"Get up", "look after", "turn off". English is full of these small verbs with two words. They look simple, and they are hard. Here is a way to learn them without a long list.
Learn one verb family
Do not learn "get up, get on, get off, get over" on four different days. Learn one verb with four meanings, and see the picture.
Get up. Get on the bus. Get off the bus. Get over a cold.
Use a picture or an action
Stand up when you say "get up". Pretend to press a switch for "turn off". Your body remembers what your eyes forget.
Learn the object
Many phrasal verbs need a certain object.
Turn off the light. Look after a child. Look for my keys.
Say the whole phrase, not only the verb.
Use three in your day
Choose three and use them out loud all day. That is more useful than ten on a list.
I get up at seven. I turn off the light. I look after my sister.
Accept the strange ones
Some phrasal verbs do not make sense word by word. "Give up" has nothing to do with giving. Just accept it.
Words to remember
- phrasal verb — a verb with a small word, like "turn off"
- object — the thing after the verb
- pattern — a shape you can use again
- accept — to take something as it is
Questions & answers
Q: How many phrasal verbs are there?
Hundreds. You do not need all of them. Learn the common ones first.
Q: Should I learn them from a list?
A list is a start, but use them in sentences. A list alone is easy to forget.
Q: Are phrasal verbs formal?
Many are informal. "Put off" is fine in speech; "postpone" is more formal in writing.
Q: How do I know which object goes where?
Learn the whole phrase. "Turn off the light" and "turn the light off" are both right for some verbs, but not all.
Q: Can I avoid phrasal verbs?
You can for a while, but they are everywhere in real English. Learn the common ones.