Master group verbs, phrasal verbs, and prepositional verbs with comprehensive definitions, illustrative sentences, and alphabetical lists for effective English grammar learning.
Lila laughs.
Lila laughed at the poor.
In the first sentence, the verb laughs has its simple meaning.
But in the second sentence, the verb laughed at is a compound verb and it means ridiculed, which is an idiomatic meaning.
What is a Group Verb, Phrasal Verb, or Prepositional Verb?
When a verb takes a preposition after it and as a compound verb gives an idiomatic meaning, it is called a group verb or a prepositional verb or a phrasal verb.
Alphabetical List of Group Verbs with Illustrative Sentences
ACT
Act on or upon (affect) - Such hard work will act upon your health.
Act under (act in obedience to) - He acted under the orders of the Headmaster.
Act up to (act according to) - He always acts up to my advice.
ASK
Ask for (Pray for) - He asked for a loan of one thousand rupees.
BEAR
Bear away, off (win) - He bore away (off) four prizes in the Annual sports.
Bear on (relate to) - His remark does not bear on this subject.
Bear out (support) - His evidence does not bear out the charge.
Bear up (sustain) - His patience bore him up in that crisis.
Bear with (tolerate) - I cannot bear with such insult.
BLOW
Blow off (emit) - The engine blows off carbon-di-oxide.
Blow out (extinguish) - Blow out the lamp.
Blow up (destroy by explosion) - The soldiers blew up the bridge.
BREAK
Break away (get away) - The convict broke away from the prison.
Break down (decline) - His health broke down for hard work.
Break in, on (interrupt) - You should not break in (on) our conversation.
Break Into (enter by force) - The robber broke into the house in midnight.
Break off (stop suddenly) - The speaker broke off in the middle of his speech.
Break out (spread suddenly) - Cholera broke out in the village.
Break through (get through by force) - The soldier broke through the enemy's line.
Break up (close) - Our school breaks up at 4.p.m.
Break with (quarrel) - He has broken with his friend.
BRING
Bring about (cause to happen) - He tried to bring about a quarrel between them.
Bring down (reduce) - The good harvest brought down the price of rice.
Bring forth (produce) - The timely rain brings forth good crops.
Bring in (yield) - His property brings him in Rs, 5,000 a year.
Bring off (rescue) - He brought off the passengers on the wrecked ship.
Bring out (publish) - The publisher has brought out a new book.
Bring through (cure) - The new medicine has brought the patient through.
Bring up (rear) - She is brought up by her mother.
BURST
Burst into (express emotion) - She burst into tears to see her dead son.
Burst out (begin suddenly) - He burst out laughing.
CALL
Call at (visit) - He called at my office yesterday.
Call for (demand) - He called for an explanation from me.
Call forth (use) - You have to call forth all your energy in the ensuing examination.
Call in (send for) - Please call in a doctor.
Call off (withdraw) - The strike was called off.
Call on upon (meet) - He called on (upon) me in my office.
Call out (shout) - He called out for help.
Call over (read out) - The teacher called over the names of his pupils in the class.
Call up (remember) - I cannot call up your name.
CARRY
Carry away (remove) - The wounded man was carried away to the hospital.
Carry away (cause death to) - The was carried away by the current.
Carry off (cause death to) - Cholern has carried off one hundred people this year in the village.
Carry off (win) - He carried off all the prizes.
Carry on (continue) - He will carry on the business.
Carry out (obey) - You must carry out my order.
Carry over (take forward) - This amount should be carried over to the next page.
Carry through (bring succes ) - His hard labour will carry him through.
Carry with (cause to agree) - He carried the audience with him.
CAST
Cast about (move about) - He is casting about for an opportunity.
Cast aside (throw off) - He cast aside (or cast away, or cast off) his old shoes.
Cast out (reject) - As he is my friend, I shall not cast him out.
CATCH
Catch at (take the opportunity) - A drowning man catches at a straw.
Catch up (come up with) - India is trying to catch up with the advanced countries.
COME
Come about (happen) - How did the accident come about?
Come across (meet) - I came across the lame man on the way.
Come at (come up within the reach of) - The fox tried to come at the grapes but failed.
Come by (get) - How did you come by this picture?
Come down (decrease) - The price of rice has come down.
Come of (to be born) - He comes of a respectable family.
Come off (take place) - Our annual sports came off yesterday.
Come out (be known) - The result will come out soon.
Come round (recover) - The patient will come round soon.
Come to (amount to) - His Income comes to Rs. 100/-a month.
Come up (to be equal to) - His word did not come up to our expectation.
CRY
Cry down (decry) - Do not cry down anything without considering the pros and cons of it.
Cry for (demand) - They are crying for a master plan for the prevention of flood.
Cry out (Shout) - He cried out for help.
CUT
Cut down (reduce) - Try to cut down your budget.
Cut off (dislocate) - The robbers cut off the telephone connection.
Now click to read all the posts on group verbs/phrasal verbs:
◼️ Group Verbs/Phrasal Verbs: Part 1
◼️ Group Verbs/Phrasal Verbs: Part 2
◼️ Group Verbs/Phrasal Verbs: Part 3
Key Takeaways
- A group verb, phrasal verb, or prepositional verb occurs when a verb is followed by a preposition to create a compound verb with an idiomatic meaning.
- Verbs like act, ask, bear, blow, break, bring, burst, call, carry, cast, catch, come, cry, and cut take on various idiomatic definitions depending on the preposition attached.
- Understanding these structures helps distinguish literal verb actions from figurative expressions.
Quick Practice
Test your understanding of group verbs by answering the short practice prompts below in the comments:
- What is the idiomatic meaning of the phrasal verb "break down" in a sentence about human health or machinery?
- Create an illustrative sentence using the group verb "call off".
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a group verb or phrasal verb?
A group verb or phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and a preposition that together function as a compound verb carrying an idiomatic meaning distinct from the literal meaning of the individual words.
How do prepositional verbs change sentence meaning?
Prepositional verbs alter sentence meaning by shifting a literal action into a figurative or specialized context, such as changing "laughs" (making a sound) to "laughed at" (ridiculing someone).
Where can I find more examples of group verbs?
You can explore additional parts of this series by visiting Group Verbs | Phrasal Verbs | Prepositional Verbs: Part 2.