Saturday, June 22nd, 2024

 Phrasal Verbs are fun! 

Click on the link below for a descriptive video + some examples on my YouTube channel!

Phrasal Verbs made easy!

Here is the script for the video.

Phrasal Verbs

[HOOK] Have you ever wondered why native English speakers sometimes sound like they’re speaking in code? They must be saying phrasal verbs!

They’re very common in spoken and informal English. They indicate action. They are made up of two parts: a verb, and a preposition or adverb.

(Show example of someone standing up and sitting down)

For example, “stand up,” “sit down.” In these phrasal verbs, the adverb or preposition comes directly after the verb.  Sometimes the preposition or adverb is placed after the object.

(Show example books being placed into a shelf)

For example, “put your books away.” We can also say, put (away) your books. The order of the object and preposition or adverb can usually be changed -- unless we are using a pronoun for our object. For example, let’s use the pronoun (them) in place of “the books.” We say: “put them away,” we cannot say “put away them.” If using a pronoun as the object of a phrasal verb, it must go between the verb, and the preposition or adverb. The meaning of some phrasal verbs is more obvious – they're literal. “Stand” together with “up” means to stand up, “put” with “away” means to put something away.

But many phrasal verbs are not literal – they’re figurative. The meaning of a phrasal verb can often be something completely different from the base verb. This means that phrasal verbs need to be memorized individually.

(Show an image of a cook with a pizza/people interacting)

Take this phrasal verb: “make up.” The verb make means to build or form something -- you could make a pizza. But used in the phrasal verb make up, the meaning is completely different. “Make up” refers to people forgiving each other. “I wanted to make up with my friend after our fight.”

(Show an image of a person looking up)

Here's another phrasal verb. "Look up." It can be used literally – “he looked up in the sky,” but the same phrasal verb can be used to mean “to search for information in a book or online.” “He looked up the word in his dictionary.” When you come across a phrasal verb you don't know, try looking for clues in the sentence, to help you work out the meaning. You might be surprised how often you can work them out.

Now let’s have some practice. (Interlude for practice)

Thank you for watching!