SEPARABLE phrasal verbs allow placing the object between the verb and particle: "put OFF the meeting" or "put the meeting OFF" — both correct. With PRONOUN it is OBLIGATORY to separate: "put IT off" (NEVER "put off it"). INSEPARABLE ones NEVER separate: "look after the baby" (NEVER "look the baby after").
SEPARABLE PHRASAL VERBS: the object can go AFTER the particle OR BETWEEN the verb and the particle. "Turn off the lights" = "turn the lights off" = both correct. OBLIGATORY RULE: if the object is a PRONOUN (it, them, him, her, us), it ALWAYS goes between the verb and particle. "Turn it off" = CORRECT. "Turn off it" = INCORRECT. With nouns, both positions are possible, though LONG objects often go after the particle: "turn off [the lights in the entire building]" (long object). COMMON SEPARABLE PHRASAL VERBS: turn on/off, put off (postpone), take off (remove/leave), pick up (collect/call), turn down (reject/lower volume), bring up (raise/mention), fill in/out (complete), give up (abandon), hand in (submit), look up (search), make up (invent/compensate), set up (establish), throw away (discard), try on (test-fit clothing), write down (note).
The board has decided to put off the final investment decision until the macroeconomic environment becomes clearer and the new risk assessment framework has been fully validated.
We have received your application and will be in touch shortly — please do not hesitate to call us if you need to hand it in by a specific date or if you require any additional information.
The project manager recommended that the team write down all outstanding action items before leaving the meeting room, rather than relying on individual recollections of what had been agreed.
INSEPARABLE PHRASAL VERBS: the object ALWAYS goes AFTER the particle. It is not possible to place the object between the verb and particle, even with pronouns. "Look after the children" = CORRECT. "Look the children after" = INCORRECT. "Look after them" = CORRECT. "Look them after" = INCORRECT. TYPES OF INSEPARABLE: (1) INTRANSITIVE (no object): break down (malfunction), grow up (mature), turn up (appear/arrive), take off (airplane departing), pass out (faint). (2) TRANSITIVE INSEPARABLE: look after (care for), come across (encounter by chance), run into (accidentally meet), look into (investigate), go through (experience/review), put up with (tolerate), look forward to (anticipate), run out of (exhaust supply of), get over (recover from), take after (resemble). TRIPHRASAL VERBS (3 words): always inseparable: put up with (tolerate), look forward to (anticipate), get on with (have a good relationship), catch up with (reach the same level).
The compliance function is responsible for looking into any reports of potential misconduct or policy violations and for ensuring that all investigations are conducted in a thorough and impartial manner.
Working in a fast-paced international environment means having to put up with a significant degree of ambiguity and being prepared to adapt your approach when circumstances change unexpectedly.
The outgoing divisional director has taken great care to ensure a smooth transition and has gone through all active projects in detail with her successor over the course of the past two weeks.
Common mistake
THE TWO MOST COMMON ERRORS: (1) SEPARATING AN INSEPARABLE PHRASAL VERB: "look the problem into" = INCORRECT. "run the director into" = INCORRECT. Correct: "look INTO the problem" / "run INTO the director." (2) PLACING THE PRONOUN AFTER THE PARTICLE IN A SEPARABLE VERB: "turn off it" / "pick up them" / "put off it" = ALL INCORRECT. With pronouns in separable verbs = ALWAYS between verb and particle: "turn IT off" / "pick THEM up" / "put IT off." MEANING CONFUSION BASED ON SEPARABILITY: "take off" as transitive separable = to remove (clothing): "take your coat off." "Take off" as intransitive inseparable = to depart (airplane). Same verb, different meaning based on grammar.
Trick to remember it
THE PRONOUN TEST: if the object is IT, THEM, HIM, HER, US — try placing it between the verb and the particle. If it sounds natural = separable (and OBLIGATORY with pronoun). "Turn IT off" = sounds fine = separable. "Look IT after" = sounds TERRIBLE = inseparable. QUICK LIST: Common inseparables: look after, look into, run into, come across, go through, put up with, get over, take after, look forward to, run out of, get on with, look up to. Common separables: turn on/off, put off, take off (clothing), pick up, write down, fill in/out, give up, hand in, set up, bring up, look up (search in dictionary).
Quick rule
Separable: object between verb and particle, OR after particle. WITH PRONOUN = OBLIGATORY in between (turn it off, NOT turn off it). Inseparable: object ALWAYS after particle (look after them, NOT look them after). Test: try the pronoun between verb and particle — if it sounds natural = separable; if it sounds wrong = inseparable.
Did you know?
Phrasal verbs are one of the aspects of English that most challenge non-native speakers — even at C1/C2 level. A survey among Spanish-speaking advanced English university students revealed that 73% make systematic errors with phrasal verb separability, even when they know the meaning of the verb perfectly. Interestingly, native English speakers also cannot always EXPLAIN why a phrasal verb is separable or not — they simply know from language exposure. Linguistically, the separability of English phrasal verbs has roots in the distinction between "particle verbs" (where the particle is part of the predicate) and "prepositional verbs" (where the preposition introduces a complement). This underlying syntactic distinction is what determines separability — but it is invisible to the non-linguistically trained speaker.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The finance team has reviewed the expense claims and has flagged several items that need to be looked _____ more carefully before the report can be finalized and submitted to the audit committee.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
We had originally planned to hold the product launch in March, but given the delays in the final development phase, we have decided to put _____ until June at the earliest.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Separable: object between verb and particle, OR after particle. WITH PRONOUN = OBLIGATORY in between (turn it off, NOT turn off it). Inseparable: object ALWAYS after particle (look after them, NOT look them after). Test: try the pronoun between verb and particle — if it sounds natural = separable; if it sounds wrong = inseparable.
THE TWO MOST COMMON ERRORS: (1) SEPARATING AN INSEPARABLE PHRASAL VERB: "look the problem into" = INCORRECT. "run the director into" = INCORRECT. Correct: "look INTO the problem" / "run INTO the director." (2) PLACING THE PRONOUN AFTER THE PARTICLE IN A SEPARABLE VERB: "turn off it" / "pick up them" / "put off it" = ALL INCORRECT. With pronouns in separable verbs = ALWAYS between verb and particle: "turn IT off" / "pick THEM up" / "put IT off." MEANING CONFUSION BASED ON SEPARABILITY: "take off" as transitive separable = to remove (clothing): "take your coat off." "Take off" as intransitive inseparable = to depart (airplane). Same verb, different meaning based on grammar.
THE PRONOUN TEST: if the object is IT, THEM, HIM, HER, US — try placing it between the verb and the particle. If it sounds natural = separable (and OBLIGATORY with pronoun). "Turn IT off" = sounds fine = separable. "Look IT after" = sounds TERRIBLE = inseparable. QUICK LIST: Common inseparables: look after, look into, run into, come across, go through, put up with, get over, take after, look forward to, run out of, get on with, look up to. Common separables: turn on/off, put off, take off (clothing), pick up, write down, fill in/out, give up, hand in, set up, bring up, look up (search in dictionary).
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy