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CHAPTER 9
MULTIWORD VERBS
PREPOSITIONAL VERBS
(Verb + preposition)

All prepositional verbs are transitive = they require a direct object

= transitive verbs + prepositional phrase (PP)
To look at, to send for, to rely on, to decide on, to worry about, to look after

The preposition must be followed by a noun or a pronoun (Noun Phrase):
- He shouted [[at] [the girl]] PP
- He shouted [[at] [her]]. PP
Here, the NP (the girl – her) is the object of the preposition.

The 2 parts cannot be separated by the object:
- (*He shouted the girl at.) (*He shouted her at)

The 2 parts can be separated by an adverb:
- He shouted angrily at the girl.

The preposition can precede a relative pronoun (relative clause)
- The girl [at] [[whom] he shouted ran away]

The preposition can appear at the beginning of a wh- question:
- [At] whom was he shouting?
NB: Prepositional verbs have their verb stressed.
PHRASAL VERBS
(verb + particle)
I- TRANSITIVE PHRASAL VERBS:
(they need a direct object - NP)
(Here, the NP is the object of the verb)
3 kinds depending on where the object (NP) will occur:
1.


SEPARABLE ( to call off – to check out – to fill in – to look up – to turn down)
The verb and its particle may be separated by the [direct object] when the direct object is
a noun, a indefinite pronoun, or a quantifier:
- She looked up [the address].
- She looked [the address] up.
- I picked up [some] this morning.
- I picked [some] up this morning.
- I picked up [a few] this morning.
- I picked [a few] up this morning.
If the direct object is a personal or demonstrative pronoun, the verb and its particle must be
separated:
- She looked [it] up.
- (*She looked up it.)
- Check [this] out!
- (*Check out this!)

If the object noun phrase is long, avoid separating the verb and its particle:
- He looked up [information about a religion in which forces of nature such as fire were
worshipped].
- (* He looked [information about a religion in which forces of nature such as fire were
worshipped] up.)
2. INSEPARABLE (the verb and its particle are never separated)
To look into – to get over – to fall for – to pick on – to stand by
- Don’t pick on my brother.
-
Don’t pick on him .
- (*Don’t pick my brother on)
- (*Don’t pick him on)
3. PERMANENTLY SEPARATED (The verb and its particle are always separated)
To ask someone out – To narrow something down – To let someone off
-
All this arguing is getting Fred down
-
He asked her out.
- (*All this arguing is letting down Fred)
- (*He asked out her)
II- INTRANSITIVE PHRASAL VERBS (not followed by a direct object)
Because they have no object, they are by definition inseparable.
1. Pure (to move on – to check out – to take off – to get together)
The verb and its particle cannot be separated by an adverb:
-
The plane took off.
-
The plane [took off] quickly and climbed to cruising altitude.
-
(* The plane took quickly off …)
2. ERGATIVE (to show up – to break down – to come apart – to die down)
These verbs describe an action that is experienced by the subject.
-
All of a sudden several problems cropped up.
-
The window broke down.
NB: Phrasal verbs have their particle stressed.
PHRASAL PREPOSITIONAL VERBS
(Phrasal verb + Preposition)
They are all transitive (= followed by objects).
They behave like prepositional verbs = they cannot be separated by the
object.
- to look up to (someone) – to put up with (something) –
- to run up against (something) – to look forward to (something) Ex: Sally really [looks up] [[to] her mother.] PP
Ex: Everyone [looked forward] [[to] the concert]. PP
NB: They have single-word equivalents:
-to admire – to tolerate – to encounter – to anticipate.
Simply put…
Prepositional verb =
A set of verb elements that function
as a single verb, and cannot be
separated by an object.
Phrasal verb =
A set of verbs elements that function
as a single verb, and can be
separated by an object.