Particles: Difference between revisions

From English Grammar
Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
No edit summary
 
Line 8: Line 8:
Characteristics:
Characteristics:
* Particles combine with certain verbs to form non-predictable and mainly idiomatic particle verbs.
* Particles combine with certain verbs to form non-predictable and mainly idiomatic particle verbs.
* They contrast from prepositions in that they are more flexible:
* They contrast with prepositions in that they are more flexible:
** 'V Part NP' and 'V NP Part' are both possible (The umpire called off the game., The umpire called the game off)
** 'V Part NP' and 'V NP Part' are both possible (The umpire called off the game., The umpire called the game off)
** For prepositions, only 'V P NP' is possible (The teacher fell off the chair, *The teacher fell the chair off.)
** For prepositions, only 'V P NP' is possible (The teacher fell off the chair, *The teacher fell the chair off.)

Latest revision as of 12:32, 21 April 2017

Particles usually have the same form as prepositions

Examples: call sth. off, look sth. up

Characteristics:

  • Particles combine with certain verbs to form non-predictable and mainly idiomatic particle verbs.
  • They contrast with prepositions in that they are more flexible:
    • 'V Part NP' and 'V NP Part' are both possible (The umpire called off the game., The umpire called the game off)
    • For prepositions, only 'V P NP' is possible (The teacher fell off the chair, *The teacher fell the chair off.)
    • When the NP is a pronoun, only 'V Pron Part' is possible (The umpire called it off/ *off it.). This ordering is excluded for prepositions (*'V Pron P', *The teacher fell it off.)