You're at a coffee shop with your friend. She starts crying and tells you her boyfriend has called off their engagement. She tried to call him but he's not calling her back. 

You feel confused because you don’t understand what “called off” means.

Two women talking to each other. Photo by Small Group Network on Unsplash

"Called off" and "calling back" are phrasal verbs used in everyday conversations:

  • Call off means to cancel something.

  • Call back means to return a phone call.

Understanding and using common phrasal verbs like these will help improve your English.

What are Phrasal Verbs?

Image of scrabble tiles spelling

Phrasal verbs are words made by combining two words, usually a verb plus a particle (adverb/preposition), or sometimes a verb and two prepositions.

These words have different meanings — sometimes more than one — from the meaning of the words that are combined.

  • Example: In the above situation, your friend is telling you that her boyfriend has cancelled their engagement. She used the phrasal verb "called off" instead of cancelled.

Some phrasal verbs are separable, which means that you can place a direct object between the verb and the particle.

  • Example: Sarah's boyfriend called the engagement off one day before the party. The direct object of the verb is "the engagement".

Some phrasal verbs are inseparable, which means you can't place a direct object between the verb and the particle.

  • Example: The phrasal verb "call on" (to visit someone) is inseparable. Sarah might call on you when she feels sad.

Call Back

Meaning:

To return a phone call.

Image of a man talking on the phone

Using "call back" in a conversation:

Lilly: Please call Jane back. She called to speak to you while you were out.

Jack: Thank you, I will call her back soon.

Is it separable?

Yes, you can place a direct object between "call" and "back".

Some examples:

  1. Thank you for calling back.

  2. My supervisor left a message for me to call her back. I wonder why.

  3. I tried to call back Jane, but her phone was busy for two hours.

Rule #1:

If you use a phrasal verb with a pronoun, you must place the pronoun between the verb and the particle.

  • I will call her back. ✅ Correct

  • I will call back her. ❌ Incorrect

Quiz

"You can_________ tomorrow, and I'll give you my answer." Select any correct phrasal verb to complete this sentence

Call Up

Meaning:

To phone someone.

Using "call up" in a conversation:

Supervisor: Did you call up all our customers to tell them about our new offers?

Employee: Yes, I did. But some customers were not available, so I left a message for them to call us back.

A man talking on a phone. Is it separable?

Yes, "call up" is separable.

You can place a direct object between "call" and "up".

Examples:

  • I called up my grandma yesterday.

  • Ruby called me up to invite me to her party.

  • Did you call up your friends to invite them to your birthday party?

Practice 1

Flaticon Icon of a hand holding a pencil. Rohan: Did you invite Roshni to your party?

Rohit: I ___________ Roshni yesterday, but she was unavailable. I left a message for her to _______________.

Choose the correct sequence of phrasal verbs to complete the conversation above:

A. called up, call me back

B. called up, call back

C. call back, called up

Quiz

Choose the correct sequence of phrasal verbs to complete the conversation above.

Call On

Meaning

To visit/go see someone (mostly in UK English).

Using of "call on" in a conversation

Ruby: What did you do when you called on your father yesterday?

Ron: We played chess. He was very happy that I called on him.

Two men playing chess and having coffee. Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Is it separable?

No, "call on" is inseparable.

You can't place a direct object between "call" and "on".

  • Roshni calls on her grandmother every week.

  • I call on our customers regularly to make sure they're happy with our services.

Rule #2:

You must always use the correct verb tense when using phrasal verbs.

  • I called on my Aunt yesterday. ✅ Correct

  • I call on my Aunt yesterday. ❌ Incorrect

Tip: The tense must match the time of the action to make your meaning clear.

Call Off

Meaning:

To cancel a planned activity or event.

Image of an old typewriter with 'CANCEL' typed on a paper. Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

Using of "call off' in a conversation:

Rohan: Did you hear the news about Alex & Ruhi?

Ron: No, I did not. What happened?

Rohan: They called off their wedding one week before the wedding date.

Is it separable?

Yes, "call off" is separable.

You can place a direct object between "call" and "off":

  • Rohan didn't call the party off even though it was snowing.

But when you use the passive voice, you don't separate the verb:

  • The winter festival at our school was called off by the principal.

Practice 2

Flaticon Icon of a hand holding a pencil.

All students are very disappointed because the winter festival ________ by the principal. The president of the students' union_______ the principal to try to convince him to change his decision.

Select the correct sequence of phrasal verbs to complete the sentences in the above paragraph:

A. has been called off, will call on

B. called on, called off

C. called off, calls on

Quiz

Select the correct sequence of phrasal verbs to complete the sentences in the above paragraph.

Take Action

A man climbing up the stairs. Photo by Khiet Tam on Unsplash

Phrasal verbs can be difficult to learn in the beginning, but with practice, you can build a strong vocabulary of phrasal verbs. Here are some suggestion to help you get started:

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