Separable and Inseparable Phrasal Verbs: Rules, Examples and Exam Tips

Separable and inseparable phrasal verbs are an important part of English grammar and vocabulary. They appear constantly in everyday conversation, informal writing and Cambridge exams such as B2 First and C1 Advanced.

Learners often understand the meaning of a phrasal verb but are unsure where to place the object.

Why can we say:

• Turn off the light.
• Turn the light off.

but not:

• Look the children after. ❌

And why must we say:

• Turn it off. ✅

rather than:

• Turn off it. ❌

In this lesson, you will learn:

• what phrasal verbs are
• the difference between separable and inseparable phrasal verbs
• where noun and pronoun objects go
• how transitive and intransitive phrasal verbs differ
• how three-word phrasal verbs work
• how dictionaries show whether a verb is separable
• common mistakes to avoid
• how phrasal verbs may appear in B2 First and C1 Advanced tasks

For a closer look at noun and pronoun placement, read our lesson on the verb–object split in English.

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What is a Phrasal Verb?

A phrasal verb is made up of a main verb and one or more short words, usually called particles.

Examples include:

• turn off
• pick up
• give up
• carry on
• look after
• run into

The meaning of the complete phrasal verb may be different from the ordinary meaning of the main verb.

Compare:

• She turned the handle.
• She turned off the computer.

In the second sentence, turn off means to stop a machine, light or device from working.

Similarly:

• give up means stop doing something
• find out means discover
• put off means postpone
• run into means meet unexpectedly or encounter a problem

Because the meanings are not always predictable, it is best to learn phrasal verbs as complete expressions.

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Different Types of Multi-Word Verbs

The term phrasal verb is often used broadly in learner materials. However, several different types of multi-word verbs exist.

Verb + particle	turn off, pick up, write down, call off	These may be separable.
Verb + preposition	depend on, listen to, apply for, look after	These are not separable.
Verb + particle + preposition	put up with, look forward to, come up with, run out of	These are normally inseparable.

These are usually called three-word phrasal verbs and are normally inseparable.

You do not need to memorise all the technical labels immediately. The most important question is whether the object can go between the words.

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What are Separable Phrasal Verbs?

A separable phrasal verb allows its object to appear in two possible positions.

Verb + particle + object

Turn off the light. Pick up the parcel. Write down the address. Call off the meeting.

 

Verb + object + particle

Turn the light off. Pick the parcel up. Write the address down. Call the meeting off.

Both structures are correct.

The meaning does not change.

Compare:

• She looked up the word.
• She looked the word up.
• He put away his clothes.
• He put his clothes away.
• They brought up an important issue.
• They brought an important issue up.

The second form often sounds natural in conversation, particularly when the object is short.

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The Most Important Rule: Pronouns Go in the Middle

When the object is a pronoun, such as it, him, her, us or them, it must go between the verb and particle.

Turn it off.	Turn off it. ❌
Pick them up.	Pick up them. ❌
Write it down.	Write down it. ❌
Call it off.	Call off it. ❌
Put them away.	Put away them. ❌
Bring it back.	Bring back it. ❌

Compare:

• Please turn off the television. ✅
• Please turn the television off. ✅
• Please turn it off. ✅
• Please turn off it. ❌

A useful rule to remember is:

With a separable phrasal verb, a pronoun object must go between the verb and the particle.

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Noun Objects and Pronoun Objects

Noun objects are more flexible than pronoun objects.

Object type	Correct structure	Incorrect structure
Noun object	She filled in the form. She filled the form in. Both are correct.	—
Pronoun object	She filled it in. ✅	She filled in it. ❌
Noun object	They called off the match. They called the match off. Both are correct.	—
Pronoun object	They called it off. ✅	They called off it. ❌

This is one of the most common word-order mistakes learners make with phrasal verbs.

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Long Objects Usually Come After the Particle

Although noun objects can often appear in either position, long or complicated noun phrases usually sound clearer after the particle.

