This is the most important type of idiomatic language to develop. If you have limited time, then focus on phrasal verbs.
Phrasal verbs are: a verb + preposition. Sometimes they are intuitive (E.g. Pick up, Put down, Take off etc), and other times they are not clear (E.g. Come across = to find by chance).
You might know some basic phrasal verbs already. E.g. Wake up, Get up, Turn on, Turn off, Go out, Come in, Come back, Sit down, Stand up, Look for, Pick up, Put on, Take off, Give up, Find out, Run out of etc.
For IELTS, learning versatile phrasal verbs can really come in handy!
18 Versatile Phrasal Verbs for IELTS Speaking
- Come across – Find or encounter by chance.
I came across a funny video or social media!
I came across an old photo album in the attic yesterday.
She came across an old coin while cleaning her desk. - Bump into/Run into – Meet someone unexpectedly.
I bumped into some old friends at the supermarket.
She bumped into an old colleague at the airport.
I hope I don’t bump into my ex at the party. - Get on with / Get along with – Have a good relationship.
I get on well with my colleague, Jess.
He gets along well with his housemates.
Mike doesn’t get on well with his brother. - Figure out – Understand or solve something.
I figured out how to get there.
I need to figure out what I’m going to do after university.
I couldn’t figure out where the noise was coming from. - Cut down on – Reduce the amount of something.
I’m cutting down on chocolate to stay healthy.. so sad 🙁
He’s cutting down on his social media use.
They need to cut down on alcohol. - Keep up with – Stay at the same level or pace.
I keep up with the latest football news.
I don’t keep up with the latest fashion trends.
It’s hard to keep up with the latest tech news; there’s so much going on right now. - Hang out (with) – Spend time with someone casually.
I love hanging out with my cousins playing Monopoly.
I’m going to hang out with some friends this weekend.
I haven’t hung out with my university friends in ages. - Check out – Look at or investigate something.
I’d love to check out the Colosseum some day!
We checked out a few restaurants before choosing this one.
I told him to check out that new app. - Meet up with – Arrange to meet someone.
I’m meeting up with friends for coffee tonight.
I haven’t met up with my friends in a while.
Everyone is meeting up around 8pm for the concert. - Get rid of – Remove or throw away something.
I got rid of old clothes to make some space in my wardrobe.
I need to get rid of my old school books; I don’t know why I still have them.
My sister wants to get rid of her desk, so I’ll ask if I can have it. - Look up – Search for information.
I looked up some nice restaurants in the area.
You should look up museums in the city because I heard they have some good ones.
I need to look up the train times. - Take care of / Look after – Be responsible for someone/something.
I take care of my granny.
I look after my niece from time to time.
We need to do more to take care of our planet. - Walk around – Move around a place casually.
I walked around the city to explore its sights.
He recommended walking around the old town.
We had some time to kill, so we just walked around chatting. - Stand out – Be noticeable or different.
She was the one who stood out to me.
The thing that stood out to me was the friendliness of the people there.
Nothing really stood out to me; we have the same sorts of things in our country. - Go out – Leave home for social activities.
We go out for dinner every Friday night; usually Japanese food!
I went out last night and got home really late.
I usually go out on the weekend, but this time I stayed home. - Chill out – Relax or calm down.
I like to chill out with with a good book after work.
I love nothing more than chilling out with my mates.
My uncle works non-stop. He really needs to just chill out a bit. - Work out – Exercise or find a solution.
I work out at the gym three times a week.
I haven’t worked out in ages.
I tend to work out on my own; I’m not a fan of gyms. - Binge on – Consume a lot of something (e.g., food, TV).
I binged on my favourite series last weekend.
My little cousins binged on sweets and chocolate this weekend.
He binged on video games on his day off.
