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Put the phone down / Put down the phone
What's the difference between fork out/over/up?“Help you” vs “help you out”Meaning of 'to break down the barriers'Why should I write “she asked me to not phone” instead of the usual “she asked me not to phone”“He was tearing the curtain” x “He was tearing off the curtain”learning phrasal verbsWhat's the difference between “hunt” and “hunt down”?Shut Down - exact meaningWhat does “head on back” mean?meaning of the phrasal verb “wind down” in context
what's the difference between "Put the phone down" and "Put down the phone"?
Is it the same?
As for me the first one means literally to put the phone (the thing) down and the last one is to end the conversation, am I right?
word-order phrasal-verbs
edited 14 hours ago
Jasper
18.9k43771
asked 19 hours ago
Taras KryvkoTaras Kryvko
3059
add a comment |
what's the difference between "Put the phone down" and "Put down the phone"?
Is it the same?
As for me the first one means literally to put the phone (the thing) down and the last one is to end the conversation, am I right?
word-order phrasal-verbs
edited 14 hours ago
Jasper
18.9k43771
asked 19 hours ago
Taras KryvkoTaras Kryvko
3059
5
Although "put the phone down" and "put down the phone" are (at least mostly) equivalent, do note that you can say "put it down", but not "*put down it".
– psmears
13 hours ago
@psmears Correct! Because "it" is a pronoun, and "the phone" is a noun phrase.
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
add a comment |
what's the difference between "Put the phone down" and "Put down the phone"?
Is it the same?
As for me the first one means literally to put the phone (the thing) down and the last one is to end the conversation, am I right?
word-order phrasal-verbs
edited 14 hours ago
Jasper
18.9k43771
asked 19 hours ago
Taras KryvkoTaras Kryvko
3059
what's the difference between "Put the phone down" and "Put down the phone"?
Is it the same?
As for me the first one means literally to put the phone (the thing) down and the last one is to end the conversation, am I right?
word-order phrasal-verbs
word-order phrasal-verbs
edited 14 hours ago
Jasper
18.9k43771
asked 19 hours ago
Taras KryvkoTaras Kryvko
3059
edited 14 hours ago
Jasper
18.9k43771
asked 19 hours ago
Taras KryvkoTaras Kryvko
3059
edited 14 hours ago
Jasper
18.9k43771
edited 14 hours ago
Jasper
18.9k43771
edited 14 hours ago
Jasper
18.9k43771
18.9k43771
asked 19 hours ago
Taras KryvkoTaras Kryvko
3059
asked 19 hours ago
Taras KryvkoTaras Kryvko
3059
asked 19 hours ago
Taras KryvkoTaras Kryvko
3059
3059
5
Although "put the phone down" and "put down the phone" are (at least mostly) equivalent, do note that you can say "put it down", but not "*put down it".
– psmears
13 hours ago
@psmears Correct! Because "it" is a pronoun, and "the phone" is a noun phrase.
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
add a comment |
5
Although "put the phone down" and "put down the phone" are (at least mostly) equivalent, do note that you can say "put it down", but not "*put down it".
– psmears
13 hours ago
@psmears Correct! Because "it" is a pronoun, and "the phone" is a noun phrase.
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
5
5
Although "put the phone down" and "put down the phone" are (at least mostly) equivalent, do note that you can say "put it down", but not "*put down it".
– psmears
13 hours ago
Although "put the phone down" and "put down the phone" are (at least mostly) equivalent, do note that you can say "put it down", but not "*put down it".
– psmears
13 hours ago
@psmears Correct! Because "it" is a pronoun, and "the phone" is a noun phrase.
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
@psmears Correct! Because "it" is a pronoun, and "the phone" is a noun phrase.
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
add a comment |
6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
They both mean the same thing. You can say "Put down the [something]" or "Put the [something] down". Using old fashioned, wired, phones, you terminate a call by replacing the receiver in its cradle ("putting it down"). On a modern mobile or cordless phone, you have to to press a button or touch a place on the screen. For either of these actions, people can say they "put down", or even "hang up" the phone.
answered 19 hours ago
Michael HarveyMichael Harvey
16.8k11837
2
It's an edge case, but just to mention that one should be careful if the [something] is an animal - depending on contract of course, saying "Please put the dog down" can have very different meanings :P
– BruceWayne
12 hours ago
2
@BruceWayne I don't see how that's relevant.
