Identify Parts of Speech in the sentence She's not picking up.

[Zoli]

I identified these parts of speech in the sentence: "She's not picking up." I'm talking about NOT picking up a phone.

She = Pronoun
She's = Pronoun + is (contracted form)
not = adverb

I'm not sure about 'picking up', though. Is it a phrasal verb or is just a simple verb + preposition?
Any suggestion would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Matthew Wai]

http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/pick-up
It says 'pick up' is a phrasal verb.

 

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello, Zoli:

I guess that it is not actually very important, but I have noticed that many books prefer to parse a phrasal verb as consisting of a verb + an adverb (or particle).

 

[Skrej]

Yes, 'pick up' is a phrasal verb.

 

[Skrej]

I've also seen them called two(or even three)-part verbs, which really seems like an unhelpful description.

 

[Zoli]

I've also seen then called two(or even three)-part verbs, which really seems like an unhelpful description.

Yes, this is how I saw them named in a book. Two-part verbs.

 

[emsr2d2]

I've always stuck to the first definition I was taught : a phrasal verb is a verb plus a preposition.

"Pick up" has several different meanings depending on context. The origin of "pick up the phone" stems from, I believe, the fact that with the first telephones, it was necessary to physically pick up the handset in order to stop the phone ringing and actually answer the call. Despite the fact that we now have hands-free phones, mobiles, calls over the internet and probably many other ways of making a "phone call", we still say "pick up" to mean to answer the phone/call.

 

[Eckaslike]

Yes, I think you used to have to pick the whole thing up if it was on a table. You would have to lift the earpiece from the hook to answer the call and put it against your ear, and then speak into the mouthpiece attached to the stand.

http://www.ojfurniture.com/crosley/cr64/crosley_1920s_candlestick_phone

 

[MikeNewYork]

For me, a phrasal verb is a verb phrase that is an idiom. It doesn't matter if the second word is a preposition or an adverb, but it has a meaning that cannot be understood simply from the words alone. Other verb phrases should be called verb phrases.

Stand up (meaning rise from a sitting [position) is a verb phrase.
Stand up (meaning not showing up at a date) is a phrasal verb.

That distinction works for me.