Construction With Prepositional Verbs Vs. Phrasal Verbs: Position Of The Object Basic 5 English Studies Lesson Note

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Distinguish between prepositional verbs and phrasal verbs
2. Correctly position objects with prepositional verbs and phrasal verbs
3. Apply the rules in sentence construction

LESSON CONTENT

What are Prepositional Verbs?

Definition: Prepositional verbs are combinations of a verb + preposition that work together as a single unit of meaning.

Structure: Verb + Preposition + Object

Key Rule: The object ALWAYS comes AFTER the preposition and CANNOT be separated.

Examples:

• Look at the picture
• Listen to the music
• Care for the children
• Depend on your friends

Object Position with Prepositional Verbs:

• ✅ Correct: “She looked at the book”
• ✅ Correct: “She looked at it”
• ❌ Incorrect: “She looked the book at”
• ❌ Incorrect: “She looked it at”

What are Phrasal Verbs?

Definition: Phrasal verbs are combinations of a verb + particle (adverb or preposition) that create a new meaning different from the original verb.

Structure: Verb + Particle ± Object

Key Rule: The object position can vary depending on the type of phrasal verb and whether the object is a noun or pronoun.

Types of Phrasal Verbs and Object Positions

1. Separable Phrasal Verbs (Transitive)

With Noun Objects:

• Can go in two positions:
  1. After the particle: “Turn on the light”
  2. Between verb and particle: “Turn the light on“

With Pronoun Objects:

• MUST go between the verb and particle:
  • ✅ Correct: “Turn it on”
  • ❌ Incorrect: “Turn on it”

Common Separable Phrasal Verbs:

• Turn on/off, pick up, put down, take off, give up, look up, write down

Examples:

• “Pick up the book” OR “Pick the book up”
• “Pick it up” (NOT “Pick up it”)

2. Inseparable Phrasal Verbs (Transitive)

Rule: The object ALWAYS comes after the particle, regardless of whether it’s a noun or pronoun.

Examples:

• “Look after the children” / “Look after them”
• “Get over the problem” / “Get over it”
• “Run into my friend” / “Run into him”

Common Inseparable Phrasal Verbs:

• Look after, get over, run into, come across, look forward to

3. Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

Rule: These don’t take objects at all.

Examples:

• “Wake up” (I wake up at 7 AM)
• “Break down” (The car broke down)
• “Show up” (He didn’t show up)

Practice Examples

Prepositional Verbs:

1. “The students listened to the teacher carefully.”
2. “We’re looking for our lost keys.”
3. “They care about the environment.”

Separable Phrasal Verbs:

1. “Please turn off the television.” / “Please turn the television off.”
2. “I’ll pick you up at 8 PM.” (pronoun must be in the middle)
3. “She wrote down the address.” / “She wrote the address down.”

Inseparable Phrasal Verbs:

1. “The nurse looks after sick patients.”
2. “I came across an old friend yesterday.”
3. “We’re looking forward to the holidays.”

Memory Tips

1. Prepositional Verbs: Think of them as “glued together” – you can’t separate the verb and preposition. 
2. Separable Phrasal Verbs: Remember “pronouns go in the middle” – if it’s a pronoun object, it must separate the verb and particle. 
3. Inseparable Phrasal Verbs: Like prepositional verbs, these are also “glued together” – the object always comes after. 

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Incorrect: “Look it at” (prepositional verb error) ✅ Correct: “Look at it”

❌ Incorrect: “Turn on it” (separable phrasal verb error) ✅ Correct: “Turn it on”

❌ Incorrect: “Look him after” (inseparable phrasal verb error) ✅ Correct: “Look after him”

PRACTICE EXERCISES

Exercise 1: Identify the Type

Identify whether each is a prepositional verb or phrasal verb:

1. Listen to music
2. Give up smoking
3. Look for keys
4. Turn off lights
5. Come across problems

Exercise 2: Correct Object Position

Rewrite these sentences with correct object positioning:

1. “Please turn the radio on.” (using pronoun)
2. “She’s looking her glasses for.”
3. “I’ll pick at 6 PM you up.”
4. “They’re looking the children after.”

Exercise 3: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct sentence:

1. a) Look at it b) Look it at
2. a) Turn on it b) Turn it on
3. a) Look after them b) Look them after