Kerala PSC » Kerala PSC Study Materials » Language Proficiency – English » Prepositional verbs

Prepositional verbs

Today we are looking at prepositional verbs. Prepositions and verbs are two parts of speech in English grammar. When they are out together they form something new

Introduction

English is very broad and there are different uses of the language. Sometimes, two or three topics integrate to make up a whole new topic of discussion. Like the one, we have here. Prepositional verbs are a combination of prepositions and verbs. Before we go into prepositional verbs, let’s do a recap on prepositions and verbs.

What Is a Preposition?

Prepositions are a part of speech. They are words that point out the direction of something or someone. Without them, it would be difficult to find anything or describe the location of things. A simpler and shorter definition is prepositions points.

 

Prepositions must always come before the object of a sentence and they can be more than just one word.

Examples of prepositions are: at, about, around, above, amid, among, between, betwixt, beside, below, on, in, out, under, inside, outside, across, within, underneath, towards, in front of, through, near, from, beyond and so on. 

What is a verb?

A verb is an action word. It is also a being word. Verbs give names to our actions. These actions may be visible, like running, singing, jumping, or abstract, like being a teacher.

Tenses in English grammar can only work in verbs. For example, let us use the word drive.

Present tense: I drive the car

Present continuous: I am driving the car

Past tense: I drove the car

Past participle: I have (already) driven a car. 

There are many types of verbs but we won’t be looking at those now.

 Examples of action verbs are: cooking, cleaning, dancing, washing, reading, writing, sleeping, singing, selling, praying, and so on. 

 

Examples of abstract verbs are: am, being, was, were, are, is, may, might, may, will, would, can, could, do, did, done, and so on. These verbs are called auxiliary verbs.

Prepositional Verbs Definition

We are done with the recap on prepositions and verbs. Let’s look at prepositional verbs definition. 

A prepositional verb is a combination of a preposition and a verb. When they are out together the meaning changes. It doesn’t have the same meaning when they are put together.

 

Prepositional verbs have an idiomatic meaning. Sometimes without knowing the meaning by heart, you will struggle to understand what is being said.

Classification Of Prepositional Verbs

There are 4 classifications of prepositional verbs. Take note that all examples fall under one of these four groups. They are:

  • Intransitive prepositional verbs: This class of prepositional verbs is the type that can function without an object. That means that the sentence will not include an object but it would make complete sense. For example, in the sentence, the old man passed away. The underlined words are the prepositional verbs and it doesn’t have an object.
  • Transitive prepositional verbs: This class of prepositional verbs is the type that needs an object to make sense. Without the object in a sentence, it would not be complete or make sense. For example, I was brought up by my grandparents. If you remove the object, ‘grandparents’, the sentence will not have a complete meaning.
  • Separable prepositional verbs: This class of prepositional verbs is the class that can be split into prepositions and verbs. They don’t stick together in a sentence. When they are split they make sense. For example, always put the lights off when you leave a room.
  • Inseparable prepositional verbs: This class of prepositional verbs is the type that can not be split. If they are split they would no longer have meaning. For example, They all wake up at 5 am every morning. 

Prepositional Verbs Examples

Here are examples of prepositional verbs and their meanings

Prepositional verb

Meaning

Cut short

To end before the te intended

Put out

To extinguish

Kick out

To send someone away by force

Round up

Gather together

Leave out

To exclude something from the rest

Lighten up

To change the mood to a brighter one

Put up with

To tolerate

Start up

To begin something new

Hold off

To delay something from happening

Bring up

To train or raise up

Look forward to

To wait for something with eagerness

Apply for

To ask for something

Make for

To head in a particular direction

Look up to

To respect someone

Ring up

To call someone

Call off

To cancel a plan or event

Rule out

To remove something from a whole completely

Look after

To care of

Settle for

To accept something less thane what you expected

Round off

To end satisfactorily

Come up with

To think of an idea or solution for something

Stand by

To support

Take after

To resemble or be like someone or something

Count on

To depend on someone for something

Pick on

To bully or tease someone

Break in

To gain access to a place illegally

To back down

To withdraw and accept defeat

Drop out

To quit going to school or program

Point out

To highlight something so other people are aware it

Make do with

To manage what is available

 

Now, here are some prepositional verbs examples used in sentences. The prepositional verbs are underlined.

  1. The girl takes after her hardworking mother.
  2. I look forward to meeting with the President of India.
  3. The teacher pointed out my mistakes.
  4. You will have to put up with his messes.
  5. The kind man settled for a bag of chips and a drink even though he wanted a bowl of rice