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Phrasal Verbs – Grammar Lesson


CHAPTER 27.  PHRASAL VERBS

A phrasal verb is an idiom which consists of a verb followed by a preposition, a verb followed by an adverb, or a verb followed by an adverb, followed by a preposition. The phrasal verbs in the following examples are printed in bold type.
e.g. I ran into an old friend.
We put off washing the dishes.
They all look up to him.

In these examples, the phrasal verb to run into consists of the verb to run followed by the preposition into, the phrasal verb to put off consists of the verb to put followed by the adverb off, and the phrasal verb to look up to consists of the verb to look followed by the adverb up, followed by the preposition to.

Many phrasal verbs are used more often in informal English than in formal English. In most cases, the ideas expressed by such phrasal verbs may also be expressed by other phrases which are more likely to be used in formal English.

For instance in the table below, the phrasal verbs used in the preceding examples are listed in the left-hand column and other phrases with the same meanings are listed in the right-hand column.

Informal Formal
  to run into   to meet unexpectedly
  to put off   to postpone
  to look up to   to admire

It should be noted that the use of many phrasal verbs varies among the different dialects of English. For instance, in order to express the idea of contacting someone by means of the telephone, the expression to ring someone up is frequently used in British English; whereas the expression to call someone is frequently used in American English.

Because of differences in dialect, the forms of the verbs and the meanings given may vary from one dictionary to another. In addition, some phrasal verbs have more than one meaning. The meanings provided in this chapter are samples of meanings which are used in North American English.

1. Phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by a preposition

Some phrasal verbs consist of a verb followed by a preposition. As has been seen in previous chapters, it is very common for English verbs to be followed by prepositions. However, in the case of a phrasal verb, the verb followed by the preposition forms an expression with an idiomatic meaning.

For instance, the phrasal verb to come across is an idiomatic expression with the meaning to find. Similarly, the phrasal verb to frown on is an idiomatic expression with the meaning to disapprove of.
e.g. We came across an old diary while we were cleaning out the attic.
The workers frowned on the practice of smoking in the office.

It should be noted that some phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by a preposition can be used in the Passive Voice.
e.g. The practice of smoking in the office was frowned on by the workers.
The children were looked after by their aunt.
In these examples, the phrasal verbs to frown on and to look after are used in the Passive Voice.

The following are examples of phrasal verbs which consist of a verb followed by a preposition. Each phrasal verb is followed by its meaning and an example of its use.

Verbs Followed by Prepositions

abide by:  adhere to   We abided by the rules.
account for:  explain   He accounted for the discrepancy.
ask for:  request   They asked for an extension.
bank on:  depend on   We are banking on good weather tomorrow.
bear with:  be patient with   Please bear with the delay.
border on:  be near, be next to   Their excitement bordered on hysteria.
break into:  enter by force   Thieves broke into the store.
build on:  develop from   We want to build on our success.
burst into:  suddenly enter   He burst into the room.
call for:  demand   This calls for an investigation.
call on:  ask, order   We will call on you to give a speech.
come across:  find accidentally   She came across some old papers.
come upon:  discover   We came upon a small lake.
confide in:  share a secret   The two friends confided in each other.
count on:  depend on   We are counting on you.
cut across:  use a short route   I cut across the parking lot.
dawn on:  realize   Finally the truth dawned on him.
deal in:  stock, sell   He deals in gold and jewels.
deal with:  handle successfully   She can deal with any situation.
decide on:  settle on   They decided on a course of action.
dispense with:  proceed without   The chairman dispensed with formalities.
dispose of:  get rid of   If he moves, he will have to dispose of his furniture.
dwell on:  emphasize   He dwelt on the risks involved.
enlarge on:  say more about   Please enlarge on your proposal.
enter into:  begin, commence   The brothers entered into an agreement.
expand on:  say more about   Please expand on what you said before.
frown on:  disapprove of   Absenteeism is frowned on.
get at:  reach   The store was so crowded, it was hard to get at the food.
get into:  become involved with   I don’t want to get into an argument.
get over:  recover from   Have you got over the flu yet?
get through:  survive, finish   I don’t know how I can get through all this work.
go against:  oppose   Don’t go against the rules.
go over:  review   I would like to go over the report again.
go through:  examine in detail   Have you gone through the evidence?
go with:  look good with   Those shoes don’t go with that outfit.
grow on:  become more attractive to   I’m sure the idea will grow on you.
guard against:  take precautions   We must guard against possible attack.
hinge on:  depend on   Everything hinges on her decision.
inquire into:  investigate   Please inquire into the alternatives.
keep to:  adhere to   The train will keep to the schedule.
laugh at:  mock, make fun of   Don’t laugh at me!
launch into:  start   He launched into an explanation.
leaf through:  turn the pages   She leafed idly through the book.
live on:  survive using   What did you live on?
look after:  take care of   I will look after the children.
look into:  investigate   He will look into the situation.
look through:  examine quickly   We looked through the magazines while we were waiting.
part with:  give up reluctantly   She refused to part with her necklace.
pick on:  be unkind to   Because he was the youngest, the other boys picked on him.
prey on:  hunt and eat; disturb   Ospreys prey on fish; the idea preys on my mind.
provide for:  prepare for   We have provided for any emergency.
reason with:  try to persuade   It is hard to reason with an angry person.
reckon on:  calculate on   I hadn’t reckoned on being the center of attention.
rise above:  be superior to   He rose above his circumstances and managed to succeed.
run across:  find accidentally   They ran across some interesting information.
run into:  meet accidentally   I ran into my cousin downtown.
run over:  injured by a vehicle   Children must be careful not to be run over by cars.
see through:  not be deceived by   I instantly saw through the disguise.
send for:  ask to be sent   You will have to send for your transcripts.
settle for:  reluctantly accept   Since there was no kale, we had to settle for cabbage.
side with:  support in a dispute   Why did you side with him?
sit through:  sit and endure   It was all I could do to sit through the lecture without falling asleep.
stand by:  support   I hope you will stand by me.
stand for:  represent   What does the abbreviation etc. stand for?
stick to:  adhere to   We shall stick to the original plan.
stumble across:  find accidentally   He stumbled across an interesting fossil.
survive on:  survive using   During the winter, we had to survive on turnips and parsnips.
take after:  resemble an ancestor   He takes after his grandfather.
tamper with:  interfere with   Someone has tampered with the lock.
touch on:  mention   She touched on many important subjects.
verge on:  approach   His behavior verges on rudeness.
wade through:  slowly peruse   We had to wade through a pile of documents.
watch over:  guard   The shepherd watched over the sheep.

