You may turn off the light or turn the light off, but you must look after the child, not look the child after. The object changes position because turn off is separable in this meaning, while look after is inseparable.
Before deciding whether a phrasal verb is separable, you also need to check whether it takes an object. Take off has an object when it means remove clothing, but it has no object when it describes an aircraft leaving the ground.
Compare:
Emma took her jacket off.
The aircraft took off.
The first expression is transitive and separable. The second is intransitive, so there is no object to place between its parts.
Understanding these differences will help you position nouns and pronouns correctly instead of applying one word-order rule to every phrasal verb.
What Are Separable and Inseparable Phrasal Verbs?
A separable phrasal verb allows an object to appear between the verb and particle.
Daniel turned the radio down.
A noun object may often appear after the complete phrasal verb as well:
Daniel turned down the radio.
An inseparable phrasal verb must remain together before its object.
Sophie looked after the children.
Incorrect: Sophie looked the children after.
The distinction applies to the complete expression in a particular meaning. The same combination of words may follow a different pattern when its meaning changes.
Separable and Inseparable Phrasal Verbs at a Glance
| Type | Basic pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Intransitive | verb + particle | The engine broke down. |
| Separable | verb + object + particle | Turn it off. |
| Inseparable | complete expression + object | Look after her. |
| Three-word expression | complete expression + object | Put up with it. |
The first question is not always “Can I separate it?” First, check whether the expression takes a direct object.
First Check Whether the Phrasal Verb Takes an Object
Phrasal verbs may be transitive or intransitive.
Transitive Phrasal Verbs
A transitive phrasal verb takes an object.
The committee called off the meeting.
The noun phrase the meeting is the object. It receives the action expressed by call off.
A transitive phrasal verb may be separable or inseparable.
Transitive and separable
Lucy picked the parcel up.
Transitive and inseparable
Lucy looked after the parcel until its owner arrived.
Both sentences contain an object, but only pick up is separable in the meaning shown.
Intransitive Phrasal Verbs
An intransitive phrasal verb does not take a direct object.
The guests showed up early.
Our car broke down near the station.
The conversation carried on after lunch.
There is no direct object to place between the verb and particle. For that reason, separability is not relevant to these uses.
It is misleading to assume that every phrasal verb that cannot be divided is an inseparable transitive phrasal verb. Some simply have no object.
Some Phrasal Verbs Can Be Transitive or Intransitive
The pattern may change according to the meaning or sentence structure.
The crowd broke up after the announcement.
Here, break up is intransitive. The crowd separated.
The police broke the crowd up.
Here, break something up is transitive and separable. The police caused the crowd to separate.
The words look the same, but the presence of an object changes the structure.
How Separable Phrasal Verbs Work
A separable phrasal verb contains a verb and a particle that may be divided by an object.
The pattern is commonly shown as:
verb + something + particle
For example:
fill something out
turn something down
pick something up
A Noun Object May Appear in Either Position
With many separable phrasal verbs, a noun object may appear between the verb and particle:
Emily filled the form out.
It may also appear after the particle:
Emily filled out the form.
Both positions are grammatical.
More examples:
James put the tools away.
James put away the tools.
Hannah called the appointment off.
Hannah called off the appointment.
Although both orders may be possible, one may sound more natural in a particular sentence.
A Pronoun Must Go Between the Verb and Particle
When the object is a personal pronoun, it must separate the phrasal verb.
Emily filled it out.
Incorrect: Emily filled out it.
James put them away.
Incorrect: James put away them.
Hannah called it off.
Incorrect: Hannah called off it.
This rule applies to object pronouns such as:
- me
- you
- him
- her
- it
- us
- them
The rule is not that pronouns always go in the middle of every multi-word verb. They go in the middle of a separable two-word phrasal verb.
Reflexive Pronouns Also Go in the Middle
A reflexive pronoun occupies the object position of a separable phrasal verb.
