Teaching and Learning of Idiomatic Expressions and Multi-word Verbs of English in The Context of Sudan

Appendix 2.a

Oxford Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs Treatment of Grammatical Behaviour of

Multi-Word Verbs of English

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(CATEGORY 1)

[vp] intransitive pattern with a particle

No.	Subject	Verb Phrase	Particle	(adverb phrase etc)
		Verb
1	A gang of thieves	broke	in	last night
2	A squadron of jet fighters	flew	past.
3	Anthony Sher	makes	up	for the part of Richard III
4	Students	are sitting	in	at the university
5	The astronauts	splashed	down	perfectly at 3 pm local time
6	The pilot	took	off	smoothly
7	Parker	throws	in	near the half-way line
8	The runners	are warming	up	quickly before the race
9	Building workers	walked	out	during the morning
10	The snow	came	down	thick and fast
11	The water	went	off	for a couple of hours
12	The sun	went	in.
13	The prices	came	down.
14	He was	waiting	about	here for a whole hour

Notes

a. There is a relationship of intransitive to transitive between this pattern & (Vn , p], [Vn.p] and [vp.n], as is shown by the many correspondences between individual items:

[Vp] Parker throws in near the half-way line.

[vn.p] Parker throws the ball in near the half-way line.

b. An adverb is not normally inserted between the verb and particle, especially when the combination is idiomatic. But note:

12. The Sun went right in.

13. The prices came right down (when people started buying elsewhere).

[Vp nom] nominalized form of verb + particle

No.	Subject	Do/make	Object	(adv phrase etc)
1	A gang of thieves	Did	a break-in	last night
2	A squadron of jet fighters	did/staged	a flypast
3	Anthony Sher	does	his make-up	for the part of Richard III
4	Students	are staging	a sit-in	at the university
5	The astronauts	made	a perfect splashdown	at 3pm local time
6	The pilot	made	a smooth take-off
7	Parker	takes	a throw-in	near thehalf-ways line
8	The runners	are having	a quick warm-up	before the race
9	Building workers	staged	a walk-out	during the morning

Notes

a. Various ‘nominalized’ forms are derived from verbs with particles used in the [Vp] basic pattern. The form referred to as [Vp nom] in the code consists of the base form of the verb plus the particle, which in writing may be hyphenated, thus: break-in, make-up, sit-in, take-off, or fully linked, thus: flypast, splashdown. The nouns are pronounced with principal stress on the verbal element:

‘break-in, ‘make-up, ‘flypast, ‘splashdown

b. Nominalized forms often function in sentence types which stand in a paraphrase relationship to the basic [Vp] pattern. In the type shown in the above table, the nom form occurs as Direct Object, while the verb is one of a small set which includes ‘do’, ‘make’, and ‘take’.

c. The nominalized from also functions as the complement of the verb ‘to be’ in a sentence introduced by ‘there’:

1. There was a break-in last night.

2. There was a flypast (by jet fighters).

4. There is a sit-in (by students) at the university.

7. There is a thrown-in (by Parker) near the half-way line.

9. There was a walk-out (by building workers) during the morning.

d. This transformation is normally confined to idiomatic combinations (i.e. phrasal verbs) though not all of those allow it.

[Vp emph] emphatic transform

No.	Particle	verb phrase	subject	(adv phrase etc)
10	Down	came	the snow	thick and fast
11	Off	went	the water.
12	In	went	the sun.
13	Down	came	the prices.

Notes

a. In this transform, the particle precedes the verb (or verb phrase) and the subject follows. Compare:

[Vp] The prices came down.

[Vp emph] Down came the prices

In this transform the particle may be stressed; stress combined with initial position gives the particle special prominence.

b. In some sentences in which the subject is a noun phrase, it may precede the verb:

13 Down the prices came.

c. When the subject of the ‘emphatic’ sentence’ sentence is a pronoun, however, it must precede the verb:

13 Down they came

d. The verbs and particles in sentences 1-9 of the [Vp] tale are not normally transposed:

5. ? Down splashed the astronauts perfectly.

6. * Off took the pilot smoothly.

In fact, it is generally the case that when combinations are idiomatic (phrasal verbs), as in these two cases, the emphatic transformation cannot be applied.

(CATEGORY 2)

[Vpr] intransitive pattern with a preposition

No.	Subject	verb phrase		prepositional phrase		(adv phrase etc)
			verb	prep	Object
1	He		glanced	through	the article	quickly
2	He		ran	through	the main points	briefly
3	We	were	banking	on	a change of heart
4	You	can	cope	with	these few extra people	easily.
5	He	has	provided	for	his family	well.
6	We	‘ve	talked	about	this topic	endlessly.
7	A gang of thieves		broke	into	smith’s warehouse	last night.
8	Olive		gets	at	her husband	frequently.
9	The Chancellor	would	go	into	these proposals	very.
10	He	can	reckon	on	a safe political future	with some confidence
11	I		got	through	the written papers	with special coaching
12	The question of a reprieve	may	turn	on	the age of the victim
13	All our opes		rested	upon	this venture
14	He		went	off	driving	altogether
15	The company	has	fallen	into	disrepute	in recent years

Notes

a. Some of the expressions appearing here have transitive equivalents (compare nos. 11 and 14 in this table with nos. 8 and 10, [Vn.pr] table)

b. In many cases, an adverb or adverbial phrase can be inserted between the verb phrase and the prepositional phrase:

4. You can cope easily with these few extra people.

10. He can reckon with some confidence on a safe political future.

There may be restriction when the combination is highly idiomatic, though not in every case. Compare:

8. *live gets frequently at her husband.

9. The Chancellor would go very carefully into these proposals.

[Vpr nom] nominalized form of verb + preposition

Notes

a. Nouns referred to in grammatical codes as {Vpr nom] have the internal pattern ‘base form + preposition’. The dictionary does not record any case where they are written as fully joined. The hyphenated form corresponds to the stressing in speech of the verb element:

‘Glance-through, ‘run-through

The user should note that hyphenated nouns derived from some verb + preposition items have a corresponding unlinked form, with principal stress falling on the final element.

