PHRASAL VERBS

& IDIOMS

Phrasal Verbs:
Phrasal verbs are usually two-word phrases
consisting of verb + adverb, verb + preposition,
verb+ adverb + preposition. It can have a literal
meaning that is easy to understand because
the meaning is clear from the words that are
used in the phrasal verb itself. It can also have
an idiomatic meaning which cannot easily be
understood by looking at the words themselves.
. E.g. 'give up' is a phrasal verb that means
'stop doing' something, which is very different
from 'give'.

 Examples:
run into,
gear up,
see through,
settle down,
show up,
talk into,
tone down,
turn up, etc.

ran away,
back up,
see about,
settle for,
tag along,
talk out of,
touch up,

gang up,
back off,
send off,
show through,
take on,
talk back,
top off,

 Phrasal verbs with verb + adverb are called

particle verbs.
Phrasal verbs with verb + preposition are called
prepositional verbs.
Prepositional verbs with two prepositions are
possible: e.g. We talked to the minister about
the crisis.

Types Of Phrasal Verbs:

1.
2.
3.
4.

There are four basic types of phrasal verbs:

Verb + particle
Verb + particle + object/ verb + object+ particle
Verb + particle + object (verb + particle inseparable)
Verb + particle + preposition+ object (verb
inseparable from particle and preposition)

1. Verb + particle e.g. look out! (= be careful);

We set off on our journey
(=started)

2. Phrasal verb with an object either after the particle or

between the verb and particle:
2a) Verb + object + particle e.g. Ill throw the rubbish away.
Take your shoes off.
2b) Verb + particle + object e.g. Ill throw away the rubbish.
Take off your shoes.
Note: When object is a pronoun, e.g. them, it can only go
before the particle, not after it.
e.g. Ill throw it away (NOT: Ill throw away it.)
Take them off (NOT: Take off them.)

3. Phrasal verb with object, but verb and

particle inseparable:
Verb + particle + object
e.g. She takes after her mother.
(Not:
She takes her mother after.)
Looking after a baby is hard work.
(NOT: Looking a baby after is hard work.)

4. Phrasal verbs with three parts: verb+ particle+

preposition.
In this case, the verb cannot be separated from the
other parts.

Verb + particle + preposition + object

e.g. Im looking forward to the weekend.

You go now, Ill catch up with you later.
Going back on promises is not a good
habit.

Phrasal verbs can be:

1. Intransitive (cannot be followed by an
object)
e.g. He suddenly showed up.
show up cannot take an object.
2. Transitive (followed by object)
e.g. I made up the story.
"story" is the object of "make up"

Phrasal
verbs

intransitive
1.Get up
Phrasal
verbs

transitive
Phrasal
verbs

Meaning

Examples
Direct
object

Rise from
bed

I dont like to
get up early.

2. Break down Cease to

function/ not
function

He was late as
his car broke
down.

Put off

Postpone

We will have to
put off

the
meeting.

Turn down

refuse

They turned
down

my offer.

Separable Phrasal Verbs: When phrasal verbs are transitive (that is, they
have a direct object), we can usually separate the two parts. For example, "turn
down" is a separable phrasal verb. We can say: "turn down my offer" or "turn
my offer down"

Transitive
phrasal
verbs are
separable

subj
ect

verb

object particle object

They turned

down

They turned my
offer

down.

my
offer.

However, if the direct object is a pronoun, we must

separate the phrasal verb and insert the pronoun between
the two parts:
Direct
object
pronouns
must go
between
the two
parts of
transitive
phrasal
verbs

Ali switched

on

the
radio.

on.
Ali switched the
radio
Ali switched it

on.

Ali switched

on

it.

Phrasal verbs have a literal and an idiomatic

meaning:
Verb and Adverb (run + around)
to run around (something) - to run in a circle around
something (literal)
e.g. The dog ran around the fire hydrant.
to run around (somewhere) - to go to various places
to do something (idiomatic/figurative)
e.g. I spent the day running around town.

Verb and a Preposition (run + into)

to run into (someone or something) - to hit or
crash into someone or something (literal)
e.g. The car ran into the truck on the busy
street.
to run into (someone) - to meet someone by
chance (idiomatic/figurative)
e.g. I ran into my friend in a restaurant
yesterday.

Verb and Adverb and Preposition (run +

along/around + with)
to run along with (someone or something) - to run
beside or at the same pace as someone or something
(literal)
e.g. The dog ran along with the bicycle.
to run around with (someone) - to be friends and do
things with someone or with a group (idiomatic/
figurative)
e.g. The boy is running around with a bad group of
people.

