Two word verbs with meaning and sentence

TWO-WORD (PHRASAL) VERBS

Verbs can be single words or can have «helpers» such as has, have, had, is, am, was, or were. Verbs can be accompanied by modals such as could, would, might, or may. As if that were not confusing enough, there exists another kind of verb, phrasal verbs, which look like verbs with prepositions (or adverbs) attached: hand in, break up, fill out, run into. Some are three words: come up with, check up on.

You probably have run into many verbs like these without experiencing any discomfort. You might never even need to know that phrasal verbs exist. However, if you have learned to identify the subject and verb of a sentence by crossing out all the prepositional phrases (up the stairs, out the door), then phrasal verbs may be problematic. For instance, in the phrasal verb come up with, is with a preposition? Then where is the object of the preposition? Or is it part of the verb?

Take, for example, this sentence: «You have run into verbs like these.»  It would be easy to make the mistake of calling the verb run, and identifying into verbs as a prepositional phrase. In fact, the verb is run into, meaning encountered; verbs is a direct object: what you encountered. You have not run. You have encountered.

Phrasals can look like a verb + preposition (look into), or a verb + adverb (get away), or a verb + adverb + preposition (get away from). An Internet search turns up exhaustive discussions of phrasals (they are separable, inseparable, transitive, intransitive) and word order related to phrasals, but in general, phrasal verbs have the following general characteristics:

• They are informal; usually there exists another, more «proper» word with the same or similar meaning.
• They are idiomatic; that is, you cannot easily make out the meaning of the verb by adding up the meanings of its parts.
• They are, nevertheless, often sensible, even if not obvious; phrasals do make a certain amount of sense, depending on how you understand the particle, or preposition-like attachment.

Informal
Phrasal verbs are informal, though perfectly acceptable in most academic papers. However, some phrasal verbs contain «filler» words that do not add meaning (keep on going means the same thing as keep going, for example; fell off of means the same as fell off). Some are vague or somewhat cliché. In order to attain vivid writing, you will sometimes want to substitute other, stronger verbs. 

For example, here are some phrasal verbs and possible substitutes:

Phrasal verb	Substitution
Hand in	Submit
Check out	Examine or borrow
Look up to	Admire

Some phrasal verbs are difficult to replace. It’s hard to think of a better way, for example, to say, «I had to look up the word in the dictionary.» And if you happen to be writing dialogue, the informality of phrasals may be more authentic than stuffier language.

There are a great many phrasal verbs, far too many to list or memorize. For lists of phrasal verbs with their corresponding meanings, try searching the Internet using the keyword «phrasal verbs.»

Idiomatic
Phrasal verbs are idiomatic. For example, even if you know the meanings of blow and up, you cannot add them together to arrive obviously at the intended meaning of blow up, which means explode or erupt with force. Blow + up might just as easily refer to a gentle updraft of wind.

Because they are idiomatic, phrasals and their meanings might vary depending on where the speaker lives. This TIP Sheet uses meanings commonly understood in the United States, specifically in California, and even more specifically in a rural area of Northern California. Speakers of British English or even speakers from other regions of the U.S. might understand some of these expressions differently. For example, while an American might call you up on your cell phone, a Brit would ring you up to tell you he needed to kip down (stay temporarily, the American equivalent of crash) in your apartment. In the southern U.S., one might scoot down the car; in California one would hose it down with water.

The website Phrasal Verb Demon offers a great discussion of phrasals. At the same time, it illustrates the idiomatic nature of phrasals, giving definitions as they are commonly understood in Great Britian; some of these may be new to U.S. readers (whose computers, for example, usually freeze up, while British computers pack up.)

Sensible
Even though they are idiomatic, many phrasals do make a certain amount of sense, depending on how you understand the particle, or preposition-like attachment. A single preposition/particle can carry any of a multitude of meanings, and the meaning of a phrasal verb like blow up depends largely on which meaning of up you choose. For example, up can refer to increase (freshen up = increasing freshness); to movement (boil up = move about in a chaotic way); or being out of bed (get up, stay up = getting or staying out of bed).

For example, in the case of blow up, you might understand up as relating either to increase (as a fireball increases, perhaps), or to movement (for chaotic movement of air and debris). (Up in blow up, on the other hand, has nothing whatever to do with staying out of bed.)

It is largely the particle that changes the meaning of a phrasal verb. For example, the word break usually means a sudden stopping, bursting, or loss of function. On the other hand, the website Phrasal Verb Demon lists seven different senses of the word up, nine different senses of out, and ten of down. Break up is a phrasal verb meaning to end a personal relationship (up = completion). Break down means to stop functioning (down = failure), and break out means to happen suddenly (out = appearance).