Compare:

a quick ‘flick-through / a quick flick ‘through

another ‘skim-through / another skim ‘through

It is also worth noting that none of these examples are highly idiomatic.

b. These ‘nom’ forms occur in a number of sentence patterns, some of which are paraphrases of the basic [Vpr] pattern:

1. He gave the article a quick glance-through

2. He did a brief run-through of the main points.

No.	Subject	Verb phrase		(adv phrase etc)
			Verb	Prep.
1	The article	was	glanced	through	quickly.
2	The main points	were	run	through	briefly.
3	A change of heart	was being	banked	on.
4	These few extra people	can be	coped	with	easily.
5	His family	has been	provided	for	well.
6	This topic	has been	talked	about	Endlessly
7	Smith’s warehouse	was	broken	into	last night.
8	Her husband	is	got	at	frequently.
9	These proposals	would be	gone	into	very carefully.
10	A safe political future	can be	reckoned	on	with some confidence.

Notes

a. The transform is derived from the active pattern by moving the prepositional object to initial position (with corresponding modification of the verb phrase)

Compare:

[Vpr] The Chancellor would go into these proposals very carefully.

[Vpr pass] These proposals would be gone into very carefully.

An ‘agentive’ prepositional would be gone into very carefully (by the Chancellor).

b. There is no simple one-to-one correspondence between idiomaticity and the application of this transform. Some sentences containing an idiomatic combination (phrasal verb) may be passivized:

8 Olive gets at her husband frequently.

Her husband is got at frequently.

but the same is true of many sentences containing less idiomatic items:

1. He glanced through the article quickly.

The article was glanced through quickly.

b. Sentences in which the prepositional object is part of a complex idiom are generally not passivized.

15 *Disrepute has been fallen into in recent years.

d. Some expressions are recorded in the dictionary which function in passive sentences of the [Vpr] type though not in the corresponding active patterns. A highly irregular group is made up of such items as unaccounted for, uncalled for, and unguessed at. Certain of these combinations have a corresponding finite form without the negative prefix, thus account for, call for, guess at, and this can be used in both active and passive sentences. Compare:

These missiles are unaccounted for by the authorities.

These missiles are accounted for by the authorities.

These authorities have accounted for these missiles.

However, there is no such sentences as

*The authorities have unaccounted for these missiles.

to correspond, as active, to the first of the set of three.

[Vpr pass (o)] passive transform, with the object of a second preposition becoming the subject of the passive sentence

Notes

a. A small number of idiomatic expressions, such as get to the bottom of or get to grips with, form their passives in a special way. It will be seen that the expressions contain a verb and two prepositions and that the object of the first preposition is an integral part of the idiom.

b. In this special passive transform, the object of the second preposition is transposed to front position in the sentence (where it functions as Subject of the passive construction):

[Vpr] I’ll get to the bottom of this whole business.

[Vpr pass(o)] This whole business will be got to the bottom of.

[Vpr] You got to grips with the basic trouble inside an hour.

[Vpr pass(o)] The basic trouble was got to grips with inside an hour.

[Vpr adj] noun phrase with a participial adjective

Noun Phrase
No.	Article	(adv)	participial adj	noun etc
1	The	quickly	glanced-though	article…
3	A		banked-on	change of heart….
4	These	easily	coped-with	extra people….
5	His	well	provided-for	family….
6	This	endlessly	talked-about	topic…..
7	A (an)	(easily)	broken-into	warehouse….
9	these	carefully	gone-into	proposals…..

Notes

a. Here, the noun phrase is drawn from the basic sentence as a whole and the participial adjective from the verb and preposition which function in that sentence. The grammatical link between the sentence and the phrase is most clearly shown by relating both to the passive:

[Vpr] He glanced through the article quickly.

[Vpr pass] The article was quickly glanced through.

[Vpr adj] The quickly glanced-through article.

b. The connection of meaning between this transform and the passive is particularly close when the latter indicates a state (non a process). Compare:

His family seems well provided for.

His seems a well provided-for family.

c. It is often essential to place an adverb before the participial adj, as in most of the examples here. When an adverb must be placed before the adj in any [Vpr] entry, this is pointed out in a footnote.

[Vpr emph] emphatic transform

No.	Prepositional phrase		Subject Verb phrase			(adv phrase etc)
	Prep	object			verb
4	With	these few extra people	you	can	cope	easily.
5	for	his family	he	has	provided	well.
10	On	a safe political future	he	can	reckon	with some confidence
12	On	the age of the victim	The question of a reprieve	turn	turn.
13	Upon	this venture	all our hopes	rested	rested.

Notes

a. This transform involves a simple change of order: the prepositional phrase of the basic pattern is transposed to initial position (cf. [Vn.pr emph]):

[Vpr] He can reckon on a safe political future with some confidence.

[Vpr emph] on a safe political future he can reckon with some confidence.

b. When the subject is a pronoun it must precede the verb phrase in this transform (cf [Vp emph]). The following sentence is unacceptable:

5. *For his family has provided he well.

When the subject is a noun, or noun phrase, it will precede the verb phrase in some sentences (as it would in nos. 4, 5 and 10 above) but may precede or follow in others (nos. 12 and 13). Compare the following sentences with the corresponding ones in the table:

12 On the age of the victim may turn the question of a reprieve.

13 Upon this venture rested all our hopes.

The expressions in both these examples, it should be noted, represent formal usage.

c. In some example of this transform, a contrast is implied between the noun in the prepositional phrase and another unspecified noun. This noun may be made explicit, as follows:

5. For his family he has provided well (but not for his employees).

d. When the verb + preposition forms an idiomatic whole (phrasal verb), as in nos. 7, 8, 9 and 9 and 11, this transformation cannot usually be applied.

