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Word list · Teens & Adults

Phrasal Verbs for Work and Business (B1–C1)

Meetings, projects and emails: the phrasal verbs colleagues actually use.

Age
Ages 18+
Level
B1–C1
Skill
Vocabulary
Format
Interactive
More in the library
  • Work & business
  • 24 words

Practise

Three ways to learn the list. Nothing is saved: start again whenever you like.

Front of the card:

0 of 24 learned

set up

phrasal verb

The list

Tap the speaker to hear each word.

  1. set up

    phrasal verb · B1

    to start a company, organisation or system

    She set up her own design studio when she was only 25.

  2. take on

    phrasal verb · B2

    to start employing someone; to accept extra work or responsibility

    We're taking on two new developers next month.

  3. carry out

    phrasal verb · B2

    to do a task, a test or a piece of research

    The team carried out a survey of 500 customers.

  4. deal with

    phrasal verb · B1

    to take action to solve a problem or handle a task

    Who deals with customer complaints in your company?

  5. follow up

    phrasal verb · B2

    to do something more after a first contact or action, to check or continue it

    After the meeting, I'll follow up with an email summarising what we agreed.

  6. put forward

    phrasal verb · B2

    to suggest an idea or plan for others to consider

    Anna put forward a plan to cut our travel costs.

  7. bring up

    phrasal verb · B2

    to start talking about a subject

    At the next meeting, I'd like to bring up the subject of overtime.

  8. call off

    phrasal verb · B1

    to cancel an event that was planned

    They called off the training day because half the team was ill.

  9. look into

    phrasal verb · B1

    to try to find out the facts about a problem

    IT are looking into the problem with the printers.

  10. fill in for

    phrasal verb · B2

    to do someone's job for a short time while they are away

    Can you fill in for me at reception while I'm at lunch?

  11. hand in

    phrasal verb · B1

    to give a document to someone in charge

    He handed in his notice and left the company a month later.

  12. catch up on

    phrasal verb · B1

    to do work that you did not have time to do earlier

    I stayed late on Friday to catch up on my emails.

  13. keep up with

    phrasal verb · B2

    to stay informed about something that changes quickly, or to move at the same speed as others

    It's hard to keep up with all the changes in our industry.

  14. get back to

    phrasal verb · B1

    to contact someone again later, usually to give them an answer

    I'll check the figures and get back to you this afternoon.

  15. sort out

    phrasal verb · B1

    to solve a problem or organise something that is in a mess

    Don't worry, we'll sort out the booking problem today.

  16. draw up

    phrasal verb · B2

    to prepare and write an official document, plan or list

    Our lawyer will draw up the contract by Friday.

  17. lay off

    phrasal verb · B2

    to stop employing someone because there is not enough work or money

    The factory laid off 200 workers last year.

  18. take over

    phrasal verb · B2

    to start doing a job or being responsible for something that someone else did before

    Mark will take over the project while Julia is on maternity leave.

  19. point out

    phrasal verb · B1

    to tell someone about a fact they had not noticed

    My manager pointed out a mistake in the budget.

  20. come up with

    phrasal verb · B1

    to think of an idea, a plan or an answer

    We need to come up with a better name for the product.

  21. turn down

    phrasal verb · B1

    to say no to an offer or request

    She turned down the job because the salary was too low.

  22. go over

    phrasal verb · B2

    to look at or check something carefully

    Let's go over the agenda before the clients arrive.

  23. cut back on

    phrasal verb · B2

    to reduce the amount of something you use or spend

    We have to cut back on printing to save money.

  24. step down

    phrasal verb · C1

    to leave an important job or position

    The chief executive stepped down after twelve years in charge.

Use it: speaking task

For pairs or small groups, about ten minutes.

Work in pairs. You are colleagues at a small company. Take turns to describe a real or invented work situation using the phrasal verb in each prompt.

  1. Describe a problem at work or school that you had to deal with. How did you sort it out?
  2. Has a meeting or event you planned ever been called off? What happened next?
  3. Think of a time you came up with a good idea. Who did you put it forward to?
  4. What do you do to keep up with news in your field?
  5. Would you ever turn down a promotion? Explain why or why not.

Printable worksheet

One page of matching and gap-fill, the speaking task, and an answer key on a separate page.