Phrasal verbs · Free lesson
Throw away: get rid of something you do not need
You have torn wrapping paper and a ribbon you want to use again. One goes away for good; the other goes into a drawer. Choose the action you mean.
Professor Scott MendozaMeaning in this lesson
throw away
Discard something you no longer want to keep.
Example
“I threw away the torn wrapping paper.”
I got rid of the paper instead of keeping it.
The short answer
Throw away means discard in this lesson. You can throw away the paper or throw the paper away. With it, use the middle position: throw it away, not throw away it.
Throw away removes it from what you keep.
This is a separable phrasal verb. A noun can go before or after away, but a short object pronoun such as it or them goes between throw and away. The simple past is threw away.
Discard or keep?
I threw away the torn paper.
I threw the torn paper away.
I put the ribbon away in a drawer.
Throw away and put away do not mean the same thing. Put away usually keeps the item in its proper place.
Replace the noun carefully
Name the object
Please throw away the torn paper.
Use a pronoun
Please throw it away.
Try it now
Choose the intended action
Read all answers and explanations
You do not want to keep the torn paper. Which action says to discard it?
Throw it away.Throw it away means discard it. The other choices keep it.
Replace the torn paper with it. Choose standard word order.
Please throw it away.The object pronoun goes between the verb and particle: throw it away.
Report that you discarded the paper yesterday.
I threw away the paper yesterday.Threw is the simple past of throw. Thrown is a past participle, not the simple-past form.
Build it yourself
Give a clear instruction
Use all four pieces. Start with Please and tell someone to discard the paper.
Keep the pronoun between throw and away. Select a piece again to move it back.
Your instruction
0 of 4 piecesYour chosen pieces will appear here.
See a model answer
Please throw it away.
Please throw it away puts the pronoun in the required middle position.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Can the noun go before away?
Yes. Both noun positions work here. The restriction is important with object pronouns such as it and them.
Please throw the paper away.
Do I have to physically throw the object?
No. Here the expression means discard. You can place it in a trash can without throwing it through the air.
She threw away the empty wrapper.
Take it into your day
Discard with throw away; place it or them in the middle.
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