What are Phrasal Verbs?

Phrasal verb is the name given to an English verb which is composed of two or three words. One verb is combined with a preposition (like on, in, under) or an adverb (like up, down, away). Sometimes a phrasal verb can have a meaning that is very different to the meaning of at least one of those two or three words separately. Some text books call these verbs multi-word verbs. Phrasal verbs are used more frequently in everyday speech than in formal, official writing or speaking.

Here are some examples:

To Think Up
I need to think up an excuse for not going to her party.
To Come Into
He came into a large sum of money when his aunt died.
To Tire Out
Speaking english all day tires me out.
To Look Up To
He looks up to his father.
To Carry On With
I want you to carry on with the project while I am out of town.