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Prepositions / Phrasal Verbs
Prepositions
• A preposition is a small word (usually six
letters or less) that is used to show the
relationship between nouns in a sentence.
– The squirrel is in the tree. (“in” shows the
relationship of the squirrel to the tree, in this case
the location of the squirrel.)
– The meeting is on Friday. (“on” shows the
relationship of the meeting to the day of the
week, in this case the time of the meeting.)
• Prepositions show relationships of
– Time: They are going to Italy in June.
– Location: I am waiting at the bus stop.
– Direction: She is going to the bank.
– Position: Her purse is under the table.
• For explanations of the most common
prepositions please see:
• http://www.ego4u.com/en/cramup/grammar/prepositions
Prepositions used in combinations
• There are some verbs that take a preposition
after them.
– Please forgive me for crashing your car!
• There are some adjectives that take a
preposition before them.
– I’m finished with this computer. You can use it
now.
• There are no rules for these situations. They
need to be memorized.
Phrasal Verbs
• Phrasal verbs are a combination of a verb and a
particle that together have a special meaning.
• The particle can be a preposition (e.g. in) or an
adverb (e.g. away) In this lesson, we will be
focusing on particles that also serve as
prepositions.
• The meanings of phrasal verbs are not literal (and
sometimes not logical). They must be memorized.
PUT (verb)+ OFF (particle) = to postpone
“We will have to put off the meeting until everyone can
attend.”
Phrasal verbs and academic writing
• It is common to use other synonyms instead
of phrasal verbs in academic writing.
E.g.
– They threw out the flawed results.
– They discarded the flawed results.
• However, phrasal verbs may be used when
paraphrasing or explaining.
– When asked what person they most looked up to,
many of the teens were evasive.
Separable Phrasal Verbs
• Some phrasal verbs can be separated by a noun
or a pronoun.
– I figured out the answer. (verb + particle + noun)
– I figured it out. (verb + pronoun + particle)
• If a phrasal verb is separable it can only be
followed by a noun. It CANNOT be followed by a
pronoun.
– I figured out the answer.
NOT
– I figured out it.
Nonseparable Phrasal Verbs
• Some phrasal verbs can NOT be separated by
a noun or a pronoun.
• A noun or pronoun will always follow these
kinds of phrasal verbs.
– I ran into Ryan at the gym.
– I ran Ryan into at the gym. NOT POSSIBLE
Three Word Phrasal Verbs
• Some phrasal verbs use three words and must
be used together.
– run out of: to finish a supply of something.
“I’m so sorry! We ran out of toilet paper!”
• Three word phrasal verbs are always followed
by an object and are non-separable.
– ran out of (phrasal verb) + toilet paper (object)