Definition
A phrasal verb is a combination of a lexical verb and a verbal particle that forms a single semantic and syntactic unit.
Examples
(English)
The item give up is a phrasal verb, as in the following:
- He gave up smoking.
- He gave smoking up.
(Akan)
The item gyee ... so ‘answered’ is a phrasal verb, as in the following:
Kofi gyee Kwame so
Kofi received Kwame on
‘Kofi answered Kwame.’
Sources 3
- Schachter 1985, 45–46
- Crystal 1985, 232
- Hartmann and Stork 1972, 45