– David Richerby
12 hours ago
3
Brucewayne - In the 1980s, the British government introduced a new tax, the "Poll tax". Each household had to complete a form listing all residents. Some people were confused about who should be included. The Daily Mail newspaper caused unintended amusement with an article headed "What to do about Granny? Put her down.".
– Michael Harvey
11 hours ago
2
@MichaelHarvey Given the Mail's reputation, I doubt the pun was an accident.
– chrylis
10 hours ago
British headline writers, from the Sun to the Telegraph, if they have to mention a bishop, take every opportunity to use the word 'bash' in the same breath.
– Michael Harvey
10 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
The actual meaning is the same, but in normal conversation I would be more likely to say "put the phone down", but if I lost patience with you because you are not listening this would turn to "Put Down The Phone".
answered 17 hours ago
gnasher729gnasher729
1,44355
2
yes in my head I hear "put down the phone" in a very stern voice with lots of !!!
– WendyG
16 hours ago
add a comment |
I don't think there's any difference between the two phrases. Perhaps some people think they're different but, if you want to communicate clearly, you shouldn't rely on people picking up such subtle differences.
answered 16 hours ago
David RicherbyDavid Richerby
7,3612042
"down" isn't a preposition, so "put the phone down" doesn't violate that rule.
– Barmar
11 hours ago
@Barmar Fair point. It is a preposition in some situations ("He fell down the well") but it's considered adverbial in "put down". I'll delete that part of my answer. (Though I could double down (er, adverb again?) and claim that people might mistakenly criticize ending a sentence with a preposition, citing myself as evidence. ;-) )
– David Richerby
10 hours ago
Fair enough. They mistakenly think it's X, and also mistakenly think you shouldn't X.
– Barmar
10 hours ago
@Barmar Exactly! These strawmen are wrong!
– David Richerby
10 hours ago
add a comment |
They mean the same thing, but there can be differences of emphasis. In general, the phrase with more significance often comes back, so "Put the phone down" emphasizes draws attention to the phone, while "Put down the phone" emphasizes the action of putting it down.
For instance, if someone is holding two things, you might say "Put the phone down" to make it clear that you're just talking about putting that one thing down.
However, this is a very slight nuance, and when speaking you can use tone of voice to override it. "Put the phone down" emphasizes "down" by saying it more forcefully.
answered 10 hours ago
BarmarBarmar
70335
"Put down the phone" emphasises "down" equally forcefully.
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
@CJDennis I was just trying to show an exmple where the tone results in the opposite emphasis from the order. Of course, you can also use tone to reinforce the emphasis.
– Barmar
43 mins ago
add a comment |
The difference between the two sentence variations amounts to a principle of grammatical best practice that urges a speaker never to split a verb and its auxiliary preposition unnecessarily.
- "Put down the knife!" not "Put the knife down!"
- "The student looked up the definition" not "The student looked the definition up."
However, recognizing when not to split up a prepositional phrase requires a certain fluency in English rather than a hard-and-fast rule.
- "Could you please switch it off?" not "Could you please switch off it?"
answered 5 hours ago
ThomasPepperzThomasPepperz
113
New contributor
ThomasPepperz is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
"Grammatical best practice" = prescriptivism. As a fluent native speaker, I can say that all your examples are correct and acceptable except for "Could you please switch off it?" as you have already noted. The reason for the last is that "it" is a pronoun, whereas your other examples use nouns as the direct object. It's a very common form in English: "[verb] [preposition] [noun phrase]", "[verb] [noun phrase] [preposition]", or "[verb] [pronoun] [preposition]", but not "[verb] [preposition] [pronoun]".
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
As pointed out in a comment on a different answer, "down" is not a preposition here; it's an adverb. What I said above applies to adverbs as well as prepositions.
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
add a comment |
Literally, both the sentences mean the same. But metaphorically (as an idiom), yes, your interpretation is correct.
answered 19 hours ago
Bella SwanBella Swan
1985
New contributor
Bella Swan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
The original poster's second interpretation can be loosened to "suspend the conversation". For example, "Uh-oh. [Something urgent came up.] Hang on a second while I put down the phone and deal with this."
