Using verbs with prepositions in English

Students of English frequently have difficulty understanding how to use verb+preposition combinations in English. And this is not surprising. Though the general rules are actually quite simple (like most rules of language), it is sometimes difficult to see the relation between a verb and the preposition that follows it. Two principal but very different situations (or deep structures) exist, and unfortunately they (i.e. their surface structures) can appear to be identical.
Compare the following pairs:

With nouns as objects	With pronoun objects	(Passive )
The car ran over the dogs	The car ran them over	They were run over by the car
The children ran over the bridge	The children ran over it.	Improbable.
He turned off the television	He turned it off	The television was turned off (by him).
We turned off the main road into a car park.	We turned off (it) into a car park.	Impossible
I got off all the old paint.	I got it all off	All the old paint was got off by me. (Improbable, but possible)
I got off the train at York.	I got off it at York	Impossible

►In the examples on the pink lines, the preposition is an integral part of the verb, defining its meaning:  these verbs are called phrasal verbs. They are in effect two-word verbs.
►In the examples on the blue lines, the preposition affects the meaning of the verb, but is not part of the verb; it belongs to the adverb phrase following the verb; verbs that are used in this way are called prepositional verbs.

   These differences are by no means always easy to understand, particularly in the examples above which show that some verbs can even be either phrasal or prepositional, depending on the circumstances! However, with the vast majority of verbs, there is no choice. The verb is either a phrasal verb or a prepositional verb. Here are some guidelines to help you understand the differences between the two groups, and their usage..

---

Phrasal verbs or Particle verbs
►  Phrasal verbs can be either transitive or intransitive.
►  Phrasal verbs" or "particle verbs" are composed of a verb + a particle (preposition or adverb). Sometimes, there may be two particles.
►  These elements together have a single meaning, and frequently are synonymous with a single word verb, as in the table below.
► They are usually formed using a transitive* root verb + a particle. This is the most common type  of  phrasal verb or particle verb.
Examples:  break up  /  shut out  /  put off  /  fill up  /  give up  /  set up  /  etc.
► Others are formed from an intransitive root verb + a particle:
Examples:  go out  /  come across  /  sleep off  /  lie down  /  stand out  etc. Many English root verbs can combine with particles to create an idiomatic phrasal verb: but the most common ones are:  break,  make,  take,  set,  put,  get.

► Transitive phrasal verbs are usually separable, meaning that the direct object can - or with pronouns, must - come between the verb and the particle.
However adverbs do not usually come between the verb and the particle - though there are exceptions.
Transitive phrasal verbs: examples

Using nouns	Using pronoun objects	(Passive )
The referee broke up (=stopped)  the fight  immediately. or:  The referee broke the fight up immediately.	He broke it up immediately.	The fight was immediately broken up by the referee.
The old lady made out (=wrote) the cheque very slowly. or:  The old lady made the cheque out very slowly.	She made it out very slowly	The cheque was made out by the old lady very slowly.
He took up (=started) golf when he retired. or:  He took  golf up when he retired.	He took it up when he retired	improbable
The robbers set off (=started) the alarm  as they entered the bank. or:  The robbers set  the alarm off as they entered the bank.	They set it off as they entered the bank	The alarm was set off as the robbers entered the bank.
The men managed to put out (=extinguish) the fire by themselves. or:  The men managed to put the fire out by themselves	They managed to put it out by themselves.	The fire was put out by the men, by themselves.
The soldiers got up (=erected) their tents in two minutes. or:  The soldiers got their tents up in two minutes.	They got them up in two minutes.	The tents were got up in two minutes.
I put down your success to hard work or:  I put your success down to hard work.	I put it down to hard work.	His success was put down to hard work.

► Intransitive phrasal verbs: ► Since intransitive verbs have no direct object, and cannot be put into the passive, their usage is simple: they are by definition inseparable.
However adverbs can occasionally come between the verb and the particle if the adverb serves to describe the action.
► In intransitive phrasal verbs, the particle is either narrows the sense of the verb (as in sit down), or else creates an idiomatic meaning which is different from that of the root verb (as in shut up). Here are a few examples of intransitive phrasal verbs:

Flight 201 to New York will take off at 12.33.

A lot of the guests showed up late

Bird flu first broke out in China in 1996

Tomorrow morning, we all have to get up at 5.30.

Once the President had taken his place, the guests all sat quietly down.

The bomb went off just as the bus was passing.

Prepositional verbs

► Prepositional verbs are transitive: they require an object. This object is generally stated, but sometimes just implied or inferred.
► Most prepositional verbs consist or an intransitive root verb + a particle.
► Some prepositional verbs are formed using a transitive verb and a particle.
► Often, the particle transforms an intransitive verb into a transitive verb:
     Examples :  look / look at / look for  - wait / wait for  -  come / come through.
► The particle is not really part of the verb, but an essential link between the verb and its stated or implied object.
► These verbs are usually inseparable, meaning that the verb and particle generally stand together.
However short adverbs or adverb phrases can come between the verb and the particle in transitive statements, particularly when the object is a noun.
If in doubt, do not place the adverb between the verb and the particle.

Using nouns	Using pronoun objects	Passive
The climbers went up (=ascended) the mountain very slowly. or The climbers went very slowly up (=ascended) the mountain.	They went up it very slowly	Improbable
They came through (=passed) their exam very well.	They came through it very well	Improbable
We're depending on your support, totally.	We're depending on you totally.	You're being depended on.
The students were looking intently at (= studying) the notice board. or The students were looking at  the notice board intently.	They were looking intently at it , or They were looking at it intently.

Phrasal-prepositional verbs.

English has a good number of  verbs that appear to be formed on the structure verb+particle+particle.

In most cases, these are prepositional verbs in which the root verb is actually a phrasal verb.
Like simple prepositional verbs, phrasal prepositional verbs are transitive.
So in reality, the structure of these verbs is actually  phrasal-verb + particle.
Once this is understood, usage should not be hard to follow. They behave in the same way as ordinary prepositional verbs.

Using nouns	Using pronoun objects	(Passive )
Everyone looked forward to the concert.	Everyone looked forward to it.	It was looked forward to by everyone.
The prisoners broke out of their cells.	They broke out of them.	The cells were broken out of.
The airline did away with tickets	The airline did away with them	Tickets were done away with.
The builders got on with the job	They got on with it.	The job was got on with by the builders.