Verbal Idioms (Phrasal Verbs, Two-word Verbs) Express activities with verb-prep combinations Verb + Preposition vs Verbal Idiom VERB + PREPOSITION Some verbs require a preposition to complete the meaning expressed by the subject and predicate (He fell .) One of several options can complete the expression (e.g., down, over, upside-down, on the ground, under a bus, over a balcony) The meanings expressed by the verb and the preposition are literal—each word has a meaning SUBJECT + PREDICATE PREPOSTION / PREP PHRASE Jack looks up (in that general direction) up the stairs She put the cat out outside She put the cat away away away from the baby My dog wandered off off our property They went in inside He walked behind behind behind us VERBAL IDIOM Other verbs require a particular preposition The verb and the preposition combine to form an expression—a verbal idiom Neither the verb nor the preposition keeps its original meaning (neither has a literal meaning), rather the two combine to form a unit and take on a new meaning The preposition is called aparticle¹ See Verb+Prep SUBJECT + PREDICATE Jack looks PREPOSTION (PARTICLE) up OBJECT the word (search in a reference book) She put out the fire (extinguish) She had to put away (euthanized, killed, "put to sleep") The airplanetook off (departed, began to fly) They gave in (conceded, surrendered) He fell behind (progressed too slowly) her cat literal meaning – each word has a dictionary meaning (word for word meaning) idiom (N) – one or more words together have a particular meaning ¹particle (N) – is an intransitive preposition that is positioned before the complement of the verb He put down his pencil He went out the door (Huddleston "Grammaticized Prepositions" §6.2) Verb + Preposition Separable vs Inseparable SEPARABLE PREPOSITIONAL VERBS A separable prepositional verb CAN be separated by an object It CANNOT be followed by an object pronoun (if the verb takes an object.) He took his coat off He took off his coat.(removed) He took it off / *He took off it He gave money away He gave money away.(give as a gift) He gave it away He gave away *it She let my dress out She let out my dress (enlarged) She let it out She let out *it He got his shoes on He got on his shoes (wore) He got them on He got on *them He made the check outfor $100 He made out the check for $100 He made it out for $100 He made out *it (wrote) He took the piano up He took up the piano (begin to learn) He took it up He took up *it I looked the bills over I looked over the bills.(review) I looked them over I looked over *them Look the word up Look up the word (search in reference book) Look it up Look up *it She put the fire out She put out the fire (extinguish) She put it out She put out *it INSEPARABLE PREPOSITIONAL VERB An inseparable prepositional verb CANNOT be separated by an object It CAN be followed by an object pronoun (if the verb takes an object.) The airplane took off (departed) His heart gave away (stopped working) School lets out in June (finishes) He got on well with his classmates (worked in harmony) He made out well in life (succeeded) The piano took up most of the living room (occupied) I looked after the children (take care of) I looked after them He looks up to his big brother (admires) He looks up to him She wouldn't put up with bad behavior (tolerate) She wouldn't put up with it *Yellow highlighted words are examples of incorrect usage Verbal Idioms(Two-Word Verbs) Meanings and Sentences Do Get Give Go Have Let Look Make Put Take Think Try Do ¹separable – accepts an object DO AWAY WITH put an end to something They will away with tax on home heating fuel DO IN ¹ murder The mafia did him in DO IN ¹ injure This hot weather will us in DO IN ¹ cheat or swindle The car buyer was done in by the fly-by-night salesman DO OVER ¹ redo over repeat I had to my homework over because I had too many mistakes DO OVER ¹ redecorate We did our kitchen over to modernize it (also: made over) DO UP ¹ make fancy She did up her hair in a pretty bow DO UP ¹ finish Do up the work before you leave DO WITH benefit from We could with less talk and more action (MAKE) DO WITH get by, survive with less In a bad economy, we make with less (money, food, etc.) DO WITHOUT manage, survive I could not without my cell phone Get GET ABOUT move, be active Even though he's ninety, he gets about pretty well GET AT hint, insinuate, imply I don't know what the lawyer was getting at, but I didn't like it GET AT discover, find We wanted to get at the root of the problem GET AWAY escape from confinement The prisoner tried to get away, but the officer caught him GET AWAY WITH something without detection He tries to get away with cheating, but they keep catching him GET BY manage, survive We got by even though we didn't have much money GET DOWN¹ depress, discourage The cold, rainy weather got me down after a couple of months GET DOWN enjoy, dance Let's have a little fun and get down tonight! GET IN arrive When does your plane get in? GET IN enter a private vehicle We got in the car and sat down (get on - public vehicle) GET OFF exit a public vehicle We got off the bus at the last stop GET OFF¹ escape from punishment He was charged with public indecency, but the lawyer got him off GET OFF boldness, effrontery Where you get off telling me I'm fat Look at yourself GET ON to work or perform in harmony They got on well together GET ON to mount, to board (public transportation) He got on his bicycle and