Grammar-Quizzes › Verb Phrases › Verb Groups › Verbal Idioms
VERB + PREPOSITION | |
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Some verbs require a preposition to complete the meaning expressed by the subject and predicate. (He fell____.) One of several options can complete the expression (e.g., down, over, upside-down, on the ground, under a bus, over a balcony). The meanings expressed by the verb and the preposition are literal—each word has a meaning. |
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SUBJECT + PREDICATE | PREPOSITION / PREP PHRASE |
Jack looks |
up. (upward) up the stairs. |
She put the cat |
out. (outside) outside. |
She put the cat away. |
away. away from the baby. |
My dog wandered |
off. off our property. |
They went |
in. (inside) inside. |
He walked behind. |
behind. behind us. |
VERBAL IDIOM | ||
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Other verbs require a particular preposition. The verb and the preposition combine to form an expression—a verbal idiom. Neither the verb nor the preposition keeps its original meaning (neither has a literal meaning), rather the two combine to form a unit and take on a new meaning. The preposition is called a particle¹. See Verb+Prep. |
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SUBJECT + PREDICATE | PREPOSITION (PARTICLE) | OBJECT |
Jack looks
|
up (search in a reference book) |
the word. |
She put
|
out (extinguish) |
the fire. |
She had to put
|
away (euthanized, killed, "put to sleep") |
her cat. |
The airplane took
|
off. (departed, began to fly) |
|
They gave |
in. (conceded, surrendered) |
|
He fell |
behind. (progressed too slowly) |
|
*not used / ~marginal or awkwad use (requires a special context)
literal meaning – each word has a dictionary meaning (word for word meaning)
idiom (N) – one or more words together have a particular meaning
¹particle (N) – is an intransitive preposition that is positioned before the complement of the verb. He put out the fire. See Preposition or a particle?
a grammaticized preposition is one in which the verb selects/accepts one particular preposition as its complement (the use of the preposition is more syntactic than semantic); He put down his pencil; *He put his pencil down the table. OK: He put the spoiled milk down the drain. (Huddleston "Grammaticized Prepositions" 7 §6.2) (Huddleston "Grammaticized Prepositions" 7 §6) See Unspecified vs. Specified Preposition.
Other words like this: abide by, account for, ask after, ask for, bank on, believe in, break into, break with, call for, call on, came across, come between, come by, come into, come under consist of, count on, dawn on, decide on, dispose of, draw on, dwell on, fall for, feel for, fuss over, get at, get over, get round, go off, grow on, hit on, hold with, hope for, keep to, lay into, look after, look for, make for, part with, pick on, pore over, run into, see about, see to, stand by, stand for, stem from, take after, tamper with tell on, testify to, wait on. (Huddleston 4 §6.1.2)
Current linguistic description includes place adverbs and prepositions for place in the same category: Preposition. See Adverbs for Place– Grammar Notes
See Verb + Prepositions—Meaning.
SEPARABLE PREPOSITIONAL VERBS | |
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A separable prepositional verb CAN be separated by an object. It CANNOT be followed by an object pronoun (if the verb takes an object.) |
|
He took his coat off. |
He took it off. / |
He gave money away. |
He gave it away. |
She let my dress out. |
She let it out. |
He got his shoes on. |
He got them on. |
He made the check out for $100. |
He made it out for $100. |
He took the piano up. |
He took it up. |
I looked the bills over. |
I looked them over. |
Look the word up. |
Look it up. |
She put the fire out. |
She put it out. |
INSEPARABLE PREPOSITIONAL VERB |
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An inseparable prepositional verb CANNOT be separated by an object. It CAN be followed by an object pronoun (if the verb takes an object.) |
The airplane took off. (departed) |
His heart gave away. (stopped working) |
School lets out in June. (finishes) |
He got on well with his classmates. (worked in harmony) |
He made out well in life. (succeeded) |
The piano took up most of the living room. (occupied) |
I looked after the children. (take care of) |
He looks up to his big brother. (admires) |
She wouldn't put up with bad behavior. (tolerate) |
*Yellow highlighted words are examples of incorrect usage.
