Lesson 2: B2 Phrasal Verbs: Meanings, Grammar Patterns & 10 Challenging Exercises

Exercise 1 — Precision Choice

Choose the best phrasal verb (A–D). Focus on tense, separability, and prepositions.

1. After the CEO confirmed Friday was impossible, we decided to ____ the briefing to Wednesday.
   A) put up with B) bring forward C) take up D) pull out of
2. The fire alarm stopped after ten seconds; the speaker just ____ as if nothing had happened.
   A) carried on B) joined in C) took to D) went off
3. I keep promising myself I’ll write to Marta, but I never seem to ____ it.
   A) get round to B) take up on C) put off D) go in for
4. What did you ____ at the weekend—anything exciting or just Netflix?
   A) look out for B) go off C) get up to D) take to
5. Our school isn’t going to ____ the league this year; funding was cut.
   A) join in B) go in for C) knock out D) look out for
6. I used to adore caramel lattes, but I’ve completely ____ them.
   A) taken to B) gone off C) pulled out of D) carried on with
7. If you have a point to add, please ____ the discussion rather than whispering.
   A) join in B) join C) take up D) knock out
8. The underdogs somehow ____ the tournament favourites in the quarter-finals.
   A) pulled out of B) put off C) knocked out D) brought forward
9. ____ for bogus emails pretending to be HR; they ask for your password.
   A) Put up with B) Look out C) Take to D) Go in for
10. Two sponsors suddenly ____ the project, so we had to shrink the scope.
    A) pulled out of B) took to C) joined in with D) brought forward
11. Can we ____ the call until Thursday? My client just landed.
    A) knock out B) put off C) take to D) get up to
12. I can’t ____ the noise from the construction anymore; I’m buying earplugs.
    A) carry on with B) get round to C) put up with D) take up
13. She instantly ____ the new team; by lunch she knew everyone’s name.
    A) took to B) went off C) pulled out of D) brought forward
14. He’s ____ woodworking—he even built his own desk.
    A) gone off B) taken up C) joined in D) looked out
15. If the train hadn’t ____, we would’ve missed our connection.
    A) pulled out B) put off C) gone off D) joined in
16. The committee asked whether we could ____ the deadline by two days.
    A) go in for B) bring forward C) get up to D) put up with

Exercise 2 — Transformation

Rewrite using the cue phrasal verb. Keep meaning and tense; fix order/prepositions.

1. They postponed the hearing to next month. (put off)
2. She accepted my invitation to try the beta. (take … up on)
3. We finally started the report after weeks of delay. (get round/around to)
4. The painkillers made me very sleepy for hours. (knock out)
5. Don’t withdraw from the partnership at the last minute. (pull out of)
6. Please continue your presentation. (carry on)
7. The company rescheduled earlier to avoid the strike. (bring forward)
8. I can’t tolerate this humidity. (put up with)

Exercise 3 — Separable or Not?

Correct pronoun placement and required prepositions.

1. Can we put off it till Friday?
2. They brought forward it by one week.
3. I can’t put it up with any longer.
4. Look out scams in the comments.
5. We pulled the deal out at the last minute.
6. She took up it after the pandemic.
7. The team knocked out them in extra time.
8. He got round to do the accounts.

Exercise 4 — Contrast & Nuance

1. The exam hasn’t been cancelled; it’s just been ____ to a later date. A) brought forward B) put off C) knocked out
2. The singer invited the audience to ____ the chorus. A) join B) join in C) go in for
3. We didn’t like the idea at first, but we gradually ____ it. A) took to B) took up C) went off
4. She didn’t cancel the interview; she ____ it to today. A) pulled out of B) brought forward C) put off
5. After a bad experience with a flight, he completely ____ the airline. A) joined in with B) took up C) went off
6. The startup decided not to ____ the marathon of meetings and kept iterating instead. A) go in for B) put up with C) look out for
7. The committee didn’t stop the initiative; they simply ____ funding discussions. A) put off B) knock out C) pull out of
8. If you see suspicious pop-ups, ____ them and don’t click. A) carry on with B) look out for C) go in for

Exercise 5 — Collocation Challenge

Match 1–8 with A–H.

