General English Level 5 V 3
UNIT 01 What's going on in my life? TOPIC 04 Unusual lives
LANGUAGE FOCUS 04 Phrasal verbs
Phrasal verbs are very common in both formal and informal English.
Julie writes:
People often ask me how I got into studying monkeys. When I look back , I can think of several things that influenced me.

When Julie says "how I got into studying the behaviour of gorillas", she means how she became interested in studying. When she says "when I look back " , she means when she thinks about the past. Get into and look back are phrasal verbs . A phrasal verb is a verb + an adverb or a verb + a preposition .

A phrasal verb has a different meaning from the base verb itself. For example, get means "to receive/obtain", but get into means "to be interested in".

Phrasal verbs can be transitive (take an object) or intransitive (do not take an object). The difference between the two types is described below. Don't worry too much if you do not fully understand.

The important thing is to:
1. take notice of phrasal verbs when you are reading.
2. try to guess their meanings.
3. look them up in your dictionary to check the meanings.

1. Intransitive phrasal verbs (no object)

Julie writes:
As we grew up , we did so many things together.
Grew up means "got older".

Grew up is an intransitive verb . It does not take an object after the verb. Many phrasal verbs - especially verb + adverb combinations - do not take objects. (These are intransitive verbs.)

verb adverb object
stay up

Examples

1 Read the examples.
2 Listen to the examples.
3 Practise saying each example. Use the Pause button.
I stayed up late to watch the football final.
When I went to Hanoi, we stopped off in Bangkok.
His brother went away to study in the city.
I knew I couldn't win, so I gave in .
The woman told her to come in .

2. Transitive phrasal verbs (with an object)

Julie writes:
It's amazing to see how we take after them in so many ways.

Take after means "behave like". Take after is a transitive verb. It takes an object (them) after the verb.

Here we use the verb take + the particle after + the object them . (We use the object them to explain who we take after or behave like.)

Many phrasal verbs take objects, e.g. "He could not part with the money ."

verb preposition object
part with the money

Examples

1 Read the examples.
2 Listen to the examples.
3 Practise saying each example. Use the Pause button.
When she was sick, her husband looked after her.
It was difficult to part with my old car.
He fell for the doctor because she saved his life.
I'm so sorry to hear your bad news. I feel for you.
The stronger children picked on the weaker ones.

Julie writes:
It's easy for me to tell them apart .

Tell them apart means to see the difference between two or more people/animals/things.

With some transitive phrasal verbs, we put the object directly after the verb.

verb object particle
tell them apart

Examples

1 Read the examples.
2 Listen to the examples.
3 Practise saying each example. Use the Pause button.
Anna has invited me out this Friday.
The student answered the teacher back rudely.
She told me to bring Lee along to the party.
He loves to order people about .
I want to come. C ount me in .


Now go to 05 PRACTICE Phrasal verbs.