Phrasal Verbs – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are writing a formal but direct email to your manager to report how you successfully handled a very angry and difficult customer today. Choose the correct phrasal verb to complete the sentences and demonstrate your professional problem-solving skills.
1 Please don’t worry about the angry client from this morning. I am fully prepared to ______ the situation myself.
(A) interact with
(B) solve out
(C) deal to
(D) deal with
2 There was a massive mix-up with his invoice, but I promise I will ______ before the end of the business day.
(A) sort out it
(B) sort it out
(C) figure it
(D) clear it off
3 He was screaming on the phone initially, so I had to speak softly and professionally to try and ______ him ______.
(A) ease … out
(B) cool … off
(C) calm … down
(D) calm down … him
4 Before I could offer any compensation, I needed to ______ exactly why his delivery was delayed in the first place.
(A) find out it
(B) look out
(C) search out
(D) find out
5 I assured him that our logistics team is currently ______ the missing package and reviewing the dispatch logs.
(A) looking into
(B) looking for
(C) looking inside
(D) looking at to
6 He demanded an immediate answer, but I told him I would ______ him as soon as I had a concrete update from the warehouse.
(A) return back to
(B) get back to
(C) get back at
(D) reply back
7 After speaking directly with the warehouse manager, I managed to ______ a compromise that would satisfy the client.
(A) catch up with
(B) make up with
(C) come up with
(D) think up to
8 During the call, he tried to ______ an old complaint from 2022, but I politely kept the focus on today’s issue.
(A) take up
(B) raise up
(C) bring up
(D) speak up
9 To ensure transparency, I asked him to open his email so we could ______ the new shipping contract together, line by line.
(A) read out
(B) go over
(C) check out into
(D) review over
10 He correctly ______ that our website explicitly promised next-day delivery, which gave him a valid reason to be upset.
(A) showed out
(B) pointed it out
(C) pointed out
(D) figured out
11 Since the delay was actually caused by a payment gateway bug, I had to ______ the technical details to the IT department.
(A) hand on
(B) pass on
(C) send out
(D) give to on
12 The IT manager promised he would ______ a permanent solution to the system glitch within an hour.
(A) work out
(B) solve out
(C) fix up
(D) repair out
13 The customer was still quite rude, but as a professional, I knew I just had to ______ his bad attitude and remain polite.
(A) stand up to
(B) tolerate with
(C) keep up with
(D) put up with
14 I offered him a 20% discount coupon on his next purchase to ______ the terrible inconvenience he experienced.
(A) give back to
(B) compensate up
(C) make up for
(D) do up for
15 Because we promised him premium service, I absolutely refused to ______, so I monitored his new shipment personally.
(A) let down him
(B) put him down
(C) fall him down
(D) let him down
16 After hours of investigation, it ______ that the third-party courier was actually the one at fault, not our team.
(A) came out
(B) ended up
(C) turned out
(D) resulted out
17 Even though it was the courier’s mistake, I told the customer I would ______ the situation every hour until the box arrived.
(A) follow up on
(B) track up with
(C) follow up it
(D) catch up on
18 The client was so impressed by my dedication that he actually ______ apologizing for his aggressive behavior!
(A) finished off
(B) wrapped up
(C) ended up
(D) ended up to
19 I am proud to say we didn’t lose the client. In fact, this disaster ______ quite well for our company’s reputation in the end.
(A) made out
(B) worked out
(C) resulted out
(D) succeeded out
20 You can close this support ticket now. I am very happy to report that the crisis has been completely ______.
(A) dealt out
(B) sorted out
(C) taken out
(D) solved out
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (D) deal with
Why it is correct: “Deal with” means to take action to solve a problem or handle a person.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) interact with (Strong Distractor: grammatically okay, but lacks the problem-solving urgency of “deal with”). – (B) solve out (Common Mistake: mixing “solve” and “sort out”). – (C) deal to (Structural Error: “deal” takes the preposition “with”, not “to”).
2 (B) sort it out
Why it is correct: “Sort out” means to resolve a problem. Because “it” is a pronoun, it must go in the middle of this separable phrasal verb.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) sort out it (Structural Error: incorrect pronoun placement). – (C) figure it (Common Mistake: missing the particle “out” entirely). – (D) clear it off (Strong Distractor: “clear up” would work, but “clear off” means to tell someone to go away).
3 (C) calm … down
Why it is correct: “Calm down” means to make someone less angry. The pronoun “him” must separate the verb and particle.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) ease … out (Common Mistake: means to gently force someone to leave a job). – (B) cool … off (Strong Distractor: usually applied to oneself or physical temperature, “calm down” is much more natural for customer service). – (D) calm down … him (Structural Error: wrong pronoun placement).
4 (D) find out
Why it is correct: “Find out” means to discover a fact or piece of information.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) find out it (Structural Error: “it” cannot be used right before the “why” clause). – (B) look out (Strong Distractor: means to be careful or watch out for danger). – (C) search out (Common Mistake: unnatural collocation, “find out” is the standard).
5 (A) looking into
Why it is correct: “Look into” means to investigate a situation or problem.
Distractor Analysis: – (B) looking for (Strong Distractor: means trying to physically locate a lost item, but here they are investigating the status of the package). – (C) looking inside (Common Mistake: literal translation). – (D) looking at to (Structural Error: invalid double preposition).
6 (B) get back to
Why it is correct: “Get back to” means to contact someone later with an answer or update.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) return back to (Common Mistake: redundancy. “Return” already means going back). – (C) get back at (Strong Distractor: means to take revenge on someone). – (D) reply back (Structural Error: redundancy similar to A).
