by Adam Skimins 12th September 2023

Article

List of Phrasal Verbs (pdf/xls) | C1 Advanced (CAE)

Level: C1

How to learn phrasal verbs?

The photo shows Books with examples of C1 phrasal verbs C1 phrasal verbs can be very useful during the CAE exam. There are lots of things you can do to make learning and remembering phrasal verbs easier. Below are some tips to help you do this.

Remembering phrasal verbs with images or stories

A good way to help you remember a phrasal verb is to imagine an image or story that illustrates it. For example, the phrasal verb step down means to leave an important job or position. To help you remember this, you could imagine a company boss standing above all the workers on a stepladder, and then stepping down onto the floor and walking away.

Identifying phrasal verbs in context

Look out for C1 phrasal verbs when you are:

reading a book or article
watching a film or TV programme
looking at a website.

Pay attention to how the phrasal verb is used and in what kind of situation. Make a note about this to help you remember the right context in which to use the phrasal verb.

Learning C1 phrasal verbs as single units of meaning

While phrasal verbs are combinations of two or three words, it is helpful when you are learning them to think about them as single units of meaning like in the tables below.

C1 (CAE) Phrasal Verbs: BE / CALL

Below you will find example C1 phrasal verbs formed from verbs be/call. You should use them if you want your language in the exam to be at a high level:

BE

be above (something)	1) to be so important that you needn’t do particular things. 2) to be so good that no one can think you did something wrong
be about (something)	to explain, describe or give facts on a particular subject
be about to do (something)	to be ready to start to do something very soon
be after (someone)	to be trying to catch someone
be against (someone/something)	to disagree with or not support someone or something
be getting at (something)	to be explaining or saying something important
be behind (with)	to not have done as much as you should
be down	to feel very sad
be (all) for (something/someone)	to support an idea, plan, person, etc. very strongly
be dying for (something)	to want something very much
be in	1) to be at home. 2) to be popular
be in for (something)	to be likely to experince something uncomfortable or difficult
be taken in (by)	to be made to believe something that isn’t true
be into (something)	to enjoy doing a particular activity very much
be off	1) not to be going to happen. 2)to smell or be bad
be let off	to be allowed to go without being punished
be on	to be going to happen
be not on	to not be acceptable
be out	1) to not be at home. 2) to not be in fashion any more
be out of (something)	to not have something in your home or shop
be over	to have finished
be through (with)	to be tired or bored with someone or an activity and so determined to leave
be up	1) to be out of bed. 2) to have increased in price
be up to (something)	to be doing something wrong or bad
be caught up (in)	to be in a difficult or dangerous situation
be made up of (something)	to include as its parts

CALL

call (something) off	to cancel or stop something
call on (someone)	1) to visit someone as a routine 2) ask for an answer or opinion
call (something) out	to say something in a loud voice
call after (someone)	be named after someone
call around (round)	1) phone many different places/people 2) to visit
call (someone) back	return a phone call
call in	1) get someone to come and do sth 2) short visit
call (someone) up	phone

FCE, CAE, CPE

More than Practice Tests

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Sample papers, online practice tests & tips.

C1 (CAE) Phrasal Verbs: CLEAR / COME

Below you will find example C1 phrasal verbs formed from verbs clear/come. You should use them if you want your language in the exam to be at a high level:

CLEAR

clear (something) up	to make a place clean and tidy again
clear away	1) leave a place 2) remove or tidy
clear off	leave somewhere quickly
clear out	1) tidy up thoroughly and throw away unwanted stuff 2) leave somewhere

COME

come about	to happen
come across (as someone)	to seem to be a particular kind of person
come across (something)	to find something by chance
come apart	to fall into pieces
come back (from)	to return to a place from another place
come back (into fashion)	to become fashionable again
come back (to)	to return to your memory
come between (someone and someone)	to cause a quarrel between two or more people
come down	to decrease
come down with (something)	to become ill with a particular infection
come from (somewhere)	1) to be born or live in a place 2) to have started or developed from a particular animal, plant or substance
come on	1) to move more quickly 2) to begin gradually 3) to arrive somewhere after others
come out	to arrive in the shops, etc
come round	1) to visit someone’s home 2) to become concious again after fainting
come through	to become known
come through (something)	to survive a difficult event or period
come to	to become concious again after fainting
come up	1) to rise in the sky 2) to be mentioned 3) to be used in a test 4) to become available
come up against (someone/something)	to have to deal with difficulty, opposition, etc
come up to (something)	1) to reach a particular level 2) to be as good as the level people expext
come up with (something)	to produce an excuse, a suggestion, the correct answer, etc

FCE, CAE, CPE

More than Practice Tests

Get your writing checked, track your progress online.
Sample papers, online practice tests & tips.

C1 (CAE) Phrasal Verbs: CUT / FALL

Below you will find example C1 phrasal verbs formed from verbs cut/fall. You should use them if you want your language in the exam to be at a high level:

CUT

cut down (on)	to use much less of something
cut down	to remove a tree or plant by cutting it near the base
cut back	to reduce the amount of money being spent
cut across	to take a shortcut over an area instead of going around the edge
cut in	to interrupt someone when they are speaking
cut off	1) to stop supplies of something like electricity or water 2) to stop a telephone connection
cut out	when an engine or piece of machinery suddenly stops working
cut through	to be able to deal with the problems or bureaucracy quickly
cut up	to divide something into smaller pieces

FALL

fall apart	to fall into pieces
fall back on (something)	to use money you kept because you need it
fall behind (with)	1) to move more slowly so that others are further ahead 2) to make slower progress then others 3) to not make the necessary regular payments
fall for (someone)	to feel strong romantic feelings for someone
fall for (something)	to be tricked into believing something that isn’t true
fall off	1) to become separated from an object 2) to become less gradually
fall out (of)	to fall from a high place
fall out (with) (over)	to have quarrel and end a friendship
fall over	to fall onto the ground
fall through	to not be agreed, completed, etc successfully

FCE, CAE, CPE

More than Practice Tests

Get your writing checked, track your progress online.
Sample papers, online practice tests & tips.

