Learning Phrasal Verbs Can be fun

Some students find phrasal verbs very difficult to learn, and some even hate them. To those students, I say that phrasal verbs are not really so difficult to learn if you go about it the right way.

Here are a few hints for teachers, drawn on my long teaching experience:

• Teach your students a limited number of Phrasal Verbs each time.
• Have your students learn the verbs in context. Give them a non-phrasal equivalent for each new phrasal verb they learn, whenever there is one. If there isn’t one, give them a good definition, either in English or in Spanish, of the phrasal verb in question.

Have them practise each verb by means of a role-play and, if possible, encourage them to make up their own dialogues. Here are some examples of role-plays, which my students acted out in my classes:

Role-play 1: to get on well with someone = llevarse bien con alguien (sketch based on an old joke).

TWO FRIENDS MEET IN THE STREET

John: Hullo, Peter. I hear you’ve bought your mother-inlaw a jaguar.

Peter: Yes, I have.

John: But I thought you didn’t get on well with her.

Peter: And I don’t. The jaguar has already bitten her twice.

Role-play 2: to drop off = quedarse dormido (lit. caerse de un sitio) (sketch based on an old joke).

AT THE DOCTOR’S SURGERY

Patient: Doctor, doctor, I suffer from insomnia, I can’t get any sleep at night, what can I do?

Doctor: You can't get any sleep, I see. Well, my advice is: sleep on the edge of the bed and you’ll soon drop off.

Patient: But, but, doctor, I don’t want to drop, I just want to sleep.

Doctor: I never said you'd drop, I said you'd soon drop off. Don’t you know your phrasal verbs? To drop off means to fall asleep.

Patient: Oh, I see, thak you so much, doctor.

Role-play 3: to speak up - hablar más alto (sketch made up by the the students themselves).

AT SCHOOL

Teacher: John, did you study your phrasal verbs?

Student (speaking in a low voice): No, I couldn’t. I had a terrible headache.

Teacher: I can’t hear you. Speak up!

Student (getting on to his desk and speaking as softly as before): I couldn’t. I had a terrible headache.

Teacher (getting angry): What are you doing there? Come down at once!

Student: But you told me to speak up and I am up.

Teacher: For goodness’ sake. You don’t know your phrasal verbs. To speak up means to speak louder or

clearer.

Role-play 4: to put sb up= hospedar, dar alojamiento (sketch made up by the students themselves)

AT THE HOTEL

Guest: Can you put me up?

Receptionist: No, I’m sorry. I can’t put you up, you’re too heavy for me.

Guest: You don’t understand, what I mean is if you have a vacant room.

Receptionist: Ah, that’s different. Room 405.

And now a QUIZ to see how self-confident you are.

Answer the questions with always, often, sometimes, seldom or never, as the case may be:

a.- Do you easily blow up (lose your temper/get suddenly angry) _____________.

b.- If someone is rude to you, do you find it necessary to answer back (to reply in a rude way)? ___________.

c.- Do you easily give up (lose interest and admit defeat) ______________.

d.- In a group, do you go along with (agree with)other people’s suggestions, even if you don’t like them, rather than make your own? __________.

e.- At meetings or discussions, you dare not break in (interrupt) even if you feel you have something really important to say? ____________.

f.- Is it practically impossible for you to get on well with (to have a friendly relationship with)

strangers?__________.

g.- If someone you hardly know invites you to call on (to visit) him or her, are you too shy to accept? ____________.

h.- In a shop, etc., do you let others push in (jump the queue) even if it’s your turn? __________.

i.- At a party, does it take you long to warm up (to liven up)? __________.

j.- If someone is wasting your time, do you find it impossible to invite him or her to push off (to go away)?

___________.

SCORE

always – 1 point

often – 2 points

sometimes – 3 points

seldom – 4 points

never – 5 points

KEY

41-50 you are full of self-confidence

31-40 you are rather self-confident

21-30 you are reasonably self-confident

11-20 you are a bit shy

1-10 you are extremely shy and should try to increase your self-confidence