What Is A Phrasal Verb
What Is a Phrasal Verb? A phrasal verb is different from a verb phrase. A verb phrase, sometimes called a, is made up of a main verb along with any complements, objects or adverbial phrases that follow it. It is a verb plus a lot of other things if they exist in a sentence. A phrasal verb is simply a made up of more than one word. It is two or three words that make up one main verb. A phrasal verb is only a verb, not anything else in the sentence.
What Is A Phrasal Verb In English
Usually, the words that constitute a phrasal verb are a verb and a, but that is not always the case. Sometimes the first word in a phrasal verb is not a verb at all, but when paired with the preposition, the whole phrase becomes a verb.
For example, the phrasal verb 'clam up' is made of a noun (clam) and a preposition (up). When you combine them, however, they become one verb meaning 'to become quiet or refuse to speak.' To give another example, the verb 'give' means to turn over the possession of something. However, when combined with various prepositions, the phrases take on their own meanings, which are quite different from the meanings of the two individual words.