34. Focus on: pronunciation of two-and three-word phrasal verbs, 2

As we saw in Sections 5 and 6, phrasal verbs are sometimes accented on the verb and sometimes accented on the particle. It might seem difficult to know whether to accent the verb or the particle since it depends on whether the phrasal verb is separable or nonseparable, transitive or intransitive, or a two- or three-word phrasal verb; however, it boils down to this: always accent the particle after the verb unless the phrasal verb is a nonseparable, transitive, two-word phrasal verb — then accent the verb. Remember that some verbs can be both transitive and intransitive:

Nonseparable, two-word, intransitive

stick ROUND

float ROUND

Nonseparable, two-word, transitive

STICK to STAND for

STICK around

FLOAT round

Nonseparable, three-word, transitive

lead UP to

Separable, two-word, transitive

take BACK

do OVER

Separable, three-word, transitive put UP to

1. do ... over p.v. When you do something over, you do it again in order to improve it or to correct mistakes.

This is all wrong — it'll have to be done over.

I got a bad grade on my paper, but the teacher said I could do it over.

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1. float around p.v. [usually continuous] When something is floating around a

place, it is there somewhere, though you are not sure exactly where.

/ don't know where the stapler is, but it's floating around here somewhere. The new schedule was floating around the office yesterday.

2. float around p.v. When a rumor or some information is floating around, it is

being repeated and discussed among a group of people or within a place.

There's a rumor floating around that the factory's going to be closed. Something about a change of management has been floating around lately. Have you heard anything?