Have you ever seen a familiar verb paired with a small word like “up,” “on,” or “off” to create a completely new meaning? These are phrasal verbs, and they are everywhere in everyday English! Learning to use them is a huge step towards sounding more natural and understanding native speakers.🧩
Function & Usage
A phrasal verb is a verb combined with an adverb or a preposition (called a particle) to create a new verb with a different meaning. The meaning is often idiomatic, which means you can’t guess it from the individual words.
- Idiomatic Meaning: The combination creates a new, unique meaning.
Example: “give up” doesn’t mean to give something upwards; it means to quit. “put off” means to postpone. - Separable vs. Inseparable: Some phrasal verbs can be separated by an object, while others cannot.
Example (Separable): “Turn the light on.” OR “Turn on the light.”
Example (Inseparable): “I will look after the cat.” (You cannot say “look the cat after”).
The Structure (Form)
The main challenge is knowing the meaning of the phrasal verb and whether it can be separated.
| Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Inseparable | Verb + Particle + Object | She ran into an old friend. |
| Separable | Verb + Particle + Object | Please turn off the music. |
| Verb + Object + Particle | Please turn the music off. |
Important Rule: If the object is a pronoun (me, you, him, her, it, us, them), a separable phrasal verb MUST be separated. Correct: “Turn it off.” Incorrect: “Turn off it.”
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Guessing the meaning: “Look up” can mean to search for information, not just to look in an upward direction. Always learn the meaning of the full phrase.
- Incorrectly separating verbs: You can’t separate inseparable verbs. Incorrect: “I’ll look my sister after.” Correct: “I’ll look after my sister.”
Let’s see it in action! 🎬
Student: I don’t know this word. What should I do?
Teacher: You should look it up in a dictionary.
Friend 1: Are we still meeting for coffee today?
Friend 2: I’m sorry, I have to put it off. Something came up. Can we meet tomorrow?
Person A: This puzzle is too difficult! I want to give up.
Person B: Don’t give up! Let’s work it out together.
Check Your Understanding! ✅
1. Please turn the lights. It’s dark in here.
2. Don’t give ! You can do it.
3. I need to put the meeting until next week.
4. I ran an old friend at the supermarket.
5. Could you fill this form, please?
6. It’s time to ___ the plane. (board)
7. I don’t know the answer, so I’ll have to ___ it ___. (research)
8. “Please turn the music off.” is the same as “Please turn ___.”
9. My car ___ gas on the way to work. (ran out of)
10. The firefighter managed to ___ the fire. (extinguish)
