Phrasal Verbs & Prepositions: 50 Phrasal Verbs + 30 Preposition Rules with PSC MCQs
Essential phrasal verbs and preposition rules for Kerala PSC exams — 50 important phrasal verbs with meanings, 30 preposition rules, and PSC-pattern practice MCQs.
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Phrasal verbs and prepositions are among the most frequently tested English topics in Kerala PSC exams. Typically 3-5 questions per paper. This note provides 50 essential phrasal verbs and 30 preposition rules followed by PSC-pattern MCQs.
1. Important Phrasal Verbs — Group A (Break, Bring, Call, Carry, Come)
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Break down | Stop functioning; collapse emotionally | The car broke down on the highway. |
| Break into | Enter by force | Thieves broke into the shop at night. |
| Break out | Start suddenly (war, disease, fire) | A fire broke out in the building. |
| Break up | End a relationship; disperse | The police broke up the crowd. |
| Bring about | Cause to happen | The new policy brought about many changes. |
| Bring up | Raise (a child); mention a topic | She was brought up by her grandmother. |
| Bring out | Publish; reveal | The author brought out a new book. |
| Call off | Cancel | The match was called off due to rain. |
| Call on | Visit; request someone to speak | The teacher called on the student to answer. |
| Call for | Demand; require | The situation calls for immediate action. |
| Carry on | Continue | Carry on with your work. |
| Carry out | Execute; perform | The doctor carried out the surgery. |
| Come across | Find by chance | I came across an old photograph. |
| Come about | Happen | How did this come about? |
| Come up with | Suggest; think of | She came up with a brilliant idea. |
2. Important Phrasal Verbs — Group B (Cut, Do, Fall, Get, Give)
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Cut down | Reduce | You should cut down on sugar. |
| Cut off | Disconnect; isolate | The village was cut off by floods. |
| Do away with | Abolish; get rid of | The government did away with the old tax. |
| Do without | Manage without | We cannot do without water. |
| Fall behind | Lag; fail to keep pace | He fell behind in his studies. |
| Fall through | Fail to materialise | The deal fell through at the last moment. |
| Fall out | Quarrel | They fell out over a trivial matter. |
| Get along | Have a good relationship | She gets along well with her colleagues. |
| Get over | Recover from | It took months to get over the illness. |
| Get rid of | Eliminate | We must get rid of mosquitoes. |
| Get through | Complete; pass | He got through the examination easily. |
| Give away | Distribute free; reveal | She gave away all her old clothes. |
| Give in | Surrender; yield | The rebels finally gave in. |
| Give up | Stop doing; abandon | He gave up smoking last year. |
| Give off | Emit | The flowers give off a pleasant fragrance. |
3. Important Phrasal Verbs — Group C (Go, Hold, Keep, Look, Make)
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Go through | Experience; examine | She went through a difficult time. |
| Go on | Continue; happen | What is going on here? |
| Go off | Explode; ring (alarm); spoil (food) | The alarm went off at 6 AM. |
| Hold on | Wait | Hold on, I will be there in a minute. |
| Hold up | Delay; rob | The traffic held us up for an hour. |
| Keep up | Maintain pace | He could not keep up with the class. |
| Keep on | Continue doing | She kept on talking despite the warning. |
| Look after | Take care of | Who looks after the children? |
| Look forward to | Anticipate with pleasure | I look forward to meeting you. |
| Look into | Investigate | The police are looking into the matter. |
| Look up | Search for information | Look up the word in a dictionary. |
| Look down on | Despise | Do not look down on the poor. |
| Make out | Understand; decipher | I could not make out what he said. |
| Make up | Invent (a story); reconcile | They quarrelled but made up soon. |
| Make up for | Compensate | He worked hard to make up for lost time. |
4. Important Phrasal Verbs — Group D (Put, Run, Set, Take, Turn)
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Put off | Postpone | The meeting was put off to next week. |
| Put up with | Tolerate | I cannot put up with this noise. |
| Put out | Extinguish | The firefighters put out the fire. |
| Run into | Meet by chance; collide | I ran into my old friend at the market. |
| Run out of | Exhaust supply | We ran out of petrol on the way. |
| Set out | Begin a journey; start doing | They set out early in the morning. |
| Set up | Establish | She set up a new business. |
| Take after | Resemble (parent) | She takes after her mother. |
| Take off | Remove; depart (aircraft); become successful | The plane took off at 9 AM. |
| Take over | Assume control | The new manager took over last Monday. |
| Turn down | Reject; reduce volume | She turned down the job offer. |
| Turn up | Arrive; appear | He turned up late for the meeting. |
| Turn out | Result; prove to be | The event turned out to be a success. |
5. Preposition Rules — 30 Essential Rules
Rules for Time Prepositions
| Rule | Correct Usage | Incorrect Usage |
|---|---|---|
| At for exact time | at 5 o’clock, at noon, at midnight, at dawn | on 5 o’clock |
