50 FCE Phrasal Verbs You Need to Know (With Examples)

get

go

put

take

come

break

carry

look

set

turn

Same verb, different particle, different world

The exam’s favourite trick is testing the particle, not the verb: look up a word but look after a child; turn up at a party but turn down an invitation; take up tennis but take after your father. When you record a phrasal verb, record its nearest false friend beside it — the pair is what the multiple-choice options will be built from.

Learn them in context, not as a list

This page is a map, not the territory: a phrasal verb becomes yours the third time you meet it in the wild. The efficient loop is the exam’s own texts — Use of English exercises (Parts 1 and 2 are where they live; first two exercises per part are free, every answer explained), then reusing what you met in a writing task the same week.

The ten-item quiz

Fill the particle (answers below):

• 1. I don’t know how she puts ___ with that noise.
• 2. The meeting was put ___ until next Monday.
• 3. He came ___ with an excellent idea.
• 4. My car broke ___ on the way to work.
• 5. She’s really looking forward ___ the holidays.
• 6. They set ___ early to avoid the traffic.
• 7. The story turned ___ to be false.
• 8. I must get ___ to answering those emails.
• 9. He took ___ jogging after the doctor’s warning.
• 10. A fight nearly broke ___ outside the stadium.

Answers: 1. up · 2. off · 3. up · 4. down · 5. to · 6. off/out · 7. out · 8. round · 9. up · 10. out.

Where to go next

Pair this list with the topic-based vocabulary list — the two cover the word-level half of Use of English between them — and with word formation patterns and the grammar topics guide for the rest of the paper. Vocabulary slips are also a fixture of the common writing mistakes. The whole exam: the complete B2 First preparation guide.