Chickened out? Is that a verb?

Ah, yes, it's a phrasal verb.

I forgot students often freak out about them.

Freak out? Is that another phrasal verb?

Yeah.

Please, explain more.

Okay, here are some things you should know about phrasal verbs. Let's get into it.

Phrasal verbs are verbs with more than one word like freak out, wake up and put on.

They consist of a basic verb plus one and sometimes two extra words.

Phrasal verbs can be split in two categories.

The first distinction is between phrasal verbs which need an object and phrasal verbs which do not need an object.

Okay, whoa, whoa, whoa don't freak out

Let's look at some examples.

For verbs like pick up, put on and turn on, you are doing the action to something.

These phrasal verbs require an object.

You can't say "I put on" on its own without adding something.

You put on what?

I put on my scarf. My scarf is the object.

Okay, and what about the other type?

Verbs like stand up and freak out do not require an object.

When I stand up, I stand up and that's it.

I am not doing the action to anything.

We don't need an object.

Okay, and that's it?

No. Phrasal verbs that require an object can be split again into phrasal verbs that can be separated by their object and phrasal verbs that cannot be separated by their object.

For example, the verb put on can be separated.

You can say, "I put on my scarf" or "I put my scarf on."

You can put the object in the middle of the verb or at the end and it means exactly the same thing.

However, the verb look after cannot be separated.

You can say, "My cousin looks after my dog," but you cannot say, "My cousin looks my dog after."

It sounds strange and very wrong.

Okay, I'm freaking out.

How am I supposed to learn all of this?

Don't freak out.

Just come back to BBC learning English, where we'll teach you more phrasal verbs and how to use them.

See you next time.