Lesson 8: B2 ‘Food & Drink’ Phrasal Verbs: Meanings, Patterns & 10 Exercises (Answers)

Exercise 1 — Narrative Cloze (Word Bank)

Complete the workplace story with the correct phrasal verbs in the right tense/aspect. Use each item once; do not change the meaning of the story. Contractions are allowed where natural.

1. It was ________ eleven when only two volunteers had ________.
2. Marta suggested we ________ the briefing until after lunch, but the manager said we should ________ and start with whoever was present.
3. Halfway through, we ________ a serious connectivity issue, and the snacks had already ________.
4. The smell of the fish sandwiches really ________ the new intern applying for a second shift.
5. Luckily, an IT specialist ________ to our office and offered to ________ a different router.
6. After a year in HR, Dan ________ marketing analytics and later ________ lead a data team.
7. In the final report, don’t ________ the accessibility section; last time we accidentally ________ wheelchair users.
8. Despite the delays, the outreach campaign ________ to be our most effective one; even neighbors started to ________ more often.

Exercise 2 — Transformations (Precision Tense/Aspect)

Rewrite each sentence so it uses the target phrasal verb(s) and keeps the original meaning and time reference. Avoid changing the information structure.

1. It’s nearly midnight; we should call a taxi. (→ use get on for)
2. They continued arguing even after the chair asked them to stop. (→ use go on)
3. Let’s delay the site visit to Thursday. (→ use put off in the postponement sense)
4. I met my former boss unexpectedly at the airport. (→ use run into)
5. We have no time left for the Q&A. (→ use run out of)
6. After hosting a webinar, she did a PhD in linguistics. (→ use go on to)
7. We accidentally omitted the methodology in the abstract. (→ use leave out)
8. The yoghurt isn’t fresh anymore; throw it away. (→ use go off)

Exercise 3 — Nuance MCQ (One Best Answer)

Choose the option that best fits the meaning, register, and collocation. A–D only one is ideal.

1. We almost have 1,000 sign-ups; if we ________ that figure by Friday, we’ll celebrate.
2. I was going to apply, but the job ad’s condescending tone really ________ me.
3. The doorbell rang; to my surprise, half the committee ________ without RSVPs.
4. He loved the short course and later ________ founding a non-profit.
5. Because of the heat, some of the seafood has ________.
6. Let’s not ________ the ethics section this time.
7. Despite delays, the experiment ________ to be reproducible.
8. We ________ a patent issue during deployment.

Exercise 4 — Error Correction (Contextual)

Each sentence contains one error related to the target phrasal verbs or patterns. Correct it.

1. It’s getting for five; we should finish up.
2. They went on to arguing even after the timer.
3. Only three participants turned up to the rehearsal on time, because it was compulsory.
4. The salad is gone; it must have gone out.
5. We ran to a permissions problem when launching.
6. Could we put it off the meeting to Tuesday?
7. He took to write daily reports after the audit.
8. The abstract left out of the limitations section.
9. I dropped on my tutor at the library.
10. We’ve run out time, but we’ll go on to the same discussion.

Exercise 5 — Discourse Choice (Maintain Coherence)

Choose the option (A/B) that keeps the logic and tone consistent. Explain your choice when you practise.

1. We were almost at 10k followers by noon; by evening we…
   A) got on for fifteen thousand. B) ran into fifteen thousand.
2. He completed the A2 course; next year he…
   A) went on learning at A2. B) went on to take B1.
3. The curry smelled sour; I think the chicken…
   A) has gone off. B) has run into.
4. We met by chance in Berlin; we…
   A) ran into each other. B) turned up each other.
5. Only three people RSVP’d, but in the end…
   A) thirty turned up. B) thirty ran out of.
6. We lacked budget, so we…
   A) ran out of the event. B) put the event off.
7. The new QA analyst immediately…
   A) took to the team. B) left out the team.
8. Our neighbours started visiting more after the garden party; now they often…
   A) come round. B) put us off.

Exercise 6 — Collocation Matching (A–J to 1–10)

Match each left-column collocate with the best phrasal verb on the right. Some phrasal verbs are used more than once.

Exercise 7 — Paraphrase & Register Upgrade

Rewrite each sentence using the target phrasal verb, keeping tone and information constant. Where two answers are possible, choose the more idiomatic one for speech.

1. The milk is not fresh anymore.
2. We met by accident on the metro.
3. We are nearly at six o’clock.
4. Please continue; I’m listening.
5. Can we postpone the audit?
6. The noisy crowd discouraged potential buyers.
7. After journalism, she began law school.
8. He started jogging regularly during lockdown.

Exercise 8 — Minimal Pairs (Choose A or B)

Select the version that correctly expresses the intended meaning. Focus on contrasts: go on -ing vs go on to; put off (discourage) vs put off (postpone); turn up vs come round.

