Advanced Phrasal Verbs in English

Overview

Phrasal verbs are one of the most distinctive features of English. At lower levels, you learned common two-part phrasal verbs like "pick up" and "turn off." At the C1 (Advanced) level, it is time to tackle more complex phrasal verbs, including three-part combinations like come up with, put up with, and look forward to. These multi-particle phrasal verbs are extremely common in native English and often have no simple one-word equivalent.

Mastering advanced phrasal verbs will dramatically improve your fluency and comprehension. Native speakers use them constantly in both speech and writing, and they are a major reason why natural English can be so challenging for learners. The good news is that with systematic practice, these expressions become second nature.

How It Works

Three-Part Phrasal Verbs

These consist of a verb + adverb particle + preposition. They are always inseparable -- the object must come after all three parts.

Phrasal verb	Meaning	Example
come up with	think of, invent	She came up with a brilliant idea.
put up with	tolerate	I can't put up with this noise.
look forward to	anticipate with pleasure	We're looking forward to seeing you.
make up for	compensate for	He tried to make up for his mistake.
get away with	escape punishment for	He got away with the crime.
do away with	abolish, eliminate	They want to do away with the old rules.
come up against	encounter (a difficulty)	We came up against several problems.
get on with	continue doing / have a good relationship with	Let's get on with the work.
run out of	have no more of	We've run out of milk.
catch up with	reach the same level as	She worked hard to catch up with the others.
live up to	meet (expectations)	The film didn't live up to the hype.
look down on	consider inferior	She looks down on people who disagree.
face up to	accept and deal with	You need to face up to the truth.
cut down on	reduce	I'm trying to cut down on sugar.
get along with	have a good relationship with	She gets along with everyone.

Key Grammar Points

1. Inseparable: You cannot split three-part phrasal verbs.

• Wrong: She came a brilliant idea up with.
• Right: She came up with a brilliant idea.

2. "Look forward to" + gerund (-ing): The "to" in look forward to is a preposition, not part of an infinitive.

• Wrong: I look forward to see you.
• Right: I look forward to seeing you.

3. Passive is possible with many three-part phrasal verbs:

• Such behavior will not be put up with.
• A solution must be come up with.

Phrasal Verbs with Idiomatic Meanings

Many advanced phrasal verbs have meanings that cannot be guessed from their parts:

Phrasal verb	Literal guess	Actual meaning
come up with	come upward with	invent/think of
put up with	place upward with	tolerate
get away with	go away with	escape consequences
do away with	do away with	abolish/eliminate
come up against	come upward against	encounter difficulty

Examples in Context

English	Note
I can't put up with this noise anymore.	Tolerate
She came up with a brilliant idea.	Invented/thought of
We're looking forward to the holiday.	Anticipating with pleasure
He got away with cheating on the test.	Escaped punishment
We've run out of time.	No more remaining
The restaurant didn't live up to expectations.	Failed to meet standards
You need to face up to your responsibilities.	Accept and deal with
I'm cutting down on caffeine.	Reducing
They want to do away with paper forms.	Eliminate
We came up against an unexpected problem.	Encountered a difficulty
She gets along with all her colleagues.	Has good relationships
He tried to make up for the lost time.	Compensate

Common Mistakes

Splitting three-part phrasal verbs

• Wrong: I can't put this noise up with.
• Right: I can't put up with this noise.
• Why: Three-part phrasal verbs are inseparable. The object always comes after the full phrase.

Using an infinitive after "look forward to"

• Wrong: I look forward to meet you.
• Right: I look forward to meeting you.
• Why: The "to" in "look forward to" is a preposition, so it must be followed by a gerund (-ing form), not a bare infinitive.

Confusing similar phrasal verbs

• Wrong: I need to get on with the truth. (meaning "accept")
• Right: I need to face up to the truth.
• Why: "Get on with" means "continue doing" or "have a relationship with." "Face up to" means "accept and deal with." Each phrasal verb has a specific meaning.

Avoiding phrasal verbs in favor of formal equivalents

• Wrong approach: Always saying "tolerate" instead of "put up with" in conversation
• Better: Use phrasal verbs in conversation and informal writing; use formal equivalents in academic writing
• Why: Phrasal verbs are the natural choice in spoken English. Consistently avoiding them makes your English sound stiff and overly formal.

Usage Notes

Phrasal verbs are more common in spoken English and informal writing. In academic and formal writing, single-word equivalents are often preferred:

Phrasal verb	Formal equivalent
put up with	tolerate
come up with	devise, develop
do away with	abolish, eliminate
look into	investigate
cut down on	reduce

However, even in formal contexts, some phrasal verbs are perfectly acceptable (run out of, face up to) because no elegant single-word alternative exists.

There are minimal differences between British and American English in the use of these phrasal verbs, though some combinations may be slightly more frequent in one variety.

Practice Tips

• Context sentences: For each new phrasal verb you learn, write three sentences using it in different tenses and contexts. This builds flexible, retrievable knowledge rather than just a vocabulary list.

• Phrasal verb diary: Each day, try to use at least three advanced phrasal verbs in conversation or writing. Note which ones feel natural and which ones you struggle with, then focus practice on the difficult ones.

• Replacement exercise: Take a formal text and replace formal vocabulary with phrasal verb equivalents. Then do the reverse -- take informal text and replace phrasal verbs with formal words. This builds register awareness and reinforces meaning.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Phrasal Verbs - Basic -- you need solid command of two-part phrasal verbs before tackling three-part combinations
• Next steps: Explore advanced idioms and collocations for more multi-word expressions that are essential for natural English