Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are a group of multi-word verbs made from a verb plus another word or
words. Many people refer to all multi-word verbs as phrasal verbs. On these pages we
make a distinction between three types of multi-word verbs: prepositional verbs, phrasal
verbs and phrasal-prepositional verbs. On this page we look at phrasal verbs proper.

Phrasal verbs are made of:

verb + adverb

Phrasal verbs can be:

 intransitive (no direct object)

 transitive (direct object)

Here are some examples of phrasal verbs:

phrasal meaning examples

verbs
  direct
object

intransitive get up rise from bed I don't like to get up.  

phrasal
verbs break down cease to He was late because his car  
function broke down.

transitive put off postpone We will have to put off the

phrasal meeting.
verbs
turn down refuse They turned down my offer.

Separable Phrasal Verbs

When phrasal verbs are transitive (that is, they have a direct object), we can usually
separate the two parts. For example, "turn down" is a separable phrasal verb. We can
say: "turn down my offer" or "turn my offer down". Look at this table:

transitive phrasal verbs are They turned   down my offer.

separable
They turned my offer down.  
However, if the direct object is a pronoun, we have no choice. We must separate the
phrasal verb and insert the pronoun between the two parts. Look at this example with
the separable phrasal verb "switch on":

direct John switched   on the radio. These are all possible.

object
pronouns
must go John switched the radio on.  
between
the two
parts of John switched it on.  
transitive
phrasal
John switched on it. This is not possible.
verbs

Separable or inseparable phrasal verbs? Some

dictionaries tell you when phrasal verbs are
separable. If a dictionary writes "look
(something) up", you know that the phrasal verb
"look up" is separable, and you can say "look
something up" and "look up something". It's a
good idea to write "something/somebody" as
appropriate in your vocabulary book when you
learn a new phrasal verb, like this:

 get up
 break down
 put something/somebody off
 turn sthg/sby down

This tells you whether the verb needs a direct

object (and where to put it).

Phrasal-prepositional Verbs

Phrasal-prepositional verbs are a small group of multi-word verbs made from a verb
plus another word or words. Many people refer to all multi-word verbs as phrasal verbs.
On these pages we make a distinction between three types of multi-word verbs:
prepositional verbs, phrasal verbs and phrasal-prepositional verbs. On this page we look
at phrasal-prepositional verbs.

Phrasal-prepositional verbs are made of:

verb + adverb + preposition

Look at these examples of phrasal-prepositional verbs:

phrasal-prepositional meaning examples

verbs
  direct
object

get on with have a friendly He doesn't get on his wife.

relationship with with

put up with tolerate I won't put up your

with attitude.

look forward to anticipate with pleasure I look forward to seeing you.

run out of use up, exhaust We have run out eggs.

of

Because phrasal-prepositional verbs end with a preposition, there is always a direct

object. And, like prepositional verbs, phrasal-prepositional verbs cannot be separated.
Look at these examples:

phrasal-prepositional verbs are We ran fuel.

inseparable out
of

We ran it.
out
of

It is a good idea to write "something/somebody"

in your vocabulary book when you learn a new
phrasal-prepositional verb, like this:

 get on with somebody

 put up with sthg/sby
 run out of something
 This reminds you that this verb needs a direct
object (and where to put it).

Prepositional Verbs

Prepositional verbs are a group of multi-word verbs made from a verb plus another
word or words. Many people refer to all multi-word verbs as phrasal verbs. On these
pages we make a distinction between three types of multi-word verbs: prepositional
verbs, phrasal verbs and phrasal-prepositional verbs. On this page we look at
prepositional verbs.

Prepositional verbs are made of:

verb + preposition

Because a preposition always has an object, all prepositional verbs have direct objects.
Here are some examples of prepositional verbs:

prepositional verbs meaning examples

  direct object

believe in have faith in the existence I believe in God.

of

look after take care of He is looking after the dog.

talk about discuss Did you talk me?

about

wait for await John is waiting for Mary.

Prepositional verbs cannot be separated. That means that we cannot put the direct object
between the two parts. For example, we must say "look after the baby". We cannot say
"look the baby after":

prepositional verbs are Who is looking after the This is possible.

inseparable baby?

Who is looking the baby This is not

after? possible.
 
It is a good idea to write
"something/somebody" in your vocabulary
 book when you learn a new prepositional
verb, like this:

 believe in something/somebody
 look after sthg/sby

This reminds you that this verb needs a direct

object (and where to put it).