Michael needs to calm himself down.
Incorrect: Michael needs to calm down himself.
The children quickly wore themselves out.
The verb and particle divide around the reflexive pronoun.
Long Objects Usually Follow the Particle
A long or detailed object is normally clearer after the complete phrasal verb.
The school put off the sports event planned for the final week of term.
Placing the long object in the middle would make the sentence harder to follow:
The school put the sports event planned for the final week of term off.
The second sentence is grammatically possible, but the first is easier to read.
Compare another pair:
The company carried out a detailed review of its customer-support procedures.
The company carried a detailed review of its customer-support procedures out.
Keeping the verb and particle together prevents the reader from waiting too long to reach the end of the expression.
A Possible Order Is Not Always the Preferred Order
Some noun objects may technically appear in either position, but one order is much more common.
For example:
Emma took up tennis.
This sounds more natural than:
Emma took tennis up.
With take up, meaning begin an activity, the object normally follows the particle when it is a noun.
However, a pronoun still divides the expression:
Emma took it up last summer.
Learning a phrasal verb therefore involves more than identifying a grammatically possible position. Natural usage also matters.
How Inseparable Phrasal Verbs Work
An inseparable phrasal verb or multi-word expression stays together before its object.
The pattern is commonly shown as:
verb + particle or preposition + object
Examples include:
- look after somebody
- come across something
- run into somebody
- get over something
- take after somebody
- deal with something
Nouns Follow the Complete Expression
Lucy came across an old photograph in the drawer.
Incorrect: Lucy came an old photograph across.
Thomas looked after his neighbour’s dog.
Incorrect: Thomas looked his neighbour’s dog after.
Grace got over the disappointment more quickly than expected.
Incorrect: Grace got the disappointment over.
The object cannot divide the expression in the meanings shown.
Pronouns Also Follow the Complete Expression
Lucy came across it while clearing the drawer.
Thomas looked after him during the afternoon.
Grace eventually got over it.
Unlike separable phrasal verbs, inseparable expressions do not move the pronoun into the middle.
Compare:
Turn it off.
Look after it.
Both sentences contain the pronoun it, but it occupies a different position because the expressions follow different patterns.
Learn the Full Pattern, Not Only the Meaning
Recording only a short definition may leave out the grammar you need.
Instead of writing:
look after = care for
record:
look after somebody or something = care for them
Instead of writing:
get over = recover
record:
get over something = recover from it
The full pattern shows where the object belongs.
Separable and Inseparable Phrasal Verbs With Pronouns
Pronoun placement causes much of the confusion surrounding separability.
The following table shows the central difference.
| Pattern | Noun object | Pronoun object |
|---|---|---|
| Separable | turn the light off / turn off the light | turn it off |
| Inseparable | look after the child | look after her |
| Three-word expression | put up with the noise | put up with it |
With a Separable Phrasal Verb
The pronoun goes between the verb and particle:
Pick it up.
Write them down.
Hand it in.
Turn it over.
With an Inseparable Expression
The pronoun follows the complete expression:
Look after her.
Run into him.
Deal with it.
Get over it.
With a Three-Word Expression
The pronoun usually follows the complete expression:
Put up with it.
Run out of it.
Look forward to it.
Get away with it.
Do not move the pronoun merely because the expression contains several short words. Follow the established pattern for that expression.
