Phrasal Verbs: Common

CONTENT

Separable Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are group of words that combine a verb with an adverb or a preposition and create a new verbal phrase. As such, the meaning of a phrasal verb is unrelated to the meaning of separate words that create it, so we think of phrasal verbs as of entirely new, independent words.

Phrasal verbs act the same as other verbs and can function as the main verb in a sentence, and we can conjugate into every type of verb form.

Example

Explanation

Usually, I get up earlier in the summer.

Get up is a phrasal verb that consists of the verb get, which alone means to "acquire" and the preposition up, which alone describes the movement towards a higher place or position. When combined, these words create a phrasal verb get up that means "rise from bed after sleeping" in this context.

Separable Phrasal Verbs

Rule 1: Separable phrasal verbs always have a direct object, which we can put in the middle of a separable phrasal verb, in between the verb and the participle.

Example

Explanation

Pick up a book, please, and put it on a shelf.

Pick a book up, please, and put it on a shelf.

Pick up is a separable phrasal verb, and the noun book is the object, so both word orders are acceptable.

Note: If the object is a pronoun, we must place it in the middle of a separable phrasal verb.

Example

Explanation

Pick it up, please, and put it on a shelf.

Pick up is a phrasal verb, and the object it is a pronoun, so we must put it in the middle of a phrasal verb.

Here are some of the most commonly used separable phrasal verbs in English:

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
back up	support or defend someone	He always backs up his little sister.
call off	cancel	We should call the meeting off.
check out	verify a person or thing	Please check out the tickets before booking the hotel.
fill up	fill something completely	I need to fill my water bottle up before biking.
get back	have something returned	I would like to get my money back for this order.
give away	donate or give something for free	It's time to give your childhood toys away.
let know	tell someone something	Please let me know if you need anything.
set up	arrange or organize	Will you help me set up the party for this weekend?
turn down	reject	I will have to turn this offer down.
put on	wear or add something	You should put a raincoat on before going outside.

Inseparable Phrasal Verbs

Rule 2: Inseparable phrasal verbs must be used together and cannot be split up, meaning that the direct object always comes after them.

Example

Explanation

It is always difficult to get through the grammar units.

Get through is an inseparable phrasal verb, so the direct object grammar units comes after it.

Here are some of the most commonly used inseparable phrasal verbs in English:

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
calm down	begin to feel more relaxed	We need to calm down before continuing this conversation.
come around	change your opinion of something	She didn't like dark chocolate, but came around after trying this brand.
count on	rely or depend on	You can always count on me.
dive into	start doing something enthusiastically and suddenly	Can't wait to dive into Stephen King's new novel.
find out	learn or discover	I've found out a few nice coffee shops nearby I'd like to show you!
get over	overcome or recover	How did she get over her last breakup?
go ahead	proceed or move forward	You can go ahead with this topic for your research paper.
look after	take care of someone or something	He always looks after his little sister.
look for	attempt to find someone or something	She wants to start looking for a new job.
turn into	become	The caterpillar turned into a beautiful butterfly.

Quiz

1/4

Complete the sentence. I was decluttering my wardrobe, so I ___ (give away, clothes) I no longer wear.

correct answers.