Verbs that are used with small adverbs (adverb particles) are called phrasal verbs or two-part verbs.
• "I woke up at 6.30 this morning. Bloody birds!"
• "I'll have to get up early tomorrow. I haven't finished my essay."
The most common adverb particles are:
about · along · around · away · back · by · down · forward · in · off · on · out · over · through · up
• "She's useless! She never comes up with any good ideas."
• "I don't feel ready. I want to put off meeting them."
• "You'll have to hang on. I have only one pair of hands."
The meaning of the two-part verb is often very different from the meaning of the two parts of the verb. Sometimes a phrasal verb is followed by a preposition:
• "Slow down! I can't keep up with you."
• "Are you looking forward to seeing your family, or not so much?"
When a phrasal verb has an object, there are usually two positions for the object:
• "I turned the light on."
• "I turned on the light."
If the object is a pronoun (it, them, him, etc.), only one position is possible:
• "I turned it on." Not: "I turned on it."
Now try the exercise on the next page.
Dagmar Taylor
