Phrasal Verbs: Understanding and Using Multi-Word Verbs

A phrasal verb is a type of multi-word verb that consists of a base verb and one or more particles. The particles can change the meaning of the base verb in a variety of ways, such as adding an aspect of direction, location, or manner.

Here are a few examples of phrasal verbs and their meanings:

• “Turn off” means to stop the operation of something, like a light or a machine.
• “Look up” means to search for information in a reference book or online.
• “Put away” means to return something to its proper place, like putting away dishes after a meal.

It’s important to note that phrasal verbs are often idiomatic, meaning that their meanings cannot be inferred simply by knowing the meanings of the individual words. So it’s hard to guess the meaning of phrasal verb just by looking at the words separately.

When using phrasal verbs, it’s important to pay attention to the position of the particles. In some cases, the position of the particle changes the meaning of the phrasal verb.

For example:

• “He looked up the word in the dictionary.”
• “He looked the word up in the dictionary.”

The first sentence means that he searched for the meaning of a word in a dictionary, while the second sentence means he searched for the word by looking upward.

It’s also important to remember that phrasal verbs are used in spoken and written English, although they are more common in informal language.

In conclusion, phrasal verbs are multi-word verbs that consist of a base verb and one or more particles. They can change the meaning of the base verb in various ways and are often idiomatic. To use phrasal verbs correctly, you need to pay attention to the position of the particles and the context in which the verb is used.