A phrasal verb can be a combination of three words. The three-word phrasal verbs are made up of verb + particle + preposition, and they are non-separable. The phrasal verb is transitive because the third word, usually a preposition, must take a noun or pronoun object.
Examples:
-
The members
came out with
a set of proposals on reform of the club.
( Come out with = say or express something)
-
The police are
following up on
leads pointing to the whereabouts of the kidnapped victim.
( Follow up on = discover more or take further action connected with something.) -
He's wondering aloud how he could
get out of
meeting his mother-in-law this weekend.
( Get out of = avoid doing something)
-
He spends the weekends
hanging out with
a bunch of kids at the shopping centre.
( Hang out with = spend a lot of time with someone) -
He often
listened in on
her phone conversations without her knowledge.
( Listen in on = listen secretly to a private conversation)
-
We always
looked up to
him for his courage.
( Look up to = respect or admire [someone])
-
I'm saving more this month to
make up for
a withdrawal last month.
( Make up for = compensate; or have something to correct or take the place of something else)
-
She shopped the whole day at the sales and never seemed to
run out of
money.
( Run out of = use up something so that none is left)
-
We have to
stand up for
ourselves.
( Stand up for = defend or support [someone or something] against attack or criticism)
-
Someone
walked off with
my bag of groceries when I wasn't looking.
( Walk off with = steal or take something without asking for permission)
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