– Jasper
14 hours ago
add a comment |
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6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
They both mean the same thing. You can say "Put down the [something]" or "Put the [something] down". Using old fashioned, wired, phones, you terminate a call by replacing the receiver in its cradle ("putting it down"). On a modern mobile or cordless phone, you have to to press a button or touch a place on the screen. For either of these actions, people can say they "put down", or even "hang up" the phone.
answered 19 hours ago
Michael HarveyMichael Harvey
16.8k11837
2
It's an edge case, but just to mention that one should be careful if the [something] is an animal - depending on contract of course, saying "Please put the dog down" can have very different meanings :P
– BruceWayne
12 hours ago
2
@BruceWayne I don't see how that's relevant.
– David Richerby
12 hours ago
3
Brucewayne - In the 1980s, the British government introduced a new tax, the "Poll tax". Each household had to complete a form listing all residents. Some people were confused about who should be included. The Daily Mail newspaper caused unintended amusement with an article headed "What to do about Granny? Put her down.".
– Michael Harvey
11 hours ago
2
@MichaelHarvey Given the Mail's reputation, I doubt the pun was an accident.
– chrylis
10 hours ago
British headline writers, from the Sun to the Telegraph, if they have to mention a bishop, take every opportunity to use the word 'bash' in the same breath.
– Michael Harvey
10 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
They both mean the same thing. You can say "Put down the [something]" or "Put the [something] down". Using old fashioned, wired, phones, you terminate a call by replacing the receiver in its cradle ("putting it down"). On a modern mobile or cordless phone, you have to to press a button or touch a place on the screen. For either of these actions, people can say they "put down", or even "hang up" the phone.
answered 19 hours ago
Michael HarveyMichael Harvey
16.8k11837
2
It's an edge case, but just to mention that one should be careful if the [something] is an animal - depending on contract of course, saying "Please put the dog down" can have very different meanings :P
– BruceWayne
12 hours ago
2
@BruceWayne I don't see how that's relevant.
– David Richerby
12 hours ago
3
Brucewayne - In the 1980s, the British government introduced a new tax, the "Poll tax". Each household had to complete a form listing all residents. Some people were confused about who should be included. The Daily Mail newspaper caused unintended amusement with an article headed "What to do about Granny? Put her down.".
– Michael Harvey
11 hours ago
2
@MichaelHarvey Given the Mail's reputation, I doubt the pun was an accident.
– chrylis
10 hours ago
British headline writers, from the Sun to the Telegraph, if they have to mention a bishop, take every opportunity to use the word 'bash' in the same breath.
– Michael Harvey
10 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
They both mean the same thing. You can say "Put down the [something]" or "Put the [something] down". Using old fashioned, wired, phones, you terminate a call by replacing the receiver in its cradle ("putting it down"). On a modern mobile or cordless phone, you have to to press a button or touch a place on the screen. For either of these actions, people can say they "put down", or even "hang up" the phone.
answered 19 hours ago
Michael HarveyMichael Harvey
16.8k11837
They both mean the same thing. You can say "Put down the [something]" or "Put the [something] down". Using old fashioned, wired, phones, you terminate a call by replacing the receiver in its cradle ("putting it down"). On a modern mobile or cordless phone, you have to to press a button or touch a place on the screen. For either of these actions, people can say they "put down", or even "hang up" the phone.
answered 19 hours ago
Michael HarveyMichael Harvey
16.8k11837
edited 17 hours ago
answered 19 hours ago
Michael HarveyMichael Harvey
16.8k11837
answered 19 hours ago
Michael HarveyMichael Harvey
16.8k11837
answered 19 hours ago
Michael HarveyMichael Harvey
16.8k11837
16.8k11837
2
It's an edge case, but just to mention that one should be careful if the [something] is an animal - depending on contract of course, saying "Please put the dog down" can have very different meanings :P
– BruceWayne
12 hours ago
2
@BruceWayne I don't see how that's relevant.
– David Richerby
12 hours ago
3
Brucewayne - In the 1980s, the British government introduced a new tax, the "Poll tax". Each household had to complete a form listing all residents. Some people were confused about who should be included. The Daily Mail newspaper caused unintended amusement with an article headed "What to do about Granny? Put her down.".
– Michael Harvey
11 hours ago
2
@MichaelHarvey Given the Mail's reputation, I doubt the pun was an accident.
– chrylis
10 hours ago
British headline writers, from the Sun to the Telegraph, if they have to mention a bishop, take every opportunity to use the word 'bash' in the same breath.
