Phrasal verbs

  • B1 · Intermediate
  • Grammar lesson
  • 60 min

Phrasal verbs and where the object goes: turn the music down or turn down the music, but always turn it down; look after the fish and look after them, never look them after. From two roommates' house rules to a guessing game about things in your home.

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show upfill it upgo through it

What's in the lesson

  1. 1Warm-up
  2. 2In this lesson
  3. 3Reading: house rulesReading comprehension
  4. 4What does it mean?Grammar exercise
  5. 5Find the split verbsGrammar exercise
  6. 6Where does the object go?Grammar rule
  7. 7Which kind?Grammar exercise
  8. 8Which reply is right?Grammar exercise
  9. 9Words in orderGrammar exercise
  10. 10Find the mistakeGrammar exercise
  11. 11Say it naturallySpeaking practice
  12. 12What is it?Speaking practice
  13. 13About youGrammar exercise
  14. 14Wrap-up

Homework

  1. 1Homework: a note for the house-sitterGrammar exercise
  2. 2Homework: which reply?Grammar exercise
  3. 3Homework: words in orderGrammar exercise
  4. 4Homework: rules for my homeDiscussion

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

Some questions about you before we start.

  1. Who usually takes out the trash in your home?
  2. Do you put things away right after you use them, or later?
  3. Does your home have any rules, written or unwritten?

Grammar rule

Where does the object go?

Three kinds of phrasal verbs

KindExamplesWith a nounWith it, them, me…
No objectget up, go out, grow up, show upOur guests showed up at nine.—
Separableturn down, fill up, clean up, switch offfill the tank up / fill up the tankfill it up (not fill up it)
Inseparablelook after, go through, take aftergo through the mailgo through it (not go it through)

Where does the object go?

  • Separable + a noun: in the middle or after the small word. A long object usually goes after: fill up the big blue bucket in the garage.
  • Separable + a pronoun (it, them, me, him, her, us, you): always in the middle: fill it up, fill them up.
  • Inseparable, and verbs with two small words (look forward to, keep up with): the object always comes after the whole verb: go through it, run out of it.
  • have someone over (= invite someone to your home) always splits: have the neighbors over, have them over.
Which kind is it? A good dictionary shows you: fill something up (separable: something can go in the middle), go through something (inseparable: something comes after). A clue that often works: with after, with, for, into or through, and with two small words, the verb usually doesn't split; with away, back, down, out or up and an object, it usually does. With on, in and off, it can go either way (turn it on, but get on the bus), so check. Watch out: the same pair of words can be more than one kind. I woke up at seven has no object; wake me up at seven is separable.

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