{"id":2855,"date":"2016-02-18T08:00:06","date_gmt":"2016-02-18T16:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/?p=2855"},"modified":"2020-12-10T13:44:11","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T21:44:11","slug":"more-rules-for-splitting-phrasal-verbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/more-rules-for-splitting-phrasal-verbs\/","title":{"rendered":"More Rules for Splitting Phrasal Verbs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Phrasal verbs are English language verbs that are created by combining a \u201croot verb\u201d with a preposition. Generally, the resulting verb has a completely different meaning from the definitions of the original, unjoined words.<\/p>\n

To give an example, \u201cwork\u201d is a verb that means to perform labor (she works <\/em>in a factory) or to function correctly (my car is old, but it still works<\/em>). And \u201cout\u201d is a preposition that describes a movement from the inside of a thing to the outside of a thing (let\u2019s go out <\/em>and play in the yard).\u00a0 But put these words together, and you have \u201cwork out,\u201d which means to be resolve (\u201clet\u2019s stop arguing and work out<\/em> our problems\u201d), or to exercise (\u201cI lost weight because I\u2019ve been working out<\/em>\u201d).<\/p>\n

Now, as I mentioned in my last post<\/a>, if a phrasal verb has a direct object, you can split<\/em> the phrasal verb, placing the direct object between the root verb and root prepositions. So if you want to stop arguing with someone, you can tell them you\u2019d like to work out<\/em> your problems\u2026 or you can choose to split the phrasal verb and tell them you\u2019d like to work<\/em> your problems out<\/em>.<\/p>\n

But in the second meaning of work out<\/em>\u2014meaning to exercise\u2014you can\u2019t split the phrasal verb. \u201cExercise\u201d is something you do for yourself, not something that\u2019s done to a direct object. So you can say \u201cI work out<\/em> at the gym,\u201d but you can\u2019t<\/em> split the phrasal verb and say \u201cI work<\/em> at the gym out\u201d<\/em> or \u201cAt the gym, work<\/em> I out<\/em>.\u201d That\u2019s simply incorrect, because again only a direct object can split a phrasal verb.<\/p>\n

So that\u2019s the basic grammar rule for splitting phrasal verbs\u2014phrasals are splittable only if they have a direct object. Now that you know the rule for when you can<\/em> split a phrasal verb, let\u2019s look at when you should<\/em> split a phrasal verb.<\/p>\n

First off, it\u2019s best to only split phrasal verbs when the direct object is short<\/em>, either one word long or a few words long. You can, for instance, split the phrasal verb “pick up” in the statement \u201cI picked<\/em> the cat up<\/em> and petted it.\u201d And it\u2019s still pretty much OK to split \u201cpick up\u201d if you add just one more word to the short direct object by saying \u201cI picked<\/em> the old cat up<\/em> and petted it.<\/p>\n

But if you expand the description of the direct object a little more, splitting becomes more questionable. \u201cI picked <\/em>the old striped long-haired cat up<\/em> and petted it\u201d sounds a little awkward. And this would be simply unacceptable: \u201cI picked<\/em> the old, striped, long-haired, grey and orange cat that used to belong to my grandmother up <\/em>and petted it.\u201d You can\u2019t split a phrasal verb with that many words. It causes the phrasal verb to get \u201clost.\u201d The phrasal becomes difficult to understand because the two words in the phrase are so unnaturally far apart. Instead you\u2019d have to say \u201cI picked up<\/em> the old, striped, long-haired grey and orange cat that used to belong to my grandmother, and petted it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another factor that determines whether you should split a phrasal verb is the meaning and connotation of that phrasal verb. Some phrasal verbs suggest a strong effect on a direct object, so it\u2019s preferable to put the direct object right in the middle of the phrasal verb for emphasis.<\/p>\n

A typical example of this would be the phrasal verb \u201cbring down,\u201d meaning to make someone feel very sad. The strong emotional meaning behind this phrasal verb emphasizes the way the direct object of this phrasal\u2014a very sad person\u2014feels. A direct object seems more emphasized if it\u2019s in the middle of the phrasal verb, because it interrupts<\/em> the phrasal verb and can\u2019t be ignored. So with \u201cbring down,\u201d you would emphasize a person\u2019s sadness by saying \u201cHer unkind words really brought<\/em> him down.\u201d<\/em> \u201cBrought down<\/em> him\u201d wouldn\u2019t sound right, because it doesn\u2019t properly emphasize \u201chim\u201d and his<\/em> emotional anguish.<\/p>\n

Similarly, when you want to emphasize the verb and not the object, you should not<\/em> split the phrasal verb. \u201cTake over\u201d is phrasal verb that can have a direct object but is usually not split because of its meaning. \u201cTake over\u201d means to take control of a thing away from a person, or to take complete control of something. The verb \u201ctake over\u201d suggests force and dramatic change. This is a \u201cstrong\u201d phrasal verb, so the emphasis should be on the verb itself and not its direct object.<\/p>\n

