Phrasal Verbs at Work: What Hospitality Really Taught Me
CEFR B1-B2 · 5 min
The head chef at Uccello had one rule: ‘Run the kitchen. Don’t manage it.’ I spent three months figuring out what that meant. Run — take full responsibility, keep it moving, own it. Phrasal verbs are where English gets specific. ‘Run’, ‘set up’, ‘hand over’, ‘deal with’ — they carry precise meaning that single verbs often miss.
Today's focus: High-frequency work phrasal verbs: run, set up, take on, hand over, deal with, follow up, carry out
Phrasal verbs = verb + particle. The meaning is often idiomatic — not literal.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning in context |
|---|---|
| run (a place/team) | be in charge of, manage actively |
| set up | prepare, arrange, create the conditions |
| take on | accept responsibility / hire someone |
| hand over | transfer responsibility to someone else |
| deal with | handle a situation or problem |
| follow up | check on progress, contact again |
Examples in context
Try it — click to reveal the answer
▶ Fill: ‘Can you ___ ___ this complaint? I’m busy with service.’ (phrasal verb = handle)
‘Deal with’ is the standard phrasal verb for handling a problem or situation professionally.
▶ ‘She handed over the keys’ — what does this mean?
‘Hand over’ often implies transferring both a physical thing and the responsibility that goes with it.
▶ Which is correct? (a) ‘Follow up the client’ (b) ‘Follow up with the client’ (c) Both
‘Follow up on something’ is also correct: ‘Follow up on the complaint.’ The preposition changes based on what follows.
Learn phrasal verbs in context, not in lists. The same verb + different particle = completely different meaning: take off (remove/fly) vs take on (accept/hire) vs take over (gain control).
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