Everyday Grammar - VOA Learning English Everyday Grammar: Introducing Phrasal Verbs - October 08, 2024
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Oct 8, 2024 A lively tour of phrasal verbs, including their Middle English roots and Shakespearean use. The episode compares informal phrasal verbs with more formal Latinate alternatives. It explains structure and differences between separable, inseparable, and three-word verbs. Tests for distinguishing phrasal verbs from verb+preposition constructions are also described.
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How Phrasal Verbs Emerged From Old Prefixes
- Phrasal verbs grew from lost prefixes in Middle English into separate adverbs and prepositions that follow verbs.
- Jill Robbins links this change to the 1066 Norman invasion and later French influence that made single Latin/French verbs seem more formal.
Phrasal Verbs Signal Informal Everyday Speech
- Phrasal verbs are far more common in informal modern English because single-word Latinate alternatives sounded more cultured historically.
- Jill Robbins explains look over can be replaced by review when formality is required.
Test Phrasal Verbs By Moving The Object
- Test whether a verb plus particle is a true phrasal verb by seeing if the object can separate from the particle.
- Jill Robbins shows look up (research) can be split I looked it up, but look after cannot be split.