why prepositions?

[adele Qulipour]

we sometimes see a preposition after a verb which makes the verb look like a phrasal verb though it does not change the meaning of a verb.as we see in the sentence"animals storing food up for the winter".why do we use them and what is their role?

[MrPedantic]

Hello AQ,

In your example, "up" has an emphatic function, and suggests "completeness" in the action.

Cf.

1. I broke his toy plane.

— you might say this if you had e.g. broken a wing.

2. I broke up his toy plane.

— you might say this if you had completely dismantled the plane, into separate pieces.

This is not a general rule, however; different prepositions may have different functions in different contexts.

Best wishes,

MrP

[susiedqq]

Yes, animals "store up" food. That is the verb. "Up" is not a preposition in this case.

[MrPedantic]

Originally Posted by susiedqq

"Up" is not a preposition in this case.

True enough.

MrP