rode away He got on the bus GET IT ON¹ to have a romantic or sexual connection "Let's get it on." Marvin Gaye song GET ON¹ to wear He got on his shoes See get passive GET OVER recover It took him a week to get over his cold / his divorce GET THROUGH to succeed in contacting I had trouble getting through to you because my phone had bad reception GET UP wake up and get out of bed What time did you get up this morning? Give GIVE AWAY¹ give as a gift He was feeling so confident, he gave away all his money GIVE AWAY¹ reveal a secret Be careful not to give secret away GIVE IN surrender, acknowledge defeat At first he said, "no", but then he gave in GIVE OF devote or contribute To give of one's self is the greatest gift GIVE OFF to put forth, emit The light bulb gave off an amazing amount of light GIVE OUT¹ emit, distribute They gave out fliers in front of the playhouse GIVE OUT to become exhausted, used up After running four miles, his legs gave out GIVE OVER¹ transfer, release to someone else He will give over the ownership of his property to his grandchildren GIVE UP to abandon, She never gave up hope that he would get well GIVE UP discontinue He gave up smoking GIVE (IT) UP¹ applaud; clap (slang) Let's give it up for Beyonce! *separable – accepts an object Go GO ABOUT perform one's duties Every day, he goes about checking our work GO AFTER pursue If you really want it, go after it GO AGAINST to conflict with He never thought his son would go against him GO AHEAD proceed Go ahead We'll catch up with you later GO ALONG agree to follow Bill went along with his friend's plan even though Bill didn't think it was a good plan GO AROUND accompany They always go around with the same people GO AROUND be enough for everyone They brought enough food to go around GO AT attack They went at each other viciously GO BACK return He went back home after work GO BACK ON fail to keep to He went back on his word and started smoking again GO BY to be disregarded, not taken advantage of He let his best chance go by GO DOWN suffer defeat They went down fighting GO DOWN be remembered This will go down in history as an unforgettable moment GO FOR try hard for Go for the gold! (Olympian expression) GO IN WITH join He went in with them on an investment scheme GO OFF explode The gun went off and runners began the race GO OFF ring My phone always goes off when I'm in class GO ON continue When life is hard, you have to go on GO OUT extinguish If the lights go out, light some candles GO OUT WITH accompany or date Amelia goes out with her friends She is going out with a new guy GO OVER review After we go over the plans, we can discuss what to GO OVER to meet approval Did your proposal go over well? GO THROUGH experience We had to go through hard times during the war GO THROUGH WITH persevere to the end He decided to go through with the operation to repair his heart GO UNDER fail, ruin The bank went under due to bad business practices GO UP be under construction A new building is going up in place of the old one GO UP be consumed by fire The old building went up in flames GO WITH look good or fashionable with His striped shirt didn't go with his jacket Have HAVE AT attack; to go at (alternate expression) It's time to have at my homework HAVE ON¹ to wear What you have on? HAVE ON¹ to host a guest on TV Who does David Letterman have on tonight? HAVE X OUT settle She and I had it out last night and came to an agreement HAVE OVER¹ entertain We had our friends over for dinner HAVE X TO DO WITH be associated with His lack of confidence had a lot to with his not getting the job *separable – accepts an object Let LET DOWN¹ disappoint He let us down when he didn't as he said he would LET IN¹ to admit The door man let us in to the nightclub LET IN¹ share a secret I'll let you in on a little secret I won the lottery LET OFF¹ release by exploding The fireworks let off a whistling sound LET OFF¹ to free from duty They let him off jury duty LET OFF¹ excuse with little punishment The judge let the youth off with just a warning and a promise LET ON reveal Please don't let on that you already know his secret LET OUT terminates, release from confinement Elementary schools let out at the end of May LET OUT release from restraint The dog let out a loud yelp when its owner left LET OUT¹ enlarge I had to let my pants out after the holiday meals LET UP ON ease up ; treat less severely His mother let up on him after she realized he was trying his hardest *separable – accepts an object Look LOOK AFTER take care of; foster They looked after him when his parents couldn't LOOK DOWN ON regard with scorn or contempt Those people look down on everyone else as being inferior LOOK IN ON visit briefly The nurse looked in on each patient several times a day LOOK INTO investigate The police are looking into the crime LOOK ON to be a spectator The fans looked on while their team battled to win LOOK OUT to be on guard, to take care Look out or you might get hurt LOOK OUT FOR to be concerned We need to look out for our health LOOK OUT ONTO to have a view Our hotel room looked out onto the town's plaza LOOK OVER¹ review The mechanic looked the car over to see if there were any problems LOOK UP¹ research, find in a reference book Always look up the words that you don't know LOOK UP TO admire, regard highly She has always looked up to her older sister *separable – accepts an object Make MAKE AWAY WITH steal The dishonest CEO made away with millions