固定短语.PHRASALVERBS.doc

路海书院
CHAPTER 27.  PHRASAL VERBS
A phrasal verb is an idiom which consists of a verb followed by a preposition, a verb followed by an adverb, or a verb followed by an adverb, followed by a preposition. The phrasal verbs in the following examples are printed in bold type.

e.g. I ran into an old friend.
      We put off washing the dishes.
      They all look up to him.

In these examples, the phrasal verb to run into consists of the verb to run followed by the preposition into, the phrasal verb to put off consists of the verb to put followed by the adverb off, and the phrasal verb to look up to consists of the verb to look followed by the adverb up, followed by the preposition to.

Many phrasal verbs are used more often in informal English than in formal English. In most cases, the ideas expressed by such phrasal verbs may also be expressed by other phrases which are more likely to be used in formal English.

For instance in the table below, the phrasal verbs used in the preceding examples are listed in the left-hand column and other phrases with the same meanings are listed in the right-hand column.

Informal
Formal
  to run into
  to meet unexpectedly
  to put off
  to postpone
  to look up to
  to admire

It should be noted that the use of many phrasal verbs varies among the different dialects of English. For instance, in order to express the idea of contacting someone by means of the telephone, the expression to ring someone up is frequently used in British English; whereas the expression to call someone is frequently used in American English.

Because of differences in dialect, the forms of the verbs and the meanings given may vary from one dictionary to another. In addition, some phrasal verbs have more than one meaning. The meanings provided in this chapter are samples of meanings which are used in North American English.
 1. Phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by a preposition

Some phrasal verbs consist of a verb followed by a preposition. As has been seen in previous chapters, it is very common for English verbs to be followed by prepositions. However, in the case of a phrasal verb, the verb followed by the preposition forms an expression with an idiomatic meaning.

For instance, the phrasal verb to come across is an idiomatic expression with the meaning to find. Similarly, the phrasal verb to frown on is an idiomatic expression with the meaning to disapprove of.
e.g. We came across an old diary while we were cleaning out the attic.
      The workers frowned on the practice of smoking in the office.

It should be noted that some phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by a preposition can be used in the Passive Voice.
e.g. The practice of smoking in the office was frowned on by the workers.
      The children were looked after by their aunt.
In these examples, the phrasal verbs to frown on and to look after are used in the Passive Voice.

The following are examples of phrasal verbs which consist of a verb followed by a preposition. Each phrasal verb is followed by its meaning and an example of its use.

Verbs Followed by Prepositions

abide by:  adhere to
  We abided by the rules.
account for:  explain
  He accounted for the discrepancy.
ask for:  request
  They asked for an extension.
bank on:  depend on
  We are banking on good weather tomorrow.
bear with:  be patient with
  Please bear with the delay.
border on:  be near, be next to
  Their excitement bordered on hysteria.
break into:  enter by force
  Thieves broke into the store.
build on:  develop from
  We want to build on our success.
burst into:  suddenly enter
  He burst into the room.
call for:  demand
  This calls for an investigation.
call on:  ask, order
  We will call on you to give a speech.
come across:  find accidentally
  She came across some old papers.
come upon:  discover
  We came upon a small lake.
confide in:  share a secret
  The two friends confided in each other.
count on:  depend on
  We are counting on you.
cut across:  use a short route
  I cut across the parking lot.
dawn on:  realize
  Finally the truth dawned on him.
deal in:  stock, sell
  He deals in gold and jewels.
deal with:  handle successfully
  She can deal with any situation.
decide on:  settle on
  They decided on a course of action.
dispense with:  proceed without
  The chairman dispensed with formalities.

dispose of:  get rid of

If he moves, he will have to dispose of his furniture.
dwell on:  emphasize
  He dwelt on the risks involved.
enlarge on:  say more about
  Please enlarge on your proposal.
enter into:  begin, commence
  The brothers entered into an agreement.
expand on:  say more about
  Please expand on what you said before.
frown on:  disapprove of
  Absenteeism is frowned on.
get at:  reach
  The store was so crowded, it was hard to get at the food.
get into:  become involved with
  I don't want to get into an argument.
get over:  recover from
  Have you got over the flu yet?
get through:  survive, finish
  I don't know how I can get through all this work.
go against:  oppose
  Don't go against the rules.
go over:  review
  I would like to go over the report again.