1. “After finishing the slides, she … a Q&A session.” A) went on to host B) went on hosting
2. “The smell … customers.” A) put off B) put off to
3. “Let’s … the interview to Tuesday.” A) put off B) put it off
4. “If you’re free, … this evening.” A) turn up to my place B) come round
5. “We had no petrol—we … it on the motorway.” A) ran into B) ran out of
6. “He liked chess immediately; he … it.” A) took to B) turned out to
7. “Only a few people … for the optional workshop.” A) turned up B) ran into
8. “Please don’t … the minority stakeholders again.” A) leave out B) leave out of

Exercise 9 — Editing for Meaning (Replace the underlined part)

Replace the underlined words with the most natural phrasal verb and keep tense/aspect.

1. The printer has stopped having paper.
2. She continued speaking despite the fire alarm.
3. We should delay the launch until the patch arrives.
4. I met unexpectedly my professor at the theatre.
5. His crude joke discouraged the panel from hiring him.
6. By autumn, the total costs will reach six figures.
7. He quickly started to like his mentor’s approach.
8. To validate the fix, let’s test the backup server.
9. Despite a slow start, the workshop proved to be engaging.
10. If you’re nearby, just visit without planning.

Exercise 10 — Logic Cloze (Events Timeline)

Fill the blanks with the correct phrasal verb forms. Keep each verb’s core meaning and the timeline logic intact.

1. By 11:50 a.m. it was ________ noon, but the keynote speaker hadn’t ________ yet.
2. The catering company ________ fresh produce for the salads; by 1 p.m., the lettuce had ________.
3. When the projector failed, we ________ a firmware bug; the technician ________ and offered to ________ a spare unit.
4. Although the delay ________ some VIPs, most guests eventually ________ and the demo ________ to be stable.
5. After the conference, the organiser ________ weekly meetups and later ________ launch a nationwide series.

Answer Key — Deep Explanations & Nuance

This section expands the reasoning behind tricky contrasts so learners internalize patterns and avoid fossilized errors.

Core contrasts you met across the tasks

• go on -ing vs go on to + verb — The first signals persistence in the same activity (go on arguing), whereas the second means moving to a new stage or the next activity (went on to specialise). In Exercise 2.2 and 2.6 this distinction keeps the event structure clear.
• put off (discourage) vs put off (postpone) — Form reveals meaning: *put + someone + off (+ -ing)* targets attitude/aversion (Ex.1.4), while *put + something + off (until time)* postpones an event (Ex.2.3). Mixing objects (“put it off me”) corrupts the pattern.
• turn up vs come round — Both involve arrival, but turn up is “appear/arrive (often unexpectedly or without a firm plan)”, broader in context (Ex.3.3; 5.5; 8.7). Come round is specifically “visit someone’s home” (Ex.1.8; 5.8) and sounds invitational in BrE.
• run into vs run out of — *Run into* = encounter (people, problems) (Ex.2.4; 3.8; 9.4), while *run out of* = zero remaining (time/stock/energy) (Ex.2.5; 9.1).
• take to + -ing — Habit formation is encoded by the gerund (Ex.1.6; 2.7; 7.8). Using an infinitive (*take to write*) sounds unidiomatic at B2.
• get on for — Naturally modifies time, age, large amounts (Ex.1.1; 5.1; 7.3; 9.6). Avoid applying it to trivial counts (e.g., *getting on for three cookies*).
• go off (spoil) — This is not about leaving/turning off here. It pairs with perishables (Ex.1.3; 3.5; 7.1).
• leave out — Separable; mind pronominal placement (leave it out) and the “of” structure used for the entity excluded from something (left out of the invitation), see Ex.1.7 & 4.8.
• turn out — Evaluative/resultative; often followed by that-clause or to-infinitive. In scientific/academic tone, it’s extremely common (Ex.3.7; 9.9).
• try out — Test suitability prior to adoption (Ex.1.5; 9.8). Distinguish from simple try (= attempt).

Why some distractors fail (representative items)

• Exercise 3.1: “run into fifteen thousand” is unidiomatic for approaching a count; *run into* + amount means “reach as high as” for costs, not for follower counts in progressive tracking. “Get on for” captures approximation of a threshold.
• Exercise 5.3: “has run into” cannot take food as subject in the intended sense (unless the food literally collided with something). Food + spoilage = “has gone off.”
• Exercise 8.3: Without the pronoun, “put off the interview” is grammatical, but the instruction prefers the more idiomatic separable order with a pronoun or definite object manipulated as a package (“put it off”). This trains word‐order sensitivity.
• Exercise 4.3: “Turned up … because it was compulsory” mismatches pragmatics. If attendance is compulsory, “turn up” isn’t the natural verb to highlight uncertainty; “attended” would be neutral. The fix is to remove the contradictory reason or change the verb.

Production guidance