Phrasal Verbs for Academic English: 30 Examples With Meanings

Phrasal verbs are everywhere in spoken English, and many of them appear in academic writing too. Students often avoid them because they seem informal, or use the wrong ones in an essay because nobody has told them which are acceptable. This guide gives you 30 phrasal verbs that are genuinely useful at university, grouped by where you will meet them, with a meaning, an example sentence and, where it matters, a more formal alternative for your writing.

What is a phrasal verb?

A phrasal verb is a verb plus one or two small words (particles) such as up, out, into or on. The particle changes the meaning, often in a way you cannot guess: to look into a problem means to investigate it, not to look inside it.

Some phrasal verbs are separable, which means the object can go between the verb and the particle: you can carry out a survey or carry a survey out. With a pronoun, it must go in the middle: carry it out, not carry out it. Others are inseparable: you look into the issue, never look the issue into. A good learner's dictionary shows which type each verb is.

Can you use phrasal verbs in academic writing?

Yes, but choose them carefully. Many phrasal verbs are completely normal in academic writing: researchers carry out studies, findings account for a proportion of cases, and authors draw on earlier work. Others sound conversational in an essay, and a one-word verb is usually better.

In essays and reports: use a phrasal verb when it is the normal term in your subject, such as carry out research. Otherwise prefer the formal alternative: establish rather than find out, review rather than go over.
In seminars, presentations and speaking tests: use phrasal verbs freely. They make you sound natural, and in IELTS Speaking the higher band descriptors reward less common and idiomatic vocabulary used appropriately.
In emails to lecturers: neutral ones such as hand in and sign up are fine.

30 phrasal verbs for university

Each verb has a meaning, an example and, where useful, a formal alternative for written assignments.

Research and analysis

carry out: to do or complete a task such as research or an experiment. The team carried out a survey of 500 students. Formal alternative: conduct.
look into: to investigate. This study looks into the reasons students leave their courses early. Formal alternative: investigate, examine.
point out: to draw attention to something. Smith (2019) points out that the sample was small. Formal alternative: note, observe.
find out: to discover information. We wanted to find out whether attendance affected grades. Formal alternative: establish, determine.
set out: to present ideas or plans in an organised way. The report sets out three recommendations. Formal alternative: present, outline.
break down: to divide into smaller parts. The results are broken down by age group. Formal alternative: divide, categorise.
account for: to explain something, or to make up part of a total. Women accounted for 60% of participants. Already acceptable in formal writing.
rule out: to exclude a possibility. The data do not rule out other explanations. Formal alternative: exclude, eliminate.
back up: to support with evidence. Back up every claim with a reliable source. Formal alternative: support, substantiate.
draw on: to use a source or experience. The essay draws on interview data from three schools. Already acceptable in formal writing.
come up with: to think of an idea or answer. Students had to come up with their own research questions. Formal alternative: devise, propose.
work out: to calculate or solve. First, work out the mean score for each group. Formal alternative: calculate, determine.

Discussion and argument

bring up: to raise a topic. She brought up an important limitation in the seminar. Formal alternative: raise.
sum up: to summarise. To sum up, the evidence supports the first hypothesis. Formal alternative: summarise, conclude.
put forward: to propose an idea or theory. Darwin put forward the theory of natural selection. Formal alternative: propose, advance.
go into: to discuss in detail. There is not enough space here to go into the history of the policy. Formal alternative: discuss, examine.
touch on: to mention briefly. The lecture only touched on research ethics. Formal alternative: refer briefly to.
stem from: to be caused by or originate in. Many errors stem from direct translation. Formal alternative: result from, derive from.
lead to: to cause or result in. Lack of sleep can lead to poorer exam performance. Formal alternative: result in, cause.
deal with: to address or discuss a topic. The second chapter deals with funding. Formal alternative: address, examine.
go over: to check or review. Go over your draft before you submit it. Formal alternative: review, revise.
weigh up: to consider the advantages and disadvantages. The essay weighs up the costs and benefits of online learning. Formal alternative: evaluate, assess.