List of Adverbs:
An adverb is a modifying part of speech. It describes verbs, other adverbs, adjectives, and phrases. They are used to
describe how, where, when, how often and why something happens. Here are a few examples:

Verb- The cat climbed quickly up the tree. (quickly describes how the cat climbed)

Adverb- Mike worked very carefully on his paper. (very shows how carefully he worked) Adjective- She is nearly ready
to go. (nearly tells to what extent she is ready)

Adverbs of manner describe how something happens. Where there are two or more verbs in a sentence, adverb
placement affects the meaning. Some commonly used adverbs of manner include:

carefully
correctly
eagerly
easily
fast
loudly
patiently
quickly
quietly
and well.

Consider the following example:

She decided to write her paper. (no adverbs)

She quickly decided to write her paper. (her decision was quick)
She decided to write her paper quickly. (her writing was quick)

Adverbs of place describe where something happens. Most adverbs of place are also used as prepositions. Some
commonly used examples include the following:

abroad
anywhere
downstairs
here
home
in
nowhere
out
outside
somewhere
there
underground
upstairs.

I wanted to go upstairs.
She has lived in the city since June. (in the city – prepositional phrase)

Adverbs of purpose describe why something happens. Here are some common examples:

so
so that
to
in order to
because
since
accidentally
intentionally
and purposely.

Jenny walks carefully to avoid falling.

Bob accidentally broke the vase.

Adverbs of frequency describe how often something happens. The following adverbs are commonly used in this way:

always
every
never
often
rarely
seldom
sometimes
and usually.

Mackenzie gets a ride from her brother every day.

The fish usually swims near the top of its tank.

Adverbs of time describe when something happens. These examples are commonly used:

after
already
during
finally
just
last
later
next
now
recently
soon
then
tomorrow
when
while
and yesterday.

He came home before dark.

It will be too dark to play outside soon.
Jessica finished her supper first.
Andy left school early.

Some adverbs often get overused, such as very, extremely, and really. Using there is/are or it is at the beginning of a
sentence adds nothing. Sentences with these adverb phrases become wordy, boring, and less clear. Look at some
examples:

* There are many bird species living in the sanctuary. Many bird species live in the sanctuary.
* It is important to hold hands when crossing the street. Holding hands when crossing the street is important.
* There may be more than one way to solve the problem. The problem may be solved in more than one way.

Well, did you catch all that? Recognizing the various adverbs used in the English language can take practice. Using
them properly can make writing and speaking far more interesting.

Now you have a list of adverbs because you read this article carefully and thoroughly...

Adverbs of Completeness
Everywhere
here
there

List of Common Adverbs

A B C D E

abnormally badly calmly daily easily

absentmindedly bashfully carefully daintily elegantly
beautifully carelessly dearly energetically
accidentally bitterly cautiously deceivingly enormously
acidly bleakly certainly delightfully enthusiastically
actually blindly cheerfully deeply equally
adventurously blissfully clearly defiantly especially
afterwards boastfully cleverly deliberately even
almost boldly closely delightfully evenly
always bravely coaxingly diligently eventually
angrily briefly colorfully dimly exactly
annually brightly commonly doubtfully excitedly
anxiously briskly continually dreamily extremely  
arrogantly broadly coolly
awkwardly busily correctly
courageously

crossly
cruelly
 curiously

 
F G H I J

fairly generally happily immediately jaggedly

faithfully generously hastily innocently jealously
famously gently healthily inquisitively joshingly
far gladly heavily instantly joyfully
fast gleefully helpfully intensely joyously
fatally gracefully helplessly intently jovially
ferociously gratefully highly interestingly jubilantly
fervently greatly honestly inwardly judgementally
fiercely greedily hopelessly irritably justly
fondly hourly
foolishly hungrily
fortunately
frankly
frantically
freely
frenetically
frightfully
fully
furiously 

K L M N O

keenly lazily madly naturally obediently

kiddingly less majestically nearly obnoxiously
kindheartedly lightly meaningfully neatly oddly
kindly likely needily offensively
kissingly limply mechanically nervously officially
knavishly lively never often
knottily loftily merrily nicely only
knowingly longingly miserably noisily openly
knowledgeably loosely mockingly not optimistically
kookily lovingly monthly overconfidently
loudly more owlishly
loyally mortally
  mostly
mysteriously
 