of dollars MAKE DO WITH get by, survive with less In a bad economy, we make with less (money) MAKE OFF WITH steal, take The bear made off with our picnic basket MAKE OUT¹ to write or complete After you make out the check, put it in the mail MAKE OUT¹ be able to distinguish or read It was hard to make out the words on the old memorial stone MAKE OUT succeed With a lot of hard work, you too can make out in life MAKE OUT show affection; kiss They made out in the front seat MAKE OVER redo, redecorate The film producer decided to make over the actor's appearance MAKE UP invent Did you make that story up? I don't believe it MAKE UP to put on cosmetics Women make up their faces before going to parties MAKE UP to settle or reconcile We had been quarreling for two years, but we made last night MAKE UP repeat I had to make up a course in which I had gotten an unsatisfactory grade MAKE UP FOR compensate His boss offered him vacation days to make up for his overtime hours MAKE UP OF constitute The United States is made up of fifty states MAKE UP TO become friendly with He was trying to make up to every woman in the class.(informal) ¹separable – accepts an object Put PUT ABOUT turn in a different direction The ship put about and headed back to shore PUT ABOUT to start a rumor The opposition put about a rumor that we had accepted a bribe PUT AWAY¹ put in its place We put away the food after shopping PUT AWAY¹ consume He can put away five hamburgers! PUT AWAY¹ euthanize We had to put our dog away when it became too old to survive PUT AWAY¹ jail The murderer was put away for life PUT DOWN¹ write The Red Cross put me down for a one hundred dollar contribution PUT DOWN regard or categorize He was put down as a complainer PUT DOWN¹ to insult or criticize My older sister always put me down when she was with her friends PUT DOWN¹ to place a down payment We put down forty per cent on the house PUT DOWN land and aircraft The plane put down in a wheat field PUT IN enter a port The ship put in before sunset PUT IN FOR apply or request He put in for a transfer to a different division PUT OFF¹ delay or postpone He tends to put off doing his taxes PUT OFF repel, distance, perturb The artist's use of dead animals put off his viewers PUT ON * to wear He put on his pants PUT ON¹ produce or perform They put on a wonderful play PUT OUT¹ extinguish The firemen put out the fire PUT OUT¹ be bothersome; inconvenience Yes, I'd like a cup of coffee, but I don't want to put you out PUT UP¹ put items in their places Please put up your toys PUT UP WITH tolerate I can't put up with his terrible behavior *separable – accepts an object Take TAKE AFTER resemble His daughter takes after him in business sense TAKE AFTER pursue The dog took after the little boy who tried to run away TAKE BACK¹ retract I take what I said back I shouldn't have said it TAKE DOWN¹ write or record Take these measurements down TAKE DOWN¹ capture, control They took down their opponents TAKE FOR¹ to assume to I took his word for the truth / I took for truth his word TAKE IN * provide lodging or a home His uncle took him in after his father died TAKE IN¹ alter, make smaller She had her dress taken in after she had her baby TAKE IN trick or deceive The insurance salesman took in the unsuspecting buyer TAKE IN observe and make sense of We listened to his lecture There was a lot to take in TAKE OFF¹ remove clothing Please take off your coat and sit down TAKE OFF depart from earth The airplane took off on time TAKE OFF¹ remove from a job or position They took me off one project to work on another TAKE OFF humorous imitation (noun) The movie was a take off on news anchormen TAKE ON¹ undertake The President took on the difficult job of restoring the economy TAKE ON¹ hire They took him on as their financial officer TAKE OUT¹ date He took her out to the movies TAKE OVER¹ assume management The stronger company took over the weaker one TAKE UP¹ to begin to study He took up the piano TAKE UP occupy The grand piano took up most of the room TAKE UP¹ continue Let's take up where we left off yesterday TAKE UP¹ begin discussion or a subject Today, I will take up the subject of my salary TAKE UP WITH become friends He began to take up with the wrong crowd *separable – accepts an object Think THINK ABOUT consider, think for a while I would like some time to think about your business proposal THINK ABOUT have an opinion or judgment What you think about the new no-smoking law? THINK OF create, devise, come up with How did you think of this clever idea? THINK OF have an opinion or judgment What you think of your phone? THINK OF remember, come to mind I suddenly thought of his name THINK ON consider, think for a while I'm not ready to buy it now I'll have to think on this for a while THINK OUT¹ think toward reaching a solution Think it out before you act THINK OVER¹ consider, think for a while Please think it over carefully before you sign the contract THINK THROUGH¹ think toward reaching a solution If you think through the math problem, you'll find the solution THINK UP¹ create, devise come up with She thought up our logo design ¹separable – accepts an object Try TRY ON¹ put on clothing to see if you like it Try the pants on / Try on the pants If you like them, buy them TRY OUT¹ experiment with something We tried out a new method of using the cell phone TRY OUT¹ audition, perform before judges He tried out before the American Idol judges They held try-outs today