Separable vs Inseparable Phrasal Verbs
A2 · ElementaryPhrasal VerbsTurn it off, look after the kids — some phrasal verbs let their object sit in two places; others only allow one.
What you'll learn
- A separable phrasal verb allows its object either after the particle or between the verb and the particle: turn off the light / turn the light off
- An inseparable phrasal verb never allows anything between the verb and the particle: look after the kids, never 'look the kids after'
- With a separable phrasal verb, a pronoun object (it, him, her, them) MUST go between the verb and the particle — this part is never optional
- There's no reliable way to guess whether a phrasal verb is separable or inseparable from its meaning — each one has to be learned
Two positions, or only one
Some phrasal verbs are flexible about where their object goes — these are called separable. Others are fixed — the object always comes after the whole phrasal verb, never in between. These are called inseparable.
The pronoun rule that's never optional
With a separable phrasal verb, if the object is a pronoun (it, him, her, them, us, you, me), it MUST go between the verb and the particle. You can never put a pronoun after the particle, even though a noun can go in either position.
Inseparable phrasal verbs
Inseparable phrasal verbs behave much like a single verb followed by a preposition — the object, whether a noun or a pronoun, always comes after the whole expression, with nothing allowed in between.
Real English
Watch out
A pronoun object must go between the verb and the particle with a separable phrasal verb — never after the particle.
look after is inseparable — nothing, not even a pronoun, can go between look and after.
Real life — Asking for help
"Can you pick up the kids from school today?"
"Sure — should I drop them off at your place after?"
"That would be great. Can you also turn off the oven before you leave here?"
"Of course — I'll take care of everything."
Practice
Exercise 1 · Choose the correct sentence
Choose the correct sentence with a pronoun object.
Exercise 2 · Choose the correct sentence
Which sentence is correct? ('look after' is inseparable)
Exercise 3 · Choose the correct word
Can you pick ___ my sister from school?
Exercise 4 · Choose the correct sentence
Choose the correct sentence.
Exercise 5 · Choose the correct sentence
Which sentence is correct with 'run into' (inseparable, meaning meet by chance)?
Exercise 6 · Choose the correct pair
Both of these are correct with a noun object: 'Turn ___ the lights' and 'Turn the lights ___'.
Exercise 7 · Choose the correct rule
Which rule applies to a pronoun object (it, him, her, them) with a separable phrasal verb?
Exercise 8 · Choose the correct sentence
Choose the correct sentence.
Exercise 9 · Rewrite with a pronoun
Rewrite with a pronoun: 'Take off your shoes.' → 'Take ___ off.'
Exercise 10 · Rewrite with a pronoun
Rewrite with a pronoun: 'Can you help out my brother?' → 'Can you help ___ out?'
Exercise 11 · Sort the phrasal verbs into groups
0 / 8 sorted
Quick challenge
Five quick questions to check what stuck.
Question 1 / 5
Score: 0/0
Choose the correct sentence.
You learned
- Separable phrasal verbs allow the object either after the particle or between the verb and particle: turn off the light / turn the light off.
- Inseparable phrasal verbs never allow anything between the verb and the particle: look after the kids.
- With a separable phrasal verb, a pronoun object must go between the verb and the particle — this is never optional.
- There's no reliable rule for guessing separable vs. inseparable — each phrasal verb has to be learned individually.
Related grammar lessons
Phrasal Verb Basics
Get started with phrasal verbs — verb + particle combinations like wake up, give up, and look up — whose meaning often can't be guessed from the separate words.
Phrasal Verb Grammar
Go deeper into how phrasal verbs work grammatically — three-word phrasal-prepositional verbs like put up with and look forward to, and how a phrasal verb's particle differs from an ordinary preposition.
Transitive vs Intransitive Phrasal Verbs
Learn which phrasal verbs need an object (turn off the lights) and which never take one (the car broke down) — a separate question from whether a phrasal verb is separable.
Particles and Meaning
Discover the recurring shades of meaning behind common phrasal verb particles — up often means 'completely', out often means 'discovering', and on often means 'continuing'.