PHRASAL VERBS AND PREPOSITIONAL VERBS

MULTI-WORD VERBS verbs combined with an adverb or a preposition, or

sometimes both, to give a new meaning, for example put up with, look after

predictable, transparent meaning: (wake up, sit down) idiomatic meaning: (look after = take care of, put up

with = tolerate) their most important characteristic is the order of the

words in a sentence if a phrasal or prepositional verb is followed by another

verb, the second verb is in gerund (e.g. She is good at painting.)

1. phrasal verbs: verb + adverb

(e.g This new hair style is beginning to catch on.) 2. prepositional verbs: verb + preposition

(e.g. An envelope was waiting for me when I got home.) 3. phrasal-prepositional verbs: verb + adverb +

preposition

(e.g. We still haven’t come up with a solution to the problem.)

main difference: the position of the object in the sentence

PHRASAL VERBS

they can be transitive and intransitive the position of the object is flexible it can be either between the verb and the adverb, or after

the adverb e.g. They frightened the deer away / frightened away

the deer when they got too close to them. however, if the object is a pronoun, the adverb must be

placed after the object e.g. They frightened them away when they got too

close to them.

PREPOSITIONAL VERBS

all prepositional verbs have direct objects the object must sit after the preposition prepositional verbs cannot be separated e.g. He often looks at his photos. / He often looks at

them.

PHRASAL-PREPOSITIONAL VERBS

verb + adverb + preposition phrasal-prepositional verbs have direct objects because

they end with a preposition they work grammatically the same as other prepositional

verbs e.g: This lecture quite lived up to my expectations.

REMINDER

Phrasal verbs: the position of the object is flexible

They frightened the deer away / frightened away the deer when they got too close to them.

They frightened them away when they got too close to them (pronoun: if the object is a pronoun, the adverb must be placed after the object)

Prepositional and phrasal-prepositional verbs: the object must sit after the preposition

He often looks at his photos. / He often looks at them. (pronoun!) This lecture quite lived up to my expectations.

The play quite lived up to my expectations. I can’t put up with all this noise! This cold weather really gets me down. The escaped prisoner gave herself up. I waited for her in the corridor. If you say that, people will just laugh at you. Don’t worry, you can count on me. I have to do up my living-room. Harry is clever but he can’t put his ideas across. Drop in any time you’re passing. Our soldiers carried out a successful attack last night. Can you switch the light off?

SOURCES

https://btk.ppke.hu/karunkrol/intezetek-tanszekek/angol-amerikai-intezet/oktatok/balogne-berces-katalin/balogne-berces-katalin/kurzusok:

Lányi Dorottya: phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs Emszt Fanni: phrasal verbs  http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/

grammar/learnit/learnitv54.shtml