OZYORSKY SECONDARY SCHOOL NAMED AFTER DMITRY TARASOV
Phrasal Verbs
Research Project
Made by Zhemetskas Diana
Teacher: E. Yuldasheva
Ozyorsk
2016
Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................... 3
Hypothesis ................................................................................................................. 4
Chapter 1. The definition of the verb ........................................................................ 4
Chapter 2. History of the phrasal verbs..................................................................... 5
Chapter 3. Using prepositions and postpositions ...................................................... 6
Chapter 4. Verbs with prepositions and nouns and verbs with prepositions ............ 7
Chapter 5. Verbs with postpositions ......................................................................... 8
Chapter 6. Analysis ................................................................................................. 11
Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 13
Sources .................................................................................................................... 14
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Introduction
A phrasal verb is one of the most challenging topics in English. It would seem that
complicated to take the verb, learn it, change postpositions and get different
meanings. But in reality things are much more complicated. Common verbs lot
easier.
Phrasal verbs are verbs that form a combination (a phrase) with postpositions or
prepositions and nouns. Such combinations are usually idiomatic in meaning and
should be memorized. For the purpose of study, phrasal verbs can be divided into
two basic structures: (a) verbs with prepositions and nouns and (b) verbs with
postpositions.
Explore the specifics of use of phrasal verbs and their characteristics, to determine
the place of phrasal verbs in English, considered their lexical and grammatical
features.
Project objectives:
-To give a classification of phrasal verbs;
-An analysis of the texts of several English songs on the frequency of use of
phrasal verbs;
-Identify lexical and grammatical features of phrasal verbs.
-Enrich speech;
-Show language proficiency.
-Write lexical diversity in it;
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Hypothesis
Differences and features of prepositions and postpositions of phrasal verbs in
English language. Are they changing their proposals?
Chapter 1. The definition of the verb
A verb is a word used primarily to indicate a type of action, such as to fly or to
wish, though it may also be used to indicate a general state of existence, such as to
live. There is also a special type of verb, known as copula or linking verb, which
helps to describe the subject of the sentence, rather than describing an action. The
primary example of this in English is the verb to be which is usually used in the
role of linking verb. A verb is one of the basic building blocks of a sentence in
most languages, with most grammatical sentences requiring at least one noun
acting as a subject, and one verb to indicate an action.
Verbs can be inflected, which means the verb is changed in some way to indicate
something about the sentence the verb is a part of. A verb may be inflected to
describe virtually anything.
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Chapter 2. History of the phrasal verbs
Since phrasal verbs were not investigated until the late nineteenth to early
twentieth century, although they have been part of the English language for
centuries, their history is still a controversial subject. Rolando Bachelor says it is
"impossible to write an exhaustive and definitive history of phrasal verbs." The
term itself, "phrasal verb," was first seen in print in 1925 when Logan Pearsall
Smith used it in Words and Idioms; it was supposedly suggested to him by Editor
Henry Bradley (Oxford Companion 772).Phrasal verbs themselves, however, have
been around much longer, as can be seen by looking at some Shakespeare an and
Middle English works.
Torne about and goon dour, for example, are both phrasal verbs that have been
found in Middle English language in 1300 and 1388, respectively, and phrasal
verbs are common in Shakespeare's works. Even though they were present in
literature in the fourteenth century, they weren't considered serious formations
until the eighteenth century, when lexicographer Samuel Johnson noted them "with
great care" in his Dictionary of the English Language (1755).
The complexity of phrasal verbs for Russian-speaking people in that in the Russian
language meaning of the verb is changed by prefixes: wear - attribute - bear.
Attachments are changing, but the basic meaning of the verb often remain sun
changed (carry something in a certain direction). In English, the role of the set-top
box, changing the meaning of the verb, perform postpositions (adverb or
preposition) on, out, off, up, along, in, etc.
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Chapter 3. Using prepositions and postpositions
English prepositions and postpositions are the same in form but different in
function. Some prepositions are not used as postpositions, e.g., at, for, from, into,
onto, of, with. Some postpositions are not used as prepositions, e.g., ahead, apart,
aside, away, back, forward. But some of them can function as prepositions or
postpositions depending on the structure in which they are used, e.g., about, across,
along, around, behind, by, down, in, off, on, out, over, through, under, up. It is
necessary to understand the difference between them.
A preposition is used with a noun (or its substitute), stands before it, and is not
stressed. A preposition is part of a prepositional noun phrase, which means that a
preposition always needs a noun. A postposition is used with a verb, stands after it,
usually forms an idiom with this verb, and is always stressed. A postposition is part
of the predicate, which means that a postposition always needs a verb. Some
linguists call them adverbs, adverbial particles, or preposition-adverbs because
postpositions are adverbial in character. Compare these sentences:
How did he get in? – How did he get in the house / into the house?
