Phrasal Verbs (Splitting)
Some verbs are two part verbs .They consist of a verb and a particle:
- grow + up
The children are growing up.
Often this gives the verb a new meaning:
- take + after
She takes after her mother
= She looks like her mother, or She behaves like her mother. - count + on
I can always count on my friend.
= I know I can trust him, or I know I can believe him.
Some transitive (verbs with object) two part verbs have only one pattern:
N (subject) + V + p + N (object)
[Note: N = noun; V = verb; p = particle]
| N (Subject) | Verb | Particle | N (Object) |
| She I My father | takes can count comes | after on from | her mother my friend Madrid |
Some transitive two part verbs are phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs have two different patterns:
- The usual pattern is:N + V + N + p
| N (Subject) | Verb | (N) Object | Particle |
| She He Dad | put turned will pick | the toys the lights my mom | away off up |
- But sometimes these verbs have the pattern:
N (subject) + V + p + N (object)
| N (Subject) | Verb | Particle | N (Object) |
| She He Dad | put turned will pick | away off up | the toys the lights my mom |
When the object is a personal pronoun, these verbs always have the pattern:
N + V +N + p:
- She put away it.
She put it away.
- He turned off them.
He turned them off.
- Dad will pick up her.
My dad will pick her up.
- Phrasal verbs are nearly always made up of a transitive verb and a particle. Common Separable verbs with their most frequent particles are:
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
| call (something) off | cancel | It rained heavily so they called the game off. |
| cheer (someone) up | make a sad person feel happy | My friend was sad about not getting the job, so I was with her to cheer her up. |
| do (something) over | repeat a task | You didn’t do this assignment correctly. You have to do it over. |
| figure (something) out | understand, find a solution | Could you help me with this math problem? I can’t figure it out. |
| let (someone) down | disappoint another person | She really let me down when she forgot my birthday. |
| put (something) away | put something in the correct place | After you’re done reading those magazines, please put them away. |
| put (something) off | delay, postpone, procrastinate | I know I should work on this project, but it’s difficult so I keep putting it off. |
| spell (something) out | describe carefully and clearly in detail | It’s my first day at this new job, so you’ll need to spell everything out for me. |
| try (something) on | wear a piece of clothing temporarily to see if it’s the correct size | I really like these shoes. Can I try them on? |
| turn (someone/something) down | reject or refuse | She got a job offer from a big company, but she turned it down to pursue a career in music. |
| write (something) down | write something on paper | Could you tell me your e-mail address again? I didn’t write it down. |