Lesson 4:
Verbs--Phrasal Verbs, Verb Phrases, and Conditionals
4.1 Phrasal Verbs and other Multi-word Verbs
Phrasal verbs are part of a large group of verbs called “multi-word verbs.” Multi-word
verbs, including phrasal verbs, are very common, especially in spoken English. A
multi-word verb is a verb like “pick up,” “turn on” or “get on with.” For convenience,
many people refer to all multi-word verbs as phrasal verbs.
These verbs consist of a basic verb + another word or words. The other word(s) can be
prepositions and/or adverbs. The two or three words that make up multi-word verbs
form a short “phrase”--which is why these verbs are often all called “phrasal verbs”—that
usually has an idiomatic meaning.
The important thing to remember is that a multi-word verb is still a verb. Get is a verb.
Get up, is also a verb, a different verb. Get and get up are two different verbs. They do
not have the same meaning. So you should treat each multi-word verb as a separate verb,
and learn it like any other verb.
4.2 3 types of multi-word verbs:
There are three types of multi-word verbs: phrasal verbs, prepositional verbs and
phrasal-prepositional verbs.
single-word verb
multi-word
verbs
phrasal verbs
She gets that
for me.
get
get up
verb + adverb
I would like to
get up at 7 am.
prepositional verbs
phrasal-prepositional
verbs
look after
look
forward
to
verb +
Who is looking
preposition
after the baby?
verb + adverb +
preposition
I look forward
to meeting you.
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(I know, it’s hard to differentiate which word is an adverb and which is a preposition. Just
to give you a feel of the frustration, of the four words (up, after, forward, to) used as
examples here, each word has multiple identities of different parts of speech. Up is an
adverb, a preposition, an adjective, a noun, and a verb. After is an adverb, a preposition,
an adjective, a conjunction, and a noun. Forward is an adverb, an adjective, a verb, and a
noun. To is an adverb, as well as a preposition. Confused? You have every right to. I
would suggest that we need to know that grammarians have made differentiation of the
phrasal verbs; and like many, just treat all three types as phrasal verbs.)
4.3 2 Differences between the 3 types of multi-word verbs.
4.3.1 Transitive and Intransitive:
4.3.1.1 Phrasal verbs can be transitive (with direct object) and intransitive (no
direct object).
4.3.1.2
Prepositional verbs and phrasal-prepositional verbs all end with a
preposition, and since a preposition always has an object, so all these
verbs have direct objects. They are all transitive verbs.
4.3.1.3 Examples:
4.3.1.3.1


Intransitive phrasal verbs:
I would like to get up at 7 am.
He was late because his car broke down.
4.3.1.3.2 Transitive phrasal verbs:


We will have to put off the meeting.
They turned down my offer.
4.3.1.3.3


Prepositional verbs:
Godard is looking after the dog.
Are you talking about Jane?
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4.3.1.3.4


Phrasal-prepositional verbs:
I look forward to meeting you.
George doesn't get on with his colleagues.
4.3.2 Separable and Inseparable:
4.3.2.1 Transitive phrasal verbs can usually be separated by the object. And if
the direct object is a pronoun, the phrasal verb must be separated by
the pronoun.
4.3.2.2 Prepositional verbs and phrasal-prepositional verbs are inseparable.
4.3.2.3 Examples:
4.3.2.3.1 Transitive phrasal verbs:

We will have to put off the meeting.

We will have to put the meeting off.
They turned down my offer.




They turned my offer down.
They turned it down. (Not: They turned down it.)
We will put it off. (Not: We will put off it.)
4.3.2.3.2 Prepositional verbs:


Godard is looking after the dog. (Not: Godard is looking the dog after.)
Are you talking about Jane? (Not: Are you talking Jane about?)
4.3.2.3.3 Phrasal-prepositional verbs:

I look forward to meeting you. (Not: I look meeting you forward to. / I look

forward meeting you to.)
George doesn't get on with his colleagues. (Not: George doesn't get his
colleagues on with. / George doesn't get on his colleagues with.)
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4.4 Verb Phrases
A verb phrase is a phrase consisting of a verb + object(s) and/or complement(s) and/or
other modifiers. Eg.



