25 Common Phrasal Nouns
blackout = when there is no electricity
“The storm caused a blackout of several hours.”
= when news is not reported
“The judge imposed a news blackout during the trial.”
breakdown = when something stops working
“I had to call the breakdown recovery service when the electrics failed in my car.”
“The breakdown in the talks happened because the two sides couldn’t agree on anything.”
= when something is divided into smaller parts
“Can you get me a breakdown of our costs?”
= when you suffer from depression and you can’t function
“How many people suffer from nervous breakdowns every year?”
break-in = when burglars enter your house by force
“This area suffers a lot of break-ins.”
burnout = when you’ve worked too hard for too long and you stop feeling happy in your job
“If you don’t take enough time off, you risk burnout.”
check-up = a medical exam
“I’m going for a check-up tomorrow.”
comeback = when you try to become famous or important again
“The band are trying to make a comeback with their new tour and album.”
crackdown = when the authorities become very strict about something
“The school is having a crackdown on behaviour, and they’re giving lots more detentions.”
downturn = a reduction (often in finances)
“The economic downturn meant that many companies made less profit.”
dropout = someone who leaves school or university early
“Make sure you revise for your exams – you don’t want to be a dropout!”
flashback = when you get a sudden memory from the past
“Even though the accident was years ago, I still get flashbacks.”
handout = something that is given to you – like a document or other type of support
“The teachers always give us handouts with the lesson notes on them.”
“Many people depend on state handouts to buy food and other essentials.”
hang-up = a psychological anxiety about yourself
“He grew up in a very repressed family and he has lots of hang-ups.”
kick-off = when a ball game like football or rugby starts
“What time is kick-off?”
let-down = a disappointment
“I was looking forward to seeing the film for ages, but it was a bit of a let-down.”
makeover = a complete change to make something / someone more attractive
“House makeover programmes are very popular at the moment.”
meet-up = where you meet people (longer than a meeting – often hours or days)
“Once a year the company has a meet-up in an exotic location.”
outbreak = when there are lots of cases of a particular illness
“Chinese authorities are worried about an outbreak of the coronavirus.”
outburst = when someone shows great emotion (especially anger)
“I don’t want to talk to you right now after that outburst!”
outcome = result
“If we want a different outcome, I think we should do it differently.”
rip-off = when something costs too much money
“£40 for a ticket is a complete rip-off!”
shout-out = when you publicly praise someone
“This is a shout-out for all the team – they did great work!”
show-off = a person who does things to get attention
“Her daughter is such a show-off on stage!”
tip-off = secret information
“The police acted on a tip-off and arrested the suspect as he was having dinner in a restaurant.”
turnover = the amount of money a company generates
“Our turnover is up, but our profits are down.”
workaround = a partial solution to a problem
“We don’t have the resources to fully research the problem, but we’ve found a workaround for now.”
EXERCISES
Complete each of the following sentences using one of the words in the box.
| bringing set put backs come up away pour up backs |
(1) The on _____________ of the disease is marked by a high temperature and a feeling of nausea.
(2) The start of the tennis match had to be delayed for half an hour because of a sudden down _________________.
(3) The final out ________________ of the talks between the Union and the employers is not known yet.
(4) I didn’t feel like cooking, so decided to get something from the Indian take _________.
(5) There was a twenty-minute hold _____________ at the start of the concert owing to technical problems with the lighting.
(6) The factory’s daily out ________________ has increased by more than 25 percent!
(7) The President denied he had been involved in a recent cover __________________.
(8) One of the main draw _________________ of living in Brighton and working in London is that you have to spend so much time in travelling every day.
(9) According to a Government spokesman, further cut _____________ in the public sector are to be expected.
(10)Her father was an ex-sergeant-major in the army. Consequently, she had a very strict up ________________.
| break pass out up lay up off backs jam in |
(11)The car was a complete write ____________ after the accident.
(12)This is the fifth break ______________ that has occuried in the area in the past month, but the police still have no idea who is doing it.
(13)Traffic-jams in the town center have been reduced dramatically since the new by –
_______________.
(14)The play got a very bad write- ____________ in the paper. I was very surprised as I
thought it was really good.
(15)This is the third out ____________ of the disease in the past year.
(16)The police are on the look _______________ for two men suspected of robbing
a department store in the center of town recently.
(17)No one was really surprised at the break _____________ of their marriage. They had
never really seemed very happy together.
(18)The company has experienced a large number of set ________________ in recent
years.
(19)The latest traffic news is that there is an eight-mile traffic ____________ on BR116.
(20) Our total out ______________ in the project was $3,500.
ANSWERS: NOUNS FROM PHRASAL VERBS
Complete each of the following sentences using one of the words in the box.
| bringing set put backs come up away pour up backs |
(1) The onset of the disease is marked by a high temperature and a feeling of nausea.
