AAAmerican Accent US

check over

Separable

The object can go before or after the particle — but a pronoun MUST go in the middle: “clean it up”, never “clean up it”.

How to say it

Stress the particle, not the verb: check OVER. Saying “CHECK over” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.

Link across the gap. The final /k/ of “check” moves onto the particle and starts its syllable: “check over” is said “che-ckover”. Pausing between the words is what makes phrasal verbs sound recited rather than spoken.

What it means

  1. To examine something thoroughly.

    • “Have a mechanic check the car over before you buy it.”
    • “Could you check over my draft before I send it?”

    Similar: inspect, go over

The particle logic

over

Something is examined from above, done again, or moved across.

Listen + practice

Hear “check over” spoken naturally

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Read the sentence aloud. Keep the stress on the particle and run the two words together — we’ll score every sound and flag what to work on.

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More CHECK phrasal verbs

Compare the whole family →

check out

To look at or investigate something.

check in

To register on arrival at a hotel or airport.

check up on

To verify that someone is doing what they should be, or that they are well.

check off

To mark an item on a list as completed.

check with

To consult someone before acting.

check over — meaning, examples & how to say it