He took it off
Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs are made up of two parts, a verb plus a particle. A particle is a preposition that has become linked to a verb. Together the verb and particle have a fixed meaning. Phrasal verbs can take objects or not. Phrasal verbs that take objects can be inseparable or separable. Don't forget: phrasal verbs have tenses too!
Inseparable phrasal verbs always remain together. Examples:
The brothers set off to seek their fortunes.
The girls get up early every morning.
The burglar almost got away.
Alice is looking after her baby sister.
In separable phrasal verbs, the object can often go between the verb and its particle:
He took off his jacket or He took his jacket off
But if the object has been replaced by a pronoun, the pronoun must go between the verb and particle:
He took it off
If the object is particularly long, don't use it to separate the verb and particle:
He took off the jacket he'd bought last week at Harrods.
