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Transitive and Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are verb phrases that indicate actions and consist of a verb and one or more prepositions. The meaning of the verb changes significantly when a preposition is added. Phrasal verbs can be transitive or intransitive. Transitive phrasal verbs are followed by a direct object, while intransitive phrasal verbs are not but can optionally be followed by an indirect object. Phrasal verbs can also be separable or inseparable, affecting whether the direct object can be placed between the verb and particle or must follow the particle.

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53 views3 pages

Transitive and Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are verb phrases that indicate actions and consist of a verb and one or more prepositions. The meaning of the verb changes significantly when a preposition is added. Phrasal verbs can be transitive or intransitive. Transitive phrasal verbs are followed by a direct object, while intransitive phrasal verbs are not but can optionally be followed by an indirect object. Phrasal verbs can also be separable or inseparable, affecting whether the direct object can be placed between the verb and particle or must follow the particle.

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Maha Bughio
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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PHRASAL VERBS

Introduction

…
(ilsa)
What are phrasal verbs?

 Phrasal verbs are phrases that indicate actions. They are generally used in spoken English
and informal texts.
 A verb (e.g., “It goes”) becomes a phrasal verb with the addition of one preposition (e.g., “The
light goes out”) or more (e.g., “She goes out with him”). Each additional preposition completely
changes the meaning of the verb.
 Example: goes – as in
“The train goes west.” (goes -> “moves”)
Example: goes out – as in
“The light goes out.” (goes out -> “ceases”)
Example: goes out with – as in
“She goes out with him.” (goes out with -> “dates”)

 It is very important to remember that a phrasal verb should be considered one unit of


meaning, just like a distinct verb. In the above examples, the phrasal verb “goes out” is
as different from the verb “goes” as the verb “goes” is different from the verb “stays.”

When to use phrasal verbs?


Phrasal verbs do have their uses, after all. For example, they convey a casual tone, and while this is not
usually desirable in academic writing, the best academic writers can vary their tone at will.

Phrasal verbs can be transitive or intransitive. They can also be separable and


inseparable.

…
(maha)
Now lets talk about transitive and intransitive phrasal verb in a little detail.
Transitive verbs are followed by a direct object.
Intransitive verbs are not followed by a direct object but can optionally be followed by an
indirect object.

Here are a few examples:

1. Transitive: Please pick up some bread.


o We can’t just say ‘please pick up’ because this phrasal verb needs a direct
object. What are we picking up? Some bread.
2. Intransitive: Let’s hang out.
o We can’t add a direct object to this phrasal verb because it’s intransitive.
You don’t hang out something. You just hang out.
3. Intransitive: Let’s hang out at the park.
o Still intransitive! In this case, ‘the park’ is an indirect object. Usually an
indirect object comes after a preposition like ‘in’.
4. Transitive: Let’s hang out/up the laundry.
o This might look like a trick because you just saw that ‘hang out’ is
intransitive. But this is a different meaning of hang out! This meaning is
transitive. What are we hanging out? The laundry.

* They can further be divided into separable and inseparable phrasal verbs. However,
intransitive having no object can only be inseparable. Whereas, transitive can be both
separable and inseparable.
…
(arwa)

When a phrasal verb is separable, a direct object can be placed in between the verb and the
particle. Let’s compare some examples:

1. Separable: I want to think over the offer. → I want to think the offer over.
o Think over means to consider.
o Think over can be separated by the direct object ‘the offer’.
2. Separable: Will you turn down the music? → Will you turn the music down?
o Turn down means to reduce the volume.
o Turn down can be separated by the direct object ‘the music’.
3. Inseparable: I will look after the children.
o NOT: I will look the children after.
o Children is a direct object, but it can’t go in between the verb and preposition.
4. Inseparable: I grew up in Michigan.
o NOT: I grew in Michigan up.
o Michigan is an indirect object. There is no direct object.

As we saw in examples 1 and 2 above, when a phrasal verb is separable, a direct object can go
either in between the verb and particle or after the particle. BUT if you want to use a pronoun as
a direct object, you must put the pronoun in between the verb and particle. For example:

1. I picked Julie up from the airport. → I picked her up from the airport.
o NOT: I picked up her from the airport.
2. I’ll take off my shoes. → I’ll take them off.
o NOT: I’ll take off them.