go through:  examine in detail

Have you gone through the evidence?
go with:  look good with
  Those shoes don't go with that outfit.
grow on:  become more attractive to
  I'm sure the idea will grow on you.
guard against:  take precautions
  We must guard against possible attack.
hinge on:  depend on
  Everything hinges on her decision.
inquire into:  investigate
  Please inquire into the alternatives.
keep to:  adhere to
  The train will keep to the schedule.
laugh at:  mock, make fun of
  Don't laugh at me!
launch into:  start
  He launched into an explanation.
leaf through:  turn the pages
  She leafed idly through the book.
live on:  survive using
  What did you live on?
look after:  take care of
  I will look after the children.
look into:  investigate
  He will look into the situation.

look through:  examine quickly

We looked through the magazines while we were waiting.
part with:  give up reluctantly
  She refused to part with her necklace.
pick on:  be unkind to
  Because he was the youngest, the other boys picked on him.
prey on:  hunt and eat; disturb
  Ospreys prey on fish; the idea preys on my mind.
provide for:  prepare for
  We have provided for any emergency.
reason with:  try to persuade
  It is hard to reason with an angry person.
reckon on:  calculate on
  I hadn't reckoned on being the center of attention.
rise above:  be superior to
  He rose above his circumstances and managed to succeed.
run across:  find accidentally
  They ran across some interesting information.
run into:  meet accidentally
  I ran into my cousin downtown.
run over:  injured by a vehicle
  Children must be careful not to be run over by cars.

see through:  not be deceived by

I instantly saw through the disguise.
send for:  ask to be sent
  You will have to send for your transcripts.
settle for:  reluctantly accept
  Since there was no kale, we had to settle for cabbage.
side with:  support in a dispute
  Why did you side with him?
sit through:  sit and endure
  It was all I could do to sit through the lecture without falling asleep.
stand by:  support
  I hope you will stand by me.
stand for:  represent
  What does the abbreviation etc. stand for?
stick to:  adhere to
  We shall stick to the original plan.
stumble across:  find accidentally
  He stumbled across an interesting fossil.
survive on:  survive using
  During the winter, we had to survive on turnips and parsnips.
take after:  resemble an ancestor
  He takes after his grandfather.

tamper with:  interfere with

Someone has tampered with the lock.
touch on:  mention
  She touched on many important subjects.
verge on:  approach
  His behavior verges on rudeness.
wade through:  slowly peruse
  We had to wade through a pile of documents.
watch over:  guard
  The shepherd watched over the sheep.
See Exercise 1.

a. The position of the object of the preposition
The object of a preposition usually follows the preposition, whether the object is a noun or a pronoun. In the following examples, the objects are underlined.
e.g. We have launched into a new project.
      We have launched into it.

In these examples, the noun project and the pronoun it are the objects of the preposition into of the phrasal verb to launch into. Both the noun object and the pronoun object follow the preposition.

See Exercise 2.

b. The position of an adverb of manner modifying the verb
If a verb is followed by a preposition, an adverb of manner may be placed between the verb and the preposition. In the following examples, the adverbs of manner are underlined.
e.g. We reasoned patiently with the little girl.
      I leafed quickly through the book.

In the first example, the adverb of manner patiently is placed between the verb reasoned and the preposition with of the phrasal verb to reason with. In the second example, the adverb of manner quickly is placed between the verb leafed and the preposition through of the phrasal verb to leaf through.

See Exercise 3.

c. Stress in spoken English
When a verb followed by a preposition occurs at the end of a clause, it is usually the verb which is stressed in spoken English. In the following examples, the words which are stressed are printed in bold type.
e.g. No one likes to be laughed at.
      I need someone to confide in.

In the first example, the verb laughed followed by the preposition at occurs at the end of a clause, and the verb laughed is stressed. In the second example, the verb confide followed by the preposition in occurs at the end of a clause, and the verb confide is stressed.