1. ____ the launch date
2. ____ the conversation (it’s already happening)
3. ____ the finals (defeat a rival)
4. ____ the contract at the last minute
5. ____ running at 6 a.m. (new habit)
6. ____ the noise from upstairs
7. ____ a scholarship competition
8. ____ your old coffee habit (lose interest)

• A) put up with B) knock out C) take up D) join in E) bring forward F) go off G) go in for H) pull out of

Exercise 6 — Context Cloze

Choose from the box and use the correct form: bring forward / carry on / get round to / get up to / go in for / go off / join in / knock out / look out (for) / pull out (of) / put off / put up with / take to / take up.

1. When the thunderstorm hit, the organisers decided to ____ the ceremony by two hours.
2. I said I’d email the investor, but I still haven’t ____ it.
3. You two keep debating—please ____ while I check the figures.
4. After trying the new interface, the team instantly ____ it.
5. They were favourites until an underdog ____ them in the semi-final.
6. During lockdown he ____ gardening and hasn’t stopped since.
7. Don’t click random links; ____ phishing scams.
8. We can’t ____ another month of delays.
9. I used to love trivia nights, but I’ve ____ them lately.
10. The NGO had to ____ the talks after the policy changed.
11. If you have time, ____ our warm-up game.
12. I wonder what you ____ during your trip to Kyoto—any surprises?

Exercise 7 — Error Hunt

Each sentence has one error involving form or meaning. Rewrite correctly.

1. We brought the workshop forward to next week, but then finance asked us to bring forward it again.
2. The athlete decided to pull out the race because of an injury.
3. If your alarm goes off milk, don’t drink it.
4. She took up to the new CRM within a day.
5. Are you going to go in for of the design contest this year?
6. Could you put up with it off until tomorrow, please?
7. I don’t join the conversation; it already started.
8. The coach knocked them out the schedule to give them a rest.

Exercise 8 — High-constraint Rephrasing

1. They decided not to participate in the tender after the new terms appeared. (pull out of)
2. Please continue while I step out for a minute. (carry on)
3. The organisers brought the concert earlier to avoid the storm. (bring forward)
4. After the scandal, customers lost interest in the brand. (go off)
5. I finally wrote to Sam after months of postponing it. (get round/around to)
6. She accepted your offer to mentor her. (take … up on)
7. What did you do on your day off? (get up to)
8. The fans were invited to participate in the chorus. (join in)

Exercise 9 — Mini-dialogue Completion

Choose from: bring forward / put off / take up / take to / look out for / get round to / put up with / knock out / pull out of / join in. Respect separability.

1. A: “We need more time.” B: “Then let’s ____ the demo to Friday.” A: “Or we could ____ it and keep Monday.”
2. A: “Have you ____ sending the brief to Lucia yet?” B: “Not yet—I’ll do it tonight.”
3. A: “How do you feel about the new supervisor?” B: “Honestly, I ____ her straight away—very supportive.”
4. A: “They were the favourites.” B: “I know, but the rookies ____ them in the quarter-final!”
5. A: “This traffic is awful.” B: “Tell me about it—I can’t ____ it anymore.”
6. A: “There are fake invoices again.” B: “Everyone needs to ____ them and verify sender addresses.”
7. Crowd chant begins. MC: “Come on, everyone, ____!”
8. A: “Any hobbies lately?” B: “I’ve ____ pottery; it’s relaxing.”

Exercise 10 — Paragraph Editing

Replace the underlined parts with target phrasal verbs; produce a polished final paragraph.

Because of the weather alert, the organisers moved the ceremony to an earlier time. Although the alarm sounded during rehearsal, the team continued. We had planned to email sponsors for months but only started doing it last night. Two sponsors decided not to be involved in the project, which nearly made us cancel the festival, but volunteers participated and saved the day. After using the new ticketing app, the staff liked it immediately, and many of them started coding small add-ons. Security warned us to be careful for bogus QR codes, and we told visitors that if they no longer like the long closing speech, they can skip it.