Phrasal Verbs

Separable/
Inseperable
by Imad

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"
Transiti
ve
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
FOR A LIST OF INSEPERABLE TRANSITIVE PHRASAL
VERBS REFER TO APPENDIX 18 P 1-6

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

Remember
Learn to rely on your intuition when deciding whether a
phrasal verb is separable or inseparable

Try this:
Bring change about
(=make happen)
Bring about change

Which one do you think makes more sense when you

pronounce it?