See Exercise 1.

a. The position of the object of the preposition

The object of a preposition usually follows the preposition, whether the object is a noun or a pronoun. In the following examples, the objects are underlined.
e.g. We have launched into a new project.
We have launched into it.

In these examples, the noun project and the pronoun it are the objects of the preposition into of the phrasal verb to launch into. Both the noun object and the pronoun object follow the preposition.

See Exercise 2.

b. The position of an adverb of manner modifying the verb

If a verb is followed by a preposition, an adverb of manner may be placed between the verb and the preposition. In the following examples, the adverbs of manner are underlined.
e.g. We reasoned patiently with the little girl.
leafed quickly through the book.

In the first example, the adverb of manner patiently is placed between the verb reasoned and the preposition with of the phrasal verb to reason with. In the second example, the adverb of manner quickly is placed between the verb leafed and the preposition through of the phrasal verb to leaf through.

See Exercise 3.

c. Stress in spoken English

When a verb followed by a preposition occurs at the end of a clause, it is usually the verb which is stressed in spoken English. In the following examples, the words which are stressed are printed in bold type.
e.g. No one likes to be laughed at.
I need someone to confide in.

In the first example, the verb laughed followed by the preposition at occurs at the end of a clause, and the verb laughed is stressed. In the second example, the verb confide followed by the preposition in occurs at the end of a clause, and the verb confide is stressed.

It should be noted that, when used in a phrasal verb at the end of a clause, the prepositions afterinto and over are often pronounced with somewhat greater emphasis than the verb. In this case, both the verb and the preposition are stressed. For example:
The twins are easy to look after.
The building would be difficult to break into.
You’ll never guess whom I ran into.
I heard that someone was run over.

The prepositions aboveacross and through are also occasionally emphasized in this way. For example:
The research papers were difficult to wade through.

d. Expressions in which the verb has an object

In the case of some phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by a preposition, the verb and the preposition may each have an object. In the following examples, the objects are underlined.
e.g. I can make nothing of the situation.
We talked my sister into agreeing.

In the first example, the verb make of the phrasal verb to make of has the object nothing, and the preposition of has the object situation. In the second example, the verb talked of the phrasal verb to talk into has the object sister, and the preposition into has the object agreeing.

The following are examples of phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by a preposition, where the verb may have an object. The objects of the verbs are underlined. Each phrasal verb is followed by its meaning and an example of its use. The last example illustrates the use of the Passive Voice.

Verbs followed by Objects followed by Prepositions

drag into:  involve unwillingly   Don’t drag me into this discussion!
draw into:  involve gradually   We managed to draw her into the conversation.
drum into:  teach by repetition   We drummed the safety rules into the children.
frighten into:  control by fear   The little girl frightened her brother into obeying her.
hold against:  blame for   Please don’t hold my mistakes against me.
lay before:  present to   We will lay the evidence before the court.
let into:  allow to share   Shall we let her into the secret?
make of:  understand   Can you make anything of this message?
read into:  find other meanings   You are reading too much into her remarks.
set against:  make antagonistic   She likes to set people against one another.
set on:  order to attack   We will set our dogs on any intruders.
talk into:  persuade   Can you talk him into changing his mind?
thrust upon:  force upon   We thrust the responsibility upon the treasurer.
write into:  add to in writing   The terms were written into the lease.

 2. Phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by an adverb

Many phrasal verbs consist of a verb followed by an adverb. Some of these phrasal verbs are intransitive and some are transitive.

For instance, the intransitive phrasal verb to show up is formed from the verb to show followed by the adverb up. In the following example, the phrasal verb does not have an object.
At ten o’clock, her brother showed up.

The following are examples of intransitive phrasal verbs which consist of a verb followed by an adverb. Each phrasal verb is followed by its meaning and an example of its use.

Intransitive Verbs followed by Adverbs

blow over:  pass   I wonder when the trouble will blow over.
boil away:  disappear by boiling   If the water boils away, the stew will burn.
boil over:  overflow by boiling   The soup boiled over.
bounce back:  recover   He bounced back from his previous defeat.
buckle down:  work seriously   You may fail your courses if you don’t buckle down to work.
catch on:  be widely accepted   Do you think the idea will catch on?
cloud over:  become overcast   Although it clouded over in the afternoon, the rain held off.
die down:  become less   After a few days, the excitement died down.
double up:  bend over   We were doubled up with laughter.
drop in:  visit   Please drop in any time.
fade away:  become less   The sound gradually faded away.
fall off:  become less   Attendance at the concerts has fallen off.
get away:  escape   I hooked a fish, but it got away.
get by:  barely succeed   She studied just hard enough to get by.
give in:  admit defeat   I will never give in!
go on:  continue   Please go on. Don’t let me interrupt you.
grow up:  become an adult   What do you want to do when you grow up?
keep on:  persist in   He kept on changing the subject.
level off:  stop rising   Prices finally leveled off.
log on:  contact a computer   Do you know how to log on?
log off:  break contact with a computer system   The system was overloaded, so I had to log off.
move in:  take possession of living quarters   When are you moving in?
move out:  give up possession of living quarters   He moved out yesterday.
nod off:  go to sleep   Half the bus passengers nodded off.
pass out:  faint   It was so hot, I almost passed out.
pitch in:  help   If everyone pitches in, the work will be done in a few minutes.
play along:  pretend to agree   Let’s play along until we find out what his plans are.
pull in:  arrive (of vehicles)   The bus pulled in next to the curb.
pull out:  leave (of vehicles)   The train pulled out at ten o’clock.
set off:  leave   They set off at six o’clock in the morning.
settle down:  become peaceful   After the excitement, the students found it difficult to settle down.
settle in:  become used to   How are you settling in to your new job?
show up:  arrive   She showed up at noon.
stay up:  not go to bed   We stayed up until midnight.
step down:  resign   He stepped down for health reasons.
step in:  intervene   The government had to step in to save the business.
take off:  leave the ground   The plane took off on time.
touch down:  land (of planes)   The plane touched down.
tune in:  find a station on the radio   We tuned in to listen to the hockey game.
watch out:  beware   Watch out! The roads are icy.
wear off:  gradually disappear   The feeling of excitement gradually wore off.

