Meaning & use
phrasal verbs
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Meaning
nounplural
Combinations of a verb and an adverb or preposition that together have a new, often idiomatic meaning.
Grammar: Usually used in the plural. The singular is 'phrasal verb'. They act as a single verb in a sentence.
Patterns
- a phrasal verb
- phrasal verbs with up
- separable phrasal verbs
English learners often find phrasal verbs difficult because the meaning is not always clear from the words.
Examples of phrasal verbs include 'give up', 'look after', and 'run into'.
'Turn off' is a phrasal verb that means to stop a device.
Word forms
| singular | phrasal verb |
|---|
Common combinations
- learn phrasal verbs
- Students learn phrasal verbs by using them in conversation.
- common phrasal verbs
- Some common phrasal verbs are 'get up', 'put on', and 'take off'.
- separable phrasal verb
- 'Turn on' is a separable phrasal verb: you can say 'turn on the light' or 'turn the light on'.
Synonyms and how they differ
- multi-word verb
- A broader term that includes phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs; phrasal verbs are a specific type.
Word family
- phrasal adjective
- Relating to a phrase; used in terms like 'phrasal verb'.
Commonly confused: phrasal verbs or prepositional verb?
phrasal verbs vs prepositional verb
A prepositional verb is a verb followed by a preposition (e.g., 'look at'), while a phrasal verb often has a particle that can change the meaning completely and may be separated.
Practice
Which of the following is a phrasal verb?
Choose one answer.
'Give up' is a phrasal verb because the particle 'up' changes the meaning of 'give' to 'quit'. 'Look at', 'listen to', and 'wait for' are prepositional verbs where the meaning is more literal.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “phrasal verbs”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.