Download Phrasal Verbs - Gymnázium Dr. Karla Polesného

GRAMMAR:
PHRASAL VERBS
Petr Novotný
Gymnázium Dr. Karla Polesného Znojmo
WHAT IS A PHRASAL VERB
A PHRASAL VERB
consists of
VERB + ADVERB
eg. take off (=vzlétnout)
The two words form an idiom. The meaning of the phrasal
verb is different from the verb alone.
Examples of phrasal verbs:
break down (=porouchat se), call off (=odvolat), carry out
(=uskutečnit), give up (=vzdát se), try on (=vyzkoušet si)
etc.
WHAT IS A PHRASAL-PREPOSITIONAL VERB
Sometimes phrasal verb is followed by a preposition, which
links it to a noun phrase. In such cases we may speak about
PHRASAL-PREPOSITIONAL VERBS.
A PHRASAL PREPOSITIONAL VERB
consists of
VERB + ADVERB + PREPOSITION
Eg: I look forward to Christmas. (=Těším se na Vánoce.)
Examples of phrasal-prepositional verbs:
fall out with (=pohádat se), put up with (=vyrovnat se), look down on
(=dívat se spatra), do away with (=vypořádat se), etc.
TYPICAL FEATURES [1]
In phrasal verbs, the verb is usually a common short
(one-syllabic) English verb:
add, ask, be, break, bring, check, come, cut, do, fall,
get, give, keep, let, look, make, put, run, set, take,
turn, work
The adverb is usually an adverb of place:
about, along, around, away, back, by, down, forward,
off, on, out, over, under, up
TYPICAL FEATURES [2]
Many phrasal verbs can be replaced with one word, which is
often more formal. Usually it is a long (polysyllabic) word of
foreign origin.
PHRASAL VERB
ONE VERB
MEANING
blow up
explode
vybuchnout
break out
escape
uniknout
put up with
tolerate
vyrovnat se (s)
go on
continue
pokračovat
give up
surrender
vzdát se
hand out
distribute
rozdávat
put off
postpone
odložit
put out
extinguish
uhasit
take after
resemble
podobat se
turn down
refuse
odmítnout
etc
etc
etc
INTRANSITIVE PHRASAL VERBS
Some phrasal verbs are intransitive – this means they are
used without an object. They are easy to use.
Examples of intransitive verbs:
When I grow up, I want to be a pilot. (=become an adult)
My car broke down. (=stopped working)
We had a plan, but it fell through. (=failed)
My salary is just enough to get by. (=survive with a little)
They turned up at the last moment. (=arrived)
I woke up at 7 o'clock. (=stopped sleeping)
TRANSITIVE PHRASAL VERBS [1]
Some phrasal verbs are transitive – this means they are
followed by an object.
Eg. I gave up smoking a year ago. (=stopped)
phrasal verb
object
a) If the object is a noun phrase, it may come before or
after the adverb.
Eg: She brought up the children.
or: She brought the children up.
TRANSITIVE PHRASAL VERBS [2]
b) However, if the object is a personal pronoun, it must
come before the adverb. The phrasal verb must then be
separated into two parts:
Eg: She brought them up.
not: She brought up them.
Eg: He made it up.
not: He made up it.
PECULIARITIES
Often there are parallel examples with a verb + the
same words, where one is meaning is literal and the
other one is phrasal (idiomatic).
Examples:
He looked up and saw the stars. (=podívat se nahoru)
He looked up the word in the dictionary. (=vyhledat)
Please don't bring up the piano. (=vynést nahoru)
Please don't bring up the problem. (=dát k úvaze)
EXERCISE [1]
Complete the gaps with the correct adverb from the box:
after
away
by
down
off
on
out
through
up
a) I've tried to give up smoking many times.
b) Can I try on these jeans?
c) Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
d) He looks down on all his colleagues – he thinks he is the best.
e) My sister is very ill, so I must look after her.
f) She fell out with him, but then they got back together.
g) It's time to do away with the bad habits.
h) The wedding plans fell through when the groom fell ill.
i) We had just enough money to get by .
EXERCISE [2]
Rewrite the sentences. Use phrasal verbs instead of the words in
bold:
a) We continued working until midnight.
We went on working until midnight.
b) He was offered a new job, but he refused it.
He was offered a new job, but he turned it down.
c) We managed to extinguish the fire by ourselves.
We managed to put out the fire by ourselves.
d) Could you please distribute the brochures?
Could you please hand out the brochures?
e) Who do you resemble more – your mother or your father?
Who do you look after more ... ?
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Leech, G.: An A–Z of English Grammar and Usage.
London, Nelson English Language Teaching 1989.