See Exercise 4.

The transitive phrasal verb to sort out is formed from the verb to sort followed by the adverb out. For example:
We sorted out the papers.
In this example, the phrasal verb sorted out has the object papers.

The following are examples of transitive phrasal verbs which consist of a verb followed by an adverb. Each phrasal verb is followed by its meaning and an example of its use.

Transitive Verbs followed by Adverbs

back up:  support   I will back up your story.
bail out:  rescue   If you run into difficulties, who will bail you out?
break in:  make something new fit for use   I broke in my new hiking boots.
breathe in:  inhale   We breathed in the fresh air.
breathe out:  exhale   I breathed out a sigh of relief.
bring back:  return   She brought back her library books.
bring around:  persuade   We gradually brought her around to our point of view.
bring up:  raise   Bringing up children is never easy.
butter up:  flatter   We buttered him up, hoping that he would agree to our proposal.
call in:  ask to assist   I think it is time we called in an expert.
call off:  cancel   We called off the meeting.
call up:  telephone   Why don’t you call him up?
cheer on:  cheer, encourage   I will be there to cheer you on.
chop down:  fell   They chopped down the dead tree.
clean up:  tidy   The mayor asked everyone to help clean up the city streets.
fend off:  repel   The goalie fended off every attack.
ferret out:  find with difficulty   We managed to ferret out the information.
figure out:  solve, understand   I can’t figure out what happened.
fill in:  complete   Please fill in this form.
fill out:  complete   I filled out the form.
fill up:  make full   We filled up the glasses with water.
give back:  return   I gave back the bicycle I had borrowed.
give off:  send out   Skunk cabbage gives off an unpleasant odor.
hand down:  give to someone younger   The tradition was handed down from father to son.
hand in:  give to person in authority   The students handed their assignments in to the teacher.
hand on:  give to another person   I am not sorry to hand the responsibility on to you.
hand over:  transfer   We had to hand the evidence over to the police.
hang up:  break a telephone connection   After receiving a busy signal, I hung up the phone.
hold back:  restrain, delay   He is so enthusiastic, it is hard to hold him back.
iron out:  remove   I am sure we can iron out every difficulty.
knock out:  make unconscious   Boxers are often knocked out.
lap up:  accept eagerly   The public lapped up the story.
lay off:  put out of work   The company laid off seventy workers.
leave behind:  leave, not bring   I accidentally left my umbrella behind.
leave out:  omit   Tell me what happened. Don’t leave anything out!
let down:  disappoint   We will let him down if we don’t arrive on time.
live down:  live so that past faults are forgotten   This will be hard to live down!
look up:  find (information)   We looked up the word in a dictionary.
make up:  invent   She likes to make up stories.
pass up:  not take advantage   I couldn’t pass up such an opportunity.
pension off:  dismiss with a pension   He was pensioned off at the age of sixty.
phase in:  introduce gradually   The new program will be phased in over the next six months.
phase out:  cease gradually   The practice will gradually be phased out.
pick up:  collect   You may pick up the papers at the office.
pin down:  get a commitment   When the guest speaker is pinned down, we can set a date for the conference.
play down:  de-emphasize   He played down the importance of the news.
point out:  draw attention to   She pointed out the advantages of the proposal.
polish off:  finish   We polished off the rest of the apple pie.
pull down:  demolish   Many old buildings are pulled down to make way for new ones.
pull off:  succeed   Do you think she can pull off her plan?
put away:  put in proper place   It is time to put the toys away.
put back:  return to original location   Please put the book back on the shelf.
put off:  postpone   We cannot put off the meeting again.
reel off:  recite a long list   She reeled off a long list of names.
rope in:  persuade to help   We roped in everyone we could to help with the work.
rub out:  erase   Be sure to rub out all the pencil marks.
rule out:  remove from consideration   None of the possibilities can be ruled out yet.
scale down:  reduce   Because of lack of funds, we had to scale down our plans.
sell off:  dispose of by selling   We sold off all the books and furniture.
set back:  delay   This could set back the project by several years.
shout down:  stop from speaking by shouting   The crowd shouted down the speaker.
shrug off:  dismiss as unimportant   He attempted to shrug off the mistake.
single out:  select from others   You have been singled out for special attention.
size up:  assess   I quickly sized up the situation.
sort out:  organize   It will take some time to sort out this mess.
sound out:  talk with to learn the opinion of   We attempted to sound him out.
stammer out:  stammer   They stammered out their apologies.
sum up:  summarize   He summed up the discussion in a few well-chosen words.
summon up:  gather   I attempted to summon up my courage.
take in:  absorb   We tried to take in the new information.
take out:  invite to a restaurant   May I take you out for supper?
take over:  assume control   They will take over at the beginning of June.
talk over:  discuss   Let us talk it over before we decide.
tear up:  destroy by tearing   She tore up the letter.
think over:  consider   I need some time to think it over.
think up:  invent   What will they think up next?
track down:  search for and find   We finally tracked him down at the bookstore.
trade in:  give as part payment   Why don’t you trade in your old vacuum cleaner for a new one?
try on:  test clothes by putting them on   I tried on the new suit, but it didn’t fit me.
try out:  test by using   Would you like to try out my fountain pen?
turn away:  refuse admission   The event was so popular that many people had to be turned away.
turn back:  reverse direction   Every fall the clocks must be turned back by one hour.
turn off:  deactivate by using a switch   I turned off the radio.
turn on:  activate by using a switch   Please turn on the light.
water down:  dilute   The soup has been watered down.
wear out:  gradually destroy by wearing or using   My jacket is wearing out, although it is only a year old.
write down:  make a note   I wrote down the instructions.
write off:  cancel, regard as   They were forced to write off several irretrievable debts.
write up:  compose in writing   I used my notes to write up the report.

See Exercise 5.

a. The position of the object of the verb

In the case of transitive phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by an adverb, if the object of the verb is a noun, the object can usually either follow or precede the adverb. In the following examples, the objects are underlined.
e.g. I called off the meeting.
called the meeting off.
In the first example the object meeting follows the adverb off, while in the second example the object meeting precedes the adverb off.

