The Panama Papers
Phrasal Verbs - what are they and how are they used?
Phrasal Verbs - what are they and how are they used?
What are phrasal verbs?
Phrasal verbs are verbs that consist of a verb and a particle (a preposition or adverb) or a
verb and two particles (an adverb and a preposition, as in get on with or look forward to).
They are identified by their grammar but it is probably best to
think of them as individual vocabulary items, to be learnt in phrases or chunks. They often
– but not always – have a one-word equivalent. For example, you can come across a new
phrasal verb or you can encounter it. You can pick up a language or you can acquire it.
Come across and pick up sound less literary or formal than encounter or acquire.
Why are phrasal verbs important?
Phrasal verbs are extremely common in English. They are found in a wide variety of
contexts. You may have noticed them in songs, for example the Beatles’ I’ll get by with a
little help from my friends or Roll over Beethoven, Bob Marley’s Get up, stand up and Red
Hot Chili Peppers’ Knock me down. You find them in film titles such as The Empire Strikes
Back, Spirited Away, Along Came Polly or Cast Away. They are very frequent in newspaper
headlines.
| Structure of phrasal verbs | ||
| A phrasal verb can be made up of: | a verb + adverb | throw away |
| a verb + adverb + preposition | put up with | |
Match the headlines with the sentences from the stories.
1 BIG SHAKE-UP EXPECTED IN EDUCATION
2 MINISTER DENIES COVER-UP
3 LOCKOUT CONTINUES AT AVIATION PLANT
4 BREAKAWAY GROUP TO FORM NEW PARTY
5 POWER PLANT SHUTDOWN LEAVES 5,000 HOMES IN DARKNESS
a) The dispute is now in its fifth week.
b) Unity was no longer possible, a spokesperson said.
c) The event happened at 7.45 pm with no warning.
d) There will be major changes at all levels.
e) There was no attempt to hide the truth, claimed Pamela Harding
Name some phrasal verbs that you are already familiar with and then try to do the exercise below
Instructions:
Each of the following sentences contains a phrasal verb.
Choose a suitable adverb to fill each gap and complete the phrasal verb.
To help you, a synonym for the phrasal verb is given in brackets at the end of each question.
Phrasal Verbs have a way of worming their way into our everyday English. Many have more than one meaning so they can be quite confusing.
In this exercise you must read the sentence and the clue in brackets and try to put an appropriate phrasal verb in the correct tense in the gaps. The missing phrasal verbs are popular.
1 – This is a pretty dress. Shall I ------ it ---? ( to see if something fits or looks good on you )
2 – The pasta has gone bad. I should --------- it ------. ( to put something in the rubbish bin )
3 – I know that learning English is difficult, but don't ------ ---. ( to stop doing something )
4 – We are going to miss our flight. -------- ---! (to move/do something quicker )
5 – She's on the other line, could you ------- --- a minute please? ( To wait a little )
6 – I gave you some money last week. Can you ---- me ----- please? (to give money to someone who lent it to you)
7 – Don't stop writing. -------- ---. (to continue doing something )
8 – Some agents came to my school, so I ------- them ----------. ( to take someone on a tour )
9 – Could you ----- your cigarette ---- please? ( to extinguish/switch something off )
10 – Please ------- --- this word in the dictionary. I don't know how it's spelt. ( to check the meaning/spelling of a word)
2 – The pasta has gone bad. I should --------- it ------. ( to put something in the rubbish bin )
3 – I know that learning English is difficult, but don't ------ ---. ( to stop doing something )
4 – We are going to miss our flight. -------- ---! (to move/do something quicker )
5 – She's on the other line, could you ------- --- a minute please? ( To wait a little )
6 – I gave you some money last week. Can you ---- me ----- please? (to give money to someone who lent it to you)
7 – Don't stop writing. -------- ---. (to continue doing something )
8 – Some agents came to my school, so I ------- them ----------. ( to take someone on a tour )
9 – Could you ----- your cigarette ---- please? ( to extinguish/switch something off )
10 – Please ------- --- this word in the dictionary. I don't know how it's spelt. ( to check the meaning/spelling of a word)
Phrasal Verbs
A – hurry up
B - go on
C – look up
D – put out
E – pay back
F – hold on
G – throw away
H – show / around
I – try on
J – give up
B - go on
C – look up
D – put out
E – pay back
F – hold on
G – throw away
H – show / around
I – try on
J – give up
Watch the following video and try to guess the 12 most useful phrasal verbs. Write them down as you guess them.
Read the following text and indicate all of the phrasal verbs that you see.
I was brought up in a small town in the countryside. Growing up in the countryside offered lots of advantages for young people. The only problem was that we often got into trouble as we made up stories that we acted out around town. I can remember one adventure in particular: One day as we were coming back from school, we came up with the brilliant idea to make out that we were pirates looking for treasure. My best friend Tom said that he made out an enemy ship in the distance. We all ran for cover and picked up a number of rocks to use for ammunition against the ship as we got ready to put together our plan of action. We were ready to set off on our attack, we slowly went along the path until we were face to face with our enemy - the postman's truck! The postman was dropping off a package at Mrs. Brown's house, so we got into his truck. At that point, we really didn't have any idea about what we were going to do next. The radio was playing so we turned down the volume to discuss what we would do next. Jack was all for switching on the motor and getting away with the stolen mail! Of course, we were just children, but the idea of actually making off with a truck was too much for us to believe. We all broke out in nervous laughter at the thought of us driving down the road in this stolen Postal Truck. Luckily for us, the postman came running towards us shouting, "What are you kids up to?!". Of course, we all got out of that truck as quickly as we could and took off down the road.
Write a short story about your using as many phrasal verbs as you can think of.
Below is a link to a handbook of phrasal verbs with exercises to do at your own leisure:-
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B82Fl6MNfXZLcEs1ZlFrdUc1N3M/edit?usp=sharing
Below is a list of 200 of the most commonly used phrasal verbs with meanings and examples.
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