complement verb

A complement verb, or phrasal verb, comprises a verb and a preposition. We have hundreds of them in the English language: dredge up, drop out, make up, mess up, screw up, and the list goes on and on.

The verb-preposition combination will then be transitive or intransitive. For example, the verb dredge up is transitive (He dredged up her bleak past). But the verb drop out is intransitive and needs yet another preposition to attach to a noun (He dropped out of college).

If the complement verb is transitive, you may put the object between the verb and the preposition: She messed it up. But if the complement verb is intransitive, the verb and preposition must remain together: He dropped out of college.