Learn 10 Separable Phrasal Verbs
2024-10-18
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1Welcome back to Everyday Grammar from VOA Learning English.
2Today we return to a very common verb form in English - phrasal verbs.
3You will find one phrasal verb in every 192 words of written English.
4They will make your English sound more natural once you begin using them correctly.
5In an earlier program, we explained how and why English speakers use them.
6Today we look at some often-used phrasal verbs.
7This type of phrasal verb allows a direct object to come between the verb and the preposition or adverb.
8As you will hear, there is a special rule that learners should know about when using these 10 phrasal verbs.
9As you know, a phrasal verb is a phrase with two or more words: a verb and a preposition or adverb or both.
10We call the preposition or adverb a particle when it combines with a verb. Here are two examples:
11Please put the lamp on the desk.
12I think you're putting me on.
13In the first sentence, on is a preposition showing the position of the lamp.
14In the second sentence, on is an adverbial particle.
15Put on is a phrasal verb meaning "fool" or "trick" in this sentence.
16An important point is that a regular verb+preposition combination has two meanings.
17A phrasal verb, that is, a verb+particle, has a single meaning within a sentence.
18Many phrasal verbs have a number of different meanings in different situations.
19Yet the meaning of the verb+particle can usually be expressed with a single Latin-based verb.
20Here are two sentences with the same meaning:
21They tore down the old building.
22They demolished the old building.
23The verb tear has its own meaning, and so does the preposition down.
24They can combine with other words when they are alone.
25But as a phrasal verb, tear down, they have one meaning: "destroy."
26In 1987, U.S. President Ronald Reagan visited West Germany.
27He told a crowd in the divided city of Berlin, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
28Now for the tricky part.
29You know that some verbs are transitive, which means they have a direct object.
30When such verbs appear as phrasal verbs, an object can either separate the phrase or follow it.
31Here's an example.
32I decided to throw out my old jeans.
33I decided to throw my old jeans out.
34Both of these sentences are correct.
35The object of the phrasal verb throw out is jeans.
36You can use a pronoun instead of jeans and ask,
37Are you sure you want to throw them out?
38However, you cannot ask, "Are you sure you want to throw out them?" Here, the pronoun them must appear between the verb and the particle.
39In recent years, language experts began to use computers to examine a large collection, or corpus, of written and spoken language.
40When researchers look for phrasal verbs, they find that many deal with an activity.
41They also find a few verbs combine with many particles.
42Among the most common verbs are come, put, get, go, pick, sit and take.
43These combine with the adverb particles up, out, in, on, off, and down to make up a group of very useful phrasal verbs.
44Now, let's look at transitive phrasal verbs.
45See the list at the end of the article.
46The verb get is part of many phrasal verbs.
47For example, we use get up to mean "to wake oneself up" or "to awaken someone."
48For example:
49My son loves to sleep late. I got him up on time to catch the bus this morning.
50Remember, the pronoun has to come between the verb and the adverb, so we cannot say, "I got up him."
51Notice how the Norwegian group A-ha uses a separable phrasal verb two ways in their song, "Take On Me."
52Which one is correct in formal grammar?
53I'll be coming for your love, OK?
54Take on me, (take on me)
55Take me on, (take on me)
56I'll be gone
57In a day or two
58For Learning English Everyday Grammar, I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm John Russell.