Compare:

• She wrote down the address of the hotel where we would be staying.
• She wrote the address of the hotel where we would be staying down.

The second sentence is difficult to follow because the object is too long.

Similarly:

• They called off the meeting arranged for Friday afternoon.
• They called the meeting arranged for Friday afternoon off.

The first sentence is clearer and more natural.

A practical guide is:

• short noun objects can usually go in either position
• long noun objects normally come after the particle
• pronoun objects must go in the middle

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Common Separable Phrasal Verbs

Here are some frequently used separable phrasal verbs.

Phrasal verb	Meaning	Examples
Bring back	return something	Please bring back my book. Please bring my book back. Please bring it back.
Call off	cancel	They called off the match. They called the match off. They called it off.
Fill in	complete a document	Please fill in the application form. Please fill the application form in. Please fill it in. In American English, fill out is also common.
Find out	discover information	We need to find out the truth. We need to find it out.

With some phrasal verbs, the split form with a noun may be grammatically possible but less natural.

For example:

• We need to find the truth out.

This is possible, but find out the truth usually sounds better.

Phrasal verb	Meaning	Examples
Look up	search for information	Look up the word in a dictionary. Look the word up in a dictionary. Look it up in a dictionary.
Pick up	collect or lift something	I’ll pick up the parcel tomorrow. I’ll pick the parcel up tomorrow. I’ll pick it up tomorrow.
Put away	return something to its proper place	Put away your clothes. Put your clothes away. Put them away.
Put on	dress yourself in something or organise a performance	She put on her coat. She put her coat on. She put it on. The school put on a play. The school put a play on.
Take off	remove clothing	He took off his jacket. He took his jacket off. He took it off.
Turn down	reduce the volume or refuse an offer	Could you turn down the music? Could you turn the music down? Could you turn it down? She turned down the job offer. She turned the job offer down. She turned it down.
Work out	solve or calculate something	We worked out the answer. We worked the answer out. We worked it out.

What are Inseparable Phrasal Verbs?

An inseparable phrasal verb cannot be divided by its object.

The object must come after the complete verb.

Phrasal verb	Meaning	Correct examples	Incorrect examples
Look after	take care of	She looks after her elderly mother.  She looks after her.	She looks her elderly mother after.❌ She looks her after. ❌
Run into	meet unexpectedly or encounter a problem	I ran into an old friend yesterday. I ran into her yesterday. We ran into difficulties during the project.	I ran an old friend into. ❌ We ran difficulties into. ❌
Come across	find or meet by chance	I came across an interesting article. I came across it online.	I came an interesting article across. ❌
Get over	recover from something	She got over the illness quickly. She eventually got over it.	She got the illness over. ❌ She got it over. ❌

Other common inseparable verbs include:

• deal with
• go through
• look into
• run into
• take after

With these verbs, the object always comes after the complete expression.

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Prepositional Verbs Cannot Be Separated

Some verb combinations contain a preposition rather than a movable particle.

The preposition introduces the object and cannot be moved.

Prepositional verb	Correct examples	Incorrect example
Depend on	The result depends on the weather. ✅ The result depends on it. ✅	The result depends the weather on. ❌
Listen to	She was listening to the radio. ✅ She was listening to it. ✅	She was listening the radio to. ❌
Apply for	He applied for the job. ✅ He applied for it. ✅	He applied the job for. ❌
Belong to	This coat belongs to Daniel. ✅ It belongs to him. ✅	This coat belongs Daniel to. ❌

Other common prepositional verbs include:

• agree with
• apologise for
• believe in
• refer to
• rely on
• wait for

These combinations should be learnt as complete patterns.

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Transitive and Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

Another useful distinction is between transitive and intransitive phrasal verbs.

Transitive phrasal verbs

A transitive phrasal verb takes an object.

Examples:

• Turn off the light.
• Pick up the phone.
• Call off the meeting.

The objects are:

• the light
• the phone
• the meeting

A transitive phrasal verb may be separable or inseparable.