Phrasals frequently are figurative; there is often an underlying metaphor that can help you make sense of them. In the case of blow up, the metaphor compares the movement of air created by an explosion to the movement of boiling water in a kettle. In addition, blow up is frequently itself used in a figurative sense, as in, «The issue of the councilman’s overspending blew up once the newspapers ran the story.» Here, the sudden public revelation and subsequent discussion of the councilman’s overspending is compared to an explosion.

For more discussion of phrasals and their underlying logic, see www.phrasalverbdemon.com.

Combinations of a verb and a preposition-like adverb have various interesting properties 

DEFINITION OF PHRASAL VERBS

In some grammar descriptions a “phrasal verb” is any closely-combined verb and other small word. Here, however, I am giving it the common alternative meaning of a particular subgroup of such combinations: those where the small word is an adverb resembling a preposition, but never a preposition. Examples are MAKE OUT (= “understand”), TAKE OFF (= “mimic” or “leave the ground flying”), TURN ON (= “put into functioning mode”) and PICK UP (= “lift from the ground”). As these examples show, the meaning of the combination is often not discoverable from the meanings of the individual words.

It is easy to mistake the adverb in a phrasal verb for a preposition, since elsewhere it often is one. For example, on is a preposition in DEPEND ON, despite being an adverb in TURN ON. Verbs like DEPEND ON are called “prepositional” and are the topic of the Guinlist posts 44. Troublesome Prepositional Verbs and 123. Prepositional Verbs Containing a Noun.

Phrasal verbs are described in most grammar books for learners of English, but the details can be sparse at times. My aim here is to provide the more extensive overview that I feel is often lacking, in order to assist a more effective use of phrasal verbs and related expressions. Some of the points are also made elsewhere within this blog, but hopefully there will be benefit in having them all together here.

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DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PHRASAL & PREPOSITIONAL VERBS

A pronunciation difference between the two verb types is that the adverb within a phrasal verb is stressed (i.e. said strongly – see 125. Stress & Emphasis), whereas the preposition within a prepositional verb is unstressed. A grammatical difference is the kinds of link that are possible with words after the active form, particularly the “object” ( directly-following noun or equivalent – see 8. Object-Dropping Errors). All prepositional verbs need one, but some phrasal verbs lack one:

(a) Permission is required for the plane to take off.

Here, take off has no directly-following noun that can be identified as its object. Prepositional verbs cannot be used without an object in this way. They need one because the preposition within them is by definition a noun-requiring word (see 84. Seven Things to Know about Prepositions).

If an object is present, the main indication of a phrasal verb is a choice about the object’s position. Consider this:

(b) Night workers must switch on the lights.

Here, the object the lights follows on, but it could also go before it (…switch the lights on). Indeed, if the object is a pronoun (e.g. them), this position is compulsory. Placing the adverb part of a phrasal verb after the object is not illogical, since adverbs as a whole often occupy this position (see 120. Six Things to Know about Adverbs). With verb – preposition combinations, by contrast, no choice is possible: if the verb in (b) was depend on, the lights would have to follow on.

Another difference between phrasal and prepositional verbs involves adverb positions. Only prepositional verbs can have an adverb directly after their verb:

(c) Plants DEPEND continually ON water.

Placing an adverb in this position with a phrasal verb like the one in (b) would sound incorrect (*switch fully on the lights). Instead, the adverb must come last (switch the lights on fully/ switch on the lights fully) or between the object and the adverb (switch the lights fully on).

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OTHER PHRASAL VERB PROPERTIES

The following properties of phrasal verbs are notable:

1. Transitive and Intransitive Usage

“Transitive” verbs have an object while “intransitive” ones do not. Important phrasal verbs in each category include the following:

TRANSITIVE

BREAK OFF (= interrupt), BREAK UP (= separate into smaller pieces), BRING BACK (= return), BRING IN (= introduce), CHECK OUT (= verify; take payment for), CLOSE/SHUT DOWN (= bring to a permanent end), CUT OFF (= block), DO UP, HAND OUT (= distribute directly to people), FILL IN (= complete with requested information), GIVE BACK (= return), GIVE UP (= yield), GO OVER (= review), GO THROUGH (= examine in series; suffer), LOOK OVER (= briefly examine), MAKE OUT (= understand; discern), MAKE UP (=compose a falsehood), PICK UP (= remove from the ground; receive), PUT AWAY (= place out of sight), PUT OFF (= postpone), PUT ON (= apply), SWITCH ON/OFF (= give power to), TAKE AWAY (= carry to another place), TAKE OFF (= mimic; remove), TAKE ON a challenge (= accept), TAKE OVER (= acquire responsibility for), TURN DOWN (= refuse), WRITE DOWN (= record in writing)

