Phrasal Verbs 9: away/back | Unit 145 | PrepMyEnglish
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Unit 145 · Grammar Lesson
Unité 145 · Leçon de Grammaire

Phrasal Verbs 9 — away / back
get away · give away · throw away · call back · pay back · look back on — Complete Guide Verbes à Particule 9 — away / back
get away · give away · throw away · call back · pay back · look back on — Guide Complet

Master phrasal verbs with away (movement/removal) and back (returning/responding) — two of the most common particles in everyday English.

Maîtrisez les verbes à particule avec away (éloignement) et back (retour/réponse) — deux des particules les plus fréquentes de l’anglais quotidien.

B1 – B2 3 Rules · 4 Exercises · 200-Q Quiz · PDF 3 Règles · 4 Exercices · Quiz 200 Q · PDF 🇬🇧 EN / 🇫🇷 FR

Away suggests movement from a place or person — leaving, escaping, removing. Back suggests return — going back, giving something back, responding. Understanding the core direction of each particle makes all related phrasal verbs much easier to learn and remember.

Away suggère un mouvement d’éloignement — partir, s’échapper, enlever. Back suggère un retour — revenir, rendre quelque chose, répondre. Comprendre la direction fondamentale de chaque particule rend tous les verbes à particule associés beaucoup plus faciles à apprendre.

A

away vs back — the core contrast

away vs back — le contraste fondamental

away = departure / movement from

away = départ / mouvement en s’éloignant

We’re going away on holiday today.
Sarah started the engine and drove away.
I tried to take a picture but it flew away.
The ticket blew away in the wind.
Police took away a computer.
Also: walk away, run away, look away…

back = return / movement towards

back = retour / mouvement vers

We’ll be back in three weeks.
A: I’m going out. B: When will you be back?
We walked back to our hotel.
I forgot to give them back to her.
Can you put it back on the shelf?
Also: go back, come back, get back, take back…
away = movement from a place/person → leaving, disappearing, escaping
back = movement towards / return → coming home, returning something, responding away = mouvement depuis un lieu/une personne → partir, disparaître, s’échapper
back = mouvement vers / retour → rentrer, rendre quelque chose, répondre
💡
Memory tip: Think of away as an arrow pointing outward (→) and back as an arrow pointing inward (←). Almost every phrasal verb with these particles follows one of these two directions. Astuce mémo : Pensez à away comme une flèche pointant vers l’extérieur (→) et back comme une flèche pointant vers l’intérieur (←).
B

Other verbs + away

Autres verbes + away

get away
= escape / leave with difficulty
= s’échapper / partir avec difficulté
We tried to catch the thief, but she got away.
get away with something
= do something wrong without being caught or punished
= faire quelque chose de mal sans être pris ni puni
I parked illegally, but I got away with it. I didn’t pay a fine.
keep away (from)
= don’t go near / stay at a distance from
= ne pas s’approcher / rester à distance de
Keep away from the edge of the pool. You might fall in.
give something away
= give it to someone else (for free) because you no longer want it
= donner quelque chose (gratuitement) car on n’en veut plus
‘Did you sell your bike?’ ‘No, I gave it away to a friend.’
put something away
= put it in the place where it is usually kept / tidy it away
= ranger quelque chose à sa place habituelle
When the children finished playing, they put their toys away.
throw something away
= put it in the rubbish / discard it
= jeter quelque chose à la poubelle
I kept the letter, but I threw away the envelope.
⚠️
get away vs get away with: Get away = escape physically: The thief got away. Get away with something = escape punishment for wrongdoing: She got away with cheating. Adding ‘with’ completely changes the meaning. get away vs get away with : Get away = s’échapper physiquement. Get away with something = échapper à la punition. L’ajout de ‘with’ change complètement le sens.
C

Other verbs + back

Autres verbes + back

wave / smile / shout back
= respond with the same gesture or action
= répondre avec le même geste ou la même action
I waved to her, and she waved back.
call / phone / ring somebody back
= return a phone call
= rappeler quelqu’un (au téléphone)
I can’t talk now. I’ll call you back in ten minutes.
get back to somebody
= reply to someone by phone, email, message, etc.
= recontacter quelqu’un (par téléphone, email, message, etc.)
I sent him an email, but he never got back to me.
look back (on something)
= think about what happened in the past
= repenser à ce qui s’est passé dans le passé
Looking back on it, I learnt a lot from that job — even though I didn’t enjoy it at the time.
pay back money / pay somebody back
= repay borrowed money
= rembourser de l’argent emprunté
If you borrow money, you have to pay it back. · I’ll pay you back next week.
📌
call back vs get back to: Call back = specifically return a phone call. Get back to someone = respond by any means (phone, email, text). Both are common in professional English: I’ll get back to you by email. call back vs get back to : Call back = rappeler spécifiquement au téléphone. Get back to someone = répondre de n’importe quelle façon.

Phrasal Verbs: away/back — ExercisesVerbes à particule : away/back — Exercices

Check your answers instantly

Vérifiez vos réponses instantanément

EX 1

Complete with away or back.

Complétez avec away ou back.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Answers: 1. back  ·  2. away  ·  3. back  ·  4. away  ·  5. back  ·  6. away  ·  7. back  ·  8. away
EX 2

Complete with a verb + away or back (verb in brackets).

Complétez avec un verbe + away ou back (verbe entre parenthèses).

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Answers: 1. call you back  ·  2. gave it away  ·  3. throw it away  ·  4. pay you back  ·  5. put their toys away  ·  6. got back to me  ·  7. walked back
EX 3

Complete with get away or get away with.

Complétez avec get away ou get away with.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Answers: 1. got away  ·  2. got away with it  ·  3. got away  ·  4. got away with it  ·  5. get away with
EX 4

Mixed. Complete with the correct phrasal verb.

Mixte. Complétez avec le bon verbe à particule.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Answers: 1. looking back on it  ·  2. gone away  ·  3. gave it away  ·  4. pay you back / pay it back  ·  5. put them away  ·  6. calls back / gets back to me

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions Fréquentes

Get away = escape physically: The thief got away. Get away with something = do something wrong without facing punishment: She got away with cheating. Adding ‘with’ shifts the meaning from physical escape to escaping consequences.

Get away = s’échapper physiquement. Get away with something = faire quelque chose de mal sans être puni.

Both mean getting rid of something, but: Give away = transfer it to another person for free. Throw away = put it in the rubbish.

Give away = le transmettre gratuitement à quelqu’un. Throw away = le jeter à la poubelle.

Call back = specifically return a phone call: I’ll call you back at 3pm. Get back to someone = respond by any means (phone, email, message): I’ll get back to you by email.

Call back = rappeler au téléphone. Get back to someone = répondre de n’importe quelle façon.

Look back on something = reflect on a past experience: Looking back on my childhood, I was very happy. Often used as a gerund: Looking back on it now… The tone is typically reflective or nostalgic.

Look back on something = réfléchir à une expérience passée. Le ton est typiquement réflexif ou nostalgique.

🎯 Unit 145 · MCQ QuizUnité 145 · Quiz QCM

Phrasal Verbs: away / back — Quiz

Verbes à particule : away / back — Quiz

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Unit 145 Quiz

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