PHRASAL VERBS

               

What are phrasal verbs?

Phrasal verbs are mainly used in spoken English and informal texts. (The more formal a conversation or text, the less phrasal verbs are found.)
Phrasal verbs consist of a verb and a particle (preposition, adverb). The particle can change the meaning of the verb completely. For example::

• look up – consult a reference book (look a word up in a dictionary)
• look for – seek (look for her ring)
• look forward – anticipate with pleasure (look forward to meeting someone)

There are no rules that might explain the meaning of phrasal verbs. All you can do is look them up in a good dictionary and study their meanings.

Position of the Particle:

In some cases the particle is placed either after the verb or after the object.
Example:

• Write down the word
• Write the word down

If the object is a pronoun, however, the particle has to be placed after the pronoun (object).
Example:

• Write it down.
• Your photo album. Put it down
• Your jacket. Take it off

Phrasal verbs are multi-word verbs made of verb+adverb. They can be : 

                         transitive (direct object) 
                         intransitive ( no direct object) 
                        
                         transitive phrasal verbs are separable. 
                         intransitive phrasal verbs are inseparable 

Transitive verbs are separable because the object ( when it is a noun phrase) may be placed between the verb and its particle or it may be placed after the phrasal verb: 

                    I had to put my shopping bag down before opening the door
                    I had to put down my shopping bag before opening the door
Intransitive verbs are those verbs that can stand alone without an object (noun phrase) . The particle is, therefore, a prepositional adverb:

                   The girl looked on without saying a word.
                   The criminal broke down when the photos of his crime were shown to him.

When the object is a pronoun the two parts of the phrasal verb must be separated:
   
                      I had to put it down before opening the door.