INTRANSITIVE

BREAK OUT (= escape; appear as an epidemic), BREAK UP (= end a relationship or formal activity), CARRY OUT, CLOSE/SHUT DOWN (= come to a permanent end), COME BACK (= return), DO WITHOUT, FADE AWAY (= gradually disappear), FALL OFF (diminish), FALL OVER (= trip and cease to stand), GET AWAY (= escape), GIVE IN (= YIELD), GIVE UP (= quit), GO AWAY (= depart), GO OUT (= exit), GO THROUGH (= progress successfully), GROW UP (= become an adult), KEEP ON (= continue), LOOK AWAY (= change the focus of the eyes), MAKE UP (= stop quarrelling), MISS OUT (= fail to get something), PICK UP (= improve), RISE UP (= rebel), SLOW DOWN (= decelerate), TAKE OFF (= fly into the air), TURN OVER (= roll into a new lying position)

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2. Informality

Many phrasal verbs are unsuitable for formal writing (see 108. Formal and Informal Words). In most cases, English has a more formal alternative borrowed from the ancient language Latin (see 45. Latin Clues to English Spelling). For example, GET AWAY corresponds to ESCAPE, KEEP ON to CONTINUE and TURN DOWN to REFUSE.

Speakers of Latin-related languages are unlikely to think of phrasal verbs instead of their more formal alternatives, but others, if they can think only of a phrasal verb during writing, are advised to seek a one-word synonym in a thesaurus.

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3. Ability to Change into Nouns

Many phrasal verbs can become a fairly informal noun by combining the two words into one (see 26. One Word or Two?). In writing, they sometimes have a hyphen (a runaway, a breakout, a break-in); in speech, the adverb part loses its stress, leaving a single stressed syllable on the verbal part (see 243. Pronunciation Secrets, #3).

Some nouns made from a phrasal verb, e.g. breakout, always or sometimes have the action meaning of the verb – they are “action” nouns (see 131. Uses of “Action” Nouns). Unusually, they tend to be “countable”, not “uncountable” (see 249. Action Noun Endings). A few can also represent either the result of the action (e.g. payoff: see 14. Action Outcomes) or its location (e.g. pickup: see 19. Activity Locations). An example of a combined phrasal verb that cannot express an action is drawback.

Common nouns derived from phrasal verbs include the following:

breakaway, breakdown, break-in, breakout, breakthrough, check-in, checkout, comeback, come-down, cutback, cut-off, cut-out, drawback, drop-in, drop-off, dropout, follow-up, getaway, get-out, giveaway, handout, hideaway, holdup, makeover, make-up, payback, payoff, pickup, press-up, pushover, putdown, put-in, round-up, run-around, run-in, runaway, selloff, setback, set-down, set-up, shutdown, shutout, slowdown, sit-in, sit-out, stand-by, start-up, takeaway, take-off, takeover, take-up, turnoff, turnover, turn-up

Sometimes, a noun is formed by combining the two words in reverse order, e.g.:

downgrade, downpour, downturn, input, intake, onset, outbreak, outset, overview, throughput, upgrade, upset, upswing, uptake, upturn

It will be observed that PUT IN, BREAK OUT, SET OUT and TURN UP have a derived noun in each list. The meanings, however, are different. For example, a breakout is an escape from jail, while an outbreak is an appearance of a quickly-spreading problem (especially illness).

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4. Verb and Adverb Typicality

Although English phrasal verbs are quite numerous, the variety of verbs and adverbs used to make them is much smaller. This is because some verbs and adverbs are repeated quite often in different combinations. Typical verbs include BREAK, COME, CUT, GET, GIVE, GO, KEEP, MAKE, MOVE, PULL, PUSH, PUT, SET, TAKE and TURN. Some of the other verbs, however, are quite exotic, e.g. chill out, whip up and steam ahead.

Not every preposition can become an adverb in a phrasal verb: at, for, from, of, near and beside, for example, are very unlikely. The main prepositions seem to be in, out, up, down, on, off, along, through and over (ahead, away and back are never prepositions). Verbs with rarely-converted prepositions include COME TO (= regain consciousness), GET BY (= manage) and GO UNDER (= fail; disappear).

