PHRASAL VERBS

Professor Virginia RoseteUniversidad Tecnológica de Cancún

Phrasal verbsWhen we add certain particles to verbs, we can

change the meaning of these.For example, the verb TURN.

If we add ON, ‘turn on’, the meaning is: “To make equipment start working”.

If we add OFF, ‘turn off’, the meaning is the opposite: “To make equipment stop working”

We call these PHRASAL VERBS.

So, we can say that phrasal verbs are formed by:

VERB + PARTICLE

Turn off the TV now!

I have to pick out a nice dress for the party.

You must clean up your room, it is a mess!

Take off those tennis, they are too big for you.

He figured out the word for the crossword.

The girls dressed up for tea time.

He is picking up the pen. The bus will pick up my daughter.

I have to hang up my blue suit.

She is throwing away her old computer.

Berth always wake up at 6:00 in the morning.

Rita takes out her dog every morning.

Moe’s car ran out of gasoline.

Wally is going to give away his toys.

When there is a direct object in a sentence, the phrasal verb can be separated in its two

components.

For example, in the sentence

Turn off the TV please.

where TV is the object, we can simply switch places:

Turn the TV off please.

Also, we can change the noun for its corresponding pronoun and put this between

the verb and the particle.Example:

Turn off the TV please.We substitute the TV for the pronoun ‘it’ and the

sentence would be:

Turn it off please.

But never put the phrasal verb with the pronoun (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) at the end.

Turn off it please.

However, when there is not a direct object in the sentence, the phrasal verb cannot be separated.

For example, in the sentence

we cannot separate the components of the phrasal verb, because there is no object.

Moe’s car ran out of gas.

Moe’s car ran of gas out .

How do we know when there is no object in a sentence?

If there is a preposition after the phrasal verb we know there is no object. Analyze the previous

sentence:

Moe’s car ran out of gas.

preposition

Just do not get confused with the particles that form the phrasal verb.

Some of the most used prepositions are:

InOnAtOfForFromUponBelowToBy

AcrossSinceUntilBeforeInsideOutsideAfterIntoAlongNear

Now, you do itWrite sentences with the phrasal verbs included in this presentation. For each sentence with an object write the form with the object between the verb and the particle.Also, write a sentence with the pronoun for the object between the two parts of the phrasal verb.If the sentence does not have an object, underline the preposition.Examples:

Could you turn off the AC, please?

Could you turn the AC off, please?

Could you turn it off, please?

Sentences with an object:

Sentences without any object:

I can’t cook, we ran out of gas.

preposition