Particle guide

Phrasal verbs with round

The particle round starts from one core idea — circular motion or visit. Sink In groups its verbs by the recurring ways that idea plays out, so verbs that look unrelated line up into patterns.

27 phrasal verbs · 8 meaning groups

Circle

Round can show a curved path, a change of direction, or being at a nearby place.

Usual verb + particle uses

The verb keeps its normal meaning. The particle adds its usual direction or relation.

spin round

Turn quickly to face a different direction

He spun round in surprise.
He rotated quickly to face the source of surprise.
Nina spun round when the door slammed.
Nina rotated quickly to face the sound.

swing round

Rotate sharply on a pivot to face a new direction

The crane swung round.
The crane rotated sharply on its pivot.
The camera swung round to face the crowd.
The camera rotated sharply to face the crowd.

turn round

Move to face a different direction

She turned round to wave.
She moved to face the other way and waved.
Omar turned round when he heard his name.
Omar moved to face the person who called him.

walk round

Move on foot following a circular route

Tourists walked round the cathedral.
Tourists walked the perimeter of the cathedral.
We walked round the school garden.
We walked around the edge of the school garden.

wheel round

Turn quickly to face a different direction

He wheeled round at the noise.
He turned quickly to face the noise.
The guard wheeled round at the shout.
The guard turned quickly to face the shout.

wrap round

Wind something around a surface or object

She wrapped a scarf round her neck.
She wound a scarf around her neck.
He wrapped tape round the handle.
He wound tape around the handle.

Visit

You make a short visit, then leave again.

Nearby

You stay near someone, close enough to join or help.

Avoiding

The path curves so that it avoids an obstacle.

Sharing

News, questions, or choices pass from person to person in a circle.

Changing Minds

Someone slowly changes their mind and agrees.

Recovery

Energy returns. A person wakes after being unconscious.

Finally Doing

After a delay, attention reaches a task and the task begins.

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Practice the round patterns in Sink In

The app turns each meaning group into short review cards: recognition, particle cloze, meaning-to-particle recall, and schema matching.

  • Learn the pattern behind dozens of verbs at once — not one-off translations.
  • Spaced repetition (SM-2) brings each meaning back right before you forget.
  • Four practice modes train recall and discrimination, not just recognition.
1,300+ phrasal verbs26 particle patternsBuilt for B1–C2
Sink In particle round shown through its meaning patterns