Type 3 Phrasal Verb - Knock out

Hello, FionaB,

@FionaB posted:

Is knock out a type 3 phrasal verb in this context?

Do you know anyone who's been knocked out?

If so, is anyone the object, and does that mean a type 3 phrasal verb can have the object before the verb?

I thought type 3 phrasal verbs had the form

  verb + particle + object or

  verb + object + particle,

but I've never seen the form stated such that it can be object + verb + particle.

I'm not sure what you refer to by "type 3 phrasal verb."

"Knock out" is a transitive phrasal verb of the kind you mention, insofar as object nouns can appear before or after the adverbial particle, while object pronouns can only come afterwards:

- Joe knocked Donald out.
- Joe knocked out Donald.
but
- Joe knocked him out.

The point with your sentence:

- Do you know anyone who's been knocked out?

is that it is in the passive voice, with the object (anyone) becoming the subject. As a result, the object will appear before the verb as subject.

- Donald was knocked out.

The fact that the phrasal verb is in the passive voice does not change its grammatical nature.

Thanks. Type 3 phrasal verb is the terminology my grammar book uses for object (transitive) separable phrasal verbs.

Thanks for your help. I couldn't find any text that showed the object can come before the verb.