– Michael Harvey
10 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
2
It's an edge case, but just to mention that one should be careful if the [something] is an animal - depending on contract of course, saying "Please put the dog down" can have very different meanings :P
– BruceWayne
12 hours ago
2
@BruceWayne I don't see how that's relevant.
– David Richerby
12 hours ago
3
Brucewayne - In the 1980s, the British government introduced a new tax, the "Poll tax". Each household had to complete a form listing all residents. Some people were confused about who should be included. The Daily Mail newspaper caused unintended amusement with an article headed "What to do about Granny? Put her down.".
– Michael Harvey
11 hours ago
2
@MichaelHarvey Given the Mail's reputation, I doubt the pun was an accident.
– chrylis
10 hours ago
British headline writers, from the Sun to the Telegraph, if they have to mention a bishop, take every opportunity to use the word 'bash' in the same breath.
– Michael Harvey
10 hours ago
2
2
It's an edge case, but just to mention that one should be careful if the [something] is an animal - depending on contract of course, saying "Please put the dog down" can have very different meanings :P
– BruceWayne
12 hours ago
It's an edge case, but just to mention that one should be careful if the [something] is an animal - depending on contract of course, saying "Please put the dog down" can have very different meanings :P
– BruceWayne
12 hours ago
2
2
@BruceWayne I don't see how that's relevant.
– David Richerby
12 hours ago
@BruceWayne I don't see how that's relevant.
– David Richerby
12 hours ago
3
3
Brucewayne - In the 1980s, the British government introduced a new tax, the "Poll tax". Each household had to complete a form listing all residents. Some people were confused about who should be included. The Daily Mail newspaper caused unintended amusement with an article headed "What to do about Granny? Put her down.".
– Michael Harvey
11 hours ago
Brucewayne - In the 1980s, the British government introduced a new tax, the "Poll tax". Each household had to complete a form listing all residents. Some people were confused about who should be included. The Daily Mail newspaper caused unintended amusement with an article headed "What to do about Granny? Put her down.".
– Michael Harvey
11 hours ago
2
2
@MichaelHarvey Given the Mail's reputation, I doubt the pun was an accident.
– chrylis
10 hours ago
@MichaelHarvey Given the Mail's reputation, I doubt the pun was an accident.
– chrylis
10 hours ago
British headline writers, from the Sun to the Telegraph, if they have to mention a bishop, take every opportunity to use the word 'bash' in the same breath.
– Michael Harvey
10 hours ago
British headline writers, from the Sun to the Telegraph, if they have to mention a bishop, take every opportunity to use the word 'bash' in the same breath.
– Michael Harvey
10 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
The actual meaning is the same, but in normal conversation I would be more likely to say "put the phone down", but if I lost patience with you because you are not listening this would turn to "Put Down The Phone".
answered 17 hours ago
gnasher729gnasher729
1,44355
2
yes in my head I hear "put down the phone" in a very stern voice with lots of !!!
– WendyG
16 hours ago
add a comment |
The actual meaning is the same, but in normal conversation I would be more likely to say "put the phone down", but if I lost patience with you because you are not listening this would turn to "Put Down The Phone".
answered 17 hours ago
gnasher729gnasher729
1,44355
2
yes in my head I hear "put down the phone" in a very stern voice with lots of !!!
– WendyG
16 hours ago
add a comment |
The actual meaning is the same, but in normal conversation I would be more likely to say "put the phone down", but if I lost patience with you because you are not listening this would turn to "Put Down The Phone".
answered 17 hours ago
gnasher729gnasher729
1,44355
The actual meaning is the same, but in normal conversation I would be more likely to say "put the phone down", but if I lost patience with you because you are not listening this would turn to "Put Down The Phone".
answered 17 hours ago
gnasher729gnasher729
1,44355
answered 17 hours ago
gnasher729gnasher729
1,44355
answered 17 hours ago
gnasher729gnasher729
1,44355
answered 17 hours ago
gnasher729gnasher729
1,44355
1,44355
2
yes in my head I hear "put down the phone" in a very stern voice with lots of !!!
– WendyG
16 hours ago
add a comment |
2
yes in my head I hear "put down the phone" in a very stern voice with lots of !!!
– WendyG
16 hours ago
2
2
yes in my head I hear "put down the phone" in a very stern voice with lots of !!!
– WendyG
16 hours ago
yes in my head I hear "put down the phone" in a very stern voice with lots of !!!
