"in search for" vs. "look for"

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi Torsten,I can’t find out the difference between the expressions in search of and look for. Thanks. Silvina.

2

Hi Silvina,

“In search of” is an expression that contains a noun. “look for” is a phrasal verb. “In search of” is more formal than “look for”.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Torsten[YSaerTTEW443543]

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3

In which use is “look for” a phrasal verb, Torsten?

4

Hi Molly,

Welcome back to our forum and many thanks for your interesting question. If you want to learn more about the phrasal verb “look for”, I suggest you read this story by Alan Townend.

Once you have read the story, you can check your knowledge by taking this test.

Hope this helps.
Best regards,
Torsten[YSaerTTEW443543]

TOEIC listening, talks: Afternoon traffic report for the Northern US region[YSaerTTEW443543]

5

It helps a lot. Thanks.Silvina

6

I’d say:

In "He’s looking for clues, for example, “look for” is not a phrasal verb.

7

Hi,

OK. Let’s call it a prepositional verb because the two parts ‘look’ and ‘for’ cannot be separated.

Alan

8

Fine by me.

9

I think the use of “phrasal verb” to describe “look for” was quite reasonable. Some linguists distinguish between prepositional and phrasal verbs, on the basis of e.g. particle movement; but that distinction is by no means universal.

I notice for instance that the Oxford Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs includes “verb + preposition” as well as “verb + adverb” combinations. Thus these can be regarded as two subsets of {phrasal verbs}.

MrP

10

Indeed it isn’t. That’s why I wrote “I’d say”:

Does that publication include “care about” as a phrasal verb?

11

This is what BBC Learning says:

“This combination of verb and preposition is usually referred to as a prepositional verb, although sometimes it is also known as a phrasal verb.”

Would you say that “usually”, there, is valid?

12

I doubt it. “Prepositional verb” is the rarer form; I would call Wikipedia’s definition of “phrasal verb” the more usual.

But my point was that to describe “look for” as a phrasal verb was perfectly reasonable; and on that we seem to agree.

MrP