In this week’s episode of the Art of Business English we are going to look at some phrasal verbs you might find useful in the world of business.
A phrasal verb is an idiomatic phrase consisting of a verb and another element, typically either an adverb or a preposition, or a combination of both.
The most important thing to know about phrasal verbs is that their meaning might not be the same as the meaning of the main verb. Though this characteristic can make them a little hard to learn and remember, the wonderful thing about phrasal verbs is that sometimes they are the exact, perfect word you need in a sentence, and that they give you more ways to express yourself.
Let’s start learning.
Deal with
Meaning:
To handle, work on.
Example:
“Our new department head will deal with the training of new staff members.”
Watch the episode here
Take over
Meaning:
To get control or responsibility for something.
Example:
“Tom will take over the sales department and become its new manager.”
Look into
Meaning:
To investigate, learn more about.
Example:
“We are now looking into new software to use in our training.”
Look up to
Meaning:
To respect.
Example:
“Many of our co-workers look up to Jill, and she is well-liked by her customers as well.”
Look for
Meaning:
To search.
Example:
“They are looking for a candidate who can speak both Chinese and Portuguese.”
Get ahead
Meaning:
To move up in position, improve your career.
Example:
“My boss told me that if I wanted to get ahead, I would need to work a little harder.”
Bring up
Meaning:
To say or introduce a topic or issue.
Example:
“Whenever we have a meeting, our manager brings up the fact that we are improving every month.”
Break down
Meaning:
To explain something or divide something into parts.
Example:
“The new security system seemed confusing until Mary broke it down into five easy steps.”
Call off
Meaning:
To cancel.
Example:
“The department meeting was called off this week so please use your time wisely.”
Turn down
Meaning:
To refuse to accept or agree to something.
Example:
“Larry turned down a job at another company so that he could continue his work here.”
Final thoughts
I hope you have enjoyed this episode of the AOBE. One important thing you can do to improve your ability with phrasal verbs is to notice them when you hear them or read them. The best way to use phrasal verbs correctly is to copy the way people around you use them. If you like to take notes to remember good English vocabulary words, you can keep a list of phrasal verbs similar to the one above as well.
If you are looking to improve your knowledge of English vocabulary for business, then check out my idioms course below.
Business Idioms
This six module course helps English language learners build their knowledge of business idioms and their understanding of them in different business scenarios.
We cover idioms for marketing, finance, behaviour, operations and production, manegament and planning.
Please feel free to share the phrasal verbs you have come across during your work experience in the comments section below, it would be great to hear from you and learn what words you use on a regular basis.
Thanks for joining me for another episode, see you all next week.Subscribe to the Podcast
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