Moreover, some of the preposition-like adverbs have quite typical idiomatic meanings:

ON: continuation, e.g. CARRY ON, FIGHT ON, GO ON, KEEP ON, MOVE ON, PRESS ON

ON: initiation, e.g.. PUT ON, SWITCH ON, SIGN ON, TURN ON

UP: division into pieces, e.g. BREAK UP, CUT UP, DIVIDE UP, SPLIT UP

OFF: termination, e.g. BREAK OFF, CUT OFF, SIGN OFF, SWITCH OFF, TAIL OFF, TURN OFF, PUT OFF, FALL OFF

OUT: continuation to the end, e.g. SELL OUT, RUN OUT, SEE OUT, CHECK OUT, CARRY OUT

Interestingly, most of the preposition-like adverbs found in phrasal verbs are also usable by themselves directly after BE, often with a similar meaning (see 154. Lone Prepositions after BE). In addition, they sometimes act as prefixes in words not derived from phrasal verbs, such as downbeat, onshore and outrun (see 146. Some Important Prefix Types). 

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5. Combinability with Prepositions

Some multi-word verbs include both an adverb and a preposition, e.g. PUT UP WITH (= “tolerate”). Grammar books usually call them “phrasal-prepositional”. In fact, though, they are more like prepositional verbs than phrasal ones, since they usually lack the special properties of the latter. The preposition is always the last word, and, as usual, it must be partnered by a noun or noun equivalent:

(d) Astronauts put up with numerous inconveniences.

Lists of phrasal-prepositional verbs are easily found in most grammar descriptions (see also 141. Ways of Using MAKE,  176. Ways of Using GO,  213, Special Uses of “Do” 2 and 244. Special Uses of GIVE). Those that might be used in professional environments include BACK OUT OF, CATCH UP WITH, CHECK UP ON, COME UP AGAINST, CUT DOWN ON, BE CUT OFF FROM, DO AWAY WITH, FACE UP TO, GET ON WITH, KEEP UP WITH, LOOK FORWARD TO (see 35. Words Followed by “to -ing”), LOOK UP TO, MOVE ON TO and STAND UP FOR.

In a few cases, the properties of a prepositional verb are combined with those of a phrasal one. Consider this:

(e) Not everyone puts global warming down to greenhouse gases.

This means greenhouse gases are not everyone’s explanation of global warming. It will be seen that two objects are involved: greenhouse gases, partnering the preposition (to), and global warming positioned between the verb and adverb (down) – a feature of phrasal verbs. For information about when to use PUT…DOWN TO, see 150. Verbs with Indirect Speech.

Not many verbs can be used in this way. Others include FIX … UP WITH, HELP … OUT WITH and PUT … IN FOR. All are a subclass of the verbs considered in this blog in 123: Prepositional Verbs Containing a Noun.

Multi-word verbs are verbs that consist of more than one word. They fall into three types:

• prepositional verbs
• phrasal verbs
• phrasal-prepositional verbs

Before we look at each one, we’ll examine more generally what multi-word verbs are.

What are Multi-word Verbs?

Multi-word verbs are made up of a verb and a particle. Particles are words that we use as prepositions and / or adverbs in other contexts. Here are examples of some of these words:

When we combine a verb with a particle to make a multi-word verb, it has a different meaning to the meaning of those words when used on their own.

For instance, here are two common meanings of one word taken from each list:

• give = transfer the possession of something to someone else e.g. I gave him my passport.
• up = towards a higher place or position e.g. he went up the stairs 

However, we can put these two words together to make a multi-verb word, creating a completely different meaning:

• He wants to give up smoking = stop

So give up is a multi-verb word we have created by placing together a verb and a particle. Neither give nor up have the same meaning as when they are used on their own.

Where do they come in sentences?

Multi-word verbs are no different to other verbs in that they can be used as a main verb (i.e. after a subject and taking a tense) or in other positions, such as acting as an infinitive:

• Main Verb: He gave up smoking last week (used after a subject and in the past tense)
• Infinitive: It is important to give up smoking (base form of the verb used after an adjective)

Some multi-word verbs can be split up, while others cannot:

• Cannot be separated:  She looks after the children on Saturdays
• Can be separated: He looked up the word in the dictionary / He looked the word up in the dictionary 

Multi-verb words as idiomatic expressions

Given that multi-word verbs have different meanings to the individual words, they tend to be idiomatic expressions.

Some will make sense as you see them but others may look confusing if you are not already aware of what they mean. 

For example, in the first two, we can probably guess the meaning, but the others are more difficult:

• The plane took off at 5pm (= became airborne)
• He got up early this morning (= rise to a standing position)
• She put him up for the week (= provided temporary accommodation)
• She let him off (=forgave)

So with these types of verbs you often have to learn them and their meanings as it can be difficult to guess the meanings from context. 