Also see Verb + Preposition–Transitivity
Do Get Give Go Have Let Look Make Put Take Think Try
DO AWAY WITH |
put an end to something |
They will do away with tax on home heating fuel. |
DO IN ¹ |
murder |
The mafia did him in. |
DO IN ¹ |
injure |
This hot weather will do us in. |
DO IN ¹ |
cheat or swindle |
The car buyer was done in by the fly-by-night salesman. |
DO OVER ¹ |
redo over repeat |
I had to do my homework over because I had too many mistakes. |
DO OVER ¹ |
redecorate |
We did our kitchen over to modernize it. (also: made over) |
DO UP ¹ |
make fancy |
She did up her hair in a pretty bow. |
DO UP ¹ |
finish |
Do up the work before you leave. |
DO WITH |
benefit from |
We could do with less talk and more action. |
(MAKE) DO WITH |
get by, survive with less |
In a bad economy, we make do with less (money, food, etc.) |
DO WITHOUT |
manage, survive |
I could not do without my cell phone. |
¹separable – accepts an object
GET ABOUT |
move, be active |
Even though he's ninety, he gets about pretty well. |
GET AT |
hint, insinuate, imply |
I don't know what the lawyer was getting at, but I didn't like it. |
GET AT |
discover, find |
We wanted to get at the root of the problem. |
GET AWAY |
escape from confinement |
The prisoner tried to get away, but the officer caught him. |
GET AWAY WITH |
do something without detection |
He tries to get away with cheating, but they keep catching him. |
GET BY |
manage, survive |
We got by even though we didn't have much money. |
GET DOWN¹ |
depress, discourage |
The cold, rainy weather got me down after a couple of months. |
GET DOWN |
enjoy, dance |
Let's have a little fun and get down tonight! |
GET IN |
arrive |
When does your plane get in? |
GET IN |
enter a private vehicle |
We got in the car and sat down. (get on - public vehicle) |
GET OFF |
exit a public vehicle |
We got off the bus at the last stop. |
GET OFF¹ |
escape from punishment |
He was charged with public indecency, but the lawyer got him off |
GET OFF |
boldness, effrontery |
Where do you get off telling me I'm fat. Look at yourself. |
GET ON |
to work or perform in harmony |
They got on well together. |
GET ON |
to mount, to board (public transportation) |
He got on his bicycle and rode away. He got on the bus. |
GET IT ON¹ |
to have a romantic or sexual connection |
"Let's get it on." -- Marvin Gaye song |
GET ON¹ |
to wear |
He got on his shoes. See get passive |
GET OVER |
recover |
It took him a week to get over his cold / his divorce. |
GET THROUGH |
to succeed in contacting |
I had trouble getting through to you because my phone had bad reception. |
GET UP |
wake up and get out of bed |
What time did you get up this morning? |
¹separable – accepts an object
GIVE AWAY¹ |
give as a gift |
He was feeling so confident, he gave away all his money. |
GIVE AWAY¹ |
reveal a secret |
Be careful not to give secret away. |
GIVE IN |
surrender, acknowledge defeat |
At first he said, "no", but then he gave in. |
GIVE OF |
devote or contribute |
To give of one's self is the greatest gift. |
GIVE OFF |
to put forth, emit |
The light bulb gave off an amazing amount of light. |
GIVE OUT¹ |
emit, distribute |
They gave out fliers in front of the playhouse. |
GIVE OUT |
to become exhausted, used up |
After running four miles, his legs gave out. |
GIVE OVER¹ |
transfer, release to someone else |
He will give over the ownership of his property to his grandchildren. |
GIVE UP |
to abandon, |
She never gave up hope that he would get well. |
GIVE UP |
discontinue |
He gave up smoking. |
GIVE (IT) UP¹ |
applaud; clap (slang) |
Let's give it up for Beyonce! |
*separable – accepts an object
GO ABOUT |
perform one's duties |
Every day, he goes about checking our work. |
GO AFTER |
pursue |
If you really want it, go after it. |
GO AGAINST |
to conflict with |
He never thought his son would go against him. |
GO AHEAD |
proceed |
Go ahead. We'll catch up with you later. |
GO ALONG |
agree to follow |
Bill went along with his friend's plan even though Bill didn't think it was a good plan. |
GO AROUND |
accompany |
They always go around with the same people. |
GO AROUND |
be enough for everyone |
They brought enough food to go around. |
GO AT |
attack |
They went at each other viciously. |
GO BACK |
return |
He went back home after work. |
GO BACK ON |
fail to keep to |
He went back on his word and started smoking again. |
GO BY |
to be disregarded, not taken advantage of |
He let his best chance go by. |
GO DOWN |
suffer defeat |
They went down fighting. |
GO DOWN |
be remembered |
This will go down in history as an unforgettable moment. |
GO FOR |
try hard for |
Go for the gold! (Olympian expression) |
GO IN WITH |
join |
He went in with them on an investment scheme. |
