5. Focus on: pronunciation of two-word phrasal verbs

Nonseparable phrasal verbs

Intransitive nonseparable phrasal verbs (verbs that do not allow an object) are usually accented on the particle:

The barn got hit by lightning, and it burned DOWN.

Ned drank so much that he passed OUT on the bathroom floor.

Transitive nonseparable phrasal verbs (verbs that require an object) are usu­ally accented on the verb:

Hank's been CHEATING on his wife for years.

I told the teacher my dog ate my homework, but she didn't FALL for it.

Separable phrasal verbs

Separable phrasal verbs (which are always transitive) are usually accented on the particle:

The British soldiers tried to burn DOWN the White House.

The teacher passed them OUT.

As the examples above show, a single phrasal verb can belong to more than one cat­egory depending on its meaning.

1. breakdown p.v. When something mechanical breaks down, it does not function.

I was late for work because my car broke down.

This photocopier is a piece of junk — it breaks down every day.

broken-down part.adj. When something is old, in bad condition, or not functioning properly, it is broken-down.

My car is a broken-down piece of junk.

breakdown n. A breakdown is a situation in which something mechanical has broken down.

After that last breakdown, I decided it was time for a new car.

2. breakdown p.v. When an arrangement, agreement, negotiation, plan, or marriage breaks down, one or more persons involved is not cooperating or participating because of a disagreement or problem.

After he started drinking heavily, their marriage started to break down. The peace negotiations broke down because neither side was willing to compromise.

breakdown n. A situation in which an arrangement, agreement, negotiation, plan, or marriage has broken down is a breakdown.

Neither side would give an inch, and there was a breakdown in the negotiations.

3. breakdown p.v. When you break down, you lose self-control and become emotionally or mentally confused.

When the judge sentenced Jones to life in prison, he broke down and begged for mercy. Tom breaks down whenever he thinks of the tragedy.

breakdown n. A situation in which someone has broken down and is very upset or confused is a breakdown.

Marvin had a complete mental breakdown and started to see invisible people.

4. break down p.v. When something decomposes or reduces to its smallest parts or is reduced by someone to its smallest parts, it breaks down.

After the poison breaks down, it's quite harmless.

Anticoagulant drugs are used to break down blood clots.

5. break... down p.v. When you reduce a process, situation, problem, plan, or idea to its basic parts to make it easier to understand, you break it down.

The professor's plan seemed really complicated, but after he broke it down for us, we understood it a little better.

If you break the manufacturing process down into steps, it's easier to train new workers.

6. break ... down p.v. When you use force to go through a door that is locked, you break it down.

The police broke the door down and arrested the bank robbers.

A door had to be broken down to rescue the people trapped by the fire.

1. burn ... down p.v. When a building or other structure burns down or someone burns it down, it is completely destroyed by fire.

Though most of Chicago burned down in 1871, a few buildings survived.

The owner was arrested for deliberately burning his factory down.

1. call in p.v. When you call your place of employment to say you cannot work that day because you are sick, you call in or call in sick.

The manager was angry when her secretary called in three days in a row.

Calling in sick too often is a good way to get fired.

2. call... in p.v. When you request the help of people or of an organization with more experience, power, or knowledge to help with a problem or difficult project, you call them in.

When the local police couldn't handle the riot, the National Guard was called in. The local police chief considered calling the FBI in to help solve the crime.

1. find ... out p.v. [not usually separated — the object can be a noun, a noun clause, or a complete sentence] When you find out information or a fact, you learn or become aware of that information or fact.

If you don't know when the movie starts, look in the newspaper to find out.

I met a nice man at the party, but I never found out his name.

I met a nice man at the party, but I never found out what his name was.

I was surprised when I found out that he can speak fourteen languages.

I was surprised when I found out he can speak fourteen languages.

I tried to get the information, but I couldn't find it out.

1. hand... back (to) p.v. When you return things to people by holding them in your hand and extending your arm, you hand them back or hand them back to them.

The teacher will hand the tests back in third period. The guard handed my ID card back to me.

1. look at p.v. When you focus your eyes on people or things, you look at them.

I looked at her and told her I loved her. Look at me when I talk to you!

2. look at p.v. When you examine something or a situation and decide what to do about it, you look at it.

The mechanic looked at my car but couldn't find anything wrong with it. Your finger might be broken; you should have Dr. Smith look at it.

3. look at p.v. When you think a certain way or have an opinion about something, that is the way you look at it.

The way I look at it, Congress is to blame for this mess, not the President. What should be done about this situation depends on how you look at it.

4. look at p.v. [informal — always continuous] When you say that people are looking at an amount of money or a length of time, you mean that this is how much they think something will cost or how long something will take.

