Phrasal verbs · Free lesson
Work out or workout? Talk about exercise
Someone asks what you do before breakfast. If you exercise, “I work out at home” gives a different answer from “I work at home.” One small word changes the activity.
Professor Scott MendozaMeaning in this lesson
work out
Do physical exercise, for example as part of a fitness or sports routine.
Example
“I work out at home before breakfast.”
I exercise at home before breakfast.
The short answer
Work out is a two-word verb meaning exercise: I work out at home. Workout is a noun for an exercise session: I had a short workout. Do not join the two words when you need the verb.
Choose the action or the session.
Use work out when you say that someone exercises. The verb changes normally: she works out; we worked out. You can add a place or time, without adding an object: I work out in my room. Use a workout when you name one exercise session: a quick workout, my morning workout.
Two sentences, two different activities.
I work at home.
I work out at home.
Work at home commonly describes doing your job there. Work out at home describes exercising there. Out does not mean you must go outside.
Put exercise into a sentence
Use the action
I work out before breakfast.
Change the verb for a finished past action
I worked out yesterday.
Name one session with a noun
I had a short workout.
Try it now
Choose the right exercise expression.
Read all answers and explanations
Which sentence explicitly says that you exercise at home?
I work out at home.Work out means exercise in this context. Work at home does not specifically say exercise, and outside describes a location.
Complete the sentence with a noun: “I had a short ___ this morning.”
workoutAfter a short, you need the name of the session: workout. Work out is the verb; worked out is its past form.
Choose the ordinary present statement about Sam’s exercise routine.
Sam works out on Mondays.With Sam as the singular subject, add -s to work: works out. Do not turn the noun workout into the verb.
Put it into practice
Fix the exercise message.
The writer means that they exercise before breakfast. Fix the spelling of the verb and keep that meaning.
I workout before breakfast.
See a model answer
I work out before breakfast.
The edit repairs the verb spelling without changing exercise into work or changing the time.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Does work out mean exercise outdoors?
No. You can work out indoors or outdoors. In this expression, out is not an instruction to go outside.
I work out in my room.
Can I say “do a workout”?
Yes. Do is the verb, and a workout names the session. That is another way to describe exercising; it does not make workout a verb.
I do a short workout before breakfast.
Take it into your day
I work out describes the action. A workout names an exercise session.
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Work out connects everyday vocabulary with the way a sentence is built. The Phrasal Verbs course covers exercise and other practical situations through clear explanations, conversations and guided practice, so you can use expressions as well as recognize them.
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