Multiple-Word Verbs

 

Verbs with a particle can be either prepositional or phrasal, or even phrasal prepositional, depending on the category of the particle(s).

The problem to tell them apart is that in the case of particles, the same lexical item can very frequently work as both a preposition and as an adverb. They can be disambiguated through their features of transitivity and separability.

Separability constitutes the possibility of inserting the Direct Object between the lexical verb and its particle.

PREPOSITIONAL VERBS

If the particle is a preposition, the set of lexical verb and preposition is considered a prepositional verb. Prepositional verbs are always transitive inseparable. Their particle is always inseparable from the lexical verb and thus their Direct Object always follows the prepositional particle.

PHRASAL VERBS

If the particle is an adverb, the set is called a phrasal verb. Phrasal verbs can be either intransitive or transitive; if transitive, they are separable, i.e. their particle can be separated from the lexical verb through the insertion of their Direct Object between the lexical verb and the particle. However, while their Direct Object must be inserted between the lexical verb and the particle if its category is a pronoun, it can occupy two different positions if it is a noun phrase, either between the lexical verb and the particle, or after the adverbial article.

PHRASAL PREPOSITIONAL VERBS

Finally, if the set is made up of a lexical verb, an adverb and a preposition, the whole set is called a phrasal prepositional verb. They are always transitive.

Syntactic Analysis