English phrasal verbs facts for kids

Imagine a verb, like "run" or "give." Now, imagine adding a small word right after it, like "up," "out," or "in." Sometimes, these two words together create a completely new meaning that you can't guess from the individual words! These special combinations are called phrasal verbs.

For example, "turn down" doesn't mean to physically turn something downwards. It can mean to refuse something, like "I turned down the offer." Or "run into" doesn't mean to literally crash into something; it can mean to meet someone by chance, like "I ran into my friend at the store."

Phrasal verbs are like mini-puzzles in English. You have to learn their meaning as a whole, not just by looking at each part separately. They are very common in everyday English!

Types of Phrasal Verbs

When you're learning English, phrasal verbs can seem tricky because there are different types. Some have a "particle," some have a "preposition," and some have both!

Verb + Particle (Particle Verbs)

These are verbs combined with a "particle," which is a small word that acts like an adverb and changes the verb's meaning. The particle is closely linked to the verb.

• Kids grow up so fast these days. (grow + up means to become an adult)
• You shouldn't give in so easily. (give + in means to surrender or agree after resisting)

These phrasal verbs can be transitive (meaning they have an object) or intransitive (no object). If they have an object, the particle can sometimes move!

• She handed in her homework.
• She handed her homework in.

But if the object is a pronoun (like it, them, him), the particle usually goes after it:

• She handed it in.

Common particles include up, down, in, out, on, off, over, away. Even though these words can also be prepositions, in particle verbs, they are not followed by a noun phrase in the same way a preposition would be. They are part of the verb's meaning.

Verb + Preposition (Prepositional Verbs)

Sometimes, a verb is followed by a preposition and a prepositional phrase. This is often called a prepositional verb, especially when the meaning isn't obvious.

• I ran into an old friend. (into an old friend is the prepositional phrase)
• She takes after her mother. (after her mother is the prepositional phrase)
• You should stand by your friend. (by your friend is the prepositional phrase)

In these cases, the preposition introduces a phrase that tells you more about the verb, like where, when, or with whom something happened.

Verb + Particle + Preposition (Three-Part Phrasal Verbs)

Some phrasal verbs are even longer, with both a particle and a preposition! These are sometimes called three-part phrasal verbs.

• Who can put up with that? (up is the particle, with is the preposition)
• She looks forward to a rest. (forward is the particle, to is the preposition)
• They really teed off on me. (off is the particle, on is the preposition)

Just like other phrasal verbs, the meaning of these combinations is usually not clear from the individual words. "Put up with" means to tolerate, which is very different from "put," "up," or "with" on their own!

How to Tell the Difference

It can be tricky to know if a small word after a verb is a particle or a preposition. Here's a simple trick that often works:

If you can move the small word to come *after* the object, it's usually a particle. If you can't, it's a preposition.

• Particle Example:

* You can take on Susan. * You can take Susan on. (Here, on is a particle because it can move after "Susan.")

• Preposition Example:

* You can bank on Susan. * *You can bank Susan on. (This sounds wrong! So, on is a preposition here.)

Another way to think about it is how the words group together. With a particle, the verb and particle often feel like one unit (take on). With a preposition, the preposition feels more connected to the word that comes after it (on Susan).

For language learners, it's often best to learn phrasal verbs as complete phrases, without worrying too much about whether each small word is a particle or a preposition. The most important thing is to understand their meaning!

Shifting Particles

Sometimes, with particle verbs that have an object, the particle can "shift" its position. This means it can appear either before or after the object. This often happens when the object is a short word, especially a pronoun.

• Fred chatted up the girl. (Normal order)
• Fred chatted her up. (The particle up shifts after the short pronoun her)
• Fred chatted the girl up. (The particle up shifts after the short noun the girl)

However, if the object is very long, it's less likely for the particle to shift:

• Fred chatted up the girl with red hair. (Normal order is best)
• ^??Fred chatted the girl with red hair up. (This sounds awkward)

This shifting happens because English sentences often prefer to put shorter, lighter words before longer, heavier ones.

This image shows how phrasal verbs can be structured, with the particle (orange) sometimes shifting position.

Phrasal Verbs in Other Languages

While prepositional verbs are common in many languages, particle verbs (where the small word is tightly linked to the verb and can sometimes move) are rarer.

However, some languages, especially other Germanic languages like Dutch, have similar structures. For example, in Dutch, "to light the lamp" is de lamp aansteken, but in a sentence, it becomes ik steek de lamp aan (I light the lamp on).

Even some Romance languages like Lombard (spoken in Northern Italy) have phrasal verbs, likely due to historical influences. For example, Lavà sü means "to wash up," just like in English! Some of these even made their way into Italian, like buttare via (to throw away).

Phrasal Verb Compounds

Sometimes, a phrasal verb can be turned into a compound word, often a noun. This happens when the verb and particle combine to form a new word.

• to set out (phrasal verb) → outset (noun)

* We set out on a quest for the holy grail. * Our quest was doomed from the outset. (meaning "the beginning")

• to put in (phrasal verb) → input (noun)

* Don't be scared to put your own ideas in. * Try to come to the meeting – we'd value your input. (meaning "contribution")

• to back up (phrasal verb) → backup (noun)

* Neil will back you up if you need it. * Neil will give you any backup you need. (meaning "support" or "a copy")

These compound words show how phrasal verbs are a strong part of the English language, even forming new words!

See also

In Spanish: Verbo preposicional (inglés) para niños