Descriptive grammar
Lecture 7
dr Kinga Sądej
4 April 2009
Multi-word verbs
LEXICAL VERB + PARTICLE(S)
Lexical verb + adverb = phrasal verbs, e.g.
The plane has taken off
Lexical verb + preposition = prepositional verb, e.g.
The people looked at the picture.
Lexical verb + adverb + preposition = phrasal-prepositional verb,
e.g. I can t put up with your rudness anymore.
Phrasal verbs
1. Intransitive
He s playing around.
The plane has taken off.
When will they give in?
2. Transitive
We will set up a new company.
They broke down the door.
He rang up all the friends he had made on the cruise the previous summer.
3. Transitive or intransitive
Terrorist have blown up the power station.
The power station has blown up.
They broke down the door to rescue the child.
Her health broke down under the strain.
Prepositional verbs
Type I (lexical verb + preposition)
The people looked at these pictures [prepositional object]
These pictures were looked at by many people.
People looked disdainfully at these pictures. (unlike Od)
At what did the people look? At these pictures.
People looked at these pictures and at those sculptures.
People looked more carefully at these pictures than at those sculptures.
We must go into the problem.
I approve of their action.
look into, call for, come by, touch on, deal with, see to, etc.
Prepositional verbs
Type II (lexical verb + object + prepositional object)
He deprived the peasants of their land.
>> The peasants were deprived of their land.
ż They robbed her of her necklace.
>> She was robbed of her necklace.
May I remind you of our agreement?
He talked me into accepting the job.
Someone may have set fire to the forest deliberately.
I have lost touch with most of my school friends.
Prepositional verbs vs. free combinations
1. The prepositional object can be made the subject of a
corresponding passive clause, e.g.
We called on the dean. We called after lunch.
The dean was called on. *Lunch was called after.
(the preposition is stranded)
2. Wh-questions eliciting the prepositional object are formed with the
pronouns who(m) and what rather than with adverbial questions, e.g.
Who(m) did we call on? When did we call?
3. Prepositional objects can be conjoined, e.g.
We called on the dean and on the vice-chancellor.
Prepositional verbs vs. phrasal verbs
1. The particle of a prepositional verb must precede the prepositional object, but the
particle of a phrasal verb can generally precede or follow the Od, e.g.
She called on her friends. She called up her friends
*She called her friends on. She called her friends up.
2. When the object is a personal pronoun, the pronoun follows the particle of a
prepositional verb but precedes the particle of a phrasal verb, e.g.
She called on them. She called them up.
*She called them on. *She called up them.
3. An adverb can often/potentially be inserted between verb and particle in prepositional
verbs, but not in phrasal verbs, e.g.
She called angrily on her friends. *She called angrily up her friends.
Prepositional verbs vs. phrasal verbs
4. The particle of a phrasal verb cannot precede a relative pronoun or wh-
interrogative, e.g.
The friends on whom she called. *The friends up whom she called.
On which friends did she call? *Up which friends did she call?
5. The particle of a verb phrase is normally stressed, and in final position normally
bears the nuclear tone, whereas the particle of a prepositional verb is normally
unstressed and functions as the tail (nuclear tone falls on the lexical verb of the
prepositional verb), e.g.
Which friends did she CALL on? Which friends did she call UP?
I wouldn t dream of asking you to do it. We never heard from them again.
The sun came out and I dozed off. Please let me out.
Prepositional verbs vs. phrasal verbs
Some verb + particle combinations can function as both phrasal and
prepositional verbs, e.g. turn on, get over, come across, but the
meanings are different.
His former allies turned on him. Let s turn on the light.
[prepositional verb] [phrasal verb]
She will never get over the shock. I want to get my operations over.
I came across some old letters. Her voice comes across well.
Phrasal-prepositional verbs
1. Their neighbours look down on them.
>> They re looked down on by their neighbours.
>> Who do their neighbours look down on?
2. We can put our success down to hard work.
>> Our success can be put down to hard work.
>> What can they put their success down to?
Semantics of multi-word verbs
A. Non-idiomatic
Temperatures went up yesterday.
Put up your umbrella; it s starting to rain.
B. Semi-idiomatic
Don t foget to lock up the house before going on holiday.
The sound of thunder died away.
C. Fully idiomatic
That child catches on quickly.
She can run up a dress in an hour on that machine.
Exercise
Verb complementation
ł, subject complement, adverbial : intransitive
one object: monotransitive
two objects: ditransitive
object + object complement: complex-transitive
Intransitive verbs
John has arrived.
It s snowing.
She blushed.
The National Theatre stands near the river.
She s reading (a book).
They re saving (money) to buy a house.
John drinks coffee every day. (John drinks)
Intransitive: copular verbs
be, seem, become, appear, feel, look, smell, sound, taste, get,
grow, prove, turn, turn out, remain, go, stand, lie, stay, keep.
The city by night looked cosmopolitan.
We have to remain optimistic about the results.
His latest novel has become a best-seller.
The show turned out a success after all.
The child fell flat on its face.
The soldiers fell asleep.
Monotransitive verbs
1. Complementation by a finite clause, e.g.
I hope (that) he arrives soon.
It is hoped (that) he arrives soon.
2. Complementation by an extraposed subject that-clause, e.g.
It seems (that) you are mistaken.
3. Interrogative clause as object, e.g.
I don t know if we can get there in time.
Monotransitive verbs
4. Non-finite clauses as direct object:
Wh-infinitive, e.g.
The Curies discovered how to isolate radioactive elements.
Subjectless infinitive clause, e.g Ruth prefers to go by bus.
Subjectless  ing participle, e.g. They like talking about their job.
To-infinitive clause with subject, e.g.
Charles wants you to stand for election.
-ing participle clause with subject, e.g.
I hate their / them gossiping about our colleagues.
Complex-transitive verbs
1. Direct object and object complement
She considered her mother a sensible woman.
>> Her mother was considered (by her) a sensible woman.
The long walk made us hungry.
He took me for a fool.
I think it odd that nobody came. (extraposed object)
Complex-transitive verbs
2. Direct object and adjunct (SVOA):
I slipped the key into the lock.
3. Direct object and to-infinitive clause:
John believed the stranger to be a policeman.
4. Direct object and bare infinitive clause:
The crowd saw him score two goals.
5. Direct object and  ing participle clause:
I saw him lying on the grass.
6. Direct object and past participle clause:
Someone must have seen the car stolen.
She had the car cleaned.
Ditransitive verbs
1. Noun phrases as both indirect and direct object: He gave the girl a doll.
2. Object and prepositional object: We addressed our remarks to the children.
3. Indirect object and that-clause object:
Natalie convinced David that she was right.
4. Prepositional object and that-clause object:
Philip recommended (to me) that I buy whisky.
5. Indirect object and wh-clause object:
Martin asked me what time the meeting would end.
6. Indirect object and to-infinitive object: I persuaded Martin to see a doctor.
Adjective complementation
1. by a prepositional phrase: He is good at maths.
2. by a finite clause
We were confident that Karen was still alive.
I was doubtful whether I should stay.
3. by an  ing participle clause
I m busy getting the house redecorated.
Adjective complementation
4. by a to-infinitive clause
Bob is splendid to wait.
Bob is slow to react.
Bob is sorry to hear that.
Bob is willing to agree with you.
Bob is hard to convince.
The food is ready to eat.
It is important to be accurate.