In this lesson, we are going to focus on eight phrasal verbs and some collocations you can use to talk about work. 


WHAT IS IMPORTANT IN A JOB? 

New technologies change the way we work. Employers want to know that you can pick up new tasks and that you don't get frustrated when something goes wrong. You need sufficient knowledge and background suitable for the job you do. You should know how much work you can take on and how much time you need to complete a task. 

Teamwork is one of the main requirements when applying for a job. In other words, are you able to work effectively with others? You need to be able to collaborate with your colleagues and support each other. You and your team need to remember that you all work towards a common goal, which means you should be able to split up the work. 

​Employees also need to be able to work independently and resolve any problems as they come up. Problem-solving is an essential skill in the workplace, and this can make a significant difference in your career. The issues you face at work can be simple or more complex. So, being able to come up with solutions is key. While robots can take over more repetitive tasks, people still have to deal with real problems and their causes. 

Regardless of what your job is, you can always pick up new skills. It might take a while to figure out whether you actually enjoy your current job or not. You can experience multiple work environments and learn a lot of practical skills that will help you in the future when thinking about a career change. 

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VOCABULARY
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• pick something ↔ up (phrasal verb) - to get information or learn a skill without much effort 
• complete a task | finish a task (collocations) 
• take something ↔ on (phrasal verb) - to accept a job, task, or responsibility; to employ 
• in other words (phrase) - used when saying the same thing in a different way or explaining it 
• work towards a goal (collocation) 
• a common goal (collocation) 
• split something ↔ up (phrasal verb) - to divide something into two or more parts 
• solve a problem | resolve a problem (collocations) also fix a problem (informal) 
• come up (phrasal verb) - to happen unexpectedly; to become available (of a job) 
• come up with something (phrasal verb) - to think of an idea, a plan or a solution 
• take something ↔ over (phrasal verb) - to gain control of a company or have responsibility 
• deal with something (phrasal verb) - to take action to solve a problem, carry out a task 
• figure something ↔ out (phrasal verb) - to find the answer to something; to solve something 
• work environment | working environment (collocations) 
• a career change (collocation) 

READING COMPREHENSION TEST 


Complete the sentences with a phrasal verb from the list below. Use the correct form of the verb. Match each sentence with the appropriate phrasal verb. 

come up, come up with (x2), deal with, figure out, pick up (x2), split up (x2), take on (x2), take over 


       come up - to happen unexpectedly; to become available (of a job) ______________ 
       come up with something - to think of an idea, a plan or a solution ______________ 
       deal with something - to take action to solve a problem, carry out a task ______________ 
       figure something ↔ out - to find the answer to something; to solve sth ______________ 
       pick something ↔ up - to get information, learn a skill without much effort ______________ 
       split something ↔ up - to divide something into two or more parts ______________ 
       take something ↔ on - to accept a job, task, or responsibility; to employ ______________ 
       take something ↔ over - to gain control of a company or have responsibility ______________ 

1. You can ______________ ideas from other creative people. 
2. Is this the best idea you can ______________ ? 
3. I can't ______________ any more work at the moment. 
4. If you want to ______________ new skills, you can take some specialized courses. 
5. When ______________ difficult customers, it is important to give them your full attention. Avoid interrupting them, and remember to show empathy. 
6. You might get requests from other departments to help them by ______________ extra tasks outside of your traditional role. You should better set clear expectations so that you can focus on your actual priorities at work. 
7. The manager suggested ______________ the project into phases. 
8. After analyzing the data, the analyst was able to ______________ the cause of the problem. 
9. When we have a large project, we ______________ into teams to get more done. 
10. During the last meeting, our team ______________ a new idea to increase sales. 
11. I had to turn down that job offer because a better opportunity ______________ . 
12. I ______________ the job after he left. 

MULTIPLE-CHOICE TEST 


Each question provides four options, but only one is correct. Choose the correct phrasal verb that best completes each sentence. 


