Phrasal-Prepositional Verbs

PHRASAL-PREPOSITIONAL
VERBS
PHRASAL-PREPOSITIONAL VERBS
VERB + ADVERB + PREPOSITION
PUT UP WITH TOLERATE
GET OUT OF AVOID
LOOK FORWARD TO ANTICIPATE
They function as one semantic unit and can often be

replaced by a single transitive lexical verb with
similar meaning.
PHRASAL-PREPOSITIONAL VERBS:
TYPE I
 One Object: Op
We are looking forward to your party.

S P Op
He can get away with everything.

S P Op
 Passive with Phrasal-prepositional Verbs Type I:
rare and often clumsy, but sometimes possible:
 These tantrums could not be put up with any longer.
 The death penalty has been recently done away
with.
PHRASAL-PREPOSITIONAL VERBS:
TYPE II
 2 Objects: Od and Op
We put our success down to hard work.

S P Od Pdisc Op
She took it out on me.

S P Od Pdisc Op
 Passive with Phrasal-prepositional Verbs Type II:
only the passive with Od as the S of passive:
 Our success can be put down to careful planning.
Some semantic and syntactic
distinctions with multi-word verbs
 Two important distinctions between multi-word
verbs:
1. idiomatic vs. non-idiomatic status
2. prepositional verbs vs. free combination (verb+PP)
These distinctions are gradient, rather than clear-cut
Idiomatic vs non-idiomatic status
 The semantic cohesion or unity of multi-word verbs often manifests
itself in the possibility of replacement by a single-word verb, e.g.
visit for call for, summon for call up, tolerate for put up with etc.
 However, there are many such combinations that have no single-
word paraphrases, e.g. get away with 'to succeed in a deceit'.
 The unpredictability of the meaning of an idiomatic combination can
be shown by means of the substitution test: the meaning of the verb
or the particle in the combination does not remain constant in that
case.
 This criterion makes it possible to distinguish three degrees of
idiomaticity.
i. Free, nonidiomatic combinations
Substitution is possible
walk up
down
away
walk up
run
crawl
ii. Semi-idiomatic combinations
 variable in a limited way.
 The meaning of the verb may constant in different
combinations,
 cut up 'cut into pieces',
 cut off 'separate by cutting'.

 The meaning of particles may be constant , e.g.
 a. 'persistent action'
 chatter away fire away
 work away beaver away
 b. 'completion‘
 drink up break up
 finish up use up
 find out point out
 seek out figure out
 work out
 c. 'aimless behaviour‘
 play around mess around
 fool around wait around
 loaf around

 d. 'endurance'
 draw out eke out
 last out hold out
iii. Highly idiomatic combinations
 There is no possibility of contrastive substitution

without a drastic change of meaning:
 bring down/up turn up/down
cause to fall
1. Look after a 1. Arrive 1. Refuse (a
(a government or
child 2. Discover, person’s
a ruler)
2. Introduce a notice request)
(a plane by
subject in a 3. Increase the 2. Reduce the
shooting)
conversation volume or volume or
power power
 FREE, NON-IDIOMATIC NOT MULTI-WORD VERBS,
ANALYSIS:
COMBINATIONS SPA
 SEMI-IDIOMATIC
COMBINATIONS MULTI-WORD VERBS,
ANALYSIS
SP
 HIGHLY IDIOMATIC
COMBINATIONS
SYNTACTIC CRITERIA
 The distinction between
 Prepositional
or Phrasal-Prepositional Verbs Type I and
 Free combinations resembling Type I verbs
 SPOp vs. SPA/SPAA in the case of phrasal-prepositional

verbs.
Evidence supporting SPA(A) analysis
 The phrase boundary between the verb and the

particle: idiomatic, prepositonal verbs look like
free combinations:
1. The whole PP may be fronted, e.g. in
interrogatives:
On whom did he call?
To whom did you apply?
To whom is the word ‘our’ addressed?

On whom did he call? I came across an old
To whom did you apply? letter.
To whom is the word ‘our’ *Across what did you come?
addressed?
What did you come across?
PREPOSITIONAL VERBS
PHRASAL VERBS
 2. An adverb can be inserted between the verb and
the particle:
He called unexpectedly on the dean.
(prepositional verb SPOp)
Cathay Pacific flies daily to Hong Kong.
(free combination SPA)
*He turned suddenly off the lights.
(phrasal verb SPOd)
 3. The PP can be isolated in other constructions,
 in responses,
A: On whom did he call? PREPOSITIONAL
VERB
B: (On) his mother.
A: *Across which letters did you come?

B: *Across some old letters.
PHRASAL VERB
A: Which letters did you come across?

B: Some old letters.
 in coordinate constructions,
PREPOSITIONAL VERB
Did he call on the dean or (on) his friend?
Was he referring to himself or to her?
FREE COMBINATION VERB + ADVERB (SPA)
But he didn’t come either to her apartment or to her office.
PHRASAL VERB
*I came across these letters and across some family photos.
*I took off boots and off socks.
I came across these letters and some family photos.
I took off boots and socks.
 or in comparative constructions:
He calls on the dean more often than (on) his friend.
This means that the SVA (and (SVAA)) analysis cannot

be simply rejected.
Evidence supporting SPOp analysis
1. PASSIVE
 The chief piece of evidence in favour of a SVOp
analysis is the possibility of turning the prepositional
complement into the subject of a passive sentence.
PREPOSITIONAL VERB FREE COMBINATION (SPA)
 They called on the dean. They called after lunch.

