To use the 15 most common English phrasal verbs for business, focus on understanding their specific meaning in a professional context. Incorporating verbs like 'follow up,' 'bring forward,' and 'draw up' into your vocabulary will make your communication in meetings and emails sound more natural and efficient.
Are you looking to make your business English sound more fluent and professional? One of the fastest ways to level up your communication is by mastering phrasal verbs. While they can seem tricky, they are essential for sounding like a native speaker in the workplace. This guide will show you exactly how to use the 15 most common English phrasal verbs for business meetings and emails, complete with clear examples to help you communicate with confidence.
Why Are Phrasal Verbs Important in a Business Context?
Phrasal verbs combine a standard verb with a preposition or adverb (or both) to create a new meaning. In a professional setting, they are used constantly for actions like scheduling, planning, and reporting. Using them correctly shows a high level of English proficiency and helps you integrate smoothly into an English-speaking workplace.
How Do I Use These 15 Common English Phrasal Verbs for Business Meetings and Emails?
Understanding the context is key. A phrasal verb used in a casual conversation might have a slightly different nuance in a business report. Let's break down the most essential ones you'll need for your professional life.
Here are the 15 verbs with definitions and examples for both meetings and emails:
Follow up (on/with)
Meaning: To take further action or get more information about something.
- In a meeting: "Thanks for the update, Sarah. I will follow up with the IT department about the software issue."
- In an email: "Dear Team, Just following up on my previous email regarding the Q3 budget. Please send your feedback by EOD."
Bring forward
Meaning: To move a meeting or event to an earlier date or time.
- In a meeting: "Can we bring forward our weekly sync to 10 AM instead of 11 AM?"
- In an email: "Due to the client's availability, we've had to bring the project deadline forward to May 15th."
Put off / Push back
Meaning: To postpone a meeting or event to a later date or time.
- In a meeting: "We'll have to put off the decision until we have all the data."
- In an email: "I'm writing to request that we push back our call to next Tuesday."
Call off
Meaning: To cancel a planned event.
- In a meeting: "John is unwell, so we need to call off the 3 PM client presentation."
- In an email: "Please note that tomorrow's training session has been called off."
Look into
Meaning: To investigate or examine a problem or situation.
- In a meeting: "The sales figures are lower than expected. I need someone to look into it."
- In an email: "Thanks for flagging this. We are looking into the cause of the system error now."
Draw up
Meaning: To prepare a written document, such as a contract or plan.
- In a meeting: "The legal team will draw up the contract by the end of the week."
- In an email: "Could you please draw up a draft of the project proposal?"
Take on
Meaning: To accept a new responsibility, task, or employee.
- In a meeting: "I'm happy to take on the responsibility for organizing the conference."
- In an email: "We are excited to announce we will be taking on two new interns next month."
Carry out
Meaning: To perform or complete a task or instruction.
- In a meeting: "We need to carry out a thorough market analysis before launching."
- In an email: "The instructions have been received, and the team will carry them out immediately."
Figure out
Meaning: To understand or solve something.
- In a meeting: "We need to figure out how to reduce our operational costs."
- In an email: "I'm still trying to figure out why the report isn't generating correctly."
Run by / Run through
Meaning: To explain or review something with someone.
- In a meeting: "Let me quickly run through the main points of the agenda."
- In an email: "Before I send this to the client, could I run it by you one more time?"
Go over
Meaning: To review or examine something carefully.
- In a meeting: "Let's go over the action items from our last meeting."
- In an email: "Please go over this document and check for any errors."
Set up
Meaning: To arrange or organize something, like a meeting or a new system.
- In a meeting: "I'll set up a call with the technical team for tomorrow."
- In an email: "I have set up a shared folder for all project-related files."
Break down
Meaning: To divide something into smaller, more manageable parts.
- In a meeting: "Let's break down this project into three distinct phases."
- In an email: "In the attached document, I break down the budget by department."
Get back to
Meaning: To respond to someone at a later time.
- In a meeting: "I don't have that information right now, but I will get back to you this afternoon."
- In an email: "Thank you for your query. I will look into it and get back to you by the end of the day."
Wrap up
Meaning: To finish or conclude something.
- In a meeting: "We have five minutes left, so let's wrap up this discussion."
- In an email: "We expect to wrap up the final phase of the project by Friday."
Conclusion: Elevate Your Professional Communication
By integrating these phrases into your daily work life, you'll be able to communicate more complex ideas with simple, natural-sounding language. Practicing and understanding how to use these English phrasal verbs for business meetings and emails is a powerful step toward achieving true fluency and confidence in your professional communication.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: What is the difference between 'put off' and 'call off'?
A: They are not interchangeable. 'Put off' means to postpone or reschedule an event for a later time. 'Call off' means to cancel it completely, with no plan to reschedule.
Q2: Can I use 'look into' instead of 'investigate' in a formal report?
A: Yes, 'look into' is a widely accepted and professional phrasal verb. While 'investigate' is slightly more formal, 'look into' is perfectly appropriate for most business contexts, including reports and emails.
Q3: Are phrasal verbs too informal for business emails?
A: Not at all. The phrasal verbs listed here are standard in professional communication. Using them makes your writing sound more natural and less robotic. The key is to use common, business-appropriate phrasal verbs rather than very casual or slang ones.
Q4: How can I remember so many phrasal verbs?
A: The best way is to learn them in context. Don't just memorize lists. Instead, try to use one or two new phrasal verbs each week in your emails or meetings. Start with the most common ones, like 'follow up' and 'set up,' and build from there.