Fabulously Frustrating Phrasal Verbs (Part II)

Part I of Fabulously Frustrating Phrasal Verbs described what phrasal verbs were and gave two tests for deciding whether a verb was a phrasal verb or a regular one-word verb followed by an adverb or a prepositional phrase. They are:

1. When you add the second word, does the meaning of the word change?
2. Can you change the order of the "preposition" and object?

If the answer to either question is yes, then it is definitely a phrasal verb. However, a no answer does not necessarily mean the verb is not a phrasal verb, especially rule 2. If a phrasal verb is separable, then you can change the order, but if a phrasal verb is inseparable, the object cannot be put in the middle, like run out of milk. In addition to these two questions, there are three other good ones to help you decide "Is it a phrasal verb or not?"

3. What happens when you change the object to a pronoun?

This question is similar to question 2 because it only works with separable phrasal verbs. Consider the following sentences.

1. I looked up the word in the dictionary.
2. I turned off the television.
3. I threw out the empty cans.

In the first two sentences, you can change both word and television to it. In the third example, cans becomes them. In all three sentences, you must move the pronoun BEFORE the "preposition". Therefore, these are all phrasal verbs.

1. I looked it up...
2. I turned it off.
3. I threw them out.

Remember that this rule does not work with inseparable phrasal verbs. If you change the object of We ran out of milk and eggs to them, the sentence would still be We ran out of them even though run out of is a phrasal verb.

4. Is there a one-word verb that has the same meaning?

This is another very helpful question for me. Try replacing the phrasal verb with a one-word verb. If you can, then it is definitely a phrasal verb. For example:

1. come back / return
2. look up to / admire
3. stand up / rise
4. throw away / discard
5. blow out / extinguish
6. blow up / explode
7. hand out / distribute
8. talk about / discuss*
9. put off / postpone
10. make fun of / tease

Once again, even if you can't think of a one-word verb with the same meaning, the verb still could be a phrasal verb. This rule works best for native-speakers, but as your English improves, your ability to do this will increase. Also, sometimes there isn't a good one-word verb, like turn off the TV. I can't think of a good one. Can you?

5 . Where would you put a natural pause?

This might be the most accurate and useful of the five questions. I use it all the time. However, it does require some level of native-speaker intuition, which I believe that even intermediate students of English can develop to a certain level. Obviously this is much easier for me, but trust your instincts. You probably know a lot more than you think.

To do this, you say ALOUD the phrase you are not sure of two different ways. First you put an extended pause between the main verb and the "preposition". Then you put an extended pause between the "preposition" and the object. Which one sounds more natural? For example:

• We ran ....... out of milk and eggs.
• We ran out of ....... milk and eggs.

As a native speaker, it seems much more natural to say this phrase the second way. Therefore, ran out of is a phrasal verb and milk and eggs is the object. On the other hand:

• The people ran ....... out of the burning building.
• The people ran out of ....... the burning building.

Again, as a native speaker, the first phrase seems much more natural. Consequently, run is a simple verb meaning to move quickly and out of the burning building answers the question "Where did they run?"

Even as a native-speaker, I don't know every phrasal verb in English and I use these five questions to decide whether a verb is a phrasal verb or not. Unfortunately, just knowing a verb is a phrasal verb is not enough. However, it is much easier to guess the meaning if you know you are reading a phrasal verb and much easier to look one up as well.

In the end, though, you will still have to spend time memorizing individual phrasal verbs like regular vocabulary. Such is the nature of language. But recognizing is a first, very important step and to do that, remember these questions.

1. When you add the second word, does the meaning of the verb change?
2. Can you change the order of the "preposition" and the object?
3. What happens when you change the object to a pronoun?
4. Can you think of a one-word verb that has the same meaning?
5. Where would you put a natural pause?

And if you have any questions, just ask.

Aloha.

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*One very common ESL error is for students to say discuss about. This problem comes from phrasal verbs. The mistake is that talk about (two-word phrasal verb) has the same meaning as discuss (one word). However, students don't recognize that talk about is a phrasal verb. Instead, they think talk and discuss are synonyms and that they both need about, which is incorrect. Don't use about with discuss.