However, in the case of a few phrasal verbs, a noun object must usually follow the adverb.
e.g. We attempted to smooth over the disagreement.
In this example, the phrasal verb to smooth over is followed by the noun object disagreement. In this case, the object disagreement cannot be placed before the adverb over.

The following are examples of transitive phrasal verbs where a noun object must usually follow the adverb. Each phrasal verb is accompanied by its meaning and an example of its use. The objects of the verbs are underlined.

Verbs followed by Adverbs followed by Noun Objects

drum up:  raise   She has drummed up support for the plan.
paper over:  repair superficially   They attempted to paper over their differences.
smooth over:  improve   We tried to smooth over the situation.

In the case of transitive phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by an adverb, if the object of the verb is a pronoun, the object must usually precede the adverb. In the following examples, the pronoun objects are underlined.
e.g. I called it off.
We attempted to smooth it over.
In these examples, the pronoun object it precedes the adverbs off and over.

See Exercise 6.

Most transitive phrasal verbs may be used in the Passive Voice.
e.g. The meeting was called off by me.
The disagreement was smoothed over.
In these examples, the phrasal verbs to call off and to smooth over are used in the Passive Voice.

b. The position of an adverb of manner modifying the verb

In the case of a phrasal verb consisting of a verb followed by an adverb, the verb and the adverb usually may not be separated by an adverb of manner. In the following example, the adverb of manner is underlined.
e.g. I hurriedly called off the meeting.
In this example, the adverb of manner hurriedly precedes the phrasal verb called off. The adverb hurriedly may also be placed at the beginning or the end of the sentence, but may not be placed between the verb called and the adverb off.

c. Stress in spoken English

When a phrasal verb consisting of a verb followed by an adverb occurs at the end of a clause, it is usually the adverb which is stressed in spoken English. In the following examples, the words which are stressed are printed in bold type.
e.g. How did that come about?
Please drop in whenever you have time.
In the first example, the verb come followed by the adverb about occurs at the end of a clause, and the adverb about is stressed. In the second example, the verb drop followed by the adverb in occurs at the end of a clause, and the adverb in is stressed.

d. Ergative verbs

It should be noted that there are a few phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by an adverb, which have the same meaning whether they are used transitively or intransitively. For example:
The engineer slowed down the train.
The train slowed down.

In the first example, the phrasal verb to slow down is used transitively, with the object train. In the second example, the phrasal verb to slow down is used intransitively, without naming the originator of the action. In these two examples, it can be seen that the object of the transitive verb is the subject of the intransitive verb. However, the general meaning of the two sentences is the same. Verbs which can be used in this way may be referred to as ergative verbs.

The following are examples of expressions which can function as ergative phrasal verbs. Each ergative phrasal verb is followed by its meaning and examples of its use.

Ergative Phrasal Verbs

blare out:  make a loud sound   The loudspeakers blared out the music.
    The music blared out.
blow up:  destroy by an explosion   Troops blew up the bridge.
    The bridge blew up.
break up:  break into pieces   The icebreaker broke up the ice.
    The ice broke up.
burn down:  destroy by fire   We burned down the old barn.
    The old barn burned down.
calm down:  become calm   I calmed down the child.
    The child calmed down.
dry out:  become dry   The sun dried out the earth.
    The earth dried out.
get across:  transmit   We got our point across to the audience.
    Our point got across to the audience.
liven up:  become lively   He livened up the party.
    The party livened up.
pull through:  recover from, survive   The doctor pulled her through the illness.
    She pulled through the illness.
roll up:  wrap into a cylinder   I rolled up the window blind.
    The window blind rolled up.
shut down:  close, stop working   They shut down the factory.
    The factory shut down.
wake up:  stop sleeping   I woke her up.
    She woke up.
wash out:  remove by washing   We washed out the dye.
    The dye washed out.
wear away:  gradually remove   Water wore away the rock.
    The rock wore away.
wear out:  gradually destroy by using   I wore out the sweater.
    The sweater wore out.

 3. Distinguishing between verbs followed by prepositions and verbs followed by adverbs

It has been seen that the position of pronoun objects, adverbs of manner and stress in spoken English varies according to whether a verb is followed by a preposition or by an adverb.

These differences are summarized in the following table. The verbs to sit and to turn are used as examples. The verb to sit is followed by on used as a preposition, whereas the verb to turn is followed by on used as an adverb.

Verb followed by Preposition Verb followed by Adverb
  Pronoun object is placed   Pronoun object is placed
  after the preposition:   before the adverb:
    I sat on it.     I turned it on.
  Adverb of manner may be placed   Adverb of manner may not be
  between verb and preposition:   placed between verb and adverb:
    I sat quietly on it.     I quietly turned it on.
  Verb is stressed:   Adverb is stressed:
    This is what I sat on.     This is what I turned on.

Because of the differences summarized above, it is important to be able to distinguish between a verb followed by a preposition, and a verb followed by an adverb.

a. Adverb phrases of location compared with phrasal verbs followed by objects

In many cases, it is necessary to distinguish between an ordinary verb followed by an adverb phrase of location, and a phrasal verb followed by an object.
e.g. I turned up the street.
I turned up the volume.

In the first example, the verb turned is followed by the adverb phrase of location up the street. In the second example, the phrasal verb turned up is followed by the object volume. In this example, the phrasal verb turned up has the meaning increased.

In the first example, street is the object of the preposition up. If the object is changed to a pronoun, the pronoun must follow the preposition:
I turned up the street.
I turned up it.

In the second example, volume is the object of the phrasal verb turned up. If the object is changed to a pronoun, the pronoun must precede the adverb up.
I turned up the volume.
I turned it up.

In the first example, if the verb is modified by an adverb of manner, the adverb of manner may precede the adverb phrase of location:
I turned up the street.
I turned quickly up the street.

In the second example, if the verb is modified by an adverb of manner, the adverb of manner may not be placed between the two parts of the phrasal verb:
I turned up the volume.
quickly turned up the volume.

See Exercises 7 and 8.

b. Words used as prepositions or adverbs

It is also necessary to be able to distinguish between a phrasal verb consisting of a verb followed by a preposition, and a phrasal verb consisting of a transitive verb followed by an adverb. In many cases it is possible to make the distinction by means of the preposition or adverb following the verb.