20 Common Separable Phrasal Verbs
The following phrasal verbs are separable in the meanings shown.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| bring up | mention a subject | bring something up | Olivia brought the budget up during the meeting. |
| call off | cancel | call something off | They called the match off because of the storm. |
| carry out | perform or complete | carry something out | The team carried the inspection out carefully. |
| clean up | make clean or tidy | clean something up | Please clean the kitchen up before dinner. |
| fill in | add missing information | fill something in | Daniel filled the final section in. |
| fill out | complete a form | fill something out | Emma filled the application out online. |
| find out | discover | find something out | We need to find the cause out before repairing it. |
| give back | return | give something back | Sophie gave the borrowed book back on Monday. |
| hand in | submit | hand something in | James handed his assignment in before noon. |
| leave out | omit | leave something out | Hannah accidentally left an important detail out. |
| look up | search for information | look something up | Michael looked the unfamiliar word up. |
| make up | invent | make something up | The child made an excuse up to avoid bedtime. |
| pick up | lift or collect | pick somebody or something up | Lucy will pick her brother up after school. |
| point out | draw attention to | point something out | Thomas pointed the calculation error out. |
| put away | return to storage | put something away | Grace put the clean dishes away. |
| put off | postpone | put something off | They put the discussion off until Friday. |
| take apart | separate into pieces | take something apart | Oliver took the old clock apart. |
| take back | return or retract | take something back | Emily took the damaged lamp back. |
| turn down | refuse or reduce | turn something down | Sarah turned the offer down politely. |
| turn off | deactivate | turn something off | Jack turned the computer off before leaving. |
With a pronoun, each example requires the middle position:
- bring it up
- call it off
- carry it out
- fill it in
- hand it in
- pick him up
- turn it down
A Note About Natural Object Placement
The separated order is not equally natural with every noun.
For example:
We need to find out the cause.
This is often more natural than:
We need to find the cause out.
However, the pronoun must still divide the phrasal verb:
We need to find it out.
The table identifies the expressions as separable, but natural sentence rhythm may affect where a noun object is placed.
20 Common Inseparable Phrasal Verbs and Related Expressions
The following expressions stay together before the object in the meanings shown.
| Expression | Meaning | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| call for | require | call for something | The situation calls for immediate action. |
| come across | find unexpectedly | come across something | Emma came across an unsigned letter. |
| count on | rely on | count on somebody | You may count on Daniel to arrive early. |
| deal with | handle | deal with something | Sophie dealt with the complaint calmly. |
| get into | become interested or involved | get into something | James got into photography at university. |
| get over | recover from | get over something | Hannah got over the infection within a week. |
| go over | review | go over something | Michael went over the figures again. |
| look after | care for | look after somebody or something | Lucy looked after the children on Saturday. |
| look for | try to find | look for something | Thomas is looking for his glasses. |
| look into | investigate | look into something | The council will look into the complaint. |
| look through | examine or read quickly | look through something | Grace looked through the documents before signing. |
| run across | meet or find unexpectedly | run across somebody or something | Oliver ran across an old colleague at the station. |
| run into | meet unexpectedly | run into somebody | Emily ran into her former teacher downtown. |
| take after | resemble | take after somebody | Sarah takes after her mother. |
| talk about | discuss | talk about something | Jack talked about the proposed changes. |
| wait for | remain until someone or something arrives | wait for somebody or something | We waited for the final bus. |
| come from | originate in | come from somewhere | This expression comes from an older custom. |
| go with | match or accompany | go with something | The blue curtains go with the rug. |
| stand by | support | stand by somebody | Her friends stood by her throughout the dispute. |
| stick to | continue following | stick to something | Daniel stuck to the original schedule. |
Some grammar systems classify several items in this table as prepositional verbs rather than phrasal verbs in the narrowest grammatical sense. For correct word order, the important point is that the verb and following word stay together before the object.
A fuller distinction between phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs requires a separate explanation. It does not change the placement shown here.
Are Three-Word Phrasal Verbs Separable?
Many three-word phrasal verbs contain a verb, a particle, and a preposition.
Examples include:
- put up with something
- run out of something
- look forward to something
- get away with something
- come up with something
The object normally follows the complete expression:
We ran out of milk.
We ran out of it.
Incorrect: We ran the milk out of.
Emma came up with a practical solution.
Emma came up with it during the meeting.
Incorrect: Emma came it up with.
I cannot put up with the noise any longer.
I cannot put up with it any longer.
Incorrect: I cannot put it up with.
