Question 1

What phrasal verbs are most useful for business emails?

Accepted Answer

The most useful phrasal verbs for professional emails include: "follow up" (contact someone again about something: "I'm following up on my previous email"), "get back to" (reply to someone: "I'll get back to you by Friday"), "look into" (investigate: "We're looking into the issue you reported"), "carry out" (perform or complete: "We carried out a full review of the system"), "draw up" (prepare a formal document: "I'll draw up a contract and send it over"), and "set up" (arrange: "Could we set up a meeting for next week?"). These phrasal verbs sound professional yet natural in written business English. They are common in Cambridge B2 and C1 exams, particularly in the writing sections.

Question 2

What is the difference between hand in and hand out?

Accepted Answer

"Hand in" and "hand out" describe opposite directions of giving. "Hand in" means to give something to one person, usually someone in authority: "Students must hand in their essays by Monday." The movement is from you to a specific individual. "Hand out" means to give something to many people, distributing copies or items: "The teacher handed out the worksheets to the class." The movement is from one person to a group. Both are separable: "Hand it in" and "Hand them out." A related phrasal verb is "hand over," which means to give someone else control or possession of something important: "She handed over the keys to the new manager." All three "hand" phrasal verbs are commonly tested in Cambridge B1 and B2 exams.

Question 3

How do I use take on and take over in a work context?

Accepted Answer

"Take on" and "take over" are both about assuming responsibility, but in different ways. "Take on" means to accept new work, duties, or challenges in addition to what you already do: "She took on the role of team leader alongside her normal duties." It suggests adding something new. "Take over" means to assume complete control of something, usually replacing someone else: "When the CEO retired, his deputy took over the company." It suggests replacing the previous person in charge. "Take on" is separable: "take a project on" or "take it on." "Take over" can be separable or inseparable depending on the object. In business news, "takeover" (one word, noun) describes when one company buys another. Both are essential vocabulary for Cambridge B2 and C1 exams.

Phrasal Verbs for Work Exercises

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