Learn English Phrasal Verbs:On the Road
This pack is for drivers, passengers, and anyone giving directions in spoken English.
Not sure when the object goes in the middle? Read separable and inseparable phrasal verbs.
pick up
collect
Can you pick up the kids from school on your way home?
Can you collect the kids from school on your way home?
Pick her up at the station. With a pronoun the object must sit in the middle.
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drop off
leave
I’ll drop off the package at your house later.
I’ll leave the package at your house later.
Drop me off at the lights. Also intransitive when it means fall asleep.
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set off
leave to begin a journey
We need to set off early to avoid the traffic.
We need to depart early to avoid the traffic.
Departing. Set off an alarm is a separate transitive verb.
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hold up
delay
The accident on the highway might hold up our commute.
The accident on the highway might delay our commute.
On the road a hold-up is a delay. Elsewhere hold up can mean rob.
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speed up
increase the speed
The driver sped up to overtake the truck.
The driver increased the speed to overtake the truck.
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slow down
decrease the speed
Please slow down. You’re driving too fast near the school.
Please decrease the speed. You’re driving too fast near the school.
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pull over
stop at the roadside
The police asked the driver to pull over and show a license.
The police asked the driver to stop at the roadside and show a license.
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crack down (on)
enforce rules more strictly
The police have started to crack down on reckless drivers.
The police have started to get strict with reckless drivers.
Crack down can stand alone. Add on before the person or behaviour: crack down on dangerous driving.
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run out of
use all of something
We ran out of petrol on the highway and had to call for help.
We used up the petrol on the highway and had to call for help.
The of is required. We ran out of milk, not we ran out the milk.
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fill up
fill completely
Let’s fill up the tank before we leave the city.
Let’s fill the tank completely before we leave the city.
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All 10 on the road phrasal verbs at a glance
Separable means the object can sit in the middle, and a pronoun has to. Inseparable means it never can. No object means the verb does not take one. Full explanation here.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| pick up | collect | Separable |
| drop off | leave | Separable |
| set off | leave to begin a journey | No object |
| hold up | delay | Separable |
| speed up | increase the speed | No object |
| slow down | decrease the speed | No object |
| pull over | stop at the roadside | No object |
| crack down (on) | enforce rules more strictly | Pattern varies |
| run out of | use all of something | Inseparable |
| fill up | fill completely | Separable |
About this set
Use the verbs when you start a trip, get stuck in traffic, pull over, or run out of fuel.
Most of them are physical and literal, so they are a good first set if abstract phrasal verbs still feel unclear.
Usage notes
- pick up. Separable for collecting a person: pick her up at the station.
- drop off. Separable for leaving someone at a place: drop me off at the lights.
- run out of. Inseparable. You run out of petrol, not run petrol out of.
- pull over. Here pull over has no direct object: the driver pulled over. Pull the car over and pull it over are also normal transitive uses.
Mistakes to avoid
Incorrect: I will pick up you at eight.
Correct: I will pick you up at eight.
Pick up is separable, so a pronoun goes in the middle.
Incorrect: We ran out petrol on the motorway.
Correct: We ran out of petrol on the motorway.
Run out of is a three-word verb and the of is not optional.
Incorrect: Can you drop off me at the station?
Correct: Can you drop me off at the station?
Drop off is separable, and with a pronoun the split is compulsory.
Incorrect: We set early off to avoid the traffic.
Correct: We set off early to avoid the traffic.
Keep set off together here and put early after it. Set off can describe the start of a journey, including a flight; take off specifically describes leaving the ground.
Common questions
What is the difference between pick up and drop off?
You pick someone up when you collect them. You drop them off when you leave them at a place. The same trip often uses both: I will pick you up at eight and drop you off at work.
Does hold up always mean delay?
On the road, a hold-up is a delay, often traffic. Hold up can also mean rob in other contexts, so the surrounding words matter.