The students should be done with the exam by noon.
(should be done with the exam by noon is the verb phrase)
I walked to the shops.
(walked to the shops is the verb phrase; walked is the verb; to the shop is its
prepositional complement)
She sent me a lovely birthday card.
(sent me a lovely birthday card is the verb phrase)
4.4.1
May be or Maybe?
(see also 10.5.7)
May be (two words) is a verb phrase showing possibility, meaning "might be," "could
be," or "would be." The word "may" in "may be" is an auxiliary verb; the word "be"
is a linking verb.
Maybe (one word) is an adverb meaning "perhaps" or "possibly." Eg.

We may be able to visit the King.

Maybe we can visit the King.
4.5 Conditionals*
-http://random-idea-english.blogspot.hk/2012/05/beyond-1-2-3-conditionals-that-dont-fit
.html (look at this site for more unusual examples and discussions of conditionals)
- Inversion in conditional sentences
http://www.grammaring.com/inversion-in-conditional-sentences
Condition means “situation or circumstance.” If a particular condition is true, then a
particular result happens.


If y = 10 then 2y = 20
If y = 3 then 2y = 6
A full conditional sentence (one which expresses the condition as well as its
consequences) therefore contains two clauses: the dependent (if) clause expressing the
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condition; and the main clause expressing the consequence. The dependent clause may
either precede or follow the main clause.
There are 3 basic conditionals that we use often. There are some more conditionals that
we do not use so often. Here, we will just cover one other called zero conditional.
4.5.1 First Conditional: real possibility.
4.5.1.1 In first conditional sentences, we are talking about the future. It is about a
particular condition or situation in the future, and the result of this condition. There
is a real possibility that this condition will happen. For example, it is morning. You
are at home. You plan to play tennis this afternoon. But there are some clouds in the
sky. Imagine that it may rain. What will you do?

If it rains I will stay at home.
Notice that we are thinking about a future condition. It is not raining yet. But the sky
is cloudy and you think that it could rain. We use the present simple tense to talk
about the possible future condition in the dependent (if) clause. We use WILL +
base verb to talk about the possible future result in the main clause. The
important thing about the first conditional is that there is a real possibility that the
condition will happen.
4.5.1.2 But when what is expressed in the dependent (if) clause is the result of
what is expressed in the main clause, then we will use simple future tense in the
dependent (if) clause as well. Eg.

I will speak on your behalf if it will help you.

If it will make me healthier, I will eat more vegetables.
We'll go home now if it will make you feel better.

4.5.1.3

Sometimes, we use shall, can, or may instead of will, eg:
If you are good today, you can watch TV tonight.
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4.5.2 Second Conditional: unreal possibility or dream.
The second conditional, like the first conditional, is still about the future. We are
thinking about a particular condition in the future, and the result of this condition. But
there is not a real possibility that this condition will happen. For example, you do
not have a lottery ticket. Is it possible to win? No! But maybe you will buy a lottery
ticket in the future. So you can think about winning in the future, like a dream. It's not
very real, but it's still possible. Eg:

If I won the lottery I would buy a car.
Notice that we are thinking about a future condition. We use the past simple tense to
talk about the future condition. We use WOULD + base verb to talk about the
future result. The important thing about the second conditional is that there is an
unreal possibility that the condition will happen.
Sometimes, we use should, could or might instead of would, eg:

If I won a million dollars, I might stop working.
4.5.3 Third Conditional: no possibility
The first conditional and second conditionals talk about the future. With the third
conditional we talk about the past. We talk about a condition in the past that did not
happen. That is why there is no possibility for this condition. The third conditional
is also like a dream, but with no possibility of the dream coming true.
Last week you bought a lottery ticket. But you did not win. So you could say:

If I had won the lottery last week I would have bought a car.
Notice that we are thinking about an impossible past condition. You did not win the
lottery. So the condition was not true, and that particular condition can never be true
because it is finished. We use the past perfect tense to talk about the impossible
past condition. We use WOULD HAVE + past participle to talk about the
impossible past result. The important thing about the third conditional is that both the
condition and result are impossible now.
Sometimes, we use should have, could have, might have instead of would have, eg:
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
If you had bought a lottery ticket last week, you might have won.
4.5.4 Zero Conditional: certainty
We use the so-called zero conditional to express a certainty, a universal statement, a
law of science.
Take some ice. Put it in a saucepan. Heat the saucepan. What happens? The ice melts
(it becomes water). You would be surprised if it did not.


