phrasal verb

Phrasal verb patterns

A phrasal verb contains either a preposition or an adverb (or both), and may also combine with one or more nouns or pronouns.

[edit]Particle verbs

Phrasal verbs that contain a particle such as up (in some traditions called an adverb, in others a preposition) are called "particle verbs", and are related to separable verbs in other Germanic languages. There are two main patterns: intransitive and transitive. An intransitive particle verb does not have an object:

• “When I entered the room he looked up.”

A transitive particle verb has a nominal object in addition to the particle. If the object is an ordinary noun phrase, it can usually appear on either side of the particle, although very long noun phrases tend to come after the particle:

• Switch off the light.
• Switch the light off.
• Switch off the lights in the hallway next to the bedroom in which the president is sleeping.

With some transitive particle verbs, however, the noun phrase object must come after the preposition. Such examples are said to involve "inseparable" phrasal verbs:

• The gas gave off fumes. (not *The gas gave fumes off.)

Other transitive particle verbs still require the object to precede the particle, even when the object is a long noun phrase:^[6]

• I cannot tell the Beatles apart. (not *I cannot tell apart the Beatles.)
• I cannot tell the various members of the band called the Beatles apart.

However, some authors^{[7]:p. 19} would dispute this, arguing that the particle must be adjacent to the verb whenever the noun phrase is lengthy and complicated.
With all transitive particle verbs, if the object is a pronoun, it must, with just one type of exception, precede the particle:

• Switch it off. (not *Switch off it.)
• The smell put them off. (not *put off them)
• They let him through. (not *they let through him)

The exception^{[7]:pp.17, 20} occurs if the direct object is contrastively stressed, as in

• Figure out THESE, not THOSE.

Gorlach^[8]:p.40 asserts that the position of the noun phrase object before or after the particle has a subtle effect on the degree to which the phrase has resultative implication. For example, the simple verb eat makes no claim on whether or not the result of the eating is that the apple is completely consumed; whereas the phrasal verb eat up seems to make different claims on this result, depending on the position of the particle with respect to the object:

• to eat the apple (neutral for ‘complete’ result)
• to eat up the apple (greater possibility for ‘complete’ result)
• to eat the apple up (compulsory claim for ‘complete’ result)

[edit]Prepositional verbs

Prepositional verbs are phrasal verbs that contain a preposition, which is always followed by its nominal object. They are different from inseparable transitive particle verbs, because the object still follows the preposition if it is a pronoun:

• On Fridays, we look after our grandchildren.
• We look after them. (not *look them after)

The verb can have its own object, which usually precedes the preposition:

• She helped the boy to an extra portion of potatoes.
• with pronouns: She helped him to some.

Prepositional verbs with two prepositions are possible:

• We talked to the minister about the crisis.

[edit]Phrasal-prepositional verbs

A phrasal verb can contain an adverb and a preposition at the same time. Again, the verb itself can have a direct object:

• no direct object: The driver got off to a flying start.
• direct object: Onlookers put the accident down to the driver’s loss of concentration.

[edit]Phrasal nouns

^[9] Phrasal nouns consist of a verb combined with a particle. The particle may come before or after the verb.

• standby " we are keeping the old equipment on standby, in case of emergency." (ready to be used if necessary)
• back-up " Neil can provide technical backup if you need it" (support)
• onset " the match was halted by the onset of rain" ( start of something unpleasant)
• input " Try to come to the meeting- we'd value your input" (contribution)

Some such nouns have a corresponding phrasal verbs but some don't, the phrasal verb set on exist but it means attack, the verb related toonset is set in. If the particle is in first place, then the phrasal noun is never written with a hyphen, if the particle comes second, then there is sometimes a hyphen between the two parts of the phrasal noun.

[edit]Phrasal verbs and modifying adverbs

When modifying adverbs are used alongside particle adverbs intransitively (as particle adverbs usually are), the adverbs can appear in any verb/particle/adverb positions:

• “He unhappily looked round.”
• “He looked unhappily round.”
• “He looked round unhappily.”

The particle adverb here is "round" and the modifying adverb is "unhappily". ("Round" is a particle because it is not inflected — does not take affixes and alter its form. "Unhappily" is a modifying adverb because it modifies the verb "look").
With a transitive particle verb, the adverb goes either before the verb or after the object or particle, whichever is last:

• “He cheerfully picked the book up.”
• “He picked up the book cheerfully.” (not *picked cheerfully up the book)
• “He picked the book up cheerfully.”

Prepositional verbs are different from transitive particle verbs, because they allow adverbs to appear between the verb and the preposition:

• “He desperately looked for his keys.
• “He looked for his keys desperately.
• “He looked desperately for his keys.

[edit]Phrasal verbs combined with special verb forms and clauses

Courtney^[5] also includes special verb forms and clauses in phrasal verb constructions.

Phrasal verbs combined with wh-clauses and that-clauses

Sentences which include verb + particle + object(s) + wh-clauses

• “The teacher tries to dictate to his class what the right thing to do is”

= transitive verb + preposition (dictate to) + indirect object (his class) + wh-clause (what the right thing to do is).

• “My friends called for me when the time came”

= transitive verb + preposition (called for) + pronoun (me) + wh-clause (when the time came).

• “Watch out that you don’t hit your head on the low beam”

= intransitive verb + adverb (watch out) + that-clause (that you don’t hit your head on the low beam).

Phrasal verbs combined with verb-ing forms

• “You can’t prevent me from seeing her”

= transitive verb + pronoun (prevent me) + preposition (from) + verb-ing form (seeing) + pronoun (her).

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