phrasal verbs for experiences

Phrasal Verbs for Experiences: A Comprehensive Guide for English Learners

Phrasal verbs are an essential part of English, especially when describing experiences. They consist of a verb and one or more particles (prepositions or adverbs), and their meanings often differ from the original verb. This article explores common phrasal verbs related to experiences, providing meanings, examples, and exercises to help learners master them.

1. Go through

Meaning: To experience something difficult or challenging.

• She went through a tough time after losing her job.
• He went through a painful breakup last year.
• They went through a lot of hardships during the war.

2. Come across

Meaning: To find or encounter something or someone unexpectedly.

• I came across an old friend at the supermarket yesterday.
• She came across a rare book in the library.
• He came across some interesting facts while researching.

3. Run into

Meaning: To meet someone by chance or face an unexpected problem.

• We ran into our teacher at the cinema last weekend.
• They ran into financial difficulties during the project.
• She ran into trouble while traveling abroad.

4. Get over

Meaning: To recover from an illness, emotional pain, or difficulty.

• It took him months to get over his illness.
• She finally got over her fear of public speaking.
• They are trying to get over the loss of their pet.

5. Put up with

Meaning: To tolerate or endure something unpleasant.

• I can’t put up with his constant complaining anymore.
• She puts up with a lot of stress at work.
• They had to put up with noisy neighbors for years.

6. Look back on

Meaning: To think about something that happened in the past.

• He looks back on his childhood with fond memories.
• She looks back on her college years as the best time of her life.
• They look back on their mistakes and learn from them.

7. Bring up

Meaning: To mention or introduce a topic in conversation.

• He brought up the issue during the meeting.
• She brought up her travel experiences in the interview.
• They brought up an interesting point in the discussion.

8. Turn out

Meaning: To result in a particular way, often unexpectedly.

• The party turned out to be a great success.
• It turned out that he knew her from school.
• The weather turned out better than we expected.

Exercises

Test your understanding of these phrasal verbs with the following exercises.

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Choose the correct phrasal verb to complete each sentence.

1. She ___ a lot of stress during her exams. (went through / came across)
2. I ___ an old photo while cleaning my room. (ran into / came across)
3. It took him a long time to ___ his fear of heights. (get over / put up with)
4. They ___ their childhood with great joy. (look back on / bring up)
5. The event ___ to be more fun than we thought. (turned out / brought up)

Exercise 2: Rewrite the Sentences

Rewrite the following sentences using the correct phrasal verb.

1. She encountered an old friend at the park. (Use “run into”)
2. He recovered from his illness quickly. (Use “get over”)
3. They mentioned the problem during the discussion. (Use “bring up”)
4. We tolerated the bad weather during our trip. (Use “put up with”)
5. The results were surprising. (Use “turn out”)

Answer Key

Exercise 1 Answers

1. went through
2. came across
3. get over
4. look back on
5. turned out

Exercise 2 Answers

1. She ran into an old friend at the park.
2. He got over his illness quickly.
3. They brought up the problem during the discussion.
4. We put up with the bad weather during our trip.
5. The results turned out to be surprising.