Thread: The phrasal verbs

I've been learning English for a long time and one of The most difficult part in studying for me is the Phrasal verbs. To those who haven't come upon that stuff - The phrasal verbs is the sum "Verb+one or two prepositions" for instance : to show - means to display and to show off means to boast
I would know how to easely learn the meanings of such verbs. There may be a system or something else?

They're not only come with prepositions. Verbs can also be followed by adverbs and still be phrasal. The best you can do is to study the list of words which are added to verbs and single out the clue meanings. After that train yourself with translation in both directions.

As you can see, I have used the phrasal verb "single out". 'Out' is the postposition here that modifies the meaning of the verb 'single'. Not all the time, but it is quite spread that such things correlate to our Russian verbs with prefixes. The idea of the adverb 'out' can be summarized as 'the direction, the moving outwards'. The verb 'to single' tells us that something is underwent the process of showing that this is only one thing. So 'to single out' really means that we take one thing in this reality and refer to it as the one of the kind. In Russian we can choose the words as "выделять", "выбирать" for that.

You can search you local shops for some phrasal verbs books. There are some that can help you in understanding this phenomenon. Also you can check up on different phrasal verbs dictionaries which apart from the comprehensive lists could have theoretical information for you. It's especially good for you to explain my last phrsal verb here, "check up on". But I think it's easy for you now to decide for yourlf what the meaning is.

To check up on - I think Its meaning may be "выяснять" or "справиться"? (I check up on his new address. or She is checked up on by the Police)
But however, can thou advice me an internet site, on pages of which I can behold an explanations or meanings of The Phrasal Verbs?

Sometimes you can compare the PREFIX on a Russian verb, with the preposition after an English one.

E.g. single out:

Single out = Exclude (sometimes, sort of) = Выключать
or выделять, выбирать.
Go out = leave/exit = выйти

Actually ignore that, it doesn't really work.

This is another problem learners of English have:

play up
play down
play off
play on
play out

For people whose native language is a Romance language it isn't too bad since in English there is usually a synonim derived from latin:

let off - excuse ----> then they can find a French, Spanish, Italian equivalent.

I remember when I did Spanish at school, the teacher said, if we didn't know how to translate an anglo-saxon word into Spanish, to find a latin equivalent. E.g.

to free (anglo saxon) --> to liberate (latin based English) ---> liberar (Spanish)

Originally Posted by TATY

Single out = Exclude (sometimes, sort of) = Выключать
or выделять, выбирать.

Выключать mainly means to turn off. In this case is better to say исключать.

I completely agree with Shtirlits - It sounds unnatural to me - Выключать имя из списка. But I have seen in my dictionary that this phrase is possible!!! It seems impossible to me!!!

Originally Posted by Chuvak

To check up on - I think Its meaning may be "выяснять" or "справиться"? (I check up on his new address. or She is checked up on by the Police)
But however, can thou advice me an internet site, on pages of which I can behold an explanations or meanings of The Phrasal Verbs?

To check up on something / somebody means to obtain information about them, or to investigate something, to make sure of something.

Here is an interesting course of phrasal verbs. It's the archive of 600+ kilobytes.

JJ - извини пожалуйста, что я неправильно твой ник написал - дело в том, что я почему то тебя со Штирлицем проассоциировал... и ошибся...

Rtyom
I have a question of using "to check up on" - This verb can be used in passive or in active voice? That is which of the two following variants is right:
1. She was checked up on by the police
2. The police checked up on her

And what do you mean by writing (600 kb)?

1. Here is the example of the passive.
2. The second variant is absolutley natural, too.
3. By providnig you with the data hereby I positively encourage you to click the hyperlink with your mouse device and perform the action of downloading the computer file, namely the archive of "ZIP" program with the document bearing the name "The Ultimate Phrasal Verbs Book" which is included herewith.

Thank you!!!
(Then I haven't seen the highlighting of the word "here"...)

Originally Posted by Chuvak

1. She was checked up on by the police

This sounds very awkward.

Originally Posted by kwatts59

Originally Posted by Chuvak

1. She was checked up on by the police

This sounds very awkward.

Maybe it doesn't work with the police. But still the passive is used.

"Maybe it doesn't work with the police. "

What doesn't work with the police? I haven't got a clue yet

Originally Posted by Chuvak

"Maybe it doesn't work with the police. "

What doesn't work with the police? I haven't got a clue yet

It isn't really used with police.

It is also a noun.

I went to the doctor's for a check up.

As a verb, the passive of it seems grammaticaly correct, but just sounds wrong as Kwatts said.

Since she was ill, Mary's husband went home during his lunch break to check up on her.

Something like that.

Then there is the related: "check out" as in "check this out"

I consider "Check up on" as an casual, informal investigation... "I check up on my cat to make sure she's eating".

Police do investigations.

A "check up" by a doctor is more of a preventive, non-emergency, casual visit to monitor ongoing progress or just determine current health.

You might hire a professional, private investigator to formally investigate your wife, but you'd ask your neighbor to casually "check up" on her.

Originally Posted by JustinThyme

I consider "Check up on" as an casual, informal investigation... "I check up on my cat to make sure she's eating".

Police do investigations.

A "check up" by a doctor is more of a preventive, non-emergency, casual visit to monitor ongoing progress or just determine current health.

You might hire a professional, private investigator to formally investigate your wife, but you'd ask your neighbor to casually "check up" on her.

You say "I check on my cat..." and not "I check up on my cat...".
It's a "checkup" and not a "check up".
The last one is okay.

May be I'm wrong, but I think there's another meaning of "chek up", or rather "Check it up!" Perhaps it is used as slangish "Look here!", an equivalent of Russian "Зацени!"

Originally Posted by Propp

May be I'm wrong, but I think there's another meaning of "chek up", or rather "Check it up!" Perhaps it is used as slangish "Look here!", an equivalent of Russian "Зацени!"

Maybe you're thinking of "check it out"? That's used roughly as you say.

Ah, yes, I remember Beavis and Butthead used to say "check it out!"