– WendyG
16 hours ago
add a comment |
I don't think there's any difference between the two phrases. Perhaps some people think they're different but, if you want to communicate clearly, you shouldn't rely on people picking up such subtle differences.
answered 16 hours ago
David RicherbyDavid Richerby
7,3612042
"down" isn't a preposition, so "put the phone down" doesn't violate that rule.
– Barmar
11 hours ago
@Barmar Fair point. It is a preposition in some situations ("He fell down the well") but it's considered adverbial in "put down". I'll delete that part of my answer. (Though I could double down (er, adverb again?) and claim that people might mistakenly criticize ending a sentence with a preposition, citing myself as evidence. ;-) )
– David Richerby
10 hours ago
Fair enough. They mistakenly think it's X, and also mistakenly think you shouldn't X.
– Barmar
10 hours ago
@Barmar Exactly! These strawmen are wrong!
– David Richerby
10 hours ago
add a comment |
I don't think there's any difference between the two phrases. Perhaps some people think they're different but, if you want to communicate clearly, you shouldn't rely on people picking up such subtle differences.
answered 16 hours ago
David RicherbyDavid Richerby
7,3612042
"down" isn't a preposition, so "put the phone down" doesn't violate that rule.
– Barmar
11 hours ago
@Barmar Fair point. It is a preposition in some situations ("He fell down the well") but it's considered adverbial in "put down". I'll delete that part of my answer. (Though I could double down (er, adverb again?) and claim that people might mistakenly criticize ending a sentence with a preposition, citing myself as evidence. ;-) )
– David Richerby
10 hours ago
Fair enough. They mistakenly think it's X, and also mistakenly think you shouldn't X.
– Barmar
10 hours ago
@Barmar Exactly! These strawmen are wrong!
– David Richerby
10 hours ago
add a comment |
I don't think there's any difference between the two phrases. Perhaps some people think they're different but, if you want to communicate clearly, you shouldn't rely on people picking up such subtle differences.
answered 16 hours ago
David RicherbyDavid Richerby
7,3612042
I don't think there's any difference between the two phrases. Perhaps some people think they're different but, if you want to communicate clearly, you shouldn't rely on people picking up such subtle differences.
answered 16 hours ago
David RicherbyDavid Richerby
7,3612042
edited 10 hours ago
answered 16 hours ago
David RicherbyDavid Richerby
7,3612042
answered 16 hours ago
David RicherbyDavid Richerby
7,3612042
answered 16 hours ago
David RicherbyDavid Richerby
7,3612042
7,3612042
"down" isn't a preposition, so "put the phone down" doesn't violate that rule.
– Barmar
11 hours ago
@Barmar Fair point. It is a preposition in some situations ("He fell down the well") but it's considered adverbial in "put down". I'll delete that part of my answer. (Though I could double down (er, adverb again?) and claim that people might mistakenly criticize ending a sentence with a preposition, citing myself as evidence. ;-) )
– David Richerby
10 hours ago
Fair enough. They mistakenly think it's X, and also mistakenly think you shouldn't X.
– Barmar
10 hours ago
@Barmar Exactly! These strawmen are wrong!
– David Richerby
10 hours ago
add a comment |
"down" isn't a preposition, so "put the phone down" doesn't violate that rule.
– Barmar
11 hours ago
@Barmar Fair point. It is a preposition in some situations ("He fell down the well") but it's considered adverbial in "put down". I'll delete that part of my answer. (Though I could double down (er, adverb again?) and claim that people might mistakenly criticize ending a sentence with a preposition, citing myself as evidence. ;-) )
– David Richerby
10 hours ago
Fair enough. They mistakenly think it's X, and also mistakenly think you shouldn't X.
– Barmar
10 hours ago
@Barmar Exactly! These strawmen are wrong!
– David Richerby
10 hours ago
"down" isn't a preposition, so "put the phone down" doesn't violate that rule.
– Barmar
11 hours ago
"down" isn't a preposition, so "put the phone down" doesn't violate that rule.
– Barmar
11 hours ago
@Barmar Fair point. It is a preposition in some situations ("He fell down the well") but it's considered adverbial in "put down". I'll delete that part of my answer. (Though I could double down (er, adverb again?) and claim that people might mistakenly criticize ending a sentence with a preposition, citing myself as evidence. ;-) )
– David Richerby
10 hours ago
@Barmar Fair point. It is a preposition in some situations ("He fell down the well") but it's considered adverbial in "put down". I'll delete that part of my answer. (Though I could double down (er, adverb again?) and claim that people might mistakenly criticize ending a sentence with a preposition, citing myself as evidence. ;-) )
– David Richerby
10 hours ago
Fair enough. They mistakenly think it's X, and also mistakenly think you shouldn't X.