Study and campus life

hand in: to submit work. Hand in your essay through the online portal by Friday. Formal alternative: submit.
sign up (for): to register. Sign up for the writing workshop before Monday. Formal alternative: register, enrol.
look up: to search for information in a dictionary or database. Look up any unfamiliar terms before the seminar. Formal alternative: consult, check.
read up on: to read a lot about a topic. Read up on the main theories before you choose a dissertation topic.
fall behind: to fail to keep up with work. It is easy to fall behind if you miss lectures.
catch up on: to do work you have missed. I need to catch up on two weeks of reading.
drop out (of): to leave a course before finishing it. Fewer students dropped out of the course after the changes. Formal alternative: withdraw from.
keep up with: to stay at the same level or pace. Weekly reading helps you keep up with the course.

Common mistakes

Pronoun in the wrong place: write carry it out, not carry out it.
Splitting an inseparable verb: write look into the issue, not look the issue into.
Wrong particle: write deal with, not deal about, and focus on, not focus in.
Informal verbs in essays: in an assignment, establish or determine reads better than find out.

Quick practice

Complete each sentence with a phrasal verb from this page, in the correct form.

The researchers ______ a series of interviews with teachers.
Please ______ your assignment through the online portal by 5 pm.
International students ______ almost a third of the cohort.
In her talk, the professor ______ that the data were incomplete.
These results do not ______ the possibility of a second cause.
I missed two weeks of lectures, so I need to ______ my reading.
Many of the errors ______ direct translation from the first language.
Before choosing a topic, ______ the main theories in your field.

Answers: 1 carried out, 2 hand in, 3 account for, 4 pointed out, 5 rule out, 6 catch up on, 7 stem from, 8 read up on.

Frequently asked questions

Are phrasal verbs informal?

Some are and some are not. Verbs such as carry out, account for and draw on are standard in academic writing, while find out, go over and come up with sound conversational in an essay. If in doubt, use the formal alternative in writing and save the phrasal verb for speaking.

Should I use phrasal verbs in IELTS?

In Speaking, yes. Using phrasal verbs naturally and accurately shows the examiner a wider vocabulary range. In Writing Task 2, choose neutral ones such as account for, or use a single-word verb.

What is the difference between separable and inseparable phrasal verbs?

With a separable verb, the object can go between the verb and the particle (carry the survey out), and a pronoun must go there (carry it out). With an inseparable verb, the object always comes after the particle (look into the problem).

How can I learn phrasal verbs effectively?

Learn them in groups by context rather than in alphabetical lists, always with an example sentence, and write a sentence of your own about your studies for each new verb. Reviewing them a few days later helps them stick.

If you would like help using academic vocabulary accurately in your writing and speaking, take a look at my one-to-one online lessons. You might also find my guides to IELTS Speaking and academic essay structure useful.

Phrasal Verbs for Academic English: 30 Examples With Meanings

What is a phrasal verb?

A phrasal verb is a verb plus one or two small words (particles) such as up, out, into or on. The particle changes the meaning, often in a way you cannot guess: to look into a problem means to investigate it, not to look inside it.

Can you use phrasal verbs in academic writing?

Yes, but choose them carefully. Many phrasal verbs are completely normal in academic writing: researchers carry out studies, findings account for a proportion of cases, and authors draw on earlier work. Others sound conversational in an essay, and a one-word verb is usually better.

30 phrasal verbs for university

Each verb has a meaning, an example and, where useful, a formal alternative for written assignments.

Research and analysis

Discussion and argument

Study and campus life

Common mistakes

Quick practice

​Complete each sentence with a phrasal verb from this page, in the correct form.

The researchers ______ a series of interviews with teachers.

Please ______ your assignment through the online portal by 5 pm.

International students ______ almost a third of the cohort.

In her talk, the professor ______ that the data were incomplete.

These results do not ______ the possibility of a second cause.

I missed two weeks of lectures, so I need to ______ my reading.

Many of the errors ______ direct translation from the first language.

Before choosing a topic, ______ the main theories in your field. Answers: 1 carried out, 2 hand in, 3 account for, 4 pointed out, 5 rule out, 6 catch up on, 7 stem from, 8 read up on.

​Frequently asked questions