two-part verbs 1: phrasal verbs

verb + adverb particle: get back, walk out
Many English verbs can be followed by small adverbs (‘adverb particles’). These two-part verbs are often called ‘phrasal verbs’.
Get back! She walked out. I switched the light off.
Common adverb particles: about, across, ahead, along, (a)round, aside, away, back, by, down, forward, in, home, off, on, out, over, past, through, up.
Some of these words can also be used as prepositions. Compare:
I switched the light off. (adverb particle)
I jumped off the wall, (preposition)
For a detailed comparison, see adverb particles.
idiomatic meanings: break out; turn up
The meaning of a two-word verb is often very different from the meanings of the two parts taken separately.
War broke out in 1939. (Broke out is not the same as broke + out.)
Joe turned up last night.
(= appeared – not the same as turned + up.)
I looked the word up in the dictionary. (Look up is not the same as look + up.)
We had to put off the meeting till Tuesday. (Put off is not the same as put + off.)
phrasal verbs with and without objects
Some phrasal verbs are intransitive (they do not have objects).
I got up at 7.00 today. That colour really stands out.
Others are transitive.
Could you switch the light off? I helped Ann to fill in the form.
word order with objects
Adverb particles can go either before or after noun objects (unlike most adverbs – see adverb position 1: introduction.1).
She switched off the light, OR She switched the light off.
But they can only go after pronoun objects.
She switched it off. (NOT She switched off it.)
Is that the light which you switched off? (NOT … the-light off which you switched?)
Give me back my watch, OR Give me my watch back, (NOT Give back me my watch.)
verbs with prepositions and particles together
A few verbs can be used with both an adverb particle and a preposition (making them three-part verbs).
get on with her quite well.
Stop talking and get on with your work.
It’s hard to put up with people who won’t stop talking.
If you’re on the road on Saturday night, look out for drunk drivers.
I’ll think about it and get back to you.
She went up to the policeman and explained her problem. y.
I’m looking forward to the party.
For details of particular two-word verbs, see a good dictionary.