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In this lesson, master particles, which are small words that change the meaning of verbs when combined, using combinations like "up," "off," and "out." Clear explanations and practice exercises to help you learn.
What Are Particles?
Particles are function words that typically lack clear standalone definitions and derive meaning from context. They commonly appear between the main verb and its direct object.
Particles: Placement
Particles typically appear between a main verb and its direct object in phrasal verbs. The direct object is commonly a noun or noun phrase. Take a look at some examples:
I brought down all my stuff from the attic.
In this sentence, 'brought' is the main verb and 'all my stuff' is the noun phrase acting as its direct object. 'Down' is the particle connecting the verb to its object.
He gently took off the band aid.
She turned off the lights.
Prepositions vs. Particles
As you can see in the examples above, particles have the same form as prepositions and distinguishing between the two might be problematic. To understand the difference between particles and prepositions, compare the following examples:
She looked up the word.
'up' as a particle
She walked up the hill.
'up' as a preposition
The difference between these two examples is that in the first one, 'the word' is the answer to the question 'what did she look up?' which means it is the direct object of the verb and the particle 'up' is connecting the verb to its direct object and has no special meaning of its own. In the second example, however, 'the hill' is not the direct object of the verb. Rather, 'up the hill' forms a prepositional phrase that acts as an adverb. Here 'up' is a preposition of direction and movement and has a specific meaning of its own.
Let's see another set of examples:
They called off the meeting.
'off' is a particle connecting the verb to its direct object 'the meeting.'
The cat jumped off the table.
'off the table' is a prepositional phrase
To test if a word is functioning as a preposition or a particle, is to try to move it after the noun (phrase) that follows it. Particles can be moved after the noun without affecting meaning of the sentence, but prepositions cannot. Additionally, particles cannot be followed by a personal pronoun, while prepositions can. Compare the examples below:
Please fill out this form. → Please fill this form out.
He ran out the door. → He ran the door out.
I turned on the lights. → I turned on it.
The bird was sitting on a tree branch. → The bird was sitting on it.
Review
Particles do not have independent meanings of their own and come between verbs and their direct objects to modify the meaning. They are similar to prepositions in form but are used differently in sentences.
With particles, the noun phrase is the complement of the verb, while with prepositions, the noun phrase is complement of the preposition, forming a prepositional phrase.
Particles can move after the noun phrase, but prepositions can't.
Particles cannot be followed by personal pronouns, while prepositions can.
I was trying to cheer up my friend.
I was trying to cheer my friend up.
Quiz:
Which sentence contains a particle (not a preposition)?
She walked down the stairs.
He turned on the TV.
The cat jumped off the couch.
We hiked up the mountain.
Sort the words to form a correct sentence.
Fill the table by choosing whether the underlined word is a particle or preposition.
She turned down the radio. | |
He climbed on the roof. | |
They put off the wedding. | |
Please take out the trash. | |
The cat ran under the bed. |
Which sentence does not use "off" as a particle?
He called off the meeting.
He tore off the band aid.
She turned off the lights.
The cat jumped off the table.
Choose true or false for each statement.
Particles are function words that have clear, independent meanings. | |
Particles usually appear between the main verb and its direct object. | |
Particles and prepositions can always be used interchangeably. | |
Prepositions cannot be followed by personal pronouns, but particles can. |
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