Phrasal Verbs with In, Out, On, and Off

In and Out

In often means into a place. Out often means out of a place.

Movement and access

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
`get in`	enter	`How did the thieves get in?`
`get out`	leave, exit	`Stay in the car. Do not get out.`
`check in`	register at a hotel or airport	`We checked in at the airport.`
`check out`	leave a hotel and pay	`We checked out and got a taxi.`
`move in`	start living in a new home	`I am moving in on Friday.`
`move out`	stop living in a home	`She moved out a few weeks ago.`

I have got a new flat. I am moving in on Friday.

She climbed out of the pool.

Other verbs + in

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
`drop in`	visit without arranging	`I dropped in to see Chris on my way home.`
`join in`	take part in something	`They were playing cards, so I joined in.`
`plug in`	connect to electricity	`The fridge is not working because you have not plugged it in.`
`fill in / fill out`	complete a form	`Please fill in the application form.`
`take in`	deceive somebody	`The man said he was a policeman. I was completely taken in.`

Other verbs + out

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
`eat out`	eat at a restaurant	`We decided to eat out tonight.`
`drop out`	stop before finishing	`He dropped out of university after a year.`
`get out of`	avoid something you arranged	`I cannot get out of it now.`
`leave out`	omit, not include	`You can leave out the word "that".`
`cross out`	draw a line through	`Some names had been crossed out.`

On and Off

Lights, machines, and devices

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
`turn on / switch on`	start a device	`Please turn on the light.`
`turn off / switch off`	stop a device	`I switched off the heating.`
`put on`	start (music, kettle)	`Let us put some music on.`

"Is the heating on?" "No, I switched it off."

Events and plans

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
`go on`	happen	`What is going on?` (= What is happening?)
`call off`	cancel	`The concert was called off because of the weather.`
`put off`	delay	`We cannot put off making a decision.`

Clothes and appearance

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
`put on`	wear clothes, glasses, etc.	`I put my gloves on.`
`take off`	remove clothes, glasses, etc.	`I took off my coat.`
`try on`	test clothes for size	`I tried on a jacket in the shop.`
`put on weight`	become heavier	`I have put on two kilos.`

Travel and departure

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
`set off`	start a journey	`We set off early to avoid traffic.`
`take off`	leave the ground (planes)	`The plane took off at noon.`
`see off`	go with someone to say goodbye	`We went to the station to see her off.`
`be off`	going to a place	`I am off to Paris tomorrow.`

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Better	Why
`She eats out a lot of food.`	`She eats out a lot.`	`Eat out` means eat at a restaurant.
`I turned off it.`	`I turned it off.`	A pronoun object goes between the verb and the particle.
`He checked out of the hotel and went away.`	`He checked out and got a taxi.`	`Check out` already implies leaving the hotel.
`The meeting was put off to next week.`	`The meeting has been put off until next week.`	Use `put off` with `until` for delays.

Practice: Exercises

1 / 15

Lisa doesn't like cooking, so she ___ a lot.

Summary

In / Out: Use in for entering and out for leaving. Common verbs include get in/out, check in/out, move in/out, eat out, drop out, fill in, and join in.

On / Off: Use on for starting devices and events, and off for stopping or removing. Common verbs include turn on/off, put on (clothes, music), take off (clothes, planes), call off, put off, set off, and try on.

Remember: with a pronoun object, put it between the verb and the particle.