PHRASAL VERBS |
-
Did you get through ? (through is stressed)
-
We went through the wood (through is unstressed)
J Location of the postposition.
-
after the COD if it
is a personal or demonstrative pronoun : Show them in; throw that away.
In the case of a spoken order, it is generally put after the COD in order to
stress it (take your boots off) ;
-
before or after the
COD if it is a noun : He took off
his hat = he took his hat off; exception : it is before, if the
complement is long like in He gave away
all the money he had won.
J Use of postpositions.
-
They may go with a
inaccurate verb to specify the meaning: to
get up, to get away, to get together…;
-
They may go with a
movement verb in which case this expresses the result, the direction of the
move: I swam across; he rushed out;
-
Some may slightly
alter the meaning of the verb: drink your
beer (buvez votre bière), drink up
your beer (videz votre verre de bière);
-
Some may totally
alter the meaning of the verb: to put off
(= to postpone), to make out (= to
understand), to bring about (=to
cause), to keep on (= to continue), to give away (= to distribute), to put up with (= to tolerate), to make up for (= to compensate), to pull oneself together (se ressaisir)…
Such phrases are commonplace in spoken English (# in written English);
-
They may be used
after to be in particular cases: to be in/out/away/back; I must be off; I won’t let you down; Don’t
let the fire out…
-
They may be used to
turn an attitude verb into a movement verb: to
lie (= to be lying, être allongé) becomes to lie down (s’allonger)…except in the progressive form (they were lying down in the grass, ils
étaient allongés dans l’herbe);
-
They may be used
alone (Hands up !; Out !…) or followed
by with: Down with the traitors ! (à
bas les traîtres !), Off with his head !
(qu’on le décapite !), Away with you !
(allez-vous en !), Out with it !
(allons, parlez !);
-
In idiomatic phrases,
including an auxiliary, the verb is not even written: the truth will out…
J Meaning of the main
postpositions.
1)
Everywhere (motion): He gets about a good deal (il
voyage/circule beaucoup);
2)
Here and there (motionless): There were books lying about on
the carpet.
1)
Motion of putting/taking away: Take all these papers away;
2)
Complete disappearance of something: The snow has melted away;
3)
Display of happiness, laughter…: She laughed away to her heart’s;
4) Action
done with neither delay nor restriction: Fire away ! (allez-y, parlez donc !).
1)
Backward movement : He sat back in his chair, looking;
2)
Return to the point of departure : Call him back ;
3)
Reply, revenge : Don’t answer back ; If anyone hits me, I hit back;
4)
Attitude of retention/containment : She kept back her tears.
1)
Downward movement : It’s easier to climb up than;
2)
Movement to start writing : Take this down (notez
ceci) ;
3)
Going away from a central point (London, The University) :
We went down to Norfolk for a few days (nous sommes allés passer quelques
jours dans le Norfolk [c’est un Londonien qui parle]) ; Shelley was sent down for circulating a
pamphlet on « The Necessity of Atheism » (Shelley fut expulsé [de
l’université d’Oxford] pour avoir fait circuler un opuscule sur « La
nécessité de l’athéisme ») ;
4)
Action of something that it is diminishing,
reduction : The fire is burning down; He
quickly calmed down;
5)
« Down
under » = in Australia (or New
Zealand).
1)
Inward movement : Get in (montez [en voiture]) ;
2)
Inside (motionless) : The train is in ;
3)
Visit : He dropped/popped in last night (il est
entré nous dire bonjour hier soir) ;
4) Penetration : Don’t rub it in ! (n’insistez pas lourdement
[sur mon erreur ; j’en suis déjà assez confus], ne retournez pas l’arme
dans la plaie).
1)
Prevention from getting closer : We had to keep him off (Nous
avons dû l’empêcher d’approcher) ;
2) Departure,
clear sepration : Off we go !; Take your
coat off ; He had his beard shaved off ;
3)
Interruption : Switch off the light ; It’s time to
break off (il est l’heure de cesser le travail) ;
4)
Total achievement/ending of something: They paid off their debts ; I’ll finish off this work over the weekend.
1)
Contact : She tried on a dozen hats ;
2) Movement : Come on ! ; Move
on !
3) Progression,
continuation : What’s going on ? ; Go on ! (Carry on !) ;
They worked on until it was dark ;
4)
Set to work : Switch on the light.
1)
Outward movement : Come out for a stroll (venez
faire une petite promenade) ;
2)
Outside (motionless) : We are dining out tonight ;
3)
Extension : The map lay spread out on the table (la
carte était étalée sur la table) ;
4)
Distribution : The money was dealt out to the large
families of the village ;
5)
Revelation, something that is coming out : I’ve found out the truth about
him ; He turned out to be a decent chap ; As things turned out he had
been mistaken (les évènements lui donnèrent tort) ; He spoke out against the atrocities ; She has blossomed out
into a very handsome woman;
6)
Disappearance, exhaustion : Cheap shoes soon wear out ;
We’ve run out of petrol ; The firemen could not put the fire out ;
7)
Total achievement/ending of action : Hear him out
(écoutez-le jusqu’au bout) ;
8)
Expression of some sudden event : The fire broke out in a baker’s
shop.