PHRASAL VERBS FOR WORK QUIZ 

1. By observing experienced colleagues, interns can ______ new skills that will benefit their career growth. 
A. take on 
B. pick up 
C. split up 
D. figure out 

2. Due to his tight schedule, Sebastian knew that he couldn't ______ any additional responsibilities at work. 
A. pick up 
B. come up with 
C. take on 
D. split up 

3. After the former project manager resigned, Charlotte was appointed to ______ his duties. 
A. deal with 
B. pick up 
C. figure out 
D. take over 

4. Our creative team has ______ some fresh ideas for our next product launch. 
A. picked up 
B. come up with 
C. split up 
D. taken over 

5. The project manager decided to __________ the workload among the team for better efficiency. 
A. take on 
B. pick up 
C. split up 
D. take over 

6. A sudden opportunity to work abroad ______, and she decided to take it. 
A. came up 
B. came up with 
C. took on 
D. took over 

7. This is the first time our company has ______ such a large project across multiple departments. 
A. taken over 
B. picked up 
C. figured out 
D. taken on 

8. After reviewing the sales analysis report, we ______ the main reason for the decline in revenue. 
A. took on 
B. split up 
C. figured out 
D. took over 

9. If a customer has a complaint, the best approach is to ______ it promptly. 
A. deal with 
B. come up with 
C. take over 
D. take on 

10. In order to meet the growing demand, the company has to ______ more staff. 
A. pick up 
B. take on 
C. take over 
D. come up with 

11. To successfully manage a team, you must be able to ______ tasks effectively. 
A. split up 
B. take over 
C. pick up 
D. figure out 

12. The company was losing money when we ______ it ______ . 
A. took ... over 
B. picked ... up 
C. took ... on 
D. split ... up 

13. After the acquisition, the new executive director is expected to ______ the acquired company's operations. 
A. pick up 
B. take on 
C. come up with 
D. take over 

14. When you encounter a challenging task in your job, it is crucial to ______ it in a calm and focused manner. 
A. take on 
B. come up with 
C. take over 
D. deal with 

15. To address the client's concerns, we must ______ a practical solution that satisfies all parties. 
A. pick up 
B. deal with 
C. come up with 
D. take over 



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Answers 


Reading Comprehension Test 

come up - to happen unexpectedly; to become available (of a job)    (11) 
come up with something - to think of an idea, a plan or a solution    (2, 10) 
deal with something - to take action to solve a problem, carry out a task    (5) 
figure something ↔ out - to find the answer to something; to solve sth    (8) 
pick something ↔ up - to get information, learn a skill without much effort    (1, 4) 
split something ↔ up - to divide something into two or more parts    (7, 9) 
take something ↔ on - to accept a job, task, or responsibility; to employ    (3, 6) 
take something ↔ over - to gain control of a company or have responsibility    (12) 


1. pick up 
2. come up with 
3. take on 
4. pick up 
5. dealing with 
6. taking on 
7. splitting up 
8. figure out 
9. split up 
10. came up with 
11. came up 
12. took over 


Multiple-choice Test 

Phrasal Verbs for Work Quiz 

1. B pick up 
2. C take on 
3. D take over 
4. B come up with 
5. C split up 
6. A came up 
7. D taken on 
8. C figured out 
9. A deal with 
10. B take on 
11. A split up 
12. A took ... over 
13. D take over 
14. D deal with 
15. C come up with 

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Other Business English lessons: 
Collocations with Job (Part 1) 
​Collocations with Job (Part 2) 
English Lesson: Jobs and Skills 
Business English: Working in an office 
Business English: Prepositions with WORK 
Business English: How to Talk about Money 
Business English: Collocations with Business 
Business English: How to Talk about Your Job Responsibilities 


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In this lesson, we will focus on eight phrasal verbs which are extremely common in English when we talk about phones and technology. Phrasal verbs need to be learned in phrases. We have included real-life examples so that it is easier for you to fix in your mind how they are used.

Try to understand phrasal verbs, but also use them in your own speaking and writing. 

Whenever you are reading anything in English, make notes of any phrasal verbs you find and write them down in complete phrases or sentences. 


PULL SOMETHING OUT | PULL SOMETHING OUT OF SOMETHING 
to take something out of somewhere by pulling 

Examples: 

• My hands are dirty. Can you please pull my phone out of this pocket and call Jessica? 
• She wasn't sure how to find the store so she pulled her phone out of her handbag and found the address on the map.  