– Barmar
10 hours ago
Fair enough. They mistakenly think it's X, and also mistakenly think you shouldn't X.
– Barmar
10 hours ago
@Barmar Exactly! These strawmen are wrong!
– David Richerby
10 hours ago
@Barmar Exactly! These strawmen are wrong!
– David Richerby
10 hours ago
add a comment |
They mean the same thing, but there can be differences of emphasis. In general, the phrase with more significance often comes back, so "Put the phone down" emphasizes draws attention to the phone, while "Put down the phone" emphasizes the action of putting it down.
For instance, if someone is holding two things, you might say "Put the phone down" to make it clear that you're just talking about putting that one thing down.
However, this is a very slight nuance, and when speaking you can use tone of voice to override it. "Put the phone down" emphasizes "down" by saying it more forcefully.
answered 10 hours ago
BarmarBarmar
70335
"Put down the phone" emphasises "down" equally forcefully.
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
@CJDennis I was just trying to show an exmple where the tone results in the opposite emphasis from the order. Of course, you can also use tone to reinforce the emphasis.
– Barmar
43 mins ago
add a comment |
They mean the same thing, but there can be differences of emphasis. In general, the phrase with more significance often comes back, so "Put the phone down" emphasizes draws attention to the phone, while "Put down the phone" emphasizes the action of putting it down.
For instance, if someone is holding two things, you might say "Put the phone down" to make it clear that you're just talking about putting that one thing down.
However, this is a very slight nuance, and when speaking you can use tone of voice to override it. "Put the phone down" emphasizes "down" by saying it more forcefully.
answered 10 hours ago
BarmarBarmar
70335
"Put down the phone" emphasises "down" equally forcefully.
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
@CJDennis I was just trying to show an exmple where the tone results in the opposite emphasis from the order. Of course, you can also use tone to reinforce the emphasis.
– Barmar
43 mins ago
add a comment |
They mean the same thing, but there can be differences of emphasis. In general, the phrase with more significance often comes back, so "Put the phone down" emphasizes draws attention to the phone, while "Put down the phone" emphasizes the action of putting it down.
For instance, if someone is holding two things, you might say "Put the phone down" to make it clear that you're just talking about putting that one thing down.
However, this is a very slight nuance, and when speaking you can use tone of voice to override it. "Put the phone down" emphasizes "down" by saying it more forcefully.
answered 10 hours ago
BarmarBarmar
70335
They mean the same thing, but there can be differences of emphasis. In general, the phrase with more significance often comes back, so "Put the phone down" emphasizes draws attention to the phone, while "Put down the phone" emphasizes the action of putting it down.
For instance, if someone is holding two things, you might say "Put the phone down" to make it clear that you're just talking about putting that one thing down.
However, this is a very slight nuance, and when speaking you can use tone of voice to override it. "Put the phone down" emphasizes "down" by saying it more forcefully.
answered 10 hours ago
BarmarBarmar
70335
answered 10 hours ago
BarmarBarmar
70335
answered 10 hours ago
BarmarBarmar
70335
answered 10 hours ago
BarmarBarmar
70335
70335
"Put down the phone" emphasises "down" equally forcefully.
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
@CJDennis I was just trying to show an exmple where the tone results in the opposite emphasis from the order. Of course, you can also use tone to reinforce the emphasis.
– Barmar
43 mins ago
add a comment |
"Put down the phone" emphasises "down" equally forcefully.
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
@CJDennis I was just trying to show an exmple where the tone results in the opposite emphasis from the order. Of course, you can also use tone to reinforce the emphasis.
– Barmar
43 mins ago
"Put down the phone" emphasises "down" equally forcefully.
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
"Put down the phone" emphasises "down" equally forcefully.
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
@CJDennis I was just trying to show an exmple where the tone results in the opposite emphasis from the order. Of course, you can also use tone to reinforce the emphasis.
– Barmar
43 mins ago
@CJDennis I was just trying to show an exmple where the tone results in the opposite emphasis from the order. Of course, you can also use tone to reinforce the emphasis.