If a direct object is long, it may sound strange to put it in between the verb and particle. In that
case it is better to put the direct object after the particle. Compare these examples:

1. I cleaned up the room. → I cleaned the room up.


o Both are correct because ‘the room’ is short.
2. I cleaned up the mess that the children made.
o NOT:  I cleaned the mess that the children made up.
o ‘The mess that the children made’ is too long to go in between the verb and
particle. It results in an awkward sentence.

Common questions

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Phrasal verbs differ from ordinary verbs by incorporating one or more prepositions, which significantly changes the meaning of the original verb. For example, the verb 'goes' can transform into phrasal verbs like 'goes out' or 'goes out with', each having distinct meanings such as 'ceases' and 'dates', respectively. Phrasal verbs are often more casual and are used primarily in spoken English and informal texts. They function as single units of meaning akin to distinct verbs .

Understanding the distinction between transitive and intransitive phrasal verbs is vital in language learning as it informs correct sentence structuring. Transitive phrasal verbs require direct objects, impacting verb-object agreement, whereas intransitive do not, thus influencing learners' grasp of when to use objects within sentences. This distinction influences language acquisition by necessitating comprehensive understanding of verb complementation and sentence outcomes, particularly in non-native speakers .

Separable phrasal verbs permit the direct object to be inserted between the verb and the particle or placed at the end, enhancing flexibility. For instance, with 'turn down', one can say 'turn the music down' or 'turn down the music'. With pronouns, the object must go between the verb and particle ('turn it down'). Inseparable phrasal verbs, such as 'look after', do not allow objects between verb and preposition, so sentences like 'look the children after' are incorrect. These guidelines help maintain grammatical correctness and clarity .

When the direct object is long, it is advisable to place it after the phrasal verb's particle rather than between the verb and particle, as inserting a lengthy object in between can create awkward sentences. For instance, it's better to say 'I cleaned up the mess that the children made' rather than 'I cleaned the mess that the children made up' to maintain sentence fluidity .

Transitive phrasal verbs require a direct object to complete their meaning, as seen in 'pick up some bread', where 'some bread' is the direct object. In contrast, intransitive phrasal verbs do not take a direct object and can optionally be followed by an indirect object, like 'hang out at the park', where 'the park' serves as an indirect object. Furthermore, transitive phrasal verbs can be separable, while intransitive ones are inseparable due to the absence of a direct object .

Separable phrasal verbs offer flexibility in sentence structure by allowing the direct object to be placed either after the particle or between the verb and the particle. For instance, 'Will you turn down the music?' can become 'Will you turn the music down?'. This flexibility enhances language proficiency by enabling varied sentence construction while necessitating a keen understanding of syntactical rules, crucial for learners mastering verb-pronoun-object dynamics .

In formal writing, phrasal verbs are generally avoided as they convey a casual tone. However, skilled academic writers may occasionally utilize phrasal verbs to vary their tone strategically. Conversely, in spoken English and informal texts, phrasal verbs are more widely used due to their succinctness and conversational nature, enhancing the fluidity and relatability of the dialogue .

When using a pronoun as a direct object with a separable phrasal verb, it is required to place the pronoun between the verb and the particle, as in 'I picked her up', instead of 'I picked up her', which would be incorrect. This placement rule helps maintain sentence clarity and grammatical correctness .

Prepositions in phrasal verbs drastically alter the meanings compared to the base verbs. For instance, 'goes' changes to 'goes out' indicating cessation, and to 'goes out with' indicating dating. This transformation often challenges non-native speakers due to the idiomatic nature and variability in meaning, requiring contextual learning and memorization to fully grasp their usage .

A phrasal verb's separability depends on whether the direct object can be placed between the verb and its particle. Separable phrasal verbs like 'think over' allow the object to be placed either after the particle ('think over the offer') or between the verb and particle ('think the offer over'). Inseparable phrasal verbs, such as 'look after', do not permit the object between the verb and preposition, as in 'I will look after the children' .

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