This paper offers a comparative analysis of the development of the state vs. event contrast in Composite Predicates (CPs) and Phrasal Verbs (PVs), the two main types of verbal phrases in English. The paper focuses on CPs with have and take, and PVs such as "have on" and "have off" (meaning 'put on' and 'take off') from Middle English. Related compound verbs in German, Danish and Dutch are considered in comparison. An analysis then follows of the convergence of put on/off and take on/off in the developmental history of English. Finally, the contractions of do on to don and of do off to doff are considered in the context of language change.