[Vp rel] relative transform

Noun phrase
Relative clause
article	noun	prep	rel pron	subject	verb phrase	(adv phrase etc)
1 The	article	through	which	He	glanced	(so) quickly
3 A	change of heart	on	which	We	were banking…
4 These	people	with	whom	You	can cope	easily….
5 The	family	for	which	He	has provided	well….
6 This	topic	about	which	We	‘ve talked	endlessly…..
10 A	safe political future	on	which	he	can reckon	with some confidence
12 The	Factor	on	which	the question turns…. of a reprieve
13 This	venture	upon	which	all our hopes rested….

Notes

a. In this transform a noun (etc) originating in the prepositional object of the basic pattern is modified by a relative clause (part of which derives from the subject and verb phrase of the same basic pattern):

[Vpr] We were banking on a change of heart.

[Vpr rel] A change of heart on which we were banking.

b. Sentences in which the verb + preposition is highly idiomatic are not relativized as shown above. This sentence is unacceptable:

8 *The husband at whom Olive gets regularly….

c. As the transform is normally associated with formal, written English, items marked informal in the dictionary tend not to be used in this transform, even when they are not idiomatic. A relative construction that can safely be used with formal and informal items is:

7. A warehouse which a gang of thieves broke into…

(Category 3)

[Vp.pr] intransitive pattern with a particle and preposition

Subject	Verb phrase	particle	Prepositional phrase		(adv phrase etc)
	verb		pre	Object
1 The coaster	went	aground	on	a sandbank
2 He	scrapped	along	on	a low salary
3 He	sent	away	for	a free fisherman’s almanac
4 The office staff	are looking	forward	to	his retirement	very much
5 They	had done	away	with	this piece of legislation	reluctantly
6 She	is facing	up	to	her responsibilities	badly
7 We	put	up	with	these interruptions	cheerfully
8 An outsider	had come	in	on	our private arrangement
9 The family	came	up	against	fresh problems
10 The match	got	off	to	A good start

Notes

a. Here we must distinguish between the combinations go around (on), scrape along (on), and send away (for) (nos. 1,2,3), from which the preposition (and its object) can be deleted, and the remaining combinations, where the preposition is a fixed element. Whether or not the preposition is removable tends to affect the transformational possibilities of the whole.

b. This pattern is the intransitive equivalent of [Vn.p.pr], in terms of the correspondences of particular examples. Compare:

[Vp.pr] The family came up against fresh problems.

[Vn.p.pr] The move brought the family up against fresh problems.

c. In some cases, an adverb or adverbial phrase may be inserted between the particle and the prepositional phrase. As the following examples show, it is possible to separate particle and preposition in this way even when the latter cannot be removed:

5. They had done away reluctantly with this piece of legislation.

7. We put up cheerfully with these interruptions.

The verb may sometimes be divided from the particle, though generally only by the adverbs ‘right’ or ‘straight’:

5. They had done right away with this piece of legislation.

9. The family came straight up against fresh problems.

(Occasionally, we find such adverbs of degree as ‘completely’, ‘totally’, ‘entirely’ in the position of ‘right’ in no.5)

[Vp.pr pass] passive transform

No.	Subject	verb phrase		Particle		(adv. phrase etc)
			verb		prep
3	A free fisherman’s almanac	was	sent	away	for.
4	His retirement	is being	looked	forward	to	very much
5	This piece of legislation	had been	done	away	with	reluctantly
6	Her responsibilities	are being	faced	up	to	badly
7	These interruptions	were	put	up	with	cheerfully

Notes

a. In this transform the object of the preposition is transposed forward (cf [Vpr pass]), and the form of the verb phrase modified:

[Vp.pr] We put up with these interruptions cheerfully.

b. This transform tends to be restricted to cases where the preposition + object are not deletable (though see no. 3 in the table above)

d. Sentences in which the prepositional object is part of a complex idiom are generally not passivized:

10.? A good start was got off to.

1. Note the placing of stress in the passive transform.

… looked ‘forward to

… done ‘away with

… faced ‘up to

[Vp.pr adj] noun phrase with a participial adjective

Noun phrase
No.	article etc	adv	participial adj	Noun
4	His	very much	looked-forward-to	retirement…
5	This	reluctantly	done-away-with	piece of legislation…
6	Her	badly	faced-up-to	Responsibilities…
7	These	cheerfully	put-up-with	interruptions….

Notes

a. This noun-phrase transform derives from the basic [Vp.pr] patterns as a whole, and the adjective from the verb + particle + preposition which functions as part of that basic pattern. Note the connection provided by the passive between the basic pattern and this transform:

[Vp.pr] She is facing up to her responsibilities badly.

[Vp.pr pass] Her responsibilities are being badly faced up to.

[Vp.pr adj] Her badly faced-up-to responsibilities…

b. This transform is generally restricted to verb + particle + preposition items from which the last element is not removable. The following is an unusual (though possible) phrase:

2.? His barely scraped-along-on salary…

[Vp.pr emph] emphatic transform

No.	prepositional phrase		subject	verb phrase		particle	(adv phrase etc)
	prep	object			verb
1	On	a sandbank	the coaster		went	around.
2	On	a low salary	he	just	scraped	along.

Notes

In this transform, the prepositional phrase of the basic pattern has been moved to the front (cf [Vpr emph]).

Sentences from which the preposition + object are not removable are less likely to be transformed in this way than those (like 1 and 2 above) in which they are, though some speakers may find the following acceptable:

7. ?With these interruptions we put up cheerfully.

8. ?On our private arrangement an outsider had come in.

[Vp.Pr rel] relative transform

noun phrase
Relative clause
No.	article	noun	prep	rel pron	subject	verb phrase	particle
1	A	sandbank	on	which	the coaster	went	aground…
2	A	low salary	on	which	he	scraped	along…
3	A	free fisherman’s almanac	for	which	he	sent	away…

Notes

a. Here, a noun (etc) derived from the prepositional object of the basic pattern is modified by a relative clause (part of which derives from the subject, verb phrase and particle of the same basic pattern (cf [V pr rel]):

[Vp.pr] The coaster went aground on a sandbank.

