Multi-word verbsProfessor Sabine Mendes

sabine.mendes@gmail.com

Multi-word verbs• Phrasal Verbs• Prepositional Verbs• Phrasal-prepositional Verbs

You are going to find many people stating that phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs are, actually, the same!!! Why have the authors decided to further classify? What’s the fuss all about ?

Phrasal Verbs vs. Prepositional Verbs

• Phrasal verbs consist of a verb + adverbial particle; they can be intransitive or transitive– Phrasal verbs are especially frequent in conversation and fiction. The

most common verbs express physical activities (e.g. come on)– A few phrasal verbs are especially common in academic prose (e.g.

carry out)• Prepositional verbs consist of a verb + preposition. They can have one or

two objects.– Prepositional verbs are common in all registers.– Prepositional verbs with activity and communication meanings are

especially common in conversation (e.g. look at)– Passive voice prepositional verbs are especially common in academic

prose. • Phrasal-prepositional verbs consist of a verb + particle + preposition

– Like phrasal verbs, phrasal-prepositional verbs are especially frequent in conversation and fiction. The most common verbs express physical activity (e.g. get on with, get out of, get back to, come up with)

• There are also other kinds of multi-word verb constructions that occur with idiomatic meanings (e.g. bear in mind, make do, and take time)

Tips... If you really need to classify...

• The adverbial particle forming phrasal verbs, normally, looses its original meaning. Compare: “Shut up!”, “I am getting my money back”, “Get on the bus” and “We get on well”.

• Transitive phrasal verbs allow particle movement. Compare: “He is getting his book back”, “He is getting back his book” (if the object is a pronoun, this alteration is not possible: He is getting it back), “He is looking at Charles” (but NOT “He is looking Charles at”).

• The problem with this second role is: IT DOES NOT WORK FOR INTRANSITIVE PHRASAL VERBS (get up!!!)

• SO, YOU’RE BASICALLY LOOKING FOR THE PREPOSITION VS. ADVERBIAL PARTICLE DISTINCTION.

Thinking about that: Phrasal or Prepositional? (BBC conversation excerpts)

VICKI: I’d like to start by talking about your early life - your childhood... CALLUM: My childhood? VICKI: Yes, I want to take you back, to remember your childhood…. CALLUM: So we’re going back in time? VICKI: Yes and on the journey we'll be meeting lots of phrasal verbs, so let’s take you back in time now! So, Callum, where were born? CALLUM:I was born in Scotland. VICKI: And where did you live as a child? CALLUM: Well…I grew up in a town called New Milton which is on the South Coast of England, between Bournemouth and Southampton. VICKI:So you grew up there - you spent your childhood there. And what kind of upbringing, did you have? I mean were your parents strict with you? CALLUM:I guess my parents didn’t really bring me up too strictly.

Thinking about that: Phrasal or Prepositional? (BBC conversation excerpts)

CALLUM: Well, I was always told to be polite and have respect and so on, but they tried to let me make my own mistakes. I think it was because they wanted me to be able to stand up for myself. VICKI: Well, yes - being able to stand up for yourself, being independent and confident is important! CALLUM: Yeah, you need to stand up for yourself in this worldVICKI: Anyway, what about brothers and sisters? Do you have any? CALLUM: Yes I've got an older brother and a younger sister. VICKI: Do you get on with them? CALLUM: Yes, we get on well - we have a great time when we see each other. VICKI: So you get on well now, but what about when you were children? Didn't you ever use to fight? CALLUM:Well sometimes of course, but even as children we got on quite well - we used to play together a lot. VICKI:Well you were very lucky - I didn’t get on with my brother very well at all when we were children - we used to argue about everything!

More examples...

• 'I just didn’t see them. I drove through the traffic lights when they were red.'

• 'He wasn’t tall enough and couldn’t climb over the fence.‘

• 'Could you look after my cat while I’m away?'• We will have to put off the meeting.