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Formation and meaning of phrasal verbs.
A phrasal verb consists of a verb and one or more particles that function together as a single lexical unit.
The meaning may be literal, idiomatic or somewhere in between.
Phrasal verbs may be intransitive, transitive or ditransitive.
Their grammatical behavior depends on whether they require objects.
Some phrasal verbs have transparent meanings, while others are idiomatic.
Compare sit down with give up.
Some phrasal verbs do not take a direct object.
Examples include wake up, grow up and show up.
Many phrasal verbs require a direct object.
Examples include turn off the light and put on a jacket.
Some transitive phrasal verbs allow the object to appear before or after the particle.
Compare turn off the light and turn the light off.
Some phrasal verbs do not allow the object to separate the verb and particle.
Examples include look after someone and run into a friend.
When a separable phrasal verb has a pronoun object, the pronoun normally comes between the verb and the particle.
For example: turn it off, pick them up.
Some phrasal verbs consist of a verb followed by two particles.
Examples include put up with, look forward to and get away with.
Particles such as up, down, out, in, on, off and away often contribute predictable meanings.
Recognizing particle meanings helps learners understand unfamiliar phrasal verbs.
Phrasal verbs are especially common in spoken and informal English.
Single-word Latin-based verbs are often preferred in formal writing.
Many transitive phrasal verbs can be used in passive constructions.
For example: The meeting was called off.
Adding different particles to the same verb often creates different meanings.
Compare take off, take over, take in, take up and take back.
The pronunciation and stress of phrasal verbs may differ depending on context.
Correct stress contributes to natural spoken English.
Dictionaries indicate whether phrasal verbs are separable, inseparable or transitive.
Learning dictionary notation helps learners use phrasal verbs correctly.
Many particles have recurring semantic patterns.
For example, up often indicates completion, while out frequently suggests removal or disappearance.
Phrasal verbs should be distinguished from prepositional verbs.
Although they may look similar, they follow different grammatical rules.
Pay attention to meaning, word order and transitivity.
Common mistakes include separating inseparable phrasal verbs, placing pronouns incorrectly, confusing particles and using the wrong register.