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Business English Phrasal Verbs for Professional Communication (Quiz + Real Work Context)
- Jan 31, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 20
When you promise a deadline or a fix, the way you talk about it matters. In this short lesson, you’ll learn a few common Business English phrasal verbs people use in everyday work communication to handle deadlines, delays, and last-minute changes. Let’s start with a quick challenge.
Today’s Challenge
It’s 11:05 a.m. Monday. You manage a team at a software company. Your job is to fix checkout problems for online stores.
Your client, Northside Market, had a bug last week: some customers were charged twice. On Friday, you emailed them that it would be fixed before noon today - they need it before the sale starts.
Your engineer fixed the double-charge problem. But when you test it, some payments don’t go through. One teammate says you still have to release it before noon. Another says you can’t release it like this.
You say:
We told them noon. We can’t go back on that now. If we don’t _____ on our promises, we’ll start losing clients.
A) hold off
B) back out
C) follow through
D) put off
Business English phrasal verbs: meaning and examples
Here’s a quick breakdown of the options.
hold off
phrasal verb
to wait and do it later
Let’s hold off on sending the email until we confirm the numbers.
We should hold off on the release until QA signs off.
Can we hold off on this decision until we hear back from the client?
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back out
phrasal verb
to decide not to do something you agreed to do
They backed out of the deal at the last minute.
If we back out now, it’ll damage the relationship.
He agreed to cover the shift, then backed out this morning.
follow through (on)
phrasal verb
to do what you said you would do
We said we’d fix it by noon, so we need to follow through.
She always follows through on her promises.
If we don’t follow through, the client will lose trust.
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put off
phrasal verb
to delay something
Let’s put off the meeting until tomorrow morning.
We had to put off the launch because the system wasn’t ready.
Don’t put it off - this needs an answer today.
That's right! The correct answer is C) follow through.
Practice the Business English phrasal verbs you learned
Read the scenario. Respond using the phrasal verb. Then listen to the example answer.
Before we send it
You’re about to send the contract to the client. Your teammate says, Just send it. But your lawyer hasn’t looked at the new clause yet.
Respond using *hold off
Let’s hold off for now. I want our lawyer to review that new clause first, just to make sure we’re covered.
Want more workplace scenarios like this? In Pro Vocabulary Lab, you’ll practice phrasal verbs through realistic workplace scenarios and short dialogues.
Erin West is a Business English educator, writer, and founder of RealBusinessEnglish.com. She creates practical lessons, quizzes, and learning materials that help professionals use clear, natural, and confident English at work — with just the right amount of fun.
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