Prepositional and Phrasal Verbs

The first 200 words of this essay...

LS2EG English Grammar Assessment

What are the rules for distinguishing between Prepositional and Phrasal verbs? Can both categories of verb be both transitive and intransitive? Using a selected range of data, evaluate how well a commercially-available grammar checker handles the evaluation of grammaticality with respect to:

a) Tests that distinguish between Prepositional and Phrasal verbs

b) Transitive and non-transitive clauses using Prepositional and Phrasal verbs compared with single-word verbs.

The difference between phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs is not always easy to outline. Their definition is often ambiguous and differs from one textbook to another. In this essay, I will discuss how one can distinguish between prepositional and phrasal verbs. I will also look at whether both verb types can be transitive and intransitive. Then, I will find out if the Grammar Checker in Microsoft Word 2003 knows the difference between prepositional and phrasal verbs, using tests that distinguish between them. Finally, I will see if the Grammar Checker lets me build transitive and non-transitive clauses with both verb types.

First, it is important to define what a phrasal verb is, and what a prepositional verb is. According to Downing and Locke (2002)