Separable and Inseparable Phrasal Verbs
Some phrasal verbs allow the object to be placed between the verb and the particle; others do not. Knowing which is which prevents a very common type of error.
Separable phrasal verbs
With separable phrasal verbs, the object can be placed either after the complete phrasal verb, or between the verb and the particle.
She turned off the light. ✓
She turned the light off. ✓
He picked up his bag. ✓
He picked his bag up. ✓
The pronoun rule (CRITICAL)
When the object is a pronoun (it, him, her, them, us), it must go between the verb and particle — it can never follow the particle.
She turned it off. ✓ / She turned off it. ✗
He picked it up. ✓ / He picked up it. ✗
Call me back. ✓ / Call back me. ✗
Inseparable phrasal verbs
With inseparable phrasal verbs, the object always follows the complete phrasal verb — it can never be placed between the verb and the particle.
She looked after the children. ✓ / She looked the children after. ✗
He ran into an old friend. ✓ / He ran an old friend into. ✗
We came across an interesting article. ✓ / We came an interesting article across. ✗
Common examples
| Separable | Inseparable |
|---|---|
| turn off, pick up, put down, take off, call back, give up, set up, write down, fill in, try on | look after, run into, come across, get over, look into, put up with, go through, deal with, look forward to |
Three-word phrasal verbs
Three-word phrasal verbs (verb + two particles) are always inseparable.
I'm looking forward to seeing you. ✓
She can't put up with the noise. ✓
He has come up with a great idea. ✓
Tip: When you learn a new phrasal verb, note whether it is separable or inseparable. For separable ones, practise the pronoun version (turn it off, pick it up) — this is where most errors happen.