Mastering Phrasal Verbs: Look & Make

5 min

Essential phrasal verbs for SSC and State Competitive Exams

The Core Concept

Phrasal verbs with 'Look' and 'Make' shift meaning based on the preposition used. You must identify if the context implies investigation, respect, or compensation to choose the right verb.

Why Study This?

High weightage in SSC CGL, CHSL, and MTS Cloze Tests.
Commonly asked in 'Fill in the blanks' and 'Sentence Improvement'.
Critical for understanding complex reading comprehension passages.

Memory Hooks

Look UP to: Looking 'up' at a hero (Respect).
Look DOWN upon: Looking 'down' at something small (Despise).
Make OFF: They ran 'off' with the gold (Escape).

Key Phrasal Verbs at a Glance

Verb	Meaning	Example
Look into	To investigate	Look into the case.
Make out	To understand	I can't make out this.
Make up for	To compensate	Make up for lost time.
Look after	To take care of	Look after your health.

Visualizing the Action

Look Into

(Investigating deep inside)

Investigating deep inside

The CBI will look into the matter.

Look After

(Caring support)

Caring support

She looks after her old parents.

Make Off

(Quick escape)

Quick escape

The thieves made off in a car.

Look Down Upon

(Viewing as inferior)

Viewing as inferior

Don't look down upon the poor.

Common Exam Traps

I look forward to meet you.I look forward to meeting you.

After 'look forward to', always use Gerund (V1+ing). This is a 5-star exam rule.

He made up for a story.He made up a story.

'Make up' means to invent; 'Make up for' means to compensate for a loss.

Police is looking the matter.Police is looking into the matter.

'Look' needs 'into' to mean investigation. Without it, the sentence is incomplete.

Test Your Knowledge

Q1.The manager promised to ______ the employees' grievances.

Q2.She worked overtime to ______ the time she lost last week.

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