Not Every Three-Part Pattern Is Identical
Some longer expressions contain an established object position within the pattern.
For example:
take somebody up on something
I may take you up on your offer.
The person appears between take and up, while the accepted offer follows on.
Another example is:
take something out on somebody
James took his frustration out on his brother.
These expressions should be learned as complete patterns. Do not apply the ordinary two-word separability rule to them without checking their structure.
The Same Phrasal Verb May Change Pattern With Meaning
A word combination does not always have one fixed grammar pattern. Its structure may change when its meaning changes.
Turn On
Activate a device
Pattern: turn something on
Type: Separable
Sophie turned the lamp on.
Sophie turned it on.
Attack or become hostile toward someone
Pattern: turn on somebody
Type: Inseparable
The frightened animal suddenly turned on its handler.
Incorrect: The frightened animal turned its handler on.
The second meaning is a different construction.
Take Off
Remove clothing or an accessory
Pattern: take something off
Type: Separable
James took his coat off.
James took it off.
Leave the ground
Pattern: take off
Type: Intransitive
The plane took off on time.
There is no object in the flight meaning.
Break Up
Separate or end
Pattern: break up
Type: Intransitive
The meeting broke up shortly after five.
Divide or stop something
Pattern: break something up
Type: Separable
The moderator broke the argument up.
The moderator broke it up.
Get Back
Return
Pattern: get back
Type: Intransitive
Hannah got back before midnight.
Recover Something
Pattern: get something back
Type: Separable
Hannah got her deposit back.
Hannah got it back.
Take In
Understand or absorb information
Pattern: take something in
Type: Separable
Michael needed time to take the announcement in.
Michael needed time to take it in.
Include a Place as Part of a Route
Pattern: take in something
Type: Commonly used with the object after the particle
The walking tour takes in several historic streets.
The meanings are related to different patterns and should be verified separately rather than treated as one universal rule.
A Directional Phrase Is Not Always a Phrasal Verb
A verb followed by a short word does not automatically form a phrasal verb.
Compare:
Daniel looked the number up.
Here, look up means search for information. It is a separable phrasal verb.
Daniel looked up the staircase.
Here, up the staircase describes the direction of his gaze. The words do not mean search for information.
Compare another pair:
Emma turned the volume down.
Here, turn down means reduce.
Emma walked down the corridor.
Here, down the corridor describes direction.
Meaning and sentence structure determine whether the words form a phrasal verb.
How to Know Whether a Phrasal Verb Is Separable
There is no completely reliable shortcut that identifies every separable phrasal verb. The safest method is to learn or verify its full pattern.
1. Identify the Intended Meaning
The same words may follow different structures in different meanings.
For example:
- turn something on: activate it
- turn on somebody: attack or betray them
Do not classify the words without considering the meaning.
2. Check Whether the Expression Takes an Object
Ask what or whom receives the action.
Lucy picked up the parcel.
The expression takes an object.
The guests showed up.
There is no direct object.
If no object exists, there is nothing to place between the verb and particle.
3. Learn the Complete Pattern
A reliable reference may show patterns such as:
- turn something off
- look after somebody
- put up with something
- take somebody up on something
The placeholders reveal where nouns and pronouns belong.
4. Check a Verified Pronoun Example
A correct pronoun example makes the pattern clearer:
turn it off
look after it
put up with it
Do not rely only on whether a sentence “sounds right.” A different word order may accidentally produce another valid expression with another meaning.
5. Record the Pattern With the Meaning
Instead of recording:
put off = postpone
write:
put something off = postpone it
Instead of:
run into = meet unexpectedly
write:
run into somebody = meet that person unexpectedly
This method stores meaning and grammar together.
