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Questions tagged [phrasal-verbs]

A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and a preposition, a verb and an adverb, or a verb with both an adverb and a preposition.

Examples of literal phrasal verbs:

He walked across the square.
She opened the shutters and looked outside.
When he heard the crash, he looked up.

Examples of idiomatic phrasal verbs:

I hope you will get over your operation quickly.
Work hard, and get your examination over with.

706 questions
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Rustle up, cook up, google up—what’s up with phrasal verbs?

I was reading Why is “rustle up” different from “rustle”? which I came across as I was looking for a duplicate for a question about "google up" meaning on ELL, and it made me realize how little I know about phrasal verbs even though I use them all…
ColleenV
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What is the exact meaning of the phrasal verb "hold out" when used in the construction "hold [something] out to be [something]"?

Examples of context: LEGAL AND FINANCIAL DISCLAIMER I am not an attorney, accountant or financial advisor, nor am I holding myself out to be. I am not, nor am I holding myself out to be a doctor/physician, nurse, physician's assistant, advanced…
Pablo Messina
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About the syntactical function and meaning of "up" in "man up" or "lawyer up"

As far as I have been able to understand, up in this kind of phrasal verbs is an adverb which, according to this dictionary, means: 5 Into the desired or a proper condition. What is interesting about these phrasal verbs is that they do appear to…
ΥΣΕΡ26328
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Phrasal Verbs. Rules and Tricks

Are there any rules or tricks that might explain how phrasal verbs are formed to understand their meanings?
cubanacan
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Do you use "pore over"?

As in, I spent all night poring over those legal documents. Or, do you use pore through? Not to be confused with pour (some sugar).
B Seven
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"Climbed up over ..." vs. "climbed over ..."

I found that climbed up over is used in the following sentence of the 'excerpt' “The Amber Spyglass” in The New York Times. “Ama and her daemon climbed up over the rock shelves and around the little cataracts, past the whirlpools and through the…
user19148
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Meaning of the phrase "Lean in"

There's a book entitled Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. It's not clear what exactly phrasal verb Lean in in it's title means. Does its meaning differ from the meaning of the verb to lean in the context of the book's name?
serguis
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Does 'throttle up' mean accelerate?

Can one say 'throttle up'? The OED only lists 'throttle down': (throttle back or down) reduce the power of an engine or vehicle by use of the throttle.
tog22
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Is the phrasal verb "sober up" interchangeable with "sober down"

I understand that phrasal verbs are extremely idiosyncratic. If I have to replace -Sober up or calm down, would sober down be an appropriate choice, and a formal alternative. Edit: Or can i conclude that the underlying logic only involves…
Misti
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Carry on vs Carry out

Is it With enough light, plants carry out a normal life cycle or With enough light, plants carry on a normal life cycle I'm confused because I'm not getting the exact difference between both verbs in this case. Although "carry on" means…
JadD9699
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Change to vs Change with?

I have looked on the internet regarding this issue and could not find a definitive answer so I posted the question here. Which one do I use if I want to change something to something else? Example imperative sentence: Change that code with/to? this…
Karlo Kokkak
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Phrasal verbs leftward movement

I was reading a research paper on translating multi-word items, which include phrasal verbs, and I came across a passage about phrasal verbs, by Dixon, that reads: Moreover, leftward movement will take place, as Dixon argues, when a direct object…
Ohood.94
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Can the element in a phrasal verb have a syntactic purpose?

I am trying to create a system for teaching ESL students phrasal verbs based on the concepts contributed by the element. (For example, "up" frequently contributes the idea of finality or completion). I was wondering if there are any phrasal verb…
Chris
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Difference between What are you up for tonight vs What are you up to tonight?

I wonder if my understanding of the meanings implied in these sentences is right. Besides, I would like to know how common they are in every day English and whether they can be used interchangeably when you want to ask someone what they are going to…
Thiago
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'Think in' expression - correct or not?

It might sound like a newbie question, but... Today on my English lessons I argued with the teacher whether you can say 'think in' or not. For me it's obvious that you can (there's even a book 'Thinking in Java'), but now I have to find it in a…
Fiodor
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