For example, the following words are used in phrasal verbs as prepositions, but are not usually used in phrasal verbs as adverbs following transitive verbs:

  after   against
  at   before
  by   for
  from   into
  of   to
  toward   with
  without

In contrast, the following words are used in phrasal verbs as adverbs following transitive verbs, but are not usually used in phrasal verbs as prepositions:

  along   aside
  away   back
  behind   down
  forward   out
  together   up

It should be noted that of these words, asideawaybackforwardout and together are usually never used as prepositions. In contrast, the words alongbehinddown and up are often used as prepositions, but are not usually used as prepositions in phrasal verbs.

See Exercises 9 and 10.

The following words present more difficulty, since they can be used in phrasal verbs both as prepositions and as adverbs following transitive verbs:

  across   around or round
  in   off
  on or upon   over
  through

Thus, it is advisable to study which phrasal verbs use these words as prepositions, and which phrasal verbs use these words as adverbs. The following table gives examples of phrasal verbs containing each of these words. The left-hand column gives phrasal verbs consisting of verbs followed by prepositions, while the right-hand column gives phrasal verbs consisting of transitive verbs followed by adverbs.

Words used as Prepositions or Adverbs

Verb + Preposition Transitive Verb + Adverb
  come across   get across (an idea)
  cut across   put across (an idea)
  run across
  stumble across
Verb + Preposition Transitive Verb + Adverb
  hang around   bring round
  lounge around
  mill around
  pass around
  rally round
  show around
Verb + Preposition Transitive Verb + Adverb
  confide in   break in
  deal in   breathe in
  join in   call in
  fill in
  hand in
  phase in
  rope in
  take in
  trade in
Verb + Preposition Transitive Verb + Adverb
  glance off   call off
  keep off   fend off
  warn off   give off
  lay off
  pair off
  pension off
  polish off
  pull off
  put off
  reel off
  sell off
  shrug off
  turn off
  write off
Verb + Preposition Transitive Verb + Adverb
  bank on   cheer on
  border on   hand on
  build on   try on
  call on   turn on
  come upon
  count on
  dawn on
  decide on
  dwell on
  enlarge on
  expand on
  frown on
  grow on
  hinge on
  live on
  pick on
  prey on
  reckon on
  survive on
  thrust upon
  touch on
  verge on
Verb + Preposition Transitive Verb + Adverb
  get over   take over
  go over   talk over
  run over   think over
  watch over   paper over
  smooth over
Verb + Preposition Transitive Verb + Adverb
  break through   pull through
  get through
  go through
  leaf through
  look through
  sail through
  scrape through
  see through
  sit through
  wade through

See Exercise 11.

4. Phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by a word which may function either as an adverb or as a preposition

Some phrasal verbs consist of an intransitive verb followed by a word which may function either as an adverb or as a preposition. For example:
We passed by.
We passed by the library.
In the first example, the word by of the phrasal verb passed by functions as an adverb. In the second example, the word by of the phrasal verb passed by functions as a preposition which has the object library.

The following are examples of phrasal verbs which contain words which may function either as adverbs or as prepositions. Each phrasal verb is followed by its meaning and examples of its use. The objects of the prepositions are underlined.

Intransitive Verbs followed by words which may function either as Adverbs or Prepositions

  break through:  appear   The sun broke through.
    The sun broke through the clouds.
  do without:  survive without   We had to do without.
    We had to do without electricity.
  glance off:  hit and bounce off   The ball glanced off.
    The ball glanced off the wall.
  go without:  not have   They went without.
    They went without food.
  hang around:  stay near   We hung around.
    We hung around the movie theater.
  join in:  become involved in   I joined in.
    I joined in the game.
  lounge around:  relax in   We lounged around.
    We lounged around the living room.
  mill around:  (of a crowd) move randomly   The students milled around.
    The students milled around the lobby.
  pass by:  pass   I passed by.
    I passed by the house.
  rally round:  gather to give support   We rallied round.
    We rallied round our class president.
  sail through:  succeed easily   She sailed through.
    She sailed through the exam.
  scrape through:  barely succeed   They scraped through.
    They scraped through the course.
  turn off:  leave a road   We turned off.
    We turned off the main highway.

a. Expressions in which the verb has an object
There are a few phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by a word which may function either as an adverb or as a preposition, where the verb may have an object. In the following examples the objects are underlined.
e.g. We passed the candies around.
We passed the candies around the class.
In each of these examples, the verb passed of the phrasal verb to pass around has the object candies. In the first example, the word around functions as an adverb, while in the second example, the word around functions as a preposition with the object class.

The following are examples of phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by a word which may function either as an adverb or as a preposition, where the verb may have an object. Each phrasal verb is followed by its meaning and examples of its use. The objects of the verbs and prepositions are underlined. The last example illustrates the use of the Passive Voice.

Verbs followed by objects followed by words which may function either as Adverbs or Prepositions

cross off:  put a line through   I crossed his name off.
    I crossed his name off the list.
pass around:  distribute   I passed the papers around.
    I passed the papers around the class.
show around:  conduct on a tour   We showed the visitors around.
    We showed the visitors around the city.
tide over:  provide for temporarily   This money will tide me over.
    This money will tide me over the weekend.
warn off:  warn to leave   We were warned off.
    We were warned off the premises.

5. Phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by an adverb followed by a preposition

There are several commonly used phrasal verbs which consist of a verb, followed by an adverb, followed by a preposition. For example:
went along with the idea.
In this example, the phrasal verb went along with consists of the verb to go, followed by the adverb along, followed by the preposition with which has the object idea.

The following table gives examples of phrasal verbs which consist of a verb, followed by an adverb, followed by a preposition. Each phrasal verb is followed by its meaning and an example of its use.