That was a serious injury. You're looking at months and months of physical therapy. Putting a new roof on this house isn't going to be cheap. You're looking at at least $15,000.

1. pile... up p.v. When things increase in number and start to form a pile, they pile up. When people add things to a pile, they pile them up.

The snow piled up so high that I couldn't open my door. In the fall we pile the dead leaves up in the driveway and burn them.

piled up part.adj. When things are in a pile, they are piled up.

A lot of dirty laundry is piled up in the basement.

2. pile up p.v. When work or something else that must be done increases faster than you can do it, it piles up.

I'm really worried about money. My bills are piling up faster than I can pay them. My work really piled up white I was on vacation.

1. set... up p.v. When you arrange the parts of something so that they are in their proper position and can function, you set it up.

The kids got a swing set for Christmas, and Dad had to set it up in the snow.

When you're camping, be sure to set your tent up before it gets dark.

set up part.adj. After the parts of something are in their proper position and function properly, they are set up.

The party is starting in one hour. Are the tables set up?

setup n. A collection or arrangement of parts or equipment necessary for a certain procedure or task is a setup.

The nurse prepared setups for the hospital emergency room.

2. set... up p.v. When you plan and organize an activity or project, you set it up.

I set up a 4:00 meeting with Jones and his lawyer. Setting up a meeting of all fifty governors took a lot of planning.

set up part.adj. When an activity or project is planned, arranged, or organized, it is set up.

The arrangements for the wedding were very complicated, but everything is set up now.

setup n. How an activity or project is planned or arranged is the setup.

What's the setup for the Fourth of July picnic?

3. set... up p.v. [informal] When you commit a crime but make it appear that another, innocent person is guilty of the crime, you set the innocent person up.

Joe robbed the bank and tried to set me up by leaving some of the stolen money in my apartment and then telling the police about it. The detective didn't believe me when I told him I was set up.

setup n. [informal] An attempt by someone to make it appear that an innocent person is guilty of a crime is a setup.

I told the detective it was a setup and that I could prove I had been at the racetrack when the bank was robbed.

6. FOCUS ON: pronunciation of three-word phrasal verbs

The pronunciation of three-word phrasal verbs is generally quite simple: the sec­ond, or middle, particle is accented regardless of whether the phrasal verb is sep­arable or inseparable:

I think I've come UP with an answer to your problem. The detective didn't get any information OUT of him.

1. boil down to p.v. When you say that something boils down to something else, you are saying that it is the basic cause of a more complicated situation or problem.

Most of the crime in this city boils down to drugs.

My decision to stay at this awful job boils down to one thing — money.

1. come down with p.v. When you are starting to get sick, you are coming down with something or coming down with an illness.

I don't feel well. Maybe I'm coming down with something.

My grandmother said, "If you don't wear an undershirt, you'll come down with pneumonia."

1. come up with p.v. When you think of an idea, plan, or solution, you come up with it.

It took me all night, but I came up with the answer. Lydia wants to come up with a great idea for the party.

1. get around to p.v. When you do something after waiting for some time because you are lazy, inefficient, or do not want to do it, you get around to it.

I didn't get around to doing my taxes until April 14. Don't worry about the broken window. I'll get around to it one of these days.

1. get out of p.v. When you get out of something or get out of doing something you must do but do not want to do, you find a way to avoid it.

Sam got out of gym class by pretending to be sick.

The boss wants me to work a double shift, but I'll get out of it.

I got out of going to church with my parents by pretending to be sick.

2. get... out of p.v. If an activity gives you pleasure, satisfaction, or some other benefit, you get pleasure, satisfaction, or some other benefit out of it.

I sat through that boring class for three months and didn't learn a thing. I didn't get anything out of it.

The judge didn't get any pleasure out of imposing such a harsh penalty.

3. get... out of p.v. When you use force, pressure, or deceit to get something, such as information or money, from people, you get it out of them.

They tortured him for days, but they couldn't get any information out of him.

It took me a while, but I got the whole story out of her.

1. go back on p.v. When you make a promise, but you do not do what you promised to do, you go back on your promise.

I promised to take my son to a baseball game, and I'm not going back on my word.

The President went back on his pledge not to raise taxes.

1. go through with p.v. When you do something that you have decided to

do even though it may be dangerous or unpleasant or others may object, you go

through with it.

The spokeswoman said the company would go through with its plan to move the company to Mexico. Despite his family's opposition, Erik went through with his decision to quit his job and start his own business.

1. monkey around with p.v. [informal] When you adjust or try to repair mechanical devices even though you do not have permission or do not have the skill to do it properly, you monkey around with them.

I monkeyed around with my camera, and I think maybe I fixed it.

Frank was monkeying around with my printer, and now it doesn't work.