Two Word Verbs

[gardentuber]

I have been noticing the use of two word verbs (there's gotta be a technical term for these things but I was never an English major)... you know the verbs I mean - the ones that include a preposition: to sit down, to get up, to go over. They seem to confuse people. I'm wanting to know more about their use.

 

For one thing, it seems important to keep them together, ie: not let a direct object split them up, like it's not good to split an infinitive.

for instance: Worse:

He put the gun down.

Better:

He put down the gun.

For another thing, it seems that sometimes there's no need for the preposition, in fact, it gets in the way of the flow in the sentence

for instance: Worse:

He put down the gun on the table.

Better:

He put the gun on the table.

Sometimes, trying to keep the verb+preposition together just doesn't read right, like above, where I wrote, 'not let a direct object split them up'. It would be crazy to write, 'not let a direct object split up them.' Can someone describe a rule or yardstick to help figure out this stuff? (not 'figure this stuff out!'). Any help would be appreciated. :wacko:

[Lugh]

ok I'm going to take a stab at this...

 

put is one of those types of verbs that must be used with an object so you must answer "what".

 

 

 

so He | put = half the sentence now you must say "what" "the gun down." works just fine as down can work as an adjective/adverb/prepostion.

 

"He put down the gun." turns the phrase "down the gun" into a prepositional one, which we are trained to like better.

 

Technically, you could also write: The gun he put down. but I would be expecting more from that sentence.

 

 

Hope that helps at all.