1Welcome back to Everyday Grammar from VOA Learning English. 2Today we return to a very common verb form in English - phrasal verbs. You will find one phrasal verb in every 192 words of written English. They will make your English sound more natural once you begin using them correctly. In an earlier program, we explained how and why English speakers use them. 3Today we look at some often-used phrasal verbs. This type of phrasal verb allows a direct object to come between the verb and the preposition or adverb. As you will hear, there is a special rule that learners should know about when using these 10 phrasal verbs. 4The structure of phrasal verbs 5As you know, a phrasal verb is a phrase with two or more words: a verb and a preposition or adverb or both. We call the preposition or adverb a particle when it combines with a verb. Here are two examples: 6Please put the lamp on the desk. 7I think you're putting me on. 8In the first sentence, on is a preposition showing the position of the lamp. In the second sentence, on is an adverbial particle. Put on is a phrasal verb meaning "fool" or "trick" in this sentence. 9An important point is that a regular verb+preposition combination has two meanings. A phrasal verb, that is, a verb+particle, has a single meaning within a sentence. Many phrasal verbs have a number of different meanings in different situations. Yet the meaning of the verb+particle can usually be expressed with a single Latin-based verb. 10Here are two sentences with the same meaning: 11They tore down the old building. 12They demolished the old building. 13The verb tear has its own meaning, and so does the preposition down. They can combine with other words when they are alone. But as a phrasal verb, tear down, they have one meaning: "destroy." 14In 1987, U.S. President Ronald Reagan visited West Germany. He told a crowd in the divided city of Berlin, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" 15Separable phrasal verbs 16Now for the tricky part. You know that some verbs are transitive, which means they have a direct object. When such verbs appear as phrasal verbs, an object can either separate the phrase or follow it. Here's an example. 17I decided to throw out my old jeans. 18I decided to throw my old jeans out. 19Both of these sentences are correct. The object of the phrasal verb throw out is jeans. You can use a pronoun instead of jeans and ask, 20Are you sure you want to throw them out? 21However, you cannot ask, "Are you sure you want to throw out them?" Here, the pronoun them must appear between the verb and the particle. 22Finding the frequent phrasal verbs 23In recent years, language experts began to use computers to examine a large collection, or corpus, of written and spoken language. When researchers look for phrasal verbs, they find that many deal with an activity. They also find a few verbs combine with many particles. Among the most common verbs are come, put, get, go, pick, sit and take. These combine with the adverb particles up, out, in, on, off, and down to make up a group of very useful phrasal verbs. 24Now, let's look at transitive phrasal verbs. See the list at the end of the article. The verb get is part of many phrasal verbs. For example, we use get up to mean "to wake oneself up" or "to awaken someone." For example: 25My son loves to sleep late. I got him up on time to catch the bus this morning. 26Remember, the pronoun has to come between the verb and the adverb, so we cannot say, "I got up him." 27Notice how the Norwegian group A-ha uses a separable phrasal verb two ways in their song, "Take On Me." Which one is correct in formal grammar? 28I'll be coming for your love, OK? 29Take on me, (take on me) 30Take me on, (take on me) 31I'll be gone 32In a day or two 33For Learning English Everyday Grammar, I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm John Russell. 34Jill Robbins and Adam Brock wrote this lesson for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 35_____________________________________________ 36_____________________________________________ 37Words in This Story 38transitive - grammar, of a verb. having or taking a direct object 39adverb - grammar. a word that describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a sentence and that is often used to show time, manner, place, or degree 40preposition - grammar. a word or group of words that is used with a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, location, or time, or to introduce an object 41object - grammar. a noun, noun phrase, or pronoun that receives the action of a verb or completes the meaning of a preposition 42corpus - n. a collection of writings, conversations, speeches, etc., that people use to study and describe a language 43Here's our list of 10 useful phrasal verbs: 44Phrasal Verb 45Meanings 46Example 47put on 48wear, produce, fool, pretend 49That cannot be true. You must be putting me on. 50put off 51postpone, disturb 52The report is due today. Stop putting it off and turn it in. 53put down 54criticize, write 55Her boss was always putting her down so she resigned. 56give up 57surrender, stop trying 58Your singing is beautiful - don't give it up. 59give away 60give, offer 61That radio station gives turkeys away for Thanksgiving. 62give back 63return, restore 64I got so much help from the town, I want to give something back. 65get off 66leave, finish, send 67Please get the letter off to them today. 68get up 69awaken, rise 70Mom had to get us up every day for school. 71pick up 72collect, lift, learn, bring, clean 73I picked the living room up before our guests arrived. 74take on 75assume, fight 76The union took on the huge oil company.