Phrasal verbs
A2 29 / 50
In short
A phrasal verb is a verb + a small word (a particle like up, on, off, after) that work together as one unit: get up, turn on, give up, look after. The new meaning is often not literal - give up means “quit”, not “give in an upward direction”.
The rule
A phrasal verb = a normal verb + a particle (an adverb or preposition). Together they make a new meaning, and you cannot always guess it from the words.
| Phrasal verb | Real meaning |
|---|---|
| get up | leave your bed / stand up |
| turn on / off | start / stop a machine |
| give up | stop trying; quit |
| put off | move to a later time; postpone |
| find out | discover / learn (information) |
| take off | (of a plane) leave the ground; remove clothes |
| look after | take care of |
These verbs are everyday, spoken English. Native speakers use them all the time, so they are very useful to know.
There are three types to recognise:
| Type | Object? | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Intransitive | no object | The car broke down. |
| Transitive separable | object can move | Turn the TV on / Turn on the TV. |
| Transitive inseparable | object stays after | I look after my sister. |
Separable phrasal verbs
With many transitive phrasal verbs, a noun object can go in two places:
- Turn on the light. (verb + particle + noun)
- Turn the light on. (verb + noun + particle)
But a pronoun object (it, them, him, her) MUST go in the middle:
- Turn it on. ✅
Turn on it.❌
Inseparable phrasal verbs
With some phrasal verbs the two parts never split. The object always comes after the particle, even a pronoun:
- I look after the kids. / I look after them. ✅
I look the kids after.❌
Intransitive phrasal verbs
These have no object at all:
- Please sit down.
- I woke up late.
Forms & patterns
| Pattern | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Intransitive | subject + verb + particle | We set off early. |
| Separable + noun | verb + particle + noun | Please switch off the lights. |
| Separable + noun | verb + noun + particle | Please switch the lights off. |
| Separable + pronoun | verb + pronoun + particle | Please switch them off. |
| Inseparable | verb + particle + object | She got over the flu. |
The verb part changes for tense like any normal verb: get up -> got up, find out -> found out, take off -> took off. The particle never changes.
Examples
| English | Note |
|---|---|
| I usually get up at seven o’clock. | Intransitive: leave your bed; no object. |
| Can you turn on the heating, please? | Separable; noun after the particle. |
| The remote is here - turn it on. | Pronoun MUST go in the middle. |
| My grandfather never gave up his dream. | Non-literal: “stopped trying for / quit”. |
| Let’s put off the meeting until Friday. | Non-literal: “postpone, move to later”. |
| She looks after her little brother after school. | Inseparable: “takes care of”. |
| Our old washing machine broke down again. | Intransitive: “stopped working”. |
| We found out the truth too late. | Non-literal: “discovered / learned”. |
Common mistakes
- Turn on it -> turn it on - a pronoun object always goes between the verb and the particle.
- I look my dog after -> I look after my dog - look after is inseparable; never split it.
- Please sit down the chair -> please sit down - sit down takes no object; add nothing after it.
- He gived up -> he gave up - change the verb part for the tense (give -> gave); the particle stays.
- Switch off it -> switch it off - same rule: it/them/him/her go in the middle.
Tips
- Learn each phrasal verb as a whole “word” with its meaning, like new vocabulary - don’t translate part by part.
- Memory hook: pronouns sit in the middle. If the object is it, them, him, her, it goes between the two parts.
- When you meet a new phrasal verb, note whether it takes an object and whether it can split. Write a short example sentence to remember it.
- This lesson is only an introduction. You will meet many more phrasal verbs as you build vocabulary, so collect them as you go.