You can hand in a report or hand a report in. Both are correct. But when you replace a report with it, only hand it in works.
Now consider look after. You can look after a child, but you cannot look a child after.
These expressions look similar, yet their word order follows different rules. Understanding the difference helps you place nouns and pronouns correctly, especially when a phrasal verb has several meanings.
What Are Separable and Inseparable Phrasal Verbs?
A separable phrasal verb allows its direct object to appear between the main verb and the particle.
An inseparable multi-word verb does not allow an object to be inserted between the verb and the following particle or preposition.
For example:
Rebecca turned off the projector before leaving the meeting room.
Rebecca turned the projector off before leaving the meeting room.
Both sentences use turn off to mean stopping a device from operating.
Now compare:
Marcus looked after his neighbour’s dog over the weekend.
Look after means take care of. The noun phrase his neighbour’s dog must follow after in this construction.
The basic difference is easy to see:
| Type | With a noun | With a pronoun |
|---|---|---|
| Separable | She handed the documents in. | She handed them in. |
| Inseparable | We looked after the children. | We looked after them. |
In English teaching, phrasal verb is often used broadly to include related multi-word verbs. In a narrower grammatical classification, look after is a prepositional verb, while expressions such as put up with are phrasal-prepositional verbs.
These distinctions matter because the constructions follow different word-order patterns.
First, Does the Phrasal Verb Take an Object?
Not every phrasal verb takes a direct object.
Consider:
The engine cut out halfway through the journey.
Here, cut out means the engine suddenly stopped working. There is no direct object.
Another example:
Several unexpected issues came up during the planning meeting.
Come up means arise or occur. It is also used without a direct object in this meaning.
These are intransitive phrasal verbs. Since there is no direct object, there is nothing to move between the verb and particle.
Other phrasal verbs are transitive, meaning they take a direct object.
The organisers called off the charity auction.
The charity auction is the direct object of called off. It identifies what was cancelled.
We can also say:
The organisers called the charity auction off.
This particular transitive use of call off is separable.
The distinction is worth making because transitivity and separability are not the same thing. Transitivity concerns whether a verb takes a direct object. Separability concerns where that object can appear.
How Separable Phrasal Verbs Work
With a separable phrasal verb, a noun object can usually appear either between the verb and particle or after the particle.
The position becomes more restricted when the object is a personal pronoun.
When the Object Is a Noun
Consider write down, meaning record something in writing.
Maya wrote down the measurements before dismantling the cabinet.
Maya wrote the measurements down before dismantling the cabinet.
Both sentences are grammatically correct and natural.
Many common expressions, including hand in, put away, switch off, and bring back, allow the same choice in their separable uses.
When the Object Is a Pronoun
Personal pronouns such as it, them, him, her, and us normally appear between the verb and particle.
Suppose the measurements have already been mentioned.
Correct: Maya wrote them down.
Incorrect: Maya wrote down them.
The same rule applies to turn down when it means refusing something.
Nathan received a job offer abroad, but he turned it down.
Not turned down it.
Reflexive pronouns follow this middle-position pattern when they are direct objects of separable verb-particle constructions.
Priya picked herself up after slipping on the wet pavement.
The important detail is the pronoun’s grammatical role. A pronoun elsewhere in the sentence does not automatically have to appear between the verb and particle.
When the Object Is Long
Both noun-object positions may be grammatically possible, but they do not always sound equally natural.
Consider:
The inspector pointed out several safety concerns that had been overlooked during the previous assessment.
The object is long. Keeping pointed out together makes the sentence easier to follow.
Placing the entire object between pointed and out is possible in this construction, but it would sound awkward.
With a short object, both arrangements work comfortably:
The inspector pointed out the problem.
The inspector pointed the problem out.
In most situations, there is no reason to separate a phrasal verb merely because the grammar allows it.
When the Particle Is Emphasised
Spoken English can also influence object placement.
Imagine someone correcting a colleague who is adjusting the sound system:
Turn the volume DOWN, not UP.
The contrast falls on down and up. Separating the verb and particle allows the speaker to emphasise that difference naturally.
