A prepositional verb is a combination of a verb and a preposition, e.g., laugh at, look at, listen to, agree with, apologize for, worry about, search for, etc.

A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and a preposition, an adverb, or both, e.g., bring up, give up, pass away, look after, look down on, etc.

There are three main differences between prepositional verbs and phrasal verbs, as follows:

Phrasal verbs often have a meaning different from the original verb (idiomatic meaning).

Examples (meaning of the phrasal verb is given in parentheses):

• The patient passed away.                     (pass away: to die).
• He was brought up by his aunt.            (bring up: to raise a child).
• He is trying to give up smoking.            (give up: to quit).
• She turned down his proposal.             (turn down: to reject).
• Our car broke down on the highway.    (break down: stop functioning).
• She is looking after her children.          (look after: to take care of).

On the other hand, a prepositional verb has a meaning similar to the meaning of its original verb. See the following examples.

• They were laughing at the joker.
• She is listening to music.
• The students were looking at the whiteboard.
• They complained about the problem.
• He apologized for his mistake.
• She was worried about her exam.
• He was blamed for stealing money.

Most phrasal verbs are separable. Its verb and preposition can be separated to be used at different places within a sentence. They can be used in a joined-form as well as in a separated-form.

• The people requested to cut down the prices.
• The people requested to cut the prices down
• He switched on the fan.
  
• He switched the fan on. .
• She turned down his proposal.
• She turned his proposal down.

On the other hand, prepositional verbs are usually non-separable. The verb and preposition cannot be separated. They must remain together.

• The kids are laughing at joker.
• She is listening to music.
• He was waiting for his friend.
• She is suffering from a high fever.
• She belongs to a rich family.

Prepositional verbs always require an object. Without it, the sentence is incomplete. The object usually comes immediately after the preposition.

• Someone was knocking at the door.
• He is waiting for a bus.
• I was looking at the car.
• He was searching for a job.
• The dog is barking at a stranger.
• I agree with you.
• Everyone must comply with the laws of the country.

On the other hand, Phrasal verbs may or may not require an object. If an object is required, its placement may vary (between the verb and particle or after the particle).

• The patient passed away. (no object).
• When do you get up?       (no object).
• The thief ran away.            (no object).
• The kid is growing up.      (no object).

Phrasal verbs that require an object: The position of the object can be changed in the sentence. ee the following examples where the red words are phrasal verb and blue word is the object.

• He is trying to cut down his expenses.
• He is trying to cut his expenses down.
• She turned down his request.
• She turned his request down.
• He switched on the fan.
• He switched the fan on.

A phrasal verb that requires an object is called a transitive phrasal verb. A phrasal verb that does not require an object is called an intransitive phrasal verb. Since all prepositional verbs require an object, all of them are transitive.

Examples of frequently used prepositional verbs include: listen to, look at, suffer from, apologize for, worry about, wait for, complain about, compare with, provide with, believe in, remind of, consist of, belong to, beg for, approve of, charge with, comply with, contribute to, insist on, hope for, prepare for, punish for, respond to, search for, etc.

Some examples of commonly used phrasal verbs (along with their meanings) are as follows:

• Bring up (to raise a child).
• Look after (to take care of).
• Break down (stop functioning).
• Break into (to enter some place forcibly).
• Put off (to postpone).
• Put out (to extinguish fire).
• Put on (to wear something)
• Pass away (to die).
• Pass out (to faint).
• Pay for (be punished for something).
• Run away (to escape or leave a place).
• Run out (to be short of something).
• Show off (to behave in a boastful manner).
• Take off (begin to fly).
• Turn down (to reject or refuse).
• Get up (to get out of bed or wake up from sleep).
• Look down on (to think you are better than someone).