Grammar
Separable phrasal verbs: place the object
You are leaving a room and want to ask a colleague about the lamp. Do you say turn off the lamp or turn the lamp off? Both can work. The choice changes when the object is a short word such as it.
Place a noun or pronoun object naturally with common separable phrasal verbs in everyday English sentences.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Could you turn it off, please? /kʊd juː tɜːn ɪt ɒf pliːz/
The short answer
With a separable phrasal verb, put a noun object after the particle or between the verb and particle. Put a pronoun object between them.
Turn the lamp off before you leave.
Why it works: The noun object the lamp is between turn and off. You can also say Turn off the lamp.
5 more examples
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Please turn off the printer after the meeting.
The noun object the printer comes after the particle off.
Not this:Please
turn the printer offafter the meeting. What changes: The same noun object can go between turn and off. -
Nora wrote down the train time on her calendar.
The noun phrase the train time comes after down.
Not this:Nora
wrote the train time downon her calendar. What changes: The noun phrase can also sit between wrote and down. -
Pick up your coat from the reception desk.
Your coat is a noun object, so it can follow the full phrasal verb.
Not this:
Pick your coat upfrom the reception desk. What changes: Moving the noun object into the middle keeps the meaning unchanged. -
I will hand in the form tomorrow morning.
The form can follow the particle in with this separable verb.
Not this:I will
hand the form intomorrow morning. What changes: The noun object can also come before in. -
Please put the folders away after the workshop.
The folders are the object and stand between put and away.
Not this:Please
put away the foldersafter the workshop. What changes: Both positions are possible with this noun object.
Read the full guide
Start by finding the object, the person or thing affected by the action. If it is a full noun phrase, you often have two possible positions. If it is a pronoun such as it, them, or me, place it in the middle. This small check helps you avoid a common word-order error.
Find the object first
A colleague says, Please turn off the projector. The projector is the object because it receives the action. With a separable phrasal verb, first find that person or thing. Then you can decide where it belongs.
Please turn off the projector.
The object the projector comes after the full phrasal verb turn off.
What is the object in Please turn off the projector?
The projector. It is the thing that the speaker wants someone to turn off.
Put a noun object in either usual position
When the object is a noun or a noun phrase, many separable phrasal verbs allow two orders. You can say write down the address or write the address down. Both sentences tell the listener to record the address.
Write down the address before you leave.
Write the address down before you leave.
The noun phrase the address appears after down in the first sentence and before down in the second.
Choose the natural sentence: Pick up your ticket, or Pick your ticket up.
Both are natural. Your ticket is a noun object, so both positions can work with pick up.
Keep a pronoun in the middle
A short pronoun follows one clear pattern. Put it, them, him, her, us, or me between the verb and particle. Say turn it off and write it down. Do not put a pronoun after the particle in this pattern.
The radio is too loud. Turn it down.
It replaces the radio, so it sits between turn and down.
I have the details. Write them down.
Them replaces the details and goes before down.
Complete the sentence: The screen is bright. Turn ___ off.
Use it: Turn it off. The pronoun belongs in the middle.
Let a long object stay after the particle
Both noun positions can be grammatical, but a long object often sounds easier after the particle. Compare pick up the package that arrived this morning with pick the package that arrived this morning up. The first order lets the listener hear the phrasal verb together.
Pick up the package that arrived this morning.
The longer object stays after pick up, so the sentence is easier to follow.
Pick the parcel up at the desk.
A shorter noun object fits comfortably in the middle.
Which order is usually easier with a long object: turn the lights in the back room off, or turn off the lights in the back room?
Turn off the lights in the back room is usually easier because the long object stays after the particle.
Check whether the verb really separates
Some phrasal verbs do not allow the object in the middle. Look after means take care of. Say look after the child or look after her. This is why it helps to learn a new phrasal verb with a full example instead of a translation alone.
Sam looks after his neighbor's cat on Fridays.
His neighbor's cat stays after look after. The verb does not separate here.
Sam looks after it on Fridays.
The pronoun it also stays after look after, unlike a pronoun with turn off.
Which sentence is correct: She looks after them, or She looks them after?
She looks after them. Look after is not separable.
Make the word order fit your message
In a note or conversation, choose the order that makes the object clear. Use the middle position for a pronoun every time. With a noun, choose either usual position, then read the sentence once to check that the verb and particle still make sense together.
Can you hand the keys in at reception?
The noun object the keys is in the middle, which is natural with hand in.
Can you hand them in at reception?
Them is a pronoun, so the middle position is required.
Correct this request: Please hand in them at reception.
Write Please hand them in at reception. The pronoun goes before in.
Before you go
Remember this
With a separable phrasal verb, a noun object often has two positions. A pronoun object goes between the verb and particle. Check the individual phrasal verb when you meet a new one, because the pattern is not the same for every verb.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Separable phrasal verbs: place the object"
What is a separable phrasal verb?
A separable phrasal verb has a verb and a particle, such as turn off or write down, with an object that can often move between the two parts. You can say turn off the printer or turn the printer off. The particle remains part of the phrasal verb in both orders.
Please turn off the printer after the meeting.
Can I put a noun object after a separable phrasal verb?
Yes. With many separable phrasal verbs, a noun object can follow the particle or stand in the middle. For example, say pick up your coat or pick your coat up. Both orders are possible because your coat is a noun phrase, not a pronoun.
Please turn the printer off after the meeting.
Where does a pronoun go with a separable phrasal verb?
Put a pronoun object between the verb and particle. Say turn it down, write them down, or hand it in. Do not put the pronoun after the particle in these patterns. The middle position is the reliable choice for it, them, him, her, us, and me.
Nora wrote down the train time on her calendar.
Why do long noun objects often come after the particle?
Both noun positions may be grammatical, but a long object is often easier to follow after the particle. Pick up the package that arrived this morning keeps pick up together before the longer description. This order can make a spoken or written sentence easier for the listener or reader.
Nora wrote the train time down on her calendar.
Are all phrasal verbs separable?
No. Some phrasal verbs keep the object after the complete verb. Look after is one example: say look after the child or look after her. Do not say look the child after. Check a learner dictionary when you meet a new phrasal verb, because its object pattern is part of its use.
Pick up your coat from the reception desk.