Verbs followed by Adverbs followed by Prepositions

add up to:  amount to   It is hard to see what that adds up to.
back down from:  withdraw, avoid   She never backs down from a challenge.
back out of:  not fulfill   I wish I could back out of the agreement.
boil down to:  can be reduced to   All his arguments boil down to a belief in the supernatural.
bow out of:  withdraw   He bowed out of the race.
brush up on:  refresh knowledge of   I must brush up on my English.
carry on with:  continue with   We carried on with our conversation.
catch up to:  overtake   The boy ran quickly to catch up with his friends.
clean up after:  tidy for   She spent half her time cleaning up after the children.
come down to:  can be reduced to   Your choices come down to these.
come down with:  become ill with   She came down with a cold.
come out in:  develop   He came out in a rash.
come up against:  meet an obstacle   They came up against many difficulties.
come up with:  produce   She came up with a solution to the problem.
creep up on:  approach undetected   Old age tends to creep up on one.
cry out for:  urgently require   The education system is crying out for improvement.
cut back on:  reduce   The government has cut back on spending.
do away with:  abolish   We want to do away with delays.
face up to:  accept and deal with   It is best to face up to one’s problems.
fall back on:  turn to for help   Because of unexpected expenses, we had to fall back on our savings.
fit in with:  be suited to   You don’t fit in with this group.
fool around with:  not be serious, have as a hobby   He likes to fool around with computers.
get away with:  not be punished   He got away with being late for school.
get down to:  begin dealing seriously with   It is time to get down to business.
get in on:  manage to participate in   I want to get in on the planning for the new school.
give up on:  stop trying   I’ve given up on the situation.
go along with:  agree, not resist   I’m willing to go along with your idea.
go back on:  break a promise   He never goes back on his word.
go through with:  fulfill, carry out   Are you going to go through with your plan to conduct a survey?
grow out of:  become too big for   My son has grown out of most of his clothes.
hold out for:  not compromise   We want to hold out for better conditions.
keep up with:  be on the same level as   She has a hard time keeping up with her brother.
lead up to:  be a preparation for   The first thirty chapters of the book lead up to the dramatic conclusion.
live up to:  maintain a standard   She has lived up to her reputation as a great singer.
log on to:  contact a computer   She logged on to the new system.
look down on:  regard as inferior   He looks down on his classmates.
look forward to:  anticipate   I’m looking forward to the holidays.
look out for:  watch for   Look out for fallen branches.
look up to:  admire   We looked up to her.
make up for:  compensate for   She tried to make up for her past mistakes.
pull out of:  leave (of vehicles)   The train pulled out of the station.
push on with:  go ahead, continue   I must push on with my work.
put up with:  endure, tolerate   Bus passengers must often put up with crowded conditions.
read up on:  read about   Whenever I travel, I like to read up on the place I am going to visit.
rub off on:  acquire from someone   Some of his enthusiasm has rubbed off on me.
run up against:  meet   One runs up against many different kinds of people.
send away for:  order by mail   We sent away for warm winter boots.
stick up for:  defend, support   Will you stick up for me?
stock up on:  lay in supplies   We should stock up on bananas.
talk down to:  speak patronizingly   He always talks down to people younger than he is.
walk away with:  win easily   They walked away with all the prizes.
watch out for:  beware of   Watch out for snakes.
wriggle out of:  avoid   She always tries to wriggle out of her responsibilities.
zero in on:  focus on   Let us zero in on the heart of the problem.

See Exercise 12.

a. Expressions in which the verb has an object

There are a few phrasal verbs consisting of a verb, followed by an adverb, followed by a preposition, where the verb may have an object. In the following example, the objects are underlined.
e.g. We played them off against each other.
In this example, the verb played of the phrasal verb to play off against has the object them, while the preposition against has the object each other.

The following are examples of phrasal verbs consisting of a verb, followed by an adverb, followed by a preposition, where the verb may have an object. Each phrasal verb is followed by its meaning and an example of its use. The objects of the phrasal verbs are underlined.

Verbs followed by Objects followed by Adverbs followed by Prepositions

get over with:  undergo, finish   If I must visit the dentist, I prefer to get it over with as soon as possible.
let in on:  allow to share   We let them in on the secret.
play off against:  encourage to fight   In the last century, the British weakened their enemies by playing them off against one another.
put down to:  attribute to   We put his bad temper down to fatigue.
put up to:  urge to do wrong   She put me up to playing a trick on the teacher.
take out on:  vent bad feelings on   She took her dissatisfaction with her job out on her neighbors.
take up on:  accept an offer   I would like to take you up on your offer.
talk out of:  dissuade from   We tried to talk him out of retiring.

EXERCISES for Chapter 27

  1. For each of the following sentences, substitute the appropriate phrasal verb given in brackets for the underlined word or phrase. For example:
    I will request a bus schedule. (ask for, stand for)
    I will ask for a bus schedule.

Don’t worry. They won’t make fun of you. (call on, laugh at)
Don’t worry. They won’t laugh at you.

  1. She resembles her mother. (looks after, takes after)
  2. We perused the report. (sided with, waded through)
  3. I will adhere to what I said before. (burst into, stick to)
  4. We will demand a review of the situation. (call for, guard against)
  5. His parents disapprove of his participating in so many extracurricular activities. (bank on, frown on)
  6. Without hesitating, she started her speech. (launched into, hinged on)
  7. I am depending on your support. (counting on, picking on)
  8. He will take care of everything. (look after, settle for)
  9. What do these initials represent? (provide for, stand for)
  10. All of our plans depend on the availability of transportation. (hinge on, touch on)

  11. Rewrite the following sentences, changing the object of the preposition to a pronoun. For example:
    He lived on a small allowance.
    He lived on it.

I sided with my brother.
I sided with him.

  1. We are counting on our friends.
  2. Will you stick to the agreement?
  3. She takes after her grandmother.
  4. No one has tampered with the letters.
  5. Yesterday I ran into your uncle.
  6. They saw through the plot.
  7. He cut across the vacant lot.
  8. I confided in my niece.
  9. For each of the following sentences, place the adverb of manner given in brackets between the verb and the preposition. For example:
    He deals in rare stamps. (exclusively)
    He deals exclusively in rare stamps.

The introduction touches on the main points. (briefly)
The introduction touches briefly on the main points.

  1. He dealt with every objection to his plan. (confidently)
  2. She sided with her friend. (unhesitatingly)
  3. We cut across the lawn. (quickly)
  4. Since we were very hungry, we settled for bread and potatoes. (uncomplainingly)
  5. I leafed through the material. (rapidly)
  6. They watched over the children. (patiently)
  7. You cannot survive on tea and biscuits. (solely)
  8. We entered into the discussion. (eagerly)
  9. For each of the following sentences, substitute the appropriate phrasal verb given in brackets for the underlined word or phrase. For example:
    He will leave tomorrow morning. (level off, set off)
    He will set off tomorrow morning.