Types of Multi-word Verbs

There are three types of multi-word verbs:

1. prepositional verbs
2. phrasal verbs
3. phrasal-prepositional verbs

1. Prepositional Verbs

A prepositional verb is a multi-word verb made up of a verb plus a preposition. These are the key factors which make these multi-word verb prepositional verbs:

• They must have a direct object
• They are transitive (because they have a direct object)
• The main verb and preposition are inseparable (i.e. the object must go after the preposition)

Here are some examples of prepositional verbs:

In none of these cases can we move the direct object to between the verb and particle, or in other words separate them. For instance we can’t say I sailed my speaking test through or He can’t do his car without.

You may have thought that Their house was broken into does not fit because there appears to be no direct object after ‘into’. 

But remember that as prepositional verbs are transitive, they can usually be turned into the passive voice. This example has been turned from active to passive:

• The burglars broke into their house (active)
• Their house was broken into (passive)

2. Phrasal Verbs

A phrasal verb is a multi-word verb made up of a verb plus an adverb. There are two types of phrasal verb:

• Type 1: No object (intransitive) i.e. they don’t take an object
• Type 2: Object (transitive) separable i.e. they need an object and this can go between the verb and particle

Some of the most common adverb particles used with Phrasal Verbs are: around, at, away, down, in, off, on, out, over, round, up.

Phrasal Verbs and Pronouns

Something to note with Phrasal Verbs in type 2 constructions is that if the object is a pronoun, then it must go between the verb and adverb particle. It cannot go after it.

So it has to be like this:

• I can put him up for the weekend
• She brought it up at the meeting

2. Phrasal-Prepositional Verbs

The key distinguishing factors of these types of multi-word verbs are:

• They take an object (so are transitive)
• They have two particles
• The particles are inseparable

It is possible though with certain phrases to put a direct object after the verb. So in this case there will be a direct object and object of the preposition:

Some difficulties for learners

Understanding what multi-word verbs mean

Some learners of English find multi-word verbs difficult because they may take the literal meanings of the individual words. For example, with this sentence:

• I was looking forward to seeing her

It actually means to await eagerly, in this case to meet someone at a later date, but taken literally a person could think it means looking in a particular direction, such as looking ahead at someone. 

Misunderstanding Multi-word verbs with two meanings

Some verbs can have two meanings, which confuses some people if they only know one. For example:

• I dropped her off at school (= give someone a lift somewhere)
• I dropped off several times during the class (= falling asleep unintentionally) 

Only noticing the verb if separated from the particle

If as a learner, you only notice the verb, then this can make you misunderstand the sentence and again take the verb with it’s literal meaning. This can often happen when they are split up with several words between them:

• He put all of the problems that we have been having down to the hot weather

In such a case the phrasal verb may not be recognised.

Understanding the difference between Phrasal Verbs and Prepositional Verbs

This can be unclear; however, it is not really important to know the differences. As long as you understand that multi-word verbs are verbs plus a preposition or adverb (or both) and that they have a differing meaning to the words on their own, that is enough for most purposes. 

But the key difference is that an object can go before or after an adverb, but it can only go after a preposition. In other words:

• Prepositional verbs must not be seperated
• Phrasal Verbs can be separated 

Of course type 1 Phrasal Verbs would not be separated because they do not have an object at all. 

Incorrect Word order

It is often the case that a speaker or writer may get the the word order of the multi-word verb wrong, with the pronoun placed in the wrong place:

• I don’t have the space to put up him (should be put him up)

Differing grammatical explanations

It can sometimes be confusing when you search on ‘multi-word verbs’ or ‘Phrasal Verbs’ as differing sites or books categorise them differently. 

For instance, in some cases, all verbs + preposition or / and adverbs are labelled as multi-word verbs, regardless of whether they create a different meaning. For instance:

• He went into the room
• They are waiting for her 
• He is suffering from heatstroke
• I agree with you

In these cases, the phrases have their literal meaning and have not been changed. However, these could be seen simply as words that commonly collate together rather than multi-word verbs. 

In some cases, all those that have a different meaning are labelled ‘Phrasal Verbs’, with no reference to prepositional verbs. 

This should not really concern you though. The main thing to know is the differing structures with regards to whether words can be separated or not and to understand that with multi-word verbs with different meanings (i.e. what some people just call phrasal verbs) you will probably have to gradually learn there differing meanings. 

Here you can find a useful phrasal verb list with examples to start leaning some of the words.

Summary

• Multi-word verbs are a verb plus one or two particles
• It is a word combination that changes the meaning from the individual words
• Prepositional verbs must not be seperated
• Phrasal Verbs can be separated 
• They are sometimes all simply known as Phrasal Verbs

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