Phrasal verbs — register

Article excerpt · target grammar marked

What often goes unnoticed is that academic English has its own phrasal verbs — constructions that look informal but carry significant formal weight. To account for a discrepancy, to draw on prior research, to give rise to a new hypothesis: these are the tools of the essay and the report, not the coffee shop.

Grammar Reference · Phrasal verbs — register

Informal phrasal verbs

We need to find out the cause. — natural in speech; too informal for academic writing

Academic phrasal verbs

The results point to a deeper structural problem. — formal; do not replace with a single verb

Particle position rule

She looked it up. ✓ — pronoun always before particle; noun can go either side

Common error

This accounts to the gap. ✗ → This accounts for the gap. ✓ — check preposition carefully

01Exercise 1 — Form · Write the Correct Form

Phrasal verbs — register

1.The new regulation will ... ... significant changes in reporting procedures.

2.The audit failed to ... ... the missing funds from the second quarter.

3.Her thesis ... ... ten years of ethnographic research in West Africa.

4.The inspectors will ... ... the complaints before releasing their report.

5.The engineers ... ... three separate trials under controlled conditions.

6.The evidence clearly ... ... a failure in the original design phase.

02Exercise 2 — Transform

rewrite with the new structure

1.Researchers found out that the compound was unstable at high temperatures.

2.The new policy has given rise to widespread debate among economists.

3.The team came up with a novel approach to reducing carbon emissions.

4.Several firms had to put up with lengthy delays during the approval process.

5.The board looked into the financial irregularities over a period of weeks.

6.The article draws on a wide range of international case studies.

7.Poor oversight gave rise to a series of avoidable errors.

8.The consultant came up with recommendations that surprised the senior team.

03Exercise 3 — About You

in your notebook

Personalise: complete five sentences about yourself using the target grammar.

Phrasal verbs — register01classplan.ai