Intermediate3 min readIdioms & Phrasal Verbs
Idioms & Phrasal Verbs
Learn common English idioms and phrasal verbs with meanings and example sentences.
Idioms & Phrasal Verbs
What Is an Idiom?
An idiom is a group of words whose meaning is different from the literal meaning of the individual words.
Example: It's raining cats and dogs — it is raining heavily (not literally).
What Is a Phrasal Verb?
A phrasal verb is a verb combined with a preposition or adverb (or both) that creates a new meaning.
Example: give up — to stop trying.
Common Idioms
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A piece of cake | Very easy | The test was a piece of cake. |
| Break the ice | Start a conversation | He told a joke to break the ice. |
| Once in a blue moon | Very rarely | We meet once in a blue moon. |
| Hit the books | Study hard | I need to hit the books tonight. |
| Under the weather | Feeling ill | She is under the weather today. |
| Cost an arm and a leg | Very expensive | That car cost an arm and a leg. |
| Let the cat out of the bag | Reveal a secret | He let the cat out of the bag. |
| Bite the bullet | Face a hard situation | I had to bite the bullet and apologize. |
| Burn the midnight oil | Work late at night | She burned the midnight oil to finish. |
| Call it a day | Stop working | Let's call it a day. |
Common Phrasal Verbs
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| give up | to quit | Don't give up. |
| look after | to take care of | She looks after her brother. |
| look for | to search | I'm looking for my keys. |
| turn on | to start / switch on | Turn on the fan. |
| turn off | to switch off | Please turn off the light. |
| put off | to postpone | Don't put off the meeting. |
| carry out | to perform | They carried out the plan. |
| find out | to discover | I found out the truth. |
| break down | to stop working | The car broke down. |
| get along | to have a good relationship | I get along with my classmates. |
| run out of | to have no more | We ran out of milk. |
| make up | to invent / reconcile | He made up an excuse. |
Rules for Phrasal Verbs
- Some are separable: turn on the light / turn the light on.
- Some are inseparable: look after the baby (never "look the baby after").
- Pronoun objects usually go between: turn it on.
Common Mistakes
❌ I look my brother after.
✅ I look after my brother.
❌ Turn on it.
✅ Turn it on.
Quick Quiz
1. What does "a piece of cake" mean?
A. Delicious
B. Very easy
Answer: B
2. Which is a phrasal verb?
A. running
B. give up
Answer: B
Summary
- Idioms have meanings different from their literal words.
- Phrasal verbs are verb + preposition/adverb combinations with new meanings.
- Learning common idioms and phrasal verbs makes English sound natural and fluent.