← Back to Phrasal Verbs
Separable Object can go in the middle or after: "call it off" or "call off the event"
Inseparable Object always goes after the particle — never in the middle.
Intransitive No object needed — the verb stands alone.
Phrasal verbs with CALL
call offSeparable
To cancel a planned event, activity, or operation.
"The afternoon boat tour was called off due to rough sea conditions."
call backSeparable
To return a phone call to someone who contacted you first.
"I missed your call — I'll call you back in ten minutes."
call onInseparable
To ask or request someone to do something; to pay a short visit to someone.
"The teacher called on Marcos to answer the question." / "I'll call on you later this week."
call outSeparable
To shout or say something loudly; to publicly criticize or challenge someone; to summon.
"She called out the company on social media for their misleading advertising."
call forInseparable
To require or demand something; to go and collect someone.
"The situation calls for an immediate response." / "I'll call for you at 8."
call upSeparable
To telephone someone; to summon someone for a specific duty.
"She called up the client directly — not just email — to apologize in person."
call inIntransitive
To report by phone from a location; to call in sick; to make a brief stop somewhere.
"The captain called in from the dock to report the conditions." / "She called in sick on Monday."
call aroundIntransitive
To phone several different people or places to find information or a solution.
"I called around to five different pharmacies before finding the medicine."
call uponInseparable
To formally request someone to do something; to appeal to someone's sense of duty.
"The manager called upon the entire team to review the safety protocols."
call into questionInseparable
To make something seem uncertain, doubtful, or unreliable; to challenge the validity of something.
"The journalist's article called the company's safety record into question."
⚠️ "Call off" vs "Cancel" — very similar, but not always interchangeable!
✓ "They called off the match." → Natural. Use "call off" with events, plans, operations, searches, strikes.
✓ "She cancelled her dentist appointment." → Natural. Use "cancel" with appointments, orders, subscriptions, flights.
✗ "She called off her dentist appointment." → Sounds slightly unnatural — prefer "cancelled" here.
✓ "The strike was called off / cancelled." → Both work for a strike.
Reading: Monday at Panorama Tours
📖 Monday at Panorama Tours
Monday morning at Panorama Tours in Manuel Antonio had barely started when María received the call that would set the tone for her week. A group of twenty tourists reported that their guide hadn't shown up. María called around to four different guides before finding one who was free. She then called on Don Rodrigo — a veteran who never said no. "I'll call you back in ten minutes," he said. He did.
By midmorning, a second problem appeared. A client had called out the company publicly on social media, claiming that a recent boat tour had been unsafe. This called for an immediate response. María didn't send an email — she called up the client directly and apologized clearly. Then she called upon the entire operations team to review every safety checklist from the past month.
The afternoon tour had to be called off. The captain had called in from the dock: "The swell is too strong. It's not safe to go out today." María phoned every passenger on the list and offered a free rescheduled tour.
At the end of the day, a journalist published an article that called the company's safety practices into question. María wrote a calm, factual response that same evening and posted it publicly.
By Friday, the situation had been fully resolved. "A good manager doesn't wait for problems to go away," Don Rodrigo told her. "She calls on the right people at the right time."
Reading comprehension — 10 questions
