Appendix:English phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs are multi-word verbs constructed from a normal, single-word verb (e.g. run, drink, or play) and one or more additional words (usually words from the categories preposition and adverb) called particles.

Phrasal verbs can be transitive (e.g., walk into someone) or intransitive (e.g., sing along). In the case of transitive phrasal verbs, the position of the particle may be fixed before the direct object (e.g. come across [some money]), or it may be allowed to occur either before or after (e.g. bring a movie over or bring over a movie). In the latter situation, the particle always occurs after the direct object when the direct object is a personal pronoun (chat him up, not *chat up him), but when the direct object is a noun or indefinite pronoun it varies in position depending on the length of the object (chat everyone up vs. chat up everyone in the room). In some transitive phrasal verbs, there is a difference in meaning depending on whether the particle occurs before or after the direct object (cf. see it through = "bring it (e.g. a project) to completion" vs. see through it = "discern the truth of it (e.g. a ruse, a deception)").

Sometimes the particle is optional (e.g. bring over a movie vs. bring a movie), though in most cases it is necessary (bring up the accident vs. *bring the accident).

Idiomacity
Keywords: idiom, idiomacity, sum of parts, inclusion criteria.

Some phrasal verbs are idiomatic while some have meanings that are clearly derived from the individual words. Similarly, the distinction between a phrasal verb and a verb with a preposition is not always clear either, as is the case with go into detail about something. As with the last example, the construction is frequently metaphorical. In other cases, the supplementary word is directional (e.g. sit up or sit down).

Discussions

 * Talk:wait for