What is a phrasal verb?

Definition
	A phrasal verb is a combination of a lexical verb and a verbal particle that forms a single semantic and syntactic unit.

Example (English)
	The item give up is a phrasal verb, as in the following: He gave up smoking. He gave smoking up.

Example (Akan)

The item gyee ... so ‘answered’ is a phrasal verb, as in the following:

Kofi gyee Kwame so

Kofi received Kwame on

‘Kofi answered Kwame.’

Source:

Schachter 1985 45

Concept module: phrasal verb
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): P
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004