GO OFF |
explode |
The gun went off and runners began the race. |
GO OFF |
ring |
My phone always goes off when I'm in class. |
GO ON |
continue |
When life is hard, you have to go on. |
GO OUT |
extinguish |
If the lights go out, light some candles. |
GO OUT WITH |
accompany or date |
Amelia goes out with her friends. She is going out with a new guy. |
GO OVER |
review |
After we go over the plans, we can discuss what to do. |
GO OVER |
to meet approval |
Did your proposal go over well? |
GO THROUGH |
experience |
We had to go through hard times during the war. |
GO THROUGH WITH |
persevere to the end |
He decided to go through with the operation to repair his heart. |
GO UNDER |
fail, ruin |
The bank went under due to bad business practices. |
GO UP |
be under construction |
A new building is going up in place of the old one. |
GO UP |
be consumed by fire |
The old building went up in flames. |
GO WITH |
look good or fashionable with |
His striped shirt didn't go with his jacket. |
HAVE AT |
attack; to go at (alternate expression) |
It's time to have at my homework. |
HAVE ON¹ |
to wear |
What do you have on? |
HAVE ON¹ |
to host a guest on TV |
Who does David Letterman have on tonight? |
HAVE X OUT |
settle |
She and I had it out last night and came to an agreement. |
HAVE OVER¹ |
entertain |
We had our friends over for dinner. |
HAVE X TO DO WITH |
be associated with |
His lack of confidence had a lot to do with his not getting the job. |
*separable – accepts an object
LET DOWN¹ |
disappoint |
He let us down when he didn't do as he said he would. |
LET IN¹ |
to admit |
The door man let us in to the nightclub. |
LET IN¹ |
share a secret |
I'll let you in on a little secret. I won the lottery. |
LET OFF¹ |
release by exploding |
The fireworks let off a whistling sound. |
LET OFF¹ |
to free from duty |
They let him off jury duty. |
LET OFF¹ |
excuse with little punishment |
The judge let the youth off with just a warning and a promise. |
LET ON |
reveal |
Please don't let on that you already know his secret. |
LET OUT |
terminates, release from confinement |
Elementary schools let out at the end of May. |
LET OUT |
release from restraint |
The dog let out a loud yelp when its owner left. |
LET OUT¹ |
enlarge |
I had to let my pants out after the holiday meals. |
LET UP ON |
ease up ; treat less severely |
His mother let up on him after she realized he was trying his hardest. |
*separable – accepts an object
LOOK AFTER |
take care of; foster |
They looked after him when his parents couldn't. |
LOOK DOWN ON |
regard with scorn or contempt |
Those people look down on everyone else as being inferior. |
LOOK IN ON |
visit briefly |
The nurse looked in on each patient several times a day. |
LOOK INTO |
investigate |
The police are looking into the crime. |
LOOK ON |
to be a spectator |
The fans looked on while their team battled to win. |
LOOK OUT |
to be on guard, to take care |
Look out or you might get hurt. |
LOOK OUT FOR |
to be concerned |
We need to look out for our health. |
LOOK OUT ONTO |
to have a view |
Our hotel room looked out onto the town's plaza. |
LOOK OVER¹ |
review |
The mechanic looked the car over to see if there were any problems. |
LOOK UP¹ |
research, find in a reference book |
Always look up the words that you don't know. |
LOOK UP TO |
admire, regard highly |
She has always looked up to her older sister. |
*separable – accepts an object
MAKE AWAY WITH |
steal |
The dishonest CEO made away with millions of dollars. |
MAKE DO WITH |
get by, survive with less |
In a bad economy, we make do with less (money). |
MAKE OFF WITH |
steal, take |
The bear made off with our picnic basket. |
MAKE OUT¹ |
to write or complete |
After you make out the check, put it in the mail. |
MAKE OUT¹ |
be able to distinguish or read |
It was hard to make out the words on the old memorial stone. |
MAKE OUT |
succeed |
With a lot of hard work, you too can make out in life. |
MAKE OUT |
show affection; kiss |
They made out in the front seat. |
MAKE OVER |
redo, redecorate |
The film producer decided to make over the actor's appearance |
MAKE UP |
invent |
Did you make that story up? I don't believe it. |
MAKE UP |
to put on cosmetics |
Women make up their faces before going to parties. |
MAKE UP |
to settle or reconcile |
We had been quarreling for two years, but we made last night. |
MAKE UP |
repeat |
I had to make up a course in which I had gotten an unsatisfactory grade. |
MAKE UP FOR |
compensate |
His boss offered him vacation days to make up for his overtime hours. |
MAKE UP OF |
constitute |
The United States is made up of fifty states. |
MAKE UP TO |
become friendly with |
He was trying to make up to every woman in the class. (informal) |
