Particle Verbs in English

This book offers a new account of the transitive particle verb construction in English. The main emphasis is on the alternation between the two word orders possible in English (continuous: hand in the manuscript vs. discontinuous: hand the manuscript in). The central aim is to show that the choice of the word order is not optional as has often been claimed in related literature on the topic and that a syntactic analysis should thus not be based on optional movement operations or optional feature selection. The author argues in some detail that the choice of the word order is determined to a great extent by the information structuring of the context in which the relevant construction is embedded. The syntactic structure she develops is based on a substantial combination of empirical facts, evidence from theoretical research and the results of two experimental studies on the intonation patterns of the construction.

Tully J. Thibeau, University of Montana - Missoula in Linguist List 14.1078, 2003:
Dehé's book is a welcome addition to the recently growing literature on PVs [Particle Verbs], including variety of data yet balanced with precise theoretical examination, splendidly organized for easy reading and altogether a worthwhile endeavor for all interested in a discussion on interfaces between language systems, especially for linguists specializing in PV and related constructions found in English and across languages.