adverbial particle

plural adverbial particles

1. human sciencesThe adverbial component of a phrasal verb; a word, typically a short one, which functions as an adverb accompanying and qualifying the verb component of a phrasal verb.

   In the phrasal verbs 'set up', 'throw away', 'shut down', 'carry out' and 'take over', the words 'up', 'away', 'down', 'out' and 'over' are the adverbial particles.

   1 more example

   The sentence 'He turns on everyone he meets' has very different meanings depending on whether the word 'on' is parsed as a preposition (i.e. turn on as "to attack or criticise suddenly") or as an adverbial particle (i.e. turn on as "arouse").