Intransitive Phrasal Verbs
The following phrasal verbs are not followed by an object: "Once you leave home, you can never really go back again." |
| Verb |
Meaning |
Example |
| break down |
stop functioning |
That old Jeep had a tendency to break down just when I needed it the most. |
| catch on |
become popular |
Popular songs seem to catch on in California first and then spread eastward. |
| come back |
return to a place |
Father promised that we would never come back to this horrible place. |
| come in |
enter |
They tried to come in through the back door, but it was locked. |
| come to |
regain consciousness |
He was hit on the head very hard, but after several minutes, he started to come to again. |
| come over |
to visit |
The children promised to come over, but they never do. |
| drop by |
visit without appointment |
We used to just drop by, but they were never home, so we stopped doing that. |
| eat out |
dine in a restaurant |
When we visited Paris, we loved eating out in the sidewalk cafes. |
| get by |
survive |
Uncle Heine didn't have much money, but he always seemed to get by without borrowing money from relatives. |
| get up |
arise |
Grandmother tried to get up, but the couch was too low, and she couldn't make it on her own. |
| go back |
return to a place |
It's hard to imagine that we will ever go back to Lithuania. |
| go on |
continue |
He would finish one Dickens novel and then just go on to the next. |
| go on (2) |
happen |
The cops heard all the noise and stopped to see what was going on. |
| grow up |
get older |
Charles grew up to be a lot like his father. |
| keep away |
remain at a distance |
The judge warned the stalker to keep away from his victim's home. |
| keep on (with gerund) |
continue with the same |
He tried to keep on singing long after his voice was ruined. |
| pass out |
lose consciousness, faint |
He had drunk too much; he passed out on the sidewalk outside the bar. |
| show off |
demonstrate haughtily |
Whenever he sat down at the piano, we knew he was going to show off. |
| show up |
arrive |
Day after day, Efrain showed up for class twenty minutes late. |
| wake up |
arouse from sleep |
I woke up when the rooster crowed. |
