Features of Phrasal Verbs

Here are some features of the phrasal verbs:

1.       Have several meanings (like other words) E.g. go off = start making a noise (an alarm); go off = explode; go off = leave/go away.

2.       Sometimes the meaning is literal (you can guess it from the verb and particle. E.g. go off = leave; take off = remove, etc.)

3.       Mostly, the meaning is abstract / idiomatic; you have to guess it from the context. E.g. go off = take place / happen; take off = start flying, etc.

4.       A good dictionary is needed to help oneself identify the appropriate definition of a phrasal verb as they can transmit its action to an object (Transitive=T) or they cannot transmit its action to an object (Intransitive=I)

5.       When the phrasal verb is transitive, it can be either separable or non-separable. In separable phrasal verbs, the object CAN separate the phrasal verb OR come after it.

E.g. Throw away
Throw the banana peel away / Throw away the banana peel

But if the object is a pronoun (object pronoun, of course), it MUST separate the phrasal verb.
Throw it away.

In non-separable phrasal verbs, the object always comes AFTER it. E.g. could you deal with the problem? / Could you deal with it?

* The object ALWAYS comes AFTER the phrasal verb when this has TWO particles.
                E.g. My boyfriend gets along with my parents / my boyfriend gets along with them.


SOURCE: Inside Out series, Upper-intermediate. Macmillan