Separable Phrasal VerbsThe object may come after the following phrasal verbs or it may separate the two parts:
· You have to do this paint job over.
· You have to do over this paint job.
When the object of the following phrasal verbs is a pronoun, the two parts of the phrasal verb must be separated:
· You have to do it over.
Verb
Meaning
Example
blow up
explode
The terrorists tried to blow up the railroad station.
bring up
mention a topic
My mother brought up that little matter of my prison record again.
raise children
It isn't easy to bring up children nowadays.
call off
cancel
They called off this afternoon's meeting
do over
repeat a job
Do this homework over.
fill out
complete a form
Fill out this application form and mail it in.
fill up
fill to capacity
She filled up the grocery cart with free food.
find out
discover
My sister found out that her husband had been planning a surprise party for her.
give away
give something to someone else for free
The filling station was giving away free gas.
give back
return an object
My brother borrowed my car. I have a feeling he's not about to give it back.
hand in
submit something (assignment)
The students handed in their papers and left the room.
hang up
put something on hook or receiver
She hung up the phone before she hung up her clothes.
hold up
delay
I hate to hold up the meeting, but I have to go to the bathroom.
hold up (2)
rob
Three masked gunmen held up the Security Bank this afternoon.
leave out
omit
You left out the part about the police chase down Asylum Avenue.
look over
examine, check
The lawyers looked over the papers carefully before questioning the witness. (They looked them over carefully.)
look up
search in a list
You've misspelled this word again. You'd better look it up.
make up
invent a story or lie
She knew she was in trouble, so she made up a story about going to the movies with her friends.
make out
hear, understand
He was so far away, we really couldn't make out what he was saying.
pick out
choose
There were three men in the line-up. She picked out the guy she thought had stolen her purse.
pick up
lift something off something else
The crane picked up the entire house. (Watch them pick it up.)
point out
call attention to
As we drove through Paris, Francoise pointed out the major historical sites.
put away
save or store
We put away money for our retirement. She put away the cereal boxes.
put off
postpone
We asked the boss to put off the meeting until tomorrow. (Please put it off for another day.)
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