What are the three types of multi-word verb?

Phrasal verbs combine a verb with an adverb particle (take off, dry out, put off). Prepositional verbs combine a verb with a preposition that has an object (look at, depend on, deal with). Phrasal-prepositional verbs use both (put up with, look forward to, run out of). The type decides where an object, especially a pronoun, is allowed to sit.

How can I tell a phrasal verb from a prepositional verb?

Replace the object with a pronoun. If the pronoun sits between the verb and the small word (take it off), you have a separable phrasal verb. If the pronoun has to follow the small word (look at it), you have a prepositional verb. Stress helps too: off is stressed in take it OFF; at is not stressed in LOOK at it.

Why is look it at wrong but take it off right?

Because look at is prepositional and take off is a separable phrasal verb. Prepositions keep their objects after them, so look at it is the only order. Separable particles allow a noun on either side and force a pronoun into the middle, so take it off is required and take off it is not.

Is walk into the workshop a multi-word verb?

No. Into still means into, and you are describing a direction. A multi-word verb is a unit whose meaning or grammar you cannot read off the parts: walk into a problem can be figurative, but walk into the workshop is ordinary verb plus preposition of place. Use the meaning test first, then the object test if the pair is a true unit.

English grammar · Intermediate

Multi-Word Verbs: Phrasal, Prepositional, and Three-Word

Written by Eleanor Whitfield, Lead English Curriculum Editor · Reviewed September 2026

A multi-word verb is a verb plus one or two small words that together act as a single verb. There are three types. A phrasal verb pairs a verb with an adverb particle (put off, take apart, sand down). A prepositional verb pairs a verb with a preposition that has an object (look at, depend on, deal with). A phrasal-prepositional verb uses both (put up with, look forward to, get on with). The type decides stress, word order, and where a pronoun can sit.

She put off the varnish, looked at the grain, and then put up with the knot.

put off is phrasal; look at is prepositional; put up with is phrasal-prepositional

What it is

English builds a huge number of verbs by adding an adverb, a preposition, or both. The result is one lexical item, not a verb plus a leftover bit of grammar. Classification matters because the three types do not share word order. A phrasal verb with an object can often split (take the hinge off / take off the hinge), and a pronoun object must sit in the middle (take it off). A prepositional verb never splits (look at the grain, look at it, never look the grain at). A phrasal-prepositional verb keeps its adverb and its preposition in a fixed order and takes the object after the preposition (put up with the knot, put up with it). A meanings page lists common phrasal verbs; this page is how to tell the types apart.

Sand the door down. (phrasal, separable) Look at the grain. (prepositional, inseparable) Look forward to the hanging. (phrasal-prepositional, object after to)

How to spot it

Ask three questions. Is the small word stressed? Adverb particles in phrasal verbs usually are (take OFF, sand DOWN). Can a pronoun object sit between the verb and the small word? If yes, you have a separable phrasal verb. Does the small word have its own object that you cannot move? Then it is a preposition, and you have a prepositional or phrasal-prepositional verb.

Take the hinge off. Take it off. (phrasal and separable: pronoun in the middle)
The varnish dried out in the sun. (phrasal and intransitive: no object to place)
We looked at the grain through a raking light. (prepositional: at keeps its object after it)
She put up with the knot rather than plug it. (phrasal-prepositional: up plus with, object after with)

A verb plus a preposition with its ordinary meaning is not a multi-word verb: walk into the workshop, sit on the stool. The test is whether the pair has a meaning you cannot guess from the parts, or a grammar you cannot guess from a simple preposition.

Multi-Word Verbs Quick Reference

The three types of multi-word verb

Type	Shape	Object test
Phrasal (intransitive)	verb + adverb, no object	The varnish dried out. (cannot split)
Phrasal (transitive, separable)	verb + adverb + object	Take the hinge off / take off the hinge; pronoun: take it off
Phrasal (transitive, inseparable)	verb + adverb + object, no split	She takes after her father. (not take him after)
Prepositional	verb + preposition + object	Look at the grain; look at it. Never look it at
Phrasal-prepositional	verb + adverb + preposition + object	Put up with the knot; put up with it
Ordinary verb + preposition	literal meaning, not a unit	Walk into the workshop. (into still means into)

Common Multi-Word Verbs Examples in English

The three types in a workshop, then the ordinary verb plus preposition that is easy to confuse with them:

Phrasal Verbs (Verb + Adverb)

Take the hinge off before you plane the edge.: separable: take off the hinge also works
Take it off before you plane the edge.: pronoun object must sit between take and off
The varnish dried out on the south bench.: intransitive phrasal: no object
She put the hanging off until the glue had cured.: put off = postpone; hanging sits inside

The adverb particle can often end the clause, which a true preposition cannot do without its object: Take the hinge off is fine; Look the grain at is not.

