Phrasal & Prepositional verbs Phrasal and prepositional verbs differ from ordinary verbs in that the dictionary form consists of more than one word.
A PHRASAL VERB [e.g., take up, look after, fall through] consists of an ordinary verb plus one of a small group verbs [in, out, off, over, across, after, back, through, up, down, etc.]
A PREPOSITIONAL VERB [e.g. believe in, rely on, apply for] consists of an ordinary verb plus preposition [on, for, of, to, with, at, etc.]
It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the two because some words in, for example function both as adverbs and prepositions. There are many similarities between the two groups, which is why they are treated together here. The errors in this area mostly occur when a verb is followed by an adverb or a preposition when it should not be, alternatively when it is not followed by an adverb or preposition, but ought to be; and when the wrong adverb or preposition is used.
To avoid errors the verb and the adverb or preposition need to be learned together. In subsequent editions, we shall first of all be treating errors concerning phrasal verbs. Then the prepositional verbs are treated according to the type of error made.
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited