Writing Tip

Use Phrasal Verbs Properly

Difficulty Level: Basic

Recommendation: Put a space between the two parts of a phrasal verb when used as a verb.

What is a phrasal verb? According to dictionary.reference.com, it is:

A combination of verb and one or more adverbial or prepositional particles.

Wikipedia has a list of example phrasal verbs at Wikipedia.

One common mistake is to use a phrasal verb in the form that it takes as a noun or adjective. Phrasal verbs are “open,” meaning that there is a space between the verb and the particle, as in:

The technician set up the oscilloscope.

When used as a phrasal verb, there should be a space between “set” and “up.” However, when you use the noun or adjective form of a phrasal verb, you close or hyphenate the verb and its particle:

Noun: The technician described the test setup in the report.
Adjective: The report included the setup procedure.

The following table includes the proper forms of some common phrasal verbs and their noun/adjective derivatives:

Phrasal Verb Noun/Adjective Form (Closed)
back up backup
start up startup
set up setup
shut down shutdown
log in login
lay out layout
break down breakdown
make up makeup
pop up popup
Noun/Adjective Form (Hyphenated)
drop off drop-off
follow through follow-through
pull down pull-down
write off write-off