The storm will soon pass. (blow over, boil over)
The storm will soon blow over.

  1. I hope she arrives soon. (stays up, shows up)
  2. He usually sleeps after lunch. (buckles down, nods off)
  3. We saw the plane land. (settle down, touch down)
  4. I told her to beware. (pass out, watch out)
  5. Someone should intervene before the situation gets worse. (pull in, step in)
  6. They waited until the train left. (logged off, pulled out)
  7. Don’t let them escape. (get away, wear off)
  8. We were worried when she fainted. (moved out, passed out)
  9. The barometric pressure has stopped rising. (leveled off, settled in)
  10. I hope you will all help. (give in, pitch in)
  11. For each of the following sentences, substitute the appropriate phrasal verb given in brackets for the underlined word or phrase. For example:
    He refused to support what I had said. (back up, hold back)
    He refused to back up what I had said.

The game was canceled because of the rain. (called off, phased out)
The game was called off because of the rain.

  1. He raised a difficult question. (brought up, filled up)
  2. She is good at assessing people. (buttering up, sizing up)
  3. We should de-emphasize the dangers of the situation. (hand down, play down)
  4. I am returning the raincoat I borrowed. (backing up, giving back)
  5. The wine had been diluted. (played down, watered down)
  6. I want to organize my photographs. (sort out, try out)
  7. We discussed the situation. (shouted down, talked over)
  8. May I test your bicycle? (point out, try out)
  9. You can collect the tickets at the box office. (fill up, pick up)
  10. erased the notes in the margins of the book. (bailed out, rubbed out)
    ii. Do you think they invented the whole story? (hung up, made up)
  11. She summarized what we had learned so far. (sounded out, summed up)
  12. The following sentences contain transitive phrasal verbs which consist of verbs followed by adverbs. Rewrite each sentence, changing the object of the verb to a pronoun, and placing the pronoun object in the correct position in the sentence. For example:
    I picked up the clothes.
    I picked them up.

  13. We ironed out the difficulties.

  14. She called up her sister.
  15. We sent back the material.
  16. He sent out the invitations.
  17. I gave away the bicycle.
  18. She brought along her younger brother.
  19. We wrote down the answer.
  20. She let in the cats.
  21. He turned over the stone.
  22. We emptied out the baskets.

  23. For each of the following sentences, determine whether the underlined object indicates where the action took place, or what was acted upon, and fill in the blank with where or what, as appropriate. Then rewrite the sentence, changing the object to a pronoun, and placing the pronoun object in the correct position in the sentence.
    If the object indicates where, place the pronoun object after the preposition; however, if the object indicates what, place the pronoun object before the adverb. For example:
    I looked up the staircase. _____
    I looked up the staircasewhere
    I looked up it.

I looked up the word. ____
I looked up the wordwhat
I looked it up.

  1. I turned off the light. ________
  2. She walked into the room. _________
  3. He climbed up the ladder. _________
  4. They sent in the report. _________
  5. Children should not play on the road. _________
  6. We set off the fireworks. _________
  7. Please put on some music. _________
  8. We turned off the main road. _________
  9. I cut up the cake. _________
  10. The plane flew over the lake. _________
  11. She lives down the street. _________
  12. Please pass on the information. _________
  13. He put down the box. _________
  14. They work in this building. _________
  15. The ball rolled down the hill. ________
  16. We handed over the document. _________
  17. He walked off the stage. _________
  18. She turned down the offer. _________
  19. They sat on the floor. ________
  20. I wound up the clock. _________
  21. Following the instructions for the previous exercise, fill in each blank with where or what. Then rewrite each sentence to include the adverb of manner given in brackets. If the object indicates where, place the adverb of manner between the verb and the preposition; however, if the object indicates what, place the adverb of manner before the verb. For example:
    I walked across the bridge. _____ (quickly)
    I walked across the bridgewhere
    I walked quickly across the bridge.

We tidied up the papers. ____ (hurriedly)
We tidied up the paperswhat
We hurriedly tidied up the papers.

  1. The car slipped off the road. _________ (suddenly)
  2. We lifted up the buckets. ________ (wearily)
  3. The cable cars moved up the hill. ________ (slowly)
  4. She let down the dress. _________ (carefully)
  5. The book had been placed on the table. _________ (neatly)
  6. He was leaning against the wall. ________ (idly)
  7. She filed away the new material. ________ (methodically)
  8. We shut off the power. _________ (hastily)
  9. They closed up the cottage. _________ (sadly)
  10. The swallows flew over our house. _________ (swiftly)
  11. Paying attention to whether the last word in the clause is a preposition or an adverb, for each of the following sentences, underline the word which would usually be stressed in spoken English. For example:
    Why did you go out?
    Why did you go out?

This is what you asked for.
This is what you asked for.

  1. What time did you get up?
  2. What are you looking at?
  3. The following idea has been put forward.
  4. Which group did you come with?
  5. What are they searching for?
  6. Is he moving away?
  7. What kind of music do you like to listen to?
  8. When did you get back?
  9. How did he find out?
  10. When you look at this picture, what are you reminded of?
  11. Which diving board did she jump from?
  12. Why did you jump back?
  13. For each of the following sentences, paying attention to whether the word following the verb is usually used as a preposition or as an adverb in a phrasal verb, change the object to a pronoun object and place it in the correct position in the sentence. For example:
    How did you deal with the situation?
    How did you deal with it?

We put away the books.
We put them away.

  1. Let us look into the possibility.
  2. Who brought up the question?
  3. Remember to rub out the mistakes.
  4. Perhaps we can reason with your uncle.
  5. They had to turn away twenty people.
  6. We have scaled down our operation.
  7. She looked after the baby girl.
  8. Remember to stick to the plan.
  9. Did you give back the dictionary?
  10. How did you dispose of their objections?
  11. We confided in her sister.
  12. Have you figured out the answer?
  13. For each of the following sentences, paying attention to whether the phrasal verb consists of a verb followed by a preposition or a verb followed by an adverb, change the object to a pronoun, and place it in the correct position in the sentence. For example:
    Squirrels can survive on nuts.
    Squirrels can survive on them.

Did you try on the new shoes?
Did you try them on?

