrange things systematically. The pronoun “them” (the books) MUST go in the middle.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) sort out them (Structural Error: incorrect pronoun placement). – (B) figure them out (Meaning Trap: means to understand a person’s behavior or solve a math problem). – (C) order them out (Common Mistake: fake translation).
12 (A) set up
Why it is correct: “Set up” means to install or prepare a piece of equipment so it is ready to use.
Distractor Analysis: – (B) put up (Meaning Trap: means to build a wall or tolerate a bad situation). – (C) install up (Common Mistake: “install” does not take “up”). – (D) set out (Strong Distractor: means to start a journey or intend to do something).
13 (D) take down
Why it is correct: “Take down” means to remove something from a wall or a high place.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) take away (Strong Distractor: means to remove something entirely or buy food to go). – (B) drop down (Common Mistake: means to fall). – (C) pull out (Meaning Trap: means to extract, like a tooth, or a car moving into traffic).
14 (A) hang them up
Why it is correct: “Hang up” means to suspend something from above (like curtains, clothes, or pictures). The pronoun “them” MUST go in the middle.
Distractor Analysis: – (B) hang up them (Structural Error: incorrect pronoun placement). – (C) put them on (Meaning Trap: used for dressing yourself, not decorating windows). – (D) wear them up (Common Mistake: invalid verb choice).
15 (C) settle in
Why it is correct: “Settle in” means to become comfortable and established in a new home or environment.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) settle down (Strong Distractor: means to start living a quiet, routine life, often getting married or stopping wild behavior). – (B) live in (Common Mistake: requires a direct object like “live in the house”). – (D) calm down (Meaning Trap: means to stop being angry or panicked).
16 (C) get rid of it
Why it is correct: “Get rid of” is an inseparable 3-part phrasal verb meaning to throw away or eliminate something unwanted. The object “it” must go at the very end.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) throw out it (Structural Error: incorrect pronoun placement). – (B) get it rid of (Structural Error: you cannot split “get rid of”). – (D) drop it out (Common Mistake: fake phrase).
17 (C) go through
Why it is correct: “Go through” means to carefully examine a collection of things to organize them or find something.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) go across (Common Mistake: physical movement over a street or bridge). – (B) pass through (Strong Distractor: means to travel through a town without stopping). – (D) read over (Meaning Trap: used specifically for checking written text for errors).
18 (B) take them out
Why it is correct: “Take out” means to remove something from a building (specifically used for trash and recycling). The pronoun “them” MUST go in the middle.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) take out them (Structural Error: incorrect pronoun placement). – (C) bring them outside (Common Mistake: perfectly fine standard English, but fails the phrasal verb focus of B1 natural speech). – (D) throw them out of (Structural Error: invalid preposition usage here).
19 (D) threw it out
Why it is correct: “Throw out” means to put something in the trash. The pronoun “it” MUST go in the middle.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) threw out it (Structural Error: incorrect pronoun placement). – (B) threw off it (Common Mistake: invalid preposition). – (C) threw it down (Meaning Trap: means to drop something violently onto the floor).
20 (C) tired me out
Why it is correct: “Tire out” means to make someone feel physically exhausted. The pronoun “me” MUST go in the middle.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) wore me down (Strong Distractor: means to exhaust someone mentally over a long period of time, like a stressful job, not physical lifting). – (B) exhausted me out (Common Mistake: “exhaust” does not take “out”). – (D) tired out me (Structural Error: incorrect pronoun placement).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Moving Vocabulary: To write a natural, engaging post about changing your living space, use move in / move out (to start/stop living somewhere), pack up (to put things in boxes), clear out (to empty a room of junk), and settle in (to finally feel comfortable in the new place).
- Organizing & Decorating: When building furniture, you put it together. When putting clothes into the closet, you put them away. When putting pictures on the wall, you hang them up.
- The Pronoun Rule (Crucial for B1/B2): For separable phrasal verbs like throw away, put away, hang up, put together, and take out:
- If the object is a regular noun, it can go in the middle or at the end. (Example: Throw away the rug OR Throw the rug away).
- If the object is a pronoun (it, them, him, her), it MUST be placed directly between the verb and the particle.
- Correct: Throw it away. / Put them together.
- Incorrect: Throw away it. / Put together them.