Native English speakers use phrasal verbs* all the time. A phrasal verb is formed with a verb and a particle (a preposition or adverb). Sometimes, the verb can help you understand the meaning of the phrasal verb. Other times, the particle can help. So, if you understand the basic meanings of particles, this can really help with your understanding of phrasal verbs. Here are 19 particles with their basic meanings. [Read over the information. Then, do our little exercise.]
1 ACROSS
“Across” expresses the idea of going from one side to the other: “They ran across the bridge.”
2 AROUND / ROUND
“Around” can have the idea of moving in a circle: “We drove around the city instead of going through the centre.”
3 AWAY
“Away” expresses the idea of leaving a place or of moving far from it: “We ran away as fast as we could.”
4 BACK
“Back” has the idea of returning to a place:
“We drove back home late last night.”
5 BY
“By” has the meaning of moving near a person or thing, often passing very close to it: “They pushed by him.”
6 DOWN