Grammar / A2 Grammar lessons and exercises / Phrasal verbs: Transitive and intransitive, separable and inseparable
Phrasal Verbs: Transitive & Intransitive, Separable & Inseparable
📘 Intransitive Phrasal Verbs (Always Inseparable)
These phrasal verbs do not take an object. The verb and particle are always together.
- ❌ He grew his responsibilities up.
✅ He grew up in London. - Please hurry up! → No object needed.
- She stood up and left.
- The plane took off at 9 AM.
Common examples: get up, sit down, go away, come back, wake up
📗 Transitive Separable Phrasal Verbs
These verbs require an object and can be separated. If the object is a pronoun, it must go between verb and particle.
- ✅ Turn on the light. OR Turn the light on.
✅ Turn it on. → Pronoun in the middle.
❌ Turn on it. - I picked up the keys. → OR I picked the keys up.
✅ I picked them up. - She tried on the dress. → OR She tried the dress on.
✅ She tried it on.
Common examples: turn on/off, pick up, try on, throw away, call off, fill in, write down
📙 Transitive Inseparable Phrasal Verbs
These verbs require an object but are never separated — even with pronouns.
- ✅ I’m looking for my keys.
✅ I’m looking for them.
❌ I’m looking my keys for.
❌ I’m looking them for. - She gets on with her brother. → OR She gets on with him.
- He’s looking after the baby. → OR He’s looking after her.
Common examples: look for, look after, get on with, search for, take care of
⚠️ Common Mistakes & Rules
- ❌ I turned on it.
✅ I turned it on. → Pronoun MUST go between verb and particle in separable phrasal verbs. - ❌ She looked them for.
✅ She looked for them. → Inseparable verbs never split — even with pronouns. - ❌ He got up his sister.
✅ He got up. OR He got on with his sister. → “Get up” is intransitive; “get on with” is transitive inseparable. - ❌ I filled in it. → Acceptable only if “it” refers to a form/thing.
✅ I filled it in. → Preferred for pronouns in separable verbs.
📕 Two-Particle Phrasal Verbs (Always Inseparable)
Some phrasal verbs have two particles. These are always inseparable — even with pronouns.
- ✅ I’m looking forward to the trip.
✅ I’m looking forward to it.
❌ I’m looking it forward to. - ✅ She gets on with her coworkers.
✅ She gets on with them. - ✅ He put up with the noise.
✅ He put up with it.
Common examples: look forward to, get on with, put up with, run out of