Intermediate 📐 Grammar · #281 of 305

Phrasal Verbs with Three Parts

Verb + particle + preposition stay together.

Examples

  • I get on with my boss.
  • We ran out of milk.

Key rules

  • Three-part phrasal verbs have a verb, a particle and a preposition: get on with, run out of, look forward to
  • They are inseparable: the object comes at the end
  • The three words stay together
  • The meaning is often different from the single verb

Common mistakes

  • I get with on my boss → I get on with my boss
  • We ran milk out of → We ran out of milk
💡 Tip: Learn all three words as one phrase.
Practise this topic in the appPractise Intermediate quiz
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Related Intermediate topics

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Present Perfect Continuous

have been + -ing stresses duration up to now.

Past Perfect

had + past participle for an earlier past action.

Past Perfect Continuous

had been + -ing for duration before a past moment.

Future Continuous

will be + -ing for actions in progress at a future time.

Future Perfect

will have + past participle for completion before a future time.

Future Perfect Continuous

will have been + -ing for duration up to a future point.