Each sentence given below contains an incomplete phrasal verb. You have to complete the expression by supplying a preposition or particle. Choose your answers from the given options.
Phrasal verbs exercise
1. He could not account ……………… his absence from work. (for / up / to)
2. There is no harm in acting ………………… your fantasies. (up / on / out)
3. The children started acting ……………… when the teacher left the classroom. (on / up / out)
4. Did you add …………….. the cost of the accessories you bought? (in / on / out)
5. Her explanations just don’t add ……………. . (in / up / out)
6. I don’t like children who answer ………………… . (out / back / up)
7. Everybody will have to answer ………………… their actions. (for / to / on)
8. I am going to apply ………………. that job. (for / on / to)
9. He has been languishing in the prison for several weeks, but nobody has come asking ………………….. him. (about / around / after)
10. I will ask …………….. and see if there is a vacancy for a Spanish translator. (around / about / after)
Answers
1. He could not account for his absence from work. (To account for an action is to explain it.)
2. There is no harm in acting out your fantasies. (To act out is to express your ideas or feelings.)
3. The children started acting up when the teacher left the classroom. (To act up is to misbehave.)
4. Did you add in the cost of the accessories you bought? (To add in something is to include it.)
5. Her explanations just don’t add up. (If something adds up, it makes sense.)
6. I don’t like children who answer back. (To answer back is to reply rudely.)
7. Everybody will have to answer for their actions. (To answer for your actions is to take responsibility for something wrong you may have done.)
8. I am going to apply for that job.
9. He has been languishing in the prison for several weeks, but nobody has come asking after him. (To ask after somebody is to inquire how they are getting on.)
10. I will ask about / around and see if there is a vacancy for a Spanish translator. (To ask about / around is to make inquiries.)
