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6 Business English Phrasal Verbs for Talking About Mistakes
- Erin West
- May 16
- 3 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Welcome to the Business English Phrasal Verbs Quiz!
Today’s Focus:
Essential phrasal verbs for talking about mistakes and how to handle them.
Today’s Challenge:
Picture this: you missed an important step and can’t stop replaying it in your mind. Which particle completes the sentence?
I keep beating myself _____ over that mistake in the meeting. I should’ve prepared better.
A) down
B) up
C) off
D) out
Choose the correct option and listen to the sentence.
Did you get it right?
BEAT - BEAT - BEATEN
BEAT DOWN
phrasal verb
to lower a price or amount
I beat down the price of the jacket at the market.
They beat down the cost of the project by using recycled materials.
We beat down our electricity bill by switching providers.
They’re beating down suppliers on delivery times.
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BEAT YOURSELF/ MYSELF UP
phrasal verb
to be very hard on yourself when you make a mistake
Don’t beat yourself up for getting lost. It might happen with anyone
He beat himself up all weekend because he forgot the meeting.
I always beat myself up when I miss a call from my boss.
BEAT OFF
phrasal verb
to push or drive away someone or something unwanted
At the picnic, we spent the afternoon beating off mosquitoes.
The goalie beat off shot after shot to keep us in the game.
BEAT OUT
phrasal verb
to do better than others and win something
Our small team beat out three larger teams in the competition.
She beat out her classmates for the top grade.
This new phone beat out all the old models in sales.
That's right! The correct answer is B) up.
Learn more Business English Phrasal Verbs for Talking About Mistakes
Step 1. Choose the correct word to complete each sentence.
Step 2. Match each phrasal verb to its definition.
OWN UP TO (something) | A) to do something wrong or make a mistake |
MESS UP | B) to do something good to correct or balance a mistake or delay |
SLIP UP | C) to say that you did something wrong and accept responsibility for it |
COVER UP | D) to try to hide a mistake or problem instead of fixing it |
MAKE UP FOR something | E) (informal) to make a small or careless mistake |
Step 3. Answer the question using 1-2 verbs from Step 2.
What’s a recent mistake you made, and how did you fix it?
ANSWER KEY WITH DEFINITIONS AND MORE EXAMPLES
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