What are Phrasal Verbs?
Here are 15 MCQ questions of separable phrasal verbs:
Separable Phrasal Verbs
A phrasal verb = verb + particle(preposition/adverb)
Example: turn off, look after, give up
First and foremost, let's know about separable phrasal verb:
These can be split (object can come in between).
👉Structure:
Verb + Object + Particle
Verb + particle+ Object
Verb + particle+ Object
👉Examples:
Turn on the lights.
Turn the lights on
👉With pronouns (him, it, them) must be separated:
Turn it on✔️
Turn on it❌
Non - Separable Phrasal Verbs
These cannot be split.
👉Structure:
Verb + Particle + Object (always together)
Let's clarify this by the following examples:
Look after the baby✔️
Look the baby after❌
Run into a friend✔️
Run a friend into❌
Now, the question is how to identify them
Check - separable phrasal verbs (can split)
We can check this through the following example:
Example: Turn on the light
Use the pronoun test: Turn it on✔️
Here, we have written " it" in place of " the light", so we can say it can split.
Check - non-separable phrasal verbs (can split)
We can check this through the following example:
Example: Look after the baby
Use the pronoun test: Look it after❌
Here, we have written "it" in place of " the baby ", so we can say it cannot split.
In dictionaries like Oxford Learner's Dictionaries or Cambridge Dictionary)
phrasal verbs are marked.
- (T) separable
- (I) inseparable
We can use the following methods to identify them:
Replace object with it/them:
If sentence becomes:
Verb + pronoun+ particle then it is separable 👉Turn it on
If it sounds wrong: 👉Look it after ❌ non-separable
Check the meaning
If the meaning is literal, sometimes it is separable
👉Take off your socks (you can separate)
If the meaning is idiomatic (fixed meaning) often non-separable
👉Look after = take care of (cannot separate)
Here are 15 MCQ questions of inseparable and non-separable phrasal verbs:
