PRO ELIT English | Phrasal Verbs for Writing: Yea or Nay?
A phrasal verb is a verb that is made up of a main verb together with an adverb or a preposition, or both. When these words are used together to form a phrasal verb, they usually take on a different meaning to that of the individual words themselves.
She has always looked down on me because I did not finish high school.
For instance, in this example, the phrasal verb ‘to look down on someone’ doesn’t mean that you are looking down from a higher place at someone who is below you. It means that you think that you are better than someone.
Phrasal verbs are widely used in spoken English and informal texts; as such you may come across rules that suggest avoiding phrasal verbs (and replacing them with corresponding verbs instead) in academic writing. Well, avoiding the use of phrasal verbs in formal writing is best because they may make your piece sound too casual. However, seeing the wide range of writing genres that are tested in school these days, using phrasal verbs to invoke a casual style may bring life to your characters or better relate to the intended audience if you are writing an informal piece.
These are some examples of phrasal verbs:
call off
Meaning: to cancel
Mr. Jones called the dinner off because he wasn’t feeling well.
do away with
Meaning: put an end to; discard
There is no better time than now to do away with manual labour. Bring in the computers!
get away with
Meaning: escape; do without being noticed or punished
Jason always gets away with cheating in his exams.
give in
Meaning: reluctantly stop fighting or arguing
My boyfriend didn't want to go to the ballet, but my persistent whining forced him to finally give in.
pass up
Meaning: decline (usually something good)
I passed up the job because I am afraid of change.
set up
Meaning: to trick, trap
The police set the car thief up by using a hidden camera.
shop around
Meaning: compare prices
I want to shop around a little before I decide on these boots.
mix up
Meaning: confuse two or more things
I mixed up the twins again!
become of
Meaning: what has happened to someone or something
Do you know what became of that girl, Jane, who used to work here? I’ve not heard from her in ages.
put off
Meaning: postpone
You can’t put the decision off any longer.
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