Question 1

What are the most common mistakes with phrasal verbs?

Accepted Answer

The four most common mistakes are: first, using the wrong particle — saying "turn up the light" when you mean "turn on the light" (wrong particle changes the meaning entirely). Second, breaking an inseparable phrasal verb — saying "looked it after" instead of "looked after it" (inseparable verbs keep the particle next to the verb, with the object after). Third, putting the object in the wrong position with separable verbs — saying "pick up it" instead of "pick it up" (pronouns must go between the verb and particle). Fourth, using "look forward to" with an infinitive — many learners write "look forward to meet" instead of "look forward to meeting" because they think "to" is part of an infinitive. In this phrase, "to" is a preposition, so it takes a gerund.

Question 2

How do I avoid using the wrong particle in phrasal verbs?

Accepted Answer

The best strategy is to learn phrasal verbs as complete units rather than separately memorising verbs and particles. When you learn "put off," think of it as one vocabulary item meaning "postpone," not as "put" plus "off." Create example sentences for each phrasal verb and review them regularly. It also helps to learn phrasal verbs in groups of related meanings: "turn on / turn off / turn up / turn down" forms a logical set about adjusting devices and levels. When you are unsure which particle to use, think about the basic meaning of the particle: "up" often means increase, "down" means decrease, "off" means separation, "on" means continuation. This does not work for every phrasal verb, but it helps with many. Finally, reading and listening to English regularly exposes you to phrasal verbs in natural contexts.

Question 3

Why is look forward to followed by a gerund and not an infinitive?

Accepted Answer

In the phrase "look forward to," the word "to" is a preposition, not part of an infinitive. This is confusing because "to" usually introduces an infinitive in English: "I want to go," "She decided to study." But in "look forward to," the "to" belongs to the phrasal verb "look forward to" and functions as a preposition. In English, prepositions are always followed by a noun or a gerund (the -ing form): "I look forward to the weekend" (noun) or "I look forward to seeing you" (gerund). Other phrasal verbs with "to" as a preposition include "get used to" (doing something), "object to" (doing something), and "be committed to" (doing something). This is a very frequent error that appears in Cambridge B2 and C1 exams.

Phrasal Verbs Error Correction Exercises

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-ed vs -ing Adjectives

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