get away with it — three-part phrasal verbs (Murphy Unit 145)
Pattern
Section titled “Pattern”Some phrasal verbs are three parts: verb + particle + preposition. The preposition is fixed and cannot be dropped or swapped.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| get away with something | escape consequences of doing something bad | He cheated but got away with it. |
| look forward to something | anticipate with pleasure | I look forward to seeing you. |
| put up with something | tolerate | I can’t put up with the noise. |
| get rid of something | dispose of / eliminate | Get rid of that junk. |
| run out of something | exhaust supply | We ran out of milk. |
| look down on someone | consider inferior | Don’t look down on them. |
| catch up with someone | reach someone who’s ahead | I’ll catch up with you later. |
| do away with something | abolish | Let’s do away with the rules. |
| come up with something | produce / think of | She came up with a plan. |
| go along with something | agree with | I’ll go along with that. |
| keep up with something | maintain pace | Keep up with the news. |
Why the preposition is fixed
Section titled “Why the preposition is fixed”The “with / to / of / on” is part of the phrasal verb, NOT a free preposition. You can’t drop it or swap it:
- look forward to ✓ — look forward ✗ / look forward at ✗ / look forward for ✗
- put up with ✓ — put up ✗ / put up to ✗ / put up for ✗
- get rid of ✓ — get rid ✗ / get rid from ✗
Treat each as a single lexical unit — learn the whole phrase.
Test application
Section titled “Test application”Don’t cheat in the exam. You won’t ___.
Answer: get away with it. Three-part phrasal verb, fixed preposition “with”, pronoun “it” referring to the cheating.
Why not the others?
- get away alone = escape physically, doesn’t carry the consequence meaning
- throw it away = discard; no cheating context
- put them away = store/tidy; wrong
- gave it all away = revealed/donated; past, wrong tense
- keep away from it = stay distant; you CAN’T keep away from cheating if you did it
“Get away” vs “Get away with it”
Section titled ““Get away” vs “Get away with it””| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| get away | escape (physically leave) |
| get away with it | escape consequences of a bad action |
- The thief got away. (escaped)
- The thief got away with it. (escaped + wasn’t caught + kept the loot)
The “with it” = “while still having done the bad thing” / “carrying it out without penalty.”
Cure-Dolly: “with” in this phrase marks carrying — the action is brought along without being stopped.
Indonesian trap
Section titled “Indonesian trap”Indonesian lolos dari (escape from) doesn’t always map to get away from. For “escape consequences”:
- lolos dari hukuman = “get away with the punishment”
- lolos begitu saja = “get away with it” (more natural)
The fixed-phrase approach: memorize get away with it as one unit, not “get away” + free “with it”.
Source
Section titled “Source”Raymond Murphy, English Grammar in Use (4th ed.), Unit 145 — Phrasal verbs away/back. Ebot lesson 2026-08-29: “Don’t cheat in the exam. You won’t ___” → get away with it (three-part phrasal verb, fixed preposition “with”).