carry out — perform / execute (Murphy Unit 139, Phrasal verbs out)
Pattern
Section titled “Pattern”carry out = perform / execute / complete (a task, work, research, order, investigation).
- Repair work will be carried out next week. (performed)
- They carried out an investigation.
- The soldiers carried out the order.
- Research was carried out by the university.
Common collocations
Section titled “Common collocations”| carry out + | Meaning |
|---|---|
| repair work / maintenance | perform the work |
| research / a survey | conduct it |
| an investigation / inquiry | run it |
| an order / instructions | obey, execute |
| a plan / threat | follow through on |
| tests / experiments | run them |
Passive form (common in writing)
Section titled “Passive form (common in writing)”be + carried out — very common for work/research:
- Repair work is being carried out.
- The survey was carried out last month.
- Tests will be carried out tomorrow.
carry on (with) — continue (the trap pair)
Section titled “carry on (with) — continue (the trap pair)”We had a short break and then carried on with our work. ✓
| form | meaning |
|---|---|
| carry on (with) | continue, keep going — carry on with our work · carry on! |
| carry out | perform/execute a task — carry out a plan/survey |
Do not swap them: carry on with our work = keep doing it; carry out our work = execute it (as a commission). The with belongs to carry-on, and it’s what the two-word gap usually signals.
Distinguish from other “out” phrasals
Section titled “Distinguish from other “out” phrasals”| Phrasal | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| carry out | perform / execute | Repair work was carried out. |
| try out | test | We tried out the new machine. |
| work out | figure out / resolve / exercise | It worked out well. |
| sort out | resolve / organize | We sorted out the issues. |
Test application
Section titled “Test application”The road will be closed for two days next week while repair work is ___ .
Answer: carried out — repair work is performed/executed. The passive “work is carried out” is the standard collocation.
Why not the others?
- tried out — tested (wrong — repair work isn’t “tested”, it’s “performed”)
- worked out — figured out/resolved (wrong — work isn’t “figured out”, it’s “done”)
- carried out ✓ — performed
Source
Section titled “Source”Raymond Murphy, English Grammar in Use (4th ed.), Unit 139 — Phrasal verbs out. Ebot lesson 2026-08-29: “while repair work is ___” → carried out (performed/executed, passive).