7 (C) come up with
Why it is correct: “Come up with” is a 3-part phrasal verb meaning to think of a plan, idea, or solution.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) catch up with (Strong Distractor: means to reach someone’s pace or chat about recent news). – (B) make up with (Common Mistake: means to forgive a friend after a fight). – (D) think up to (Structural Error: “think up” is valid, but it doesn’t take “to”).
8 (C) bring up
Why it is correct: “Bring up” means to mention a topic or start talking about a subject.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) take up (Strong Distractor: means to start a new hobby or occupy space/time). – (B) raise up (Structural Error: redundant use of “up”). – (D) speak up (Common Mistake: means to talk louder or express an opinion bravely, not to introduce a topic).
9 (B) go over
Why it is correct: “Go over” means to review, check, or examine a document or plan carefully.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) read out (Strong Distractor: means to read aloud so others hear, missing the nuance of analyzing). – (C) check out into (Structural Error: invalid combination). – (D) review over (Common Mistake: redundancy. You just “review” something).
10 (C) pointed out
Why it is correct: “Point out” means to tell someone a specific fact or draw their attention to it.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) showed out (Common Mistake: means to escort someone to the exit). – (B) pointed it out (Structural Error: you cannot put the pronoun “it” right before a “that” clause). – (D) figured out (Strong Distractor: means to solve a puzzle, not to declare a fact).
11 (B) pass on
Why it is correct: “Pass on” means to give information or a message to someone else.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) hand on (Common Mistake: mixing “hand over” and “pass on”). – (C) send out (Strong Distractor: means to distribute to many people, like a newsletter). – (D) give to on (Structural Error: broken grammar structure).
12 (A) work out
Why it is correct: “Work out” means to find a solution to a problem or to calculate something.
Distractor Analysis: – (B) solve out (Common Mistake: “solve” does not take a particle). – (C) fix up (Strong Distractor: means to repair a physical building/car or arrange a date). – (D) repair out (Structural Error: invalid combination).
13 (D) put up with
Why it is correct: “Put up with” means to tolerate an unpleasant situation or person without complaining.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) stand up to (Strong Distractor: means to bravely oppose a bully, which is the opposite of the polite tolerance required here). – (B) tolerate with (Structural Error: “tolerate” is a regular verb and does not use “with”). – (C) keep up with (Common Mistake: means to match someone’s speed/progress).
14 (C) make up for
Why it is correct: “Make up for” means to compensate for a mistake or a bad situation.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) give back to (Common Mistake: means to contribute to charity/society). – (B) compensate up (Strong Distractor: “compensate” is used alone, not with “up”). – (D) do up for (Structural Error: invalid phrasal verb).
15 (D) let him down
Why it is correct: “Let down” means to disappoint someone. The pronoun “him” must go in the middle.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) let down him (Structural Error: incorrect pronoun placement). – (B) put him down (Strong Distractor: means to insult someone and make them feel stupid). – (C) fall him down (Common Mistake: literal translation error).
16 (C) turned out
Why it is correct: “Turn out” means to be discovered finally, or to happen in a specific way.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) came out (Strong Distractor: means to be published or revealed, but “turned out” is the specific collocation for surprising final truths). – (B) ended up (Structural Error: “ended up” must be followed by an -ing verb or prepositional phrase, not a “that” clause). – (D) resulted out (Common Mistake: mixing “resulted in” and “turned out”).
17 (A) follow up on
Why it is correct: “Follow up on” means to check the progress of a situation or take further action.
Distractor Analysis: – (B) track up with (Common Mistake: fake phrasal verb). – (C) follow up it (Structural Error: “follow up on” is a 3-part verb, so the object “it” must go at the very end: follow up on it). – (D) catch up on (Strong Distractor: means to do tasks you missed, like sleeping or reading emails, not monitoring a live issue).
18 (C) ended up
Why it is correct: “End up” means to finally be in a particular situation, especially one that was not planned. It is followed by an -ing verb (apologizing).
Distractor Analysis: – (A) finished off (Strong Distractor: means to completely consume or destroy something). – (B) wrapped up (Common Mistake: means to conclude a meeting, not a personal state). – (D) ended up to (Structural Error: adding an unnecessary preposition).
19 (B) worked out
Why it is correct: “Work out” (intransitive) means to develop in a successful way.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) made out (Strong Distractor: means to claim, manage to see, or kiss). – (C) resulted out (Structural Error: invalid verb combination). – (D) succeeded out (Common Mistake: unnecessarily adding “out” to “succeed”).
20 (B) sorted out
Why it is correct: “Sort out” in passive voice (“has been sorted out”) perfectly describes a resolved problem or organized mess.
Distractor Analysis: – (A) dealt out (Strong Distractor: means to distribute something, like cards or punishments). – (C) taken out (Structural Error/Meaning: means to remove trash or assassinate someone). – (D) solved out (Common Mistake: “solve” does not take “out”).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Problem-Solving Verbs: In the workplace, instead of simply saying “solve the problem,” native speakers frequently use sort out (to clear up a mess or resolve an issue smoothly) and deal with (to take action to handle a person or a situation). When you need to investigate the root cause of something, use look into or find out.
- Outcome Verbs: When recounting the final result of an event, use turn out (to be discovered finally or to happen in a specific way) and work out (to develop successfully). If a situation finishes in a completely unexpected way, use end up + V-ing (to finally be in a particular state or situation).
- The Pronoun Rule: For separable phrasal verbs like sort out or calm down, if the object is a pronoun (it, him, her, them, etc.), that pronoun must be placed directly between the verb and the particle.
- Correct: Sort it out. / Calm him down.
- Incorrect: Sort out it. / Calm down him.
- Three-Part Phrasal Verbs: Phrasal verbs with three components—such as put up with (to tolerate), come up with (to think of a solution), and make up for (to compensate)—are fixed, inseparable structures. You cannot break them apart, and the object must always go at the very end.