Separated particles

There is one important case where (in neutral tonicity) the nucleus does not fall on the adverbial particle of a phrasal verb. This is when the particle has been separated from the verb (= 'exptraposed', moved to a position after the object). When this happens, the object bears the nucleus if it is lexically filled (= if it is or contains a noun or other lexical material).

Rule: in the case of a lexical object and a separated particle, the nucleus goes by default on the object:

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^▸Take your 'shoes off.

I ^▸want my 'money back.
She ^▸got her 'handkerchief out.

However if the object is a pronoun (i.e not lexical), the nucleus goes on the adverbial particle in the regular way :

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^▸Take them 'off.

I ^▸want it 'back.
^▸Did you get it 'out?

This also applies if the object is lexically filled but is already given, and therefore out of focus.

(to someone who has just heard a good joke) You ought to ^▸write these jokes 'down.

Some other constructions involving adverbs behave in a rather similar way. For example, the adverb may well not be accented after a lexically filled subject in sentences such as:

Is the 'television on? (or Is the ^▸television 'on?)
^▸What Peter's 'book about? (or ^▸What's Peter's book a'bout?)
She's got a ^▸red 'dress on.

but is inevitably accented after a pronoun:

(talking about the television) ^▸Is it 'on?
(discussing a book) ^▸What's it a'bout?

〉 Where's the dress?
》 She ^▸got it 'on!

which shows that be on, be about, have (got) on behave in this respect like phrasal verbs.

We see a similar pattern in certain combinations of verb and prepositional phrase:

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^▸Bring your um'brella with you. but

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^▸Bring it 'with you. (not 'Bring it with you.)

Where there is contrastive focus, the separated particle can readily be accented even after a lexical object:

He ^▸took the plug 'out, then ^▸put it back 'in again.
I said ^▸turn the television 'off! And 'leave it off.
(police to gunman ^▸Put the gun 'down!

Last update at: 2023/09/08 05:32:57