Learning objectives
- Understand what a phrasal verb is (verb + particle, with a meaning often different from the individual words)
- Distinguish between transitive phrasal verbs (which take an object) and intransitive ones (which don't)
- Distinguish between separable and inseparable phrasal verbs
- Apply the rule that a pronoun object must go between the verb and the particle in separable phrasal verbs
- Learn the meanings of common, high-frequency phrasal verbs
- Use phrasal verbs correctly and naturally in a sentence
Grammar & vocabulary
What is a phrasal verb?
A phrasal verb is made of a verb + one or more particles (a preposition, an adverb, or both). Together, they usually create a meaning that is different from the individual words — this is why phrasal verbs must be learned as whole units of vocabulary. Example: "give up" (verb "give" + particle "up") means to stop doing something, which has little to do with the literal meanings of "give" or "up" on their own.
Transitive and intransitive phrasal verbs
A transitive phrasal verb takes an object: "She turned off the light." (object: the light). An intransitive phrasal verb takes no object at all: "The car broke down." (no object follows). Knowing whether a phrasal verb is transitive or intransitive helps you build correct sentences and avoid adding an unnecessary object.
Separable phrasal verbs
With separable phrasal verbs, a noun object can go either between the verb and the particle, or after the particle — both are correct: "Turn off the light." or "Turn the light off." However, when the object is a pronoun (it, him, her, them...), it MUST go between the verb and the particle: "Turn it off." is correct; "Turn off it." is incorrect. This rule applies to many common phrasal verbs, such as pick up, put off, turn on/off, and find out.
Inseparable phrasal verbs
With inseparable phrasal verbs, the object — whether a noun or a pronoun — always comes after the whole phrasal verb and can never be placed between the verb and the particle: "look after the baby" is correct; "look the baby after" is incorrect. With a pronoun: "look after him" is correct; "look him after" is incorrect. Common inseparable phrasal verbs include look after, look for, get on with, and carry on.
Common phrasal verbs to know
give up = stop doing something — "She gave up sugar for a month." look forward to = anticipate with pleasure — "We're looking forward to the holidays." put off = postpone — "They put off the meeting until Friday." look after = take care of — "He looks after his younger sister." find out = discover — "I found out the truth yesterday." carry on = continue — "Carry on with your work, please." break down = stop working (for a machine), or lose emotional control (for a person) — "The printer broke down again." / "She broke down in tears." get on with = have a good relationship with, or continue doing — "He gets on well with his colleagues."
Common mistakes
Placing a pronoun object after the particle in a separable phrasal verb — 'turn off it' is incorrect; the correct form is 'turn it off.'
Trying to split an inseparable phrasal verb — 'look the baby after' is incorrect; the correct form is 'look after the baby' (the object always comes after the whole phrasal verb).
Guessing the meaning of a phrasal verb from its individual words — 'give up' does not mean 'give something upward'; it means to stop doing something, so meanings must be learned, not guessed.
Confusing similar-looking phrasal verbs with different meanings — 'look for' (to search for) is not the same as 'look after' (to take care of) or 'look forward to' (to anticipate with pleasure).
Forgetting that some phrasal verbs are intransitive and take no object at all — 'break down' (to stop working, or to lose emotional control) cannot be followed directly by an object the way 'turn off' can.
Worked example — A busy morning
Passage
"This morning, my alarm went off at six, but I decided to put it off for ten more minutes. When I finally got up, I found out that my brother had already left. I quickly picked up my bag and turned off the lights before rushing out. My neighbour looks after our cat when we're away, so I dropped it off at her house on my way to school."
Explanation
"went off" (an alarm ringing) is intransitive — no object follows. "put it off" is separable, and since the object is the pronoun "it", it correctly sits between "put" and "off". "found out" (discovered) is transitive but the object here is a whole clause. "picked up my bag" and "turned off the lights" are separable, and here the noun objects could also go between the verb and particle ("picked my bag up", "turned the lights off") — both orders are correct. "looks after our cat" is inseparable, so the object stays after the full phrasal verb. "dropped it off" is separable, and the pronoun "it" is correctly placed between "dropped" and "off".
3 practice exercises
Exercise 1
EasyMatch each phrasal verb to its meaning. 1) give up 2) look after 3) find out 4) put off — a) discover b) postpone c) stop doing something d) take care of.
Show answer
1) c — give up: stop doing something. 2) d — look after: take care of. 3) a — find out: discover. 4) b — put off: postpone.
Exercise 2
MediumFill in each blank with the correct phrasal verb from the box: carry on, break down, get on with, look forward to. 1) My car ___ on the motorway yesterday. 2) Please ___ with your work while I'm away. 3) I really ___ my new classmates — we're good friends now. 4) She is ___ seeing her family this weekend.
Show answer
1) broke down 2) carry on 3) get on with 4) looking forward to.
Exercise 3
HardRewrite each sentence, replacing the object with the correct pronoun in the correct position. 1) "Turn off the television." (it) 2) "She looked after her little brother." (him) 3) "He picked up his phone." (it)
Show answer
1) "Turn it off." (turn off is separable, so the pronoun goes between verb and particle) 2) "She looked after him." (look after is inseparable, so the pronoun stays after the whole phrasal verb) 3) "He picked it up." (pick up is separable, so the pronoun goes between verb and particle)
3 exercices, c'est un début.
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FAQ
What exactly is a phrasal verb?
A phrasal verb is a verb combined with one or more particles (a preposition, an adverb, or both) that together create a meaning which is often completely different from the individual words — for example, 'give up' means to stop doing something, which has little to do with the literal meanings of 'give' and 'up'.
What is the difference between a separable and an inseparable phrasal verb?
A separable phrasal verb allows the object to go either between the verb and the particle or after the particle, as in 'turn off the light' or 'turn the light off'. An inseparable phrasal verb never allows the object between the verb and the particle, as in 'look after the baby', never 'look the baby after'.
Where must the object go if it is a pronoun, with a separable phrasal verb?
With a separable phrasal verb, a pronoun object must always go between the verb and the particle — 'turn it off' is correct, while 'turn off it' is incorrect.