In the first sentence, the postposition "in" is stressed because it is part of the
phrasal verb "get in", and in this sentence "in" is pronounced with a fall on it. In
the second sentence, the preposition "in" (or "into") belongs to the noun "the
house" and is not stressed.
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Chapter 4. Verbs with prepositions and nouns and verbs with
prepositions
There verbs with prepositions and nouns and verbs with prepositions. Each of these
areas in their own complicated and is not only the study of law and knowledge of
verbs, but also understanding the context and figuratively. Consider these topics
separately.
Verbs with prepositions and nouns. In the structure verb + preposition + noun, the
verb dictates the choice of a specific preposition. Such phrases should be learned
by heart. A suitable noun or its substitute (e.g., a pronoun, a gerund) is always used
in this structure and stands after its preposition. In the lists of phrasal verbs in this
section, the words "something, someone" show where the noun stands in this
structure, for example, to agree on something, to agree with someone. A suitable
noun is chosen by the speaker according to the situation.
We agreed on the price of nine dollars.
We agreed on going to Italy in the winter.
We agreed on it.
I agree with you.
Note: In a number of cases, depending on the verb, another noun or pronoun is
used between the verb and the preposition with noun in this structure.
I congratulate you on your new job.
She blames Gerard for the loss of her phone.
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Chapter 5. Verbs with postpositions
There are two key elements in this structure: the verb and the postposition. Phrasal
verbs of this kind present the most difficulty as they are highly idiomatic; i.e., their
meaning is not predictable from the meanings of their components, and they
usually have several idiomatic meanings. Many verbs are used as phrasal verbs
with postpositions, but the most important and the most productive of them are
verbs of motion: break, bring, call, check, close, come, cut, do, drop, fall, get, give,
go, look, make, move, pick, pull, push, put, run, set, show, take, tear, turn, and
some others. And the verb "be", of course – the biggest verb of English. (Some
recommendations on how to study such verbs, using the verb "take" as an example,
are given in the commentary to the song Gary Moore - Empty Rooms in the section
Hobby.) The meaning of a phrasal verb with a postposition is usually idiomatic;
that is, the meaning of a phrasal verb is different from the joined literal meanings
of its components.
This question is too difficult. I give up.
Watch out! The bus is coming!
The phrasal verb "give up" is idiomatic because it means "stop trying to do
something", not the sums of the literal meanings of the words «give" and "up". The
phrasal verb "watch out" is idiomatic because it means "be careful", not the sum of
the literal meanings of the words "watch" and "out".
Many verbs with postpositions can be used without any object after them, but quite
frequently they are followed by a direct object or a prepositional object.
They broke in.
They broke in the door.
They broke in through the window.
If a personal pronoun is used instead of a noun which is a direct object, the
pronoun is usually placed between the verb and the postposition. Compare:
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They brought up their three sons in Italy.
They brought them up in Italy.
Fill out the form. Fill it out.
In spoken English, a direct object in the form of a short noun or someone's name
may stand between the verb and the postposition. Compare these examples:
Put on your coat. Put your coat on.
Let in Anna Blake. Let Anna Blake in.
But the postposition shouldn't be placed too far from the verb or separated from it
by intonation because they create the meaning of the phrasal verb together. Note
that in the sentence "Put on your coat", the emphasis is on the word "coat"; in the
sentence "Put your coat on", the emphasis is on the word "on".
Note: Many verbs with postpositions are also used in their literal meaning.
Compare these sentences:
Put your boots out. I'll clean them.
Don't forget to put out the light before you leave.
Look up the new words.
He stopped reading and looked up.
The phrasal verb "put out" in the first sentence literally means "put outside" and is
the sum of the meanings of "put" and "out". The phrasal verb "put out" in the
second sentence is idiomatic because it means "extinguish (the light, fire, or
cigarette)" and is not the sum of the literal meanings of "put" and "out".
The phrasal verb "look up" in the first sentence is idiomatic because it means "find
in a reference book" and is not the sum of the literal meanings of "look" and "up".
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The phrasal verb "look up" in the second sentence literally means "look up" and is
the sum of the meanings of "look" and "up".
The literal meanings of verbs with postpositions present no difficulty for
understanding. The literal meanings of the postpositions in such phrasal verbs
often correspond to the meaning of prefixes in Russian verbs, for example, come
in, go out, run out, give away, turn away.
But verbs with postpositions very rarely, if ever, have only the literal meaning or
only one meaning. Verbs with postpositions are verbs with several idiomatic
meanings, and they can be used in different situations instead of more specific
verbs.
