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
b) calm down
I ________ my keys again. This is the third time this week.
a) lost b) have lost c) had been losing
b) have lost
If you ________ water to 212°F, it ________.
a) will heat / is boiling b) heat / boils c) heated / would boil
b) heat / boils
The manager insisted on ___ the proposal before Friday.
a) review b) reviewing c) reviewed
b) reviewing
He’s considering ___ abroad for a year to improve his language skills.
a) to study
b) studying
c) having studied
After months of delays, the committee finally ________ a plan that everyone could accept.
a) came up with b) backed away from c) ran into
a) came up with
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
b) am meeting
If he ________ a bit more diplomatic, he ________ that job with no problem.
a) is / will get b) were / would get c) has been / would have got
b) were / would get
___ by the unexpected delay, he decided to reschedule the meeting.
a) Frustrating b) Frustrated c) To frustrate
b) Frustrated
She has no interest ___ attending another three-hour meeting.
a) for
b) in
c) to
I don’t want to ________ your hopes ________, but given the budget cuts, your project is likely to receive funding this year.
a) build up b) bring in c) drag out
a) build up
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
a) had already left
If you ________ earlier, we ________ on time for the beginning of the lecture.
a) left / would arrive b) had left / would have arrived c) would leave / had arrived
b) had left / would have arrived
She walked into the room, her eyes ___ on the confusing chart projected on the wall.
a) fixing
b) fixed
c) to fix
The report ___ you claimed was 'nearly finished' is still blank.
a) which
b) that
c) what
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
b) play down
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
b) has been working / hasn’t finished
If he ________ the warning signs, he wouldn’t be in this mess now.
a) had taken b) took c) would have taken
a) had taken
He admitted ___ the data without checking the original source.
a) having misinterpreted
b) misinterpreting
c) to misinterpret
Only after the lights went out ___ the generator actually working.
a) did he realise
b) he realised
c) was he realising
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
b) make sense of / lay out
If you ________ more carefully to the instructions, you wouldn’t be struggling with the software now.
a) listened b) had listened c) have listened
b) had listened
________ earlier, you’d have caught the last train home.
a) Had you left b) If you would leave c) Were you leaving
a) Had you left
___ the report thoroughly, he would have avoided the misunderstanding altogether.
a) Having read
b) Being read
c) To have been reading
He denied ___ the confidential document, despite there being clear evidence on his laptop.
a) to download
b) having downloaded
c) to have been downloading