Multi-word verbs

Phrasal verbs
§ Combination of lexical verb and adverbial particle

Intransitive
§ doesn’t need an object
The injured man came to. (Přišel k sobě.)
The music died away.
Stop messing about. (Přestaň blbnout.)

Transitive
§ require object
They broke down the door.
Let’s take back the glasses.
They called off the meeting.
They ruled us about.
§ 2 possible positions of object; both acceptable
verb + adverbial particle + object
verb + object + adverbial particle
§ when object is pronoun, it is in the middle

Prepositional verbs
Lexical verb + preposition (semantically associated ® meaningful unit)
look into, call for, set about, come by, make for, see to, deal with
o Always require prepositional object; object always follow preposition

§ Difference between phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs:
o Preposition can’t be placed after object x adverbial particle can be placed after object
He broke with his girlfriend. x He broke up the party. / He broke the party up.
o Pronoun follows preposition x pronoun precedes adverbial particle
He broke with her. x He broke it up.
o Wh- interrogative preceded by preposition but not by adverbial particle
With whom did he break? x Up what did he break? – IMPOSSIBLE
The girl with whom he broke. x The party up which he broke. – IMPOSSIBLE
The party which he broke up.

Phrasal-prepositional verbs
§ Combination of phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs
§ Lexical verb + adverbial particle and preposition
look forward to, run up against, do away with, cut down on, go in for

Non-idiomatic and idiomatic combinations in all 3 types of verbs:
The boys have put up the tent.
meaning stays the same
They’re putting up new blocks of flats. shift of meaning
They’ve put the fares up. idiomatic
I can put up two of you over the week. fully idiomatic
She’ll put up the fonds. fully idiomatic
They put up the house for sale. idiomatic

o degrees of idiomaticity:
Take the cat in. – non-idiomatic
I have to take my skirt in. – half-idiom (zmenšit sukni)
I’m always taken in by foolish jokes. – idiomatic

Prepositional verbs can have 2 objects (belong to idiomaticity as well)
o 1st noun is object of the verb – idiomatic unit
o 2nd noun is object of preposition
to lose touch with somebody
to turn one’s hand to something
to set fire to the house
to lose track of something
to catch sight of something

Phased processes
§ consist of 2 lexical verbs, don’t mean action
o 1st lexical verb indicates phase of process
o 2nd lexical verb indicates process itself
It started to rain. / it continued raining. / it stopped raining.
o 1st verb in finite form always
o 2nd in infinitive with to or in -ing form
§ alternatives verb of phase admits both infinitive and -ing form

types of phase
o of initiation (the beginning of the action) begin, start
o of continuation continue, go on, proceed, carry on, keep on
o of termination (the end of the action) stop, finish, cease
o of seeming or becoming real appear, seem, turn out
o of attempting, succeeding, failing try, venture, succeed, manage, fail
o of manner or attitude happen, hesitate, regret, tend, venture

Verbs with to-infinitive
appear, chance, come, fail, happen, help, hesitate, manage, prove, regret, seem, tend, try, turn out, venture, neglect, hasten, pretend, decline
Verbs with -ing form
go on, keep on, carry on, continue
Verbs with either to-infinitive or -ing form
begin, start, cease, bother
Verbs with either to-infinitive or -ing form or -ed form
get to know somebody, get going, get started