Phrasal verbs

A phrasal verb is a verb + preposition combination. For example, look up, take down, turn over. Phrasal verbs are common in informal, spoken English Sometimes they have a more formal one word equivalent,

for example, work out = determine.

Often phrasal verbs have two meanings.

One we can work out from the meaning of the two words separately:

She looked up at the roof.

A special meaning which does not easily relate to the separate meanings of the words:

She looked up a word in the dictionary.

13. Study these phrasal verbs.

break into get into hack into go about set about keep ahead

grow up phone up run up keep at shut down

throw away log on find out track down hand over

14. Now complete each blank with the appropriate phrasal verb in the correct form. In some cases, more than one answer is possible.

1. Hackers try to _________ passwords so they can penetrate a system.

2. Don't _________ your password to anyone who asks for it.

3. The police __________ Ralph _________ by talking to his friends and acquaintances.

4. Some hackers __________ systems to get commercially valuable information.

5. When you __________ to a network, you have to provide an ID.

6. How do you __________ hacking into a system?

7. Hackers may ___________ pretending to be from your company and ask for your password.

8. Never __________ your credit card receipts where someone can find them.

9. Ralph was a hacker as a teenager but he's _________ now and become more responsible.

10. _________ a system is strictly illegal nowadays.

11. It's a constant race to __________ of the hackers.

15. Replace the verb in italics with a phrasal verb of similar meaning. All the phrasal verbs required have been used in this book.

1. Don't discard your credit card receipts; they could help fraudsters.

2. Trying to penetrate computer systems is against the law.

3. The typical hacker is a young person who has not matured yet.

4. The best way to begin hacking into a system is to try to get hold of a password.

5. If someone telephones you and asks for your password, don't provide it.

6. Hackers closed Hotmail for five hours.

7. Hackers accumulated a telephone bill of £lm for Scotland Yard.

8. The difficult thing was to determine how the website would look.

9. So you won't forget, record the ID number the support technician gives you.

10. Examine the manufacturers' websites before you phone for help.