PHRASAL VERBS A phrasal verb is a verb which consists of two or three words. A phrasal verb may consist of the following. 1. A verb + a preposition. Example, come across, put up, hand over This kind of phrasal verbs have one verb and a preposition. 2. A verb + adverb (examples, get away, come across) 3. A verb + preposition + preposition (examples, come down to, come down with, fall in with, fall out with, go along with, keep up with, look forward to, look up to, make up for, run up against, take up with) 4. A verb + adverb + preposition (example, do away with) The meaning of a phrasal verb is usually different from the meaning of the two or three individual words that form it. The adverb or preposition that combines with the verb to form a phrasal verb is known as a particle. Separable phrasal verbs This kind of phrasal verbs can be separated by their objects. When the object is a noun, placing the object between the verb and the particle is usually optional. Examples: a) I took my shoes off. b) I took off my shoes. When the object is a pronoun, the pronoun must be placed between the verb and the particle. I took them off. Non-separable phrasal verbs These cannot be separated by their objects. He ran into a tree. This can never be He ran a tree into.
