phrasal verbs for meetings

Phrasal Verbs for Meetings: A Comprehensive Guide for English Learners

Phrasal verbs are essential in business English, especially in meetings. They help convey actions and ideas concisely. Below is a detailed list of common phrasal verbs used in meetings, along with their meanings, examples, and exercises.

1. Bring Up

Meaning: To introduce a topic for discussion.

• She brought up the budget issue during the meeting.
• Can we bring up the marketing strategy next?
• He always brings up new ideas in team meetings.

2. Go Over

Meaning: To review or examine something.

• Let’s go over the sales figures before making a decision.
• We need to go over the project timeline again.
• The manager went over the agenda at the start.

3. Put Off

Meaning: To postpone or delay something.

• They decided to put off the meeting until next week.
• We can’t put off this decision any longer.
• The CEO put off the discussion due to time constraints.

4. Wrap Up

Meaning: To finish or conclude something.

• Let’s wrap up the meeting by 3 PM.
• We should wrap up this topic and move on.
• The chairperson wrapped up with a summary of key points.

5. Call Off

Meaning: To cancel something.

• They had to call off the meeting due to bad weather.
• The client called off the negotiation at the last minute.
• We might need to call off tomorrow’s session.

6. Follow Up

Meaning: To take further action after a meeting.

• Please follow up with the client via email.
• She always follows up on action items promptly.
• We need to follow up on the unresolved issues.

7. Break Down

Meaning: To analyze or divide into smaller parts.

• Let’s break down the project into phases.
• He broke down the costs in detail.
• The report breaks down the quarterly results.

8. Set Up

Meaning: To arrange or organize something.

• We need to set up a meeting with the stakeholders.
• She set up a video conference for remote teams.
• They are setting up a follow-up session next week.

9. Speak Up

Meaning: To voice an opinion or concern.

• Don’t hesitate to speak up if you disagree.
• He finally spoke up about the workload issue.
• Employees should feel comfortable to speak up in meetings.

10. Take Down

Meaning: To write notes or record information.

• Can you take down the minutes of the meeting?
• She took down all the action items.
• Please take down the key decisions made today.

Exercises

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Complete the sentences with the correct phrasal verb from the list above.

1. We need to __________ the meeting because the manager is sick. (call off)
2. Could you __________ the main points discussed today? (take down)
3. Let’s __________ the proposal before finalizing it. (go over)
4. She always __________ interesting topics during discussions. (brings up)
5. We should __________ the project into smaller tasks. (break down)

Exercise 2: Match the Phrasal Verb to Its Meaning

Phrasal Verb	Meaning
Wrap up	To finish or conclude
Follow up	To take further action
Set up	To arrange or organize
Speak up	To voice an opinion
Put off	To postpone

Answer Key

Exercise 1 Answers

1. call off
2. take down
3. go over
4. brings up
5. break down

Exercise 2 Answers

The matching is already correct in the table above.