Phrasal Verbs: C

A phrasal verb is a verb that is made up of a main verb together with an adverb or a preposition, or both. Typically, their meaning is not obvious from the meanings of the individual words themselves. For example: She has always looked down on me.

CALL OFF (separable): cancel something that has been scheduled.

"We don't have school today. The mayor called classes off because of the snow."

CALL ON (inseparable): ask someone for an answer in class.

"I don't know why the teacher never calls on you. You always know the answer."



CALM DOWN (with or without an object; with an object, separable): become calm / less agitated or upset; help someone become calm / less agitated or upset.

"Why are you so angry? Susan didn't intend to spill apple juice on you. Calm down!"

"I know Bob is angry, but can you calm him down? He's making so much noise that he's disturbing everyone in the class."

(NOT) CARE FOR (1. inseparable): like; want.

Note: This phrasal verb is usually negative, though it may be used affirmatively in questions.

A: "Would you care for something to eat? We have pizza, sandwiches, or donuts."

B: "Could I have a burger, please? I don't care for pizza, sandwiches, or donuts."

CARE FOR (2. inseparable): take care of; supply care to; attend / watch..

"Jenny's aunt got out of the hospital last week. The family is caring for her at home."

CATCH ON (no object): develop understanding or knowledge of something.

"Ben had never used a laptop until he took this class, but he caught on very quickly and is now one of the best students."



CATCH UP (with) (often without an object; with an object, inseparable): stop being behind.

"Penny stopped at the bookstore for a few minutes. She'll catch up / catch up with us later."

CHECK (to) (inseparable): register for / at a hotel, conference, etc.; let someone know officially that you have arrived.

"My train will arrive around 6:00 pm. I should be able to check into the hotel by 7:00 or 7:30."

"When you arrive at the conference, be sure to check in at the registration desk."

CHECK OFF (separable): make a mark to indicate that something on a list has been completed.

"Here are the tasks you need to do. Please check each one off when you've finished it."

CHECK OUT (of) (1. inseparable): follow rules for leaving (a hotel, etc.)

"Don't forget to take your room key to the front desk when you check out (when you check out of the hotel)."

CHECK OUT (2. separable): follow procedures for borrowing something (usually for a limited period of time).

"I'm sorry, but you can't take that dictionary home. The library won't allow you to check reference books out."
CHEER UP (separable): help someone feel less worried / depressed / sad.

"Susan's brother was depressed about not getting a job, so she sent him a funny card to cheer him up."
CHEW OUT (separable): scold someone severely; berate.

"John's father was really angry when John didn't come home until 3:00 AM. He chewed John out and then said John had to stay at home for one week."

CHICKEN OUT (no object): lose the courage or confidence to do something - often at the last minute.

"Andrew said he was going to ask Penny for a date, but he chickened out."

CHIP IN (inseparable): contribute / donate (often money) to something done by a group.




"We're going to get a birthday cake for our friend and I'm collecting donations. Do you want to chip in?"

CLAM UP (inseparable): suddenly become quiet / refuse to talk about something.

"Linda wouldn't talk about the incident. When I asked her what happened, she clammed up."

COME ACROSS (inseparable): find (unexpectedly).

"I've lost my house keys. If you come across them while your're
cleaning the room, please put them in a safe place."

COME DOWN WITH (inseparable): become ill with.
"Sam won't be at the concert today. He came down with the flu last night."
COME TO (1. inseparable): total.

"Your bill come to $625.41. Will you pay by check, in cash, or
with a credit card?"

COME TO (2. no object): regain consciousness.

"When I told Tina that she'd won a million dollars, she fainted. When she came to, I told her it was a joke and she almost hit me!"

COUNT ON (inseparable): depend on; trust that something will happen or that someone will do as expected.

"I'm counting on you to drop me up to work tomorrow. My car is in the garage."

CROSS OUT (separable): show that something written is wrong or unnecessary by making an X across it.

"We can't afford to buy everything on your shopping list, so I've crossed out all the unnecessary things."

CUT BACK (on) (often without an object; with an object, cut back on [inseparable]): use less of something.

"You drink too much coffee. You should cut back."
"You should cut back on the amount of coffee that you drink."