PERFECTING THE LANGUAGE OF LAW: PHRASAL VERBS

Replace the underlined verbs in the sentences with a phrasal verb from the box. You will need to use the correct tense of each phrasal verb.

(a) run up (c) cut back on (e) get out of (g) sum up (i) take over (b) hand over (d) face up to (f) step down (h) walk out of (j) write off 1. The company’s CEO resigned after the press reported on illegal employment practices. 2. She abandoned her job when her employer accused her of lying about her qualifications. 3. Several companies have expressed interest in acquiring my client’s business. 4. The expelled partner had accumulated a debt of £8,000 on the company credit card. 5. If you accept the fact that you have breached employment law, we can avoid court and reach a reasonable settlement with the claimant. 6. After two months of trying to obtain payment, the creditor learned that the client who owed the money had left the country and so decided to accept never receiving the debt. 7. She avoided jury duty by writing to the judge explaining that she was going to a family wedding in Canada. 8. The company failed to reduce its outgoings and eventually the directors declared that it was insolvent. 9. In summarising the case, the defendant’s barrister stated that it was not reasonably foreseeable that the claimant’s business would suffer such a huge loss due to his client’s breach. 10. My client maintains that he was dismissed without notice and therefore did not have time to surrender his work on the project to his colleagues as required under his contract.

Types of phrasal verbs Phrasal verbs can be categorised into four types. The type of phrasal verb will affect how it is used in a sentence.

1. A phrasal verb is separable if it is possible to put a word between the verb and the particle. For example, with ‘run up’ we can say both ‘run up a huge debt’ or ‘run a huge debt up’.

2. If a phrasal verb is inseparable, then the verb and the particle must be used together. For example, with ‘face up’, we can only say ‘face up to a mistake’.

Another important point is whether a phrasal verb is transitive or intransitive. Therefore:

3. A transitive phrasal verb requires an object, for example, ‘enter into a contract’, but 4. An intransitive phrasal verb does not require an object, for example, ‘the business took off’.

Type Separable or inseparable?

Direct object? Example of phrasal verb in use The business did not really take off until its third year, when profits increased dramatically. Type 2 Inseparable Yes (transitive)

Type 1 Inseparable No (intransitive)

The parties entered into a contract on 5 May last year. Type 3 Separable Yes (transitive)

The lender agreed to write off the debt as the borrower was bankrupt. The lender agreed to write the debt off as the borrower was bankrupt. Type 4 Inseparable Yes (transitive)

The buyer might go back on his offer if we do not offer him any guarantee.

Finally, if a verb is separable (Type 3) and the object is a pronoun (me, you, him, her, it, them), then the pronoun must be placed between the verb and the particle. It cannot be placed after the particle. As such, it is correct to say, “they wrote it off” but it is incorrect to say, “they wrote off it”.

Match the definitions in the box with the underlined phrasal verbs in the following summary, which explains the process used by YouTube to detect copyright infringement.

(a) understood; realised (f) becoming involved in (b) find; locate (g) state; explain (c) does; performs (h) accepting that you will not receive (d) make money from (i) manages; copes with (e) follow; obey (j) losing an opportunity for Users upload 400 hours of video to YouTube every minute, and not all of this content is owned by the users themselves. This creates problems for the music industry, with many music labels and artists (1) missing out on compensation for their work. However, YouTube has a monitoring system which (2) deals with such a situation, as this system (3) carries out an extensive daily check of all the material uploaded to its platform and is able to (4) track down videos which breach copyright agreements. YouTube enters into agreements with many copyright owners who provide copies of their content and (5) set out policies that YouTube must (6) adhere to if it finds instances of infringement. In practice, record labels such as Universal, BMG or Sony rarely risk (7) getting into disputes by blocking popular videos featuring their music but rather use it as another opportunity to (8) cash in on existing content by adding an advert to the video with a link to where the song is available for purchase on iTunes or Google Play. Music labels have (9) worked out that reuse of copyright material is not necessarily a case of (10) writing off possible income, but a way of reaching new audiences.

The phrasal verbs in the sentences below are all Type 3. Read the information about Type 3 phrasal verbs and decide if the bold part of the sentences are correct or incorrect.

1. We must come to an agreement because if we don´t work out it, we will have to go to court. 2. We clearly set it out in all of our contracts of employment that all employees are obliged to work additional hours according to the needs of the business. 3. I tried to find the owner of the business, but I haven’t been able to track her down. 4. We agreed to the terms of this contract and we have an obligation to carry out them. 5. He offered to buy the business for £200,000 but then he went back on his offer before my client could accept it.