VOA慢速英语2020--Phrasal Verbs, Phrasal Nouns, and Speaking

 

F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is a classic¹ American story.

It tells the sad tale of a mysterious rich man, Jay Gatsby, who loves Daisy Buchanan, a married woman.

The Great Gatsby can teach you many lessons about the English language. Its many film versions³ can, too.

Let's listen to a few words from the 2013 version² of the Great Gatsby.

"All the bright, precious things fade so fast – and they don't come back."

The last two words you heard are a phrasal verb, and that is what will be the subject of today's report.

We will explain a little more about phrasal verbs, phrasal nouns⁵, and speaking.

Let's explore a few definitions⁶ and examples.

Phrasal verbs and "phrasal nouns"

Phrasal verbs have two or more words. These words are usually a verb along with one or more short words such as in, on, out or back.

Phrasal verbs have an idiomatic⁷ meaning – in other words, they have a meaning that is different from what the individual words might suggest.

In The Great Gatsby, the phrasal verb come back means to return to a former good condition.

Phrasal verbs can have a noun⁴ form, too. Let's call these "phrasal nouns."

Here is an example.

Imagine you hear a person describe what they did yesterday. They might say:

I worked out yesterday.

Work out is a phrasal verb. It means to exercise. How would the statement change if the speaker used a phrasal noun instead?

I had a good workout yesterday.

Let's listen to the two examples again.

I worked out yesterday.

I had a good workout yesterday.

Did you notice a difference?

In the statement with the phrasal verb, the speaker stressed the second word of the phrasal verb – the word out.

In the phrasal noun example, the speaker stressed the first part of the word - work.

Listen again:

worked out

workout

Word stress in the Great Gatsby

Think back to the beautiful words from The Great Gatsby.

"All the bright, precious things fade so fast – and they don't come back."

Did you hear how the speaker said the phrasal verb come back?

She put stress on the word back.

Imagine how the sentence might change if the speaker used a phrasal noun instead.

"All the bright, precious things fade so fast – and they don't make a comeback."

While this line is not as strong as the line that was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, it does give you an idea of how different phrasal verbs and phrasal nouns sound.

Closing thoughts

The next time you are watching films or speaking with an American, try to listen for how they say phrasal verbs and phrasal nouns. Then try to stress the words in the way that they do. With time, and with practice, your speaking will become clearer to native speakers.

We hope that you will come back to us for future Everyday Grammar stories. Or perhaps we should say that that Everyday Grammar will make a comeback?

I'm John Russell.

And I'm Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

tale –n. a story that could either be about imaginary⁸ events, false events or someone's own experience

bright -- adj. having a very light and strong color; happy and lively; showing intelligence; providing a reason for hope

precious -- adj. very valuable or important : too valuable or important to be wasted or used carelessly

fade – v. to become less bright : to lose color; to disappear gradually

stress – v. greater loudness or force given to a syllable⁹ of a word in speech or to a beat in music

practice – n. the activity of doing something again and again in order to become better at it

1 classic   

n.经典作品；adj.经典的，一流的；古典的

参考例句：

• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。
• The football match was a classic.那场足球比赛堪称典范。

2 version   

n.版本；型号；叙述，说法

参考例句：

• His version of the events is pure supposition.他对这件事的说法纯属猜测。
• What is your version of this matter?你对这件事情的看法 怎么样？

3 versions   

n.译本( version的名词复数 )；版本；（个人对事件的）描述；（原物的）变体

参考例句：

• There are two versions of the game, a long one and a short one. 这游戏有两个版本，一长一短。
• When both versions of the story were collated,major discrepancies were found. 在将这个故事的两个版本对照后，找出了主要的不符之处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 noun   

n.名词

参考例句：

• What kind of noun is this?这是哪类名词？
• This word is a collective noun.这个词是个集体名词。

5 nouns   

n.名词；名词( noun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns. 法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Nouns join to form compounds. 名词和名词结合构成复合词。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 definitions   

定义( definition的名词复数 )； 规定； 清晰（度）； 解释

参考例句：

• Write clear definitions in order to avoid ambiguity. 释义要写清楚以免产生歧义。
• Definitions in this dictionary are printed in roman type. 这本词典里的释义是用罗马体印刷的。

7 idiomatic   

adj.成语的，符合语言习惯的

参考例句：

• In our reading we should always be alert for idiomatic expressions.我们在阅读过程中应经常注意惯用法。
• In his lecture,he bore down on the importance of idiomatic usage in a language.他在演讲中着重强调了语言中习惯用法的重要性。

8 imaginary   

adj.想象中的，假想的，虚构的，幻想的；虚数的

参考例句：

• All the characters in this book are imaginary.此书中的所有人物都是虚构的。
• The boy's fears were only imaginary.这小孩的恐惧只是一种想象。

9 syllable   

n.音节；vt.分音节

参考例句：

• You put too much emphasis on the last syllable.你把最后一个音节读得太重。
• The stress on the last syllable is light.最后一个音节是轻音节。