Prepositional Verbs (Verb + Preposition)

Look at the grain through a raking light.: look at plus object; at cannot move
The finish depends on a dust-free room.: depend on: on is a preposition, not a particle
We dealt with the knot by plugging it.: deal with plus object
She insisted on oiling the threads.: insist on plus -ing, still a prepositional verb

You can often put an adverb between the verb and the preposition (look carefully at the grain). You cannot do that with a true phrasal particle (take carefully off the hinge is clumsy or wrong).

Phrasal-Prepositional Verbs (Verb + Adverb + Preposition)

She put up with the knot rather than plug it.: put up with = tolerate; object after with
I'm looking forward to hanging the door.: look forward to plus -ing; to is a preposition here
We ran out of shellac before the last coat.: run out of = have none left
He gets on with the apprentice better than I do.: get on with = have a good relationship

The object always follows the preposition, never the adverb: put up with it, not put it up with. To in look forward to is a preposition, so -ing follows, not an infinitive.

Ordinary Verb plus Preposition

Walk into the workshop from the yard.: into still means into; not a multi-word verb
Sit on the stool while the glue grabs.: on has its ordinary location meaning
Put the plane in the till.: put plus a place phrase, not the phrasal put off or put up with
Look up the stairs, not up the word.: look up the stairs is literal; look up the word is phrasal

Stress helps in speech: look UP the word (phrasal) versus look up the STAIRS (preposition of place). The grammar test is still the object test.

How to Tell the Types Apart

Stress, pronoun position, and whether the small word can stand without an object.

Adverb Particles Can Stand Alone; Prepositions Cannot

An adverb particle does not need a noun after it. The varnish dried out. Take the hinge off. That is why a phrasal verb can be intransitive, and why a separable one can end with the particle. A preposition is incomplete without its object: look at needs the grain or it. If you can drop everything after the small word and still have a sentence, you are looking at an adverb particle.

The glue dried out. We looked at it.

out stands alone; at cannot

Particle can end the clause; preposition cannot.

Pronoun Objects Diagnose Separable Phrasals

With a separable phrasal verb, a pronoun object must sit between the verb and the particle: take it off, put it off, sand it down. A noun object may sit there or after the particle: take the hinge off / take off the hinge. Prepositional verbs never allow the pronoun in the middle: look at it, never look it at. This is the fastest classroom test.

Take it off. Look at it.

pronoun inside the phrasal; pronoun after the preposition

Pronoun in the middle = separable phrasal.

You Can Often Insert an Adverb before a Preposition

A prepositional verb will usually accept an adverb between the verb and the preposition: look carefully at the grain, depend entirely on a dust-free room. A phrasal particle resists that insertion: take carefully off the hinge sounds wrong. The test is not perfect, but it is a useful second check after the pronoun test.

We looked carefully at the grain.

adverb sits between look and at

Adverb before the small word: likely a preposition.

Phrasal-Prepositional Verbs Keep a Fixed Sequence

Three-word verbs have an adverb particle and then a preposition: put up with, look forward to, run out of, get on with, catch up with. The object follows the preposition and cannot move: put up with it, not put it up with. To in look forward to is a preposition, which is why an -ing form follows it (looking forward to hanging), not an infinitive.

I'm looking forward to hanging the door.

to is a preposition, so hanging not to hang

Adverb then preposition then object.

Meaning Alone Does Not Classify the Type

Idiomatic meaning tells you that you have a multi-word verb rather than a literal preposition (put off the hanging versus put the plane in the till). It does not tell you which of the three types you have. Look up the word and look at the grain are both idiomatic enough to learn as units; only the object test sorts them into phrasal versus prepositional.

Look the word up. Look at the grain.

same verb look, two types, two object positions

Learn the meaning, then run the object test.

Common Mistakes with Multi-Word Verbs

Incorrect: Look the grain at through a raking light.

