“In each of the following questions, select the option that best explains the information conveyed in the sentence.” This instruction is not new to individuals who have sat for NECO, WASSCE and UTME before. Students who have been practising past questions would have also come across the instruction several times. The goal of the examination through this session is to test candidates’ ability to identify the unsaid in the given expressions. The expressions are sometimes characterised with phrasal verbs, giving them some metaphorical/idiomatic undertone. Any candidates who fail to interpret the expressions correctly will lose the scores allocated to the questions in that session. In essence, the knowledge of phrasal verbs and how they operate is of great value to prospective candidates of WASSCE, NECO, UTME and other related examinations.
A phrasal verb is a group of two or three words that begins with a verb and is followed by at least a particle. In this context, the particle is either an adverb or a preposition. It is a preposition if it is followed by a noun (phrase) or a pronoun, as in:
i. She carries “on” “the assignment” (on = preposition; the assignment = noun phrase).
ii. A stranger bailed “out” “Olu” (out = preposition; Olu = noun).
iii. A stranger bailed “out” “him” (out = preposition; him = pronoun).
However, the particle is an adverb if it is not followed by a noun, a noun phrase or a pronoun, as in:
i. Get out! (out = adverb).
ii. The old man passed on this morning (on = adverb).
Other examples of particles are in, up, off, forward, down, about, through, etc. These can be combined with verbs to form the following phrasal verbs:
move + in
keep + up
call + off
look + forward
break + down
come + about
see + through
It is worth noting that the meaning given to a phrasal verb is determined by the particle that is attached to the verb, not the verb. This is demonstrated in the following examples:
i. put (verb) + away (particle) (to return something to its place) as in:
Example: Jumai must “put away” those books this morning.
ii. put (verb) + forward (particle) (to propose) as in:
Example: The professor has “put forward” a new theory.
In addition, the meaning that is derived from a phrasal verb is different from the meanings of the verb and particle(s) that are combined to form it when they are used as separate words. Examples:
call back (call: meaning, to speak in a loud voice) + (back: meaning, at the rear)
call + back = to return a phone call
For example: Toyin promised to “call back” tomorrow.
Some phrasal verbs have more than one particle, as in:
i. break up with (meaning: to end a friendship or an affair)
Example: Suleiman has “broken up with” Sherifa.
ii. put through to (meaning: to connect someone to another person)
For example: I asked the secretary to “put” me “through” “to” the manager, but she refused.
Like verbs, phrasal verbs are of the following types:
1. Transitive Phrasal Verbs: Like transitive verbs, transitive phrasal verbs take direct objects, as in:
i. The committee has “put off” “the election” till next week (put off = phrasal verb; the election = object).
ii. A stranger “bailed out” “the boy” yesterday (bailed out = phrasal verb; the boy = object).
It is possible to have the object in-between the phrasal verb elements (that is, the verb and the particle) as in:
i. The crowd “cheered” (verb) the players “up” (particle) during the match.
ii. Olu “gave” (verb) the letter “out” (particle) this morning.
Meanwhile, some phrasal verbs are inseparable. An example of such a phrasal verb is:
They looked after the kids (“looked” [verb] + “after” [particle]) + the kids (object).
NOT
They looked the kids after (“looked” [verb] + the kids (object) + “after” [particle])
Every reader can use the following phrasal verbs in sentences and try to insert objects between them in the sentences: (i.) come across (ii.) watch over.
2. Intransitive Transitive Phrasal Verbs: Like intransitive verbs, intransitive phrasal verbs do not take direct objects, as in:
i. The manager’s plan to upgrade the company fell through (phrasal verb = fell through; object = 0).
ii. The leader of the opposition party has backed out (phrasal verb = backed out; object = 0).