Unit 1: Phrasal Verbs - The Basics

 

Unit 1: Phrasal Verbs - The Basics  Unit1.mp3 

The following is a summary of the key information from Unit 1, "Phrasal verbs: the basics", from the book

English Phrasal Verbs in Use.

What are phrasal verbs?

Phrasal verbs consist of a verb and a particle. The particle is a small word that you already know as a preposition or adverb. Together, they create a single meaning.

Examples:

• look up: to search for information in a book or on a computer

  
  

• get through: to make a connection on the phone

  
  

• make out: to understand someone's behavior

  
  

Some of the most common particles are:

about, around, at, away, back, down, for, in, into, off, on, out, over, through, to, and up.

What do you need to know about them?

• Know the meaning of the whole unit: The meaning of a phrasal verb often differs from the individual meanings of the verb and the particle. For example, "look" means to use your eyes, and "up" is the opposite of "down", but "look up" can mean "to search for information".

  
  

• Learn grammar patterns: You need to know if the verb takes an object. The book uses "sth" for "something" and "sb" for "someone".

  
  

• Particle placement: The position of the particle can change based on the object of the verb.

  
  

  • Sometimes, the particle must come before the object (e.g., "I'm looking for my keys").

    
    

  • Sometimes, it must come after the object (e.g., "I have a lot of work on").

    
    

  • Sometimes, it can go either before or after the object (e.g., "The thunder woke up the children" or "The thunder woke the children up").

    
    

• Rule for pronouns: If the object is a pronoun (like him or them), the particle must come after it (e.g., "The thunder woke them up").

  
  

Three-part phrasal verbs

Some phrasal verbs can be followed by a preposition, making them three-part verbs (e.g., "look down on," "do away with," "put up with").

This book is designed for self-study and includes 70 two-page units, with explanations on the left-hand page and practice exercises on the right-hand page. The phrasal verbs included are selected from the CANCODE corpus of spoken English and the Cambridge International Corpus.

You can find more information in the book's Mini dictionary, which provides definitions and indicates the unit number where you can find each phrasal verb.