TOPIC 22

MULTI-WORD VERBS
OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION MULTI-WORD VERBS
CHARACTERISTICS
CLASSIFICATION
PHRASAL VERBS
PREPOSITIONAL VERBS
PHRASAL PREPOSITIONAL VERBS
INTRODUCTION
MULTI-WORD VERBS as verbal units, consist of two or three elements -
One verb and one or two particles.

Extremely frequent in Contemporary English, especially in informal

spoken contexts;

-These combinations of verbs & particles bring about change in meaning in

relation to the original verb.
Characteristics & General features

- Originally transitive verbs. -

They function as intransitive when they appear with particles. -
Others originally intransitive become transitive:
give (transitive) - give in (intransitive): The Army gave in.
go (intransitive) - go without (transitive): I can’t go without you.

- Multi-word verbs provide many common deverbal nouns related in meaning to

the original verbs: a turnabout, a check-up, a sit-in, a drawback, etc.
DIFFERENT MEANING
a) LITERAL, easily inferred from the combination of meanings of the verb and the
particle: She turned round.

b) SLIGHTLY TRANSFERRED The managers put down all our vindications.

c) Not EASILY DEDUCED by the combination of meanings of the parts:

He’s given up smoking.

Unity in form and meaning is an indispensable feature.

Three types of multi-word verbs depending on the category of the
particle which follows the verb;

a) Phrasal verbs: the particle functions as an adverb:

We decided to put off the meeting / I usually get up at 8.30.

b) Prepositional verbs: the particle functions as a preposition:

I feel like a glass of wine now / I’m looking after my nephews tonight.

c) Phrasal-prepositional verbs: followed by two particles, the first functioning as an

adverb and the second as a preposition:
I can’t put up with this noise any longer / We’ve run out of petrol.
 The same verb can appear with particles functioning as adverbs & particles
functioning as prepositions.

From a SYNTACTIC POINT OF VIEW, the category of the particle affects the position of the
direct object in the sentence:

Call up (to require someone’s presence) is a phrasal verb, the particle functions as an
adverb; the direct object (when occurring as a personal pronoun) is placed between the
verb and the particle:They called him up.

Call on (to visit) is a prepositional verb, the particle functions as a preposition; the
direct object, in this case coincides with the prepositional object, is placed after the
preposition: They called on him
PHRASAL VERBS
TRANSITIVE & INTRANSITIVE, depending on whether they can take a direct object
or not.
i ) Intransitive- verbs + adverbial particles - DO NOT accept a direct object:
Did she catch on? / The car broke down halfway through the trip
- In most of the cases the particle cannot be separated from the verb:
She catches on quickly / *She catches quickly on.

Some include; a prepositional adverb as particle, an adverb which behaves

as a preposition but omits the complement ,though it can be easily inferred from
the context of the utterance: They drove past, we suppose they drove past a place, the station,
the church, .The children ran across, we suppose they ran across a line, the road, the path.
Others.. to get up, to go on, to go off, to come in/out etc.
 ii ) Transitive Phrasal Verbs: Verbs + adverbial particles
They accept the direct object: Please, turn off the heater. / She blew out the candle .
The ADVERBIAL particle can either PRECEDE or FOLLOW the DIRECT OBJECT.
They picked the coin up. / They picked up the coin.
The DIRECT OBJECT tends to occur in mid position ,
-When the object is too long it must be placed after the particle to avoid a large separation
between the parts of the phrasal verb: He put away the books he had been reading so eagerly .
Objects with a clausal or verbal status are also placed in end position:
I gave up swimming, rather than*I gave swimming up .
PERSONAL PRONOUN as OBJECT is placed before the particle: I rang her up / She ran
her over but,..if contrast is to be expressed or the focus is on the object, the personal
pronoun CAN occur after the particle: They rang up him, not her.

-Others are to put on, to take off, to put off, to back up, to bring up, to carry out, etc.
PREPOSITIONAL VERBS
A verb + preposition, semantically and syntactically associated.
The noun phrase following the preposition is called prepositional object. -
The direct object and the prepositional object MAY coincide.
- Both placed after the preposition:
He’s looking for a house, rather than *He’s looking a house for or *He’s looking it for.

-The preposition forms a semantic unit with the verb: He’s taken to playing golf, SINGLE
VERBS followed by prepositional phrases (especially those introduced by at-type
prepositions: at, to, from & away) we have two independent units as seen from a semantic
and syntactic point of view.
In the case of She called from the office, the prepositional phrase (from the office), is a place
indicator. From a semantic point of view the theme, the relevant part of the message, is the
act of calling (She called), which is not at the same level as the prepositional phrase
functioning as adverbial.
i ) Intransitive Prepositional Verbs: The noun or noun phrase following the preposition is
considered the term or complement of the preposition She takes after her father (prep. Compl.).

-They allow ADVERBIAL INSERTION: He lives miserably on selling sweets; this feature marks
intransitiveness as the insertion of an adverb between the verb and the direct object is avoided
with transitive verbs.

Other examples are: to look like, to care for, to add to & to resort to:
It only added to our problems / They resorted to throwing stones.
ii) Transitive Prepositional Verbs: Accept a direct object but, as prepositional verbs,
they can take a prepositional complement too ; two situations are possible:

1) The prepositional object & the direct object coincide;

-The OBJECT is placed AFTER the preposition to see to (to take charge of sth.): My
landlord sees to everything. / to look into (to investigate): We’ll look into the matter. / We’ll look into it.
Others examples are: to ask for, to look after, to look for and to call on.

2) The prepositional object & the direct object MAY be different, DIRECT OBJECT
placed BETWEEN the verb & the preposition and the prepositional complement, as
usual, after the preposition.

There are few: to turn sb./sth, into: They’ve turned him (direct object) into a criminal (prep. compl.).
/ to take sb./sth. for: They’ve taken you (direct object) for somebody else (prep. compl)..
PHRASAL PREPOSITIONAL VERBS
One verb followed by two particles, the first one functioning as an adverb & the second as a
preposition: They all looked down on him. / We’re looking forward to seeing you again.

-Classified according to their transitiveness into transitive and intransitive.

i)Intransitive Phrasal-prepositional Verbs do not present syntactic problems as they do

not take a direct object,
- They show syntactic uniformity: verb + adverb + preposition + (prepositional object,
optional in this case): You don’t know what you are in for / How are you getting on with your
English? Other are: to give on to, to be up to and to get away with: What are you up to? / My
room window gives on to the park.
 ii)Transitive Phrasal-prepositional Verbs: 2 contexts as per their
syntactic distribution:

1) The prepositional object and the direct object coincide; in this case THE OBJECT
placed AFTER the preposition (end-position)
I can’t put up with him any longer / He’s owned up to stealing the car.

2) The prepositional object and the direct object do not coincide;

-The DIRECT OBJECT placed BETWEEN the verb & the first particle & the prepositional
object after the second one
They put it (direct object) down to a mechanical failure (prepos. object). / This time we’ll let you
(direct object) off with a fine (prepos. object).
Intransitive Phrasal-prepositional Verbs do not present syntactic
problems -
They do not take a direct object -
They show SYNTACTIC UNIFORMITY

Verb + adverb + preposition + (prepositional object, optional inn this case)

You don’t know what you are in for / How are you getting on with your English?

Other examples are to give on to, to be up to and to get away with:

What are you up to? / My room window gives on to the park.