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Grammatica
Prepositions and particles A2 B1 B2

Phrasal verbs and particle position

Understand verb-particle meaning and place objects correctly with separable and inseparable phrasal verbs.

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Visuele uitleg

Phrasal verbs: the particle-position switch

PHRASAL VERB = verb + particle = one meaning switch

Object = the thing/person affected (the light / it)

           Can the particle move?
                    │
        ┌───────────┴───────────┐
        │                       │
   YES: separable          NO: fixed
        │                       │
Noun object:              Keep the words together
both positions work       before the object

She turned off the light.  I came across an old photo.
She turned the light off.  I looked at it.

Pronoun object:
must go in the middle

She turned it off.
✗ Can you pick up her?

If the phrasal verb is separable, a noun object can go after or in the middle, but a pronoun object must go in the middle.

Introduction

What a particle does

Phrasal verbs combine a verb with a particle, a small word such as up, off, out, on, away, or back. The particle is part of the meaning, not decoration. In She turned off the light, turn off means stop the light working. With many phrasal verbs, the object can appear in two places: She turned off the light and She turned the light off. If the object is a pronoun, English usually chooses one place only: She turned it off. This lesson is about seeing the meaning unit and placing the object naturally.
Core Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A2 Neutral

She turned off the light.

A noun object can follow the particle with many separable phrasal verbs.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

She
subject
the person doing the action
turned off
verb_particle
the phrasal verb meaning 'stopped from working'
Leer als één geheel
the light
object
the noun object after the particle
Core Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A2 Neutral

She turned the light off.

With a separable phrasal verb, a noun object may also go between the verb and the particle.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

She
subject
the person doing the action
turned
verb
the verb part of the phrasal verb
the light
object
the noun object placed between the verb and particle
off
particle
the particle separated from the verb
Leer als één geheel
Core Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A2 Neutral

She turned it off.

With a pronoun object, the pronoun normally goes between the verb and the particle.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

She
subject
the person doing the action
turned it off
verb_pronoun_particle
the required order with a pronoun object
Leer als één geheel
Core logic

The two questions to ask

Use two practical questions. First, does the phrasal verb need an object? Some do not: I grew up in Canada. Others need something after them: Please fill out this form. Second, if there is an object, can it move? Some verb-particle combinations are separable, some are inseparable, and three-part combinations such as run out of or look forward to are normally fixed. A negative can also have no object: Don't give up. Learn each new phrasal verb with its object behavior, not as a verb and small word separately.
Core Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

I grew up in Canada.

Some phrasal verbs do not take a direct object, so there is no object position to choose.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

I
subject
the speaker
grew up
intransitive_phrasal_verb
a phrasal verb with no direct object
Leer als één geheel
in Canada
place_phrase
extra place information, not a direct object
Core Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A2 Neutral

Please fill out this form.

Some phrasal verbs take an object; this one is commonly separable.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Please
polite_marker
makes the instruction polite
fill out
verb_particle
the phrasal verb meaning 'complete in writing'
Leer als één geheel
this form
object
the thing to complete
Negative Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Don't give up.

Some phrasal verbs can stand without an object; this negative command is learned as one useful chunk.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Don't give up
negative_imperative
a fixed negative instruction meaning 'continue trying'
Leer als één geheel
Cognitive metaphor

The particle as a meaning switch

Think of the verb as the basic action and the particle as a small switch that changes the result, direction, or focus. Up can suggest completion in chunks like clean up; down can suggest recording in write down; out can suggest discovery in find out; back can suggest return in go back. This is a helpful memory image, not a strict rule. The same particle can behave differently in different phrasal verbs. Always learn the whole meaning unit first, then learn whether an object can move inside it.
Core pattern

Separable verbs: where the object goes

For a separable transitive phrasal verb, a noun object may go after the particle or between the verb and the particle. Question frames make this easy to hear: Can you pick up Mia? and Can you pick Mia up? are both natural. With a pronoun object, keep the pronoun inside the phrasal verb: Can you pick her up? The order Can you pick up her? is a common mistake. This pronoun rule is very strong in everyday English and applies to it, them, me, us, him, her, and you.
Question Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Can you pick up Mia?

A noun object can come after the particle with a separable phrasal verb.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Can you
question_frame
a common request opening
pick up
verb_particle
the phrasal verb meaning 'collect'
Leer als één geheel
Mia
object
the noun object after the particle
Core Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Can you pick Mia up?

The same noun object can also go between the verb and particle.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Can you
question_frame
a common request opening
pick
verb
the verb part
Mia
object
the noun object placed between verb and particle
up
particle
the separated particle
Leer als één geheel
Corrected Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Can you pick her up?

With a pronoun object, the pronoun must go between the verb and the particle.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Can you
question_frame
a common request opening
pick her up
verb_pronoun_particle
the required order with a pronoun object
Leer als één geheel
Mistake Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Can you pick up her?

