Come and go are two of the most common verbs in English. Combined with particles, they make many different phrasal verbs with different meanings. 'Come across' (find by chance), 'come up with' (think of an idea), 'come round' (visit, recover from illness), 'come about' (happen), 'come back' (return). 'Go through' (experience, examine), 'go without' (manage without), 'go ahead' (proceed), 'go on' (continue, happen), 'go off' (explode, become bad). Each is its own fixed expression with its own meaning. Many are idiomatic — the meaning cannot be guessed from the parts. 'Come up with' has nothing to do with going up — it means thinking of something new. 'Go through' can mean physically pass through but also can mean experience something difficult. This lesson covers the most useful come and go phrasal verbs at B1 level. It is the fourth in the phrasal verb series after get (#20), put (#34), and take (#39).
Before you start — think honestly about your own teaching and experience.
Look at the examples. Answer each question before reading the explanation — this is how your students will learn too.
I came across an interesting book at the market yesterday.
She came up with a brilliant idea for the school project.
My aunt came round to visit us last weekend.
The accident came about because of the heavy rain.
We went through a lot of difficulty during the famine.
The family went without food for three days.
The meeting went ahead despite the protest.
The alarm went off at six in the morning.
What does each phrasal verb mean? Can you guess from the parts?
Each phrasal verb has its own meaning. 'Come across' = find by chance (you came across a book — you found it without looking for it). 'Come up with' = think of, invent (she thought of the idea). 'Come round' = visit briefly (the aunt visited). 'Come about' = happen (how did the accident happen?). 'Go through' = experience, often difficult times (we experienced the famine). 'Go without' = manage without something (no food). 'Go ahead' = proceed, continue (the meeting happened despite problems). 'Go off' = ring or explode (the alarm rang). Some of these are close to the literal meaning of come or go (come back, come round). Others are idiomatic — the meaning cannot be worked out from the parts (come across, come up with, go through). Students need to learn each as its own item.
come across (= find by chance)
I came across this old photo when I was cleaning my room.
come up with (= think of an idea or solution)
We need to come up with a plan before the meeting.
come about (= happen, often by chance or unexpectedly)
How did this misunderstanding come about?
come round (= visit briefly / recover from illness)
My friend came round for tea yesterday. / He has come round after the operation.
Why are these particularly useful? When does each fit?
These idiomatic come phrasal verbs cannot be guessed. 'Come across' for finding something by chance — you were not looking, but you found it. 'Come up with' for inventing ideas or solutions — the brain produces something new. 'Come about' for events happening — often used in questions about how something happened. 'Come round' has two meanings — visit briefly (a casual short visit) and recover (from being unconscious or ill). All four are very common in everyday English. A student who avoids them has to use longer formal alternatives — find by chance, invent, happen, visit, recover. The phrasal verbs sound more natural in conversation. Mastering these gives students major fluency.
go through (= experience, often difficult / examine carefully)
They went through hard times last year. / Please go through your notes before the test.
go without (= manage without something needed)
During the drought, families went without water for weeks.
go ahead (= proceed, continue with a plan)
The wedding went ahead despite the rain.
go on (= continue / happen)
The meeting went on for three hours. / What is going on?
go off (= ring or explode / become bad / leave)
The alarm went off at six. / The milk has gone off — do not drink it. / He went off without saying goodbye.
Go phrasal verbs cover many situations. Why do they have multiple meanings?
Several go phrasal verbs have multiple meanings, which can confuse students. 'Go through' can mean experience hard times OR examine carefully (go through your homework). 'Go on' can mean continue (the meeting went on) OR happen (what is going on?). 'Go off' has at least three common meanings — ring or explode (alarm went off), become bad (milk has gone off), and leave (he went off). The right meaning comes from context. 'The alarm went off at six' (rang). 'The milk has gone off' (bad). 'He went off without saying goodbye' (left). Students need to learn the multiple meanings and use context to choose. Teaching the most common meaning first and adding others gradually works best.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| come across | Find by chance | I came across this old photo while cleaning. | Idiomatic. Often unexpected discovery. Stays together — does not split. |
| come up with | Think of, invent (an idea, solution) | She came up with a great plan for the school. | Three-word phrasal verb. Stays together. Common in problem-solving contexts. |
| come round | Visit briefly / recover from illness | My friend came round for tea. / He has come round after surgery. | Two meanings. Both common. American English: come around. |
| come about | Happen, often by chance | How did this misunderstanding come about? | Often used in questions or after events to ask how things happened. |
| come back | Return | She came back home at midnight. | Most literal of the come phrasal verbs. Common in everyday speech. |
| go through | Experience (often difficult) / examine carefully | They went through hard times. / Please go through your notes. | Two meanings. Context decides which. Both very common. |
| go without | Manage without something needed | Families went without food during the drought. | For describing hardship or doing without a luxury. |
| go ahead | Proceed, continue with a plan | The wedding went ahead despite the rain. | Often used to confirm an event or plan happens. Also: 'go ahead' as encouragement (please go ahead). |
| go on | Continue / happen | The meeting went on for hours. / What is going on? | Two meanings. 'Go on for' = duration. 'What is going on?' = what is happening? |
| go off | Ring or explode / become bad / leave | The alarm went off. / The milk has gone off. / He went off in a hurry. | Three meanings. Context essential. Very common in everyday speech. |
| go away | Leave, depart / travel | Please go away — I am working. / We went away for the weekend. | Two meanings. Direct (leave) and travel (a holiday). |
NOTE 1 — Each phrasal verb is its own item: Come across (find by chance), come up with (think of an idea), come round (visit), come about (happen) are all different actions. Students must learn each as its own chunk with its own meaning. Treating them as variations of 'come' loses the precision.
