PHRASAL VERBS WITH CALL — EXERCISE 1 (ESL)
level: Advanced (C1/C2)
Several call phrasal verb combinations have meanings that differ significantly from a literal reading of verb + particle. This exercise practices the most important ones in context, so you can see how the full idiom — rather than the individual parts — carries the meaning.
ABOUT PHRASAL VERBS WITH CALL
Call has a strong association with communication and summoning — and its phrasal forms extend those ideas in interesting ways. Some combinations stay close to the idea of voice or contact (call back, call up); others develop more figurative meanings around cancellation, demand, or obligation.
One pattern worth noting: when call combines with for, it almost always means to demand or require something — a meaning quite removed from the literal act of calling. Similarly, call off has nothing to do with going away — it means canceling. These shifts from literal to figurative are typical of phrasal verbs at C1/C2 level.
These verbs appear frequently in news English, professional communication, and everyday conversation, so they’re well worth knowing.
Call has a strong association with communication and summoning — and its phrasal forms extend those ideas in interesting ways. Some combinations stay close to the idea of voice or contact (call back, call up); others develop more figurative meanings around cancellation, demand, or obligation.
One pattern worth noting: when call combines with for, it almost always means to demand or require something — a meaning quite removed from the literal act of calling. Similarly, call off has nothing to do with going away — it means canceling. These shifts from literal to figurative are typical of phrasal verbs at C1/C2 level.
These verbs appear frequently in news English, professional communication, and everyday conversation, so they’re well worth knowing.
TRY ALL OF OUR PHRASAL VERB EXERCISES:
Phrasal verbs (mixed) 1 (I/A)
Phrasal verbs (mixed) 2 (I/A)
Phrasal verbs (to break +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to call +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to come +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to go +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to make +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to pull +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to put +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to run +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to stand +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to take +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to turn +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to get +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to get +) 2 (C1/C2)
Transitive/intransitive phrasal verbs 1 (I)
Separable/inseparable phrasal verbs 1 (I/A)
Separable/inseparable phrasal verbs 2 (I/A)
Phrasal verbs list — the most common phrasal verbs in everyday English
Phrasal verbs (mixed) 1 (I/A)
Phrasal verbs (mixed) 2 (I/A)
Phrasal verbs (to break +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to call +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to come +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to go +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to make +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to pull +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to put +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to run +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to stand +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to take +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to turn +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to get +) 1 (C1/C2)
Phrasal verbs (to get +) 2 (C1/C2)
Transitive/intransitive phrasal verbs 1 (I)
Separable/inseparable phrasal verbs 1 (I/A)
Separable/inseparable phrasal verbs 2 (I/A)
Phrasal verbs list — the most common phrasal verbs in everyday English