– Barmar
43 mins ago
add a comment |
The difference between the two sentence variations amounts to a principle of grammatical best practice that urges a speaker never to split a verb and its auxiliary preposition unnecessarily.
- "Put down the knife!" not "Put the knife down!"
- "The student looked up the definition" not "The student looked the definition up."
However, recognizing when not to split up a prepositional phrase requires a certain fluency in English rather than a hard-and-fast rule.
- "Could you please switch it off?" not "Could you please switch off it?"
answered 5 hours ago
ThomasPepperzThomasPepperz
113
New contributor
ThomasPepperz is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
"Grammatical best practice" = prescriptivism. As a fluent native speaker, I can say that all your examples are correct and acceptable except for "Could you please switch off it?" as you have already noted. The reason for the last is that "it" is a pronoun, whereas your other examples use nouns as the direct object. It's a very common form in English: "[verb] [preposition] [noun phrase]", "[verb] [noun phrase] [preposition]", or "[verb] [pronoun] [preposition]", but not "[verb] [preposition] [pronoun]".
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
As pointed out in a comment on a different answer, "down" is not a preposition here; it's an adverb. What I said above applies to adverbs as well as prepositions.
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
add a comment |
The difference between the two sentence variations amounts to a principle of grammatical best practice that urges a speaker never to split a verb and its auxiliary preposition unnecessarily.
- "Put down the knife!" not "Put the knife down!"
- "The student looked up the definition" not "The student looked the definition up."
However, recognizing when not to split up a prepositional phrase requires a certain fluency in English rather than a hard-and-fast rule.
- "Could you please switch it off?" not "Could you please switch off it?"
answered 5 hours ago
ThomasPepperzThomasPepperz
113
New contributor
ThomasPepperz is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
"Grammatical best practice" = prescriptivism. As a fluent native speaker, I can say that all your examples are correct and acceptable except for "Could you please switch off it?" as you have already noted. The reason for the last is that "it" is a pronoun, whereas your other examples use nouns as the direct object. It's a very common form in English: "[verb] [preposition] [noun phrase]", "[verb] [noun phrase] [preposition]", or "[verb] [pronoun] [preposition]", but not "[verb] [preposition] [pronoun]".
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
As pointed out in a comment on a different answer, "down" is not a preposition here; it's an adverb. What I said above applies to adverbs as well as prepositions.
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
add a comment |
The difference between the two sentence variations amounts to a principle of grammatical best practice that urges a speaker never to split a verb and its auxiliary preposition unnecessarily.
- "Put down the knife!" not "Put the knife down!"
- "The student looked up the definition" not "The student looked the definition up."
However, recognizing when not to split up a prepositional phrase requires a certain fluency in English rather than a hard-and-fast rule.
- "Could you please switch it off?" not "Could you please switch off it?"
answered 5 hours ago
ThomasPepperzThomasPepperz
113
New contributor
ThomasPepperz is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
The difference between the two sentence variations amounts to a principle of grammatical best practice that urges a speaker never to split a verb and its auxiliary preposition unnecessarily.
- "Put down the knife!" not "Put the knife down!"
- "The student looked up the definition" not "The student looked the definition up."
However, recognizing when not to split up a prepositional phrase requires a certain fluency in English rather than a hard-and-fast rule.
- "Could you please switch it off?" not "Could you please switch off it?"
answered 5 hours ago
ThomasPepperzThomasPepperz
113
New contributor
ThomasPepperz is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 5 hours ago
ThomasPepperzThomasPepperz
113
New contributor
ThomasPepperz is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 5 hours ago
ThomasPepperzThomasPepperz
113
answered 5 hours ago
ThomasPepperzThomasPepperz
113
113
New contributor
ThomasPepperz is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
ThomasPepperz is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
ThomasPepperz is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
"Grammatical best practice" = prescriptivism. As a fluent native speaker, I can say that all your examples are correct and acceptable except for "Could you please switch off it?" as you have already noted. The reason for the last is that "it" is a pronoun, whereas your other examples use nouns as the direct object. It's a very common form in English: "[verb] [preposition] [noun phrase]", "[verb] [noun phrase] [preposition]", or "[verb] [pronoun] [preposition]", but not "[verb] [preposition] [pronoun]".
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
As pointed out in a comment on a different answer, "down" is not a preposition here; it's an adverb. What I said above applies to adverbs as well as prepositions.