This does not mean separation is always needed for emphasis. It is one reason a speaker might prefer that arrangement in a particular situation.
How Inseparable Phrasal Verbs Work
In an inseparable multi-word expression, the noun or pronoun cannot be inserted between words that must remain together.
Consider run into, meaning meet someone unexpectedly.
Hannah ran into her former piano teacher at the railway station.
The person Hannah met follows ran into.
If the person has already been mentioned, the pronoun stays after the expression:
Hannah ran into her at the railway station.
Placing her between ran and into would not express the intended meaning.
Other common inseparable expressions include look after, come across, and rely on.
The coastal villages rely on seasonal tourism.
A researcher came across an unpublished letter in the archive.
In narrower grammatical terminology, these examples are prepositional verbs. The preposition introduces its object, which is why the noun or pronoun cannot be moved between the verb and preposition.
Can the Object Appear Before an Inseparable Expression?
Sometimes an object appears earlier in a question or relative clause.
Who did you run into at the conference?
The researcher whose work I referred to has published another study.
In the first sentence, who identifies the person encountered. In the second, whose work is understood as the object of to.
Neither construction makes the multi-word verb separable.
The preposition still follows its verb. The object appears earlier because of the question or relative-clause structure, not because it has been inserted between the two words.
This distinction is particularly useful when reading longer sentences. An expression can be inseparable even when its object is not immediately after it.
Can the Same Phrasal Verb Be Separable and Inseparable?
Yes. Some combinations follow different grammatical patterns when their meanings change.
Turn on provides a clear example.
Turn On: Start a Device
Sophie turned on the garden lights as the guests arrived.
Here, turn on means make a device operate. It is separable.
Sophie turned the garden lights on.
Both noun-object positions are possible.
With a personal pronoun:
Sophie turned them on.
Turn On Someone: Become Hostile
Now consider:
During the interview, the normally calm actor suddenly turned on the presenter.
In this sentence, turned on means became hostile towards or attacked verbally.
The pattern is turn on someone.
The actor suddenly turned on him.
For this meaning, the person follows on.
The sentence The actor turned him on is grammatically possible, but it has a different meaning in ordinary usage. It does not mean that the actor suddenly became hostile towards him.
The words remain the same, but the construction and meaning change.
A dictionary may therefore give separate entries or grammatical patterns for different uses of a single combination.
What About Three-Word Phrasal Verbs?
Many three-word expressions consist of a verb, a particle, and a preposition.
Examples include:
- Put up with: tolerate something unpleasant
- Come up with: develop an idea or solution
- Look forward to: anticipate something with pleasure
- Get away with: avoid punishment or negative consequences
In these constructions, the noun phrase or pronoun follows the final preposition.
The residents had to put up with construction noise for several months.
The residents had to put up with it.
The words put up with cannot be separated by inserting the noun phrase or pronoun between them.
However, some three-word expressions follow more complex patterns.
The agency fixed Daniel up with a temporary position.
Here, Daniel is the direct object of fixed, while a temporary position follows the preposition with.
Another example:
The supervisor took her frustration out on an inexperienced colleague.
Her frustration is the direct object, and an inexperienced colleague is the object of on.
These examples show why the number of words alone cannot determine where the objects belong.
Common Separable and Inseparable Phrasal Verbs
The following expressions illustrate different word-order patterns. The patterns apply to the meanings shown, since some combinations have additional uses.
Common Separable Phrasal Verbs
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Back up | Make a copy of digital information | Clara backed up her project files before updating the software. |
| Bring up | Introduce a topic | Martin brought the budget issue up during the meeting. |
| Fill out | Complete a form | Please fill out the registration form before Friday. |
| Give away | Donate something | The library gave away several outdated reference books. |
| Hand over | Transfer possession or responsibility | The outgoing director handed over the department records. |
| Leave out | Omit something | The publisher left two illustrations out of the final edition. |
| Set up | Arrange or establish something | Volunteers set up a temporary information desk near the entrance. |
| Take down | Remove something from a higher position | The gallery took down the old exhibition posters. |
Each expression allows a noun object on either side of the particle in the meaning illustrated.
Some examples keep the verb and particle together because that is the more natural arrangement with the particular object.
