What are Phrasal Verbs?
Phrasal verb is the name given to an English verb which is composed of two or three words. One verb is combined with a preposition (like on, in, under) or an adverb (like up, down, away). Sometimes a phrasal verb can have a meaning that is very different to the meaning of at least one of those two or three words separately. Some text books call these verbs multi-word verbs. Phrasal verbs are used more frequently in everyday speech than in formal, official writing or speaking.
Here are some examples:
- To Cut Down On
- You need to cut down on your fat intake.
- To Do Away With
- Some Americans want to do away with the death penalty.
- To Write Down
- Write down the directions so you don't forget them.
- To Hold Out
- Stop holding out and tell us where you found all of these old records.
- To Make Out With
- Did you make out with Sally?