Welcome to Group Verbs | Phrasal Verbs | Prepositional Verbs: Part 2, an essential English grammar resource designed to help you master multi-word verbs, their precise meanings, and correct sentence structures.
Mastering group verbs, phrasal verbs, and prepositional verbs is crucial for improving your English vocabulary, syntax, and overall communication skills. In this comprehensive reference guide, you will explore a thorough list of verbs starting from DO through LAY, complete with clear definitions and authentic contextual examples.
What Are Group Verbs, Phrasal Verbs, and Prepositional Verbs?
Group verbs, phrasal verbs, and prepositional verbs combine a base verb with prepositions or adverbs to create entirely new semantic meanings. Learning these combinations helps students, writers, and language learners navigate complex English sentence structures with confidence.
DO Group Verbs and Phrasal Verbs
Do away with (abolish) - We should do away our bad habits.
Do for (serve the purpose of) -The cloth will do for a flag.
Do up (put into order) - He had to do up many rooms everyday.
Do with (deal with) - He has to do with all sorts of people.
Do without (manage without) - I cannot do without the lamp of my assistant.
DEAL Group Verbs and Phrasal Verbs
Deal in (carry on business) - He deals in rice.
Deal with (behave) - He deals with me very well.
DRAW Group Verbs and Phrasal Verbs
Draw away (divert) - His attention was drawn by the noise.
Draw back (retreat) - The army is now drawing back.
Draw in (reduce) - Try to draw in your expenditure.
Draw off (pull of) - She drew off her gloves.
Draw on (approach) - The festival is drawing on.
Draw out (sketch) - Will you draw out a scheme?
DRIVE Group Verbs and Phrasal Verbs
Drive away (turn out) - He was driven away from the village.
FALL Group Verbs and Phrasal Verbs
Fall at (show disappointment) - His news face fell at the news.
Fall among (happen to come among) - He feel among the thieves.
Fall back upon (have recourse to) - Having lost his Job he fell back upon agriculture.
Fall in with (agree with) - I cannot fall in with his views.
Fall from (come out) - Not a word fell from his lips.
Fall off (decline) —The quality of goods has fallen off.
Fall on (attack) - The robbers fall on the passer-by.
Fall out (quarrel) - Do not fall our with your friend.
Fall through (fail) - All his plans fell through.
FILL and FIND Group Verbs and Phrasal Verbs
Fill in up (complete) - Fill in (up) the gaps.
FIND
Find out (detect) - He is always busy to find out his faults.
GET Group Verbs and Phrasal Verbs
Get at (reach) - The books are locked up and I can't get at them.
Get away (escape) - The thief could not get away with the necklace.
Get by (pass) - Please let me get by.
Get down (descend) - He got down from the train.
Get into (ascend) - He got into the train.
Get off (escape) - The thief got off safely.
Get on (proceed) - How are you getting on with your
Get out (go out) - Get out of the class studied?
Get out (come out) - The secret got out at lant.
Get over (overcome) - He will soon get over the difficulties.
Get through (succeed) - He got through the examination.
Get up (rise) - He gets up at 5 a. m. every day.
GIVE Group Verbs and Phrasal Verbs
Give away (make over) - The president gave away the prizes.
Give in (yield) - The enemies gave in at last.
Give over (make over) - He will give over charge tomorrow.
Give off (send out) - The cooking coal gives off a lot of smoke.
Give out (disclose) - He will never give out the truth.
Give over (stop) - The rain will soon glue over.
Give up (abandon) - Try to give up your bad habit.
GO Group Verbs and Phrasal Verbs
Go about (move about) - He goes about canvassing his goods.
Go away (leave the place) - He has gone away with all his belongings.
Go after (follow) - The dog went after the thief.
Go against (oppose) - This goes against the interest of the people.
Go back on (withdraw) - He won't go back on his word.
Go beyond (exceed) - You have gone beyond your limit
Go by (act according to) - I have to go by rules.
Go forth (be issued) - The order went forth for the public yesterday.
Go In for (sit for) - He is going in for the W. B. C. S. Examination
Go off (be fired or be thrown) - The gun (The arrow) went off by accident.
Go on (continue) - Go on with your studies.
Go out (extinguish) - The light has gone out
Go over (change) - He went over to the other party.
Go through (read) - He has gone through the book.
Go through (bear) - He has gone through many hardships.
Go up (increase) - The cost of living has gone up.
Go with (agree) - He will not go with you in this master.
Go without (live without) - They have to go without from time to time.
HAND and HANG Group Verbs and Phrasal Verbs
Hand over (place someone or something at the custody of some other)—The thief was handed over to the police.
Hang about (remain near) - The girl always hangs about her mother.
Hang by (put to death by hanging) - The murder was hanged by the neck.
Hang down ( lower) - Father had to hang down his head in shame for his son's misconduct.
Hang for (put to death by hanging) - He was hanged murder.
Hang on (depend upon) - What is the use of hanging on other for a job?
Hang up (put up) - Hang up your cont. (Or) The Headmaster asked him to hang up the notice on the wall.
Hang up (delay) - The plan has been hanging up for a long time.
HOLD Group Verbs and Phrasal Verbs
Hold back (hide) - You need not hold back the secret from me
Hold in (check) - You should hold in your temper.
Hold off (keep away) - Please hold off your dog
Hold on (passive) - The meeting will be held on the 5th May.
Hold out (offer or promise) - He held out a helping hand to me.
Hold over (postpone) - This item has been held over all the next meeting.
Hold up (delay) - The train was held up for two hours.
KEEP Group Verbs and Phrasal Verbs
Keep at (stick to) - The girl kept at her mother in the kitchen.
Keep away (remain at a distance from) - Keep yourself away from evil company.
Keep down (control) - He could not keep down his anger.
Keep in (prevent form going out) - They were kept in by rain.
Keep in with (keep good terms) - I can't keep in with you any longer
Keep off (remain at a distance) - Keep of the fire.
Keep off (continue) - He kept on shouting.
Keep up (maintain) - He always tries to keep up his reputation as a good teacher.
keep up with (keep pece with) - Try to keep up with the changing world.
LAY Group Verbs and Phrasal Verbs
Lay aside (keep apart) - Try to lay aside something for your old age.
Lay before (place) - He laid the facts before the committee.
Lay by (save) - You must lay by something for the future.
Lay down (sacrifice) - He laid down his life for the sake of his country.
Lay in (store) - The potatoes were laid in for the off-season.
Lay off (dismiss temporarily) - The workers were laid off for two months.
Lay on (apply) - He laid on paint on the doors.
Lay on (put) - He laid his hand on my shoulder
Lay out (invest) - He laid out a large amount of money in National Savings Certificates.
Lay up with (be confined to bed) - He was laid up with pneumonia.
Lay with (cover) - He laid the floor with a carpet.
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
- Group verbs, phrasal verbs, and prepositional verbs modify base verbs like DO, GET, GIVE, and GO to express unique actions and conditions.
- Studying verbs alphabetically from DO to LAY helps organize vocabulary acquisition systematically.
- Using proper prepositions with verbs (such as deal in versus deal with) completely changes sentence meaning.
- To continue expanding your knowledge, explore related lessons like Group Verbs | Phrasal Verbs | Prepositional Verbs: Part 3 on english-grammarblog.blogspot.com.
Quick Practice
Test your understanding of group verbs by answering the following questions in the comments below:
- What is the correct meaning and usage of the phrasal verb "deal in" versus "deal with"?
- Can you write an original sentence using the phrasal verb "give up"?
Frequently Asked Questions
What are group verbs and phrasal verbs in English grammar?
Group verbs and phrasal verbs consist of a main verb combined with an adverb or preposition, creating a new idiomatic meaning that differs from the original verb.
How can I learn more group verbs on english-grammarblog.blogspot.com?
You can explore companion lessons such as Group Verbs | Phrasal Verbs | Prepositional Verbs: Part 3 available on english-grammarblog.blogspot.com.