English skills and support
Phrasal verbs Phrasal verbs are made up of a verb followed by a preposition. Prepositions are usually short words, for example: in, on, at, by, from, up. Phrasal verbs are used a lot in English and science. Each phrasal verb can have many meanings, but these are common uses of phrasal verbs with ‘out’ in science.
PL E
Verbs used without a preposition have one meaning, but when you add a preposition to the verb it has a different meaning. Carry and carry out are used a lot in science, so it is important to know the difference. Verb
Preposition
Meaning
Example
carry
out
to do an activity
I carried out the experiment on my own.
give
out
emit
Some chemical reactions give out heat.
to open, arrange or place something over a large area
When potassium manganate (VII) is placed in water, the particles spread out and mix with the water particles.
out
discover
I want to find out if paper aluminium is magnetic.
out
use every last available part or piece/having nothing left
The engine will stop if it runs out of fuel.
confuse
Don’t mix up the meaning of reflection and refraction.
create
The colour magenta is made up of red and blue.
SA
find
out
M
spread
run
mix
make
up
up
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