PREPOSITIONAL VERBS & PHRASAL VERBS

PREPOSITIONAL VERB PHRASAL VERB

Definition

A prepositional verb is a combination of a verb A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and a

and a preposition. preposition or an adverb or both.

For Example: For Example:

laugh at, bring up,
look at, give up,
listen to, pass away,
knock at, look after,
agree to, look down upon,
agree with. looking forward to

Structure

verb + preposition – laugh at verb + adverb+ preposition – looking forward

to
verb + adverb – pass away

Meaning of the verb

A prepositional verb has a meaning which similar
to the meaning of its original verb.
■ They are laughing at the joker.
■ She is listening to music.
■ They are looking at the stranger.
On the other hand, A phrasal verb has a
meaning that is different from the meaning of
its original verb. Read the following examples
with meaning for each phrasal verb.
■ The patient passed away. (pass away: to die)
■ He was brought up by his aunt. (bring up: to
raise a child)
■ He is trying to give up smoking. (give up: to
quit)
■ She turned down his proposal. (turn down: to
reject)
Separable & Non- Separable Nature
All the prepositional verbs are non-separable. Its
verb and preposition cannot be separated.
■ The kids are laughing at joker.
■ Someone is knocking at the door.
■ The dog is barking at a stranger.
Requirement of an object for the verb
All the prepositional verbs require an object in the
sentence. Without an object, the sentence having a
prepositional phrase cannot express complete
meaning. The object comes right after the
preposition of prepositional phrase in sentence.
The place of object cannot be changed in
sentence.
■ They are laughing at joker.
■ She is listening to music.
■ Someone is knocking at the door.
■ The dog is barking at a stranger.
Most of phrasal verbs are separable. Its verb
and preposition can be separated to be used in
different places in a sentence. They can be used
as in joined-form as well as in separated-form.
■ The people requested to cut down the prices.
■ The people requested to cut the prices down.
■ She turned down his request.
■ She turned his request down.
Some of the phrasal verbs do not require an
object, and some of them require an object to
express complete meaning.
■ The patient passed away. (no object)
■ When do you get up? (no object)
■ The thief ran away. (no object)
■ The kid is growing up. (no object)
Some of the phrasal verbs require object in
sentence. The place of object can be changed in
sentences.
■ The people requested to cut down the prices.
■ The people requested to cut the prices down.
■ She turned down his request.
■ She turned his request down.
Activity 1: guess the sentences below are phrasal verbs or not

1. My dad always told me I shouldn’t do this

2. We should look that up in a dictionary.
3. I am going to sleep over at my best friend’s place tonight.
4. Reading can be so much fun!
5. Everyone see that she looks down on him.
6. I never realized how smart he is!

Activity 2: Guess the meaning of the words by looking at their context

 Jenny's grandmother is very old. Jenny looks after her every day.

 She has to put up with a lot of stress, but she still enjoys spending time with her
grandmother.
 The two of them get along very well.
 The good times they have together make up for all the stress.
 Jenny turned down the offer to send her into a rest home.

1. to make up - to invent something (a lie, a story) / to put on make-up

2. to get along – to like someone and not fight / to walk on a certain path
3. to put up with - to build something / to tolerate
4. to turn down - to reject something / to put something on the floor
5. to keep on - to keep something and not give it away / to continue doing something
6. to look after - to take care of someone or something / to follow somebody
A LIST OF COMMON PHRASAL VERBS

Verb Meaning Example

ask someone out invite on a date Basuru asked Jina out to dinner and a movie
back someone up support My wife backed me up over my decision to quit my
job.
blow up explode The racing car blew up after it crashed into the
fence.
break in force entry to a Somebody broke in last night and stole our
building jewelries
break down stop functioning Our car broke down at the side of the highway in
(vehicle, the rain.
machine)
break up end a My boyfriend and I broke up before I moved to
relationship America
bring someone up raise a child My grandparents brought me up after my parents
died
catch up get to the same You'll have to run faster than that if you want to
point as catch up with Malaka.
someone else
call someone back return a phone I called the company back but the offices were
call closed for the weekend
call on someone ask for an The teacher called on me for the question in the
answer or book.
opinion
calm down relax after being You are still mad. You need to calm down before
angry you drive the car.
check in arrive and We will get the hotel keys when we check in.
register at a
hotel or airport
check out leave a hotel You have to check out of the hotel before 11:00
AM.
cheer up become happier She cheered up when she heard the good news.
count on rely on I am counting on you to make dinner while I am
someone/something out.
come across something find I came across these old photos when I was tidying
unexpectedly the closet.
Drop take I have to drop my sister off at work before I come
someone/something someone/someth over.
off ing somewhere
 and leave
them/it there
eat out eat at a I don't feel like cooking tonight. Let's eat out.
restaurant
figure something out understand, find I need to figure out how to fit the piano and the
the answer bookshelf in this room.
find out discover We don't know where he lives. How can we find
out?