Phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs – Differences

Two-word verbs can be phrasal verbs or prepositional verbs.

Phrasal Verbs often have a very different (idiomatic) meaning ; they have the same
meaning as a one-word verb.

verb: find + adverb: out = phrasal Verb: find out = discover

verb: go + adverb: back = phrasal Verb: go back = return

verb: put + adverb: off = phrasal Verb: put off = postpone

1. Phrasal Verbs

1.1. These verbs consist of verb + adverb. Phrasal verbs can stand alone
(intransitive verbs) or they can be used together with an object.

 Watch out. There is a bike coming.

 Mary took her coat off.

1.2. If there is an adverb in the sentence the phrasal verb can be put before or
after the object.

 He picked the broken car up. or

 I picked up the broken car.

If you use the pronoun for the object, the pronoun has to go between
the verb and the adverb.

 I picked up the broken car.  I picked it up.

1.3. The adverbs have their own meaning, which can sometimes be diverse.

 Prices are going up (up = increasing)

≠
 Who has eaten up the chocolates? (up = completely)
1.4. Some phrasal verbs have more than one meaning.

 Can you turn down the radio? (= make less loud)

≠
 I turned down the offer. (= refused)

2. Prepositional Verbs

2.1. These verbs consist of verb + preposition. The object has to go after the
preposition. The object must not go between the verb and the preposition.
Prepositional verbs cannot be separated.

 He often looks at his photos.

 incorrect: He often looks his photos at.

2.2. In questions, the preposition usually goes at the end of the sentence

 Who are you waiting for?

2.3. We can use some verbs in the structure: verb + object + preposition

 People admired Cleopatra for her beauty.

 The trees protect the garden from the wind.

3. Verb + adverb + preposition

This structure, mixing phrasal and prepositional verbs, often has a special, idiomatic
meaning which has to be learnt or looked up in a dictionary.

 We need to cut back on our spending. (= reduce)

 Mary doesn’t really get on with her sister’s boyfriend. (= have a good
relationship with)
 We’ve run out of petrol and had to walk. (= have none left)
For a list of phrasal and prepositional verbs, see :

- https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/phrasal_verbs1.htm

- https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/phrasal_verbs2.htm

For more information, have a look at :

- a video on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njKn2n8I8FU

- the website of the Cambridge dictionnary :

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/about-verbs/verbs-multi-
word-verbs

- a website preparing you for exams :

http://www.studyandexam.com/phrasal-verb.html -
http://www.studyandexam.com/preposition3.html -
http://www.studyandexam.com/Phrasal-prepositional-difference.html

For exercises, try :

http://www.english-grammar.at/worksheets/phrasal_verbs/phrasal_verbs.htm

https://www.englishgrammar.org/?s=phrasal+verbs

http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exercise-phrasal-verbs.php

http://wwwedu.ge.ch/cptic/prospective/projets/anglais/exercises/verbprep.htm

https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/phrasal.htm