1. NORTHEAST SCHOOL OF
AGRICULTURE
Third fourt month
Practice Englisch iii
Engineer oscar garcia
Grout practice #4
Sudent: Moran Garcia Anthony paulo cesar
Llanos de la fragua Zacapa
2. Phrasal verbs
• The term phrasal verb is commonly applied to two or
three distinct but related constructions in English: a verb
and a particle and/or a preposition co-occur forming a
single semantic unit.This semantic unit cannot be
understood based upon the meanings of the individual
parts in isolation, but rather it can be taken as a whole. In
other words, the meaning is non-compositional and thus
unpredictable
3. Catenae
• The aspect of phrasal verb constructions that makes
them difficult to learn for non-native speakers of English
is that their meaning is non-compositional. That is, one
cannot know what a given phrasal verb construction
means based upon what the verb alone and/or the
preposition and/or particle alone mean, as emphasized
above. This trait of phrasal verbs is also what makes
them interesting for linguists, since they appear to defy
the principle of compositionality. An analysis of phrasal
verbs in terms of catenae (=chains), however, is not
challenged by the apparent lack of meaning
compositionality. The verb and particle/preposition form
a catena, and as such, they qualify as a concrete unit of
syntax. The following dependency grammar trees
illustrate the point.
4. Some notes on terminology
• The terminology of phrasal verbs is inconsistent. Modern theories
of syntax tend to use the term phrasal verb to denote particle
verbs only; they do not view prepositional verbs as phrasal verbs.
The EFL/ESL literature (English as a foreign or second language),
in contrast, tends to employ the term phrasal verb to encompass
both prepositional and particle verbs. The terminology used to
denote the particle is also inconsistent. Sometimes it is called an
adverb, and at other times an intransitive prepositional phrase.
The inconsistent use of terminology in these areas is a source of
confusion about what does and does not qualify as a phrasal verb
and about the status of the particle or a preposition.
5. Examples
Verb + preposition (prepositional phrasal verbs)
a. Who is looking after the kids? – after is a preposition that introduces the prepositional phrase after the kids.
b. They pick on Joseph. – on is a preposition that introduces the prepositional phrase on Joseph.
Verb + particle (particle phrasal verbs)
a. They brought that up twice. – up is a particle, not a preposition.
b. You should think it over. – over is a particle, not a preposition.
Verb + particle + preposition (particle-prepositional phrasal verbs)
a. Who can put up with that? – up is a particle and with is a preposition.
b. She is looking forward to a rest. – forward is a particle and to is a preposition
6. Phrasal Verbs
• Phrasal verbs are usually two-word phrases consisting of verb +
adverb or verb + preposition. Think of them as you would any
other English vocabulary. Study them as you come across them,
rather than trying to memorize many at once. Use the list below
as a reference guide when you find an expression that you don't
recognize. The examples will help you understand the meanings. If
you think of each phrasal verb as a separate verb with a specific
meaning, you will be able to remember it more easily. Like many
other verbs, phrasal verbs often have more than one meaning.
7. Separable Phrasal Verbs
The object may come after the following phrasal verbs or it may separate
the two parts:
•You have to do this paint job over.
•You have to do over this paint job.
When the object of the following phrasal verbs is a pronoun, the two parts of
the phrasal verb must be separated:
• You have to do it over.