[Vp.pr rel] A sandbank on which the coaster went aground…

b. Sentences from which preposition + object cannot be removed (i.e. without affecting the meaning of the whole) are less likely to be relativized, though we may hear, or read:

5 This piece of legislation with which they had done away…

c. Since this transform (like [Vpr rel]) is generally associated with formal styles, combinations normally found in colloquial use – whether the preposition is fixed or not – will tend not be relativized in this way. Instead, a relative pattern will be used in which the preposition is final.

2 A low salary which he scraped along on…

5 This piece of legislation which they had done away with….

(Category 4)

[Vn p, Vn.p and Vp.n] Transitive patterns with a particle

General note

Verb + particle combinations which are used in transitive sentences can be sub-classified according to whether (i) a short noun phrase Object can be placed on either side of the particle; (ii) such an Object must appear between the (main) verb and the particle; (iii) it must be placed after the particle. To account for these differences in Object placement, we recognize three types of transitive verb + particle pattern, identified in the grammatical codes at [Vn p, Vn.p and Vp.n]. We deal with these below beginning with two tables for [Vn p]

[Vn p] transitive pattern with a particle type (i) Table A

No.	Subject	verb phase		Object	particle	(adv phrase etc)
			verb	noun phrase/pronoun
1	The studio	will	blow	your photographs (them)	up	well.
2	The accountant		broke	expenditure (it)	down	as follows.
3	The travel agent		messed	our bookings (them)	up	completely.
4	We	can	play	the recorded programmes (them)	back.
5	Bill		took	the premier (him)	off	to perfection.
6	The daily help		cleaned	the whole place (it)	out.
7	Fred		tipped	the police (them)	off.
8	I	will	try	the machine (it)	out	thoroughly.
9	You	have	brought	your children (them)	up	well.
10	You	have	filled	the application	in	incorrectly.
11	These entertainers		make	their stories (them)	up.
12	You		thought	the scheme (it)	out	carefully.
13	The shops		put	the prices (them)	up.

[Vn p] transitive pattern with a particle type (i) Table B

No.	subject	verb phase		particle	object	(adv phrase etc)
		verb			noun phrase
1	The studio	will	blow	up	your photographs	well.
2	The accountant		broke	down	expenditure	as follows.
3	The travel agent		messed	up	our bookings	completely.
4	We	can	play	back	the recorded programmes
5	Bill		took	off	the premier	to perfection.
6	The daily help		cleaned	out	the whole place
7	Fred		tipped	off	the police
8	I	will	try	out	the machine	thoroughly.
9	You	have	brought	up	your children	well.
10	You	have	filled	in	the application	incorrectly.
11	These entertainers		make	up	their stories
12	You		thought	out	the scheme	carefully.
13	The shops		put	up	the prices

Notes

(a) This sub-pattern accounts for the great majority of verb + particle combinations (whether idiomatic or not0 which are used transitively. It is thus the standard or ‘regular’ sub-pattern.

(b) A combination of verb + particle is classified as (Vn p) when a noun or short noun phrase functioning as Object can either precede the particle (as in Table A) or follow it (as in Table B). A personal pronoun substituted for such an Object will always precede the particle (note the pronouns in parentheses in Table A)

(c) If a short Object (as illustrated in Tables A and B) is extended there are two possibilities: either the extension of the Object follows the particle:

We can play the programmes back that you recorded last week.

or the whole of the extended Object follows:

we can play back the programmes that you recorded last week.

(d) A verb + particle combination whose Object is a clause is classified [Vn p] if it can also be used with noun phrase Objects that function as in Tables A and B. An expression of this kind is work out (meaning ‘calculate’). Compare the examples:

We have computers to work out what we earn, these days.

We have computers to work our salaries out, these days.

We have computers to work out our salaries, these days.

(e) Expressions such as sew on or saw off, which can take an Indirect as well as a Direct Object, are assigned to this sub-pattern when a short Direct Object, as shown in the following examples, can be placed on either side of the particle:

‘The zip has broken. Will you sew me a new one on?’

…sew a new one on (for me)?’

…sew on a new one (for me)?’

(Here the Direct Object is ‘a new one.) Compare:

‘Would you saw me a piece off?’

…saw a piece off (for me)?’

…saw off a piece (for me)?’

(Here the Direct Object is ‘a piece’.)

(f) Adverbs other than ‘straight’ or ‘right’ seldom appear between the verb and the particle even when the combination is not idiomatic (cf [Vp]). This sentence is therefore unacceptable:

*The daily help cleaned the whole place quickly out.

‘Straight’ and ‘right’ are themselves not usually inserted when the verb + particle combination is idiomatic (i.e. a phrasal verb):

*Bill took the premier right off.

This rule is relaxed when the combination is not highly idiomatic:

The shops put the prices straight up.

The daily help cleaned the place right out.

But note that in these examples the order is (main) verb + object + adverb + particle; this order is invariable and the following is unacceptable:

*The daily help cleaned right out the place.

[Vn p nom] nominalized form of verb + particle

Notes

(a) Nouns referred to as [Vn p nom] are formed on the ‘base form + particle’ model and may be written as fully joined or hyphenated (occasionally as two separate words). The verbal element carries principal stress:

‘breakdown, ‘mess-up, ‘take-of.

(b) These nominalized forms are often in sentence patterns which are paraphrases of the basic [Vn p] pattern. In one type of paraphrase, the ‘nom’ form functions as (part of) the Direct Object of the verb ‘do’ (or ‘make’), as in this table:

No.	Subject	do / make	Object
1	The studio	will do	a good blow-up of your photographs.
2	The accountant	did	a breakdown of expenditure as follows…
3	The travel agent	made	a complete mess-up of our bookings.
4	We	can do	a play-back of the recorded programmes.