  1. I know I can count on my friends.
  2. They put off the rehearsal.
  3. I stumbled across an interesting story.
  4. He is good at putting across his ideas.
  5. We watched over the children.
  6. She hung around the museum.
  7. I would like to hand on the responsibility.
  8. She leafed through the exercises.
  9. I came across a city map.
  10. Would you like to think over the proposal?
  11. Are you going to trade in your old machine?
  12. All our plans hinge on the weather.
  13. For each of the following sentences, substitute the appropriate phrasal verb given in brackets for the underlined word or phrase. For example:
    Don’t try to avoid it. (walk away with, wriggle out of)
    Don’t try to wriggle out of it.

  14. What does that amount to? (add up to, lead up to)

  15. He is trying to compensate for the time he lost. (look out for, make up for)
  16. I want to continue my studies. (carry on with, get in on)
  17. We want to focus on new developments. (fall back on, zero in on)
  18. Do you think you can overtake the others? (catch up with, look down on)
  19. We want to abolish the waiting period. (come down to, do away with)
  20. The tenants had to tolerate noisy conditions. (get away with, put up with)
  21. developed spots after walking through a patch of poison ivy. (brushed up on, came out in)
  22. He admires his older brother. (looks up to, sticks up for)
  23. You should reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke per day. (cut back on, zero in on)
  24. The problem urgently requires a solution. (adds up to, cries out for)
  25. She always defends her friends. (holds out for, sticks up for)

ANSWERS TO THE EXERCISES for Chapter 27

Answers to Exercise 1:
1. She takes after her mother. 2. We waded through the report. 3. I will stick to what I said before. 4. We will call for a review of the situation. 5. His parents frown on his participating in so many extracurricular activities. 6. Without hesitating, she launched into her speech. 7. I am counting onyour support. 8. He will look after everything. 9. What do these initials stand for? 10. All of our plans hinge on the availability of transportation.

Answers to Exercise 2:
1. We are counting on them. 2. Will you stick to it? 3. She takes after her. 4. No one has tampered with them. 5. Yesterday I ran into him. 6. They saw through it. 7. He cut across it. 8. I confided in her.

Answers to Exercise 3:
1. He dealt confidently with every objection to his plan. 2. She sided unhesitatingly with her friend. 3. We cut quickly across the lawn. 4. Since we were very hungry, we settled uncomplainingly for bread and potatoes. 5. I leafed rapidly through the material. 6. They watched patiently over the children. 7. You cannot survive solely on tea and biscuits. 8. We entered eagerly into the discussion.

Answers to Exercise 4:
1. I hope she shows up soon. 2. He usually nods off after lunch. 3. We saw the plane touch down. 4. I told her to watch out. 5. Someone should step in before the situation gets worse. 6. They waited until the train pulled out. 7. Don’t let them get away. 8. We were worried when she passed out. 9. The barometric pressure has leveled off. 10. I hope you will all pitch in.

Answers to Exercise 5:
1. He brought up a difficult question. 2. She is good at sizing up people. 3. We should play down the dangers of the situation. 4. I am giving back the raincoat I borrowed. 5. The wine has been watered down. 6. I want to sort out my photographs. 7. We talked over the situation. 8. May I try outyour bicycle? 9. You can pick up the tickets at the box office. 10. I rubbed out the notes in the margins of the book. 11. Do you think they made up the whole story? 12. She summed up what we had learned so far.

Answers to Exercise 6:
1. We ironed them out. 2. She called her up. 3. We sent it back. 4. He sent them out. 5. I gave it away. 6. She brought him along. 7. We wrote it down. 8. She let them in. 9. He turned it over. 10. We emptied them out.

Answers to Exercise 7:
1. what: I turned it off. 2. where: She walked into it. 3. where: He climbed up it. 4. what: They sent it in. 5. where: Children should not play on it. 6. what: We set them off. 7. what: Please put it on. 8. where: We turned off it. 9. what: I cut it up. 10. where: The plane flew over it. 11. where: She lived down it. 12. what: Please pass it on. 13. what: He put it down. 14. where: They work in it. 15. where: The ball rolled down it. 16. what: We handed it over. 17. where: He walked off it. 18. what: She turned it down. 19. where: They sat on it. 20. what: I wound it up.

Answers to Exercise 8:
1. where: The car slipped suddenly off the road. 2. what: We wearily lifted up the buckets. 3. where: The cable cars moved slowly up the hill. 4. what: She carefully let down the dress. 5. where: The book had been placed neatly on the table. 6. where: He was leaning idly against the wall. 7. what: She methodically filed away the new material. 8. what: We hastily shut off the power. 9. what: They sadly closed up the cottage. 10. where: The swallows flew swiftly over our house.

Answers to Exercise 9:
1. What time did you get up? 2. What are you looking at? 3. The following idea has been put forward. 4. Which group did you come with? 5. What are they searching for? 6. Is he moving away? 7. What kind of music do you like to listen to? 8. When did you get back? 9. How did he find out? 10. When you look at this picture, what are you reminded of? 11. Which diving board did she jump from? 12. Why did you jump back?

Answers to Exercise 10:
1. Let us look into it. 2. Who brought it up? 3. Remember to rub them out. 4. Perhaps we can reason with him. 5. They had to turn them away. 6. We have scaled it down. 7. She looked after her. 8. Remember to stick to it. 9. Did you give it back? 10. How did you dispose of them? 11. We confided in her. 12. Have you figured it out?

Answers to Exercise 11:
1. I know I can count on them. 2. They put it off. 3. I stumbled across it. 4. He is good at putting them across. 5. We watched over them. 6. She hung around it. 7. 1 would like to hand it on. 8. She leafed through them. 9. I came across it. 10. Would you like to think it over? 11. Are you going to trade it in? 12. All our plans hinge on it.

Answers to Exercise 12:
1. What does that add up to? 2. He is trying to make up for the time he lost. 3. I want to carry on with my studies. 4. We want to zero in on new developments. 5. Do you think you can catch up with the others? 6. We want to do away with the waiting period. 7. The tenants had to put up with noisy conditions. 8. I came out in spots after walking through a patch of poison ivy. 9. He looks up to his older brother. 10. You should cut back on the number of cigarettes you smoke per day. 11. The problem cries out for a solution. 12. She always sticks up for her friends.


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