The term phrasal verb may not sound familiar, but you often use phrasal verbs while speaking. Phrasal verbs are made up of multiple words \u2012 the primary verb and a particle (a preposition or adverb, or both). When you use these words together, the collective meaning differs from that of the individual words. This naturally makes them difficult to comprehend for the people for whom English is the second language.<\/p>\n

For instance, the word \u201ctake\u201d can mean \u201cto reach for something and hold it\u201d or \u201cto remove something\u201d \u2013 like taking<\/em> the wallet out of your pocket. The word \u201coff\u201d can mean something gone bad, on leave, etc. But when used together, \u201ctake off\u201d becomes a phrasal verb meaning an aircraft flying off or someone running away.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
Table of Contents<\/p>\n
Using Phrasal Verbs in Academic Writing<\/a><\/li>
Different Kinds of Phrasal Verbs<\/a><\/li>
Various Meanings of Phrasal Verbs<\/a><\/li>
Phrasal Verbs You Must Eliminate from Formal Writing<\/a><\/li>
Suitable Phrasal Verbs in Formal Writing<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n
<\/span>Using Phrasal Verbs in Academic Writing<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n
Phrasal verbs are both acceptable and common in spoken English, but in academic writing, most of them are considered informal. Moreover, phrasal verbs frequently have more than one meaning. As you want to write a paper that\u2019s easy-to-read and understand, you\u2019re better off substituting phrasal verbs with formal one-word replacements.<\/p>\n
<\/span>Different Kinds of Phrasal Verbs<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n
A further distinction is made between intransitive phrasal verbs (they have no object) and transitive phrasal verbs (they do have an object).<\/p>\n
Phrasal verbs can be intransitive (they have no object) or transitive (they do have an object). For example:<\/p>\n
\n
Intransitive:<\/em>\u00a0They \u201cset out\u201d to prove that\u2026<\/li>\n
Transitive:<\/em>\u00a0This \u201csets off\u201d the reaction\u2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Transitive phrasal verbs can be further divided into separable and inseparable phrasal verbs, depending on whether the verb and its particle can be separated in the sentence. For instance:<\/p>\n
\n
Separable: This \u201csets\u201d the reaction \u201coff.\u201d<\/li>\n
Inseparable: We \u201cset about\u201d converting the tune into a theme song.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Also, if\u00a0(in the transitive form) the\u00a0object is a pronoun, then the pronoun must go before the particle:<\/p>\n
\n
This \u201csets off\u201d the reaction.<\/li>\n
This \u201csets\u201d the reaction \u201coff.\u201d<\/li>\n
This \u201csets\u201d it \u201coff.\u201d (NEVER This \u201csets off it.\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/span>Various Meanings of Phrasal Verbs<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n
As phrasal verbs have several meanings, it\u2019s advisable to avoid using them in academic papers.<\/p>\n
For instance, see how the phrasal verb \u201cput off<\/strong>\u201d is used:<\/p>\n
\n
She was visibly put off <\/strong>by the bad service at that expensive Italian restaurant.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Depending on the context, the phrasal verb \u201cput off\u201d has various interpretations. Here are a few of them:<\/p>\n
\n
Make an individual dislike something<\/li>\n
Cause a delay<\/li>\n
Make something take place later<\/li>\n
Organize to meet someone at another time<\/li>\n
Break someone\u2019s concentration<\/li>\n
Turn something off<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Naturally, utilizing a single-word replacement is recommended to ensure that the reader comprehends your message correctly. Here\u2019s how the above sentence can be rephrased:<\/p>\n
\n
She was visibly upset<\/strong>\u00a0by the bad service at that expensive Italian restaurant.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/span>Phrasal Verbs You Must Eliminate from Formal Writing<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n
While certain phrasal verbs are acceptable, most of the others should be avoided in academic writing<\/a>. The following phrasal verbs are a few examples with suitable one-word replacements:<\/p>\n
\n
Hold up<\/em>\u00a0(delay)<\/p>\n
Hold out<\/em>\u00a0(wait)<\/p>\n
Use up<\/em>\u00a0(exhaust)<\/p>\n
Call off<\/em>\u00a0(cancel)<\/p>\n
Figure out<\/em>\u00a0(solve)<\/p>\n
Leave out<\/em>\u00a0(omit)<\/p>\n
Pass out<\/em>\u00a0(distribute)<\/p>\n
Turn down<\/em>\u00a0(reject)<\/p>\n
Go on<\/em>\u00a0(continue)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
<\/span>Suitable Phrasal Verbs in Formal Writing<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n
Given below are a few examples of phrasal verbs that can be utilized in academic writing:<\/p>\n
\n
They\u00a0carried out<\/strong>\u00a0the task\u2026<\/li>\n
The outcome\u00a0points towards<\/strong> an alternate\u2026<\/li>\n
All the suggestions were\u00a0based on<\/strong>\u00a0\u2026<\/li>\n
Each individual is\u00a0subjected to<\/strong>\u00a0\u2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\n
\n
\n
We hope you learned something new while reading this article. Perhaps, you have a few thoughts and ideas of your own. Trinka\u2019s grammar checker<\/a> can help refine your comments and ideas, ensuring they are clear and error-free before you share them.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The term phrasal verb may not sound familiar, but you often use phrasal verbs while speaking. Phrasal verbs are made up of multiple words \u2012 the primary verb and a particle (a preposition or adverb, or both). When you use these words together, the collective meaning differs from that of the individual words. This naturally […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[208],"tags":[14,17],"acf":[],"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/www.trinka.ai\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/phrasal-verbs.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinka.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinka.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinka.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinka.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinka.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=185"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinka.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4770,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinka.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185\/revisions\/4770"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinka.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinka.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinka.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinka.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}