[c] In some cases, an Indirect Object pattern with ‘give’ is used, as in this table:

No.	Subject	give	indirect object	direct object
5	The daily help	give	the whole place	a clean-out.
6	Fred	give	the police	the tip-off.
7	I will	give	the machine	a thorough try-out.

This sentence type can in turn be related to one containing ‘get’:

The whole place got a clean-out.

The police got the tip-of from Fred.

The machine will get a thorough try-out.

[Vn p pass] passive transform

No.	subject	verb phase		particle	(adv phrase etc)
			verb
1	Your photographs	will be	blown	up	well.
2	Expenditure	was	broken	down	as follows.
3	Our bookings	were	messed	up	completely.
4	The recorded programmes	can be	played	Back.
5	The premier	was	taken	off	to perfection.
6	The whole place	was	cleaned	out
7	The police	were	tipped	Off.
8	The machine	will be	tried	out	thoroughly.
9	Your children	have been	brought	up	well.
10	The application	has been	filled	in	incorrectly.
11	Their stories	are	made	Up.
12	The scheme	was	thought	out	carefully.
13	The prices	were	put	Up.

Notes

(a) The passive pattern is derived from the active by transporting the Direct Object to the front position and by changing the form of the verb phrase (will blow will be blown; can play can be played). He particle now immediately follows the (main) verb. Compare:

[Vn p] Fred tipped off the police.

[Vn p pass] The police were tipped off.

A prepositional phrase, ‘by Fred’, originating as the subject of the active sentence is optional in the passive:

[Vn p pass] The police were tipped off (by Fred).

(b) When the Object of the active sentence is a clause, it remains in the final position in the transform and ‘it’ is introduced initially. Compare:

We worked out that we should need $100.

It was worked out that we should need $ 100.

[c] There may be two types of passive sentence when he active pattern contains an Indirect (as well as a Direct) Object. Compare these acceptable transforms:

I was sent down a list of missing stock.

A list of missing stock was sent down to me.

With the unacceptable

*A list of missing stock was sent down me.

(d) There is a close similarity (in terms of word order) between the passive transform and that of the [Vpr] pattern. However, the transforms are in most cases differentiated by stress placement. Compare:

[Vpr pass] The doctor’s been ‘sent for.

[Vn p pass] The student’s been ‘sent down (i.e. from a university)

(e) This transform applies to the great majority of combinations in this pattern. The fact that a combination is idiomatic does not normally affect transformation to the passive.

(f) Several transitive phrasal verbs listed in the dictionary (e.g. frosted over, run down) are used in a passive form but not in the actives from which such passives are normally derived. We find examples such as these:

After the severe cold of last night, all the windows are frosted over.

The doctor said he was run down and needed rest.

but not all the corresponding ‘actives’:

?The severe cold of last night has frosted all the windows over.

*The doctor said all those late nights had run him down and he needed rest.

[Vn p adj] noun phrase with a participial adjective

No.	Noun phrase
	Article	(adv)	participial adj	noun
1	Your	well	blown-up	photographs…
3	Our	completely	messed-up	bookings…
4	The		played-back	programmes…
8	The	thoroughly	tried-out	machine…
9	Your	well	brought-up	children…
10	Your	incorrectly	filled-in	application…
11	Their		made-up	stories…
12	Your	carefully	thought-out	scheme….

Notes

(a) The noun phrase of this transform is derived from the basic pattern as a whole, and the participial adjective from the verb + particle (e.g. blow up, mess up) which functions in it. Note the link between the basic pattern and this transform provided by the passive:

[Vn p] You thought the scheme out carefully.

[Vn p pass] The scheme was carefully thought out.

[Vn p adj] Your carefully thought-out scheme….

(b) The pattern indicates ‘completed action’ and not ‘action in progress’:

Those played-back programmes are not a success.

(implying that they have already been played back).

A close connection of meaning between this transform and the passive can be shown when the latter expresses a state also. Compare:

[Vn p] Your children have been brought up well.

[Vn p pass] Your children are well brought up.

[Vn p adj] Yours are well brought-up children.

[c] Idiomatically appears to have no bearing on whether this transform is possible or not.

(d) Several combinations listed in the dictionary (e.g. played out, run down) are used in the adj form but not in the active pattern from which the adj is normally derived. Examples like these occur:

She drifted from one affair to another, eventually setting up house with a played-out opera singer.

He emerged from his ordeal in a completely run-down condition.

But neither of these are acceptable:

* His fondness for drink had played him out.

* His ordeal had run him down completely.

[Vn.p] transitive pattern with a particle type (ii)

No.	Subject	verb phase		Object	particle	(adv phrase etc)
			verb
1	The comedian	doesn’t	get	his jokes (them)	across.
2	The police		moved	the spectators (them)	along.
3	The technician	will	run	that bit of tape (it)	through.	again
4	The govt.	will	see	the thing (i.e. crisis) (it)	through.
5	I	‘ll	knock	his block	off.
6	Parker		throws	the ball (it)	in.	near the half-way line

Notes

(a) In this sub-pattern there is a restriction on the positioning of an Object consisting of a short noun phrase. This must precede the particle, as is shown in the Table. A personal pronoun substituted for the noun phrase also precedes, as is the general rule for the whole [Vn p], [Vn.p] and [Vp.n] pattern.

(b) If a short Object is lengthened (say, by the addition of a clause) the extension may follow the particle, or the whole Object may:

The comedian doesn’t get the jokes across that he prepares in advance.

The comedian doesn’t get across the jokes that he prepares in advance

(though the second pattern is more unusual: see the next note).

(c) This sub-pattern is often preferred for such verbs as move, run, get, see and such particles as across, over, through because if a short Object were free to follow those particles, the particle might, in particular cases, be mistaken for a preposition, and the combination as a whole misinterpreted. Compare the examples:

[Vn.p] He Saw the crisis through (i.e. he survived it).

[Vpr] He saw through the crisis (i.e. he didn’t really believe there was one).

