Learning phrasal verbs can feel overwhelming, but here’s the good news: once you understand how they work, they’ll make your English sound more natural and fluent. Today, we’re focusing on phrasal verbs using two of the most common particles in English: ON and OFF.
Whether you’re preparing for an exam, improving your conversational skills, or just want to understand native speakers better, this guide will walk you through 50 essential phrasal verbs with clear explanations and real-world examples.
What Are Phrasal Verbs?
Before we jump into our list, let’s make sure we’re on the same page. A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and one or more particles (prepositions or adverbs) that creates a new meaning. For example, “turn” means to rotate, but “turn on” means to activate something, and “turn off” means to deactivate it.
The tricky part? The meaning of a phrasal verb often can’t be guessed from the individual words. That’s why learning them in context is so important.
Why Focus on ON and OFF?
The particles ON and OFF are incredibly common in English, and they often (but not always) suggest opposite actions. ON typically relates to continuation, activation, or attachment, while OFF suggests stopping, deactivation, or separation. Understanding this pattern will help you remember these verbs more easily.
25 Phrasal Verbs with ON
1. Turn on
Meaning: To activate or start a device
Example: Could you turn on the lights? It’s getting dark in here.
2. Put on
Meaning: To wear or dress yourself in clothing
Example: It’s cold outside, so put on your jacket before you leave.
3. Get on
Meaning: To board a vehicle or to have a good relationship with someone
Example: We need to get on the bus at the next stop.
4. Go on
Meaning: To continue or to happen
Example: Please go on with your story. I want to hear what happened next.
5. Carry on
Meaning: To continue doing something
Example: Don’t let me interrupt you. Carry on with your work.
6. Hold on
Meaning: To wait or to grip something tightly
Example: Hold on a moment while I check my calendar.
7. Move on
Meaning: To progress to something new or to stop thinking about the past
Example: After the breakup, it took her months to move on.
8. Try on
Meaning: To put on clothing to see if it fits
Example: You should try on these shoes before buying them.
9. Work on
Meaning: To spend time improving or fixing something
Example: I’m working on my pronunciation by listening to podcasts daily.
10. Count on
Meaning: To rely on or trust someone
Example: You can always count on Maria to help you when you need it.
11. Take on
Meaning: To accept a new responsibility or challenge
Example: She decided to take on the project despite her busy schedule.
12. Come on
Meaning: To encourage someone or to start functioning
Example: Come on, you can do it! Don’t give up now.
13. Log on
Meaning: To access a computer system with credentials
Example: I need to log on to my email to check for messages.
14. Switch on
Meaning: To turn on or activate (similar to “turn on”)
Example: Switch on the air conditioner if you’re feeling hot.
15. Focus on
Meaning: To concentrate attention on something specific
Example: During exam season, I focus on studying rather than socializing.
16. Call on
Meaning: To visit someone or to ask someone to speak
Example: The teacher called on me to answer the question.
17. Look on
Meaning: To watch something happening without participating
Example: We looked on helplessly as the house burned down.
18. Depend on
Meaning: To need something or to be determined by something
Example: Whether we go to the beach depends on the weather.
19. Keep on
Meaning: To continue doing something, often persistently
Example: He kept on talking even though nobody was listening.
20. Pass on
Meaning: To give something to someone else or to decline an offer
Example: Please pass on my regards to your family.
21. Catch on
Meaning: To understand something or to become popular
Example: It took me a while to catch on to what she was trying to say.
22. Live on
Meaning: To survive using particular resources
Example: During college, I lived on instant noodles and rice.
23. Feed on
Meaning: To eat something regularly or to be sustained by something
Example: These birds feed on insects and small fish.
24. Bring on
Meaning: To cause something to happen
Example: The stress of the job brought on terrible headaches.
25. Stumble on
Meaning: To discover something unexpectedly
Example: While cleaning the attic, I stumbled on my grandmother’s old diary.
25 Phrasal Verbs with OFF
1. Turn off
Meaning: To deactivate or stop a device
Example: Please turn off your phone before the movie starts.
2. Take off
Meaning: To remove clothing or when a plane leaves the ground
Example: The plane will take off in ten minutes.
3. Get off
Meaning: To leave a vehicle or to stop discussing a topic
Example: I get off the train at Central Station every morning.
4. Go off
Meaning: To explode, to ring (alarm), or to spoil (food)
Example: My alarm clock goes off at 6 AM every day.
