phrasal verbs---a-verbs

[littlebaby]

hihi everybody,

I don't know any phrasal verbs and I'm now wanting to learn it. What I do is to do some exercises but I don't have the answers...is there anyone who can help me?

phrasal verbs:
act on, abide by, account for, allude to

1. Why didn't you act on my warning?

2. As good citizens, we should abide by the law.

3. The Financial Secretary couldn't sensibly account for his purchase of a new car without declaring his interest.

4. The tabloid magazine didn't mention the name of the victim who was sexually harrassed, but it was clear it was alluding to Ms Lau.

Are all of the sentences above correct? If there's any mistake, can you help me correct it?

[Rooster Rou]

Hi Littlebady,

I am not a teacher, but it all seems to be correct except for harassed is spelled with only one “R” and not two. I am sure that was just a typo. Did you notice that phrasal verbs often use an infinitive: on, by, for and to?

Rooster Roo

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by littlebaby

hihi everybody,

I don't know any phrasal verbs and I'm now wanting to learn it. What I do is to do some exercises but I don't have the answers...is there anyone who can help me?

phrasal verbs:
act on, abide by, account for, allude to

1. Why didn't you act on my warning?

2. As good citizens, we should abide by the law.

3. The Financial Secretary couldn't sensibly account for his purchase of a new car without declaring his interest.

4. The tabloid magazine didn't mention the name of the victim who was sexually harrassed, but it was clear it was alluding to Ms Lau.

Are all of the sentences above correct? If there's any mistake, can you help me correct it?

All of your verbs are used correctly. I don't understand the "without declaring his interest" part of #3, however.

[BobK]

Originally Posted by MikeNewYork

All of your verbs are used correctly. I don't understand the "without declaring his interest" part of #3, however.

Imagine that the Financial Secretary has a secret Executive Directorship of a firm that makes cars; he doesn't get paid much for this position (he only has to attend a board meeting once a week), but he does get a huge discount on their products. He bought a car that was way beyond his means, because he could afford it after this discount.

The authorities ask him how it comes about that he can afford such a car. He can't account for it without declaring his interest.

Re: another string: this is an example of "sleaze"

b

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by BobK

Imagine that the Financial Secretary has a secret Executive Directorship of a firm that makes cars; he doesn't get paid much for this position (he only has to attend a board meeting once a week), but he does get a huge discount on their products. He bought a car that was way beyond his means, because he could afford it after this discount.

The authorities ask him how it comes about that he can afford such a car. He can't account for it without declaring his interest.

Re: another string: this is an example of "sleaze"

b

I would normally call that a "conflict of interest", but I get your point.

[Humble]

Hi, Littlebaby,
IMHO these are not phrasal verbs, they are just ordinary verbs that require definite prepositions. Phrasal verbs are those that change their meanings with different prepositions, eg
Look back
Look down
Look for
Look after etc
Cheers

[BobK]

Originally Posted by Humble

Hi, Littlebaby,
IMHO these are not phrasal verbs, they are just ordinary verbs that require definite prepositions. Phrasal verbs are those that change their meanings with different prepositions, eg
Look back
Look down
Look for
Look after etc
Cheers

Interestimg point. I was doing phrasal verbs with my class once, and came across a usage of 'look down' which both was and wasn't phrasal.

The passage was about drivers of SUVs (big, noisy, powerful cars) 'looking down on other road users'. At a first reading, I thought this wasn't phrasal; such drivers are in an elevated position, from which they direct their gaze (look) in a downward direction (down). But the writer's view was also that such drivers look down on (view as somehow inferior) other road users. The writer of the piece was, I think intentionally, using this ambiguity.

Some phrasal verbs can be used in similar ways as this:

He looked after his mother after she developed Alzheimer's.
(phrasal)

He looked after his assailant running away.
(not phrasal)

(I'd guess you could do this with most phrasal verbs, if you were creative enough with contexts )

b

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by Rooster Rou

Hi Littlebady,

I am not a teacher, but it all seems to be correct except for harassed is spelled with only one “R” and not two. I am sure that was just a typo. Did you notice that phrasal verbs often use an infinitive: on, by, for and to?

Rooster Roo

Hmmm. I just saw this post. The words you have listed aren't infinitives; they are prepositions/adverbs.