Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 2002. Vol. 3. Eger Journal of English Studies.(Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 29)

Éva Kovács: Properties of Verbs Which Constitute Phrasal Verbs

Properties of Verbs Which Constitute Phrasal Verbs Éva Kovács Phrasal verbs are an important feature of the English language. Their importance lies in the fact that they form such a key part of everyday English. Not only are they used in spoken and informal English, but they are also a common aspect of written and even formal English. Understanding and learning to use phrasal verbs, however, is often problematic as the meaning of a phrasal often bears no relation to the meaning of either the verb or the particle which is used with it. The primary purpose of this paper is to examine the properties of verbs which constitute phrasal verbs, and it also raises the question whether we can predict which verbs combine with which particle and in which relationship. Phrasal verbs are often a particular problem for learners of English. One reason is that in most cases, even though students may be familiar with both the verb in the phrasal verb and with the particle, they may not understand the meaning of the combination since it can differ gready from the meanings of the two words independently. The co-occurrence of two quite common little words creates a fairly subtle new meaning that does not seem to be systematically related to either or both of the original words. No wonder many learners avoid them. Instead of using them, they rely on rare and clumsier words which make their language sound stilted and awkward. Native speakers, however, manage phrasal verbs with aplomb. Here the question arises whether the semantic disposition of the words involved, and their syntax, are really governed by unpredictable rules and whether they are as arbitrary as they are often regarded to be. 1 Classification of Verbs with Relation to Particles According to Potter (1965:286), there are 24 kernel verbs and 16 adverbs (or adverbial particles) which collocate to make up the functionally most loaded phrasal verbs. These verbs are: to back

, to blow, to break, to bring, to call, to lay, to let, to look, to make, to put, to run, to send, to set, to stand, to take, to turn, to work. The adverbs (or adverbial particles) are: about, above, across, at, by, down, for

; in, off, on, out, over, round, through, to, up. There are other verbs and adverbs (or adverbial particles) too, but these are the ones most Eger journal of English Studies, Volume 111, 2002 109-128