(d) Combinations such as burn (oneself) out (= ‘ruin one’s health through overwork etc) belong to this sub-pattern because the only Object possible is a reflexive pronoun, and such pronouns must precede the particle. The head phrase and grammatical code for this item are therefore:

burn (oneself) out [Vn.p….]

We can compare in this respect:

Fix up (with) [Vn p…]… arrange for (sb) to have…

Here, fix up is described as [Vn p] because, although the combination can be used reflexively, it can also be used with short Objects which either precede or follow the particle. Compare:

He’s fixed the whole family up (with good jobs).

He’s fixed up the whole family (with good jobs).

He’s fixed himself up (with a good job).

[Vn.p nom] nominalized form of verb + particle

Note

Though only one example has been given in the main [Vn.p] table above of a verb + particle combination from which a noun can be derived (i.e. throw in, yielding throw-in), there is no general restriction on noun formation for combinations used in this sub-pattern. The following entry provides a further example:

Walk-through [Vn.p nom pass] (theatre) show (sb) the movements he must make in a scene etc… ‘After lunch I want to do a walk-through of the ghost scene’, and several others are recorded. The code [Vn.p nom] should be taken to mean as here that the noun is of the ‘base-form + particle’ type (for fuller details see the notes and tables at [Vn p nom], above).

[Vn.p pass] passive transform

No.	subject	verb phrase		particle	(adv phrase etc)
			verb
1	His jokes	aren’t	got	across.
2	The spectators	were	moved	along.
3	That bit of tape	will be	run	through	again.
6	The ball	is	thrown	in	near the half-way line

Notes

(a) This passive transform and that of the ‘major’ [Vn p] sub-pattern are in all + respects-word-order, form of the verb phrase, treatment of clause Objects, stress placement – exactly the same, and users needing a fuller explanation of those features are referred to the notes at [Vn p pass].

(b) Since some of the words functioning as particles in the [Vn.p] pattern (e.g. across, over, through) can also be used as prepositions, the passive treated here and the [Vpr] passive may resemble each other in individual cases to the point where misinterpretation is possible. In speech, however, the two types are often (though not always) differentiated by the placing of nuclear stress. Compare:

[Vn.p pass] The video needs to be carefully run ‘through (i.e. through the recorder)

[Vpr pass] The money he’d inherited was quickly ‘run through.

(c) When the Direct Object of this sub-pattern is a reflexive pronoun (and no other kind of Direct Object is possible), we shall not find:

He had written himself out (= had nothing new to write) by the age of thirty.

though the following passive-like construction is acceptable:

He was/seemed written out by the age of thirty.

[Vp.n ] transitive pattern with a particle type (iii)

No.	subject	verb phrase		particle	object
			verb
1	The cavalry	will	bring	up	the rear.
2	The search party	has	given	up	all hope of finding the missing aircraft.
3	Jeremy		put	in	a brief appearance.
4	The hedgerows		put	forth	new buds.
5	Many households		take	in	lodgers.
6	The authorities		trumped	up	a case against smith.

Notes

(a) In this sub-pattern an Object consisting of a noun, or short noun phrase, is placed after the particle.

(b) Following the general rule for types (i), (ii) and (iii), a substituted pronoun Object, if there is one, precedes the particle. Compare:

Many households take in lodgers.

Many households take them in.

(c) Combinations of verb + particle whose Object is clause but which cannot have a noun or noun phrase Object are classified as [Vp.n] because the clause must, following the general rule, be placed after the particle, Consider:

find out 2 […Vp.n] discover a mistake, a loss, sb’s dishonesty etc… One day someone will start asking and find out precisely why we’ve been losing so much money.

If a combination can take a clause or a short noun phrase as Object, and the latter must follow the particle, the item will also be described as [Vp.n]:

find out 1 […Vp.n pass] learn (sth) by study, calculation or inquiry. Do you feel a need to find out what you have done with it? (cf Do you feel a need to find out its whereabouts?).

[Vp.n nom] nominalized form of verb + particle

Note

Though we provide no example in the table just above of a verb + particle combination from which a ‘nom’ form derives, there is no general restriction on the transform here, provided that the expression is not complex (as bring up the rear and put in an appearance are). When an entry has the code [Vp.n nom], as in the following entry, this is to be taken to mean that the noun in question is of the ‘base form + particle’ type (for further details see the notes and the tables at [Vn p nom], above).

make up 4 [Vp.n nom…] form, compose (sth larger)… There are plans to change the make-up (= composition) of the Boardo. There is something in his make-up (= nature, character) that repels people.

[Vp.n pass] passive transform

No.	Subject	verb phrase		particle	(agentive prep phrase)
			verb
1	The rear	will	bring	up	(by the cavalry)
2	All hope of finding the missing aircraft	has been	given	up	(by the search party)
3	A brief appearance	was	put	in	(by Jeremy)
4	New buds	are	put	forth	(by the hedgerows)
5	Lodgers	are	taken	in	(by many households)
6	A case against Smith	was	trumped	up	(by the authorities)

Notes

As regards word order, the form of the verb phrase, the treatment of clause Objects and the placing of stress, the passives of the sub-patterns. [Vn p] and [Vp.n] are alike. The user is referred to the notes at [Vn p pass] for an explanation of these features.

(Category 5)

[Vn.pr] transitive pattern with a preposition

No.	Subject	verb phrase		object	prepositional phrase
			verb		Prep	Object
1	He		makes	rather too much	of	his aristocratic connections
2	The governor		made	an example	of	these prisoners
3	I	have	taken	careful note	of	your remarks
4	We		Take	strong exception	to	the attack on mr. mackay
5	Peter		foists	al his problems	on	his unfortunate friends
6	Some		pinned	their faith	on	a religious revival
7	Warning cries		cheated	the cat	of	its prey
8	Special coaching		got	me	through	the written papers
9	I	don’t	hold	his past failings	against	him
10	The instructor		put	him	off	driving altogether

Notes

(a) Some of the phrasal verbs and longer idioms classified as [Vn.pr] – and illustrated here – are related to [Vpr] items in terms of the transitive / intransitive contrast.

