Phrasal Verbs

Infinitive: pick out
PRESENT TENSE
-ING FORM
PAST TENSE
PAST PARTICIPLE
pick out & picks out
picking out
picked out
picked out
1. pick . . . out p.v. When you choose something from a group because you prefer it to the
others in the group, you pick it out.
Have you picked out a dress to wear to the party yet?
Mike’s dog had puppies, and he asked me to pick one out.
2. pick . . . out p.v. When you are able to find and recognize something or someone in a
group, you pick that thing or person out.
Even though the class photo was fifty years old, I picked my father out easily.
The police detective asked me if I could pick the mugger out from a group of
photos.
Infinitive: pig out
PRESENT TENSE
-ING FORM
PAST TENSE
PAST PARTICIPLE
pig out & pigs out
pigging out
pigged out
pigged out
1. pig out p.v. Whe you eat a large amount of food usually in a greedy manner, you pig out.
I’m really full. All the food at the party was so good that I just totally lost control
and pigged out.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I always pig out and then fall asleep on the
sofa.
Infinitive: tear down
PRESENT TENSE
-ING FORM
PAST TENSE
PAST PARTICIPLE
vk.com/englishlibrary

---

tear down & tears
down
tearing down
tore down
torn down
1. tear . . . down p.v. When you tear down a building, you deliberately and completely
destroy it.
They tore so many old buildings down in my hometown that I barely recognize it.
A lot of smaller homes in the suburbs are being torn down and replaced with
larger ones.
Infinitive: work in
PRESENT TENSE
-ING FORM
PAST TENSE
PAST PARTICIPLE
work in & works in
working in
worked in
worked in
1. work . . . in p.v. When you make room, with some difficulty, for something in a schedule
or plan, you work it in.
We’re going to be in Chicago for only a couple of days, but I’ll try to work in a
Cubs game.
I told him my schedule was pretty tight, but that I’d try to work the meeting in.
PRACTICE
8-1. On a separate piece of paper, complete the sentences with phrasal verbs from this
unit. Be sure the phrasal verbs are in the correct tense and person.
1. The Leaning Tower of Pisa still hasn’t _____________ _____________.
2. Every year I have to replace the Christmas tree lights that have _____________
_____________.
3. The enemy was so strong that there was no way we could have _____________
_____________.
4. They’ll have to _____________ _____________ most of the buildings that were
damaged by the earthquake.
5. Sarah always tries to _____________ _____________ a little sightseeing on her business
trips.
6. My brother is pretty easy to _____________ _____________ in a crowd—he’s almost
seven feet tall.
vk.com/englishlibrary

---

7. If you haven’t _____________ _____________ a book yet, you’d better hurry—the
library’s closing in five minutes.
8. The firefighters decided to let the fire in the lumberyard _____________ itself
_____________.
9. I was really depressed last night, so I bought a pizza, a quart of ice cream, and a dozen
doughnuts, and I just _____________ _____________.
10. That old furnace could blow up. Are you sure it’s a good idea to _____________
_____________ with it?
11. When I told the waiter I was the owner of the restaurant, he _____________ all
_____________ himself trying to please me.
12. The taco stand moved across the street after it was _____________ _____________ by
the fire.
13. My son just _____________ _____________ after he gets home from school, and then
he does his homework after dinner.
14. I had to _____________ _____________ my fear as I waited for my turn to jump from
the plane.