phrasal verb
- noun
- /ˈfreɪzəl vɜrb/
- Specialized
:
verbo frasal
- In English, a phrasal verb combines a verb with a particle to create a new meaning.
Examples
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'Look after', in 'Please look after the dog', is an example of a phrasal verb.
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Learning phrasal verbs is often challenging for non-native English speakers.
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The teacher explained what a phrasal verb is to the class.
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I learned about phrasal verbs in my English class.
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The teacher explained what a phrasal verb is.
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'Look after', as in 'Please look after the dog', is an example of a phrasal verb.
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I find that understanding phrasal verbs greatly improves my English skills.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The parts 'phrasal' (relating to phrases) and 'verb' (an action/state word) give learners a clear clue that this term names a kind of verb associated with phrases, so a B1 learner would grasp a general sense. However, the technical nuance — that it is a verb plus particle forming a unit whose meaning often differs from the isolated parts — is specialized and not fully predictable without instruction or exposure.
Etymology
The term phrasal verb comes from the idea of a verb joined with a short phrase of small words, for example look and after together. That's why a phrasal verb is literally a verb plus small words that change its meaning, so look after means 'to take care'.
