What is a phrasal verb?
A phrasal or multi-word verb is a combination of a verb plus one or two "particles" or prepositions. The meaning of the phrasal verb can be different from the meaning of the two words taken separately.

You probably know and use some phrasal verbs already such as, look up, find out, come in, put on, take off. Some may be less familiar, such as put off (delay) a meeting, turn down (refuse) an offer or put someone up (accommodate someone).
Phrasal verbs are used so frequently in English that if you don't recognise them when you come across them they can be very confusing. Of course once you are familiar with them, they are easy to recognise and use but some people find them difficult to learn.

Why are phrasal verbs important?
To answer this question we need to think about how the history of the United Kingdom has affected its language. In the distant past, the inhabitants of Britain spoken an Anglo-Saxon Germanic-based language, but in 1066, all that changed. The Normans from France invaded and conquered England, bringing their Latin-based language with them. For the next four or five hundred years, this Norman French was widely used as the language of the King's court, the law courts, the church, the upper and the middle classes. However the working people or "the man in the street" still spoke the Anglo-Saxon language. It is still true!

The use of these two languages in Britain explains, to some extent, why English has such a wide vocabulary. There are two versions of most words, for example we say sheep and cow (the beasts of the field, that the farmers produced) or mutton and beef (the meat on the table, that the rich men ate).

You can put out a fire or you can extinguish a fire,
You can put up with a bad situation or you can tolerate it,
You can kick someone out or you can expel them

The first is Anglo-Saxon, the second a French or Latin-based word.

When English speakers hear a Latin-based word they are impressed. The speaker is an intellectual, speaking from the head. When English speakers hear Anglo-Saxon English, they believe what is said and warm towards the speaker. It is the language of the people, of the heart, of the belly, the gut.

If you want to sound sincere and connect with ordinary people, this is the language to use.

Since phrasal verbs are a more informal way of expressing something; they are more common in spoken English than in written English.

Many learners of English tend to favour the non-phrasal verb equivalent. This is what they may have been taught at school and it may seem easier to learn. They may also think that knowing long words makes them sound very clever. Unfortunately it often makes them sound formal:

"Can I remove my shoes?" "Please enter" and sometimes inappropriate:

"Just a minute, let me extinguish my cigarette", or "I forgot to I submit my homework" which sounds particularly formal for a child or a teenager, it would be more usual to say, "I forgot to hand in my homework".
It can also make the speaker sound too formal, therefore cold, unfriendly and unapproachable.

"I would appreciate participating in your game (of cricket)" gives a very different message to "I'd love to join in your game (of cricket)".

A. Look at the language in these two stories. Which sounds more formal?

B. Put single words into this paragraph to replace the phrasal verbs.

You can try to guess it's meaning from the context, look at the phrasal verbs in the previous sentence. The "particle" may help you to guess its meaning, does the particle sound positive or negative?

After you have tried to guess, you can use your dictionary to check. In a good monolingual dictionary, after the entry for the main verb, you will see an entry with Phr V; this will give you a list of phrasal verbs made from the main verb. It will also give you examples of how the phrasal verbs are used in sentences.

Make a note of new phrasal forms of verbs as you get to know them.

This will not only build up your word power, but also help you to express yourself more precisely and convincingly in English! Depending, of course, on the impression that you wish to give!

Answers

A. The left hand box is more formal, the right hand box sounds "chatty".

B. When he entered the room there was a minute's silence. Everyone studied/inspected him curiously. Obviously everyone had been discussing him, and now he had appeared in person. "He should be expelled, said Peters. Some of the others emitted murmurs of agreement. Hopkins got up "I can't continue enjoying myself any longer in that man's company" he said. "Either he leaves or I eject him."

C. I went to look at a new apartment yesterday but it was not very promising, although it is in a beautiful area of town, the whole place needs doing up. The old kitchen sink needs taking out. We would have to put in air conditioning. We would also need to put up some shelves for my books and there are no bedroom cupboards. The previous owners have left lots rubbish that we would have to throw away. The cooker doesn't work properly but it can be fixed up.

Before we decide whether to move, we must talk this over and think it over very carefully although you did say that you were interested in taking up home decoration and plumbing!