100 Phrasal Verbs | Transitive vs Intransitive Phrasal Verbs | Language Structure Usage & Linguistics IV

Phrasal Verbs are a type of multi-word verb that consists of a base verb and one or more particles. These particles can be either prepositions or adverbs, and they change the meaning of the verb in a variety of ways. In this article, we'll discuss the formation of phrasal verbs and the difference between transitive and intransitive phrasal verbs.

Formation of Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are formed by combining a verb with one or more particles. The particles can be either prepositions or adverbs, and they are placed after the verb. For example, "sit down," "take off," and "put on" are all examples of phrasal verbs. The combination of the verb and the particle changes the meaning of the verb in a significant way.

Verb Adverbial Particle Combination

One way to form phrasal verbs is by combining a verb with an adverbial particle. The particle adds a specific meaning to the verb. For example, "sit down" means to take a seat, "stand up" means to rise to a standing position, and "run away" means to flee.

Some phrasal verbs retain the individual meanings of the verb and the adverb particle, e.g. "sit down." In other phrasal verbs, the meaning of the combination cannot be built up from the meanings of the individual verb and adverb, e.g. "give in" means to surrender and "turn up" means to arrive or appear unexpectedly.

Transitive Phrasal Verbs vs. Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs can be either transitive or intransitive. Transitive phrasal verbs take an object, which means that they can be followed by a noun or a pronoun. For example, "turn on the light," "pick up the phone," and "look after the children" are all transitive phrasal verbs.

With most transitive phrasal verbs, the adverb can either come before or follow a noun object. For example, you can say "they turned on the light" or "they turned the light on."

Intransitive phrasal verbs, on the other hand, do not take an object. They consist of a verb plus a particle, and they do not require a direct object to complete their meaning. For example, "drink up" means to finish a drink quickly, and "fall down" means to collapse or topple over.

Transitive vs Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

Exercise to Find Phrasal Verbs

Here are some sentences with phrasal verbs. Try to identify the phrasal verb and whether it is transitive or intransitive.

1. She always takes after her mother.
2. I need to cut down on my sugar intake.
3. The firemen put out the fire quickly.
4. I ran into my old friend at the grocery store.
5. The cat knocked over the vase and it broke.

In sentence 1, "takes after" is a transitive phrasal verb because it is followed by the object "her mother." In sentence 2, "cut down on" is an intransitive phrasal verb because it does not take an object. In sentence 3, "put out" is a transitive phrasal verb because it is followed by the object "the fire." In sentence 4, "ran into" is a transitive phrasal verb because it is followed by the object "my old friend." In sentence 5, "knocked over" is a transitive phrasal verb because it is followed by the object "the vase."

Transitive Phrasal Verbs

1. Look up to – Respect
2. Give in – Surrender
3. Figure out – Understand
4. Take off – Remove
5. Set up – Establish
6. Carry out – Perform
7. Bring up – Raise
8. Turn down – Reject
9. Bring in – Introduce
10. Hold on – Wait
11. Make up – Invent
12. Put off – Postpone
13. Pass on – Transfer
14. Pick up – Collect
15. Call off – Cancel
16. Run into – Encounter
17. Get through – Finish
18. Find out – Discover
19. Look forward to – Anticipate
20. Hand out – Distribute
21. Put up – Accommodate
22. Work out – Exercise
23. Write down – Record
24. Point out – Indicate
25. Show off – Display
26. Take on – Employ
27. Take up – Adopt
28. Turn off – Deactivate
29. Hold back – Restrain
30. Carry on – Continue
31. Close down – Shut
32. Fill out – Complete
33. Check out – Inspect
34. Draw up – Formulate
35. End up – Conclude
36. Find something out – Investigate
37. Get along – Progress
38. Look after – Take care of
39. Come up with – Invent
40. Count on – Depend on
41. Drop off – Deliver
42. Get rid of – Discard
43. Give away – Donate
44. Put together – Assemble
45. Shake off – Rid of
46. Turn into – Transform
47. Hold up – Delay
48. Put on – Wear
49. Take out – Extract
50. Look for – Search for

Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

1. Get up – Rise
2. Go on – Continue
3. Come back – Return
4. Hold on – Wait
5. Look around – Observe
6. Fall down – Collapse
7. Stand up – Rise
8. Go out – Leave
9. Put on – Gain weight
10. Look on – Observe
11. Run out – Be used up
12. Break down – Malfunction
13. Come up – Arise
14. Hang out – Spend time
15. Come in – Enter
16. Stand by – Support
17. Turn out – Attend
18. Break up – End a relationship
19. Drop by – Visit informally
20. Stand out – Be noticeable
21. Turn up – Appear
22. Go back – Return
23. Check in – Register
24. Go up – Increase
25. Move on – Continue
26. Pass away – Die
27. Catch up – Reach the same level
28. Give up – Surrender
29. Pull off – Accomplish
30. Move over – Make space
31. Show up – Appear
32. Run away – Flee
33. Come over – Visit
34. Back up – Support
35. Dress up – Wear formal clothes
36. Get by – Manage
37. Put up – Stay temporarily
38. Take off – Leave the ground
39. Look up – Search for information
40. Work out – Exercise
41. Turn around – Reverse direction
42. Call off – Cancel
43. Hold out – Endure
44. Fall out – Argue
45. Drop out – Quit
46. Come out – Be published
47. Show off – Flaunt
48. Break out – Escape

Transitive vs Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

Transitive Phrasal Verbs:

1. Break down – The mechanic had to break down the engine to fix it.
2. Call off – They called off the meeting due to bad weather.
3. Fill up – Can you please fill up my water bottle?
4. Give up – She had to give up her seat on the bus to an elderly person.
5. Hand in – Please hand in your homework by Friday.
6. Make up – Can we make up the time we lost during the meeting?
7. Pick up – I have to pick up my sister from the airport tonight.
8. Put off – They had to put off the party until next weekend.
9. Set up – We need to set up the chairs for the meeting.
10. Take off – She took off her hat and scarf when she entered the room.
11. Turn off – Can you please turn off the lights when you leave the room?
12. Work out – He needs to work out the details of the project before presenting it.

Intransitive Phrasal Verbs:

1. Back up – The traffic backed up on the highway.
2. Break up – The couple decided to break up after months of arguments.
3. Calm down – She had to calm down after hearing the news.
4. Come in – Please come in and make yourself comfortable.
5. Fall apart – The old building was falling apart due to neglect.
6. Get along – The new coworkers get along very well.
7. Go out – They decided to go out for dinner instead of cooking at home.
8. Hang out – The teenagers love to hang out at the mall on weekends.
9. Look around – Can we look around the museum before leaving?
10. Pass out – He passed out from exhaustion after working all night.
11. Run out – We ran out of milk this morning, I need to go buy more.
12. Show up – She showed up late for the meeting.

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