Idiom:
An idiom is a group of words in current usage
having a meaning that is not deducible from
those of the individual words. For example, to
rain cats and dogs - which means to rain very
heavily - is an idiom; and over the moon
which means extremely happy- is another
idiom.

 It is an expression, word, or phrase that has a

figurative meaning that is comprehended in
regard to a common use of that expression that
is separate from the literal meaning or
definition of the words of which it is made.
A group of words in a fixed order that have a
particular meaning that is different from the
meanings of each word understood on its own.

An idiom is a combination of words that has a

meaning that is different from the meanings of
the individual words themselves. It can have a
literal meaning in one situation and a different
idiomatic meaning in another situation. It is a
phrase which does not always follow the
normal
rules of meaning and grammar.

Example:

To sit on the fence can literally mean that

one is sitting on a fence.
I sat on the fence and watched the game.
The idiomatic meaning of to sit on the fence
is that one is not making a clear choice
regarding some issue.
The politician sat on the fence and would not
give his opinion about the tax issue.

 Most idioms are unique and fixed in their

grammatical structure.
The expression to sit on the fence cannot
become to sit on a fence or to sit on the fences.
To be broken (literal = something broken)
(figurative/ idiomatic = to have no money)

Difference between idiom and phrasal verb:

A phrasal verb can be adjusted to make a
grammatically correct sentence; in idioms, order of
words is not changed and often the order of words of
idioms will generally be considered grammatically
incorrect.
NOTE: Adjectives and adverbs can be added to an
idiomatic phrase.
e.g.The politician has been sitting squarely in the
middle of the fence since the election.

 Phrasal Verb Example:

Teacher Rachel asked me about the way that the youth and
the older people speak here in Brazil. Well, as in Great Britain,
youths use slang to communicate with each other. And when
they meet up with a stranger, an adult, an elderly person, a
teacher or anyone higher up than them, they speak formally.
This adds up to two different ways of talking: formal and
informal. However, there is an interesting thing going on here:
older people are starting to sound younger! In other words,
people who are getting on in age are using more and more
slang as a way of being down with the kids*. Brazilian TV
shows are full of young people, and the way they speak has a
knock on effect on the way adult listeners express
themselves. Maybe, in the near future, the way adults and
young people use formal language wont divide up the two age
groups; everyone will only use formal language in formal
situations.

Teacher Rachel asked me about the way that the youth and
the older people speak here in Brazil. Well, as in Great Britain,
youths use slang to communicate to each other. And when they
meet someone unknown, an adult, an elderly, or someone as
a teacher or any authority, they speak formally. And this is
the way that we can separate the ways of expression of
people here: formal or informal. However, there is an
interesting phenomena occurring here: the older people are
becoming youth. In other words, the adults and elderly people
are using more and more slang to become closer to the
youths. And, as Brazilian TV has plenty of young people (and
TV has to talk the language of its public), it influences the way
the adults express their selves. Maybe in a near future the
formal language will be used just in formal occasions, and not
as a way to separate groups with different ages.

Phrasal Verbs
Exercises

1. Identify the placement of verb, particle and

object in the following sentences.
1. I talked my mother into letting me borrow the car.
2. I ran into an old friend yesterday.
3. They are looking into the problem.
4. She looked the phone number up.
5. I looked up the number in the phone book.
6. I looked it up in the phone book.
7. Cheer up!

2. Complete the sentences using the correct form of

phrasal verbs. Use each phrasal verb only once.
break out, break down, get up, switch on,
ring up, turn down
1. I have to speak to Mr. Mason. Id better________ up.
2. Do you like ______________early in the mornings?
3. Could you _____________________ the light?
4. The lift has _______and isnt working at the moment.
5. A fire ______in the offices of ABC cinema last night.
6. That music s rather loud. Can you ____________ it?

3. Replace the underlined words with the correct

form of phrasal verbs.
Come into, run into, come up with, look back on, go into,
1. Weve examined the problem very carefully.
2. Jane inherited a great deal of money when her
grandmother died.
3. I met an old friend by chance in town yesterday
afternoon.
4. When you remember the past, its easy to see the
mistakes youve made.
5. We must try to find a solution to the problem.

Relevant links/ sources:

http://www.englishpage.com/prepositions/phras
aldictionary.html
http://www.englishclub.com/ref/Phrasal_Verbs/i
ndex.htm
http://www.idiomsite.com/
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/
phrasal-verbs/g.html
Saadat Ali Shah. Exploring the World of
English. Chapters 1-6.

THE END