5. Call off
Meaning: To cancel something
Example: They had to call off the outdoor concert because of rain.
6. Put off
Meaning: To postpone or delay something
Example: Don’t put off your homework until the last minute.
7. Show off
Meaning: To display something proudly, often to impress others
Example: Stop showing off your new car to everyone.
8. Pay off
Meaning: To finish paying a debt or when effort produces results
Example: All those hours of practice finally paid off when I won the competition.
9. Set off
Meaning: To begin a journey or to trigger something
Example: We set off early in the morning to avoid traffic.
10. Break off
Meaning: To end something suddenly or to separate a piece
Example: She broke off the engagement after discovering his lies.
11. Cut off
Meaning: To disconnect or to interrupt someone
Example: The phone call was cut off before I could finish explaining.
12. Drop off
Meaning: To deliver someone/something or to fall asleep
Example: Can you drop off these documents at the office?
13. Pull off
Meaning: To succeed in doing something difficult
Example: I can’t believe they pulled off such an amazing surprise party.
14. Rip off
Meaning: To cheat someone or to tear something away
Example: That restaurant totally ripped us off with those prices.
15. Write off
Meaning: To cancel a debt or to consider something a failure
Example: The bank agreed to write off part of my student loan.
16. Log off
Meaning: To exit a computer system
Example: Don’t forget to log off when you’re finished using the shared computer.
17. Switch off
Meaning: To turn off or deactivate (similar to “turn off”)
Example: I switch off my brain when I get home from work.
18. Cool off
Meaning: To become calmer or less hot
Example: Let’s cool off in the pool on this hot day.
19. Fall off
Meaning: To decrease or to drop from something
Example: Sales have fallen off significantly this quarter.
20. Knock off
Meaning: To stop working or to reduce a price
Example: What time do you usually knock off work?
21. Lay off
Meaning: To dismiss employees or to stop bothering someone
Example: The company had to lay off 50 workers due to budget cuts.
22. Back off
Meaning: To move away or to stop interfering
Example: Back off and let me handle this situation myself.
23. Tick off
Meaning: To annoy someone or to mark items on a list
Example: His constant complaining really ticks me off.
24. Wear off
Meaning: To gradually disappear or fade
Example: The effects of the medication will wear off in a few hours.
25. Ward off
Meaning: To prevent or keep something away
Example: Drinking orange juice helps ward off colds in winter.
Tips for Learning Phrasal Verbs
1. Learn in Context: Don’t just memorize lists. Read the example sentences and try to understand how each phrasal verb is used in real situations.
2. Create Your Own Examples: After learning a new phrasal verb, write three sentences using it in different contexts. This helps cement the meaning in your memory.
3. Group by Meaning: Notice how some phrasal verbs have opposite meanings (turn on/turn off, get on/get off). Learning these pairs together makes them easier to remember.
4. Use Visual Associations: For phrasal verbs like “put on” (clothing) or “take off” (removing clothing or planes), create a mental image of the action.
5. Practice Daily: Try to use at least one new phrasal verb every day in conversation or writing. The more you use them, the more natural they’ll become.
6. Watch and Listen: Pay attention to how native speakers use phrasal verbs in movies, TV shows, and podcasts. You’ll notice they use them constantly in casual conversation.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Many learners struggle with phrasal verbs because they try to translate them directly to their native language. Remember that phrasal verbs often have meanings that can’t be guessed from the individual words. Another common mistake is using the wrong particle—saying “turn in” instead of “turn on” changes the meaning completely.
Also, be aware that some phrasal verbs are separable (you can put the object between the verb and particle) while others are inseparable. For example, you can say “turn the light on” or “turn on the light,” but you must say “get on the bus” (not “get the bus on”).
Conclusion
Mastering phrasal verbs with ON and OFF is a significant step toward fluency in English. These 50 phrasal verbs appear constantly in everyday conversation, so learning them will immediately improve your ability to understand and communicate with native speakers.
Start by focusing on the five most relevant to your daily life, practice them until they feel natural, then gradually add more to your vocabulary. Remember, language learning is a journey, not a race. Be patient with yourself, and celebrate each new phrasal verb you master.
Keep this guide handy for reference, and don’t be afraid to use these phrasal verbs in your conversations. The more you practice, the more confident you’ll become. You’ve got this!
More topics:
- Essential Phrases for Everyday Conversations
- 30 Art Idioms and Their Meanings
- How to Use Idioms and Phrases Like a Native Speaker
