Phrasal Verbs
Although the discussion became heated, the chair managed to ________ the situation before it got out of control.
a) bring about
b) calm down
c) carry on
I ________ my keys again. This is the third time this week.
a) lost
b) have lost
c) had been losing
If you ________ water to 100°C, it ________.
a) will heat / is boiling
b) heat / boils
c) heated / would boil
After months of delays, the committee finally ________ a plan that everyone could accept.
a) came up with
b) backed away from
c) ran into
I’m afraid I can’t join you for lunch tomorrow; I ________ a client at 1 p.m.
a) will meet
b) am meeting
c) am going to meet
If he ________ a bit more diplomatic, he ________ this job with no problem.
a) is / will get
b) were / would get
c) has been / would have got
I don’t want to ________ your hopes, but given the budget cuts, your project is unlikely to receive funding this year.
a) build up
b) bring in
c) drag out
By the time the meeting started, several key participants ________ the building due to the fire alarm.
a) had already left
b) already left
c) have already left
If you ________ earlier, we ________ in time for the beginning of the lecture.
a) left / would arrive
b) had left / would have arrived
c) would leave / had arrived
The minister tried to ________ the scandal as a simple administrative error, but the public weren’t convinced.
a) come across
b) play down
c) turn into
He’s exhausted because he ________ on that report all night and still ________ it.
a) was working / doesn’t finish
b) has been working / hasn’t finished
c) worked / didn’t finish
If he ________ the warning signs, he wouldn’t be in this mess now.
a) had taken
b) took
c) would have taken
We really need someone who can ________ complex data and ________ clear strategies, instead of just drowning us in reports.
a) look into / give up
b) make sense of / lay out
c) get over / run into
If you ________ more carefully to the instructions, you wouldn’t be struggling with the software now.
a) listened
b) had listened
c) have listened
________ earlier, you’d have caught the last train home.
a) Had you left
b) If you would leave
c) Were you leaving