verb + particle + noun object / verb + noun object + particleWith a noun object, both positions are correct: turn off the TV / turn the TV off.
Separable Phrasal Verbs
B1Separable phrasal verbs let the object move: turn off the TV / turn the TV off. But pronouns stay in the middle: turn it off.
What you'll learn
- Use both correct noun positions with separable phrasal verbs.
- Put pronoun objects between the verb and the particle.
- Keep the same object rule in questions and negatives.
- Recognize common separable phrasal verbs in everyday English.
Structure
verb + pronoun object + particleWith a pronoun object, use only the middle position: turn it off, not turn off it.
auxiliary + subject + verb + object + particleIn questions, the auxiliary moves, but pronouns still stay between the verb and the particle.
Build a sentence
Verb
Object
turnitoff
Turn it off.
A pronoun goes in the middle: turn it off, not turn off it.
When to use
Devices and switches
Use them for actions on machines and lights: turn the TV off, turn off the light, switch it on.
Clothes and objects
Use them when someone moves, collects, or wears something: put your coat on, pick the bag up, take it off.
Notes and information
Use them when recording or checking information: write the number down, look the word up, write it down.
Markers
turn offpick upwrite downput ontake offlook up
Common mistakes
Wrong
Turn off it.
Correct
Turn it off.
A pronoun object goes between the verb and the particle.
Wrong
Turn the TV off is wrong. Only Turn off the TV is correct.
Correct
Turn the TV off and Turn off the TV are both correct.
With a noun object, separable phrasal verbs allow both positions.
Wrong
Can you turn off it?
Correct
Can you turn it off?
The question changes word order at the front, but the pronoun still stays in the middle.
Wrong
Lisa didn't write down it.
Correct
Lisa didn't write it down.
In negatives, the pronoun object still goes before the particle.
Common misconceptions
❝ If both noun orders are correct, pronouns can also go in both places. ❞
No. Pronouns have one position only: between the verb and the particle: pick it up, put them on, turn it off.
❝ In questions and negatives, the object rule disappears because the auxiliary changes the structure. ❞
No. The auxiliary changes, but the object rule stays the same. Pronouns still go in the middle.
Skills in this rule (5)
PUT_NOUN_BEFORE_OR_AFTER_PARTICLEw5Place a noun object before or after the particle
With separable phrasal verbs, a noun object can go in two places: after the verb and before the particle, or after the whole phrasal verb. Both orders are correct.
PUT_PRONOUN_IN_THE_MIDDLEw5Put a pronoun object between the verb and the particle
When the object is a pronoun like it, him, her, or them, it goes between the verb and the particle. Do not put the pronoun after the particle.
KEEP_ORDER_IN_QUESTIONS_AND_NEGATIVESw4Keep the object and particle in the right order in questions and negatives
Questions and negatives change the auxiliary, not the object rule. Nouns can go in both places, but pronouns still stay between the verb and the particle.
RECOGNIZE_COMMON_SEPARABLE_VERBSw3Recognize common separable phrasal verbs
Common combinations like turn off, pick up, write down, and put on often allow a noun object in two positions. Learn them as full units, not as separate words.
USE_FOR_ACTIONS_ON_OBJECTSw3Use separable phrasal verbs for actions on objects
Use them when the action directly affects a thing or person: a TV, a phone, a coat, a note. The object is part of the pattern, so its position matters.