Intransitive phrasal verbs

An intransitive phrasal verb does not take an object.

Examples:

• Wake up!
• Sit down.
• Hurry up.
• The car broke down.
• The plane took off.

Because there is no object, there is nothing to place between the verb and particle.

Some phrasal verbs can be transitive in one meaning and intransitive in another.

Compare:

• The plane took off at six o’clock.
  No object.
• She took off her coat.
  Object: her coat.

In the second sentence, take off is separable:

• She took her coat off.
• She took it off.

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Three-Word Phrasal Verbs

Three-word phrasal verbs usually consist of a verb, a particle and a preposition.

They are normally inseparable.

Common examples include:

• look forward to
• put up with
• get along with
• run out of
• come up with
• catch up with
• get away with

Three-word phrasal verb	Meaning	Correct examples	Incorrect example
Look forward to	feel pleased and excited about something in the future	I’m looking forward to the holiday. I’m looking forward to it.	I’m looking the holiday forward to. ❌
Put up with	tolerate	I can’t put up with that noise. I can’t put up with it.	I can’t put that noise up with. ❌
Come up with	produce an idea or solution	She came up with a clever idea. She came up with it during the meeting.	She came a clever idea up with. ❌
Run out of	have none left	We ran out of milk. We ran out of it yesterday.	This expression cannot be separated.

Three-word phrasal verbs are best learnt as complete units.

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The Same Words Can Form Different Patterns

A small change can create a different phrasal verb with a different meaning and structure.

Consider look up and look up to.

Phrasal verb	Meaning	Type	Correct examples	Incorrect example / note
Look up	search for information	Separable	I looked up the expression. I looked the expression up.I looked it up.	—
Look up to	admire	Inseparable	She looks up to her older sister. She looks up to her.	She looks her older sister up to. ❌
Take off	remove clothing	Separable	He took off his jacket. He took his jacket off. He took it off.	—
Take off	leave the ground	Intransitive	The plane took off.	In this meaning, the verb has no object.

This is why it is helpful to learn the meaning, structure and example sentence together.

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How Can You Tell Whether a Phrasal Verb is Separable?

There is no completely reliable rule.

Sometimes the structure feels predictable, but guessing can easily lead to mistakes.

The safest method is to check a reliable learner’s dictionary.

A dictionary may show a separable phrasal verb like this:

turn something off

This means that the object can go between turn and off.

It may show an inseparable verb like this:

look after somebody

This means that the object comes after the complete expression.

When recording new phrasal verbs, avoid writing only:

turn off – stop a machine

Instead, write:

turn something off / turn it off

Similarly, instead of:

look after – take care of

write:

look after somebody

Recording the grammatical pattern will help you remember the correct word order.

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Common Learner Mistakes

Mistake 1: Placing a pronoun after the particle

• Turn off it. ❌
• Turn it off. ✅

Mistake 2: Separating an inseparable verb

• She looks her younger brother after. ❌
• She looks after her younger brother. ✅

Mistake 3: Separating a prepositional verb

• It depends the situation on. ❌
• It depends on the situation. ✅

Mistake 4: Splitting a verb with a very long object

• They called the meeting arranged by the regional managers for Friday afternoon off.

This is possible, but difficult to read.

A clearer version is:

• They called off the meeting arranged by the regional managers for Friday afternoon.

Mistake 5: Assuming that all phrasal verbs are separable

Some are separable:

• turn something off
• pick something up
• call something off

Others are inseparable:

• look after somebody
• run into somebody
• get over something

The pattern must be learnt with the verb.

Mistake 6: Avoiding phrasal verbs completely

Some learners avoid phrasal verbs because they are worried about making mistakes.

However, phrasal verbs are a natural and important part of English.

Compare:

• Please extinguish the light.
• Please turn off the light.

The first sentence is grammatically correct, but the second is much more natural in everyday English.

