What is the difference between separable and inseparable phrasal verbs?

Separable phrasal verbs can be split by their object, so "turn the TV off" and "turn off the TV" are both fine. Inseparable phrasal verbs must stay together, like "look after her parents" — you can't say "look her parents after."

Where do I put a pronoun with a phrasal verb?

With a separable phrasal verb, a pronoun always goes in the middle: "Please turn it off," not "turn off it." With an inseparable phrasal verb, the pronoun follows the whole verb: "She looks after them."

How do I know if a phrasal verb is separable or inseparable?

There's no shortcut you can see in the words, so the safest approach is to learn each phrasal verb along with its pattern. A good dictionary marks them, and you can test it by trying a pronoun: if "turn it off" sounds right, it's separable.

Verbs

Phrasal Verbs: Separable and Inseparable

Level B2 Verbs

Key idea

A phrasal verb pairs a verb with a particle to create a brand-new meaning, so "give up" means quit and "look after" means take care of. Separable phrasal verbs let you split them: you can say "turn the TV off" or "turn off the TV" — but when the object is a pronoun, it MUST go in the middle, so it's "Please turn it off," never "turn off it." Inseparable phrasal verbs stay glued together, which is why "She looks after her parents" is correct but "looks her parents after" is not. When in doubt, learn each phrasal verb together with whether it splits, and always tuck pronouns inside separable ones.

Examples

Please turn it off. switch off the device
I gave up smoking. the speaker quit smoking
She looks after her parents. she takes care of her parents

The full lesson

Everything in the video, in text.

Turn it off.

Phrasal verbs that split — and ones that don't

Turn off it — that sounds wrong to every native speaker, and there's one simple rule for why. Let's fix phrasal verbs for good.
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verb + particle = a new meaning (give up = quit)

A phrasal verb is a verb plus a small particle that together make a brand-new meaning. Give up means quit. Look after means take care of.
Two kinds, one job
Separable
turn off the TV
turn the TV off
object can move
Inseparable
look after them
stays together
never split
The trick is word order. Some phrasal verbs are separable — the object can sit in the middle. Others are inseparable and never split. Same look, different rules.
Turn off the TV. / Turn the TV off.
separable: both orders work with a noun

Start with a separable one. With a noun, both orders are fine. Turn off the TV. Turn the TV off. Either way is natural.
Please turn it off.
pronoun goes in the MIDDLE

But the moment you swap the noun for a pronoun — it, them, him — the pronoun MUST go in the middle. Please turn it off. Not turn off it. The pronoun splits the phrasal verb every time.
I gave up smoking.
give up = quit

Many separable verbs are everyday vocabulary. I gave up smoking. Give up means quit — the particle changes the whole meaning of give.
She looks after them.
inseparable: stays together

Now an inseparable one. Here the object always stays right after the particle, even when it's a pronoun. She looks after her parents. She looks after them. Never looks them after.
✗ Please turn off it. pronoun after particle

✓ Please turn it off. pronoun in the middle

Separable verb + pronoun → pronoun goes in the MIDDLE.

So here's the number-one mistake: putting a pronoun after a separable particle. It always goes in the middle.
✗ She looks her parents after. split inseparable

✓ She looks after her parents. kept together

Inseparable verbs never split — keep verb + particle joined.

And the opposite trap: don't split an inseparable verb. You can't slide the object inside it.
Remember
- Separable: object can move
- Pronoun always goes in the middle
- Inseparable: never split it
So: separable verbs let the object move, but a pronoun must go in the middle. Inseparable verbs never split. Learn each one with its word order.

Examples

Turn it off.

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