Understanding and using phrasal-prepositional verbs
Phrasal-Prepositional verbs are just one category of multi-word verbs. Others are phrasal verbsA multi-word lexical verb consisting of a verb + adverbial particle., prepositional verbsVerbs composed of a lexical verb and a preposition and which take a prepositional object., and multi-word verbThese are idiomatic constructions and include verb + prepositional phrases, verb + verb combinations, and verb + noun combinations. constructions.
Phrasal-Prepositional verbs consist of a verb plus a particle plus a preposition (e.g. come up with, get back to).
Clause patterns of phrasal-prepositional verbs
Like prepositional verbs, phrasal-prepositional verbs take a prepositional object consisting of a preposition and a noun phrase. There are two patterns (type 2 is rare):
NP + verb + particle + preposition + NP
"Foreign debt payments became irregular and the government increasingly fellbackon local borrowing" (Singogo and Grynberg 2023).
"In rare cases, passengers or flight attendants might end up withsome injuries" (Lane 2022).
NP + verb + NP + particle + preposition + NP
"[Science fiction] asks for usto holdone storyup against another ...." (Pak 2021).
"...58%putthisdown tothe need for a better work-life balance" (Musker 2019).
Distribution of Phrasal-Prepositional Verbs
Phrasal-prepositional verbs are rarely found in academic writing and type 2 patterns are extremely rare as very few phrasal-prepositional verbs take two objects.
be behind with
Definition:
be later than planned, behind schedule
Type:
Type 1; Intransitive
Example:
"Germany, with modest hydro, is heading for at least 80% renewable electricity by 2050, but is behind withits renewable heat and transport programs."(Diesendorf 2016)
set out in
Definition:
state, declare, publish
Type:
Type 1; Intransitive, passive
Example:
"The social responsibility of intellectualswas set out ineight articles of the declaration."(Adesina 2020) "A large number of European countries are members of the European Union. They are therefore expected to organise themselves in accordance with the fundamental principles set out inthe Union treaties."(Bréchon 2023) This is post modifying past participle. This form (or "as set out in") is the most common use of "set out in".
look forward to
Definition:
anticipate with pleasure
Type:
Type 1; Transitive, active
Example:
"Most of uslook forward to a rare long weekend."(Hopkins 2023) One of the commonest phrasal-prepositional verbs, but rarely used in academic writing.
come up with
Definition:
invent, create, produce
Type:
Type 1; Transitive
Example:
"If you are not prepared to be wrong youwill never come up withanything original."(Zouwer 2023)
get back to
Definition:
resume, return to (a previous state of affairs)
Type:
Type 1; Transitive
Example:
"When her driver careened into a ditch and overturned the vehicle, they righted the car, fixed the damaged equipment as best they could and got back towork."(Jorgensen 2017)
keep up with
Definition:
progress at the same rate as, maintain the same level as
Type:
Type 1; Transitive
Example:
"Theyneed access to ICT improvements for classroom implementation and to keep up withcontinuous technological advances."(Hyndman 2018)
keep abreast of
Definition:
stay level with
Type:
Type 1, transitive,
Example:
The regulation of technology requires the lawto keep abreast of rapidly changing and highly complex trends."(Pattinson and Basu 2020)
make up for
Definition:
compensate for
Type:
Type 1; transitive
Example:
"...the oil industry is seeing plastics as a key output thatcan make up forlosses in other markets."(Bauer and Nielsen 2021)
put down to
Definition:
attribute to
Type:
Type 2; Transitive, passive
Example:
"If a young person has negative, insulting attitudes or opinions, thisis often put down tohaving unresolved emotional issues."(Orlando 2020)
be made up of
Definition:
constitute
Type:
Type 1; Transitive, passive
Example:
"The atmosphereis now made up of21% oxygen, but it accounted for just 0.001% of today’s levels during the first 2 billion years of Earth’s history."(Duarte et al. 2021)
run up against
Definition:
encounter (an obstacle, difficulty)
Type:
Type 1; Transitive
Example:
"The studies also ran up againstmany methodological challenges, the biggest of which centered on the old statistical adage – correlation does not equal causation."(Gavin 2017)
date back to
Definition:
have existed since, originated in
Type:
Type 1: Intransitive
Example:
"A deeper issue underlies each one’s part in the malaise enveloping the planet’s ecosystems – and its originsdate back tolong before the industrial revolution."(Alberro 2019)
fall back on
Definition:
resort to
Type:
Type 1; Intransitive, passive
Example:
"We leave themto fall back onwhat they intuitively know about language, and as a consequence they simply write like they speak."(Adoniou 2014)
boil down to
Definition:
can be summarised as
Type:
Type 1; Transitive
Example:
"Talking to museum staff and examining articles, discussions, blogs and debates reveal five reasons for the ban – all of which primarily boil down tomoney."(Zagorsky 2016)
hold up against
Definition:
compare with
Type:
Type 2; Transitive
Example:
"[Science fiction] asks for usto holdone storyup against another ...." (Pak 2021)
fit in with
Definition:
work in harmony with, accept, match, suit
Type:
Type 1; Intransitive
Example:
"New partiesneed to understand the culture of the collaboration and fit in withits values, norms and behaviours." (Charles and Keast 2016)
