: Martin Manser
: Useful Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs
: BookBaby
: 9781483594774
: 1
: CHF 5.90
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: Sonstiges
: English
: 200
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: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB
A phrasal verb is a verb that consists of two or three separate parts: 'come in', 'run away', 'look forward to', etc. With an idiomatic phrasal verb, the meanings of the separate parts tell us little or nothing about the meaning of the whole. For example, students may be fully familiar with the meanings of 'pick' and 'up' as individual words, but this knowledge does not help them when they want to know the idiomatic meaning of 'pick up' in, 'Business is picking up'. This dictionary has been written to help the learner with this type of idiomatic combination. To be fluent in English, you have to be able to use phrasal verbs well. This dictionary has been written for intermediate and advanced students who want an easy-to-use reference book that deals with this area of the language. The emphasis is on idiomatic phrasal verbs, whose meaning and use are especially difficult for students.

Introduction

 

A phrasal verb is a verb that consists of two or three separate parts:come in,run away,look forward to,etc. With an idiomatic phrasal verb, the meanings of the separate parts tell us little or nothing about the meaning of the whole. For example, students may be fully familiar with the meanings ofpickandupas individual words, but this knowledge does not help them when they want to know the idiomatic meaning ofpick upin, ‘Business is picking up’. This dictionary has been written to help the learner with this type of idiomatic combination. Non-idiomatic or literal phrasal verbs, which simply combine the meanings of their parts, are excluded.

 

However, having made the distinction between idiomatic and non-idiomatic phrasal verbs, we must point out that these are merely labels for the opposite ends of a scale: there are many phrasal verbs which are neither fully idiomatic nor fully literal. The guide for selection in these cases has been comprehensibility, so that a verb combination has been included if its meaning is not obvious from its parts. There are two exceptions to this rule: verbs used only in technical or specialized fields are not included, nor are verbs which are no longer in common use. The intention has been to concentrate on the items likely to be of greatest use to the majority of students.

 

For prepositions used with non-idiomatic or literal verbs, such ascollide with(a vehicle) andrecover from(an illness), see Martin Manser,Useful Dictionary of Verbs with Prepositions.

 

 

Grammatical patterns

 

The grammar of phrasal verbs is a little difficult. The grammar consists of two basic parts:

 

The main verb, for examplebring orcome, and another part, for exampleout, down, up, in:

bring out: ‘publish’:The publishers willbringa bookout.

come out: ‘appear’:The suncame outat 6 o’clock this morning.

 

If the main verb can be immediately followed by an object, it is marked astransitive (for examplebring); if the main verb cannot be immediately followed by an object, it is marked asintransitive (for examplecome).

 

If the part that follows the main verb can be immediately followed by an object, it is