Phrasal Verb
TSIM Kam Wan
Phrasal Verb - Definition
• A phrasal verb is a verb plus a preposition
which creates a meaning different from the
original verb.
•
• EXAMPLE:
I ran into my teacher at the movies last night.
• NOTE:
You didn't physically run into your teacher,
but you met your teacher unexpectedly.
Transitive or intransitive Phrasal Verbs
A phrasal verb can be transitive or intransitive.
A transitive verb is followed by an object.
– EXAMPLE:
I made up the story.
An intransitive verb is not followed by an object.
– EXAMPLE:
He suddenly showed up.
Separable or Non-separable
Transitive phrasal verbs
Separable verbs take the object between the verb and
the preposition:
– EXAMPLE:
I talked into my mother letting me borrow the car.
Not Correct
I talked my mother into letting me borrow the car.
Correct
– Note: "talk into" is separable
Non-separable verbs take the object after the
preposition:
– EXAMPLE:
I ran my sister into. Not Correct
I ran into my sister. Correct
– Note: "run into" is non-separable
Some phrasal verbs can take a preposition in
both places.
– EXAMPLE:
I made an excuse up. Correct
I made up an excuse. Correct
Note: "make up" is both separable and nonseperable
Websites
Phrasal Verb Dictionary
Englishpage.com
• http://www.englishpage.com/prepositions
/phrasaldictionary.html
Phrasal Verbs: Exercises and References
• http://esl.vcc.ca/eslvoc/ESLWEB/phrasal
_verbs.html
• http://www.unrestrictedarea.com/
pop off
INFORMAL, OLD-FASHIONED
to die
– You're all just waiting till I pop off so you can get
your hands on my money.
(informal) to leave the place where you are and go
somewhere, usually for a short time
– She's just popped off to get a sandwich if you
want to wait for her.
(American, informal) to talk a lot in a loud way about
something that makes you angry or upsets you
– She's always popping off about her husband's
relatives. [often + about]
– Don't keep popping off at me. It's not my fault
that he's not here! [sometimes + at]
pile on sth or pile sth on
INFORMAL
if someone piles on something, especially something
spoken, they give you more and more of it
– You've really been piling on the praise tonight,
Roger!
– We're approaching the deadline so our manager
has been piling on the pressure.
– He was piling on the agony about his childhood. (=
making it seem worse than it really was)
(mainly British & Australian, informal) if you pile on
weight, you become fatter and heavier
– I piled on ten pounds over Christmas.
– She's really piled on the pounds (= become fatter)
since I last saw her.
go against sth
if something goes against a rule or something you believe
in, it does not obey it or agree with it
– It goes against my principles to respect someone
just because they're in a position of authority.
– The EU says the decision goes against European
trade rules.
– It goes against the grain (= it is not usual) for
Sarah to admit that she's wrong.
go against sth/sb
to do the opposite of what someone has asked or advised
you to do
– I went against my father's advice and bought the
house.
– I really don't want to go against my boss.
Live through
survive a difficult experience or period
– How they lived through ten years of civil war
without being hurt remains a mystery.
Pick on
to tease, bully
– Older kids would always pick on me at school
until I grew to be bigger than them.