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VERBOS FRASALES – INGLÉS INSTRUMENTAL CIENCIAS DE LA SALUD 2018

Phrasal verbs (also called multi-word verbs) are idiomatic expressions, combining verbs
and prepositions to make new verbs whose meaning is often not obvious from the
dictionary definitions of the individual words. They are widely used in both written and
spoken English, and new ones are formed all the time as they are a flexible way of creating
new terms.

Definition:
A phrasal verb consists of a verb and a preposition or adverb that modifies or changes
the meaning; 'give up' is a phrasal verb that means 'stop doing' something, which is very
different from 'give'. The word or words that modify a verb in this manner can also go
under the name particle.

Phrasal verbs can be divided into groups:

Intransitive verbs
These don't take an object
They had an argument, but they've made up now.

Inseparable verbs
The object must come after the particle.
They are looking after their grandchildren.

Separable verbs
With some separable verbs, the object must come between the verb and the particle:
The quality of their work sets them apart from their rivals.

In our phrasal verb dictionary, we classify these as Separable [obligatory]

With some separable verbs, the object can before or after the particle, though when a
pronoun is used it comes before the particle:
Turn the TV off.
Turn off the TV.
Turn it off.

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Phrasal verbs
A phrasal verb is a verb that is made up of a main verb together with an adverb or a
preposition, or both. Typically, their meaning is not obvious from the meanings of the
individual words themselves. For example:

She has always looked down on me.

Fighting broke out among a group of 40 men.


VERBOS FRASALES – INGLÉS INSTRUMENTAL CIENCIAS DE LA SALUD 2018

I’ll see to the animals.

Don’t put me off, I’m trying to concentrate.

The report spelled out the need for more staff.

For instance, in the first example, the phrasal verb ‘to look down on someone’ doesn’t
mean that you are looking down from a higher place at someone who is below you; it
means that you think that you are better than someone.

Transitivity
Phrasal verbs can be intransitive (i.e. they have no object):

We broke up two years ago.

They set off early to miss the traffic.

He pulled up outside the cottage.

or transitive (i.e. they can have an object):

The police were called to break up the fight.

When the door is opened, it sets off an alarm.

They pulled the house down and redeveloped the site.

Word order
The verb and adverb elements which make up intransitive phrasal verbs are never
separated:

✓ We broke up two years ago.

✗ We broke two years ago up.

The situation is different with transitive verbs, however. If the direct object is a noun,
you can say:
VERBOS FRASALES – INGLÉS INSTRUMENTAL CIENCIAS DE LA SALUD 2018

✓ They pulled the house down.


[direct object]
✓ They pulled down the house.

If the object is a pronoun (such as it, him, her, them) , then the object always comes
between the verb and the adverb:

✓ They pulled it down.


[direct object]
✗ They pulled down it.

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