Search results for 'tag:Prepositional verbs tag:Pronouns' matching tags 'Prepositional verbs' and 'Pronouns'

Re: Differ between a preposition and an adverb in a phrasal verb.

CalifJim — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 18:12:24 GMT

What you call a "phrasal verb with a preposition" doesn't seem correct.
A verb-plus-preposition structure like expand on is usually called a prepositional verb.
Only a verb-plus-adverb structure like catch on is usually called a phrasal verb.
These are the terms I'll use below.

In the case of an intransitive like catch on, nothing resembling an object follows on, so it can't be a prepositional verb. It's a phrasal verb, not a prepositional verb.

It didn't take long for the hula-hoop craze to catch on in the 1950's.

The more difficult cases are when the phrasal verb (if it is one) has an object.

How do we identify ~~that~~ whether the word following the verb in a phrasal verb is an adverb or a preposition?

Let's use the example found in Radford's book Transformational Grammar.

The drunks would get off the bus. (prepositional verb)
The drunks would put off the customers. (phrasal verb)

Here are some tests:

1. If you can substitute other PPs (prepositional phrases) and get a parallel meaning, it's a prepositional verb. If you get nonsense or a new idiomatic meaning, it's a phrasal verb.
If the verb component of the phrase has a more-or-less constant meaning no matter what follows, it's a prepositional verb. If the meaning changes unpredictably, it's a phrasal verb.

The drunks would get off the bus. The drunks would get on the bus.
The drunks would put off the customers. ???The drunks would put on the customers. The drunks would put on dirty clothes.

2. If the range of complements that go with the verb phrase are similar with different prepositions, it's a prepositional verb. If the complements that make sense with the verb phrase change when you change the particle, it's a phrasal verb.

The drunks would get off the bus, off the train, off the plane.
The drunks would get on the bus, on the train, on the plane.

The drunks would put off the customers, put off the shoppers, put off the people nearby.
The drunks would put on dirty clothes, strange hats, wild-looking ties.

3. If you can move the whole structure that looks like a PP to another part of the sentence, it's a prepositional verb. If you can't move the PP, then it's not really a PP, and you have a phrasal verb.

Off the bus the drunks would get.
*Off the customers the drunks would put.

4. If you can use the PP as a fragment in the answer to a question, it's a prepositional verb; else, it's a phrasal verb.

-- Did they get off the train?
-- No, off the bus.

-- Did they put off the waitresses?
-- *No, off the customers.

5. If you can insert a verb-phrase adverb like quickly, slowly, or completely between the verb and the particle, then it's a prepositional verb; else, it's a phrasal verb.

The drunks got slowly off the bus.
*The drunks put completely off the customers.

6. If you can use and to combine the PP with another PP just like it, it's a prepositional verb; else it's a phrasal verb.

They got off the bus and off the train.
*They put off the waitresses and off the customers.

7. If you can omit the verb, keeping the particle, in an elliptical construction, it's a prepositional verb; else it's a phrasal verb.

Drunks would get off the bus, and junkies off the train.
*Drunks would put off the customers, and junkies off the waitresses.

8. If you can use a pronomial object in the PP without placing the pronoun before the particle, it's a prepositional verb; else it's a phrasal verb.

The trouble with the bus was that drunks would want to get off it every few miles.
*What worries us about the customers is whether drunks would put off them.

(The reverse works as well. When you place the pronoun before the particle, only the phrasal verb will be correct in the intended reading.)

*The trouble with the bus was that drunks would want to get it off every few miles.
What worries us about the customers is whether drunks would put them off.

CJ

Re: Prep. verb + prep. object, or V + adverbial PP ??

cacarr — Sun, 06 Mar 2005 20:30:43 GMT

I'm trying to think of a prepositional verb that can be split by an object.

1.Call on (visit)

2.Call up (summon)

1. *I called my friends on.

2. I called my friends up.

#2 is a phrasal verb.

Also, I don't beleive that a phrasal verb can divided by an adverb

1.I call frequently on my friends.

2.*I call angrily up my friends.

A phrasal verb particle can't precede a relative pronoun.

1. On which friends did I call?

2. *Up which friends did I call?

Re: Preposition

Mister Micawber — Fri, 04 Feb 2005 13:07:09 GMT

First, allow me to redefine for clarity, Hanuman:

Multi-word verbs (verb + particle) are divided into (1) phrasal verbs (verb+adverb) and (2) prepositional verbs (verb + preposition).

In both, the particle can be followed by a noun, so you may have trouble distinguishing them that way:

They set up a new corporation.
They ran into a legal problem.

I. The object can, and a pronoun object must, go before the particle of a phrasal verb, but this is not possible for a prepositional verb:

They set the corporation up; They set it up.
X They ran a legal problem into; They ran it into.

II. Only the preposition of a prepositional verb can be fronted:

Into what did they run?
X Up what did they set?

Re: Prepositional or Phrasal Verb?

Mister Micawber — Fri, 03 Dec 2004 14:35:35 GMT

Try this, Karol:

1) The particle of a prepositional verb must precede the prepositional object, but the particle of a phrasal verb can generally precede or follow the direct object.

2) When the object is a personal pronoun, the pronoun follows the particle of a prepositional verb but precedes the particle of a phrasal verb.

3) An adverb can often be inserted between verb and particle in prepositional verbs, but not in phrasal verbs.

4) The particle of a phrasal verb cannot precede a relative pronoun of 'wh'-interrogative.

5) The particle of a phrasal verb is normally stressed whereas the particle of a prepositional verb is normally unstressed.

(Courtesy of Greenbaum & Quirk)

Re: I have a question about phrasal verbs too

Mister Micawber — Mon, 08 Nov 2004 14:10:38 GMT

I guess if you don't know the verb at all, you're stuck, Lana. There are no prescriptive rules, only guidelines. Greenbaum & Quirk list five differences:

(1) The particle of a prepositional verb must precede the object, but the particle of a phrasal verb can either precede or follow the d.o.

(2) When the object is a personal pronoun, it follows the particle of a prepositonal verb but precedes that of a phrasal verb.

(3) An adverb adjunct can often be inserted between verb and particle of a prepositional verb, but not in the case of a phrasal.

(4) The particle of a phrasal cannot precede a relative pronoun or wh-interrogative.

(5) The particle of a phrasal is normally stressed; that of the prepositional normally unstressed.

Try 'em out, let me know how you like 'em.

I have a question about phrasal verbs too

Lana — Mon, 08 Nov 2004 13:55:30 GMT

I was going to open a new thread about phrasal verbs but then I saw this one and I thought that I could post my question here. I hope you'll be able to answer my question as well, here it is:

How can you tell the difference between phrasal and prepositional verbs? I know that phrasal verbs can be separated by a personal pronoun and that prepositional verbs can't be separated, but how do you know which one is phrasal and which one is prepositional in the first place if you don't know the verb and have never seen it before? Is there a rule or do you have to learn by heart?

Re: Turn down

miriam — Wed, 07 Jul 2004 12:18:59 GMT

Maj,
"turn down" is a phrasal verb. some of its characteristics are different from those of "prepositional verbs".
In phrasal verbs, the object -when it is a pronoun- will usually appear between the verb and the adverbial particle.
I have to get ready for work now; I'll give you a detailed explanation later.

Miriam