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The Excitement of Three-Part
Phrasal Verbs |
Popular music can teach you a lot about the English
language.
You may not realize it, but musicians are actually
teaching you about English grammar in each song they
perform.
Consider this song by the famous reggae artist Bob
Marley. It tells about the need for equality and
justice:
Get up, stand up. Stand up for your rights
Get up, stand up. Don’t give up the fight
This song is called “Get Up, Stand Up.” It shows you how
to use the three-part phrasal verb, "stand up for." "To
stand up for" means "to defend (someone or something)
with words.”
Today, we explore three-part phrasal verbs – idiomatic
expressions that can be difficult for students of
English to understand.
What are phrasal verbs?
As you may remember from other Everyday Grammar
programs, a phrasal verb is a verb with two or more
words. Most phrasal verbs contain just two words: a verb
and a preposition, such as “look up,” which means “to
research” or “to search for.” “Look” is the verb and
“up” is the preposition.
Note that “look” and “up” are words with literal
meanings. In some situations, you would use the literal
meaning of “look” and “up.” For example, you can say,
“When I looked up, I saw a beautiful bird.” In that
sentence, “look” means “to direct your eyes to a
specific direction” and “up” means “toward the sky or
top of the room.”
But, when used as a phrasal verb, “look up” becomes
idiomatic, which means you cannot understand their
meaning from the individual meanings of the separate
words. Instead, when the words are put together as
phrasal verbs, they mean something else.
While many phrasal verbs consist of just two words,
there are several that have three words. Three-part
phrasal verbs have a verb and two particles. A particle
is a word that must appear with another word to
communicate meaning:
Three-part phrasal verb = verb + particle + particle
Three-part phrasal verb = stand + up + for
In Bob Marley’s song, the main verb “stand” has two
particles: “up” and “for.” When these three words are
combined, they become a three-part phrasal verb.
Here is an easy way to remember how to use three-part
phrasal verbs: all three words always appear together,
and the order of the three words never changes.
So, although using these verbs may seem daunting at
first, do not fear! If you learn the most common ones,
you will be able to recognize them and use them
yourself.
Why do we use three-part phrasal
verbs?
Three-part phrasal verbs are important if you want to
express yourself in English in the most natural way
possible.
You can use many of these verbs in both casual and
formal English.
For example, “The meeting lasted three hours. Now, I
need to catch up on my work.” To “catch up on” is both
casual and formal. It means “to do something you have
not had time to do earlier.”
But, some three-part phrasal verbs are more common in
casual English than in formal, written English. Listen
for a three-part phrasal verb in this song by the blues
singer B.B. King:
Oh, I'm sorry for you baby
But you know I just can't put up with you
This song, called “Get These Blues Off Me,” uses the
verb “to put up with,” which means “to tolerate or
accept something unpleasant.”
Three-part phrasal verb = verb + particle + particle
Three-part phrasal verb = put + up + with
In English, many songs about love, or love lost, use the
verb “to put up with.” But you probably would not use
this verb in formal situations. For example, if you
reported your noisy neighbors to police, you might want
to avoid saying, “I have put up with the noise for a
long time.” Instead, you might say, “I have tolerated
the noise for a long time.”
How often do we use three-part
phrasal verbs?
In social, personal, and professional communication,
three-part phrasal verbs are often the most natural and
least wordy choice. That is why we use these verbs every
day.
For example, when we have not seen friends or family
members for a long time, we want to “catch up with”
them. We want to learn about the new things happening in
their lives.
Note the similarity between “catch up with” and “catch
up on.” Yet the meanings are different. Changing any
word of a three-part phrasal verb creates a new meaning.
A work situation where you might use a three-part
phrasal verb is when you run out of time. In the
workplace, you can also run out of ideas or supplies.
“To run out of” means “to have used all of something.”
Speaking of running out of time, we are almost out of
time for this program. So here are three ideas to help
you with three-part phrasal verbs.
Tip #1
The first thing to remember is that these verbs are
inseparable, meaning that the three words cannot be
separated by an object or any other part of speech. Bob
Marley did not say, “Stand up your rights for” or “Stand
your rights up for.” And, as we noted earlier, the words
will always appear in the same order: Bob Marley also
did not say, “Stand for up your rights.”
Tip #2
Changing any part of three-part phrasal verbs changes
their meanings. Remember that the verbs “catch up with”
and “catch up on” do not mean the same thing.
Tip #3
Now, a final point: The examples we have used today are
from American English. Many of these verbs are the same
in British English and other forms of English. But
remember that some of them may have a different meaning
or may not be used at all outside of the United States.
Three-part phrasal verbs can be difficult to understand,
but learning and using them will make your speaking and
writing sound realistic and natural.
I’m Alice Bryant. And I’m Pete Musto.
This program was written by Alice Bryant. George Grow
was the editor.
You can read more about phrasal verbs here. At the end
of this page, you can find a list of common phrasal
verbs along with their meanings. |
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Additional Information |
| Reference |
| Three-part Phrasal Verbs |
Meanings |
| “Stand up for your rights.” |
To defend yourself (with words
or other non-violent actions) |
| “I’m sorry, but I’ve run out of
time. Let’s meet tomorrow instead.” |
To have used all of something,
such as time, a food, product, or concept. |
| “His mom is not willing to put
up with his messy room anymore.” |
To allow (someone or something
unpleasant or annoying) to exist or happen; to
tolerate an unpleasant thing or person |
| “We are teaming up with the
community garden center to bring fresh food to
the school.” |
To collaborate with a person
group of people to achieve a common goal |
| ”He looks up to his older
brothers.” |
To respect and admire (someone) |
| ”He looks down on everyone.” |
To think of or treat (someone
or something) as unimportant or not worthy of
respect |
| ”I’m looking forward to
vacation! We’re going to New Orleans.” |
To be excited about something
in the future |
| ”That meeting lasted three
hours. Now, I need to catch up on my work.” |
To do something you have not
had time to do earlier |
| ”I can’t wait to catch up with
you!” |
To learn about new things
happening in someone’s life, usually a friend or
family member |
| ”I would have gotten away with
it, too, if it hadn’t been for you meddling
kids.” |
To escape blame or punishment |
| ”Let’s come up with some ideas
on where to hold the birthday party.” |
To contribute, for example, a
suggestion or plan |
| “I don’t feel well. I think I’m
coming down with the flu.” |
To get sick; to recognize that
you are getting sick. |
| ”She broke up with her
boyfriend last month.” |
To end a romantic relationship |
| ”She made up with her boyfriend
yesterday.” |
To reunite after breaking up
with a romantic partner |
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Source: Voice of America |
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