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Could someone elucidate the difference and essential characteristics of phrasal verbs and verb phrases?

  1. Phrasal verb: Your plan doesn't agree with mine.
  2. Verb phrase: He is doing well.

Here why should we call one phrasal verb and another verb phrase? Why is there a difference? As there is no difference between two terms noun phrase and phrasal noun.

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    It's just because that's the definition of the term "phrasal verb".
    – Barmar
    Commented Oct 27 at 14:00
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    There is a difference between "noun phrase" and "phrasal noun". See en.wiktionary.org/wiki/phrasal_noun
    – Barmar
    Commented Oct 27 at 14:02
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    Have you tried looking up "phrasal verb" and "verb phrase" in a grammar book or Wikipedia?
    – Stuart F
    Commented Oct 27 at 15:23
  • I'll leave others to decide whether verb group, verb phrase ... or what? is a duplicate. John Lawler answers. Also Is this a verb phrase or simply an adjective? (JL again answers).
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Oct 27 at 15:24
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    I’m voting to close this question because it is based upon misconceptions that (i) “to agree [with something/someone]” is a phrasal verb, and (ii) “is doing” is an identical construction. As a consequence, the answer will entail explaining phrasal verbs and verb groupings. (I also note from various comments that the phrasal verb definition seems to have descended into matters of opinion…)
    – Greybeard
    Commented Oct 27 at 22:04

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Your plan doesn't agree with mine.

For the sense that applies in this sentence, "agree" is not a phrasal verb. It is intransitive ([V]), and a complement is not necessary.

(OALD) agree (with sth) to be the same as something;
SYN tally

  • The figures do not agree.
  • Your account of the accident does not agree with hers.

OPP disagree

There are two definitions of a verb phrase. According to the first, we consider the smallest assemblage of words of a verbal nature that can constitute a verbal meaning in a clause. This is, in other terms, the following definition from the Cambridge Dictionary.

A verb phrase consists of a main verb alone, or a main verb plus any modal and/or auxiliary verbs. The main verb always comes last in the verb phrase: (see the full entry for details)

This definition implies that verbal idioms are verb phrases (since in a clause these verbs are main verbs). The verbal idioms are of two sorts: phrasal verbs and non-phrasal idioms; in this second category are found the combinations of words that constitute together a verbal meaning, but which contain words that are not the particles used for constructing phrasal verbs ("take it easy", "lie low", kick the bucket", etc).

It follows that phrasal verbs are a special type of verb phrase, this term being understood as in the first definition. A phrasal verb consists of two or three words, the first one of which is always a plain verb, the second and third an adverb or a preposition ("stand up", "put up at", "come up with",…). See this presentation of phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs for explanations.

According to the second definition, a verb phrase is a verb phrase as defined in the first definition, to which one adds the object(s) and complements, that is everything except the subject. (Wikipedia).

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  • There's an idiomatic sense of "agree with" used in "That meal didn't agree with me" (it gave me indigestion). Is that phrasal? When I first read the question, I thought this was what they were using.
    – Barmar
    Commented Oct 27 at 21:35
  • @Barmar That one is; I can sense that verb as being on another plane, so to speak, insofar as there is not involved in its meaning the idea of a two-way matching of concepts. The meal just caused some harm; in fact, it is a verb restricted to talk about food. By the way, it can't be used in affirmative assertions (not agree with sb (of food), make sick).
    – LPH
    Commented Oct 28 at 4:04
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    I have voted to reopen as this is a useful entry for users. Perhaps you should too?
    – Araucaria - Him
    Commented Oct 28 at 8:14
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Agree with is a phrasal verb (not the whole sentence). It consists of a verb (agree) and a particle (with) which modifies its meaning. Other examples are grow up, stand by, give up.

Is doing is simply the present continuous tense of the verb do. He is doing well is a phrase containing a verb.

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