This is wrong because a pronoun object cannot normally stay after the particle in a separable phrasal verb.

Sentence xray

X-ray of a separable phrasal verb

Sentence X-ray: They set up the meeting. They is the subject, set up is the phrasal verb, and the meeting is the object. Because set up is separable, the noun object can also sit between the verb and particle as the chunk set the meeting up. When the object becomes a pronoun, the required frame is They set it up. Do not use the chunk set up it. In listening and speaking, find the object first; then decide whether it is a noun or a pronoun.
Core Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A2 Neutral

They set up the meeting.

This shows the basic verb + particle + noun-object order.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

They
subject
the people doing the action
set up
verb_particle
the phrasal verb meaning 'arranged' or 'created'
Leer als één geheel
the meeting
object
the noun object after the particle
Core Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

They set it up.

When the object becomes a pronoun, it goes between the verb and particle.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

They
subject
the people doing the action
set it up
verb_pronoun_particle
a reusable pronoun-object frame
Leer als één geheel
Usage rules

Inseparable and three-part verbs

Some phrasal verbs are inseparable. Their object stays after the particle, even when the object is short or a pronoun. Common inseparable items include look after, run into, come across, and take after. In I came across an old photo, the object cannot move between came and across. Three-part phrasal verbs are also usually fixed: verb + particle + preposition + object. We get along with our neighbors and I look forward to your reply both keep the object after the complete expression. For these verbs, memorize one safe frame with something or someone after the whole phrase.
Core Grammatica B1 Woordenschat A2 Neutral

I came across an old photo.

Inseparable phrasal verbs keep the object after the particle.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

I
subject
the speaker
came across
inseparable_phrasal_verb
an inseparable phrasal verb meaning 'found by chance'
Leer als één geheel
an old photo
object
the object stays after the particle
Core Grammatica B1 Woordenschat A2 Neutral

We get along with our neighbors.

Three-part phrasal verbs usually keep the object after the complete verb phrase.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

We
subject
the speaker and others
get along with
three_part_phrasal_verb
a fixed three-part phrasal verb meaning 'have a good relationship with'
Leer als één geheel
our neighbors
object
the people after the fixed verb phrase
Formal Grammatica B1 Woordenschat A2 Formal

I look forward to your reply.

This common formal closing is a three-part phrasal verb; the object follows the whole phrase.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

I
subject
the writer or speaker
look forward to
three_part_phrasal_verb
a fixed three-part phrasal verb used before a noun or -ing form
Leer als één geheel
your reply
object
the expected thing after the full phrase
Contrast

Particle or preposition?

The closest confusion is between a phrasal verb particle and a true preposition. A particle may move when the phrasal verb is separable; a preposition stays before its object. Compare look up, meaning search for information, with look at, meaning direct your eyes toward something. I looked up the word, I looked the word up, and I looked it up are all possible with the separable phrasal verb. But with a preposition, say I looked at it. The order I looked it at is wrong because at is fixed before its object.
Contrast Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

I looked up the word.

Here 'up' is a movable particle in a separable phrasal verb.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

I
subject
the speaker
looked up
verb_particle
the separable phrasal verb meaning 'searched for information'
Leer als één geheel
the word
object
the noun object after the particle
Contrast Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

I looked the word up.

A noun object can go between the verb and the particle in this separable phrasal verb.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

I
subject
the speaker
looked
verb
the verb part
the word
object
the noun object placed before the particle
up
particle
the moved particle
Leer als één geheel
Core Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

I looked it up.

With a pronoun object, the pronoun goes between the verb and the particle.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

I
subject
the speaker
looked it up
verb_pronoun_particle
the required pronoun-object frame
Leer als één geheel
Contrast Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

I looked at it.

With a true preposition, the object stays after the preposition.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

I
subject
the speaker
looked at
verb_preposition
a verb plus fixed preposition, not a separable phrasal verb
Leer als één geheel
it
object
the pronoun object after the preposition
Mistake Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

I looked it at.

This is wrong because 'at' is a preposition here, so it must stay before its object.

Danger zone

Common position mistakes

Common danger zones come from applying one pattern to every phrasal verb. Do not put a pronoun after the particle in a separable verb: use chunks like turn it off, put them away, and look it up. Do not separate inseparable verbs: avoid chunks like come an old photo across or take her mother after. Do not split most three-part verbs: keep put up with, get along with, and look forward to together before the object. With long noun objects, the after-particle position often sounds cleaner, as in the chunk turn off all the lights in the back room.
Summary

The object-position checklist

Use this quick checklist. If there is no object, stop after the phrasal verb. If there is a noun object and the verb is separable, you often have two positions. If there is a pronoun object and the verb is separable, put the pronoun between the verb and particle. If the verb is inseparable or three-part, keep the object after the full expression. The most useful learning habit is to store small frames: turn it off, look it up, come across something, get along with someone, and look forward to something.
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