Compare:

[Vn.pr] Special coaching got me through the written papers.

[Vpr] I got through the written papers with special coaching.

[Vn.pr] The instructor put him off driving altogether.

[Vpr] He went off driving altogether.

(see examples 11 and 14 in the [Vpr] table).

(b) In may cases, an adverb, or adverbial phrase can be placed between the Direct Object and the prepositional phrase. This may be possible even when the combination is idiomatic:

2 The government made an example, only last week, of these prisoners.

5 Peter foists all his problems, year in and year out, on his unfortunate friends.

(c) When the Object is relatively long and the prepositional phrase relatively short, they are often transposable, as follows:

10 The instructor put off driving every student who came his way.

When the Object –or part of it – is an element in a complex expression, however, this kind of transposition is usually not possible:

4 ? We take to this attack the strongest possible exception.

though we do sometimes meet acceptable transpositions of this kind as in:

1 He makes of these connections rather too much, I feel.

(d) Sometimes a long Object can be divided, with part of it – usually a relative clause – following the prepositional phrase:

9 I don’t hold past failings against him for which he can’t really be held responsible.

[Vn.pr pass] passive transform

No.	Subject	verb phrase			prepositional phrase
			verb	prep	object
1	Rather too much	is	made	of	his aristocratic connections
2	An example	was	made	of	these prisoners
3	Careful note	has been	taken	of	your remarks
4	Strong exception	is	taken	to	the attack on Mr. Mackay
5	All his problems	are	foisted	on	his unfortunate friends
6	Their faith	was	pinned	on	a religious revival
7	The cat	was	cheated	of	its prey
8	I	was	got	through	the written papers
9	His past failings	are not	held	against	him
10	He	was	put	off	driving altogether

Notes

(a) This passive pattern is derived from the active by transposing the Direct Object of the latter to front position and by changing the form of the verb phrase. The prepositional phrase remains in final position. Compare:

[Vn.pr] Warning cries cheated the cat of its prey.

[Vn.pr pass] The cat was cheated of its prey.

A prepositional phrase, ‘by warning cries’, which originates from the subject of the active pattern, is optional:

[Vn.pr pass] The cat was cheated of its prey (by warning cries).

(b) There is a general parallel between this passive and those of the sub-patterns

[Vn p], [Vn.p] and [Vp.n]. This is particularly evident when the same combination of words functions in the [Vn.pr] pattern and, say, the [Vn.p] pattern. Compare:

[Vn.pr] I was got through the written papers (by special coaching).

[Vn.p] I was got through (by special coaching).

(c) A [Vn.pr] expression may take as Object a clause introduced by ‘that’, ‘how’, etc:

You should bear in mind that he wasn’t present (cf you should bear that fact in mind).

The passive of a [Vn.pr] sentence with a clause as Object is:

It should be borne in mind that he wasn’t present.

though the following alternative construction is found:

That he wasn’t present (at the time) should be borne in mind.

(d) A number of [Vn.pr] items listed in the dictionary (eg embroiled in, used to) occur in the passive form but not in the active form from which passives are normally derived. These examples are quite normal:

Members became embroiled in heated debate over the issue of political union.

I’m used to these sudden changes of plan.

but the following active patterns are unacceptable:

* The issue of political embroiled members in heated debate.

* Experience has used me to these sudden changes of plan.

[Vn.pr pass (o)] passive transform, with the prepositional object of the active pattern becoming the subject of the passive

No.	Subject	verb phrase		object
			verb		prep
1	His aristocratic connections	are	made	rather too much	of.
2	These prisoners	were	made	an example	of,
3	Your remarks	have been	taken	careful note	of.
4	The attack on Mr. Mackay	is	taken	strong exception	to.

Notes

(a) This transformation only applies when there is a close idiomatic link between parts of a complex expression functioning as (main) verb, Direct Object and preposition. It will be noted, for example, that nothing can be removed make an example of or take exception to without making the remainder unacceptable. In the [pass (o)] transform these parts remain together and a subject is introduced originating in the prepositional object of the active pattern.

[Vn.pr] The governor made an example of these prisoners.

[Vn.pr pass(o)] These prisoners were made an example of (by the governor).

(b) Note that in this transform it is the pronoun or noun forming (part of) the Direct Object which bears principal stress, and not the main verb:

1 His aristocratic connections are made rather too ‘much of.

3 Your remarks have been taken careful ‘note of.

[Vn.pr emph] emphatic transform

Prepositional phrase			subject	Verb phrase		object
No.	Prep	object			verb
1	Of	his aristocratic connections	he		makes	rather too much.
2	Of	these prisoners	the governor		made	an example.
3	Of	your remarks	I	have	taken	careful note.
4	To	the attack on Mr. Mackay	we		take	strong exception
5	On	his unfortunate friends	peter		foists	all his problems
6	On	a religious revival	some		pinned	their faith.

Notes

(a) This transform results from a simple change of order, with the prepositional phrase shifted to initial position (cf [Vpr emph]):

[Vn.pr] Peter foists all his problems on his unfortunate friends.

[Vn.pr emph] On his unfortunate friends Peter foists all his problems.

(b) In some of the examples, a contrast may be implied between a noun, etc in the prepositional phrase and other unspecified words. These words may be made explicit. Consider:

4 To the attack on Mr. Mackay we take strong exception (though not to your other remarks).

(c) In some cases adjustments in vocabulary and style will affect the extent to which of its prey warning cries cheated the cat.

Of all these benefits a sudden fall in share values cheated the hopeful investors. However, highly idiomatic combinations of verb + prepositions (eg. nos. 9 and 20) are generally not transformed in this way, whether the vocabulary is changed or not.

