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What is phrasal verb ?

Phrasal verb is an idiomatic phrase consisting of a verb and another element, either an adverb or a preposition.

Following are various examples of phrasal verbs with their meanings:

  • ask someone out: this means to invite on a date. Instance of the same is: Shikhar asked Shashi out to dinner and movie;
  • ask around: this means to ask many people the same question. Instance of the same is: I asked around but has seen my kid;
  • break in: this means to interrupt. Instance of the same is: The TV station broke in to report the news of the president's death.
  • Pass out: this means to faint. Instance of the same is: The old man passed out at the marketplace because of extreme heat.

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The term phrasal verb is commonly applied to two or three distinct but related constructions in English: a verband a particle and/or a preposition co-occur forming a single semantic unit. This semantic unit cannot be understood based upon the meanings of the individual parts in isolation, but rather it must be taken as a whole. In other words, the meaning is non-compositional and thus unpredictable. Phrasal verbs that include a preposition are known as prepositional verbs and phrasal verbs that include a particle are also known as particle verbs.

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The term phrasal verb is commonly applied to two or three distinct but related constructions in English: a verband a particle and/or a preposition co-occur forming a single semantic unit. This semantic unit cannot be understood based upon the meanings of the individual parts in isolation, but rather it must be taken as a whole. In other words, the meaning is non-compositional and thus unpredictable.

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