Knowing both phrasal verbs and their one-word alternatives gives you greater flexibility.

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Separable and Inseparable Phrasal Verbs in Cambridge Exams

Phrasal verbs may appear throughout the B2 First and C1 Advanced exams.

They are especially useful in:

• multiple-choice cloze tasks
• open cloze tasks
• key word transformations
• informal emails and articles
• speaking tasks
• listening and reading texts

Key word transformation example

They cancelled the meeting.

CALLED

They called off the meeting.

You could also say:

They called the meeting off.

If the object is a pronoun:

• They called it off. ✅
• They called off it. ❌

Multiple-choice cloze example

The manager decided to ______ the meeting until the following week.

1. put away
2. put off
3. put up
4. put out

Answer: put off

Open cloze example

He brought ______ an interesting point during the discussion.

Answer: up

Accurate and natural use of phrasal verbs can strengthen the range and appropriacy of your vocabulary in Cambridge speaking and writing tasks.

However, accuracy matters. Using a simpler verb correctly is better than using a phrasal verb with the wrong word order.

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Quick Memory Guide

Remember these main rules:

Verb type	Rule	Examples
Separable phrasal verb + noun	Both positions are usually possible.	Turn off the light. Turn the light off.
Separable phrasal verb + pronoun	The pronoun goes between the verb and the particle.	Turn it off. ✅ Turn off it. ❌
Inseparable phrasal verb	The object comes after the complete verb.	Look after the children. Look after them.
Prepositional verb	The object comes after the preposition.	Depend on the weather. Depend on it.
Three-word phrasal verb	The complete expression normally stays together.	Put up with the noise. Look forward to the holiday.
Intransitive phrasal verb	There is no object.	The car broke down. The plane took off.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are all phrasal verbs separable?

No. Some phrasal verbs are separable, while others are inseparable. You need to learn the pattern of each verb.

Where does a pronoun go with a separable phrasal verb?

The pronoun must go between the verb and particle.

• Pick it up.
• Turn it off.
• Write it down.

Can a noun go in the middle?

Yes. With a separable phrasal verb, a noun object can usually appear before or after the particle.

• Pick up the parcel.
• Pick the parcel up.

Are three-word phrasal verbs separable?

They are normally inseparable.

• put up with something
• look forward to something
• come up with something

Are phrasal verbs informal?

Many phrasal verbs are common in conversation and informal writing, but they are not automatically incorrect in formal contexts.

The appropriate choice depends on the situation.

For example:

• continue and carry on
• postpone and put off
• tolerate and put up with

Learning both forms helps you choose the right level of formality.

How should I learn new phrasal verbs?

Learn:

• the complete expression
• its meaning
• whether it takes an object
• whether it is separable
• one natural example sentence

For example:

call something off / call it off – cancel something

look after somebody – take care of somebody

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Practise Separable and Inseparable Phrasal Verbs

Download the practice worksheet below to test your knowledge of:

• separable phrasal verbs
• inseparable phrasal verbs
• pronoun placement
• transitive and intransitive verbs
• three-word phrasal verbs
• Cambridge-style transformations
• common learner mistakes

Download Separable and Inseparable Phrasal Verbs in English Practice Worksheet in PDF here

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Final Thoughts on Separable and Inseparable Phrasal Verbs

Separable and inseparable phrasal verbs become easier when you stop learning them as isolated vocabulary items.

Do not learn only:

• pick up

Learn:

• pick something up / pick it up

Do not learn only:

• look after

Learn:

• look after somebody

The more often you notice these patterns in reading, listening and conversation, the more natural they will begin to feel.

With regular practice, you will no longer need to stop and think about every rule. You will simply know that turn it off sounds right—and turn off it most certainly does not.

Related posts:

• Verb–Object Split in English 
• Three-part Phrasal Verbs in English 
• Common Phrasal Verbs for B2 First 
• 100 Phrasal Verbs for Everyday Use 
• B2 First Use of English
• B2 First Grammar

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