Phrasal Verbs – The Biggest Challenge

Phrasal verbs can seem like a nightmare to most learners. On their own they often don’t make sense, and when they do, they can mean different things in different contexts. Our research shows that phrasal verbs are one of the most difficult things that learners try to master. Over 57% of learners said phrasal verbs were problematic. So how should they be learned? In this post we are going to look at what phrasal verbs are, the different types, some examples and how you can learn them more effectively. So, buckle up (that’s a phrasal verb right there) and let’s start the journey!

What is a phrasal verb?

Phrasal verbs are made up of two components. A verb and a particle. What’s a particle? So a particle is simply another word that is attached to a word to give it meaning. This can be words like to, of, up, in etc but these words can also be used in other contexts. They are either a preposition, or an adverb. What is important to note is that the particle changes the meaning of the verb. For example:

• Call me this afternoon.

This simply means, call me on my mobile. The verb call is the infinitive without to.

Now look at this:

• Call off the meeting this afternoon

This means something entirely different. Whilst call in example one means to use a phone and call me so we can speak, call off means to cancel. In this context the speaker wants someone to cancel a meeting that was scheduled for this afternoon. Call off is a phrasal verb comprising the verb call and the participle off.

Here are some guidelines:

• The particle always goes after the verb!
  • I called off the meeting. This is good.
  • I off called the meeting. This is not good.
    
• Some phrasal verbs can be separated so that other words can go between them.
  • I turned on the lights (unseparated). I turned the lights on (separated)
  • I threw away the rubbish (unseparated). I threw the rubbish away (seperated)
    
• Some phrasal verbs can not be separated.
  • Let’s go over our notes from the meeting. This is good.
  • Let’s go our notes over from the meeting. This is not good. This phrasal verb is inseparable.
    
• The subject changes as normal
  • I call off the meeting
  • He calls off the meeting
    
• The particle never changes form.
  • I call off the meeting
  • He calls offs the meeting. This is not correct.

Transitive or Intransitive?

Some phrasal verbs are intransitive and some are transitive. That means:

Transitive – the phrasal verb must always have an object. For example, the phrasal verb to bump into means to meet somebody accidentally, you didn’t plan to meet them. In a sentence it would look something like, I bumped into Marc yesterday. Notice that Marc is the object of the verb, it’s the person that receives the action and is therefore the object. This phrasal verb must always have an object. You can not say I bumped into yesterday. This is not correct!

Likewise, intransitive means that it doesn’t have to have an object. For example, the phrasal verb get through means to get to the end of something, maybe it’s difficult, so you need to get through it. But you don’t need an object here, you can simply say don’t worry, this problem we have right now, we can get through. No object needed.

Three-Word Phrasal Verbs

Three word phrasal verbs have a verb, a particle and a preposition. So they follow that structure verb + particle + preposition. For example:

He looks up to his boss. This means that he respects and admires his boss. He looks up to him. Look is the verb, up is the particle, and to is the preposition. Most three-word phrasal verbs are inseparable, but not all! Here are some more examples:

• We have run out of paper for the photocopying machine.
• He speaks too fast, I can’t keep up with him.
• We need to come up with some new marketing strategies.

How do we learn Phrasal Verbs

Learning phrasal verbs can be difficult. They are hard to remember and they have different meanings depending on the context. Here are 6 tips to help you be able to learn phrasal verbs better.

1. Know if the phrasal verb is transitive or intransitive. This will help you know if you need to add an object or not.
   
2. Is the phrasal verb separable or inseparable. This will help you avoid the mistake of putting objects between the verb and particle if it is inseparable.
   
3. Group phrasal verbs together by topic. If it’s a business meeting, have a page in your notebook with the phrasal verbs for meetings. You can do it like a mind map, with the word “meeting” in the middle and phrasal verbs associated with meetings around th eoutside. This will help you keep the context of each one clear. Always write a short explanation under the phrasal verb in your book to remind you of the meaning.
   
4. Once you have your mind maps for different topics, you can then learn them by creating stories. This is a powerful way to process and remember phrasal verbs. By creating a story you are forcing yourself to use the phrasal verb in context. You could simply write a review of a meeting and use the phrasal verbs you know or have been studying in that review.
5. If you’re into music you can even search on youtube for lyrics that contain such phrasal verbs and learn songs. It’s a good way to see if you can understand the phrasal verb in the context it is presented which may be different to what you have learned.
6. Read the news, go to the BBC news website and the business section, see if there are any phrasal verbs there that you recognise and see if you can identify new ones.

I never said it would be easy, but if you are determined to understand more of what people say, then learning phrasal verbs is vital. If you have any tips for learning phrasal verbs you can leave them below in the comments!

And ……. good luck!