Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal Verbs
In your life, if you ever had any informal conversation with Americans, you must have noticed that they often use a different group of words in their language. Such as look upon, come across, look forward. Such type of words has different meanings in different contexts.
It is almost impossible for Americans to speak without using such words, making it difficult for other people to understand American English. These words are called phrasal verbs. Now you must be wondering what phrasal verbs are. How are they formed? Etc. Don’t worry. You will get answers to your questions in this lesson.
What are Phrasal Verbs?
Phrasal verbs are a combination of verb and single-particle or sometimes two particles. This particle can be a preposition and/or adverb. These particles alter the meaning of the verb. That’s why it is difficult to understand the meaning of each phrasal verb from its words. To understand the meaning of the phrasal verb, you have to read its context. In spoken English, 80 % of the verbs are phrasal verbs.
Phrasal verbs indicate actions. They are generally used in informal or spoken English. Less no of phrasal verbs are used in Formal conversations.
Structure: Verb + Preposition/adverb1 +[preposition/adverb2]
Example:
- Turn down.
- Look upon.
- Take off.
- Stand up.
- Shut up.
- Get along with.
Types of Phrasal Verbs
There are two types of Phrasal verbs in English.
- Transitive phrasal verbs
- Intransitive phrasal verbs
Transitive phrasal verbs are further divided into two more types.
- Separable phrasal verbs
- Inseparable phrasal verbs.
Transitive Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs which require an object in a sentence are known as Transitive phrasal verbs. If you do not add any object in a sentence, the sentence will not make any sense while using transitive phrasal verbs. It will look incomplete.
The sentences given below have an object to provide a complete meaning. If we remove the object from these sentences, the sentence will not give an absolute sense.
Objects are underlined.
Example:
- My mother looks after my sister’s child when she is at work.
Look after= Take care of something or someone.
- Will you please switch on the light?
Switch on= Turn on
- Did you check out the link I shared with you last night?
Check out= Look into
Some transitive phrasal verbs are separable, and some are inseparable.
Separable Phrasal verbs
Separable phrasal verbs are those phrasal verbs in which you can separate the verb and particle and put the object in the middle of verb and particle. You can use verbs and particles in different places in a sentence in separable phrasal verbs. You can use such phrasal verbs in joined form as well.
Example:
- Turn on the TV.
- Turn the TV on.
- Will you pick Anna up from the school?
- Will you pick up Anna from the school?
- Please call me up when you reach home.
Now you must be thinking how word order differs in separable phrasal verbs.
You have to remember two rules in separable phrasal verb.
- When the object of a sentence is either name of a person or thing, you can place it in the middle of the phrasal verb or after the phrasal verb.
Example:
- I asked George to chop the onion up.
- I asked George to chop up the onion.
- If the object is a pronoun such as him, her, us, it, them, you, you have to place the object in the middle of phrasal verbs.
Example:
- If you are done using this brush, put it away. (CORRECT)
- If you are done using this brush, put away it. (INCORRECT)
Inseparable phrasal verbs
Inseparable phrasal verbs are those phrasal verbs in which you cannot separate the verbs and particles. You can not use the particles of such phrasal verbs at different places. They stand together.
Example:
- My friend fell off the bridge. (CORRECT)
- My friend fell the bridge off. (INCORRECT)
- The thieved broke into my room last night.
- Students should carry on their work no matter what.
Intransitive phrasal verbs are always inseparable.
Intransitive Phrasal verbs
Phrasal verbs that do not require any direct object to give a complete sense of a sentence are Intransitive phrasal verbs. Intransitive phrasal verbs are always inseparable. Following examples do not have any object, yet they give a complete sense.
Example:
- Our kids are growing up.
- I woke up at 9.00 AM today.
- My car is terrible. It breaks down in the mid of the road.
- Will you please shut up for a while?
- Slow down; you will hit someone.
How can you know that a given phrasal verb is separable or inseparable and transitive or intransitive?
Sadly, English grammar does not have any rule to differentiate the types of phrasal verbs. You have to study phrasal verbs from some dictionary to learn their meanings and examples in different contexts.
Few Important Phrasal Verbs
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning |
| Back off | To allow someone to handle things on their own. |
| Blow up | To make anything burst/explode. |
| Break in | To enter in a place without permission (illegally) by using force. |
| Call off | To cancel a scheduled event. |
| Calm down | To be less aggressive, anxious, excited, or upset. |
| Cut back | Spending less money on something. |
| Cut off | To exclude a person or something from a list. |
| Go after | Trying hard to get something, no matter how complicated it is. |
| Drop out | To quite school. |
| Eat up | When someone eats all of the food. |
| Fix up | To make plans with someone or for others. |
| Get away | To run away or escape from something. |
Conclusion:
Phrasal verbs play an important role in spoken English. It is a bit difficult to know either a phrasal verb is separable or non-separable. You have to use a good dictionary to understand this. You can use phrasal verbs in different contexts. You can check whether a phrasal verb gives sense with or without an object in a sentence.