[Vn.pr rel] relative transform

No.	Noun Phrase
		relative clause
		prep	rel pron	subject	verb phrase	object
1	Aristocratic connections	of	which	He	makes	rather too much…
2	These prisoners	of	which	The governor	made	an example…
3	Remarks	of	which	I	have taken	careful note…
4	The attack	to	which	we	take	strong exception…
5	The friends	on	which	Peter	foists	all his problems…
6	A religious revival	on	which	Some	pinned	their faith…

Notes

(a) In this transform the article + noun (etc), which originates in the prepositional object of the basic pattern, is modified by a relative clause (which itself contains the subject, verb phrase and Object of that same pattern):

[Vn.pr] The governor made an example of these prisoners.

[Vn.pr rel] These prisoners of whom the governor made an example…

(b) Sentences containing idiomatic combinations (phrasal verbs) are not normally made into relative clauses. Consider:

* A man against whom I don’t hold his past failings…

(c) Whether a relative transform is possible often has to do with the formality of the combination Even a unidiomatic combination would not be relativized if it was at the same time informal in style:

8 *The written papers through which special coaching got me…

though it might be used as follows:

The written papers which special coaching got me through…

[Vn.p.pr] transitive pattern with a particle and preposition

No.	Subject	verb phrase		object	particle	prepositional phrase
			verb			prep	Object
1	We		brought	them	around	to	a different way of thinking
2	The women	had	decked	themselves	out	in	satin frocks
3	They		filled	me	in	on	the latest developments
4	Some trickster	had	fobbed	him	off	with	this story
5	Someone	had	let	an outsider	in	on	our private arrangement
6	The move		brought	the family	up	against	fresh problems
7	The referee		got	the match	off	to	a good start
8	You	can	put	the shortage	down	to	bad planning
9	They		put	him	up	to	some mad escapade
10	You	shouldn’t	take	your resentment	out	to	me

Notes

(a) In each of nos 1-4 the preposition (and its object) can be removed without changing the meaning of the remainder of the sentence. To some extent this affects possibilities of transformation.

(b) The patern has an intransitive equivalent in [Vp.pr]. Compare nos 5, 6 and 7 here with nos. 8, 9, 10 in the [Vp.pr] table.

(c) In the table, the Direct Object is placed before the particle. In some cases, it can, when it is a short noun phrase, follow the particle:

3 They filled in their colleagues on the latest development.

10 You shouldn’t take out your resentment on me.

(d) In most of the examples here, an adverb or adverbial phrase may be placed between the particle and the prepositional phrase:

2 The women had decked themselves out gaudily in satin frocks.

7 The referee got the match off, despite the incident on the terraces, to a good start. (The idiomaticity of items does not appear to affect adverb insertion in a general way).

[Vn.p..pr pass] passive transform

No.	subject	verb phrase		particle	Prepositional phrase
			verb		prep	Object
1	They	were	brought	around	to	a different way of thinking
2	The women	were	decked	out	in	satin frocks
3	I	was	filled	in	on	the latest developments
4	He	had been	fobbed	off	with	this story
5	An outsider	had been	let	in	on	our private arrangement
6	The family	was	brought	up	against	fresh problems
7	The match	was	got	off	to	a good start
8	The shortage	can be	put	down	to	bad planning
9	He	was	put	up	to	some mad escapade
10	Your resentment	shouldn’t be	taken	out	on	me

Notes :

(a) In transforming an active [Vn.p.pr] sentence into the passive, the same general rule applies as to sentences in the [Vn p] and [Vn.pr] categories: the Direct Object (noun, noun phrase or pronoun) of the basic pattern shifts to front position and becomes the subject of the passive construction:

[Vn.p.pr] Someone had let an outsider in on our private arrangement.

[Vn.p.pr pass] An outsider had been let in on our private arrangement.

(b) A clause is occasionally found as Object of a [Vn.p.pr] sentence:

[Vn.p.pr] We put it up to the committee (i.e. proposed to them) that Frank should be made secretary.

This sentence is transformed as follows:

[Vn.p.pr pass] It was put up to the committee that Frank should be made secretary.

(c) When a combination functioning in the [Vn.p.pr] pattern has a deletable preposition + object (eg bring around (to), deck out (in), and those constituents are removed, the passive is of the Vn p] type. Compare these passive sentences:

[Vn.p.pr pass] They were brought around to our way of thinking (eventually)

[Vn p pass] They were brought around (eventually).

[Vn.p.pr emph] emphatic transform

prepositional phrase			subject	verb phrase		object	particle
No.	prep	object
4	with	this story	some trickster	had	fobbed	him	off.
5	on	our private arrangement	someone	had	let	an outsider	in.

Notes

(a) The transform results from a simple change of order, with the prepositional phrase being shifted to front position (cf [Vn.pr emph]):

[Vn.p.pr] Some had let an outsider in on our private arrangement.

[Vn.p.pr emph] On our private arrangement someone had let an outsider in.

(b) In some cases, there may be an implied contrast between part of the prepositional phrase and other unspecified words. These words may on the other hand be specified in the context:

4 With that kind of excuse you could fob her off (but don’t pretend that your mother was ill).

[Vn.p.pr rel] relative transform

Noun phrase
Relative clause
No.	Active + noun	prep	rel pron	subject	verb phrase	object	particle
1	A different way of thinking	to	which	we	brought	them	around…
4	This story	with	which	some trickster	had fobbed	him	off…
5	The private arrangement	on	which	someone	had let	an outsider	in…

Notes

The ‘article + noun’ of this transform is derived from the prepositional phrase of the basic pattern. The relative clause itself contains the subject, verb phrase, Object and particle of the original pattern (cf [Vn.pr.rel]):

[Vn.p.pr] Some trickster had fobbed him off with this story….

[Vn.p.pr rel] This story with which some trickster had fobbed him off…..

This transform, in common with other relative transforms, is often associated with formal styles, and expressions commonly found in colloquial use will tend not to be relativized on this model. A common alternative in everyday informal use is as follows (note the preposition in final position):

4 This story which some trickster had fobbed him off with…

(NB: This material appeared in the Dictionary on pp.449-472).