Phrasal verbs: look after / give up / find out / turn it off

Rules

• Rule 1: Learn the meaning

  You often can't guess the meaning from the parts. Learn phrasal verbs like new words.

  Example: find out = discover: I found out his secret.

  Example: get along with = be friendly with: I get along with my cousins.

• Rule 2: Phrasal verbs with no object

  Some phrasal verbs don't take an object: get up, grow up, set off, break down, calm down, show up.

  Example: I get up at seven.

  Example: The bus broke down.

• Rule 3: Separable verbs

  turn on/off, put on, take off, pick up, try on, tidy up, look up are separable. A noun object can go in the middle or at the end; a pronoun (it, them, me) must go in the middle.

  Pattern: turn the TV off / turn off the TV / turn it off

  Example: Put your hat on. / Put on your hat.

  Example: Put it on.

• Rule 4: Inseparable verbs

  look after, look for, get along with, come across, run out of are inseparable. The object (even a pronoun) always goes after.

  Pattern: look after it / look for them

  Example: I'm looking for my phone. I'm looking for it.

  Example: She looks after the baby. She looks after him.

Common mistakes

• Turn off it, please. → Turn it off, please.

  Separable verb: the pronoun goes in the middle.

• I look it after every day. → I look after it every day.

  look after is inseparable.

• We ran out milk. → We ran out of milk.

  run out of + noun.