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Inseparable phrasal verbs: keep them together
How do you use inseparable phrasal verbs?
Inseparable phrasal verbs keep the verb and particle together, and the object follows the complete phrase. For example, say 'Ravi looked after the plants' or 'Ravi looked after them'. Never place a noun or pronoun between the verb and particle. Check a learner dictionary when you are unsure whether a phrasal verb is inseparable.
Key points
- Keep the verb and particle together.
- Put noun objects after the complete phrase.
- Pronoun objects also follow the particle.
- The particle helps determine the phrase's meaning.
This lesson has 5 stages. You can stop at any time and continue later.
At a glance
| Form | Use it for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Inseparable: look after | The object must follow the complete phrase. | Ravi looked after the plants. |
| Separable: turn off | A noun object can go before or after the particle. | She turned the radio off. |
Stage 1 of 5
Understand
What it means, when to use it, and mistakes to avoid.
The full explanation
Inseparable phrasal verbs express actions where the combination creates a distinct meaning. Look after means care for, run into means meet unexpectedly, get over means recover from, and come across means find by chance. The meaning belongs to the whole phrase rather than the individual words.
Nora looks after her neighbor's rescue cat every weekend.
Why it works: The noun phrase 'her neighbor's rescue cat' follows the complete verb 'looks after'.
3 more examples
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We ran into our former chemistry teacher at the train station.
The noun 'our former chemistry teacher' comes after the inseparable phrase 'ran into'.
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Carlos felt tired after the long flight, but he got over it quickly.
The pronoun 'it' sits directly after the particle 'over', never in the middle.
-
While cleaning the garage, Liam came across an old photo album.
The object 'an old photo album' follows the intact phrasal verb 'came across'.
Read the full guide
Recognize the verb and particle as one unit
Some English phrasal verbs function as a single unit of meaning. The verb and its particle combine to create an idea that is different from each separate word. For example, look after means take care of, not look with your eyes. Because the two words form one fixed unit, they must stay together in that exact sequence.
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Elena looks after her younger brother on Tuesday afternoons.
Why it works: Looks after acts as a single verb meaning cares for.
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We ran into our old teacher near the public library.
Why it works: Ran into means met unexpectedly, not physically crashed into.
Your turn
What does 'look after' mean in everyday English?
Answer: take care of someone or something
Show the answer
Answer: take care of someone or something
The particle 'after' combines with 'look' to mean provide care or support. It does not mean look using vision.
Place noun objects after the full phrase
When an inseparable phrasal verb takes a noun object, place that noun directly after the particle. Never place the noun between the verb and the particle. You say run into an old friend or get over a cold. Placing the noun in the middle breaks the verb unit and sounds unnatural to English speakers.
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Marcus got over the bad cold before his Monday shift.
Why it works: The noun phrase 'the bad cold' sits after the particle 'over'.
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I came across an interesting article during lunch.
Why it works: The noun phrase 'an interesting article' follows 'came across'.
You can practise this again in 28 Phrasal Verbs With Take and Phrasal verbs with call: Choosing the right particle.
Your turn
Which sentence places the noun object in the natural order?
Answer: Marcus got over the bad cold before Monday.
Show the answer
Answer: Marcus got over the bad cold before Monday.
Inseparable phrasal verbs keep the verb and particle together. The noun object must follow the complete phrase.
Keep pronoun objects after the particle
Pronoun objects like him, her, it, and them also stay after the particle. Separable verbs require pronouns in the middle, but inseparable verbs never allow this movement. If you replace the noun in look after the baby with a pronoun, you must say look after him. Saying look him after is incorrect.
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The package arrived damaged, so the team dealt with it immediately.
Why it works: The pronoun 'it' comes directly after 'dealt with'.
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Sofia needed advice, so she called her manager and counted on her.
Why it works: The pronoun 'her' follows the complete phrase 'counted on'.
Your turn
How should you replace the noun in 'She looks after the child' with a pronoun?
Answer: She looks after him.
Show the answer
Answer: She looks after him.
With inseparable verbs, pronouns must stay at the end after the particle. They never move between the words.
Contrast inseparable verbs with separable verbs
Learners often confuse inseparable phrasal verbs with separable verbs. Separable verbs like turn off or put away allow the object in two positions: turn off the computer or turn the computer off. In contrast, inseparable verbs like stick to or run into only allow one pattern: stick to the plan, never stick the plan to.
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Please turn off the kitchen light before leaving.
Why it works: Turn off is separable, so both 'turn off the light' and 'turn the light off' are standard.
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The committee decided to stick to the original schedule.
Why it works: Stick to is inseparable, so the schedule must come after 'to'.
Your turn
Why is 'turn off the light' different from 'look after the child'?
Answer: Turn off is separable, so the object can move into the middle.
Show the answer
Answer: Turn off is separable, so the object can move into the middle.
Turn off allows two positions for nouns, while inseparable verbs like look after permit only one position after the particle.
Notice how different particles change the meaning
Changing the particle creates a completely new meaning. Look at means observe with your eyes, look for means try to find, and look after means care for. When you learn an inseparable verb, treat the verb and particle pair as a single vocabulary item rather than translating the preposition on its own.