P Q R S T

painfully quaintly rapidly sadly tenderly

partially quarrelsomely rarely safely tensely
patiently queasily readily scarcely terribly
perfectly queerly really scarily thankfully
physically questionably reassuringly searchingly thoroughly
playfully questioningly recklessly sedately thoughtfully
politely quicker regularly seemingly tightly
poorly quickly reluctantly seldom tomorrow
positively quietly repeatedly selfishly too
potentially quirkily reproachfully separately tremendously
powerfully quizzically restfully seriously triumphantly
promptly righteously shakily truly
properly rightfully sharply truthfully
punctually rigidly sheepishly
  roughly shrilly
rudely shyly
silently
sleepily
slowly
smoothly
softly
solemnly
solidly
sometimes
soon
speedily
 stealthily
sternly
strictly
successfully
suddenly
surprisingly
suspiciously
sweetly
swiftly
sympathetically

U V W Y Z

ultimately vacantly warmly yawningly zealously  

unabashedly vaguely weakly yearly zestfully   
unaccountably vainly wearily yearningly zestily
unbearably valiantly well yesterday
unethically vastly wetly yieldingly
unexpectedly verbally wholly youthfully
unfortunately very wildly
unimpressively viciously willfully
unnaturally victoriously wisely
unnecessarily violently woefully
utterly vivaciously wonderfully
upbeat voluntarily worriedly
upliftingly wrongly
upright
upside-down
upward
upwardly
urgently
usefully
uselessly
usually
utterly
List of Prepositions:

Prepositions connect nouns, pronouns, and phrases with other words in a sentence. It gives information about
location, direction, space, or time. Prepositions are usually part of a phrase because they often have a noun or pronoun
after them. Here are two examples of prepositions in sentences.

The dog jumped over the fence.

I will go to the doctor.

The main job of prepositions is to create relationships between words. How is the dog related to the fence? It jumped
over the fence. How am I related to the doctor? I am going to the doctor

Prepositional phrases can also act like adverbs or adjectives. Remember that adverbs describe verbs (actions and
being), and adjectives describe nouns and pronouns (ideas, people, places, and things).

As an adverb -The children crossed the street with caution.

The prepositional phrase “with caution” describes the way the children crossed the street.

As an adjective – He lives in the house with the red roof.

The prepositional phrase “with the red roof” describes the house in a specific way.

Children will see prepositions in their early reader books. In Kindergarten and first grade, children are focused on word
recognition and reading skills. Basic sentence structure is taught, but it is too early for children that young to learn parts
of speech. Below is a list of prepositions new readers can recognize easily:

List of Basic Prepositions

as
at
but
by
down
for
from
in
into
like
near
next
of
 off
on
onto
out
over
past
plus
minus
since
than
to
up
with

As children develop their reading skills, they will learn the spelling and definitions of more complex words. They are
introduced to prepositions and other parts of speech between the second and fourth grade. The following list shows
some more advanced prepositions:

List of Advanced Prepositions

aboard
about
above
across
after
against
along
around
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
between
beyond
during
 except
following
inside
minus
onto
opposite
outside
round
since
through
toward
under
underneath
unlike
until
upon
without

Older elementary and middle school students are exposed to a variety of prepositions. This includes compound words
and single words used in complex sentences.

according to
along with
alongside
among
apart from
as for
atop
because of
by means of
concerning
despite
except for
in addition to
in back of
in case of
in front of
 in place of
in spite of
instead of
on top of
out of
regarding
throughout
till
up to
via
within
worth

Of course, the English language is full of exceptions. Some prepositions seem to break the rules, yet make sense in
everyday language. These are called idioms. A few common examples include the following:

List of Idioms

according to
capable of
familiar with
impatient with
rewarded for
superior to

Prepositions are not always easy to identify in spoken and written language. However, they play a big part in making
the English language colorful and interesting. Use this list of prepositions as a quick guide to help your student learn
about prepositions.

List of the Most Common Prepositions

A through D E through M N through R S through W

aboard except near save

about excepting next since
above excluding
   
absent
 
across of than
after following off through
against for on till
along from on top of times
alongside onto to
 
amid opposite toward
amidst out of towards
in
among outside
in front of
 
anti over
inside
around
instead of under
 
as
into underneath
at
past unlike
atop  
per until
  like plus up
upon
 
before  
 
behind
mid regarding
below
minus round versus
beneath
via
beside
besides  

between
with
beyond
within
but
without
by

concerning
considering

despite
down
during