One action in two parts
A phrasal verb consists of a verb and a particle that together have their own meaning. For example, turn down in the context of an offer means “reject”, rather than simply the separate meanings of turn and down.
This rule covers familiar transitive separable phrasal verbs only: they take a direct object and allow a noun object in two positions. Learn whether a particular verb is separable together with its meaning and an example.
separable phrasal verb = verb + particle + direct 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.
They called off the meeting.
They called off the meeting.
Call off is one unit of meaning here, meaning “cancel”, and the meeting is its direct object.
Please write down the address.
Please write down the address.
Write down means “record in writing”; the context and object identify the intended meaning.
Noun objects: two grammatical positions
If the object is a noun or noun phrase, a separable verb permits two grammatical orders. The object can separate the verb and particle or follow the particle.
Both orders usually express the same basic meaning. Therefore, turn the radio down and turn down the radio must not be presented as a “correct / incorrect” pair.
verb + noun object + particle OR verb + particle + noun 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.
- noun —
- A word naming a person, thing or idea: student, book, happiness.
Mina turned the radio down.
Mina turned the radio down.
The noun object the radio appears between turn and down.
Mina turned down the radio.
Mina turned down the radio.
The same separable verb stays together, with the noun object after the particle.
Pronouns must go between the parts
When a noun object is replaced by the personal pronoun me, you, him, her, it, us or them, there is no longer a choice of position. Put the pronoun between the verb and the particle.
That is why turn it off is grammatical and turn off it is not. This is the central diagnostic feature of this rule.
verb + object pronoun + particle ONLY
- 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.
- pronoun —
- A word used instead of naming a person or thing: I, you, she, it, they.
The form is ready. Please hand it in today.
The form is ready. Please hand it in today.
It replaces the form and appears between hand and in.
I can pick them up after work.
I can pick them up after work.
Them is the direct object, so it separates pick up.
Learn meaning and separability together
The same particle does not guarantee the same word order. Know the specific combination and its meaning: pick up “collect”, hand in “submit”, turn down “reject / reduce”, write down “record in writing”.
Do not automatically extend this pattern to look after, come across, get up or three-part verbs. Those belong to related rules and can have a different structure.
She turned the offer down.
She turned the offer down.
The offer context selects the “reject” meaning of turn down.
She turned the music down.
She turned the music down.
With a different object, the same combination means “reduce the volume”; its separability remains the same.
Tense and modality change the verb, not the particle
The particle stays the same, while the first part changes according to tense and construction: pick up, picked up, will pick up, can pick up. The object still takes the position required for a noun or pronoun.
Time and place expressions do not break up the relationship between verb, object and particle. First build the core picked them up, then add at eight or from the station.
We picked the guests up at eight.
We picked the guests up at eight.
The past simple is marked by picked; the guests appears inside the separable verb.
Could you pick them up at eight?
Could you pick them up at eight?
After could, use pick; the pronoun them must come before up.
Long objects and natural rhythm
Both positions for a noun object are grammatical, but a long or complex phrase often sounds more natural after the complete phrasal verb. This helps the listener recognise the verb as a unit sooner.
This is a stylistic and processing preference, rather than a new prohibition. Do not label a grammatical separated order an error merely because the object is long.
Please hand in the completed health and safety report for the new office.
Please hand in the completed health and safety report for the new office.
The long object follows hand in, making the order easy to process.
Please hand the report in.
Please hand the report in.
The short noun object naturally appears between the parts; hand in the report is also grammatical.
Using the pattern in your own speech
When forming your own answer, first choose a familiar phrasal verb for the meaning you need. Then identify its direct object: a full noun phrase or a pronoun.
A useful self-check: if you see it or them after the particle of a known separable verb, move the pronoun between the parts. For a noun object, consider both orders and choose the one that best suits the context.
This box is empty, so we can throw it away.
This box is empty, so we can throw it away.
The context supplies the meaning, and it correctly separates throw away.
I wrote the address down and then looked it up on the map.
I wrote the address down and then looked it up on the map.
The first verb has a noun object between its parts; the second has a pronoun in its only permitted position.
Common mistakes
Incorrect:Please turn off it before you leave.
Correct:Please turn it off before you leave.
It is the pronoun object of separable turn off, so it must appear between turn and off.
Incorrect:Can you pick up me at the station?
Correct:Can you pick me up at the station?
Me cannot follow up in the “collect someone” meaning of pick up.
Incorrect:Nora handed in them yesterday.
Correct:Nora handed them in yesterday.
Them replaces the documents and must separate hand in.
Incorrect:Put on them before we go outside.
Correct:Put them on before we go outside.
The pronoun them appears before on in separable put on.
Incorrect:I wrote down it during the call.
Correct:I wrote it down during the call.
Put it between write and down; the time expression during the call stays after the core.