What is a PHRASAL VERB?

A basic introduction to English phrasal verbs

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Phrasal verbs are sometimes called multi-word verbs

they’re used just like other verbs

A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb

(such as ‘make’ or ‘pick’)

with one or two particles

(an adverb or a preposition),

that results in a new

word or unit of meaning.

A simple verb plus a preposition is not a phrasal verb

For example:

look up look up – to turn your eyes upwards, is not a phrasal verb

I looked up and saw a plane.

look up (something) – to look at a book or computer in order to find information, is a phrasal verb

I looked it up in my dictionary.

I looked it up on the internet.

cool offsoup up man up

eat up

believe in

buy out

call offfall for

freshen up

hit it offlaugh off

sell up

look after

make up

own up

pack out

play up

pull out

run out

show off step up

talk over

write off

PHRASAL VERBS

Phrasal verbs are an important part of English.

They’re particularly common in everyday spoken English, and informal written English.

But they’re also used in many quite formal and formal texts, e.g. business letters, academic writing, scientific papers,

technical papers, legal documents, news reports, and official government documents.

Phrasal verbs can seem difficult to learnbecause it can be difficult or impossible to guess the meanings of

phrasal verbs from the meanings of their individual verbs and particles.

They can also seem difficult to learn because some phrasal verbs have multiple meanings.

For example: • sell up something (or sell something up) – to sell your business or property

and move onto something or somewhere else.

• own up to something - to admit or confess that you have done something wrong

For example…

If you pick up a cold or other infectious illness, you get it from someone or something. He picked up malaria on holiday.

If something picks up, it improves after a slow start or a bad period. Business has really picked up this year.

If you pick up a new skill you learn it easily or casually. Children pick up a second language very easily.

To pick up speed is to go faster. The cyclists picked up speed after 10 miles.

When the wind picks up it gets stronger. The wind is picking up.

pick up

Intransitive phrasal verbs are always inseparable: they do not take a direct object

between the two parts of the phrasal verb.

Examples: back down get by hang up grow up keel over pass out stay over

grow up

Transitive phrasal verbs have a direct object

Most transitive phrasal verbs can take the direct object between the two parts of the phrasal verb, or after the phrasal verb (separable phrasal verbs).

For example:

look up something or look (something) up

I looked up ‘freelance’ in my English dictionary.

I looked ‘freelance’ up in my English dictionary.

However, if the direct object is a pronoun, it must go between the two parts of the phrasal verb.

For example: I looked it up in my English dictionary.

Some transitive phrasal verbs must have the object after the particle (the phrasal verb is inseparable).

For example:

look after – I look after the children while my wife goes to work.

take after – My son takes after his grandfather.

believe in - I believe in ghosts.

Some transitive phrasal verbs must have the object between the verb and the particle.

For example:

talk into – I talked my boss into giving me a pay rise.

pull to – Could you pull the door to, please?

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