English Grammar Course - part 4 ppsx

Verb and
its
complementati
on
Nguyễn Hồng Diệu
HULIS VNU

Examine these examples
1. John called up the man.
2. John called on the man.
3. John put up with the man.
Group 1
Group 2
4. John called from the office.
5. John called after lunch.
6. John called from under the table.

Analysis
•
Group 1: Multi-word verbs
–
The combination verb + particle can be
substituted by a single-word verb
Eg. call on = visit; call up = summon
–
Normally, the composite meaning cannot be
deduced from their parts
Eg. catch on = understand, give in = surrender
–
Accept the passive transformation

–
The questions for objects are WHO or
WHAT

Analysis
•
Group 2: One-word verbs +
prepositional phrases
–
The meaning can be deduced from the
parts
–
Do not accept the passive transformation
–
The questions for objects are WHERE,
WHEN, HOW, etc.
Eg. Where did John call?

Classication of verbs in
terms of their structure
Verbs
One-word
verbs
Multi-word
verbs
Phrasal verbs
Prepositional
verbs
Phrasal-prepositional
verbs

Phrasal verbs
1. Intransitive phrasal verbs
•
Without any object
•
Verb + particle
2. Transitive phrasal verbs
•
With an object
•
Verb + particle + direct object

1. Intransitive phrasal
verbs
•
Form: verb + particle
Eg. The children were sitting down.
Drink up quickly!
Did he catch on?
•
Most particles are place adjuncts (non-literal
use)
•
Normally, the particle cannot be separated
from the verb
Eg. *Drink quickly up!
•
But particles ised as intensifiers/perfectives
or referring to direction can be modified by

intensifiers
Eg. Go right on!

1. Intransitive phrasal
verbs
•
Special type:
–
particle is a prepositional adverb (see 6.25),
behaving as a preposition with some generalized
ellipsis of its complement
Eg. He walked past.
They came in immediately.
–
The particle may be the beginning part of a
complex preposition
Eg. Come along (with us).
They moved out (of the house).
•
NOTE: Some phrasal verbs retain the
individual meanings of the verb and the
particle
Eg. Come in, switch on, wake up, etc.

2. Transitive phrasal verbs
•
Form: verb + particle + O
d
Eg. We will set up a new unit.
She is bringing up her brother's children.

•
Some phrasal verbs can be either transitive
or intransitive, with the same meaning
Eg. drink up, give in, etc.
•
Many have prepositional adverbs (with literal
meanings)
Eg. They dragged the case along.
They moved the furniture out.

2. Transitive phrasal verbs
•
Normally, the particle can either
precede or follow O
d
Eg. They turned on the light.
They turned the light on.
•
But particle cannot precede personal
pronouns
Eg. They turned them on.
•
The particle tends to precede long or
stressed-on-purpose objects

Prepositional verbs
•
Form: verb + preposition + prepositional
object
Eg. He's applied for a new job.

Who will be running for president next year?
•
The preposition must precede the complement
Eg. *He's applied a new job for.
*He's applied it for.
•
An adverb or a relative pronoun can be
inserted between verb & preposition
Eg. They called early on the man.
The man on whom they called.

Prepositional verbs
•
Different analyses of verbs followed
by a preposition: see 12.5

Dierences between phrasal
and prepositional verbs
1. The particle of phrasal verb can stand
either before or after the NP following the
verb, but that of the prepositional verb
must precede the NP
Eg. They called up all young men.
They called all young men up.
They called on their friends.

Dierences between phrasal
and prepositional verbs
2. When a personal pronoun follows the
verb, the pronoun precedes the particle of

a phrasal verb, but follows the particle in
a prepositional verb
Eg. They called them up.
They called on them.

Dierences between phrasal
and prepositional verbs
3. An adverb (functioning as an adjunct) can
often be inserted between verb and
particle in prepositional verbs, but not in
phrasal verbs
Eg. *They called early up all young men.
They called early on their friends.

Dierences between phrasal
and prepositional verbs
4. The particle of the phrasal verb cannot
precede a relative pronoun at the
beginning of a relative clause or the
interrogative word at the beginning of a
WH- question
Eg. *The young men up whom they call.
The friends on whom they called were
all at home.
*Up which men did they call?
On which men did they call?

Dierences between phrasal
and prepositional verbs
5. The particle of a phrasal verb is normally

stressed, where are the particle of a
prepositional verb is normally unstressed
Eg. Which men did they call UP?
Which men did they CALL on?

Phrasal-prepositional verbs
•
Form: verb + 2 particles + O
d
Eg. He puts up with almost anything.
•
Allow pronominal questions:
–
What can't he put up with?
•
Allow passivization
–
Bad temper can't be put up with for long.
•
Do not allow adverb insertion before the
object, but only between the particles
–
*He puts up with willingly that secretary of his.
–
He puts up willingly with that secretary of his.

Phrasal-prepositional verbs
•
In relative clauses & questions, the
particles are placed after the verbs

–
The party we were looking forward to so
eagerly turned out to be a disaster.
–
Who does he put up with willingly?
•
Less commonly, the final particle ca be
positioned before the relative pronoun or
the question word
–
The party to which we were looking forward so
eagerly
–
With whom does he put up willingly?

Homework