C1 (CAE) Phrasal Verbs: GET / GIVE

Below you will find example C1 phrasal verbs formed from verbs get/give. You should use them if you want your language in the exam to be at a high level:

GET

get (something) across (to)	to be successful in explaining your idea, plan, etc.
get ahead (get on (in life))	to have success in your life
get around to (get round to doing (something))	to do something you have planned or wanted to do for a long time
get at (someone)	to criticise someone all the time and upset them
get away (from/to)	1) to be successful in going on holiday 2) to go from a place, sometimes because it is difficult to stay
get away with (something)	to not be punished for doing something bad or wrong
get back (from)	to return to a place
get (something) back	to manage to have something you own returned to you
get your own back (on someone)	to punish or harm someone who has done something bad to you
get by	to get enough money or food
get (someone) down	to cause someone to feel very sad
get (something) down	to write something
get down to (something)	to start doing something
get in touch (with someone)	to phone, email, etc. someone
get into (something)	1) to manage to enter a place after an effort 2) to start a conversation, fight, etc. with someone
get (someone) into a trouble (with)	to do something that makes yourself deserve punishment (or someone)
get off	1) to leave a bus, train, etc. 2) to start a journey
get on (with)	to have a friendly relationship with someone
get (someone) out of trouble (with)	to do something so that you avoid punishment
get out of (doing)	to manage to avoid doing a job you don’t like
get over (someone)	to become happier after the end of a romantic relationship
get over (something)	1) to become well after being ill with a particular illness 2) to become happier after being sad, rightened, etc
get through	1) to be successful when you try to phone someone 2) to pass a test or exam
get through (something)	to survive an unpleasant or difficult period
get (something) through to (someone)	1) to manage to reach someone by telephone 2) to manage to make someone understand something
get to (someone)	to make you feel very angry or upset
get to (somewhere)	to arrive at a place
get together (with)	to join other people for a party, meeting, etc
get (someone) up	to wake (someone) up and get (them) out of bed

GIVE

give (something) away	1) to give something to someone because you don’t want it or because you want them to have it 2) to tell a secret or give information
give back	to return something borrowed
give in (to)	to agree to something but not because you want to
give in	to accept that you have been defeated and agree to stop competing or fighting
give (something) out	1) to give copies of the same thing to many people 2) to tell people something
give up	1) to admit that you don’t know 2) to leave your job
give up (sth)	to stop doing something before you have finished it, usually because it is too difficult

FCE, CAE, CPE

More than Practice Tests

Get your writing checked, track your progress online.
Sample papers, online practice tests & tips.

C1 (CAE) Phrasal Verbs: GO / HOLD

Below you will find example C1 phrasal verbs formed from verbs go/hold. You should use them if you want your language in the exam to be at a high level:

GO

go after (sb)	to chase or follow someone in order to catch them
go after (something)	to try to get something
go along with (someone/something)	to support an idea, or to agree with someone’s opinion
go away	1) to leave your home in order to spend time somewhere else, usually for a holiday 2) to stop being present
go down	1) to move to a lower place 2) to change to a lower, amount, price, etc
go down with (something)	to start to suffer from an infectious disease
go for (something)	1) to try to have or achieve something 2) to like or admire
go in	1) to enter a place 2) to be understood
go in for (something)	to do something regularly, or to enjoy something
go into (something)	1) to start doing a particular type of work 2) to discuss, examine, describe, or explain something in a detailed or careful way
go off	1) to leave a place and go somewhere else 2) to become worse in quality 3) to ring loudly or make a loud noise (alarm) 4) to explode or fire (bomb, gun) 5) to stop working (light, machine)
go off (something/someone)	to stop liking or being interested in someone or something
go on	1) to continue or move to the next thing 2) to start operating 3)
go out	1) to leave a room or building, especially in order to do something for entertainment 2) to stop producing light or heat
go out with (someone)	to have a romantic and usually sexual relationship with someone
go over (to)	to move near someone
go over (something)	to examine or look at something in a careful or detailed way
go round	1) to visit a place 2) to be enough for everyone or everything 3) to walk, drive round the outside of a place
go through	1) to experience an unpleasant or difficult time 2) to examine something carefully
go through with (something)	to do something unpleasant or difficult that has already been agreed or promised
go together	to look good together
go under	to go below the surace of water
go up	1) to move higher, rise, or increase 2) to be built
go with (something)	to look attractive with something

HOLD

hold against	1) have a grudge; 2) show little respect
hold back	not show emotion
hold back	prevent from progressing or moving forward
hold back	not disclose or make public
hold back from	not allowed to do something
hold down	keep or have a job
hold down	prevent from moving by restraint
hold down	retain in your stomach
hold forth	state your opinions about something
hold off	delay
hold off	bad weather NOT appearing
hold off	prevent someone from attacking or beating you
hold on	wait
hold on	grip tightly
hold onto	keep longer than necessary
hold onto	hold tightly; grip
hold out	resist
hold out	extend in front of you
hold out for smth	wait for something better
hold out on	not disclose; not pay
hold over	delay
hold over	go longer than planned
hold together	not break up or come apart
hold up	delay especially when travelling
hold up	Robbery (a bank hold up, etc.)
hold with	agree or accept