If a direct object is placed in the middle of the phrasal verb \u201ctook over,\u201d the verb itself and its suggested force will not be appropriately emphasized. So you\u2019d be more likely to say \u201cThe new president took over the country,\u201d and less likely to say \u201cThe new president took the country over.\u201d The second example doesn\u2019t emphasize the dramatic power a president has when he or she comes into office.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Phrasal verbs are English language verbs that are created by combining a \u201croot verb\u201d with a preposition. Generally, the resulting verb has a completely different meaning from the definitions of the original, unjoined words. To give an example, \u201cwork\u201d is a verb that means to perform labor (she works in a factory) or to function […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":80,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13603],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[13630],"class_list":["post-2855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-grammar"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMore Rules for Splitting Phrasal Verbs - Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/more-rules-for-splitting-phrasal-verbs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"More Rules for Splitting Phrasal Verbs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Phrasal verbs are English language verbs that are created by combining a \u201croot verb\u201d with a preposition. Generally, the resulting verb has a completely different meaning from the definitions of the original, unjoined words. To give an example, \u201cwork\u201d is a verb that means to perform labor (she works in a factory) or to function […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/more-rules-for-splitting-phrasal-verbs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/MagooshTOEFL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshEnglishLearning\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-02-18T16:00:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-12-10T21:44:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/files\/2016\/09\/Facebook-SEO-Default.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"David Recine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@MagooshTOEFL\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@MagooshTOEFL\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"David Recine\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/more-rules-for-splitting-phrasal-verbs\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/more-rules-for-splitting-phrasal-verbs\/\",\"name\":\"More Rules for Splitting Phrasal Verbs - Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-02-18T16:00:06+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#\/schema\/person\/fa2be5405a605e37f4199c90e2236768\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/more-rules-for-splitting-phrasal-verbs\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/more-rules-for-splitting-phrasal-verbs\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/more-rules-for-splitting-phrasal-verbs\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"More Rules for Splitting Phrasal Verbs\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/\",\"name\":\"Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test\",\"description\":\"Online TOEFL Preparation\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#\/schema\/person\/fa2be5405a605e37f4199c90e2236768\",\"name\":\"David Recine\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/de262e64bb4e3e488753d8c58ff3cc70\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b70c17ee6f3ef87dc4cc5dbdebda911d6dd30dfe15845e4b1d459a3e1b33ef98?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b70c17ee6f3ef87dc4cc5dbdebda911d6dd30dfe15845e4b1d459a3e1b33ef98?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"David Recine\"},\"description\":\"David is a Test Prep Expert for Magoosh TOEFL and IELTS. 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Additionally, he's helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT. David has a BS and MA from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshEnglishLearning","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/david-recine\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCra3KQoJlOP7RYwaCyH2qew"],"knowsAbout":["TOEFL","IELTS","TOEIC","PET","FCE","BULATS","Eiken","SAT","ACT","GRE","GMAT"],"knowsLanguage":["English","Italian"],"jobTitle":"Content Creator","worksFor":"Magoosh","url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/author\/davidr\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":13630,"user_id":80,"is_guest":0,"slug":"davidr","display_name":"David Recine","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b70c17ee6f3ef87dc4cc5dbdebda911d6dd30dfe15845e4b1d459a3e1b33ef98?s=96&d=mm&r=g","user_url":"","last_name":"Recine","first_name":"David","description":"David is a Test Prep Expert for Magoosh TOEFL and IELTS. Additionally, he's helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT.\r\n\r\nDavid has a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. His work at Magoosh has been cited in<a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C50&q=Recine+magoosh&btnG=\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> many scholarly articles<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/minds.wisconsin.edu\/handle\/1793\/65479\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> his Master's Thesis<\/a> is featured on the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.readingwithpictures.org\/2013\/09\/research-highlight-teaching-english-language-learners-with-comics\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Reading with Pictures<\/a> website, and he's presented at the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.witesol.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/2014-WITESOL-Program-FINAL-10-28-14.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> WITESOL (link to PDF)<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/issuu.com\/interoff\/docs\/nafsaregionv_2014conference\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> NAFSA<\/a> conferences. David has taught K-12 ESL in South Korea as well as undergraduate English and MBA-level business English at American universities. He has also trained English teachers in America, Italy, and Peru.\r\n\r\nCome join David and the Magoosh team on<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCra3KQoJlOP7RYwaCyH2qew\"> Youtube<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshEnglishLearning\"> Facebook<\/a>, and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/magooshenglish\/?hl=en\"> Instagram<\/a>, or connect with him via<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/david-recine\/\"> LinkedIn<\/a>!"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2855","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/80"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2855"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2855\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2855"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=2855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}