Cut Down + Nothing or On

[EnglishUserUK]

Hi,

I have a question about the phrasal verb 'cut down'.

Why do we sometimes say cut down + the thing being cut down and other times use the preposition 'on'?

Examples:
Cut down trees/ cut down chocolate intake/ cut down noise/ cut down a person/ cut down the salary.

Cut down on speed/ cut down on calories/ cut down on drinking (alcohol)/ cut down on the time allowed.

I must say that I am quite confused.

Thanks guys!

 

[bhaisahab]

Hi,

I have a question about the phrasal verb 'cut down'.

Why do we sometimes say cut down + the thing being cut down and other times use the preposition 'on'?

Examples:
Cut down trees/ cut down chocolate intake/ cut down noise/ cut down a person/ cut down the salary.

Cut down on speed/ cut down on calories/ cut down on drinking (alcohol)/ cut down on the time allowed.

I must say that I am quite confused.

Thanks guys!

Please give your correct location and native language in your profile.

 

[EnglishUserUK]

Please give your correct location and native language in your profile.

Why would you think I am lying about these details?

I came to this site to ask a genuine question.

 

[5jj]

Why would you think I am lying about these details?

I have no idea why you would lie. However your profile says that your current location is England. It is not, which makes us wonder about the other information.

 

[EnglishUserUK]

I use a VPN service to connect to the internet that dynamically changes my IP address, to ensure that I maintain my personal privacy online.

I have altered the setting for my service to give me a British IP address. Hopefully this will be OK for you.

 

[bhaisahab]

I use a VPN service to connect to the internet that dynamically changes my IP address, to ensure that I maintain my personal privacy online.

I have altered the setting for my service to give me a British IP address. Hopefully this will be OK for you.

OK. So, what is your native language?

 

[EnglishUserUK]

OK. So, what is your native language?

I was brought up in a bilingual household, with English as one of the languages.

I have never been educated in a language other than English.

I consider it to be my native language.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Hi,

I have a question about the phrasal verb 'cut down'.

Why do we sometimes say cut down + the thing being cut down and other times use the preposition 'on'?

Examples:
Cut down trees/ cut down chocolate intake/ cut down noise/ cut down a person/ cut down the salary.

Cut down on speed/ cut down on calories/ cut down on drinking (alcohol)/ cut down on the time allowed.

I must say that I am quite confused.

Thanks guys!

With trees, we actually cut them down.
We cut down (reduce) on/my/our chocolate intake.
We cut down on noise.
We cut down (figuratively) a person.
We cut salaries. (down is redundant)

Your second set is all correct,

 

[Barb_D]

We ask that your information be correct for a few reasons. Spammers usually give false information. Taking the time to give correct information (that matches your IP) tells us you are less likely to start trying to hawk your NFL jerseys or knock-off Dior handbags.

Telling us your original language helps us help you. Articles are harder for some learners, tenses for others.

 

[EnglishUserUK]

Thanks Mike!

(Are you sure about trees though? Aren't 'I cut trees down for a living' and 'I cut down trees for a living' are both correct?)

Do you know of any rules that can be applied to this situation?

I tried Google, but couldn't find anything relevant.

 

[Raymott]

The simple answer is that "cut something down" and "cut down on something" are two different verbs with different meanings.
You cut down trees, but you cut down on chocolate ice cream.
You could cut down on trees if you had an addiction to planting trees.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Thanks Mike!

(Are you sure about trees though? Aren't 'I cut trees down for a living' and 'I cut down trees for a living' are both correct?)

Do you know of any rules that can be applied to this situation?

I tried Google, but couldn't find anything relevant.

They are both correct.

Phrasal verbs can be separable or inseparable. See here: Phrasal Verbs