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Master 120 common phrasal verbs

Course Handbook

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a phrasal verb?

A phrasal verb is a verb that consists of a short verb such as go, come, get, give
etc. plus a preposition like up, down, in, on etc. The preposition gives the verb a
new meaning:
Verb: take
Phrasal verbs: take after = resemble
take over = assume control

2. How do I recognise a phrasal verb?

Consider these three sentences with the verb ‘look’:

1. She looked at his photo.


2. She looked up his number.
3. She looked after her dad.
Which one of these verbs is NOT a phrasal verb?

‘look at’ is not a phrasal verb, because the preposition ‘at’ has not changed the
meaning of the verb ‘look’. ‘look up’ and ‘look after’ are phrasal verbs because
their meaning is different from the original meaning of ‘to look’.

She looked up his number. = She found his number in the directory.
She looked after her dad. = She took care of her dad.

3. Where do we use phrasal verbs?

Phrasal verbs are common in spoken English and informal correspondence such
as e-mails. They are not common in formal written English (contracts, academic
articles etc.), where we usually use longer one-word verbs such as ‘resemble’.

4. Must I learn and use phrasal verbs?

Most phrasal verbs have a non-phrasal synonym, or you can describe your idea
using several other words. For example, you can ‘give up’ smoking, or ‘quit’
smoking. You can ‘get on’ with someone or ‘have a good relationship’ with
someone. Therefore, you can still express yourself without phrasal verbs.
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However, it is important to know the common phrasal verbs in order to
understand native speakers who tend to use them a lot in their daily
conversations. And of course, if you use them, you will sound more natural when
you speak.

5. What is the best way to learn them?

Phrasal verbs are like new words and expressions and need to be learned in
context and within collocations and sentences. As with any other vocabulary item,
it would be a waste of time to learn them through translation or by memorising
them from a list.

6. Can a phrasal verb have different meanings?

Yes, some phrasal verbs have different meanings:


take up = begin a new activity (take up cycling)
take up = accept (take up an offer)

take off = remove (take off your coat)


take off = leave the ground (A plane takes off.)

7. Can different phrasal verbs have the same meaning?

Yes, some phrasal verbs are synonyms:


fill in = fill out = complete (form)
bump into = run into = meet (someone) by chance

8. Can we separate the two parts of a phrasal verb?

Some phrasal verbs that take an object (transitive verbs) can be separated by
the object:
You should give up this job. = You should give this job up.

If you replace the object by a pronoun, you must put the pronoun between the
two parts:
Should I give up this job? Yes, you should give it up. (NOT: give up it)

Some transitive phrasal verbs cannot be separated by the object:


I came across the book by chance. (NOT: I came the book across by chance.)
I came across it by chance. (NOT: I came it across by chance.)
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Non-separable transitive phrasal verbs are sometimes called ‘prepositional verbs’.

9. Can a phrasal verb take a second preposition?

Yes, some phrasal verbs take a second preposition:

I must catch up on my e-mails.

10. How do we know if a phrasal verb is separable or non-


separable?

Here are three tips to help you decide if a verb is separable or non-separable:

Tip 1:
3-part verbs (verb + 2 prepositions) are always non-separable:
Catch up on my e-mails / catch up on them
Get on with my colleague / get on with him

Tip 2:
Listen to the word stress pattern:

If the stress is mainly on the verb, it is usually a separable verb:


She LOOKED up his number.

If the stress is mainly on the preposition, it is usually a non-separable


(prepositional) verb:
She looked AFTER her dad.

Tip 3:
If you are not sure about the stress pattern, ask a question, and produce a short
answer just with the object:

If it sounds o.k. to say the preposition before the object, then the verb is likely to
be non-separable (prepositional):

Who did she look after? Her dad. / after her dad.

If it sounds strange to say the preposition before the object, then the verb is
likely to be separable.

What did she look up? His number. (Not ‘up his number’)

© 2014, Anglo-Link Languages Limited

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