Phrasal Verbs

Defining Phrasal Verbs

Prepositional phrases and phrasal verbs are two of the most complicated grammar forms to master in English.  Many verbs do not fit neatly into one category or another. First, let’s review some simple definitions.

What is a prepositional phrase?

First, you need to know what a prepositional phrase is in order to understand phrasal verbs. If this is a new concept, you should look at the “Introduction to Prepositional Phrases” handout first.

A prepositional phrase is a phrase that includes a preposition (e.g., in, at, on, of, under, with, etc.) and a noun or noun phrase.

Here are a few examples of prepositional phrases:

  • I am at the writing center.
  • My sister lives on a ranch in California.
  • Some sentences have prepositional phrases in the beginning of the sentence or at the end.

Quick Exercise 1

Underline the prepositional phrases in the following sentences:

  1. We talked at the table in the front of the café.
  2. How old is your brother?
  3. We went to Shanghai for a month.
  4. The crazy students were singing on top of Anderson Hall.
  5. I couldn’t find my book; it was under the table in my apartment.  

What is a phrasal verb?

A phrasal verb is a verb that is made up of two words, a verb and a particle, which is normally a preposition.  Most importantly, the combination creates a new meaning.

For example:

  • I broke up with my boyfriend.

In this example, broke up has a different meaning than broke and up separately. This is a phrasal verb. Here is another example:

 

  • I looked up the word in the dictionary.
  • I looked up the tree.

These example shows what is so tricky about phrasal verbs. The first is an example of looked up as a phrasal verb and the second is the verb looked followed by a prepositional phrase beginning with up.

The key to identifying the difference is in thinking about the meaning of up and its relationship to the object (the word or the tree).  In the first example, looked up is one action. In the second, up is the direction in relation to the tree. This is one way to differentiate between prepositional phrases and phrasal verbs.

How can you tell when it’s a phrasal verb?

 

  • Object Test

 

One way to identify phrasal verbs is the object test.  Usually, phrasal verbs don’t make sense without an object. Many times the particle (the second part of the phrasal verb) cannot be moved.

For example:

  • She picked up.  

She picked up what?  She picked up the pencil.

  • He figured out.  

He figured out what?  He figured out the problem.

 

  • Adverb test

 

An adverb can separate a verb and a preposition phrase, but cannot split a phrasal verb. Here are some examples:

  • I ran down the street slowly.
    I ran slowly down the street. – not a phrasal verb.

  • The Writing Center set up email tutoring carefully.
    *The Writing Center set carefully up email tutoring. – is a phrasal verb.

*The asterisk means that the sentence is not grammatically correct.

You can use the adverb test even if there isn’t already an adverb in the sentence. Just make up an adverb, any adverb!

  • We looked up the word.
    *We looked twice up the word. – phrasal verb

  • We looked up the three.
    We looked twice up the tree. – prepositional phrase

Quick Exercise 2

Underline the phrasal verbs in each sentence and explain how you knew it was a phrasal verb and not a prepositional phrase.

  1. We are thinking over the situation carefully.
  2. The roommate helped out when I was moving.
  3. She cleared up the problem by showing the video recording of the events.
  4. My brother cleaned up the house nicely before our parents came home.

Additional Information about Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs can be separable or inseparable.
In other words, the object can move around the sentence.

 

  • We asked him over for dinner.

 

“Asked over” is separable. The object comes between the verb and the particle.

 

  • I got on the bus at 8.  

 

“Got on” is inseparable. The object comes after the phrasal verb.

There are two-part phrasal verbs and three-part phrasal verbs.

Sometimes phrasal verbs can have three parts, a verb and two particles, rather than just one particle. Here is an example:

  • She picked up on the office gossip

“Pick up on” means that you become aware of something

Usually, we cannot use two prepositions next to each other unless one or both of the prepositions are part of a phrasal verb.

  • *I walked above over the bridge.  

This doesn’t work. You need to choose just one preposition per prepositional phrase.

  • *I run down around the street.

This is confusing because we’re not using phrasal verbs here. Just say “I run down and around the street” or “I run down the street” or “I run around the street.”

 

  • We walked around under the bridge

“Walk around” is a phrasal verb that means to wander, so it works here. It’s similar to saying “We wandered under the bridge.”

Exceptions: When talking about time, sometimes we combine prepositions.

  • We’ll be arriving in about five minutes.
    Here, “about” signifies “approximately.”

  • He’ll be here in under five minutes.

“Under” means “less than” in this sentence. This form is used mostly in spoken English, but is not entirely correct to use in formal or written English.

Phrasal Verb Practice

Practice 1

Explain the difference in meanings between the two sentences and then determine if it contains a phrasal verb or a prepositional phrase.

  1. I came up the ladder.

I came up with a solution.

  1. I hang up the phone.

The picture hangs in the hallway.