¹separable – accepts an object
PUT ABOUT |
turn in a different direction |
The ship put about and headed back to shore. |
PUT ABOUT |
to start a rumor |
The opposition put about a rumor that we had accepted a bribe. |
PUT AWAY¹ |
put in its place |
We put away the food after shopping. |
PUT AWAY¹ |
consume |
He can put away five hamburgers! |
PUT AWAY¹ |
euthanize |
We had to put our dog away when it became too old to survive. |
PUT AWAY¹ |
jail |
The murderer was put away for life. |
PUT DOWN¹ |
write |
The Red Cross put me down for a one hundred dollar contribution. |
PUT DOWN |
regard or categorize |
He was put down as a complainer |
PUT DOWN¹ |
to insult or criticize |
My older sister always put me down when she was with her friends. |
PUT DOWN¹ |
to place a down payment |
We put down forty per cent on the house. |
PUT DOWN |
land and aircraft |
The plane put down in a wheat field. |
PUT IN |
enter a port |
The ship put in before sunset. |
PUT IN FOR |
apply or request |
He put in for a transfer to a different division. |
PUT OFF¹ |
delay or postpone |
He tends to put off doing his taxes. |
PUT OFF |
repel, distance, perturb |
The artist's use of dead animals put off his viewers. |
PUT ON * |
to wear |
He put on his pants |
PUT ON¹ |
produce or perform |
They put on a wonderful play. |
PUT OUT¹ |
extinguish |
The firemen put out the fire |
PUT OUT¹ |
be bothersome; inconvenience |
Yes, I'd like a cup of coffee, but I don't want to put you out. |
PUT UP¹ |
put items in their places |
Please put up your toys. |
PUT UP WITH |
tolerate |
I can't put up with his terrible behavior |
*separable – accepts an object
TAKE AFTER |
resemble |
His daughter takes after him in business sense. |
TAKE AFTER |
pursue |
The dog took after the little boy who tried to run away. |
TAKE BACK¹ |
retract |
I take what I said back. I shouldn't have said it. |
TAKE DOWN¹ |
write or record |
Take these measurements down. |
TAKE DOWN¹ |
capture, control |
They took down their opponents. |
TAKE FOR¹ |
to assume to |
I took his word for the truth. / I took for truth his word. |
TAKE IN * |
provide lodging or a home |
His uncle took him in after his father died. |
TAKE IN¹ |
alter, make smaller |
She had her dress taken in after she had her baby. |
TAKE IN |
trick or deceive |
The insurance salesman took in the unsuspecting buyer. |
TAKE IN |
observe and make sense of |
We listened to his lecture. There was a lot to take in. |
TAKE OFF¹ |
remove clothing |
Please take off your coat and sit down. |
TAKE OFF |
depart from earth |
The airplane took off on time. |
TAKE OFF¹ |
remove from a job or position |
They took me off one project to work on another. |
TAKE OFF |
humorous imitation (noun) |
The movie was a take off on news anchormen. |
TAKE ON¹ |
undertake |
The President took on the difficult job of restoring the economy. |
TAKE ON¹ |
hire |
They took him on as their financial officer. |
TAKE OUT¹ |
date |
He took her out to the movies. |
TAKE OVER¹ |
assume management |
The stronger company took over the weaker one. |
TAKE UP¹ |
to begin to study |
He took up the piano. |
TAKE UP |
occupy |
The grand piano took up most of the room. |
TAKE UP¹ |
continue |
Let's take up where we left off yesterday. |
TAKE UP¹ |
begin discussion or a subject |
Today, I will take up the subject of my salary. |
TAKE UP WITH |
become friends |
He began to take up with the wrong crowd. |
*separable – accepts an object
THINK ABOUT |
consider, think for a while |
I would like some time to think about your business proposal. |
THINK ABOUT |
have an opinion or judgment |
What do you think about the new no-smoking law? |
THINK OF |
create, devise, come up with |
How did you think of this clever idea? |
THINK OF |
have an opinion or judgment |
What do you think of your phone? |
THINK OF |
remember, come to mind |
I suddenly thought of his name. |
THINK ON |
consider, think for a while |
I'm not ready to buy it now. I'll have to think on this for a while. |
THINK OUT¹ |
think toward reaching a solution |
Think it out before you act. |
THINK OVER¹ |
consider, think for a while |
Please think it over carefully before you sign the contract. |
THINK THROUGH¹ |
think toward reaching a solution |
If you think through the math problem, you'll find the solution. |
THINK UP¹ |
create, devise come up with |
She thought up our logo design. |
¹separable – accepts an object
TRY ON¹ |
put on clothing to see if you like it |
Try the pants on. / Try on the pants. If you like them, buy them. |
TRY OUT¹ |
experiment with something |
We tried out a new method of using the cell phone. |
TRY OUT¹ |
audition, perform before judges |
He tried out before the American Idol judges. They held try-outs today. |
*separable – accepts an object