What is a phrasal verb? Could you please provide examples?
Phrasal verbs are part of a large group of verbs called “multi-word verbs.” Phrasal verbs and other multi-word verbs are an important part of the English language.
How to identify a phrasal verb
Multi-word verbs, including phrasal verbs, are very common, especially in spoken English. A multi-word verb is a verb like “pick up,” “turn on” or “get on with.” For convenience, many people refer to all multi-word verbs as phrasal verbs.
These verbs consist of a basic verb + another word or words. The other word(s) can be prepositions and/or adverbs. The two or three words that make up multi-word verbs form a short “phrase” – which is why these verbs are often all called “phrasal verbs.”
The important thing to remember is that a multi-word verb is still a verb. “Get” is a verb. “Get up” is also a verb, a different verb. “Get” and “get up” are two different verbs. They do not have the same meaning. So you should treat each multi-word verb as a separate verb, and learn it like any other verb.
EXAMPLES:
| single-word verb | look | direct your eyes in a certain direction | You must look before you leap. | |
| multi-word verbs | prepositional verbs | look after | take care of | Who is looking after the baby? |
| phrasal verbs | look up | search for and find information in a reference book | You can look up my number in the telephone directory. | |
| phrasal-prepositional verbs | look forward to | anticipate with pleasure | I look forward to meeting you. | |
Special thanks to www.Englishclub.com.