| On for days/dates | on Monday, on 15 August, on my birthday | in Monday |
| In for months/years/seasons/centuries | in January, in 2024, in summer, in the 21st century | on January, at 2024 |
| Since for point of time (with perfect tense) | since 2010, since Monday, since morning | since two hours |
| For for period of time | for two hours, for three years, for a long time | since two hours |
| By for deadline | by tomorrow, by 5 PM, by next week | till tomorrow (for deadline) |
| During for named period | during the vacation, during the war | during two hours |
| Within for “before the end of” | within a week, within an hour | — |
Rules for Place Prepositions
| Rule | Correct Usage | Incorrect Usage |
|---|---|---|
| At for exact point/address | at the bus stop, at 22 Park Street | in the bus stop |
| In for enclosed space/area | in the room, in India, in the box | at the room |
| On for surface | on the table, on the wall, on the floor | in the table |
| Between for two | between India and China | among India and China |
| Among for more than two | among all the students | between all the students |
Common Preposition Errors in PSC Exams
| Rule No. | Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Congratulate ON | Congratulate for |
| 15 | Insist ON | Insist for |
| 16 | Consist OF | Consist in (different meaning) |
| 17 | Depend ON | Depend upon (less formal, both accepted) |
| 18 | Interested IN | Interested about |
| 19 | Good AT (skill) | Good in |
| 20 | Arrive AT (small place) / IN (city/country) | Arrive to |
| 21 | Married TO | Married with |
| 22 | Die OF (disease) | Die from disease |
| 23 | Angry WITH (person) / AT (thing) | Angry on |
| 24 | Agree WITH (person) / TO (proposal) | Agree for |
| 25 | Satisfied WITH | Satisfied from |
| 26 | Eligible FOR | Eligible to (as preposition) |
| 27 | Superior TO / Inferior TO | Superior than / Inferior than |
| 28 | Prefer A TO B | Prefer A than B |
| 29 | Prevented FROM | Prevented to |
| 30 | Accuse OF | Accuse for |
6. Prepositions After Common Adjectives
| Adjective + Preposition | Example |
|---|---|
| Afraid OF | She is afraid of dogs. |
| Fond OF | He is fond of music. |
| Jealous OF | She is jealous of her colleague. |
| Tired OF | I am tired of waiting. |
| Familiar WITH | He is familiar with the topic. |
| Responsible FOR | She is responsible for the project. |
| Devoted TO | He is devoted to his family. |
| Keen ON | She is keen on learning French. |
| Anxious ABOUT | He is anxious about the results. |
| Proud OF | She is proud of her son. |
7. PSC-Pattern Practice MCQs
Q1. The fire _____ in the chemical factory at midnight.
(A) broke down (B) broke out (C) broke up (D) broke into
Answer: (B) broke out — “break out” means to start suddenly (fire, war, disease)
Q2. She takes _____ her mother in appearance.
(A) after (B) to (C) up (D) off
Answer: (A) after — “take after” means to resemble a parent
Q3. The meeting has been _____ to next Monday.
(A) put off (B) put out (C) put up (D) put down
Answer: (A) put off — “put off” means to postpone
Q4. He has been living in Delhi _____ 2015.
(A) for (B) since (C) from (D) by
Answer: (B) since — “since” is used for a point of time with perfect continuous tense
Q5. She is married _____ a doctor.
(A) with (B) to (C) by (D) from
Answer: (B) to — correct preposition is “married to”
Q6. I cannot put up _____ this behaviour.
(A) to (B) for (C) with (D) on
Answer: (C) with — “put up with” means to tolerate
Q7. He arrived _____ the airport on time.
(A) in (B) to (C) at (D) on
Answer: (C) at — “arrive at” for specific locations; “arrive in” for cities/countries
Q8. The police are looking _____ the case.
(A) after (B) into (C) on (D) for
Answer: (B) into — “look into” means to investigate
Q9. The old building was pulled _____ last week.
(A) up (B) off (C) down (D) out
Answer: (C) down — “pull down” means to demolish
Q10. This book consists _____ ten chapters.
(A) in (B) off (C) with (D) of
Answer: (D) of — “consist of” means to be made up of
Q11. She is superior _____ her colleagues in performance.
(A) than (B) from (C) to (D) over
Answer: (C) to — “superior to” (never “superior than”)
Q12. The rebels had to give _____ to the army.
(A) up (B) in (C) off (D) away
Answer: (B) in — “give in” means to surrender
Q13. He came _____ an old coin while digging.
(A) about (B) across (C) along (D) around
Answer: (B) across — “come across” means to find by chance
Q14. They called _____ the strike after negotiations.
(A) on (B) for (C) off (D) up
Answer: (C) off — “call off” means to cancel
Q15. I prefer tea _____ coffee.
(A) than (B) over (C) from (D) to
Answer: (D) to — “prefer A to B” (not “prefer A than B”)
8. PSC Quick Revision — One-Liners
- Break out = start suddenly (fire/war); Break down = stop working
- Call off = cancel; Carry out = execute
- Give in = surrender; Give up = abandon
- Look into = investigate; Look after = take care of
- Put off = postpone; Put up with = tolerate
- Take after = resemble parent; Take over = assume control
- Since = point of time; For = period of time
- Married TO (not with); Arrive AT place / IN city
- Superior TO (never “than”); Prefer A TO B (never “than”)
- Among = more than two; Between = two
- Congratulate ON; Insist ON; Consist OF; Depend ON
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