It should be noted that, when used in a phrasal verb at the end of a clause, the prepositions after, into and over are often pronounced with somewhat greater emphasis than the verb. In this case, both the verb and the preposition are stressed. For example:
      The twins are easy to look after.
      The building would be difficult to break into.
      You'll never guess whom I ran into.
      I heard that someone was run over.

The prepositions above, across and through are also occasionally emphasized in this way. For example:
      The research papers were difficult to wade through.

d. Expressions in which the verb has an object
In the case of some phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by a preposition, the verb and the preposition may each have an object. In the following examples, the objects are underlined.
e.g. I can make nothing of the situation.
      We talked my sister into agreeing.

In the first example, the verb make of the phrasal verb to make of has the object nothing, and the preposition of has the object situation. In the second example, the verb talked of the phrasal verb to talk into has the object sister, and the preposition into has the object agreeing.

The following are examples of phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by a preposition, where the verb may have an object. The objects of the verbs are underlined. Each phrasal verb is followed by its meaning and an example of its use. The last example illustrates the use of the Passive Voice.
Verbs followed by Objects followed by Prepositions

drag into:  involve unwillingly
  Don't drag me into this discussion!
draw into:  involve gradually
  We managed to draw her into the conversation.
drum into:  teach by repetition
  We drummed the safety rules into the children.
frighten into:  control by fear
  The little girl frightened her brother into obeying her.
hold against:  blame for
  Please don't hold my mistakes against me.
lay before:  present to
  We will lay the evidence before the court.
let into:  allow to share
  Shall we let her into the secret?
make of:  understand
  Can you make anything of this message?
read into:  find other meanings
  You are reading too much into her remarks.
set against:  make antagonistic
  She likes to set people against one another.
set on:  order to attack
  We will set our dogs on any intruders.
talk into:  persuade
  Can you talk him into changing his mind?
thrust upon:  force upon
  We thrust the responsibility upon the treasurer.
write into:  add to in writing
  The terms were written into the lease.

2. Phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by an adverb

Many phrasal verbs consist of a verb followed by an adverb. Some of these phrasal verbs are intransitive and some are transitive.

For instance, the intransitive phrasal verb to show up is formed from the verb to show followed by the adverb up. In the following example, the phrasal verb does not have an object.
      At ten o'clock, her brother showed up.

The following are examples of intransitive phrasal verbs which consist of a verb followed by an adverb. Each phrasal verb is followed by its meaning and an example of its use.

Intransitive Verbs followed by Adverbs

blow over:  pass
  I wonder when the trouble will blow over.
boil away:  disappear by boiling
  If the water boils away, the stew will burn.
boil over:  overflow by boiling
  The soup boiled over.
bounce back:  recover
  He bounced back from his previous defeat.
buckle down:  work seriously
  You may fail your courses if you don't buckle down to work.
catch on:  be widely accepted
  Do you think the idea will catch on?
cloud over:  become overcast
  Although it clouded over in the afternoon, the rain held off.
die down:  become less
  After a few days, the excitement died down.
double up:  bend over
  We were doubled up with laughter.
drop in:  visit
  Please drop in any time.
fade away:  become less
  The sound gradually faded away.
fall off:  become less
  Attendance at the concerts has fallen off.
get away:  escape
  I hooked a fish, but it got away.
get by:  barely succeed
  She studied just hard enough to get by.
give in:  admit defeat
  I will never give in!
go on:  continue
  Please go on. Don't let me interrupt you.
grow up:  become an adult
  What do you want to do when you grow up?
keep on:  persist in
  He kept on changing the subject.
level off:  stop rising
  Prices finally leveled off.
log on:  contact a computer
  Do you know how to log on?
log off:  break contact with a computer system
  The system was overloaded, so I had to log off.
move in:  take possession of living quarters
  When are you moving in?
move out:  give up possession of living quarters
  He moved out yesterday.

nod off:  go to sleep

Half the bus passengers nodded off.
pass out:  faint
  It was so hot, I almost passed out.
pitch in:  help
  If everyone pitches in, the work will be done in a few minutes.
play along:  pretend to agree