Choose the sentences in which the phrasal verb is used correctly:
(A) Upset about losing the match, Kabir took it out on his little brother and shouted at him for nothing.
(B) Please stick out this notice on the board outside the staffroom.
(C) Mummy kept the frozen peas on the kitchen counter for an hour so that they could thaw out before lunch.
(D) Add up two spoons of sugar to the milk and stir it well.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → (A) and (C) only
A phrasal verb is a verb joined with a small word such as up, out or together. The two words together have a new meaning.
(A) Upset about losing the match, Kabir took it out on his little brother and shouted at him for nothing. — Correct. “Take out on” means to show your anger or bad mood by treating someone badly who did nothing wrong.
(B) Please stick out this notice on the board outside the staffroom. — Incorrect. “Stick out” means to come out beyond the edge of something, or to be easy to notice.
Correct form: Please put up this notice on the board outside the staffroom.
(C) Mummy kept the frozen peas on the kitchen counter for an hour so that they could thaw out before lunch. — Correct. “Thaw out” means to become soft again after being frozen.
(D) Add up two spoons of sugar to the milk and stir it well. — Incorrect. “Add up” means to find the total of a set of numbers.
Correct form: Add two spoons of sugar to the milk and stir it well.