Below is a list of phrasal verbs that candidiates may come across or be able to use in the various sections of the OET examination.
When using phrasal verbs in our OET speaking we should be careful to use them in the correct tense. Therefore we have provided a few examples for each phrasal verb, including a variety of tense examples.
Bring on
Meaning: to cause.
e.g. Asthma can be brought on by several factros including environmental, occupational, genetic and allergic.
Build up
Meaning: the amount of something will get bigger, eg toxins in the body or, through weight training, you can build up the body.
e.g. 1) If he doesn’t have dialysis toxins will build up in his body
2) LDL cholesterol can build up in our body unless we cut out fatty foods.
Clear up
Meaning: to become clear of visible symptoms, usually external symptons like Excema or Acne
Note: clear up is a phrasl verb that can be split, mecaing you can put a work like ‘it’ in the middle of it.
E.g. Apply the ointment every evening and it should clear it up within a week.
When I was younger I had terrible acne but the doctor prescribed some steroids which cleared it up quickly.
STDs will only clear up if you get medication from the doctor.
Clog up
Meaning – to block up an important passage with something.
e.g. LDL cholesterol can clog up the arteries, leading to heart attacks and strokes.
Cut out
Meaning – This phrasal verb has two meanings that you can use in your OET exam. The first is to stop consuming something. For example if we find we are at risk of type-2 diabetes it is advisable to cut out sugar from your diet. The second meaning of this phrasal verb pertaining to OET is to remove something from your body. For example in a Caesarean Section the baby is cut out of your abdominal wall.
Flushed out
Meaning: for something to be removed from our body by an organ such as the liver or kidney or by a process such as urination.
e.g. HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, is actually good for us and can be flushed out of our system by the liver.
Make out
Meaning: for something to be clear. We often use this in relation to sight in the negative eg:
I can’t make out what it says on the chart, my eyesight is still blurred.
Notch up
Meaning – to achieve something; attain
e.g. Astrazeneca notched up more than 3 million vaccinations in the UK during the Covid pandemic.
Placed on
Meaning: to be prescribed
e.g. Mr Smith has been placed on a course of antibiotics
Rule out
This means to discount. Or, to put it another way, to exclude something as a possibility.
E.g. At first the doctor though the patient had a fracture, but this was ruled out by an X-ray.
The patient seemed to be suffering from Fibromyalgia, but this was ruled out because the patient complained of suffering from fatigue rather than pain.
Slow down
Meaning: to make the progress of something slower
e.g. AIDS is an incurable disease, but there are dugs which can slow down its cell-destroying properties
Stick to
Meaning: to follow closely
e.g. Your Asthma symptoms will me manageable as long as you stick to your recommended treatment plan.
Swell up
Meaning: to become swollen.
e.g. If you don’t rest your legs in the evening they will swell up and become painful
Take hold
Meaning: to start to have an effect and for symptoms to show, or to gain a foothold
e.g. The MRSA superbug often takes hold in our homes after being brought home from school by children. (gain a foothold)
After an incubation period of about 10 days Covid -19 starts to take hold and this is when symptoms of coughing are common.