Language 321 L10, C3

Practice activity (Answer key)

(30 minutes)

I Review the characteristics and use of English phrasal Verbs in today’s reading assignment and
prepare the exercises below as directed. (5 minutes)

II Indicate whether the Verbs used in the following expressions are prepositional or phrasal by
applying the 2 transformational tests indicated below. (10 minutes)

Full Object MAY be moved? Object pronoun MUST be moved?

Phrasal yes yes
Prepositional no no

e.g. – The suspect handed over his gun before surrendering. (Phrasal)
 The suspect handed his gun over before surrendering.
 The suspect handed it over before surrendering.

e.g. – The neighbor boys ran across a bullfrog in the pond. (Prepositional)
 *The neighbor boys ran a bullfrog across in the pond. 
 * The neighbor boys ran it across in the pond. 

1. Do you think we should drive down that dirt road over there? Prepositional

2. The manufacturer says you shouldn’t tear off the tag of your mattress. Phrasal

3. The home fans cheer on their team during the championship game. Phrasal

4. Sarah’s kids enjoy looking out the window when it snows. Prepositional

5. The demolition team broke through the walls of the condemned building. Prepositional

6. I wonder if I can write on the Biology test without losing points. Prepositional

7. The Elder’s quorum president wants us to pass around this volunteer list. Phrasal

8. The president wants to push through his ideas for the country without delay. Phrasal

9. It’s probably not safe to jump off bridges unless you know how to swim. Prepositional

10. Airport security locked down the south terminal due to the bomb threat. Phrasal

11. We are free to move around the country if we find a job somewhere else. Prepositional

12. Mrs. Taylor, will you print out a copy of our study guide please? Phrasal
III The following common Verbs are often combined with Particles and used in phrasal
expressions. Using the 2 transformational tests from part II, write down as many different
phrasal Verbs as you can and provide a non-phrasal synonym for the Verbs, following the
example. (10 minutes)
e.g. – let
 let off (free) – The warden let off the prisoner on good behavior.
 let out (release) – Who let out the dogs?
 let down (disappoint) – Jerri doesn’t want to let down her parents.
 let through (allow) – The walls of our apartment let through a lot of noise.

1. give
 give away (unload) – I think I’ll give away my old baseball gear.
 give away (identify) – The Galilean accent gave away Peter.
 give back (return) – The instructor will give back the quizzes next class.
 give up (relinquish) – King Lamoni promised to give up all of his sins.
 give out (offer) – Nelsons is giving out free samples today.
 give over (surrender) – The officer told the suspect to give over his weapon.

2. put
 put down (drop) – Time is up! Please put down your pencils.
 put down (insult) – We shouldn’t put down others because they are different.
 put off (postpone) –My friend always puts off his home teaching.
 put together (assemble) – They put together the toys without instructions.
 put on (wear) – Joel put on his gloves before he went skiing.
 put out (extinguish) – Make sure you put out the fire before leaving.
 put up (build) – My neighbors are going to put up a fence.
 put up (house) – Julie put up her in-laws for the weekend.

3. take
 take apart (disassemble) – The mechanic took apart my engine.
 take back (accept) – Walmart takes back merchandise with receipts.
 take off (remove) – Please take off your shoes before coming in the house.
 take out (accompany) – Sam wants to take out my sister to the dance.
 take out (kill) – The Special Ops forces took out the enemy.
 take over (dominate) – Lebron James takes over games in the 4th quarter.
 take in (enjoy) – The fans take in the excitement of World Cup action.
 take down (remove) – I need to take down my Christmas lights.
 take down (record) – Smart phones take down everything we enter.

4. bring
 bring by/over/down (deliver) – Bring by the dessert whenever it’s ready.
 bring up (recall) – She prefers not to bring up the past.
 bring on (invite) – That type of behavior just brings on suffering.
 bring together (unite) – The gospel brings together all sorts of people.
 bring out (enhance) – Those herbs bring out the natural flavor of the meat.
 bring back (reinstate) – Bring back that lovin’ feelin’!
5. turn
 turn off (extinguish) – Turn off the heat, please.
 turn up (increase) – Do you want me to turn up the air conditioning?
 turn down (decrease) – Mom asked me to turn down the music.
 turn down (reject) – It’s hard to turn down a good job offer.
 turn in (submit) – You should turn in your projects by the last week of class.
 turn around (improve) – The new CEO promised to turn around the business.
 turn over (flip) – Turn over the pancakes before they burn.
 turn away (reject) – The innkeepers turned away Joseph and Mary.
 turn out (produce) – Apple turns out one innovation after another.