  1. The caterpillar turned into a butterfly.

The taxi turned into the parking garage.

  1. She looked over her shoulder.

She looked over the writing assignment.

  1. He broke up with his girlfriend of three years.

He broke the vase with a baseball bat.

Practice 2

Rewrite each sentence to eliminate extra prepositions.

  1. I ran down through the tunnel.
  2. I woke up in at 8AM.
  3. She lives next to across from the barber shop.

Comparing Phrasal Verbs with Formal Language

Phrasal verbs are informal and should, generally, be avoided in academic writing. This list provides some formal words to replace phrasal verbs in your academic papers.

Informal (phrasal verb) Academic or Formal (not a phrasal verb)
Ask (someone) over Invite
Bring about Develop; cause
Call off Cancel
Carry on; keep on Continue
Cheer (someone) up Make happier
Clear up Explain; clarify
Drop out (of) Quit
Find out Discover; confirm
Give back Refund; return
Give up Relinquish; surrender; stop; discontinue
Go back return
Go over Review; analyze; study
Help out; help (someone) out Assist
Lay out Arrange
Leave out Omit; exclude
Let down; let (someone) down Disappoint
Let go used as a polite way to say “fired” or “laid off”
Let go of (someone/something) release
Make up Reconcile; account for; end a conflict
Put together; put (something) together Synthesize; collaborate; collect
Run into Encounter; meet accidentally
Set off; set (something) off to anger or cause frustration; to cause an explosion
Set up Prepare
Settle on Decide; choose; select
Straighten up Clean; organize
Take apart Deconstruct
Take on Start; agree to
Team up with Coordinate; work together
Turn in; hand in Submit
Turn up Appeared

Note: verbs with “someone” or “something” are separable and usually require a pronoun or object.

For example: Let her down; help him out; put it together

 

Practice 3: Formal vs. Informal Language

Decide if language is appropriate or not based on context (email, paper, phone call). Use the list above to help you. There might be more than one possible answer, but try to pick the one that makes the most sense.

  1. To Whom it May Concern:

 

I would like to call off my subscription to the English Weekly newsletter. Could you please give back my money for this month’s subscription?

 

Call off:____________________

 

Give back:____________________

 

  1. Dear Mr. Williams,

I am emailing to find out whether or not you received the application that I handed in. There are a few things about my previous work history that I would like to clear up. I was let go from my last employer in March due to a budget cut, but I’ve since taken on several freelance projects. I had to leave out this information due to the word limit of the application.

 

Find out:____________________

 

Hand in: ____________________

 

Clear up: ____________________

 

Let go: ____________________

 

Take on: ____________________

 

Leave out: ____________________

 

2. Sally: Guess who appeared at the coffee shop yesterday?

Matt: Who?

Sally: That girl who quit the nursing program.  She said she wants to return when she has more money.

Matt: Really?

Sally: Yeah. Her mom got sick, and she had to assist around. She continued to miss classes, and she couldn’t reconcile the lost work.

Matt: That’s a shame.

Sally: I hope I encounter her again. She looks like she needs someone to make her feel happier.

 

Appear: ____________________ Quit: ____________________

Return: ____________________ Assist: ____________________

Continue: ____________________ Reconcile: ____________________

Encounter: ____________________ Make her feel happier: _______________

 

  1. Mandy,

I think we’ve selected a caterer for the event this Saturday. We will coordinate with On Time Catering Services. We will need to prepare the tables one hour before the event. Could you purchase some tablecloths? I am going to arrange some flowers as a centerpiece on each table. I’ll be there around 10AM to clean the venue space.

Select: ____________________

Coordinate: ____________________

Prepare: ____________________

Purchase: ____________________

Arrange: ____________________

Clean: ____________________

 

  1. Jo,

This relationship isn’t functioning. I’m sorry to disappoint you. I feel like many things caused this decision. We can’t return to the happier times we once had.  You seem so sad, and nothing I do makes you happier. I surrender.

Function: ____________________

Disappoint: ____________________

Cause: ____________________

Return: ____________________

Make you happier: ____________________

Surrender: ____________________

 

Academic English Exercises

Change the phrasal verbs to more formal verbs.  Consult a dictionary or list of phrasal verbs to help you.

  1. In recent years, the number of international students in American universities has gone up dramatically. Several studies point out that these students do not receive the language support they need. This has set off many faculty and staff members alike, who have been trying out several different models of ESL services. This paper will go over which models are most effective, and which ones come up most in TESOL research.

 

  1. Environmental policymakers must clear up how their funding is spread out. Many organizations cover up the fact that most of their funds go to advertising campaigns. As much as two thirds of all funding goes to new marketing strategies rather than action plans. Before donors settle on an organization worthy of their contributions, they should look up all available information on budgeting before signing up.