GRAMMAR

Phrasal verbs

What are phrasal verbs?

Phrasal verbs are mainly used in spoken English and informal texts. (The more formal a conversation or text, the less phrasal verbs are found.)
Phrasal verbs consist of a verb and a particle (preposition, adverb). The particle can change the meaning of the verb completely. For example::

look up – consult a reference book (look a word up in a dictionary)

look for – seek (look for her ring)

look forward – anticipate with pleasure (look forward to meeting someone)

There are no rules that might explain the meaning of phrasal verbs. All you can do is look them up in a good dictionary and study their meanings.

Position of the Particle:

In some cases the particle is placed either after the verb or after the object.

Example:

Write down the word

Write the word down

If the object is a pronoun, however, the particle has to be placed after the pronoun (object).

Example:

Write it down.

Your photo album. Put it down

Your jacket. Take it off