These questions ask you to match a purpose or result with a phrasal verb built from put. Read for the final relationship between the action and its object, then check where a noun or pronoun belongs.
Follow the result of the action
Begin with the result, not simply the movement. Ask whether something is delayed, worn, extinguished, stored, returned, placed, fixed in position, installed, assembled, set aside, connected or proposed. The particle then becomes a compact meaning signal. Because these verbs are separable, a noun can usually sit after the particle or between the two words, but a pronoun must sit in the middle: put it on, put them away and put it forward.
| Meaning signal | Form and a fresh example |
|---|---|
| Delay until a later time | put off — We put the picnic off until Sunday. |
| Start wearing something | put on — Maya put on her gloves. |
| Extinguish a flame or cigarette | put out — Please put the candle out. |
| Move something to its storage place | put away — Tari put the board games away. |
| Return something to its previous place | put back — I put the atlas back on its stand. |
| Stop holding something and place it on a surface | put down — She put the shopping bag down. |
| Mount or erect something | put up — They put up a notice by the entrance. |
| Install something, or invest time or effort | put in — We put in a new tap and put in several hours of work. |
| Join separate parts into a whole | put together — Arun put the model together. |
| Save something for later, or temporarily ignore a concern | put aside — Jo put aside some money and put her doubts aside. |
| Connect a caller | put through — I will put you through to reception. |
| Present an idea or plan for consideration | put forward — Leo put forward a new approach. |
Meaning traps to avoid
| Tempting mix-up | How to reject it |
|---|---|
| Using put forward when time moves later | Put forward presents a proposal; put off moves an event to a later time. Look for whether the context is about consideration or delay. |
| Treating put away, put back and put down as the same movement | Away points to proper storage, back to the previous place, and down to a surface after someone stops holding the object. |
| Using put together for something fixed in position | Together joins parts into a complete item. Up mounts or erects the completed item, so assembly and installation are separate stages. |
| Using put away when separate pieces must become one thing | Storage leaves the pieces unused. If the result is a completed whole, together supplies the missing idea. |
| Confusing developing, presenting and connecting | Put together can develop a plan, put forward presents it for consideration, and put through connects a telephone caller. Identify the stage of the action. |
Try it
It was freezing outside, so Dario started wearing his thick coat before leaving. Complete with the correct phrasal verb based on put, using it to refer to the coat: He ___ at the door.
Which sentences use put in to mean install something or invest time and effort? Select all that apply.
- The engineer put the battery back after testing it.
- An electrician put in an extra socket near the desk.
- The relay team put in months of careful training.
- The committee put forward a request for new equipment.
A caller asked to speak to billing, and the receptionist connected the call. Which sentence uses the fitting put phrasal verb?
- The receptionist put forward a request to billing.
- The receptionist put the caller through to billing.
- The receptionist put the written message down on the desk.
- The receptionist put the billing files back in the cabinet.