Common Inseparable Multi-Word Verbs
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Break into | Enter a building illegally | Someone broke into the storage building overnight. |
| Come across | Find or encounter by chance | Emily came across a handwritten recipe in her grandmother’s notebook. |
| Deal with | Handle a problem or situation | The complaints team deals with delivery disputes. |
| Get over | Recover from an illness or difficult experience | It took Aaron several weeks to get over the flu. |
| Look after | Take care of someone or something | Priya looked after her neighbour’s plants during the holiday. |
| Look into | Investigate something | The council is looking into complaints about street lighting. |
| Run into | Meet someone unexpectedly | James ran into a former classmate at the airport. |
| Put up with | Tolerate something unpleasant | The residents put up with the disruption during the repairs. |
Most expressions in this second table are classified more precisely as prepositional or phrasal-prepositional verbs.
Their shared feature here is that the object cannot be inserted between the components of the expression.
For a detailed explanation of these grammatical categories, see phrasal verbs vs. prepositional verbs.
How to Check Whether a Phrasal Verb Is Separable
A familiar meaning does not always tell you the correct word order. A reliable learner’s dictionary can help by showing the expression’s sentence pattern.
Dictionary entries often use notations such as these:
| Dictionary pattern | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| put something off / put off something | A noun object may appear in either position |
| look after somebody/something | The person or thing follows after |
| break down (no object) | The verb does not take a direct object in the meaning being described |
| fix somebody up with something | One object appears after the main verb, followed by another complement after with |
The abbreviations sb and sth mean somebody and something. You may encounter them in dictionary entries, although notation varies between dictionaries.
Some entries also use labels such as transitive, intransitive, or phrasal verb to describe the construction.
An entry may show more than one pattern when an expression has several meanings.
If you are unsure whether an object can move, check the entry for the meaning you intend to use. The example sentences usually make the permitted construction clear.
Practice: Choose the Correct Word Order
These six questions test noun placement, pronouns, and expressions whose grammatical patterns depend on meaning.
1. Which sentence is correct?
A. The technician switched off it before examining the wiring.
B. The technician switched it off before examining the wiring.
2. Which sentence correctly uses look after?
A. Helena looked her neighbour’s cat after during the holiday.
B. Helena looked after her neighbour’s cat during the holiday.
3. Which sentence contains an intransitive phrasal verb?
A. The organisers called off the parade.
B. The generator broke down during the storm.
4. Choose the expression that means developed.
After testing several approaches, the researchers finally developed an effective solution.
Which expression could replace developed?
A. came up with
B. came across
C. came down with
5. Which sentence expresses sudden hostility?
A. The manager suddenly turned on his assistant during the meeting.
B. The manager suddenly turned his assistant on during the meeting.
6. Which sentence sounds more natural with a long object?
A. The editor pointed several inconsistencies in the figures submitted by the regional offices out.
B. The editor pointed out several inconsistencies in the figures submitted by the regional offices.
Answers and Explanations
1. B: The technician switched it off before examining the wiring.
Switch off is separable in this meaning. The personal pronoun it belongs between the verb and particle.
2. B: Helena looked after her neighbour’s cat during the holiday.
Look after means take care of. Its object follows the preposition after.
3. B: The generator broke down during the storm.
Break down is intransitive when it means stop functioning. The first sentence contains the transitive phrasal verb call off, with the parade as its direct object.
4. A: came up with
Come up with means think of or develop an idea or solution. It preserves the intended meaning of developed in this sentence. The full replacement would be the researchers finally came up with an effective solution.
5. A: The manager suddenly turned on his assistant during the meeting.
Turn on someone can mean become hostile towards or attack someone. The second arrangement can have another meaning, so it is not an alternative way to express sudden hostility.
6. B: The editor pointed out several inconsistencies in the figures submitted by the regional offices.
Both object positions are grammatically possible in this separable construction. However, keeping pointed out together is more natural with such a long object.
When checking an unfamiliar expression, look at its meaning and sentence pattern together. A phrasal verb may allow more than one noun position, require a pronoun in a particular place, or follow a different construction when its meaning changes.
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