NOTE 2 — Multiple meanings are common: Several come and go phrasal verbs have more than one meaning. Go through (experience or examine), go on (continue or happen), go off (ring, explode, become bad, leave). Context decides which is meant. Teach the most common meaning first.
NOTE 3 — Three-word phrasal verbs stay together: 'Come up with' is a three-word phrasal verb meaning think of an idea. The three words stay together — 'come with up' is wrong. The same applies to other three-word phrasal verbs (look forward to, put up with).
NOTE 4 — Splitting rules: Most come and go phrasal verbs do not split with objects. 'Come across an old book' (correct). 'Come an old book across' (wrong). 'Go through hard times' (correct). For most come/go phrasal verbs, keep them together with the object after.
NOTE 5 — Why students avoid these: Many B1 students recognise come and go phrasal verbs in reading but use formal alternatives in their own writing — 'find' instead of 'come across', 'experience' instead of 'go through', 'invent' instead of 'come up with'. The phrasal verbs are more natural in everyday speech and informal writing. Active practice moves them from passive to active use.
Phrasal verbs with come and go are common in everyday English. They cover many useful situations: finding things, having ideas, experiencing events, continuing activities, departures, alarms. A student who masters 8 to 10 of these phrasal verbs gains noticeable fluency. The challenge is that several have multiple meanings, and students must use context to choose the right one. Teaching with clear examples in different contexts helps. Pairs well with the get-family (#20), put-family (#34), and take-family (#39) lessons. Together these four lessons cover the most productive phrasal verb roots.
Create a come/go phrasal verb map with come and go in two centres. Around each, write the particles with short meanings. For multi-meaning verbs (go through, go off), list the different meanings clearly. Students refer to the map. The visual layout makes the family relationships clear.
Choose the correct come or go phrasal verb for each sentence. Think about the meaning the context requires.
Each sentence has a problem with a come or go phrasal verb — wrong word, wrong word order, or wrong context. Find the error and explain.
Use this sequence directly in class — guided discovery, no textbook needed. Tap each step to mark it done.
STEP 1 — Come and go alone vs with particles (4 min): Write 'come' and 'go' on the board. Add particles: come across, come up with, come round, come about. Go through, go without, go ahead, go on, go off. Show that each combination has its own meaning, often very different from come or go alone.
STEP 2 — Come phrasal verbs (7 min): Drill the four most useful come phrasal verbs. Come across (find by chance) — 'I came across an old photo'. Come up with (invent) — 'we need to come up with a plan'. Come round (visit) — 'my aunt came round for tea'. Come about (happen) — 'how did this come about?'. Practise each in context.
STEP 3 — Go phrasal verbs (7 min): Drill the most useful go phrasal verbs. Go through (experience or examine) — 'we went through difficult times'. Go without (manage without) — 'they went without water'. Go ahead (proceed) — 'the wedding went ahead'. Go on (continue) — 'the meeting went on for hours'. Go off (ring/explode/become bad) — 'the alarm went off / the milk has gone off'.
STEP 4 — Multiple meanings (5 min): Focus on the multi-meaning verbs. Go through = experience hard times OR examine notes. Go on = continue OR happen. Go off = ring, become bad, or leave. Show how context decides the meaning. Practise five examples mixing meanings.
STEP 5 — Match situation (7 min): Give six situations and ask students to choose the right come or go phrasal verb. Finding an old photo. Inventing an idea. A drought year. The alarm in the morning. The wedding happening despite rain. The milk gone bad. Discuss as a class.
Use directly in class — copy, adapt, or read aloud. No printing needed.
For each strategy, choose the option that best describes where you are now.
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