Government & Law — Part 3
The Celpip Plus team
Written and reviewed against the official CELPIP scoring criteria
What you'll learn: the phrasal verbs native speakers use when talking about government action and legal processes — crucial for sounding natural rather than textbook-formal when discussing civic topics.
Why phrasal verbs matter alongside formal vocabulary
Government and law topics tempt learners into overly formal, Latinate vocabulary ("investigate," "implement," "abolish") while native speakers often reach for a phrasal verb instead — "look into," "carry out," "do away with." Both registers are correct, but using only formal vocabulary can sound stiff, especially in Speaking. This lesson builds a set of phrasal verbs that let you move fluidly between casual explanation and semi-formal opinion, which is exactly the range CELPIP Speaking rewards.
Grouping the phrasal verbs by stage of action
These phrasal verbs cluster around three stages: starting action (crack down on, bring in), conducting action (carry out, look into), and ending or removing something (do away with, get rid of). Thinking in terms of stage, rather than memorizing an unordered list, makes it easier to reach for the right one mid-response.
Word bank: government & law phrasal verbs
| Collocation | Meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| crack down on | take strict action against a problem | The government cracked down on illegal street vending downtown. |
| bring in (a law/policy) | introduce something new, often officially | The city brought in a new bylaw restricting noise after 10 p.m. |
| carry out (an investigation) | perform or complete a planned action | Police carried out an investigation into the fraud allegations. |
| look into | examine or investigate a matter | The committee agreed to look into the complaints from residents. |
| do away with | eliminate or abolish something entirely | Many countries have done away with the death penalty. |
| get rid of | remove or eliminate something unwanted | The new mayor promised to get rid of unnecessary red tape. |
| hold up (a process) | delay or cause something to stop temporarily | Legal disputes held up the construction permit for months. |
| draw up (a contract/bill) | prepare a formal written document | Lawyers drew up a contract before the deal was finalized. |
| sign off on | give formal approval to something | The council signed off on the new budget proposal. |
| speak out against | publicly criticize something | Several activists spoke out against the proposed cuts. |
| back down | withdraw a position or demand under pressure | The government backed down after widespread protests. |
| set out (rules/guidelines) | clearly establish or state something | The new policy sets out clear guidelines for public consultations. |
Worked example — Speaking Task 4
Prompt: Talk about a rule or law you think should be changed.
"I think our city should crack down on illegal parking near schools because it creates real safety risks for children. A few years ago, the council looked into the issue and even drew up a proposal to increase fines, but for some reason the plan was never signed off on. Local parents spoke out against the delay at several meetings, and eventually officials promised to carry out a full review. Instead of continuing to hold up progress, I believe the city should just bring in stricter enforcement and set out clear rules for parking near schools, rather than backing down every time there's pushback from a few drivers."
This response uses eight phrasal verbs naturally within a personal opinion, giving it the conversational flow that distinguishes a high-scoring spoken response from a memorized script.
Common mistakes
- "Cancel a law" instead of do away with or get rid of a law — "cancel" is rarely used for legislation in natural speech.
- "Make an investigation" instead of carry out an investigation — the correct verb pairing here is "carry out," not "make."
- "Stop a process" instead of hold up a process — "hold up" specifically implies unwanted delay, which "stop" does not capture as precisely.
- Confusing "back down" with "back up" — "back down" means to withdraw a position; "back up" means to support one. Mixing them reverses the meaning entirely.
Recap
Phrasal verbs give government and law vocabulary a natural, conversational edge that pure formal vocabulary lacks, and they are especially valuable in CELPIP Speaking tasks. Practice by retelling a real news story about a government decision using at least four phrasal verbs from the table above.