The object always comes after the particle
In the expressions in this lesson, the verb together with a preposition or particle forms a separate meaning: look after — “take care of,” come across — “come across by chance,” look into — “investigate.” In an ordinary sentence, a noun or pronoun object comes after the second word: look after the child, look after her.
Many such expressions are called prepositional verbs. “Inseparable” here refers to the position of the object, not to a ban on any words inside the expression: look carefully at the picture — “look carefully at the picture” — has the adverb carefully between the verb and the preposition.
verb + particle + object
- verb / V —
- A word for an action or state, such as work or be. The pattern determines its form.
- object / O —
- Who or what an action affects: in I read a book, a book is the object.
The nurse looks after twenty patients on the night shift.
The nurse looks after twenty patients on the night shift.
Twenty patients — the object that comes after the particle after.
Mira came across a postcard from 1998 in the library.
Mira came across a postcard from 1998 in the library.
Come across — one semantic unit; a postcard comes after across.
We are going to look into the problem on Monday.
On Monday, we will look into the problem.
Look into stays together, and the problem comes after the particle.
The pronoun also comes after the particle
When a noun is replaced by a pronoun such as me, you, him, her, it, us, or them, its position does not change: the pronoun still comes after the particle. This is the main difference from separable verbs, where the pronoun must go inside.
With the meanings shown here, the correct forms are run into them — “meet them by chance,” get over it — “recover from it,” and look after her — “take care of her.” Get it over can have a different meaning, for example “finish it”; it does not replace get over it in the meaning “recover.”
verb + particle + pronoun (not verb + pronoun + particle)
- verb / V —
- A word for an action or state, such as work or be. The pattern determines its form.
- pronoun —
- A word used instead of naming a person or thing: I, you, she, it, they.
My brother ran into them outside the cinema.
My brother met them by chance outside the cinema.
Them comes after the particle into.
Don't worry about the exam; you will get over it.
Don’t worry about the exam; you will get over it.
It is the object that comes after over.
Everyone depends on her.
Everyone depends on her.
Her comes after on; the pronoun does not split depend on.
Do not confuse them with separable verbs
The particle itself does not show which class the verb belongs to: after, on, off, or up can occur in both types. Therefore, learn an inseparable verb together with its meaning and a typical example, not from its appearance.
Separable verbs (turn off, pick up, write down) allow a noun object in two positions, while a pronoun goes inside; this is covered by the neighboring rule. Verbs with two particles, such as look forward to, have their own rule, and they also end with the object after the last particle.
turn it off ≠ look it after
I turned it off before I left.
I turned it off before I left.
Turn off is separable: the pronoun it comes between the verb and the particle.
I looked into it before I left.
I looked into it before I left.
Look into is inseparable: the pronoun it comes after into.
She picked the keys up and then looked after the neighbour's cat.
She picked the keys up and then looked after the neighbour’s cat.
The order is opposite in the two neighboring verbs.
Learn the meaning and particle together
The same verb root can have different meanings with different particles: look for — “search for,” look after — “take care of,” look into — “investigate,” look at — “look at.” Replacing the particle changes the meaning, not just the sound.
Context helps you choose the meaning: ran into somebody — meet somebody by chance, take after a parent — resemble that parent, go through a report — check it carefully.
I'm looking for a flat near the university.
I’m looking for a flat near the university.
Look for — search for; a flat comes after for.
Could you look at this photo?
Could you look at this photo?
Look at means “look at”; its meaning is different from that of look after.
The police are looking into the robbery.
The police are investigating the robbery.
Look into — investigate the circumstances; the robbery comes after into.
Tense, negation, and questions change the verb, not the particle
In different tenses, negative statements, and questions, only the first part changes: looks, looked, is looking, has got over, did not come across. The particle stays in place, and the object comes after it.
In a subject question, we do not add do/did just to form a question: Who looks after the baby? Other auxiliary verbs remain when the form requires them: Who has been looking after the baby? In an object question, the question word can move to the front: What are you waiting for? — “What are you waiting for?”
Has Dan got over the shock yet?
Has Dan got over the shock yet?
Has comes at the beginning of the question; got over stays together.
Did you come across any mistakes?
Did you come across any mistakes?
After did, use the base form come; the particle across stays nearby.
What are you waiting for?
What are you waiting for?
The question word comes first, while for stays near waiting.
A long object and adverbials
A long object also comes after the preposition: look after the children of our new neighbours. An adverbial of time or place often comes at the end, but it can also begin the sentence: On Friday, we looked into the problem.
A useful framework is verb + particle/preposition + object, that is, “verb + particle/preposition + object.” This is the core of the sentence, not a ban on other natural positions for adverbials.
She dealt with the angry customers who had waited for an hour.
She dealt with the angry customers who had waited for an hour.
The object the angry customers who had waited for an hour comes after with; who had waited for an hour specifies the customers.
He got over the shock of losing his job within a few weeks.
He got over the shock of losing his job within a few weeks.
The entire long object comes after over; the time expression comes at the end.
We looked into the reasons for the delay on Friday.
We looked into the reasons for the delay on Friday.
Reasons for the delay is the object after into; the adverbial on Friday comes at the end.
Using it in speech
When you speak in your own words, first choose the meaning: meeting by chance, taking care of someone, investigating, or resembling someone. Then insert the appropriate two-word unit and add the object after the particle.
Check that you have not put the object inside: look her after → look after her. An adverb inside the expression is not necessarily an error. If you are unsure, check the specific meaning and an example of the construction in a dictionary.
Last month I came across a recipe and shared it with my class.
Last month I came across a recipe and shared it with my class.
Come across — one unit; the object a recipe comes after across.
My neighbour is looking after my cat while I'm away, so I'm counting on him.
My neighbour is looking after my cat while I’m away, so I’m counting on him.
Two inseparable units occur in one sentence; the pronoun him comes after on.
I came across an old song and ran into the singer the next day.
I came across an old song and ran into the singer the next day.
Two two-word units occur one after the other; the objects come after the particles.
Common mistakes
Incorrect:I ran my cousin into at the mall.
Correct:I ran into my cousin at the mall.
Run into is inseparable: the object my cousin comes after into, not between run and into.
Incorrect:Rita looked them after for a week.
Correct:Rita looked after them for a week.
The pronoun them comes after the particle after: look after is inseparable.
Incorrect:It was a bad cold, but she got it over in a week.
Correct:It was a bad cold, but she got over it in a week.
In get over (“recover”), the pronoun it comes after the particle over.
Incorrect:Where did you come it across?
Correct:Where did you come across it?
Come across is not separated even in a question: it comes after across.
Incorrect:My niece takes her aunt after.
Correct:My niece takes after her aunt.
The particle after comes immediately after takes, and the object her aunt comes after it.
Incorrect:I'm looking my keys everywhere.
Correct:I'm looking for my keys everywhere.
Without the particle for, the verb look does not mean “search for”; look for is an inseparable unit with the object my keys after for.