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Phrasal Verb and IdiomsIts like cooking: combine flour and water, stick it in the oven for a bit, and you have bread. If you

combine a verb and certain prepositions, and stick it somewhere in a sentence, you have aphrasal

verb. However, baking the dough in a gas oven will obviously result in a different flavor than baking

the dough over an open fire; phrasal verbs dont require such varied treatment to have a different

meaning, even if youre working with the same two words. Sometimes all thats required is they

phrasal verb being used in a different room of the house.

This is where the idiomatic meaningcomes in. You wont be able to figure out the meaning of the

phrasal verbs just by looking at the two or three words involved. Each phrasal verb is capable of

having several meanings, and the meanings can also vary from place to place: if English isnt your

first language, be sure you understand the local idiomatic interpretation of a phrasal verb so you

dont end up getting your face slapped. For instance, you can look at a baby who is just learning to

walk and say, She really gets around; you dont want to say that about a twenty -three year old

woman.

Idioms And PhrasesIdioms are groups of words that can mean things other than what they say. The meanings

vary from location to location (and possibly speaker to speaker), and they often depend on

context for meaning. Have a look at the following sentences and see if you can figure out

whats happening:

You look hot! the man said as he handed a water bottle to the sweaty athlete.

You look hot! the man said as he handed a glass of wine to the young woman.

Context, as you can see, is imperative.

Idioms are most distressing when theyre made from words which dont really make sense

in the context in which theyre used.

Whats up? Adam asked as he walked into the room. Matt looked up at the ceiling,

wondering what he was missing.

Want tohang out? Adam asked. Matt horrifiedreplied that he didnt do anything

wrong and didnt need to hang.

Catch you later, Adam muttered as he left the room. Matt said he wouldnt run away

so Adam wouldnt really need to catch him.

When idioms are created by combining a verb and an adverb or prepositionsometimes

boththeyre calledphrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs come in two varieties:

Intransitivecannot take a direct object (theyre alwaysinseparable)

Transitivetakes a direct object

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Transitive phrasal verb can beseparable(can have a direct object between the verb and the

adverb or preposition) orinseparable(the verb and adverb or preposition cannot be

separated).

Phrasal verbs are different from verbs that use helper verbs. Helper verbs can change the

tense or the person, but they cant change the actual meaning of the verb.

Idioms And Their MeaningsA really good dictionary with lots of examples, or a trusted friend: thats what you need if

youre going to learn the meanings of idioms. The trusted friend is necessary when you need

a consult as to local meanings of a particular idiom.

Idioms are sometimes easier to understand than pure slang, but they still have their pitfalls. A

lot of them depend solely on context. Take, for instance, the phrasal verb bring up.

If you say this to a woman who is standing in the middle of her large family, youre asking

about the number of children she raised.

How many children did you bring up ?

If you said the same thing to Kronos, the mythological Greek Titan who swallowed five of his

children and was forced to vomit them out many years later, youd probably be asking more

about his health and well-being.

Lets have a look at some of the options forcut off.

Maria cut off her old jeans just above the knee.

Maria got out the scissors and made the jeans into shorts.

The water has been cut off because they didnt pay their bill.

Theres no more water: its been stopped.

I cut the electricity off so we can replace this old wiring safely.

The electricity has also been stopped.

Alex was trying to explain the whole incident to his mother, but she cut him off before he got too

creative with his lie.

Alex has also been stopped: his mother interrupted him.

Separable Phrasal VerbsSeparable phrasal verbs are transitive (they can take a direct object), and the direct object can

separate the verb and the adverb (or preposition). If you encounter a new phrasal verb,

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theres no way to identify it as separable. If youre unsure, look up the meaning and usage in a

good dictionary which gives examples.

I need to take back the shirt I lent you.

Wheres that shirt I lent you? I need to take it back .

In the first example, the object (the shirt) comes after the phrasal verb. In the second

example, the object (it) separates the verb from the adverb. The phrasal verb has the same

meaning in both examples.

The cloth is so thin you can see through it.

The project is difficult, but we have to see it through .

By separating see through, we change the meaning of the phrasal verb. In the first example, it

means the cloth provides no barrier to sight. In the second example, it means the project

needs to be completed.

Alice is sick today: call Catherine, and see if she can fill in .

Sorry Im late; can you fill me in on whats happened so far?

Wash this teapot out , please.

Wash out this teapot, please.

We heard you were feeling low, so weve come to cheer you up .

Cheer up ! Life isnt all bad.

Put on your coat and lets go!

Put your coat on ! Lets go!

Theres no such thing as a man in the moon. Stop trying to put me on .

Inseparable Phrasal VerbsInseparable phrasal verbs can be transitive (i.e. they can take a direct object), but they cant

have the direct object in the middle of the phrasal verb. Most of the time, this makes life a little

easier for the new English writer as there arent as many variables or meanings to consider.

Theres no way to tell if a phrasal verb is inseparable. If youre unsure, look it up in the

dictionary and find some examples.

Ifyou focus your education solely on one area, youll have nothing to fall back on if you change

your mind.How long until Granny can get off of the medication?

Humans cant do without clean water and a variety of food.

Did you ever hear of something quite so strange?

Each child should have at least one older child they can look up to .

Have a good trip home, and take care of yourself.

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It doesnt matter how many times Claire runs for Class President, shell never get in.

What does i.e. stand for ? It stands for id est, or that is.

Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

Intransitive phrasal verbs are phrasal verbs that cant take a direct object. Theyre alsoinseparable.

When learning to ride a bicycle, it usually takes a few crashes before the rider catches on .

Well, thatwas a bit of an embarrassment! Well just lay low until it all blows over .

When Anthony was in Grade 6, he had a terrible teacher; he fell behind.

I have a gift to give to Jennys new baby, but I think it would be rude to just drop in .

I love watching out the window when the plane flies over a farmers field.

The Rat Race involves a lot of pushing and shoving to get ahead .

Do you ever want to just run away when you see your inbox?

Intransitive phrasal verbs cant take a direct object, but they can take an indirect object. Look

for prepositions like to and on.

It sometimes takes a new rider a while to catch on to the finer details of bike riding.

Shall we drop in on Jenny and her new baby?

What do I have to do to keep ahead of all this homework?!

While its certainly impolite, its also kind of funny when Matt talks back to Prof. Taylor.