Grammar Point: Phrasal Verbs - Intransitive

Ah, the phrasal verb! If there is one part of English grammar that bedevils my students, it is the multi-part verb as called in British English.

Simply, a phrasal verb consists of a verb and a preposition or adverb that modifies or changes the meaning of the original verb - thus the "multi-parts."

There are three main types of phrasal verbs. Today we tackled the Intransitive Phrasal Verb.

English Grammar - Intransitive Phrasal Verb

Any intransitive verb does NOT take an object.

Intransitive phrasal verbs do NOT take an object and are inseparable. That is, the preposition or adverb remains with the original verb. Let's look at some examples below.

Example

1) They had an argument, but they've made up now.

"to make up" in this context means to resolve differences and to patch up any problems that may have contributed to the argument. Notice "made up" is all together, not separated, in the sentence.

2) The bus broke down on the way to work.

"to break down" in this context means something is no longer functioning or working correctly. Again, notice "broke down" is all together, not separated.

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