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THE ROLE OF USING PHRASAL VERBS IN MODERN
METHODOLOGY
Sabirova Dilshoda
Senior teacher
Department: English language, Linguistics and Literature.
Samarkand State University named after Sharof Rashidov.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15239187
Abstract.
This article is devoted to the role of using phrasal verbs in
modern English. The author examines the main features of phrasal verbs, their
functioning in speech both at the everyday and professional level.
Key words
: phrasal verbs, methodology, English, written speech, oral
speech
Serious knowledge of modern English is impossible without confident
command of phrasal verbs. A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb with a
postposition (adverbial or prepositional particle), resulting in the appearance of
a single semantic unit, usually with several lexical meanings. This group of verbs
is a unique, complex, rather extensive and least studied section of the English
vocabulary, widely used, as is commonly believed, in everyday colloquial speech.
In this regard, the goal of this study is important and relevant - to identify the
difficulties that arise in mastering phrasal verbs, and to prove that these
combinations function not only at the everyday level, but can also be a full-
fledged part of the language of professional communication. To achieve this goal,
it seems necessary to complete several research tasks: to highlight the main
features of phrasal verbs that cause difficulties in learning English; to consider
the lexical and semantic variants of phrasal verbs using modern phraseological
dictionaries as an example; to find examples of professionally oriented phrasal
verbs in modern English and try to explain the reasons for their appearance.
Let's start with the fact that phrasal verbs are undoubtedly among the most
commonly used verbs in everyday speech. It is impossible to imagine modern
English without them. One of the features of phrasal verbs is that the meaning of
the same verb can change beyond recognition or become completely opposite in
combination with different postpositions. This suggests that the semantic
relationships between the constituent parts of phrasal verbs are extremely
important. So, let's turn to one of the phraseological dictionaries of modern
English and see how the meaning of the verb to add changes with the
prepositions on and up:
Add on $ 2.50 for postage and packing; You have space
enough at the back of the house to add a conservatory on later, if you decide to;
You haven’t added the figures up correctly; I can’t think why she left so suddenly; it
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doesn’t add up
[3]. Thus, we can safely say that to add on and to add up are two
verbs with completely different meanings. When considering the features of
phrasal verbs, one cannot help but mention the polysemy of many of them. As an
example, let's look at the verb to come along and its meanings:
1. I don’t think I’ll
take that job; I’ll wait until something better comes along. 2. How’s our young
trainee going along? 3. Come along now, ladies and gentlemen. It’s closing time
[2]. Another feature of phrasal verbs is that they can be transitive and
intransitive. For example: to call on is transitive, call in is intransitive. The
problem in this case is that the same phrasal verb can be transitive in one
meaning and intransitive in another. In addition to all of the above, phrasal
verbs can be divisible, i.e. an object can be placed between the base verb and the
postposition. For example:
Don’t wake the children up. = Don’t wake up the
children
. But if the complement is expressed by a pronoun, then it must precede
the postposition. For example:
The children are asleep. Don’t wake them up
.
Indivisible phrasal verbs include all intransitive and some transitive verbs. For
example: to go on is an intransitive, inseparable phrasal verb, to go into is a
transitive, inseparable phrasal verb. There is no clear rule by which one can
determine whether a particular phrasal verb is divisible or not; most often, one
needs to turn to a dictionary for help. Note that conceptual inconsistencies
between Russian and English, polysemy, diversity and idiomaticity of phrasal
verbs lead to difficulties in their perception, understanding and use. The
difficulty in mastering phrasal verbs is also caused by the fact that their number
is steadily growing, and the frequency of their use is also increasing. This is not
surprising, because phrasal verbs are characterized by mobility. Some phrasal
verbs disappear, new ones appear, changing their meaning over time. The
vocabulary of the English language is constantly being expanded, modernized,
reflecting the changes taking place in the world and people's lives. Phrasal verbs
adapt to new situations, acquiring a wide range of meanings related to the
professional and social activities of people in different areas of communication.
Such phrasal verbs, i.e. professionalisms, are found in the speech of
representatives of certain professions. In addition to basic meanings, they
acquire additional narrow meanings due to belonging to a certain discourse.
So, let's consider for example the phrasal verb to clear up with the basic
meaning "to clear" and its derivatives. Let's follow the changes in their
specialization in the examples given below: 1
) We’ll have to clear up before going
out; 2) If the weather clears up, we’ll go on a picnic; 3) After several days the
disease started to clear up; 4) We need to clear up a couple of points before the
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negotiations begin [1].
Now let's turn to another phrasal verb to call up and look
at its meanings:
1) I called up to invite him to the party; 2) He was called up at the
age of 18; 3) Would you call up the latest sales figures and give me a printout
before this morning’s meeting
[2]? As can be seen from the examples, the phrasal
verbs to clear up and call up have various lexical and semantic variants, related
to both everyday colloquial and specialized vocabulary. If some variants of the
above sentences are understandable in speech, then others are highly
specialized, having paved the way for themselves from colloquial speech into
professional language. It can be assumed that the basis for the emergence of
such meanings is the communication of people associated with a certain activity,
as well as the need to define new concepts and phenomena. Examples of
professionally oriented English phrasal verbs can be found in many areas of
human activity and their definitions can be found in many modern dictionaries
of phrasal verbs. Thus, with the advent and active development of computer
technology, the following phrasal verbs began to be used:
to log on/to – to
connect to the Internet/website; to log off – to disconnect from the Internet /
website; to print out – to make a copy of something on a computer
[3]. In medical
English, you may encounter the following examples of phrasal verbs:
to get over
– to recover from an illness; to come down with – to start to suffer from a minor
illness; to pass out – suddenly become unconscious; to come round/to – to become
conscious, to wear off – to stop being effective; pull through – to survive
[1]. The
following phrase combinations have become firmly established in the
professional activities of economists, businessmen, and financiers:
to take over –
to take control of a business; to hammer out – to arrive at an agreement through
argument and negotiation; to hike up – to raise something such as prices, interest
rates, etc; to set up – to start a business
[2]. The vocabulary of lawyers and law
enforcement officers is no exception; it also has specialized linguistic units. For
example:
to break out – to escape; to get away with – to escape punishment for; to
hold up – to rob threatening a violence; to let off – to give little or no punishment
[3]. The above examples indicate the conciseness and laconicism of phrasal
verbs, and that they are an effective means of language economy. They simplify
the language, express the action more precisely and figuratively in comparison
with ordinary synonymous verbs. To summarize all of the above, it should be
noted that phrasal verbs have a number of specific features that are difficult to
learn in English and require further in-depth and comprehensive research.
Among them, the semantic relationships between the components of phrasal
verbs, polysemy, diversity, and idiomaticity are of particular interest. Analysis of
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the presented material shows that phrasal verbs are characteristic not only of
everyday colloquial speech, but are also a full-fledged part of the language of
professional communication. Obviously, such popularity of phrasal verbs is
explained by their semantic conciseness and greater information content, and by
the fact that they can act as a highly productive means of language economy. The
functioning of phrasal verbs in the language of professional communication is
directly related to the mobility of these language combinations, their ability to
acquire new and transform existing lexical meanings to extend them to new
concepts and phenomena.
References:
1.
Rasulova R. (2024). Features of phrasal verbs of modern English and their
use in the language. Philological sciences. (8-2 (74)), 142-144.
2.
Mitroshkina T. V. English phrasal verbs: a textbook reference. Minsk: TSM,
2024.
3.
Solodushkina K. A. Modern Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs and Idioms in the
Language of Business. Edition-3. SPb.: ARTM, 2025.