(2) The start of the tennis match had to be delayed for half an hour because of a sudden down pour.
(3) The final outcome of the talks between the Union and the employers is not known yet.
(4) I didn’t feel like cooking, so decided to get something from the Indian take away.
(5) There was a twenty-minute hold up at the start of the concert owing to technical problems with the lighting.
(6) The factory’s daily output has increased by more than 25 percent!
(7) The President denied he had been involved in a recent cover up.
(8) One of the main drawback of living in Brighton and working in London is that you have to spend so much time in travelling every day.
(9) According to a Government spokesman, further cut backs in the public sector are to be expected.
(10)Her father was an ex-sergeant-major in the army. Consequently, she had a very strict upbringing.
| break pass out up lay up off backs jam in |
(11)The car was a complete write off after the accident.
(12)This is the fifth break in that has occurred in the area in the past month, but the police still have no idea who is doing it.
(13)Traffic-jams in the town center have been reduced dramatically since the new by –
pass.
(14)The play got a very bad write-up in the paper. I was very surprised as I thought it was really good.
(15)This is the third outbreak of the disease in the past year.
(16)The police are on the lookout for two men suspected of robbing a department store in the center of town recently.
(17)No one was really surprised at the break up of their marriage. They had never really seemed very happy together.
(18)The company has experienced a large number of setbacks in recent years.
(19)The latest traffic news is that there is an eight-mile traffic jam on BR116.
(20) Our total out lay in the project was $3,500.
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SOME COMMON PHRASAL VERBS WITH ON
| PHRASAL VERB | MEANING | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|---|
| CALL ON | To visit (a person). | I really should call on my grandmother more often. |
| CARRY ON | 1. To continue or proceed as before. 2. To take baggage on an plane, rather than check it. | I'll be gone for some days, but I hope you will carry on while I am out. You may only carry on a small bag on the plane. |
| GET ON | 1. To board or mount a vehicle. 2. To progress, advance. | Please, get on the bus. To get on in life, you need to work hard. |
| HOLD ON | 1. To grasp or grip firmly. 2. To wait (also on phone), to maintain position. | Hold on tightly to the railing. "Can I talk to Ms Smith?" "Hold on. I'll see if she is here". |
| KEEP ON | To persist or continue. | Don't give up, keep on trying. |
| LOOK DOWN ON | To regard or treat as inferior. | It is wrong to look down on people less fortunate than yourself. |
| MOVE ON | 1. To leave somewhere for another place. 2. To start dealing with something else. | After spending a night at the hotel, they decided to move on. You need to forget about the past and move on. |
| PUT ON | 1. To place a garment, jewellery, etc. on part of one's body. 2. To increase in body weight. | Joan put on her new cotton dress. He has given up his diet and put on 5 kilos. |
| SWITCH ON/ TURN ON | To power up a device, to cause to start operating. | Please, switch/turn on the lights. I can't see what I am reading. |
| TRY ON | To test for fit (clothes). | I tried the dress on and decided I didn't like it. |
SOME COMMON PHRASAL VERBS WITH OFF
| PHRASAL VERB | MEANING | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|---|
| CALL OFF | To postpone or cancel something. | We had to call of the meeting because the client was ill. |
| GO OFF | 1. To explode or fire. 2. To begin making noise. | The gun went off at the beginning of the race. The alarm clock will go off at 6 a.m. |
| MAKE OFF | To leave quickly. | The robbers made off with two million dollars. |
| PAY OFF | To yield good results, succeed. | My hard work has paid off, I got very good marks in my exams. |
| PUT OFF | To avoid, delay, postpone. | We put off the picnic until tomorrow because it was raining. |
| SEE OFF | To say goodbye to someone. | He came to the airport to see me off. |
| SHOW OFF | To brag about one's abilities or accomplishments. | John likes to show off how much he knows about music. |
| TAKE OFF | 1. To remove clothes, to get undressed. 2. To become airborne (a bird/plane). | I can't wait to get home, take off my clothes and have a hot bath. The plane is going to take off from runway 3. |
| TURN OFF/ SWITCH OFF | To power down, to stop a device. | Please, turn/switch off the lights. I want to go to sleep. |
EXERCISES
1. Complete with: carry on, get on, hold on, put on, try on.
- Hi! Is Mr. Knight in? .........., I ́ll call him.
- Excuse me, could I .......... this dress, please?
- How are you .......... at college?
- Are you still .......... with your tennis lessons?
- It was a bit chilly, so she .......... her jacket.
2. Complete with one of these phrasal verbs: go off, put off, see off, take off, turn off.
- Let ́s go to the airport to .......... them .........
- The plane doesn ́t .......... till 5 o ́clock.
- He was sleeping soundly when the alarm clock ..........
- The meeting has been .......... till next month.
- Don ́t forget to .......... all the lights when you leave.
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Запознайте се с индивидуалното подготовка за интервю за работа на английски език.
