Something to look forward to: three-

word phrasal verbs

On January 14, 2015 By Liz WalterIn the English language

Most phrasal verbs are formed with a verb and a

single particle, but a few have two particles.
This blog looks at some of the most common ones.

You probably already know the one in the title: look

forward to. One important thing to remember is that
if you use another verb after it, it must be in the –
ing form:

I’m really looking forward to seeing you.

(= I’m pleased and excited because I am going to see you)

Here are some more common three-word phrasal verbs which are well worth
learning:

come up with = think of something: He’s good at coming up with ideas.

face up to = accept and try to deal with a problem: You need to face up to the
fact that she’s not coming back.

get away with = not be criticized or punished: She shouldn’t be allowed to get
away with such bad behaviour.

get round to = do something you had been intending to do: I finally got round
to calling Joe yesterday.

make up for = do something to make a bad situation better: I gave her a nice
present to make up for missing her party.
put up with = accept something even if you don’t like it: I won’t put up with this
behaviour! (Note that although ‘tolerate’ means the same, it is only suitable for
formal writing.)

The basic rule for separating three-word phrasal verbs is easy: don’t do it! The
only common exceptions I can think of are these:

I put his bad mood down to the fact that he was hungry. (= decided that was the
reason)

I tried to talk her out of going. (= persuade her not to go)

There is also a group of phrasal verbs which consist of a verb and an adverb
when they are used as intransitive verbs (with no object), but which need a
second particle when they are used before an object. Here are some common
examples:

‘Is there any milk?’ ‘No, we’ve run out.’ (= there is no milk left)

We’ve run out of milk.

I have a lot of work to do, so I must get on. (= start or continue to do it)

I must get on with my work.

I eat too much chocolate. I really should cut down. (= eat less of it)

I really should cut down on chocolate.

This blog has given you a selection of useful three word phrasal verbs, but if
you come up against others that you don’t know, just check the Cambridge
online dictionary.