Turn It On or Turn On It? Where the Pronoun Goes in Phrasal Verbs

Can you pick up me at six?

Your friend will probably understand. But it is not the natural word order, and it is one of the most common small mistakes in everyday English. Three episodes of the podcast stop to teach it: “pick me up,” not “pick up me”, “Could I try this on?” and “turn it down.” The sentences are different, but the rule underneath is the same.

This page puts that rule in one place. It has one rule, one exception that is really a second group of verbs, a quick test, and practice with answers.

The rule: nouns can move, pronouns cannot

Many phrasal verbs take an object. With these verbs, a noun can go in two places:

Noun after the little word	Noun in the middle
Turn on the lamp.	Turn the lamp on.
Pick up the kids at six.	Pick the kids up at six.
Try on this jacket.	Try this jacket on.

A pronoun has only one place: the middle.

Wrong	Right
Turn on it.	Turn it on.
Pick up me at six.	Pick me up at six.
Try on this. (the thing in your hand)	Try this on.

The pronouns that follow the rule are it, them, me, you, him, her, us, and also this and that when you are pointing at something. Paul says it in the episode about pick up: “With a pronoun like me, you, him, her, or them in this meaning, the natural pattern is ‘pick me up,’ ‘pick her up,’ ‘pick them up.’” Emily’s version from the shop: “Could I try this on?”

One extra habit (written for this page): if the noun is long, speakers usually put it after the little word. Turn on the lamp beside the sofa sounds easier than turn the lamp beside the sofa on.

The second group: verbs that never split

Some phrasal verbs do not split at all. The little word stays glued to the verb, and the object comes after, nouns and pronouns alike:

Verb	With a noun	With a pronoun
get over	get over the disappointment	get over it
get through	get through the week	get through it
look after	look after my niece	look after her
look into	look into the problem	look into it
get along with	get along with my neighbours	get along with them

Here the pronoun stays at the end, and get it over or look her after would be wrong. The episode on get verbs gives the model line: “It took me a while to get over it, but I learned from the feedback.”

So the same pronoun goes in two different places depending on the verb. That sounds hard, but there is a pattern.

A quick test (a guide, not a law)

Ask what kind of word the little word is.

• If it is a direction or state word such as on, off, up, down, out, back, away, the verb usually splits: turn it on, turn it down, pick it up, write it down, take it back.
• If it is a preposition word such as over, after, into, through, along with, the verb usually does not split: get over it, look after her, look into it.

This works most of the time and is a good place to start. There are exceptions, so when you meet a new phrasal verb, check how a dictionary writes it. Many show the object in the middle (turn sth on) when the verb can split. Then say the pronoun version once out loud (turn it on) and keep it as your model.

Three repairs

Instead of	Say	Why
Could you turn down it a little?	Could you turn it down a little?	down is a direction word; the pronoun goes in the middle.
Can you pick up me after work?	Can you pick me up after work?	Same rule. Paul: the listener will probably understand, but move the pronoun into the middle.
It took me a while to get it over.	It took me a while to get over it.	get over does not split.

Practice

Choose the natural sentence. These sentences are written for this page.

1. a) Please turn off it. b) Please turn it off.
2. a) I will look after them. b) I will look them after.
3. a) She picked up the parcel. b) She picked it up. (Which two are both natural? Which pattern does a pronoun need?)
4. a) Can you write down it? b) Can you write it down?
5. a) We got through it. b) We got it through.
6. a) Could I try on this? b) Could I try this on?

Now rewrite each noun as a pronoun. Keep the verb and the little word.

7. I need to take back the jacket.
8. Please look into the problem.
9. Can you turn up the music?
10. I’m trying to get over the cold.

Answers

1. b) Please turn it off.
2. a) I will look after them. (look after does not split)
3. Both a) and b) are natural. The noun the parcel can go after the little word (or in the middle: picked the parcel up). The pronoun it needs the middle: picked it up.
4. b) Can you write it down?
5. a) We got through it. (get through does not split)
6. b) Could I try this on?
7. I need to take it back. (splits)
8. Please look into it. (does not split)
9. Can you turn it up? (splits)
10. I’m trying to get over it. (does not split)

Say it out loud

Say each line three times, with the main stress on the little word, the way the hosts do in the turn episode:

• Could you turn it DOWN a little?
• Can you pick me UP at six?
• Could I try this ON?
• It took me a while to get OVER it.

Then choose three phrasal verbs from your own day and say the pronoun version of each.

Where to go next

• To hear the turn on, turn off, turn up, turn down version, read How to Ask Someone to Turn Something On, Off, Up or Down in English and listen to Turn On, Turn Off, Turn Up and Turn Down: Control Devices and Levels in Everyday English.
• For pick me up and catch me up, read How to Choose Between Pick Up, Catch Up, Keep Up and Give Up in English.
• For try this on, read How to Ask for a Different Size in English (and Fix the Mistakes Learners Make).
• For verbs that never split, read How to Talk About a Hard Week in English with Four Get Phrases.

Examples come from

The quoted lines are from the episodes Pick Up, Catch Up, Keep Up and Give Up: Use 4 Common Phrasal Verbs in Context, Practice English for 30 Minutes a Day: Build a Routine You Can Follow, Get Over, Get Along, Get Back and Get Through and the turn episode above. The tables, the test and the practice are written for this page.