Verbs with postpositions are generally used in simple tenses. Verbs with
postpositions are usually less formal than their one-word synonyms and are widely
used in conversational English.
Note: There is a variation (or combination) of the two basic constructions
described above. In it, the verb with a postposition is followed by a preposition and
a suitable noun.
I'm looking forward to your letter.
She walked out on him.
He is through with the report.
The most common constructions of this type are also given in the lists of phrasal
verbs.
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Chapter 6. Analysis
I conducted a statistical analysis of occurrence of phrasal verbs in the English
language on a material of English songs. We analyzed the 40 songs of modern
English and American bandstand:
1. Lorde – “Royals”
2. Kanye West – “Black Skinhead”
3. Vampire Weekend – “Hannah Hunt”
4. Disclosure – “When a Fire Starts to Burn”
5. Parquet Courts – “Stoned and Starving”
6. Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors”
7. James Blake – “Retrograde”
8. Drake – “Started From the Bottom”
9. Arctic Monkeys – “Do I Wanna Know?”
10.Arcade Fire – “Reflector”
11.Tegan and Sara – “Closer”
12.Big Sean Feat. Kendrick Lamar – “Control”
13.Miley Cyrus – “We Can’t Stop”
14.Eminem – “Rap God”
15.HAIM – “The Wire”
16.Lady Gaga Feat. R. Kelly – “Do What U Want”
17. Katy Perry – “Roar”
18. Jay Z – “Picasso Baby”
19.Jake Bugg – “Broken”
20.Elvis Costello and the Roots – “Walk Us Uptown”
21. The Julie Ruin – “Oh Come On”
22. Washed Out – “All I Know”
23. Avicii – “Wake Me Up”
24. Lonely Island Feat. Adam Levine – “YOLO”
25.Ashley Monroe – “Two Weeks Late”
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26.Thunder cat – “Oh She it It’s X”
27.Beck – “Don’t Act Like Your Heart Isn’t Hard”
28.Waves – “Demon to Lean On”
29.Katy B – “5 AM”
30.Kelly Rowland – “Dirty Laundry”
31.Kings of Leon – “Super soaker”
32.Jim James – “A New Life”
33.TNGHT – “Acrylics”
34.J. Cole – “Crooked Smile”
35. Kurt Vile – “Waking on a Pretty Day”
36. Young Thug – “Pikachu”
37. Tina Turner- “Don`t Turn Around”
38. The Beatles – “We Can Work It Out”
39. Fall Out Boy – “Centuries”
40. My Chemical Romance – “Mama”
On this basis, it was concluded that phrasal verbs are very common in texts of
English songs.
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Conclusion
Without exaggeration, we can say that the question of English phrasal verbs - one
of the most important issues of theoretical study and practical mastery of the
English language.
Phrasal verbs occupy a significant place in the verbal vocabulary of modern
English and are very commonly used due to its great diversity and heterogeneity of
idiomatic meanings functioning. Development and updating of phrasal verbs occur
in two directions: the involvement of new verbs and the development of the
semantics of language units have already been created.
The group of most commonly used phrasal verbs is: be, bring, break, fall, get, go,
give, hold, keep, come, let, look, make, put, pull, run, see, set, stand, take, turn.
We set a goal to determine the place of phrasal verbs in English, considered their
lexical and grammatical features. To this end, we conducted a theoretical analysis
of the available literature on the subject, the statistical analysis of lyrics on the
frequency of use of phrasal verbs. As a result of the study we obtained the
following
conclusions:
-Phrasal verbs are a characteristic feature of the modern English language, bright,
vivid and highly productive element, they are easily formed speaking;
-Phrasal verbs are certain difficulties, as phrasal verb can be not only their direct
meaning,
but
also
quite
different
from
the
direct.
-The widespread use of phrasal verbs-one of the most unexpected pit falls that are
alien encounters when trying to understand the living English language, to read a
newspaper article or a work of fiction, well, or listen to English songs.
The results obtained in the course of the results can be used in English lessons in
the
study
of
phrasal
verbs.
At the beginning of the work we asked the question: "Is it possible to learn all the
phrasal verbs?".Well, then, to teach themselves phrasal verbs dictionary is useless too many of them in order to be able to take the list and learn everything.
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Sources
http://usefulenglish.ru/idioms/phrasal-verbs-introduction
https://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/phrasal-verbs-list.htm
http://english-tutorial.ru/phrasal-verbs/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrasal_verb
English phrasal verbs Pocket English by T. V. Mitroshkina
Oxford Phrasal Verbs Dictionary for learners English
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