Phrasal Verbs

Separable/ Inseparable
 What are Phrasal Verbs?!
1. A phrasal verb is a verb plus a particle

I ran into my teacher at the movies last night.

>> run + into (= meet)

Verb + particle = phrasal verb
 Particles Vs. Prepositions
Particles are identical to prepositions in appearance but act differently

Particles effect the meaning of the phrasal verb. Prepositions do not

change the meanings of their proceeding verbs and are independent
of them.
E.g.
Particle: Max ran up the bill. (run up = to make larger)
Preposition: Max ran up the hill. (run keeps its normal meaning in this
case)
Particle: I looked up your number online. (=searched)
Preposition: I looked up to see the helicopter in the sky. (=actually
looked up towards the sky)

So, particles change the meaning of a verb, but prepositions DO

NOT
 Transitive or Intransitive?
A: Transitive Phrasal verbs
1) TAKE AN OBJECT:
Call off something (=cancel)
Pick out something (=choose)
take away something (=remove)
2) usually SEPERABLE (The particle may precede or
follow the direct object):
E.g. "They turned on the lights" or "They turned the lights
on"
Transitive
Phrasal
Verb Object
Transitive Phrasal Verb Object
 WARNING!!!
BE CAREFUL! when the object is a pronoun, the particle
cannot precede it:
"They turned them on" is correct. (them = the lights)
"They turned on them (INCORRECT).
I wrote it down. (Correct).
I wrote down it (INCORRECT).

So if the direct object is a pronoun, it MUST go between the

verb and the particle
 Some Transitive phrasal verbs MUST be
separated and some are inseparable
Even though they are usually separated, a small group
of transitive verbs must be separated:

E.g.

Keep your jacket on. Not: Keep on your jacket.

Ask Sara out. Not: Ask out Sara

Ask John over. Not: Ask over John

 Note that
In transitive phrasal verbs:

-When the noun object is part of a long phrase, we do not

separate the verb and the particle:

E.g.

I filled out the form from the Sterling Property

Management.

NOT: I filled the form from the Sterling Property

Management out
 Intransitive Phrasal Verbs
Intransitive phrasal verbs
1) DO NOT take an object.
2) Always inseparable:

Catch on = become popular

Get a head = make progress
Show up = appear
Sit down = take a seat
back out of bear down on bear on
desert; fail to keep a promise lean on; browbeat have to do with
bear up under break in on break into
endure interrupt interrupt
call for care for carry on with
come to get; require like; guard; supervise; maintain continue
catch up with
check up on come across
cover the distance between
examine; verify find accidentally
oneself and
come along with come by come down with
accompany; make progress find accidentally become ill with
come out with come up with count on
utter; produce utter; produce rely on
cut in on disagree with do away with
interrupt cause illness or discomfort to abolish
do without drop in at/on drop out of
deprive oneself of visit casually without planning leave; quit
fall behind in
face up to fall back on
lag; not progress at required
acknowledge use for emergency purpose
pace
fall out with fill in for get ahead of
quarrel with substitute for surpass; beat
get away with get by with
get around
do without being caught or manage with a minimum of
evade; avoid
punished effort
get down to get in get off
become serious about; consider enter (a vehicle) descend from; leave
get on get on with get through with
enter (a vehicle); mount proceed with terminate, finish
go back on go for go in for
desert; fail to keep (a promise) like a great deal be interested in; participate in
go with
go on with go over
harmonize with; look pleasing
continue review
together
 hang around
go without hear from
remain idly in the vicinity
abstain from receive a communication from
of
hear of
hit on hold on to
learn about (sometimes
discover accidentally grasp tightly
accidentally)
hold out against keep at keep to
resist persevere at persist in; continue
live on
keep up with lie down on
support or sustain oneself by
maintain the pace of evade; fail to do
means of
live up to
look after look back on
maintain the standard demanded
take care of remember nostalgically
of
look down on look forward to look up to
feel superior to anticipate respect; admire
make up for pass on pick on
compensate for transmit tease; bully
play up to put up with read up on
flatter for personal advantage tolerate search out information on
run against run away with run for
compete against in an election leave; escape from campaign for
see about see to settle on
consider; arrange arrange; supervise decide on; choose
stand for stand up for stand up to
represent; permit support; demand resist
stick to stick up for take after
persist support; defend resemble
talk back to talk over tell on
answer impolitely discuss report misbehavior to authority
touch on turn into wait on
mention briefly become serve
wait up for watch out for
not go to bed while waiting for be careful for
Which of the following sentences includes a
grammatical error because the phrasal verb is
inseparable? (abt 2016)

A) Why did she turn your invitation down?

B) Can you look the opening times up on the website?
C) We walked along the beach, breathing the sea air in.
D) Were going to bring the matter forward at the
meeting.
E) I came an interesting article across last night.