Phrasal verbs:theory and practice

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phrasal verbs

Some

verbs are two

part verbs

(see Clauses, Sentences and Phrases). They consist of a verb and

a particle:

grow

+ up

>> The children are growing up.

Often

this gives the verb a new

meaning:

take

+ after

>> She takes after her mother

=

She looks like her mother, or She behaves like her mother.

count

+ on

>> I know I can count on you

= I

know I can trust you, or I know I can believe you.

Some transitive two

part verbs (see Clauses, Sentences and Phrases) have only

one pattern:

N

(subject) + V + p + N (object)

[Note:

N = noun; V = verb; p = particle]

N

(Subject)

Verb

Particle

N

(Object)

She

I

My

father

takes

can

count

comes

after

on

from

her

mother

you

Madrid

Some

transitive two part verbs (see Clauses, Sentences and Phrases)

are phrasal

verbs.

Phrasal verbs have two

different patterns:

• The

usual pattern is: N

+ V + N + p

N

(Subject)

Verb

(N)

Object

Particle

She

He

We

gave

knocked

will

be leaving

the

money

the glass

our friends and neighbours

back

over

behind

•

But sometimes these verbs have the pattern: N

(subject) + V + p + N (object)

N

(Subject)

Verb

Particle

N

(Object)

She

He

We

gave

knocked

will

be leaving

back

over

behind

the

money

the glass

our friends and neighbours

When

the object is a personal

pronoun,these

verbs always have the pattern:

N

+ V +N + p:

>> She gave it back

>> knocked it over

>> We will be

leaving them behind

•

Phrasal

verbs are nearly always made up of a transitive

verb and

a particle. Common

verbs with

their most frequent particles are:

bring:

about,

along, back, forward, in, off, out, round, up

buy:

out,

up

call:

off,

up

carry:

off,

out

cut:

back,

down, off, out, up

give:

away,

back, off

hand:

back,

down, in, on out, over, round

knock:

down,

out, over

leave:

behind,

out

let:

down,

in, off, out

pass:

down,

over, round

point:

out

push:

about,

around, over

put:

across,

away, down, forward, off, on, out, through, together, up

read:

out

set:

apart,

aside, back, down

shut:

away,

in, off, out

take:

apart,

away, back, down, in, on, up, over

think:

over,

through, up

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