Question

Complete the sentence with a suitable phrasal verb:
______ the word in a dictionary.
a)Look in
b)Look up
c)Look at
d)Look down

Answer 1

Hint: A phrasal verb is a form of the verb which forms a single meaning even though it has two words in it. The two words together have one meaning. For example, the phrasal verb ‘run into’ means meeting someone by chance. ‘I ran into an old friend yesterday at the market’.

Complete step-by-step answer:

The given sentence means I have to search for a word in a dictionary. Therefore, the phrasal verb for ‘searching something’ specifically information, is called ‘look up’. Thus, the correct option is option b and the sentence will read as, ‘Look up the word in a dictionary’.
Option a is wrong because ‘look in’ means to check up on someone, especially to see if they are doing well. For example, she looks in every week on her old grandma who lives in another city.
Option c is wrong because ‘look at’ means to examine something. For example, I need to get this wound looked at by a doctor.
Option d is wrong because ‘look down’ means to think someone is inferior to you. For example, he looks down upon students who are not good at academics.

Note: The words in a phrasal verb are usually used together. The two words are to be placed side by side. For example, the sentence ‘He looks upon down students who are not good at academics’ is completely wrong. There are some exceptions, for example, if there is a pronoun. ‘They pulled it down’. The phrasal verb is ‘pull-down’ but it has been separated by the pronoun ‘it’. Yet, it is grammatically correct.