What is an English phrasal verb? Phrasal verbs with Georgie

OK, so I was about to get on the rollercoaster

and then I chickened out...

Chickened out?! Is that a verb?

Ah, yes. It's a phrasal verb. I forgot

students often freak out about them. Freak out...

Is that another phrasal verbs? Yeah.

Please explain more.

OK! Here are some things

yiu should know about phrasal verbs.

Let's get into it. Phrasal verbs are verbs with more than one word, like 'freak out',

'wake up' and 'put on'.

They consist of a basic verb

plus one - and sometimes two - extra words.

Phrasal verbs can be split into categories.

The first distinction is between phrasal verbs which need

an object and phrasal verbs which do not need an object.

OK, woah, woah, woah.

Don't freak out.

Let's look at some examples.

For verbs like pick up, put on, and turn on you are doing the action to something.

These phrasal verbs require an object.

You can't say 'I put on' on its own

without adding something. You put on what? I put on my scarf.

'My scarf' is the object.

OK, and what about the other type? Verbs like 'stand up'

and 'freak out'

do not require an object. When I stand up,

I stand up - and that's it.

I am not doing the action to anything.

We don't need an object.

OK, and that's it?

Er, no.

Phrasal verbs that require

an object can be split again

into phrasal verbs that can be separated by their object

and phrasal verbs that cannot be separated

by their object.

For example, the verb 'put on'

can be separated.

You can say 'I put on my scarf' or 'I put my scarf on'.

You can put the object in the middle of the verb or

or at the end, and it means exactly the same thing.

However, the verb 'look after'

can not be separated.

You can say 'my cousin looks after my dog',

but you cannot say 'my cousin looks

my dog after'. It sounds strange and very wrong.

Okay. I'm freaking out. How am I supposed to learn all of this?!

Don't freak out! Just come back to BBC Learning English. Where we'll

teach you more phrasal verbs and how to use them.

See you next time.