Style: Phrasal Verbs
A phrasal verb comprises a simple verb followed by one or more prepositions or adverbs. For example, the previous sentence might alternatively
have been written –
A phrasal verb is made up of a simple verb followed by one or more
prepositions or adverbs.
Made up of is a phrasal verb for comprises.
Phrasal verbs can be counted by the score, and they cause great confusion to foreigners learning English. For example, there are the backs –
back up, back down, back off, back out, back away
the stands –
stand up, stand up for, stand down, stand by, stand for,
stand in, stand out
and the turns –
turn up, turn down, turn in, turn out, turn on, turn off,
turn away, turn over.
Such verbs are commonly used in everyday speech and informal writing in place of more formal verbs that can sound pretentious.
I gave up smoking three years ago
is more authentic than the overly formal –
I relinquished the habit of smoking three years ago.
But in formal English, many phrasal verbs can appear inelegant and give the impression of a poorly educated writer –
My daughter wants to go in for law (phrasal verb)
My daughter wants to study (or practise) law (formal verb)
Albert Einstein came up with the theory of relativity (phrasal verb)
Albert Einstein advanced (or propounded) the theory of relativity (formal verb)
His theory was later backed up by experiments (phrasal verb)
His theory was later supported by experiments (formal verb)
But we do not always have to search for a more formal verb. Sometimes, the simple verb is sufficient on its own –
We woke up at six every morning
We woke (or awoke) at six every morning
We added up the figures
We added the figures
I need to charge up my mobile
I need to charge (or recharge) my mobile.
There is no convenient rule to distinguish acceptable from unacceptable phrasal verbs in formal English; it is simply a question of how firmly
established in the language they have become. For example, to turn down ‘reject’ is more acceptable than to turn up ‘appear’; to bring about
‘cause’ is more acceptable than to bring off ‘succeed’. Even when two phrasal verbs mean much the same thing, one can still be more formal
than the other –
Albert Einstein came up with the theory of relativity (informal)
Albert Einstein put forward the theory of relativity (formal)
I told him to chill out (slang)
I told him to calm down (acceptable)
The same phrasal verb can even be formally acceptable with one meaning and not with another. Carry on is acceptable to mean ‘proceed’ or
‘continue’, but not to mean ‘bicker’, and there are similar differences in the uses of fill in, put down, take off and turn out.
English is a developing language where today’s colloquial often becomes tomorrow’s standard, but academic essays and other formal scripts are
not the places to push the boundaries. Phrasal verbs should consequently be used with care, and it is particularly advisable to avoid the latest
imports from the United States where they are both more common and more acceptable –
back out: withdraw
back off: retreat
bring off: succeed
check out: consult
dumb down: devalue by making simpler
fill in: inform
kick in: activate
listen up: listen, pay attention
lose out: lose
meet up with: meet
miss out on: miss
pay off: prove profitable
put down: criticise, humiliate
wise up: think more carefully