PICK UP | PICK SOMETHING UP 
to answer a phone 
to receive an electronic signal (radio) 

Examples: 

• I couldn't pick up my phone because I was carrying too many shopping bags and I was on my way home. 
• You can pick up hundreds of stations 24 hours a day. 

CUT SOMEBODY <-> OFF 
to interrupt somebody who is speaking on the telephone by breaking the connection 

Example: 

• We were cut off in the middle of the call. 
• Sorry we were cut off. I took the lift and lost signal. 

PUT SOMEBODY/SOMETHING THROUGH TO SOMEBODY 
If you put a person or call through, you connect someone to the person they want to speak to on the telephone. 

Examples: 

• Can you put me through to the HR department, please? 
• Could you put me through to the manager, please? 

GET THROUGH 
to make contact with somebody by telephone

Examples: 

• I was trying to call you this morning but I couldn't get through - the line was engaged. 
• I finally got through to my mother after getting three busy signals. 
• After calling twice, I finally got through, but they told me they didn't have the book in stock. 
• Her colleagues tried to reach her on her mobile but they didn't manage to get through to her. 
• I couldn't get a signal on my cell phone while travelling so no one could get through to me for a few hours. 

HANG UP - HUNG UP - HUNG UP 
to end a telephone conversation by putting the telephone receiver down or switching the telephone off 

Examples: 

• I received a phone call from an unknown number so I hung up on it. 
• I called my Internet service provider to report a problem, but after saying he would check and call me back, he hung up on me without saying goodbye. 
• If you receive any unwanted calls, you can hang up or silent the call. 

PLUG INTO | PLUG SOMETHING INTO SOMETHING 
to connect a computer to a computer system 
to connect a piece of equipment to an electricity supply or to another piece of equipment 
​​
Examples: 

• All our computers are plugged into the main network. 
• When you buy a printer, you need to install it. To do that, you need to plug your printer into your computer using a USB cable. Make sure that the printer is close enough so that the cable can easily reach your computer. 

TOP UP 
to increase the amount of something (e.g. money) to the level you want or need 

Examples: 

• ​I need to top up my mobile phone. (= pay more money so you can make more calls) 
• I'm using a prepaid mobile service so when I need to recharge, I top up my credit over the phone or via text. 

Exercise 

Complete the sentences with a phrasal verb from the list below. Use the correct form of the verb: 
pull out, cut off (x2), get through (x2), hang up (x4), put through, plug into, top up (x2), pick up (x2) 
​

1. Sorry, I have to .................... now. I need to buy a train ticket. 
2. I was .................... for not paying my phone bill. 
3. It's rude to .................... the phone without saying goodbye.  
4. Every time I try to get through to my friend, his phone goes to voicemail. 
5. I .................... my phone and took a few pictures while I was travelling by taxi. 
6. Please hold the line, I'm .................... you .................... 
7. Your printer must be .................... a power source. 
8. My mobile is pay-as-you-go so I have to .................... my credit from time to time. 
9. Let me speak to her before you .................... 
10. Hi again. Sorry we were .................... I was calling you to ask you about tomorrow's meeting. 
11. I tried calling you several times this morning but I couldn't .................... 
12. Sorry, I couldn't call earlier. I forgot to .................... my credit. 
13. I called them on the landline but nobody .................... 
14. My friend .................... the phone without saying goodbye. 
15. We were able to .................... radio stations from far away. 

Answers:
1; hang up; 2. cut off; 3. hang up; 4. get through; 5. pulled out; 6. putting ... through; 7. plugged into; 
​8. top up; 9. hang up; 10. cut off; 11. get through; 12. top up; 13. picked up; 14. hung up; 15. pick up; 


​Click below to read some of our IELTS related lessons:
Causes and Effects of Migration from Rural Ares to Cities 
IELTS: Advantages and Disadvantages of Using the Internet  
Social Media Addiction: Causes, Effects and Possible Solutions 

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Other lessons: 
Business English: Working in an office  
Business English: How to Talk about Your Job Responsibilities
English Lesson: Jobs and Skills 
Collocations with Job (Part 1) 
Collocations with Job (Part 2) 
Commonly Used Phrases in Spoken English 


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