Correct: Look at the grain through a raking light.

Look at is a prepositional verb, so the object must follow at. The split order is only available to separable phrasal verbs such as take off.

Incorrect: Take off it before you plane the edge.

Correct: Take it off before you plane the edge.

A pronoun object cannot follow the particle of a separable phrasal verb. It has to sit in the middle: take it off, put it off, sand it down.

Incorrect: I'm looking forward to hang the door.

Correct: I'm looking forward to hanging the door.

The last word of look forward to belongs with after and of, so a noun or -ing form follows it. Looking forward to hanging the prints is the pattern; looking forward to hang copies the wrong to.

Incorrect: She put the knot up with rather than plug it.

Correct: She put up with the knot rather than plug it.

Phrasal-prepositional verbs do not split. The object follows the preposition: put up with the knot, put up with it. The adverb up and the preposition with stay together.

Tests That Tell the Types Apart

Three checks you can run on any new item, in this order.

The pronoun test

Replace the object with it, them, or him/her and see where it is willing to sit.

Take the hinge off → take it off.: middle position: separable phrasal
Look at the grain → look at it.: after the small word: prepositional
Put up with the knot → put up with it.: after the preposition: phrasal-prepositional

If both take the hinge off and take off the hinge work, but only take it off works with a pronoun, you have the classic separable pattern.

The stress test

In speech, adverb particles are usually stressed; ordinary prepositions are not.

TAKE the hinge OFF.: off is stressed: particle
LOOK at the GRAIN.: at is unstressed: preposition
LOOK the word UP.: up is stressed: particle, and the object can split the verb

Stress is a clue, not a proof. Run the pronoun test as well, especially with items you only meet in writing.

The adverb-insertion test

Try to place carefully, slowly, or entirely between the verb and the small word.

look carefully at the grain: insertion works: at is a preposition
depend entirely on a dust-free room: insertion works: on is a preposition
take off the hinge (not take carefully off): insertion fails or sounds wrong: off is a particle

Use this as a second check. Some speakers will accept an adverb in more places than others, so do not let it override a clear pronoun-test result.

Quick Check: Multi-Word Verbs

Rewrite each sentence with a pronoun object, or choose the form that fits the type.

1. Take the hinge off. → Take ___ .

Answer: it off

separable phrasal: pronoun in the middle

2. Look at the grain. → Look ___ .

Answer: at it

prepositional: pronoun after the preposition

3. She put up with the knot. → She put up ___ .

Answer: with it

phrasal-prepositional: object after the preposition

4. I'm looking forward to ___ (hang) the door.

Answer: hanging

to is a preposition, so -ing follows

5. The varnish dried ___ on the south bench. (particle meaning become too dry)

Answer: out

intransitive phrasal: dry out

Multi-Word Verbs FAQs

What are the three types of multi-word verb?: Phrasal verbs combine a verb with an adverb particle (take off, dry out, put off). Prepositional verbs combine a verb with a preposition that has an object (look at, depend on, deal with). Phrasal-prepositional verbs use both (put up with, look forward to, run out of). The type decides where an object, especially a pronoun, is allowed to sit.
How can I tell a phrasal verb from a prepositional verb?: Replace the object with a pronoun. If the pronoun sits between the verb and the small word (take it off), you have a separable phrasal verb. If the pronoun has to follow the small word (look at it), you have a prepositional verb. Stress helps too: off is stressed in take it OFF; at is not stressed in LOOK at it.
Why is look it at wrong but take it off right?: Because look at is prepositional and take off is a separable phrasal verb. Prepositions keep their objects after them, so look at it is the only order. Separable particles allow a noun on either side and force a pronoun into the middle, so take it off is required and take off it is not.
What is a phrasal-prepositional verb?: A three-word verb: adverb particle plus preposition, as in put up with, look forward to, run out of, and get on with. The object follows the preposition and cannot move: put up with it, not put it up with. Because the last word is a preposition, an -ing form often follows (looking forward to hanging), not an infinitive.
Is walk into the workshop a multi-word verb?: No. Into still means into, and you are describing a direction. A multi-word verb is a unit whose meaning or grammar you cannot read off the parts: walk into a problem can be figurative, but walk into the workshop is ordinary verb plus preposition of place. Use the meaning test first, then the object test if the pair is a true unit.