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Separable and inseparable phrasal verbs

Hello all, and welcome back to another mini-lesson from マイケルズイングリッシュスクール天王寺英会話. If you read the mini-lesson articles last year, you might remember this introduction to phrasal verbs. We looked at the meaning of phrasal verbs, and today we\’re going to look at the structure.

Moving the preposition around: separable phrasal verbs

We previously saw how some phrasal verbs could be split in two and fit around the object (目的語). These are called separable phrasal verbs. For example, you can say:

I put my shoes on. I put on my shoes.

–> With a noun, you can put the preposition (前置詞) before or after the object.

–> I put them on. With a pronoun (代名詞), you have to split the phrasal verb and fit the object between the verb and the preposition.

What if I come across an inseparable phrasal verb?

Inseparable phrasal verbs can\’t be split, the verb and the preposition always stay together.

For example:

– Are you looking forward to your holiday?

– Oh yes, I\’m really looking forward to it!

You cannot say: I\’m looking it forward to.

How do I know if a phrasal verb is separable or inseparable?

Unfortunately, there is no way to tell. You need to look it up in the dictionary and look at some example sentences.

Let\’s get down to work

Let\’s learn some phrasal verbs and put them in practice:

Separable

To call something off = to cancel.

To throw something away = to get rid of, to put in the garbage

… or To try something on  = to wear a piece of clothing temporarily to see if it fits

Inseparable

To grow up = to develop into an adult

To look after = to take care of

or..  To look forward to = to feel happy or excited about something in the future

or… To run out of = when you had something, but now it\’s all gone because you have used it all

Exercise: put the correct verb into the sentence (put the verb in the past or the –ing form when needed!)

1. I _______ ___ in England but then moved to the US to go to college.
2. Please don\’t _________  those cups ____, they can be reused.
3. Have you ever _____ ____ ___ petrol on the motorway?
4. Many employees were ill so we had to ________ ___ the meeting.
5. I offered to _______ _____ my neighbour\’s cat while she is away on holiday.
6. I always ______ clothes _____ before buying them.
7. I\’m ________ _______ ___ the cherry blossoms.

Remember, the best way to learn phrasal verbs is by learning them in context, in an example sentence.Write down some sentences of your own, and review them every now and again. 頑張ってください! See you soon for another edition of mini-lessons from マイケルズイングリッシュスクール天王寺英会話!

Answers

1. grew up
2. throw away
3. run out of
4. call off
5. look after
6. try on
7. looking forward to