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David looked at the map to find our street.
Why it works: Look at means direct your eyes toward an object.
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David looked for his keys in every pocket.
Why it works: Look for means search to locate a missing item.
Your turn
What happens when you replace 'after' with 'for' in 'look after'?
Answer: The meaning shifts from caring for someone to searching for someone.
Show the answer
Answer: The meaning shifts from caring for someone to searching for someone.
The particle determines the specific meaning of the phrasal verb, so changing 'after' to 'for' changes the action from caring to searching.
Avoid splitting the phrase with an object
The most frequent error with inseparable verbs is splitting them when using a pronoun. Because learners practice separable verbs like pick it up or hand it in, they sometimes write run her into or get it over. Remind yourself that inseparable verbs have a lock on their two parts: nothing enters the middle.
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I met Priya at noon and ran into her again at five.
Why it works: Ran into her keeps the verb and particle together without splitting.
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That problem was tough, but our department got through it.
Why it works: Got through it places the pronoun after 'through', not in between.
Your turn
Which sentence contains a word order error?
Answer: He got it over after two quiet weeks.
Show the answer
Answer: He got it over after two quiet weeks.
Get over is inseparable, so the pronoun must come after the particle: 'He got over it after two quiet weeks.'
Listen for linked sounds in natural speech
In spoken English, native speakers link the final consonant of the particle to a following vowel sound. In the phrase come across an idea, across and an flow together smoothly as across-an. Furthermore, the particle often carries sentence stress, while an unstressed pronoun following it sounds short and light, as in run IN-to her.
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Did you come across any old photographs?
Why it works: The final sound of across links naturally to the vowel in any.
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Our family can always count on us.
Why it works: The preposition on receives gentle stress, while us is unstressed and short.
Your turn
How do speakers usually pronounce 'come across an' in conversation?
Answer: They link the final /s/ sound of across directly to the vowel in an.
Show the answer
Answer: They link the final /s/ sound of across directly to the vowel in an.
Smooth linking between a final consonant and the initial vowel of the following word is standard in conversational speech.
Record new phrases with full example sentences
When adding a new phrasal verb to your study notes, write three pieces of information together. Record the full phrase, a short definition in plain words, and a complete example sentence showing the object at the end. Note specifically whether the phrase is inseparable so you remember the word order during speaking and writing.
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Look after: care for someone; inseparable; Ben looks after our plants.
Why it works: This clear study entry keeps definition, grammar rule, and real usage together.
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Run into: meet unexpectedly; inseparable; We ran into Clara yesterday.
Why it works: The example sentence reinforces placing Clara after the particle.
Your turn
What is the most helpful study note for an inseparable phrasal verb?
Answer: The phrase, its plain definition, its inseparable label, and an example
Show the answer
Answer: The phrase, its plain definition, its inseparable label, and an example
Recording the complete phrase along with its meaning, grammar label, and a full example sentence helps you remember both the definition and word order.
Common mistakes
What learners often say, what to say instead, and why.
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Not this:
Maya looked the children after.Say: Maya looked after the children.
The noun object must follow both parts of the inseparable phrase.
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Not this:
He counted them on during the journey.Say: He counted on them during the journey.
The pronoun follows the particle, not the verb.
-
Not this:
We got the difficult week over eventually.Say: We got over the difficult week eventually.
The object cannot go between the verb and particle.
Questions about "Inseparable phrasal verbs: keep them together"
Can a pronoun like 'it' or 'him' ever go between the verb and particle in an inseparable phrasal verb?
No, pronouns can never enter the middle of an inseparable phrasal verb. While separable phrasal verbs require pronouns in the middle, inseparable verbs always keep the verb and particle together. You must place the pronoun directly after the particle, as in 'look after him' or 'get over it'.
She looks after him every Friday morning.
He caught a cold but got over it quickly.
How can I tell whether a new phrasal verb is separable or inseparable?
There is no simple spelling rule that reveals whether a phrasal verb is separable. You need to check a learner dictionary when you encounter a new expression. Good dictionaries use symbols or sample sentences to show the pattern, such as indicating 'look after somebody' rather than 'look somebody after'.
A good dictionary entry shows 'run into someone' to indicate the inseparable order.
What is the practical difference between separable and inseparable verbs for everyday speaking?
Separable verbs give you two choices for noun objects, allowing you to say 'turn off the alarm' or 'turn the alarm off'. Inseparable verbs give you only one choice: the object must come after the particle. Remembering this prevents common word order mistakes when speaking quickly.
Turn off the alarm before you leave the bedroom.
Stick to the plan during the presentation.
Where does a very long noun phrase go with an inseparable phrasal verb?
A long noun phrase goes directly after the particle, exactly like a single word. Because the verb and particle cannot be divided, the complete noun description follows the particle without breaking the verb unit.
We came across several interesting historical documents in the library basement.
Before you go
Remember this
Keep the verb and particle together, place the object after the particle, and use the same sequence for pronouns. Writing full example sentences in your vocabulary notes helps fix this word order in your memory.
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Use: inseparable phrasal verbs: keep them together
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