Phrasal verbs in the text

[dorax]

If we say that 'blend into' and 'play with' are phrasal verbs, then we're not only quite radically broadening the sense of what a phrasal verb is to include all common verb + preposition collocations but also introducing a fair amount of confusion on the part of learners. My opinion is that Oxford shouldn't be labelling such collocations as phrasal verbs.



I think you've shown that a confused learner might come to such a false conclusion, yes.

So, what could we say are the characteristics of a phrasal verb so that we can recognize it and not confuse it with common verb + preposition collocation?

 

[Piscean]

So, what could we say are the characteristics of a phrasal verb so that we can recognize it and not confuse it with common verb + preposition collocation?

The main problem here is that there is no general agreement as to what a phrasal verb is.

You may find this article interesting: https://www.usingenglish.com/articles/phrasal-verbs-multiword-verbs.html

 

[jutfrank]

Along with Piscean's article linked above, the following wiki might be informative to you:

English phrasal verbs - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[dorax]

Sorry for bothering you, but I’ve come up with a question. From what I understand, we’ve concluded that the true phrasal verbs are bring up, take up, set (someone/something) apart, move in, end up, and cut off. I understand why we characterize each of these as phrasal verbs since the verb combined with the particle means something different than the verb alone. But why is cut off considered a phrasal verb if its meaning stays the same as the original verb?

 

[jutfrank]

In what way do you see it as the same of the original verb? Which particular sense of 'cut off' do you have in mind?

 

[emsr2d2]

Of the sentences below, which do you think contain "cut off" as a phrasal verb?

I look really different because I've cut off a lot of my hair.
Sorry we didn't finish our conversation earlier when our phone call was cut off.
My parents want me to stand on my own two feet financially so they've cut me off.
We were in a very different situation when we were almost cut off by the incoming tide.
You just cut me off. That's really rude.

 

[dorax]

In what way do you see it as the same of the original verb? Which particular sense of 'cut off' do you have in mind?

Since I want to teach phrasal verbs in context, I’m focusing on the meaning of 'cut off' as 'to separate something from the main part,' as in: '...ended up cutting a portion of his own earlobe off.'

 

[dorax]

Of the sentences below, which do you think contain "cut off" as a phrasal verb?

I look really different because I've cut off a lot of my hair.
Sorry we didn't finish our conversation earlier when our phone call was cut off.
My parents want me to stand on my own two feet financially so they've cut me off.
We were in a very different situation when we were almost cut off by the incoming tide.
You just cut me off. That's really rude.

Out of these cases, I believe that only in the first one it's used with the literal meaning of 'cut.' But for this case, why should it be considered a phrasal verb since 'cut off' means the same as the common verb 'cut'?

 

[jutfrank]

It's a phrasal verb because of its particle 'off', which can be repositioned after the object:

Van Gogh cut off his ear.
Van Gogh cut his ear off.

The small word being separable like this is just one way that you can know that it's part of a phrasal verb and not the head of a preposition phrase.