1. What is a
PHRASAL VERB?
A basic introduction to English phrasal verbs
http://botanicallinguist.com
2. Phrasal verbs are sometimes called
multi-word verbs
they’re used just like other verbs
3. A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb
(such as ‘make’ or ‘pick’)
with one or two particles
(an adverb or a preposition),
that results in a new
word or unit of meaning.
4. A simple verb plus a preposition is not a phrasal verb
For example:
look up
look up – to turn your eyes upwards, is not a phrasal verb
I looked up and saw a plane.
look up (something) – to look at a book or computer
in order to find information, is a phrasal verb
I looked it up in my dictionary.
I looked it up on the internet.
5. cool off
pull out
talk over
soup up man up
eat up
play up
believe in
buy out
call off
PHRASAL VERBS
fall for
freshen up
show off step up
hit it off
laugh off
sell up
look after
make up
own up
pack out
run out
write off
6. Phrasal verbs are an important part of English.
They’re particularly common in everyday spoken English,
and informal written English.
But they’re also used in many quite formal and formal texts,
e.g. business letters, academic writing, scientific papers,
technical papers, legal documents, news reports,
and official government documents.
7. Phrasal verbs can seem difficult to learn
because it can be difficult or impossible to guess the meanings of
phrasal verbs from the meanings of their individual verbs and
particles.
For example:
• sell up something (or sell something up) – to sell your business or property
and move onto something or somewhere else.
• own up to something - to admit or confess that you have done something wrong
They can also seem difficult to learn because some phrasal
verbs have multiple meanings.
For example…
8. pick up
If you pick up a cold or other infectious illness, you get it from
someone or something.
He picked up malaria on holiday.
If something picks up, it improves after a slow start or a bad period.
Business has really picked up this year.
If you pick up a new skill you learn it easily or casually.
Children pick up a second language very easily.
To pick up speed is to go faster.
The cyclists picked up speed after 10 miles.
When the wind picks up it gets stronger.
The wind is picking up.
9. Intransitive phrasal verbs
are always inseparable: they do not take a direct object
between the two parts of the phrasal verb.
Examples:
back down
get by
hang up
grow up
keel over
pass out
stay over
grow up
10. Transitive phrasal verbs have a direct object
Most transitive phrasal verbs can take the direct object between the two
parts of the phrasal verb, or after the phrasal verb (separable phrasal verbs).
For example:
look up something or look (something) up
I looked up ‘freelance’ in my English dictionary.
I looked ‘freelance’ up in my English dictionary.
However, if the direct object is a pronoun, it must go between the two
parts of the phrasal verb.
For example:
I looked it up in my English dictionary.
11. Some transitive phrasal verbs must have the object between
the verb and the particle.
For example:
talk into – I talked my boss into giving me a pay rise.
pull to – Could you pull the door to, please?
Some transitive phrasal verbs must have the object after the
particle (the phrasal verb is inseparable).
For example:
look after – I look after the children while my wife goes to work.
take after – My son takes after his grandfather.
believe in - I believe in ghosts.