If you heat ice it melts.
If you don't eat for a long time, you become hungry.
Notice that we are thinking about a result that is always true for this condition. The
result of the condition is an absolute certainty. We are not thinking about the future or
the past, or even the present. We are thinking about a simple fact. We use the present
simple tense to talk about the condition. We also use the present simple tense to
talk about the result. The important thing about the zero conditional is that the
condition always has the same result.
We can also use when or whenever instead of if, for example:

When I get up late I miss my bus.
Zero conditional with past reference
If she was in London she always went to visit her aunt.
If he was in Hong Kong he always went to visit his uncle.
If he was in town he always went to visit his aunt. (Zero Conditional in the past)
If we weren’t in the mood, we didn’t talk to each other for hours.
She walked the streets without an umbrella if it was raining.
If she was sad, she just stared into the distance without saying a word.
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Inversion in conditional sentences
If + subject + auxiliary can be replaced in formal English, or for dramatic effect, by the
inversion of the auxiliary and the subject, with the if omitted.
Will you sit down? (= If you will sit down…)
Should you need anything... (= If you should need anything...)
Were I in his shoes... (= If I were in his shoes...)
Were I to tell you… (= If I were to tell you…)
Could you tell me where the station is? (= If you could tell me where the station is…)
Would you come in, please? (= If you would come in, please.)
Had I known... (= If I had known...)
Had it not been for your foolishness... (= If it hadn’t been for your foolishness...)
Conditional sentences with inversion are more formal than those that follow the usual
word order.
1) In real conditionals inversion is found with the modal verb should, but it is only used
in formal language.
Look at the following examples:
If you need more information, call our office in Green Street.
If you should require any further information, please contact us at our office in Green
Street. (formal)
Should you require any further information, please contact us at our office in Green Street.
(more formal than the previous example)
2) In unreal conditionals it is common to find inversions in formal language.
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Were the negotiations to fall through, it would bring about unforeseen problems. (If the
negotiations were to fall through,...)
Had I known about Mr Smith's behaviour sooner , I would have fired him immediately.
(If I had known about Mr Smith's behaviour sooner,...)
In negative clauses with inversion, we don't use contracted forms:
Had the people not been informed, the situation would have been much worse.
-------------------問：以下句子的 wouldn't，可不可改為 won't？──If you come to the party tomorrow,
I wouldn't bring Mike with you。
答：答案是「改不得」。解釋之前，謹先簡述假設句（conditional sentence）的三種
句式：一是「If＋現在式動詞＋will」
，指現在或將來可能發生的事；一是「If＋過去
式動詞＋would」，指現在或將來並非事實或極不可能發生的事；一是「If＋過去完
成式動詞＋would have」
，指過去沒有發生的事。例如：
（1）If you come, I will get ready
（假如你來，我會準備好）
。
（2）If I were you, I would not go（我是你，就不會去）。
（3）If you had come, you would have seen him（假如你當時來了，就會見到他）。
而上述句式可以混合使用，例如：（1）If he had not left Hong Kong, he would help us
now（他不是離開了香港，現在就會幫助我們）。（2）If I were a hot-tempered man, I
would have beaten him（假如我是個容易動怒的人，當時就會打他）。例一上半截是
對過去事情的假設，下半截是對現在事情的假設；例二上半截假設至今未變的情況，
下半截假設過去的情況。
讀者示下那一句，是說「假如你明天前來，我是你，就不會帶麥克」
：
「你明天前來」
是可能發生的，所以說 if you come；
「我是你」是不可能發生的，所以 I wouldn't bring
Mike with you（= I wouldn't bring Mike if I were you）用 would bring，不可改為 will。
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4.5.5 Summary
Here is a chart to help you to visualize the basic English conditionals. Do not take the
50% and 10% figures too literally. They are just to help you.
probability
conditional
example
time
100%
zero
conditional
If you heat ice, it melts.
any
time
50%
first
If it rains, I will stay at home.
future
conditional
10%
second
conditional
If I won the lottery, I would buy a
car.
future
0%
third
conditional
If I had won the lottery last week, I
would have bought a car.
past
* Adapted from http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-conditional.htm.
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