1)
Passage from one country to another, from a person to
another one : He’s gone over to the enemy (il est passé à l’ennemi) ; Hand this gun over to me ;
2)
Movement to turn something : Don’t knock the bottle over
(ne renversez pas la bouteille) ; Please
turn over (P.T.O.) ;
3)
Repetition : I told him over and over again (= I told him again and again) ;
4)
Action done with care : Think it over (réfléchissez-y
bien) ;
5) Short move : Let’s ask him over (invitons-le [à venir chez nous].
1)
Circular move : Don’t look around (ne vous
retournez pas) ;
2)
Cycle (something that returns regularly) : We shall be glad when spring
comes round ;
3)
Around something : They gathered round (Ils
firent cercle) ;
4)
Passage by several places : Please hand these pictures round ;
He showed us around;
5) Short move : They’ve asked us to go round after dinner (ils nous ont invités à
aller les voir après le dîner).
1)
Entirely : Read this letter through carefully ;
2)
Idea of a trial/hard time lived until the end : I saw it through ( J’ai tenu
bon, je suis allé jusqu’au bout) ; I
saw her safely through ( Je l’ai assistée jusqu’au bout) ; I’m through with it (surtout
américain : j’ai terminé) ; I’m
through with you ( C’est fini entre nous).
3)
Link/Communication : This train goes through to Paris
; I’ll put you through to the manager.
1)
Upward movement : He jumped up (il se leva d’un
bond) ;
2)
Getting closer to a central point : He’s going up to Oxford next;
3)
Northward move : We’ll go up to the Lake District
for Easter;
4)
Increased intensity : Speak up;
5)
Total ending of action : He came up to me ; Drink up your beer;
6)
Following a path : Go further up (here, up = along ; one may use it, with the
same meaning, when there is no slope at all : Go further down).
J A few examples with PUT +
postpositions :
1)
He was very much put
about (bouleversé) when they said they no longer trusted him (put about = upset, more usual in spoken English) ;
2)
Put all these books away
(rangez) ;
3)
He has a large sum of money put away (= put by, mise de côté) for
his old age ;
4)
Everything he said was put down at once
(noté, consigné par écrit) ;
5)
The failure of their plans was put down to unexpected difficulties (imputé à) ;
6)
He put forward
an interesting theory about the origin of life (avança) ;
7)
I’ll put in
a good word for you with the boss
(glisserai un mot en votre faveur) ;
8)
They put in
a claim for damages (déposèrent une
plainte) ;
9)
I’m afraid all these difficulties will put him off (détourner, dégoûter) ;
10)
The decision will have to be put off (remise à plus tard) ;
11)
He put on
an air of innocence that nearly deceived us
(simula) ;
12)
He’s put on
weight (engraissé) ;
13)
I put the
brakes on (freinai) but the car skidded ;
14)
They put on
the play in a small theatre off Broadway
(monter, jouer) ;
15)
Owing to a strong wind they couldn’t put out the fire (éteindre) ;
16)
The naughty boy put
his tongue out at me (m’a tiré la langue) ;
17)
Would it put
you out too much to drive me to the
station ? (dérangerait) ;
18)
He is put out
by the least difficulty (se laisse
démonter) ;
19) Will
you put me through to the manager ? (au téléphone : je
voudrais parler à…) – You are through (vous avez la
communication) ;
20)
I’d rather take it to pieces than put it together again
(démonter, remonter) ;
21)
We put them
up for the night (héberger, loger) ;
22)
We had to put
up with them (les supporter) ;
23)
The shopkeepers have put their prices up (augmenté) ;
24)
Put your hands up
(levez la main) ;
25) Was
it you who put him up to it ? (est-ce
vous qui l’y avez incité ?).
The
same variety of meanings can be met with to
get, to take, to turn, to come…, followed by postpositions.
EXERCICE : fill in the blanks and translate.
1)
Does this train go ……
to Cambridge or do we have to change ?
2)
They dropped ……
yesterday afternoon on their way home.
3)
I’ve found ……. who he is.
4)
Never put …….. till
tomorrow what you can do today.
5)
Try this coat …….., I
think it will fit you.
6)
You are spending too
much, you should cut ……. your expenses.
7)
There’s a lot to see
in London ; if you come during the holidays I’ll show you …….
8)
Speak ……., I can’t
hear you.
9)
It was quite an
ordeal, but I saw it …….
10)
We walked …….. in
spite of the rain.
11)
He has gone ……. to the enemy.
12)
He looked ……..,
feeling that he was being followed.
13)
The advice he’s given
you is very good, you ought to think it ………
14)
Christmas will soon
be …….. again. How time flies !
15)
(on the phone) Could
you hold ….. a minute ? Someone’s knocking at the door