We use phrasal verbs all the time when speaking. These are verbs that consist of two or more words. There is the main word combined with a preposition or adverb. When combined, these words have a different meaning than when used independently, which is a reason why English is difficult to learn for non-native speakers. Learn more about phrasal verbs with Writers-House team.
For instance, the word “carry” means taking some object from one place and moving it to another place. The word “out” has numerous meanings and is usually used when talking about a particular place and the area outside of it. Nevertheless, “carry out” means accomplishing something or performing a certain action.
How to Use Phrasal Verbs
Even though phrasal verbs are common in spoken English, you shouldn’t use them in academic writing. The main reason why you should avoid them is that phrasal verbs have different meanings and therefore have a negative impact on clarity. Academic writing must be clear and informative. It should also be concise so we recommend that you try to replace phrasal verbs with single words with clear meaning.
Phrasal Verb Types
It’s important to know the difference between transitive and intransitive phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs of the first type have an object, while verbs from the second category don’t.
Here are some examples:
- A transitive phrasal verb is “set off.” …it sets off the reaction.
- An intransitive phrasal verb is “set out.” We set out to prove…
When using transitive phrasal verbs, you can also separate the adverb:
It sets reaction off
In addition, if the object is a pronoun, this pronoun should be placed before the particle.
It sets the reaction off
It sets off the reaction
But:
This sets it off, not “sets off it”
We’ve already mentioned that phrasal verbs have many meanings. Therefore, they negatively affect your academic writing because they make it unclear. For instance, if you use a phrasal verb “cut out,” it may have completely different meanings:
- Shape something by cutting;
- Remove or delete;
- Stop operating;
- Suit or fit (“he was not cut out for this job“);
- Exclude.
Given that phrasal verbs are certainly a bad option for academic writing, we recommend that you replace them with single verbs. Here are some common phrasal verbs with the verbs that you can use instead.
- Looked at (discovered)
- Lots of (numerous)
- Cut out (deleted, cleaved, suited)
- Put into (contribute)
- Accounted for (explained)
- Get up (rise or increase)
- Brought about (caused)
- Find out (discover)
What Phrasal Verbs You Can Use
However, there are also some exceptions. Some phrasal verbs are traditionally accepted in academic writing:
- The experiment consists of…
- The test was subjected to…
- The team carried out an experiment…
- These conclusions are based on…
- As discussed by Brown et al…
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