Separable vs. Inseparable Phrasal Verbs: Final Comparison
| Question | Separable | Inseparable |
|---|---|---|
| Does it take an object? | Yes | Usually yes |
| May a noun divide it? | Usually | No |
| May a noun follow the complete expression? | Usually | Yes |
| Where does a pronoun go? | Between the verb and particle | After the complete expression |
| Example with a noun | turn the light off | look after the child |
| Example with a pronoun | turn it off | look after her |
Remember that an intransitive phrasal verb belongs outside this two-way comparison because it has no direct object.
The engine broke down.
There is no noun or pronoun to move.
Short Word-Order Check
Choose the sentence with the correct or more natural word order.
1.
A. Please turn off it.
B. Please turn it off.
Answer: B. A pronoun must divide the separable phrasal verb turn off.
2.
A. Emma looked the children after.
B. Emma looked after the children.
Answer: B. Look after is inseparable.
3.
A. The plane took off at six.
B. The plane took at six off.
Answer: A. Take off is intransitive when it means leave the ground.
4.
A. We ran out of it yesterday.
B. We ran it out of yesterday.
Answer: A. The pronoun follows the complete three-word expression run out of.
5.
A. The company carried out a review of every safety procedure used at the factory.
B. The company carried a review of every safety procedure used at the factory out.
Answer: A. The long object is clearer after the particle.
6.
A. Daniel came it across in an old folder.
B. Daniel came across it in an old folder.
Answer: B. Come across is inseparable.
7.
A. The police broke the argument up.
B. The police broke up it.
Answer: A. A noun may divide break up, but a pronoun would need to go in the middle: The police broke it up.
8.
A. I may take you up on that offer.
B. I may take up you on that offer.
Answer: A. Take somebody up on something has its own established object pattern.
Final Point
Separable and inseparable phrasal verbs are not distinguished by meaning alone. Their object patterns determine how nouns and pronouns fit into a sentence.
Compare:
- turn the light off
- turn it off
- look after the child
- look after her
- put up with the noise
- put up with it
Before moving an object, identify the intended meaning, check whether the expression is transitive, and learn its complete pattern. That approach is more reliable than applying one pronoun rule to every combination of a verb and particle.
FAQs About Separable and Inseparable Phrasal Verbs
What is the difference between separable and inseparable phrasal verbs?
A separable phrasal verb allows its object between the verb and particle, as in turn the light off. An inseparable expression stays together before its object, as in look after the child. Pronouns must divide separable two-word phrasal verbs but follow inseparable expressions.
How do you know if a phrasal verb is separable?
First identify its intended meaning and check whether it takes an object. Then learn its complete pattern from a reliable dictionary or grammar reference. Patterns such as turn something off and look after somebody show where the object belongs. There is no guessing rule that works for every expression.
Are all transitive phrasal verbs separable?
No. A transitive phrasal verb takes an object, but it may be separable or inseparable. Pick up is separable in pick the parcel up. Look after is inseparable in look after the child. Transitivity tells you that an object exists, not where it must appear.
Can inseparable phrasal verbs take pronouns?
Yes. The pronoun follows the complete inseparable expression. Say look after her, come across it, and get over it. Do not place the pronoun between the verb and the following particle or preposition.
Where does a pronoun go in a separable phrasal verb?
A pronoun goes between the verb and particle. Say turn it off, pick them up, and write it down. Forms such as turn off it and pick up them are incorrect.
Are three-word phrasal verbs separable?
Many common three-word expressions keep their parts together before the object, as in put up with it and run out of it. However, some longer expressions have established internal object positions, such as take somebody up on something. Learn each one as a complete pattern.
Is “look after” separable or inseparable?
Look after is inseparable. A noun or pronoun follows the complete expression: look after the children and look after them. Do not say look the children after or look them after.
Is “pick up” separable or inseparable?
Pick up is separable in common meanings such as lift or collect. You may say pick up the parcel or pick the parcel up. With a pronoun, use pick it up, not pick up it.
The First English Grade Editorial Team creates simple English grammar, vocabulary, and language guides for students, beginners, and everyday learners.
