English Grammar Understanding the Basics - Evelyn P. Altenberg, Robert M. Vago 2010
Lesson 11: Phrasal verbs
Unit 2: Verbs
Part I: Kinds of words
While most verbs are single words, some are phrasal: they contain two words. In phrasal verbs, the first word is a verb and the second word is called a particle. Here are some examples, with the phrasal verbs underlined:
1. She looked up the answer.
2. We will just drop off the files.
3. The professor pointed out the correct answer.
Notice that the meaning of a phrasal verb is often similar to the meaning of a single verb:
4. She looked up the answer.
She researched the answer.
5. We will just drop off the files.
We will just deliver the files.
6. The professor pointed out the correct answer. The professor identified the correct answer.
Quick tip 11.1
If you can substitute a single verb for a verb and the word following it, you probably have a phrasal verb. For example, you can say, She pointed out the truth to us or She showed the truth to us. Point out is a phrasal verb.
We can also still identify phrasal verbs using our to ... or should ... Quick tips:
Test yourself 11.1
Each of the sentences below contains a phrasal verb. Underline the phrasal verb, using the verb substitution tip and the to ... and should ... tips to help you.
Sample: The lecturer summed up his main points.
Getting started (answers on p. 44)
1. He fixed up the lighting in the hall.
2. They read over the document many times.
3. You dream up the most amazing things.
4. Ron takes out the garbage every Monday night.
5. I will pay off my mortgage in fifteen years.
More practice (answers on the website)
6. Yesterday, the company’s president handed in her resignation.
7. She took over the entire operation.
8. Unfortunately, the buyer of my property blew off the deal.
9. It is obvious that she cooked up the whole story.
10. You bring up an interesting point.
In many cases, the two parts of a phrasal verb, the verb and its particle, can be separated:
7. She looked the answer up.
8. We will just drop the files off.
9. The professor pointed the correct answer out.
Even when the two parts are separated, it’s still a phrasal, or multi-word, verb. When you can separate the two parts in this way, you know that you’ve got a phrasal verb.
Quick tip 11.2
If you can move a particle away from its verb, you have a phrasal verb. For example, since you can say both She looked up the answer and She looked the answer up, look up is a phrasal verb.
Test yourself 11.2
Underline the phrasal verbs in each of the sentences below. The particle will not necessarily be next to its verb.
Sample: The students will hand their assignment in tomorrow.
Getting started (answers on p. 44)
1. Mr. Parker helped out his neighbors.
2. You should call the agency up.
3. Those children put on a show.
4. What brought this reaction about?
5. The hurricane tore the roofs of many houses off.
More practice (answers on the website)
6. The first member of the relay team passed off the baton successfully.
7. The herdsman gathered all his sheep in.
8. Debbie kept up her grades in graduate school.
9. I took my glasses off quickly.
10. Last month the bank signed the deed over to me.
In some cases, a particle cannot be separated from its verb:
10. She asked for the receptionist.
11. The lawyer objected to the defendant’s statement.
12. He will look into the judge’s decision.
In these cases, you cannot say:
13. *She asked the receptionist for.
14. *The lawyer objected the defendant’s statement to.
15. *He will look the judge’s decision into.
So Quick tip 11.2 is not useful in these cases; you have to rely on the verb substitution test and the to and should tests.
Test yourself 11.3
Some of the sentences below contain a one word verb and some contain a phrasal verb. Underline the one word verb or phrasal verb in each sentence.
Sample: They owed her a lot of money.
Getting started (answers on p. 44)
1. Eat up your dinner!
2. The girls will put the puzzle s away.
3. I understand that concept.
4. Birds fly south for the winter.
5. The elderly woman got off the bus with great difficulty.
More practice (answers on the website)
6. We ate out last night.
7. The show ran far too long.
8. They checked out the scenery around their hotel.
9. The pitcher threw the batter out in the eighth inning.
10. The butcher opened his store up at 7 a.m.
To enhance your understanding
Take a look at these groups of sentences:
16. She looked up the answer. She looked the answer up.
*She looked up it. She looked it up.
17. We will just drop off the children. We will just drop the children off.
*We will just drop off them. We will just drop them off.
18. He pointed out the other girl. He pointed the other girl out.
*He pointed out her. He pointed her out.
As you can see, in some cases (those with an asterisk), a particle cannot be next to its verb; the two parts must be separated. As a matter of fact, this is true in all of those cases where the direct object of the verb (what the verb is acting upon) is one of the following words: me, you, him, her, it, us, them. You might recognize these words as pronouns. You’ll learn about these pronouns in Lesson 21, about direct objects in Lesson 39, and more about verbs and their particles in Lesson 30.