think over
SeparableThe 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: think OVER. Saying “THINK over” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.
Link across the gap. The final /k/ of “think” moves onto the particle and starts its syllable: “think over” is said “thin-kover”. Pausing between the words is what makes phrasal verbs sound recited rather than spoken.
What it means
To consider something carefully before deciding.
- “Take the weekend and think it over.”
- “She thought over the offer and turned it down.”
Similar: consider, mull over