Phrasal verbs · Free lesson
Put it away: return something to its usual place
The lesson is over, but the markers are still on the desk. Their box is in the cupboard. You ask someone to put the markers away.
Professor Scott MendozaMeaning in this lesson
put away
Place something where you normally keep it when you are not using it.
Example
“We put the board games away after the visitors left.”
We returned the games to their storage place.
The short answer
Put something away means return it to the place where you keep it. You can say “put away the markers” or “put the markers away.” With them, say “put them away.”
Name the things that need to go back.
Use put away for items you are storing, such as equipment, dishes or clothes. A noun can go after away or between put and away. A short object pronoun, such as it or them, goes between the two words. The past form is still put: “I put them away yesterday.”
Finish clearing the desk.
Are the markers still on the desk?
No. I put them away in the cupboard.
Them refers to the markers. In the cupboard adds the storage location.
Make the storage instruction clear
Name the items
Please put away the markers.
Use a pronoun when the items are clear
Please put them away.
Add the location if needed
Put them away in the blue box.
Try it now
Check what you’ve learned.
Read all answers and explanations
The tools are back in their storage case. Which sentence describes this?
I put the tools away.Put the tools away means returned them to storage. The other choices describe postponing work or discarding items.
The folders are still on the table. Complete: “Please ___.”
put them awayUse put them away. The object pronoun them goes between put and away.
Choose the correct past form: “Yesterday, I ___ the equipment.”
put awayThe past form of put is put. Yesterday supplies the past-time context.
Build it yourself
Finish the classroom cleanup.
The markers went back into storage after class. Build that sentence. Both ordinary noun positions are accepted.
Choose the pieces in order. You can remove a piece or start again. Select a piece again to move it back.
Your sentence
0 of 5 piecesYour chosen pieces will appear here.
See a model answer
We put the markers away after class.
Both “We put the markers away after class.” and “We put away the markers after class.” describe the same storage action.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Can I put a room away?
Usually, you put the things in a room away. To describe making the whole room orderly, tidy the room is more natural.
“I put the cables away and tidied the desk.”
Why is “put away them” incorrect here?
This separable phrasal verb takes a short object pronoun in the middle. The choice of position available with a noun does not apply to it or them.
“Put the notebook away.” → “Put it away.”
Take it into your day
When an activity ends, name the items that need storing. Then replace that noun with it or them and keep the pronoun in the middle.
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