ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: Two grammar questions...

Sooris — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 09:13:13 GMT

Hello,

A phrasal verb is made up of a verb and an adverb. You can have a pronoun between them. A phrasal verb acts as one unit. A pronoun coming between them will not change the meaning of the phrasal verb.

There is nothing wrong in having a pronoun between a verb and a preposition. But they are not one unit.

Example: I saw him at the canteen.

But there is something called appropriate preposition. The verb will always take that particular preposition with which it always comes Example: abide by. Though the meaning of the verb doesn't change like the phrasal verb it doesn't allow a pronoun to come inbetween them.

Re: Two grammar questions...

CalifJim — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 08:19:08 GMT

You should read this Post:256204. Here is just a part of it:

There are a number of particles (up, down, in, out, on, off, away, back) which should make us very suspicious that we are dealing with a separable phrasal verb, and a number of them (with, without, by, for, at, across, of, from, to, into) which almost certainly indicate a prepositional verb. But there are some strange cases!
_____

<>a. Pick up it (INCORRECT) Phrasal verb pick up. Object it must precede up.
b. Pick it up (correct)
c. Pick up the phone (correct)
d. Pick the phone up (correct)

Example two:

<>e. Looking at it (correct)
f. Looking it at (INCORRECT) Prepositional verb look at. Object it must follow at.
g. James handed in the report (the report is "it") (correct)
h. James handed it in (it is "the report") (correct)

i. James handed in it. (INCORRECT) Phrasal verb hand in. Object it must precede in.

CJ

Two grammar questions...

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 03:46:09 GMT

Why can a pronoun be located in between a verb and adverb, but not between a verb and preposition?

Can someone please both explain (a) and (f)? How do I distinguish an adverb from the preposition?

For example,

a. Pick up it (INCORRECT)

b. Pick it up (correct)

c. Pick up the phone (correct)

d. Pick the phone up (correct)

Example two:

e. Looking at it (correct)

f. Looking it at (INCORRECT)

g. James handed in the report (the report is "it") (correct)

h. James handed it in (it is "the report") (correct)