Phrasal Verbs, Part I

In today’s mini-lesson from 大阪夕陽ヶ丘英会話 we are looking at phrasal verbs. You have probably come across some verbs that are followed by a preposition. Phrasal verbs are verbs that take on a new meaning when combined with a certain preposition.

 

What is the difference between ‘to complain about’ (verb + preposition) and ‘to put out a fire’ (phrasal verb)?

At first glance, both consist of a verb + preposition.

 

But the meaning of ‘to complain’ doesn’t change because of the preposition.

e.g. I complained to the manager.

e.g. I complained about the food.

The meaning of the verb ‘complain’ is still the same.

 

What is special (and difficult) about phrasal verbs is that the meaning of the verb changes. For example, you know the meaning of ‘to put’ = \’to place something somewhere\’.

BUT:

to put out = to extinguish (a fire, a cigarette)

or, to put up = to let someone stay in your house; to increase the value of something; to fix something to a wall or post;…

or, to put forward = to suggest an idea, an opinion, a proposal, so that people discuss it and make a decision.

As you can see, the meaning of these verbs can be quite far from the original ‘to put’.

 

Some phrasal verbs have a literal meaning, for example:

to turn up the volume = to raise the volume

to turn down the volume = to make it lower

 

But these same phrasal verbs can have figurative meanings, further away from the movement up/down.

To turn up at a party = to arrive somewhere, especially unexpectedly

e.g. She turned up at the party 1 hour late.

To turn down an offer = to reject, to say no to an offer

e.g. I turned down the job offer because it was too far for me.

 

 

Confused? Don\’t worry. The best way to remember phrasal verbs is to learn them in an example sentence. They keep coming up and you will soon learn to recognise them.

 

Let’s have a look at some common phrasal verbs:

Please take off your shoes before you come in. (to take off shoes or clothes = to remove)

It is getting cold outside, you should put a sweater on. (to put on = to start wearing something)

If you don’t know a word, you can look it up. (to look up a word = to search for it in a dictionary)

I came across an interesting article on the BBC News website. (to come across = to meet someone or find something by chance)

 

Test yourself:

Which phrasal verb fits best in each sentence?

I always ______   ____ my earrings before going to bed.

a) put on            b) take off          c) come across                 d) look up

When I was tidying up my room, I ________   ____ some old photos of my friends and had a good laugh looking through them.

a) put on           b) took off          c) came across                  d) looked up

I ______ my t-shirt _____ the wrong way around this morning, how embarrassing.

a) put … on         b) took … off          c) came … across                  d) looked … up

When students are not sure of a word, they often ________ it ____ in their pocket dictionary.

a) put … on         b) take … off          c) come … across                 d) look … up

 

Answers: b – c – a – d

 

Look forward to another phrasal verb lesson soon, where we will look at structure in more detail and learn more of these verbs.

See you next week for another mini-lesson from大阪夕陽ヶ丘英会話.