Phrasal Verbs & Idioms

Phrasal verbs are verb + particle combinations with a special meaning: give up (stop trying), look after (take care of), turn down (refuse), find out (discover), run out of (have none left), get on with (have a good relationship / continue), put off (postpone).

Phrasal verbs can be separable (object can go between verb and particle, or after) or inseparable (object always comes after the whole phrase). Separable example: turn down → I turned down the offer / I turned the offer down. If the object is a pronoun, it MUST go in the middle: I turned it down (not turned down it). Inseparable example: look after → I look after my little sister (never look my sister after). Some phrasal verbs have three parts and are inseparable: run out of → We ran out of milk. Idioms are fixed expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from individual words, e.g. 'hit the books' (study hard), 'under the weather' (feeling ill), 'break the ice' (start a conversation).

+ Verb + particle (+ object) / Verb + object + particle (separable)

• She looks after her grandmother every weekend.
• I turned the job down because the pay was too low.
• We ran out of petrol on the motorway.

− don't/doesn't + verb + particle

• He doesn't get on with his new neighbour.
• They didn't find out the truth until later.

? Do/Does + subject + verb + particle...?

• Why did you turn down such a good offer?
• Have we run out of sugar?

• ENI'm trying to give up sugar this year.

  KZБиыл қантты тастауға тырысып жатырмын.

  RUЯ пытаюсь бросить есть сахар в этом году.

• ENCould you look after my dog while I'm away?

  KZМен жоқта итімді қарап бере аласыз ба?

  RUНе могли бы вы присмотреть за моей собакой, пока меня нет?

• ENShe turned down the job because it paid too little.

  KZОл жұмыстан бас тартты, өйткені жалақысы аз болды.

  RUОна отказалась от работы, потому что зарплата была слишком маленькой.

• ENWe finally found out who broke the window.

  KZТерезені кім сындырғанын ақыры біліп алдық.

  RUМы наконец узнали, кто разбил окно.

• ENWe ran out of milk, so I need to go shopping.

  KZБізде сүт таусылды, сондықтан дүкенге бару керек.

  RUУ нас закончилось молоко, поэтому мне нужно сходить в магазин.

• ENHe gets on with everyone in his class.

  KZОл сыныптағы барлығымен тату.

  RUОн ладит со всеми в своём классе.

• ENLet's put off the meeting until next week.

  KZЖиналысты келесі аптаға кейінге қалдырайық.

  RUДавайте отложим встречу на следующую неделю.

• ENI don't want to give it up — I love playing the piano.

  KZМен одан бас тартқым келмейді — мен пианино ойнағанды жақсы көремін.

  RUЯ не хочу это бросать — я люблю играть на пианино.

• ENShe's been feeling under the weather all week.

  KZОл бүкіл апта бойы өзін жайсыз сезінуде.

  RUОна весь неделю чувствует себя неважно.

• ENHe told a joke to break the ice at the meeting.

  KZЖиналыста әзіл айтып, жағдайды жеңілдетті.

  RUОн рассказал шутку, чтобы растопить лёд на встрече.

• ✗ I turned down it.

  ✓ I turned it down.

  With a pronoun object, separable phrasal verbs must be split.

• ✗ I look after of my sister.

  ✓ I look after my sister.

  Look after does not take 'of'.

• ✗ We ran out milk.

  ✓ We ran out of milk.

  Run out of needs the preposition 'of'.

• ✗ She gives up smoke.

  ✓ She gives up smoking.

  Give up is followed by a gerund (V-ing), not the base verb.

Separable vs Inseparable Phrasal Verbs

Separable phrasal verbs (turn down, put off) allow the object between the verb and particle, and require it there with pronouns. Inseparable phrasal verbs (look after, get on with) never split — the object always comes after the whole phrase.

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