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Lesson 35B1

Phrasal Verbs: An Introduction

இணை வினைச்சொற்கள் — அறிமுகம்

English combines a verb with a small particle (up, out, off) to build a new, often unpredictable meaning — a genuinely distinct English habit without a real Tamil equivalent to lean on.

Grammar Comparison

இலக்கண ஒப்பீடு

The particle changes the meaning completely, not just slightly

English

give up (to quit — nothing to do with literally 'giving' anything 'up')

Tamil

தமிழில் இது போன்ற துகள்-சேர்க்கை வினைச்சொல் அமைப்பு கிடையாது

Tamil doesn't build new verb meanings by tacking a small directional word onto an existing verb this way — give and up combine to mean 'quit', a meaning you can't derive from either word alone. This is one of the most distinctly English features on this whole course, with no Tamil shortcut to reach for. The only real strategy is to learn each phrasal verb as its own vocabulary item, exactly like memorizing an idiom, rather than trying to calculate its meaning from the parts.

Vocabulary

சொற்கள்

EnglishPronunciationTamil
give upgiv upகைவிடுkaividu
look afterlook AF-terகவனித்துக்கொள்kavaniththukkoḷ
turn offturn awfஅணைaṇai
find outfynd owtகண்டுபிடிkaṇḍupiḍi
get upget upஎழுந்திருeḻundhiru