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6 Must-Know Business English Phrasal Verbs to Sound More Natural at Work (With Examples)
- Erin West
- Feb 20
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 24
Welcome to the Business English Phrasal Verbs Quiz!
Clear communication is key in any workplace. You need to give updates, share ideas, and make sure people understand you. In this article, you’ll learn six useful Business English phrasal verbs to help you sound more natural and confident. Let’s dive in!
Today’s Focus:
Learn 6 essential Business English phrasal verbs to express your ideas clearly, give feedback smoothly, and handle meetings like a pro.
Today’s Challenge:
Picture this! You had a meeting, and your coworker explained a problem but forgot some important points. What phrasal verb would you use?
I wasn’t completely sure what happened. He did explain the issue but ___ ___ some important details.
A) went through
B) left out
C) held onto
D) handed out
Pick the best answer and check how well you know these phrasal verbs!
Did you get it right?
GO THROUGH
phrasal verb
to carefully examine something
Before we actually decide on anything, we'd better go through the contract again.
The manager will go through the report to check for any errors.
We should go through the data before presenting it to the client.
She always goes through her emails first thing in the morning.
I’ll need to go through these documents before the meeting.
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LEAVE OUT
phrasal verb
to not include something
Don’t leave out any details when explaining the project to the team.
She accidentally left out her contact details in the email.
The manager felt something was left out in the proposal, which delayed the decision.
The instructions were unclear because they left out several critical steps.
Want more practice? Check out this article: 10 Common Business English Phrasal Verbs with “Out” That Professionals Actually Use (With Fun Quiz)
HOLD ONTO
phrasal verb
to keep something in your possession
You should hold onto your receipts for tax purposes.
It’s important to hold onto your ideas even if others don’t agree.
He advised us to hold onto our original plans for the next quarter.
She’s trying to hold onto her position despite the recent layoffs.
HAND OUT
phrasal verb
to distribute something to a group of people
The team leader will hand out the new project guidelines during the meeting.
The assistant handed out the brochures at the conference.
Please hand out the materials before the workshop begins.
The manager asked the receptionist to hand out the name tags to the attendees.
They handed out surveys to gather feedback after the seminar.
That's right! The correct answer is B) left out.
Learn More Essential Business English Phrasal Verbs
Great job on the quiz! Now, let’s look at some more useful Business English phrasal verbs. These expressions are very common at work, and they’ll help you sound more natural when talking to coworkers, clients, or managers.
Please follow the steps below.
Step 1. Match the phrasal verbs to the definitions.
1. bring up | a) to review something carefully |
2. point out | b) to make someone understand what you mean |
3. get a message/ point across | c) to not include something or someone |
4. follow up | d) to start talking about a topic, idea, or problem |
5. go over | e) to mention or show something important so others notice it |
6. leave out | f) to contact someone again after an earlier action or message |
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Step 2. Read the phrasal verbs and their definitions.
BRING something UP
phrasal verb
to start talking about a topic, idea, or problem
I’ll bring this up in tomorrow’s meeting.
She brought up a good question about the new policy.
Let’s bring it up with the client next week.
POINT something OUT
phrasal verb
to mention or show something important so others notice it
Thanks for pointing out that error in the report.
He pointed out some areas we need to improve.
I just wanted to point out that the deadline is next Friday.
GET a message/ point ACROSS
phrasal verb to make someone understand what you mean
We need to get our main message across clearly.
She’s good at getting her ideas across to the team.
I hope I got my point across during the presentation.
FOLLOW UP (with, on something)
phrasal verb
to contact someone again after an earlier action or message
I’ll follow up with you after the meeting.
Can you follow up on that email from the client?
She always follows up to make sure everyone is on track.
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GO OVER something
phrasal verb
to review something carefully
Let’s go over the plan one more time.
We need to go over the budget before we submit it.
The manager went over the new guidelines with us.
LEAVE something OUT
phrasal verb
to not include something or someone
Please don’t leave out any important details.
I think you left out a few numbers in this report.
They left out some key points in the presentation.
Step 3. Choose the correct phrasal verb to complete each sentence.
1.
I sent the proposal last week, so I’ll _____ tomorrow to see if they have any feedback.
A) bring up
B) follow up
C) point out
D) leave out
2.
I didn’t want to _____ the budget issues during lunch, so I waited until the meeting.
A) follow up
B) leave out
C) bring up
D) get across
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3.
During the presentation, Mika _____ that our sales numbers were higher than expected this quarter.
A) went over
B) followed up
C) got across
D) pointed out
4.
It took a few tries, but he finally _____ his concerns _____ to upper management.
A) got ... across
B) went ... over
C) left ... out
D) followed .... up
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5.
Before we sign the contract, our lawyer wants to _____ every detail of it.
A) follow up
B) go over
C) get across
D) leave out
6.
When you send the summary to the client, make sure you include the delivery timeline. Don’t _____.
A) go over it
B) leave it out
C) bring it up
D) get it across
Step 4. Leave us a comment! Write a sentence with one of the phrasal verbs and drop it in the comments below.
ANSWER KEY
Step 1.
1d
2e
3b
4f
5a
6c
Step 3.
1. I sent the proposal last week, so I’ll follow up tomorrow to see if they have any feedback.
2. I didn’t want to bring up the budget issues during lunch, so I waited until the meeting.
3. During the presentation, Mika pointed out that our sales numbers were higher than expected this quarter.
4. It took a few tries, but he finally got his concerns across to upper management.
5. Before we sign the contract, our lawyer wants to go over every detail of it.
6. When you send the summary to the client, make sure you include the delivery timeline. Don’t leave it out.
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