 They put up with the war. *Lunch was called after.
 The dean was called on. They went out with Andy.
*Andy was gone out with.
 The war was put up with.
 Some ambiguous combinations like arrive at allow
passive only in an idiomatic reading:
PREPOSITIONAL VERB
 a. We arrived at a conclusion.
 b. A conclusion was arrived at.
FREE COMBINATION (SPA)
 a. We arrived at a station.
 b. *A station was arrived at.
The acceptability of verb + PP combinations in
passive constructions is higher in enlarged contexts,
i.e. in longer utterances:
 a. ?*This office has been called/phoned from.

 b. This office has been called/phoned from so
many times that it was natural to assume that it was
the source of the latest call.
 The passive constructions cannot, however, be regarded as a
fool-proof marker of a prepositional verb:
 a. They must have played on this field last week.

 b. This field must have been played on last week.

 a. Visitors are not to sit on these Louis XV chairs.

 b. These Louis XV chairs are not to be sat on.
 a. Primitive men once lived in these caves.

 b. These caves were once lived in by primitive men.
 2. WH-QUESTIONS WITH WHO(M) AND WHAT
 a. John called on her. SPOp (PREPOSITIONAL VERB)

 b. Who(m) did John call on?
WHO(M), WHAT

 a. John looked for it.

 b. What did Joh look for?

 a. John called from the office.

 b. Where did John call from?

SPA (FREE COMBINATION)
 a. John called after lunch. WHERE, WHEN, HOW
 b. When did John call?
 However, there are many classes of prepositional phrases functioning as Adverbials,
for which there is no appropriate interrogative adverb and that can only be
questioned by means of pronouns:
 a. With whom did Peter go fishing?
 b. Who(m) did Peter go fishing with?

 An additional criterion for prepositional verbs is the reluctance to have the

preposition cut off from the basic verb by fronting the whole of the PP, e.g. in wh-
questions and relative clauses:

 a. ?*After whom did she look?

 b. Who(m) did she look after?

 a. With whom did she agree?

 b. Who(m) did she agree with?
 The boundary between these two categories is not
discrete.
 We are rather dealing with a continuum or scale:
there are more prototypical or central prepositional
verbs and there are more prototypical free
combinations, and many combinations between
these two end points, nearer to the one pole or to
the other, according to which criteria they satisfy.
Test the following sentences for SVA or SVOp analysis:
(Vpass, Qpro, NoQadv)
1. The police have asked for details.

Vpass + Qpro + NoQadv + 1 – clear case prepositional verb
2. The Queen slept in this bed. 2-3 – marginally prepositional
Vpass + Qpro + NoQadv - verbs
6 – clear SVA
3. White wine goes with poultry.
Vpass - Qpro + NoQadv +
4. She died of pneumonia.
Vpass - Qpro + NoQadv -
5. His job also comes into the picture.
Vpass - Qpro - NoQadv +
6. She left before noon.
Vpass - Qpro - NoQadv -
OTHER MULTI-WORD VERB
COMBINATIONS
Verb- Adjective Combinations
 a. Meg put the cloth straight.
 b. The company failed to break even.

 Unlike phrasal verbs, verb-adjective combinations more

readily allow comparative modification:

 a. John didn't put the cloth as straight as Meg.

 b. *John didn't put the cat as out as Meg.

 They may belong to two syntactic patterns, either to
SVC (with copular verbs), or to SVOC with complex
transitive verbs:
To have losses To keep quiet,
? balanced by gains ? unnoticed
 a. break even, plead guilty, lie low
? To put an end to smth
 b. cut N short, work N loose, rub N dry
Verb-verb combinations
 the second verb may be either in-finitive of or a
participle:
a. make do with, make (N) do, let (N) go, let (N) be
b. leave N standing, send N packing, knock N flying,
get going
Connect the multi-word verb combination with the
appropriate meaning:
1. Make do with (N)  Be much better than

2. Make (N) do smb. (3)
3. Leave (N) standing  make the best use of
4. Send (N) packing smth which replaces
smth else (1)
5. Knock (N) flying
 Hit or knock violently (5)
 Use instead of smth
else which is more
suitable (2)
 Order smb to go away

(4)

Phrasal-Prepositional Verbs

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PHRASAL-PREPOSITIONAL

They function as one semantic unit and can often be

We are looking forward to your party.

He can get away with everything.

We put our success down to hard work.

She took it out on me.

 There is no possibility of contrastive substitution

 bring down/up turn up/down

 SPOp vs. SPA/SPAA in the case of phrasal-prepositional

 The phrase boundary between the verb and the

A: *Across which letters did you come?

A: Which letters did you come across?

This means that the SVA (and (SVAA)) analysis cannot

 They called on the dean. They called after lunch.

 a. ?*This office has been called/phoned from.

 a. They must have played on this field last week.

 a. Visitors are not to sit on these Louis XV chairs.

 a. Primitive men once lived in these caves.

 a. John called on her. SPOp (PREPOSITIONAL VERB)

 a. John looked for it.

 a. John called from the office.

 An additional criterion for prepositional verbs is the reluctance to have the

 a. ?*After whom did she look?

 a. With whom did she agree?

1. The police have asked for details.

 Unlike phrasal verbs, verb-adjective combinations more

 a. John didn't put the cloth as straight as Meg.

1. Make do with (N)  Be much better than

 Order smb to go away

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