Essential English Vocabulary: Phrasal Verbs, Idioms, and Prepositions
Common Phrasal Verbs and Their Meanings
- arrive / turn up: to arrive
- examine / look into: to investigate
- explode / go off: to detonate
- take the opportunity of doing / go for: to seize an opportunity
- try / check out: to test or investigate
- use up our supply of / run out of: to deplete a stock
- accept / go along with: to agree to
- cancel / call off: to postpone or abandon
- enter / go in for: to participate in (a competition)
- think of / come up with: to invent or devise
- resemble / take after: to look like
- recover from / get over: to recuperate from
- delay / hold up: to cause a delay
- do something bad without getting into trouble / get away with: to avoid punishment
- relax / chill out: to calm down
- support / back up: to provide assistance
- go as fast as / keep up with: to maintain the same pace
- consider oneself better than / look down on: to disdain
- end a relationship / break up: to separate
- disappoint / let down: to fail to meet expectations
- be shared by everyone / go round: to be distributed
- suffer / go through: to experience hardship
- keep / hold down: to retain (a job)
- decorate / do up: to renovate
- agree to do / take on: to undertake (a task)
- spend time with / hang out with: to socialize with
- explain fully / go into: to elaborate on
- escape / get off: to avoid serious punishment
- be very unattractive to / turn off: to cause disinterest
- learn / take in: to comprehend
Everyday Colloquial Expressions
- boasting / blowing his own trumpet: bragging
- told everyone about it / let the cat out of the bag: revealed a secret
- feel nervous / get butterflies in my stomach: to feel anxious
- not to laugh / to keep a straight face: to remain serious
- wasted / down the drain: squandered
- remain silent / hold my tongue: to refrain from speaking
- he's very timid really / he wouldn't say boo to a goose: very shy
- joking / pulling my leg: teasing
- fed up / cheesed off: annoyed or bored
- a complete / an out and out: absolute or thorough
- very cheaply / for a song: at a very low price
- stubborn / pig-headed: obstinate
- perfectly all right / as right as rain: completely fine
- have a really good relationship / get on like a house on fire: to get along very well
- become suspicious / smell a rat: to suspect something is wrong
Essential Prepositional Phrases
- in captivity
- at most
- in general
- at least
- out of tune
- in common
- on average
- on the tip of my tongue
- in trouble
- at the age of
- in due course
- at his word
- in vain
- in the future
- by no means
- by ear
- in advance
- for safe keeping
- for short
- by far
- in progress
- on business
- at random
- by accident
- in touch with him
- out of order
- in mind for the job
- in support of
- in charge of production
- on fire
- on second thoughts
- in favor of going
- by heart
- from top to bottom
- in spite of
- on the whole
- on purpose
- in debt
- on good terms with
- in the long run
- for a change
- on the outskirts of
American vs. British English Vocabulary
- Movie (American) / Film (British)
- Torch (American) / Flashlight (British)
- Fall (American) / Autumn (British)
- Soccer (American) / Football (British)
- Sneakers (American) / Trainers (British)
- Can (American) / Tin (British)
- Candy (American) / Sweet (British)
- Subway (American) / Underground (British)
- Pacifier (American) / Dummy (British)
- Eraser (American) / Rubber (British)
- Apartment (American) / Flat (British)
- Closet (American) / Wardrobe (British)
- Mail (American) / Post (British)
- Cab (American) / Taxi (British)
- Drapes (American) / Curtains (British)
- Yard (American) / Garden (British)
- Vacation (American) / Holiday (British)
- Chips (American) / Crisps (British)
- Faucet (American) / Tap (British)
- Pants (American) / Trousers (British)
- Corn (American) / Maize (British)
- Biscuits (American) / Cookies (British)
- Dustbin (American) / Trashcan (British)
- Lorry (American) / Truck (British)
- Petrol (British) / Gas (American)
- Queue (British) / Line (American)
- Zip (British) / Zipper (American)
Diverse English Vocabulary and Collocations
Adjective and Noun Forms
- loyal / loyalty
- fair / fairness
- honest / honestly
- brave / bravery
- self-reliant / self-reliance
- compassionate / compassion
Common Collocations and Expressions
- have got a big heart
- belong to a community
- rely on your friends
- stand by your friends
- take responsibility for yourself
- tell the truth
- let somebody down
- say what you mean
- treat everyone the same
- be good for nothing
- be up to no good
- make good money
- do more harm than good
Additional Phrasal Verbs
- arrive / turn up
- surrender / give up
- undertake / carry out
- accidentally found / came across
- withdraw / take out
- stopped / pulled over
- reprimanded / told us off
- hit / run over
- starts / kicks off
- swindle / rip...off
- entered illegally / broke into
- raising / bringing up