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
add a comment |
"Grammatical best practice" = prescriptivism. As a fluent native speaker, I can say that all your examples are correct and acceptable except for "Could you please switch off it?" as you have already noted. The reason for the last is that "it" is a pronoun, whereas your other examples use nouns as the direct object. It's a very common form in English: "[verb] [preposition] [noun phrase]", "[verb] [noun phrase] [preposition]", or "[verb] [pronoun] [preposition]", but not "[verb] [preposition] [pronoun]".
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
As pointed out in a comment on a different answer, "down" is not a preposition here; it's an adverb. What I said above applies to adverbs as well as prepositions.
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
"Grammatical best practice" = prescriptivism. As a fluent native speaker, I can say that all your examples are correct and acceptable except for "Could you please switch off it?" as you have already noted. The reason for the last is that "it" is a pronoun, whereas your other examples use nouns as the direct object. It's a very common form in English: "[verb] [preposition] [noun phrase]", "[verb] [noun phrase] [preposition]", or "[verb] [pronoun] [preposition]", but not "[verb] [preposition] [pronoun]".
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
"Grammatical best practice" = prescriptivism. As a fluent native speaker, I can say that all your examples are correct and acceptable except for "Could you please switch off it?" as you have already noted. The reason for the last is that "it" is a pronoun, whereas your other examples use nouns as the direct object. It's a very common form in English: "[verb] [preposition] [noun phrase]", "[verb] [noun phrase] [preposition]", or "[verb] [pronoun] [preposition]", but not "[verb] [preposition] [pronoun]".
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
As pointed out in a comment on a different answer, "down" is not a preposition here; it's an adverb. What I said above applies to adverbs as well as prepositions.
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
As pointed out in a comment on a different answer, "down" is not a preposition here; it's an adverb. What I said above applies to adverbs as well as prepositions.
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago
add a comment |
Literally, both the sentences mean the same. But metaphorically (as an idiom), yes, your interpretation is correct.
answered 19 hours ago
Bella SwanBella Swan
1985
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Bella Swan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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The original poster's second interpretation can be loosened to "suspend the conversation". For example, "Uh-oh. [Something urgent came up.] Hang on a second while I put down the phone and deal with this."
– Jasper
14 hours ago
add a comment |
Literally, both the sentences mean the same. But metaphorically (as an idiom), yes, your interpretation is correct.
answered 19 hours ago
Bella SwanBella Swan
1985
New contributor
Bella Swan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
The original poster's second interpretation can be loosened to "suspend the conversation". For example, "Uh-oh. [Something urgent came up.] Hang on a second while I put down the phone and deal with this."
– Jasper
14 hours ago
add a comment |
Literally, both the sentences mean the same. But metaphorically (as an idiom), yes, your interpretation is correct.
answered 19 hours ago
Bella SwanBella Swan
1985
New contributor
Bella Swan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Literally, both the sentences mean the same. But metaphorically (as an idiom), yes, your interpretation is correct.
answered 19 hours ago
Bella SwanBella Swan
1985
New contributor
Bella Swan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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edited 18 hours ago
answered 19 hours ago
Bella SwanBella Swan
1985
New contributor
Bella Swan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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answered 19 hours ago
Bella SwanBella Swan
1985
answered 19 hours ago
Bella SwanBella Swan
1985
1985
New contributor
Bella Swan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Bella Swan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Bella Swan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
The original poster's second interpretation can be loosened to "suspend the conversation". For example, "Uh-oh. [Something urgent came up.] Hang on a second while I put down the phone and deal with this."
– Jasper
14 hours ago
add a comment |
The original poster's second interpretation can be loosened to "suspend the conversation". For example, "Uh-oh. [Something urgent came up.] Hang on a second while I put down the phone and deal with this."
– Jasper
14 hours ago
The original poster's second interpretation can be loosened to "suspend the conversation". For example, "Uh-oh. [Something urgent came up.] Hang on a second while I put down the phone and deal with this."
– Jasper
14 hours ago
The original poster's second interpretation can be loosened to "suspend the conversation". For example, "Uh-oh. [Something urgent came up.] Hang on a second while I put down the phone and deal with this."
– Jasper
14 hours ago
add a comment |
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5
Although "put the phone down" and "put down the phone" are (at least mostly) equivalent, do note that you can say "put it down", but not "*put down it".
– psmears
13 hours ago
@psmears Correct! Because "it" is a pronoun, and "the phone" is a noun phrase.
– CJ Dennis
3 hours ago